Bella stared, not sure how to respond. “You know what Will’s curse is?”

“Damn it,” Jack whispered. “I didn’t want to talk about this.”

“Too late. Do you know how to get rid of it?” Bella demanded.

“Yes,” Jack sighed. “It isn’t what you think though.”

“What is it then?” Bella asked, wishing Jack would just give her a straight answer.

“No. I’ve already said too much. You and Will are both too damn smart and neither of you can just let anything lie,” Jack shook her head. She stood up.

“Oh no! You don’t get to leave now.” Bella threw off her blankets and stood up to confront Jack. “You don’t get to come in here and drop a half-hearted apology, explain nothing, and admit that you know what the most powerful curse I’ve ever heard of is, and that you know how to get rid of it, and then leave!”

Jack felt her mouth go dry. Bella was naked and stunning, and all the emotions and memories of the two of them together came flooding back. Jack stared, then turned around.

“Look at me!” Bella snapped.

“I can’t. You’re…” Jack’s heart knotted in her chest. It felt hard to breathe.

Bella rolled her eyes and made a disgusted sound. “Imperials,” she sneered. She pulled on a blouse and a skirt. Jack stood there, listening to the rustle of fabrics, trying to control her shuddering heart. The silence was somehow the worst thing possible. All the guilt came swelling up without any handy excuse to shunt it toward anger. Somehow Bella had been the naked one, but Jack had never felt more exposed.

“There. Now turn around,” Bella demanded.

Jack slowly turned. “Please don’t ask me more.”

“Like hell,” Bella scoffed. Jack looked defeated. It wasn’t a look Bella was used to seeing on her face. Not even when Bella had tossed Jack out had she seen that expression.

“It isn’t a curse,” Jack said quietly. “Or, at least it isn’t supposed to be. I think the problem is Will.”

“Explain,” Bella said flatly.

“I can’t. I really have already said too much. Please don’t talk to Will about this,” Jack asked.

“You don’t get to ask me for anything,” Bella shook her head, her eyes like flint in the dim light.

“I was trying to help him!” Jack exploded. Bella flinched, afraid for a moment, then she watched Jack crumple at the foot of the bed. The strongest, proudest, fiercest woman Bella had ever known was sobbing. Words came, racked, helpless, unbidden.

“I had to! It… it was… I didn’t have a choice! I tried! I wanted… I only wanted to help…” Jack was incoherent.

Bella stood. Her mothering instincts threatened to override everything else. How could she stay angry while watching this? Wasn’t her anger justified? Did she even want to stay angry? Shouldn't she? Jack had done so much, hurt her, hurt Will, offered no explanation. Now this? What was this? What did Jack mean? Suddenly it was Bella who felt like she didn’t know what to do.

The initial burst of emotion over, Jack was starting to become more intelligible. She clutched the bed, her fists knotted in the blankets, her body still wracked. “You’re… you’re both just… If I told you anything, you’d… you’d figure it all out. You’re both… smarter than me. I can’t… I knew I couldn’t out-think you. Not both. I couldn’t…. I can’t… so I had to say nothing. I thought it would be good! I didn’t know it was going to hurt him so much! When he came back I… I couldn’t tell him… I had to just… let him hate me. I didn’t-”

“You aren’t making any sense,” Bella said softly.

“Good!” Jack looked up. Her eyes were raw and red-rimmed. “You weren’t ever supposed to know! I didn’t come here for any of this!”

“Alright. Why did you come here?” Bella asked.

“To ask you how to apologize to him,” Jack squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t know how!”

“I’m not sure you can. Not without some kind of explanation,” Bella shook her head.

Jack’s chest shook. “All a waste of time then. Fine.” She stood up and started wiping away her eyes.

Bella felt drained. She’d just woken up and wanted to go back to sleep. She took a deep breath. “I believe you.”

Jack stopped, blinked her stinging eyes and watched Bella for a moment. “Thank you.”

“So it’s not a waste of time,” Bella said with a small shrug. “I still don’t understand, but maybe I don’t have to.”

A small smile twitched on Jack’s lips, then was gone again. “It’s a start.”

Bella nodded. “Can you at least tell me why you can’t tell me anything?”

Jack shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”

“This must be really important,” Bella said with a half smile of sympathy on her face.

“It’s the most important thing I’ll ever do,” Jack said.

“I hope it was worth it,” Bella said, hoping she sounded sympathetic.

“It was. It still is.” Jack turned.

“Just talk to him,” Bella said, catching her before she could leave.

“I don’t know if I can.” Jack shook her head. “You can accept the things you don’t understand. He can’t. He’ll dog me about it until I either break down and tell him, or he has enough bits and pieces to figure it out for himself.”

“Would that be so bad?” Bella asked.

“It’s a risk I just can’t take,” Jack said.

“Is it really life or death?” Bella couldn’t fathom what would possibly make Jack make these choices.

“Maybe. Probably,” Jack shrugged. “I’m not willing to bet what I can’t afford to lose.”

“I’ll talk to him for you.” Bella wanted to… do something. Now that the walls were down between them, the space between was filling up with years of unresolved emotions. Now wasn’t the time. They were both too raw.

“Thank you,” Jack quietly. Then she was gone. The door opened letting in the blinding midday sun. Bella shielded her eyes and heard the door shut. Then she was alone in the dark.

She flopped back onto the bed, her arms wide. “What the hell was that?” she muttered.

___________________________

“Is all the cloak and dagger bullshit really necessary?” Caine asked.

Behind him, Prelate Alexandra sat, facing the opposite direction. They were back to back in what passed for a park at the edge of the cliffside wall, near the market. It was really just a small garden kept by a local herbalist which someone had put a few stone tables and chairs near. Now, it was a place where old men played board games in the afternoon sun, and passersby stopped to take in the view. Prelate Alexandra was dressed in sensible, plain clothes, a parasol shielding her from the sun. It was currently aimed at the crowds behind them, hiding her face.

