Page 1 of Viktor at Sea

CHAPTER ONE

“What do you say, Captain?” Gustav, one of my men, patted me on the back on his way off the ship. “Same time next week?”

“Get your feet back on land before you start planning another trip,” I chuckled and gave him a playful shove. When he bumped into the side of the ship on the way off, groaning and clutching his side, booming laughter escaped me.

Gustav firmly planted his feet on land for the first time in months and turned to glare playfully at me. “Just for that, you won’t be getting any seconds for a week.”

“Sorry, Gustav. It appears I don’t know my own strength. Please don’t starve me,” I chuckled in apology as I followed after him, the last one to get off The Serpent–our home for the past three months.

And what a mighty home it had been.

“As if I’d ever let my favourite Captain starve,” the Chief bellowed loudly, standing among all my men on the shore, waiting for me with open arms and a large, welcoming grin on his face.

The Chief, Barden, was a short fellow with grey, thinning hair. Unlike some other Chiefs I had encountered while sailingthe Seven Seas, he was lean, in good shape and generally took good care of himself. Despite his small, seemingly quiet stature, I knew firsthand that he had a loud, commandeering voice on him, and I didn’t know of a single person who didn’t look up to this man with respect. It was hard not to respect him when he and his wife, Josephine, had vastly expanded the island and its stability in the two decades they had run things together as Chief and Chiefess of Jorvik.

Behind them both stood what appeared to be the entire island. All the faces were familiar, and it felt good to be back home. As much as I loved being out at sea, there was something comforting about having my feet back on land.

“It’s good to see you again, old man.” I walked into his arms, accepting the hug. “Have you gotten shorter since I’ve last seen you?” My tone was teasing, and I ducked out of the way when he took a playful swing at me.

“Three months at sea, and you haven’t changed in the slightest,” Josephine chuckled as she approached us with a large tray of drinks. “I’m sure you’re thirsty. Help yourselves.”

None of us needed to be told twice, and more than half the drinks were gone before she even finished speaking.

“Thank you, Josephine,” I thanked the Chiefess on behalf of all my men, reaching out to take the last drink from her tray. My men echoed their thanks and compliments, returning the empty glasses almost as quickly as they had snatched them in the first place.

“I received the two letters you sent,” Barden grinned, his face a mask of excitement. “Please tell me you weren’t pulling my leg. Please tell me you weren’t exaggerating.”

Before I could answer, Josephine tutted and sent her husband a sharp look. After she passed off the tray to their youngest son, Manny, she playfully slapped Barden’s chest. “They’ve just gotten back from nearly three months at sea, andthe first thing you ask them is how much bounty they brought back?”

“I made pleasantries, and you gave them something to drink. Isn’t that enough?” Barden teased, and a round of laughter erupted at the playful back and forth between the Chief and his wife.

“That’s nowhere near good enough,” she scoffed. “The Serpent isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the bounty it brought back. Let’s get some food in them, and then we can raid the bounty. How does that sound?”

“If I must, dear,” Barden sighed dramatically.

When he turned and winked at us from behind his wife’s back, another round of laughter sounded from the islanders.

With one last glance over my shoulder at The Serpent, our trusty ship that had served us graciously time and time again, I followed my men as we headed toward the centre of the island square where a grand feast awaited us.

I didn’t realisehow much I missed real food until I set my eyes on the grand feast the islanders had prepared for us.

With nothing but fish, crackers, and other dried food for the past three months, the tantalising scent of cooked meat and fresh bread made my mouth salivate.

Unfortunately, a big circle of people had formed around me, coming between me and all the food. I wouldn’t have minded this many people wanting to talk to me if my stomach didn’t rumble so loud that it hurt or if a special someone was a part of the group. But alas, the raven-haired beauty I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about every day and night for the past three months while I’d been away at sea was nowhere to be seen.

Not that I expected any different.

“I’m so hungry right now I can’t think straight,” I groaned. “I promise I’ll catch up with you all later.”

The line of islanders waiting to talk to me laughed at my pain and parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path from me to the feast. Several hands patted me on the back and congratulated me as I filled my plate with as much food as I could, and I thanked them all graciously.

“Viktor! Over here!” Caspian, another one of my seamen called out to me, his plate brimming with so much food that it threatened to collapse any moment now. “There’s room for us in the Chief’s hut if you’re up for it,” he explained and led the way.

“Where’s everyone else?” I asked when we arrived at Barden’s hut and took a seat between Gustav and Laurence.

“With their wives and children, no doubt,” Garth answered my question, not once glancing up from the chicken leg he was devouring.

Garth was the eldest in my crew by at least two decades. I knew no man wiser than Garth, and I dreaded the day I would have to board The Serpent without him.

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