“Well I can’t exactly walk into that wretched place you call home these days, can I?” the Prelate asked.

“You might be surprised. For the most part, they’re good people there. Very accepting, and they take care of each other,” Caine said.

“I am not here to argue about the moral complexities of your whore house,” Alexandra said primly.

“How about you get to the point then?” Caine took a drink off his ever-present tankard.

“I am in a precarious position. Fort Deliverance is functionally operational, but not yet complete. The bulk of my resources are tied up finishing the construction. I cannot openly take a stance against the Kidd family yet,” Prelate Alexandra explained.

“You know where I stand on all that,” Caine said.

“Oh, you’ve made your position quite clear, yes,” Alexandra sighed.

“So why are you here?” Caine asked flatly.

“I need a favor,” Alexandra replied.

Caine stood up, about to leave.

“Sit,” Alexandra said in a tone that reached straight down into Caine’s mind and threatened to usurp it completely. Three nearby people, who could not possibly have heard the Prelate over the noise of the crowd, all sat down directly in the dirt and looked confused. One of them got back up and looked around. Caine stopped moving, but did not sit.

“I should break your damn jaw. It’d be a public service,” Caine growled.

Alexandra sighed. “Your threats are unbecoming.”

“You’re so used to everyone doing what you say that the moment you get any pushback you jump right to compulsion,” Caine still didn’t sit.

“Will you please listen?” Alexandra asked, turning around to look up at him. Her parasol continued to carefully block anyone from getting a good look at her.

“You have ten seconds,” Caine said, cold anger still held in his eyes.

“I need you to protect Jane Castilian.” the Prelate said simply.

Caine stood a moment longer, then sat down. “Sterling’s assistant? You could have just led with that.”

“I need to be sure you understand what is at stake here,” Alexandra said, a bit exasperated. Perhaps he was right about how much she’d become used to simply being obeyed.

“I heard the gist of it. One of the Kidd boys took her hostage while Will and that lady captain were running the blockade,” Caine shrugged.

“Miss Castilian defied the Kidds in public, and is connected to Will Sterling, who aided in the escape of their quarry. I expect they will want to make an example out of her,” Prelate Alexandra said.

“Yeah, that’s a good guess. So you want to keep her safe, but you can’t be seen moving against the Kidds in public yet. So you came to me,” Caine filled in the blanks.

“Correct,” Prelate Alexandra said.

“Two conditions,” Caine said. “One, she knows the whole story and gets to make her own choices. No manipulation, no magic, no messing with her head or lying to her at all.”

“Fine. Next?” Alexandra asked.

“I get paid,” Caine said.

“You? Paid? You’ve been refusing a salary from the whoremongers for more than five years,” the Prelate scoffed.

“I don’t want their money,’ Caine said. “I do want yours. It isn’t going to be cheap either. I want you to look at the numbers and wince.”

“So it isn’t actually about the money,” Alexandra rolled her eyes.

“You’re a master diviner. You tell me,” Caine said getting up again.

“What are you doing?” Alexandra asked, rapidly growing tired of this frustrating man.

“I’m going to the lighthouse. You’re going to write me up a contract and drop it off at Mary’s. In person. I want you to see how the other half lives,” Caine said as he walked away.

Prealate Alexandra watched him leave. She pinched the bridge of her nose right between her eyes, trying to ignore all the flashes of prophecy and omen that swirled about him like shredded ghosts and dying echoes. She brought the parasol around to block out everything she was seeing. Meetings with Greyson Caine always gave her a headache.

______________________

“It’s about fucking time! Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you’re causing me?” a bitter, lightly accented woman’s voice called from somewhere above.

Jack  raised her hand to the brim of her hat and squinted. After being in the near dark of the Captain’s cabin the midday sun was uncomfortable. As her eyes adjusted to the light, a graceful, dusky-skinned shape moved through the rigging and dropped to the deck a short distance away and started walking towards her.

“Now isn’t a good time,” Jack said firmly.

“I don’t give a damn what time you think it is. What the hell are you thinking? The ship can barely sail like this.” The woman moved like she was half-snake, barefoot, swaying to compensate for the rolling ship, but her top half stayed centered.

One of Jack’s brows rose, “Excuse me?” The edge in the question was unmistakable.

“Excuse you is right,” the graceful woman scoffed. “Take a good look around. Does this seem right to you?”

Jack tilted her head to the side and glanced around the ship. It looked like a ship to her. Whatever this loon was raving about, she wasn’t seeing it. “Who are you?” Jack asked instead of answering.

“I’m Lace Webber, your Master Rigger on this little trip. I’m the one who has to make the ship still work while you fuck everything up.” She was gesturing wildly now, all across the ropes and sails and smaller ships.

Jack’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Something wasn’t right, but she was in no mood to try to work it out with calm words. “Go on…” she said.

“The Kestrel isn’t the right ship for whatever you’re trying to pull,” Lace glared.

The corners of Jack’s mouth began to curl upward, and not from amusement. She had a feeling she knew what was going on. Maybe another time she would have tried to explain it, but Miss Webber’s attitude had made Jack feel less than helpful. “You’re going to want to stop now.”

“Like hell I am!” Lace snapped, taking a step closer. “You’re putting the whole ship at risk with your amateur hour cockups!”

“I think I’ve had just about enough of you,” Jack smiled. “Quinn.”

“Good! Now how about we dump you overboard with your extra ships and let you row back to- hurk!”

A thick green arm dragged Lace backwards by her thick belt and lifted until she was on her tiptoes, struggling in vain. The woman leading the noble’s expedition stepped in front of her and pushed the hat on her head back with one finger until Lace met her dark eyes.

Jack shook her head at Lace. “If you ever get in my face like that I gain, I won’t be the one going overboard.”

“Fuck you!” Lace snapped, her hand whipping back to the sheath of her knife. She found it empty. The green musclebound cretin giving her the worst wedgie of her life dropped her blade to the deck. “You don’t get to rearrange the whole ship for no fucking reason!”

“You’re really going to feel like an idiot in a few minutes.” She nodded to Quinn, who let Lace go. Lace rocked back to the soles of her feet unexpectedly, but didn’t fall. Instead she knelt and picked up her cane knife. Jack hooked her thumbs into her belt and waited, stone faced. The deck was quiet. Lace glanced up to the sterncastle. The Captain was standing there, watching. The new swab from earlier was next to her. Something about all this didn’t feel right. What the hell was a new swab doing on the command deck?

“What the hell is the point of all this, anyway?” Lace yelled at Jack. “The whole ship’s cocked up now, and my riggers are having to work double! This is your fucking fault!”

“Even if that were true, I wouldn’t care.” Jack still hadn’t moved.

“It is true! Look around! You think a ship is supposed to look like this!?” Lace barked.

Jack shook her head in exasperation. “You really don’t catch on quick, do you?” She turned and looked up at Will. He met her gaze and the corner of his mouth twitched. She sighed and turned back to Lace. “You got played.”

“What?” Lace asked.

Jack made a small gesture toward the deck. “Played. Set up. Tricked. You’re mad at the wrong person.”

Lace was building up her anger again. “You’re the new Navigator! Who the hell else should I be mad at?”

“No.” Jack cut her off. “He’s the new navigator.” She jerked her thumb towards the sterncastle, towards Will.

Lace’s gaze climbed to Will, who was leaning against the railing next to the captain, just watching. He gave her a small cheeky wave. Her eyes narrowed and she could hear her blood pounding in her ears. “You motherfucker,” she snarled. He gave her a small shrug.

She took a deep breath and brought her attention back to Jack. “Thanks.”

“Apologize.” Quinn said firmly.

“Like hell. I was tricked. I still don’t know who the fuck she is.” Lace sneered.

“She is the expedition leader,” came the Captain’s voice from behind her. Lace turned and looked up at the Sterncastle. Captain Vex was looking down on the situation, not looking happy. “You just picked a fight with the woman who hired us.”

“Fuck,” Lace muttered. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought you were…”

“All hands on deck,” the Captain said flatly.

“All hands on deck!” Missus North bellowed. Her bosun’s whistle pierced the ocean tranquility and the ship began to bustle like a kicked anthill.

_____________________

Bella traced the buzzing stone phallus across her sensitive nipples and held her breath for a moment as the shiver ran through her. Her blouse was pushed up beneath her arms and her other hand was lightly stroking her bare mons, just teasing and petting. Warming up.

She was feeling slightly queasy from the constant rolling of the ship, but the captain’s cabin was the most stable place she could possibly be. The rolling was gentle. It could have been a lot worse. She was trying not to let the slightly sick feeling break her concentration.

A simple arcane sigil was drawn on her sternum in white. A pentagram inside a binding circle. One of the most well known symbols of magical binding in the world. It had become somewhat ubiquitous as a symbol for witchcraft in general. There was some truth to that, but not for the reasons most people thought. As a tool, it was easy, reliable, and versatile. It showed up in many disciplines, including some of the worst, which didn’t help public opinion. It was hard to explain to ignorant zealots that just because a killer used a hammer that it didn’t mean all blacksmiths were in league with killers. Because of that it was a symbol she only ever used in private rituals.

Her fingers traced along her labia, enjoying the flush and the feel of her nerves waking up. Her hands switched places. She dragged Rocky downward and lifted and squeezed her left breast with the hand that she’d been stroking herself with. The low hum of the toy sent shivers through her. Her thighs clenched and her breath quickened.

Jack’s crying face rose unbidden into her mind. Her fingers stopped for a moment. Her lips pursed in momentary frustration and she pushed the invading thought away. Instead she focused on the lighthouse the night before. That had been amazing. The four of them in the cool night air. The rush of danger. The intensity. The joy of helping Janie discover new passions.

Someone was shouting. A shrill whistle sounded from outside. Her brows clenched further. The distractions were starting to make her angry.

Rocky found her entrance and teased. She bit her lip. The pentagram began to glow very faintly.

Janie. On the docks with a gun to her head, watching them drift away.

The light of the pentagram faded. Bella’s brows furrowed. She focused on something else. Mary’s. The divination ritual. Will taking her on the table in front of a peeking audience. Tonya whispering in her ear and biting her neck.

The ship lurched a bit, sending a brief wave of discomfort through her. She took a breath and waited for it to pass.

Rocky slid into her slowly. She rolled her hips and breathed deep. The light of the pentagram returned. She focused on the sensations. The wet warmth and the vibrations that seemed to sooth and gather tension at the same time. Her fingers rolled her nipple and squeezed just enough to make her toes start to curl.

Blood all over the floor. Cerise helping Caine move an unconscious man into the only empty space. Her alcove. Chance yelling at her, thinking that the reason Will had showed up had been to see her. Running through the streets.

“No,” she muttered to herself. She refocused, thinking of the things that always got her in the right headspace. The contortionists in the circus when she was just coming of age, their long, lythe forms bending impossibly. Watching the dancers at Mary’s. Jack’s beckoning lips. Jack. “Damnit,” she swore.

The door opened suddenly. Bella pulled a blanket over herself, startled. “The captain wants everyone on deck,” Will’s voice said.

“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Bella sighed. Rocky thumped into the blankets next to her and the buzzing died.

“She’s going to tell the crew what we’re doing. Part of that is going to be about you and I. Just wanted to warn you,” Will said, leaning in the doorway.

“Fine,” she said, throwing off her blanket. Will shut the door.

She lay there in the dark, frustrated. Her morning rituals were important. It had been nearly ten years since anything had interrupted her focus enough to keep her from getting through them. She felt like an apprentice again. Too much had happened. She needed to clear her head.


____________________

There was a few quick minutes of scrambling as all the crew below decks secured what they were doing and came up into the sun. Lord Morant and his manservant Mister Lynch were the last to come up the stairs. Bella joined Will from the Captain’s cabin. Danica came down from the sterncastle leaving only the helmsmen behind the Captain as she addressed the crew.

“I had planned on doing this tonight,” the Captain boomed. She cut quite a figure. The buttons of her frock coat and the hilts of her pistols gleamed. Will was struck again by how commanding her presence could be.

“The last few days haven’t been easy, and ye haven’t had a lot of information tae work with. Ye know that isn’t usually the way I run things. It’s time to set the record straight,” Captain Vex said. She pointed to Will. “This is Mister Sterling, our Navigator. With him is Miss Fortuna, his Navigator’s Mate. Miss Fortuna is a witch.” Another murmur ran through the crew. “A fortune witch. She’s our lucky charm,” Vex said, smiling down at Bella. Bella blushed, not used to being under so much scrutiny.

“The two of them were hand picked, same as the rest of ye were.” Captain Vex continued. “I only take on the best crew. Not just crew that’re good at their job, but crew that’re good, period. I don’t hire folk I don’t respect. Maybe I misjudged ye though, so now’s your chance to speak up. If any of ye have a problem sailing with a witch, just speak up and I’ll see ye off at the next port.” No one said a thing. Bella turned and looked around, really taking in the crew for the first time. Only a few were even paying attention to her. She was being all but ignored while they listened to their captain.

“The reason they’re here is because this expedition we’ve been hired for is going tae require us to go through the Drifts,” Captain Vex continued. A shocked ripple spread through the crew. She cut it off before it could build.

“Mister North!” she boomed again. “How many times have ye been around the Devil’s Horn with me?”

“Four each way, Captain.” North said, tapping his own pierced ears.

“How many crew have we lost on those trips?” Vex asked.

“Five total, Captain. Two overboard, one from sick, two taken by the Horn’s madness,” Mister North counted.

“Ever hear of anyone else with a record to match mine?” Vex asked.

“Only two, Captain, and I suspect one was lying,” North said with a wry grin.

“Miss Webber, how many times have ye and I talked about taking a run at the Drifts?” Belita asked her Master Rigger.

“Too many to count, Captain,” Lace said somewhat grimly.

“Did ye mean it, or are ye all talk?” Belita challenged.

“Aye, Captain. I meant it!” Lace said.

“Mister Sterling is the man with the plan tae get us through.” Belita said, pointing to Will. “I know some of you have heard the stories about Sterling’s magic maps. They true?” she asked Will.

“Somewhat,” Will shrugged. “It isn’t the maps that are the magic part.” The crew murmured again, some of them chuckling.

“Take a good look around,” Captain Vex said. “This isn’t the way the Kestrel’s supposed tae be. She’s a mess right now. She doesn’t look like any ship that’s ever tried what we’re going tae try.” There was a murmur through the crew. “Every other ship who’s taken a run at the Drifts has been tossed on the rocks and ground tae splinters! The way things have always been done dinnae work for this. We’re going tae try something new! The Navigator with the magic maps says he can get us through. This won’t be the first time your Master Rigger came up with a newer, better way of doing things. Ye remember when we won the Dead Man’s Regatta? Ye remember when we ran the Bootlegger’s Slalom?” The murmur among the crew was getting louder.

“Sterling’s coordinates, Webber’s sails, me at the helm, and the best damn crew on the five seas doing what they do best. I think we can do this. If we pull it off we’ll all be legends. Very rich legends.” The crew’s murmur swelled to cheers and laughter.

“So, here’s what I need from ye,” Belita said, putting her forearms on the railing and leaning down, familiar and friendly now where she’d been commanding and inspiring only a moment before. “Miss Webber needs to make new rigging ladders. These ones we picked up in port dinnae work. Every rigger, grab yourself a swab. Swabbies, it’s time to brush up on your knotwork. Splicing the big ropes is hard and our riggers can’t get it done in time without help. So ye’ll be the extra muscle they need. We’re going to lay out the lines for new ladder starting from the prow all the way down to where you’re standing now. We’re going to tack them down into position, and start splicing and knotting across. We’re going to do it from dawn to dusk until it’s done. If ye aren’t on duty and aren’t in your rack, I expect ye up on deck twisting rope with your partner.” A ripple of concern began passing through the crew. Vex continued, standing back up again. “That means we’re going tae have tripping hazards all over the deck. So, no deck duties until it’s done.” A small cheer ran through the swabs. “Because ye’re all going to be working double, your duty day will be shortened by an hour, and ye’ll be getting a double ration of rum until the new ladders are hung.” That sent a much larger cheer through the whole crew. Will smiled appreciatively. Watching Captain Vex work her crew like a minstrel working a crowd was impressive.

“Missus North, ye have the deck. Mister North, Hunter, Sterling, Webber, with me. The rest of ye, as ye were.” The Captain didn’t move. The crew moved. Riggers climbed, swabs moved to the large crank that sat just behind the foremast. Danica North started barking orders. The cargo hatch in the middle of the top deck began to slowly open.

Will and Bella climbed the stairs to the sterncastle. Lace and North went up the other side, followed by Jack. They all met where the Captain stood, watching the crew work.

“I dinnae appreciate starting a new voyage with a fight,” Captain Vex said tersely. “Miss Webber, what happened?”

“I was told that Miss Hunter was our new Navigator. I wanted to talk to her about the mess all these extra boats have made of my rigging,” Lace said. It was clear that she wanted to say more, and likely use more colorful words, but she was keeping restrained.

“Mister North, you posted the new crew manifest and duty roster, didn’t ye?” Belita asked.

“Aye, Captain. This morning, just after you came aboard,” Mister North answered.

“Miss Webber was on duty then?” Belita asked.

“Aye,” Lace and North answered simultaneously.

“Alright. That’s a good excuse not tae have read it yet. The mixup is forgivable, but even if Miss Hunter had been our Navigator, there was no reason tae accost her,” Belita said.

“I wasn’t going tae hurt her, I was just pissed about all the… problems,” Lace protested.

“I watched the whole thing, Lace. I’ve been out drinkin’ with ye enough times to be able to spot when ye’re looking for a fight. ” Belita said with one terse eyebrow raised.

“I said I’m sorry! It never would have happened if Sterling hadn’t tricked me!” Lace said, throwing her hands into the air in frustration and starting to pace.

Belita leaned back against the railing. “Why’d that happen, Will?” she asked.

“I’d been hearing that she wanted to hang me,” Will shrugged. “Apparently Mister North’s been taking bets on it.”

“Aye, that’s true,” North admitted.

“You were there when it was brought up the first time, Captain.” Will said.

“Aye, I was. Miss Webber is a bit intense sometimes, but nothing I thought you couldn’t handle. Seemed all in good fun. Probably would have been if you hadn’t tricked her into going after Miss Hunter,” Belita’s arched eyebrow was turned on Will now.

“Well, fun for everyone but me,” Will shrugged. “I’ll concede the point though.”

“You threw me to the wolves to save your own skin, Will,” Jack said flatly.

“No, I threw you to the wolves because it was funny, Jack” Will shrugged. North started to laugh but turned it into a cough. Captain Vex’s eyes were amused, but she held onto her composure.

“Mister North, Sterling and Webber are yours for three days. Whatever extra duties need doing.”

“Aye, Captain,” North said. Lace glared at Will, who seemed amused.

The Captain wasn’t quite done. “Miss Hunter, ye aren’t part of my crew, but if ye were you’d be joining them.”

“I’ll join them,” Jack said. Now it was Will’s turn to be surprised.

Belita nodded slowly. “You heard her, Mister North. Haven’t seen anyone volunteer for extra duties like that before,” she added.

“Oh, I’m happy to volunteer,” Jack smiled. “Will managed to piss off Miss Webber and myself. Now he’s going to be stuck with both of us.”

Suddenly Will wasn’t quite as amused.

____________________________

Janie flinched at the knock at the door.

She hadn’t left the lighthouse. She hadn’t slept. Thomas had brought her a meal and checked on her last evening. She could tell he was worried about her, but she didn’t feel like talking. She had done what she could to keep her mind occupied. She cleaned some. It felt more like moving the mess around. The ground floor was starting to smell musty. Her rain sigil had soaked everything. It felt like a swamp. Bastards Bay was already tropical, plenty hot and wet in the summertime, but with just enough shade to keep the damp in, the heat turned Will’s library into a sticky, sweltering hole that stank of damp wood. She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting at the table staring into the grain of the wood without really seeing it. She felt like she had lost everything all at once. She’d finally found a dream worth believing in, and she’d only had it for a matter of hours before it was stolen from her. The knock pulled her out of her reverie.

“Who-” she called. Her voice cracked, rough from lack of use. “Who is it?” she tried again.

A muffled man’s voice answered. “Caine.”

There were only four names on Will’s “any time, no questions asked” list. Janie herself was one, Jack and Bella were the others. Caine was the fourth. She’d never met him, but she knew of him by reputation. She got up and trudged her way to the door. A wave of her hand clattered all the locks open. She wished the chain hadn’t been broken. She pulled the door open enough to look outside.

Caine looked like Will had described. Balding. Unkept. Broken nose. Janie had met retired Centurions. They were all one big scowl of scars with tired eyes that had seen too much, old before their time. Caine looked like one of them.

“Come in,” she said.

Caine followed her inside and wrinkled his nose as she shut the door. “What happened to this place?”

“It’s a long story,” Janie said, offering Caine a chair with a gesture of her hand. “Don’t use the upholstered one, it’s still wet.”

Caine slowly crossed the room, his head on a swivel, eyeing everything. Finally he sat. Jaine sat across from him. “I’d offer you tea, but the stove isn’t lit.”

“I don’t really drink tea,” Caine shrugged.

“What do you need?” she asked.

“You’re Janie Castilian, right?” Caine asked.

“Yes,” Janie said, a bit warily. “Why?”

“I’m going to help you out for a while,” Caine said gently. He looked around again. “Seems like you could use it.”

“I can’t accept that,” Janie said.

“Well, I guess I’ll just wait around until you get used to me then,” Caine said.

Janie normally would have argued, but she just didn’t have the energy.

“How long have you been in here?” Caine asked.

“Since yesterday,” Janie said.

“In the morning. When Will and Bella’s ship left,” Caine said, sounding like he already knew the answer. “When they took you hostage.”

“Yes,” Janie said.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but when was the last time you had a bath?” Caine asked.

Janie’s mind flickered back the baths she’d taken in the last few days. First with Will, then with Bella. They had been wonderful and now they hurt to think about. They felt like a lifetime ago.

“The night before last,” she said.

“That’s too long to be sitting in this humid pit. You need a change of clothes,” Caine said. His tone was businesslike. Not exactly gentle, but not accusatory or mocking either.

A week ago she would have been embarrassed and outraged. Now, it just didn’t seem to matter. She nodded. “I haven’t been able to get any,” she said quietly. The Kidd gang had been here. Last night. This morning. Prowling. Looking for easy ways in. Trying the door. Knocking to see if she was dumb enough to answer it. They were probably still outside, watching. “I can’t leave.”

“You can now. Let’s go,” Caine said, standing up.

“They’ll come for me,” Janie said shaking her head.

“They won’t. They know better than to come at me,” Caine reassured her.

“There’s too many of them,” Janie said. “Even you can’t fight off all of them.”

“I don’t have to,” Caine shrugged. “They won’t take the risk.”

“How do you know?” Janie asked.

“They came after your captain friend because of a bad bar fight, right? Just one slight?” Caine asked.

“Yes, that’s what started all this insanity,” Janie scowled.

“I’ve been busting their skulls for nearly ten years. I’m still alive,” Caine said. It sounded like he was discussing the weather.

“Why? Why do they leave you alone and come after me for nothing?” Janie asked.

“Oh, they’ve come at me before. Tried to kill me about a half dozen times in the first few years. I’m hard to kill,” he shrugged. “They kept escalating and so did I. It was ugly. Eventually I got tired of it and went and had a talk with the Old Man. His crew leaves me alone now, even when I have to rough them up when they get out of line.”

“Why?” Janie asked, a bit worried at what the response could possibly be.

“Because I don’t kill them, and when they’re at Mary’s I make sure no one else does either,” Caine said.

“You should,” Janie said bitterly.

“Maybe,” Caine said. “I’m not going to argue that a lot of them don’t deserve it. I’m just not going to be the one to do it.”

“Then what good are you?” Janie snapped. “They hurt people!”

“It would be a never ending job,” Caine said. “There’s always more bad people. Right now they have a hold on this place. For the most part they keep the worst violence to a minimum largely because they don’t have anyone challenging their power. There’s plenty of violence, but people aren’t dying very often.”

“So they just get to do whatever they want?” Janie said, every word snapping from her lips.

“Until the people they’re hurting rise up together, yes,” Caine said.

“The Magistrate will stop them soon,” Janie huffed. She didn’t know why she said it. The Magistrate hadn’t helped her at all.

“Then the people will be trading one boot on their necks for another,” Caine said.

Janie wanted to argue, but she knew the Magistrate too well. There were good people among the order, but the Magistrate themselves, and the Church, they did too many bad things. She felt broken. Helpless. She had nowhere to go for help. Eventually, they were going to catch her and kill her. “I know,” she whispered.

“So let’s go,” Caine said.

“Go where?” Janie asked.

“My place,” Caine said with a small smile.

___________________

“Captain, I need your help,” Bella said.

Captain Vex looked up from where she sat next to Colin, checking in on him. The lad was exhausted but still stubbornly refused to head down to his rack. Belita patted him on his good shoulder and stood up. “What do ye need?”

“Uh… privately, please,” Bella said. Belita arched an eyebrow and followed Bella down the stairs toward her quarters. “North, you have the deck!” she shouted to her first mate, who gave a responding, “Aye!”

Once inside, Belita hung up her hat on a hook. Bella could barely see, but the Captain moved around in the cabin like she didn’t need eyes to do it. Then she turned up the oil lamp near the door to brighten the room. “Alright, what is it?”

“You said you wanted to see the next ritual, right?” Bella asked.

“Aye, yerself and Will planning on doing your map trick already?” Belita smirked.

“No, not yet. I need to replenish some energy I lost. I tried to do it this morning, but I couldn’t gather the energy. I was hoping you would help me out,” Bella said with a small shrug and a seductive twinkle in her eye.

A slow smile spread across Belita’s face as she realized what Bella was asking. “I suppose I can take a short break,”

“Good,” Bella stepped in and slid her arms around the Captain’s waist beneath her coat, bringing their lips together in a gentle, sensual kiss.

Bella was used to being the initiator of intimacy. It came with the territory. She often had to take charge of sexual encounters to be able to guide her rituals in just the right ways. She didn’t consider herself to be forceful or dominant. She just had more specific goals when it came to sex than most people. She rather preferred to let someone else take charge when she could. Her favorite sort of lovemaking slowly drew a partner’s innermost self out with just the right kinds of asking, teasing, or taunting. It was a skill she prided herself on.

Belita Vex needed no such prompting. She was a confident, sensual creature who did nearly everything with an edge of wild abandon. So when their lips met, Bella found herself immediately yielding to her Captain’s hunger. Belita’s hands ran up her sides and cupped the small of her back, pulling their bodies together. The Captain wasn’t demanding or forceful. She was slow and deliberate. Commanding. Her actions clearly showed her intent, and Bella followed, obeying instinctively. The N’madi witch’s passions flared at the Captain’s presence. This was her favorite sort of lover. Sklled. Patient. Confident. Completely and effortlessly in control.

“Oh yesss…” Bella hissed, her anticipation and heady desire building with every stroke and kiss.

Gone were the distractions, the intrusive thoughts, the stress and noise. Belita Vex had banished them all. There was no room for such things. All the attention Bella could muster was casually demanded by the Captain’s very nature.

Belita brought her arms to Bella’s bare shoulders and ran her hands along the witch’s smooth skin, dipping her fingertips below the hem of Bella’s blouse.

“Undress me,” Belita said, her mouth still pressed against Bella’s. Bella nodded and began feeling for the buttons on the captain’s ruffled shirt.

They began to drop clothes behind them in a trail as they slowly made their way to the bed. It wasn’t far away, but they took their time, kissing, touching, exploring each other’s bodies. Bella’s skirts hit the ground in a puddle next to the captain’s coat, leaving her only in her blouse. When Bella’s fingers went for the Captain’s weapon belt, Belita stopped her and carefully undid the belt on her own. It was hung from the bedpost with care, ready in case of an emergency. Bella waited dutifully, their lips meeting again as soon as the Captain came back to her. The dark haired beauty undid the last button on the ruffled shirt when the blond came back. She pulled it open to expose firm, tanned breasts. Bella’s hands cupped them from below and from the sides, her thumbs brushing the delicate gold rings that pierced the blond captain’s nipples. Belita took a breath and arched her back, which only served to push her chest a bit further into Bella’s hands. “They’re very sensitive,” Bella grinned, squeezing the blond woman’s breasts a bit more firmly.

“Aye,” Belita agreed. “It’s the rings. They make everything more intense.”

“I’m not sure I could handle that. Mine are already pretty overwhelming sometimes,” Bella said, glancing down at her blouse.

“Oh really?” Belita said mischievously, then tugged Bella’s blouse down. It was an off-the-shoulder style, mostly held in place by Bella’s sizable breasts and the grace of the gods, so with Belita’s firm tug Bella’s blouse was suddenly hanging loosely around her hips. Her dark eyes lit up at the Captain’s forcefulness. The blond woman’s head dipped and took a rosy nipple in her mouth. Bella gasped and shuddered, her hands finding the back of Belita’s head.

“Oh yes,” she gasped, both answering and encouraging. The Captain’s mouth was strong and supple, like the rest of her, somehow both firm and soft at the same time. There was something languid and unhurried about everything she did, but with an intensity and focus behind it that made her actions and attentions feel inevitable. It was the kind of confidence that came from self-awareness and the ability to adapt easily. Bella found it intoxicating. It was a quality she wished she possessed.

Without stopping her mouth’s ministrations, Belita slid her hands down Bella’s curves and pushed the blouse off her hips so that it joined the trail of clothing. Belita’s mouth came off Bella’s succulent nipple as she pushed Bella’s hips down. The witch obediently sat on the edge of the bed. The Captain lifted her foot and put a boot on Bella’s thigh. Bella began working the laces and buckles.

“I think ye are going to make an excellent cabin girl,” Belita teased.

“Oh, I agree,” Bella laughed. The captain’s boot hit the floor. Her sock followed. Then the next boot was lifted to Bella’s other thigh.

“I’ve never had a cabin girl. Or boy. Always seemed exploitative tae me,” Belita mused while Bella began to tug on her boot.

“Can’t exploit the willing,” Bella winked.

“I’m starting tae see the appeal,” Belita agreed. The boot hit the floor behind her. Bella immediately started working at the Captain’s breeches.

“Your clothes take far too much time to take off,” Bella complained.

“Ye’ll just have tae practice at it until your faster,” Belita smirked.

“Aye, Captain,” Bella said, her eyes lighting up and she tugged Belita’s breeches to the floor.

The Captain put a knee onto the bed right between Bella’s thighs and leaned forward. Bella had no choice but to lay back onto her elbows. Belita’s other knee came to the bed next to Bella’s hip. The blond captain leaned forward and straddled Bella’s hips, their breasts pressing together and their mouths finding each other. Bella moaned deep in her throat. Belita’s hands cupped Bella’s massive breasts and brought them together, squeezing them, and gently pinching. Shudders ran through the dark haired witch. Belita leaned down further and found Bella’s breasts with her mouth. Bella gasped at the warm wetness and the shock of pleasure that ran straight down her spine and further woke other warm, wet places.

“Wait… I have to…” Bella tried to reach over the edge of the bed.

Belita stopped and looked at what Bella was trying to reach. “Something wrong?” She sounded a bit concerned.

“Oh no, this is amazing. I just have to make sure I don’t lose it.” Bella scrambled over to the edge and dragged her bag up.

“Lose what?” Belita was confused.

“The energy. It’s a witch thing,” she shrugged, rifling through her bag.

“Oh, right. The ritual ye mentioned.” Belita sat back up on her knees, watching.

Bella pulled out a stick of what looked like lipstick and quickly drew a white circle on her chest. She stopped. “You’re not superstitious, are you?”

“I’m a sailor, of course I’m superstitious,” Belita laughed. “I’m just not one who thinks all witchery is bad. Do what ye need tae do.”

Bella finished drawing the pentagram, same as she had done earlier. Belita’s brows rose. “Ah. I see why ye asked. That’s a pretty infamous symbol.”

“For good reason,” Bella said. “It’s used in a lot of bad rituals. That’s not all it’s for though. It’s just a tool. What you use it for is what makes it good or bad.”

“So what are we using it for?” Bella asked. She tilted her head setting her braids swaying.

“Collecting energy. I tapped myself dry before we left. I need to replenish. I tried to do it myself, but I’m just too…” Bella was at a loss for words. “Too many distractions.”

Belita smiled. “Well, I’m happy tae help. Ye’re my good luck charm. Not very useful tae me if ye can’t work your charms. Anything else ye need tae do to prepare?”

“No, that’s it. This is a pretty simple-” Bella didn’t get to finish. The Captain pounced on her and brought her mouth back to Bella’s breasts. Bella squeaked in surprise, then said “Just be careful of the sigil.”

Belita nodded into Bella’s chest, not taking her mouth off the nipple she was sucking. Bella’s breath quickened. The Captain’s hand slid up Bella’s thigh.

“So what works best for this?” Belita asked as her fingers found Bella’s bare mons and started trailing her fingers through the moisture collecting between her lover’s lower lips. “Teasing? Or just going at it?”

“Mmmm…” Bella said, rolling her hips. “Teasing, for me. Going at it for you.”

“Me?” the Captain asked.

“The sigil soaks up ambient energy, not just mine. It’s most efficient from me, so a slow teasing build up gathers the most power. From external sources they have to be strong, so big orgasms and strong desire are ideal.”

“Seems one sided,” Belita said continuing to trace and tease.

“Sometimes it is. That’s the nature of the magic,” Bella shrugged, closing her eyes and starting to lose herself in the Captain’s skilled fingers.

Belita lowered her head between Bella’s thighs and began to lick. Her tongue gently traced the witch’s dark red labia, spreading wetness and tasting the tang of her flavor. Bella groaned again. Fingers spread her open and the Captain took a long slow lap with her entire tongue. Then she did it again. Then she began to make circles, up one side and down the other. Bella’s breath shuddered in her chest. “Oh, that’s fantastic,” she moaned.

Belita was slow, sensual and deliberate. As a lover she was willing to wait and willing to be just a small amount of cruel. When Bella tried to grind down on her mouth or rolled her hips to try to increase the friction, Belita denied her, pulling away without stopping, keeping what the witch wanted right out of her reach. Bella began to whine. Belita laughed into Bella’s womanhood sending little vibrations through her. Finally, Belita’s tongue began brushing Bella’s clit and a single finger slid inside. Bella nearly came from the slow penetration and the emblem on her chest suddenly burst into a pale radiance. “There. Oh, there,” Bella moaned.

“Ye want more?” The Captain teased.

“Yes, but no,” Bella breathed. “I’m not allowed. Not for this.”

Belita let out an evil sounding laugh and closed her mouth around Bella’s clit.

“Ohfuck!” Bella exhaled, grabbing at the blanket and the back of Belita’s head. “No, I can’t come!”

“Then don’t,” Belita said without lifting her lips off Bella’s clit. The pentagram started glowing brighter. Sensual lips sucked and dextrous tongue swirled, circling Bella’s clit and sending sparks and heat up her spine. It began to build intensity. Bella slipped into a different headspace, one she usually used for more elaborate rituals, where her sexual desires became a conduit flowing through her rather than a feedback loop. She breathed deep, allowing the buildup of pleasure. Fighting it was pointless. She imagined herself expanding, allowing more of her mental space to be filled. It released some of the ramping pressure and made it more bearable. Belita’s tongue continued its slow, relentless work. Every pass and flick sent shivers through Bella’s body, and the sliding finger stroking slowly in and out added just enough variety that Bella felt she couldn’t just get used to the sensation. It was maddening and wonderful. The pentagram was bright now, almost as bright as the lamps on the walls. Belita could have read a map by its light.

Bella’s body was starting to shudder with involuntary twitches. Her breathing was still slow and deliberate, but not controlled. It was ragged and shaking as she tried and failed to keep it controlled. The pleasure wanted out, but she denied it as tightly as she could. She’d suffered worse tests. She could endure this.

Belita suddenly rolled the witch over and spread her knees, sliding her fingers back into her and pushing down, firmly against the inside of her pelvic wall. “Oh fuuuuck,” Bella groaned into the blanket. She had to hold herself up on her forearms to keep the glowing pentagram from pressing into the blankets. Fingers slowly pulled and sawed back and forth inside her. The Captain’s other hand slid beneath her and cupped her soft breast, kneading a nipple. Shocks of pleasure raced up from between her legs and downward from her nipple, meeting and intertwining. Then the Captain’s weight settled down on Bella, her warm, soft breasts pressed into her back. Bella’s arms began to strain slightly with the extra weight. The extra tension in her body made concentrating on relaxing and allowing the energy to flow through her much harder. Bella’s eyes went wide as she realized what the Captain was doing. “Oh, you’re evil…” she moaned into the blankets.

Belita’s lips found Bella’s ear. “If ye cum I’ll have ye tied to the mast and flogged,” she whispered, her breath tickling exquisitely. “The whole crew will watch.”

The idea of being flogged was not on Bella’s list of excitements, but the idea of naked under the gaze of so many eyes was. “A-aye, Captain,” Bella moaned. She was shaking now, both from holding herself up, and from the intensity of the pleasure.

“Ye said ye tried tae do this tae yourself earlier?” Belita asked, nipping at her ear. The sawing, pulling, probing fingers didn’t let up.

“Mmmhmm,” Bella whined.

“No more of that. That’s the Captain’s duty now,” Belita whispered.

“I do it... every morning…” Bella shuddered.

“Ye start your day by working yourself up and not getting your finish?” Belita asked, sounding a bit shocked.

“Aye, Captain. Every day,” Bella grinned into the blankets.

“No wonder witches have such a mean reputation,” Belita chuckled. He fingers continued their slow work. Her thumb found Bella’s clit and she began rolling her fingers inside like she was trying to gently meet them to her thumb with Bella’s clit trapped between. The dark haired beauty clenched the blankets as hard as she could and arched her hips up, kicking one foot down into the bed in exquisite agony. “Don’t worry,” Belita said, her breath rasping against Bella’s neck. “I’ll make sure to get you right tae the very edge every day.”

“Do your worst, pirate…” Bella hissed, her hips shuddering.

Belita bit her neck and clamped down on her nipple. Bella squeaked and bucked and clenched her eyes shut. Her arms and back were shaking from the effort of holding her chest off the bed.

“Don’t forget the mast,” Belita whispered.

“Fuuuuck,” was all Bella could say. The sigil was suddenly brightening the whole room. Belita could feel Bella’s insides beginning to clench and ripple. She slowed down even further and let a bit of her weight off Bella’s back. A frustrated noise escaped the witches lips.

“Are you going to cum, witch?” Belita asked.

“Nnn… no!” Bella huffed.

The captain smiled and finally showed mercy. She lifted off of Bella and rolled her over. The witch was flushed, her hair plastered to her forehead. Her arms and shoulders were shaking. Her breathing was ragged and she was tightening her stomach muscles and thighs to try to hold back the intense pressure of the pleasure that had been building inside her.

Belita slowly withdrew her fingers and brought them to Bella’s mouth. The witch sucked them hungrily. The Captain brought her own mouth to Bella’s nipple and sucked it, the wet warmth alleviating some of the twinges from the roughness Belita had given it a few moments ago.

The pentagram was a bright, clear white now. Bella sucked contentedly and closed her eyes. After a while, the fingers were withdrawn and Belita’s lips replaced them. “Thank you,” Bella rasped, her body still shuddering with need, but relieved that the wonderful agony was no longer being built up.

“So what now?” Belita asked. “Do ye just glow all day?”

“Give me… a moment.” Bella said, letting the Captain’s lips slip from her own. Belita sat back and watched. The witch brought both hands to the emblem on her chest, but didn’t touch it. She whispered an incantation in her native tongue, and then the glow seemed to lift. Not intensifying, just moving. The light gathered beneath Bella’s palms, sinking into her skin, slowly fading as she whispered. It didn’t take long. Within fifteen seconds the light was gone. Bella opened her eyes and smiled. Her pupils had an intense light behind them for a few moments longer, then it too faded.

“I have not been this full in a very long time,” Bella said.

“So that was it?” Belita asked. “Seems a little anticlimactic.”

“It is,” Bella chuckled.

“I thought sex magic was all about pleasure and having fun,” Belita said, raising an eyebrow. “That sounds terrible, especially to do every day.”

“Think of it like saving up. I deny myself now, and deal with the discomfort. Then later I can tap into that to do amazing, wonderful things,” Bella explained. “Right now though, I want to return the favor. The ritual is over. I’ve closed down the connection to the sigil. I’m allowed to cum now, but I’m always a bit sore after that, so first your cabin girl is going to take care of her captain.”

Belita simply laid back into the headboard and let Bella spread her knees...