Page 30 of Virelai's Hoard
Riley shifted on her feet when Thorian’s eyes settled on her, and she avoided his gaze with a press of her lips. She had nothing to say. Nothing that would make a difference.
To her side, Kittredge sniffled, her left foot wrapped in a cloth and held up in the air as she leaned heavily against a crutch. Pip hugged her arm on her opposite side, his expression a mix of sadness and morbid curiosity as he stared intensely at the body in Thorian’s arms. The others wore quiet, somber expressions on their faces.
It was Calla who finally broke the silence. “The sea gives, and the sea takes. And when it takes, we give back to the sea, praying that next time she’ll be more merciful.” She laid a hand on the canvas, looking down at Maren. Her next words were spoken softly, for his ears only, “May your body nourish new life, and your soul pass on peacefully. We will remember you.”
With that, she nodded to Thorian. He turned away from them and lifted the body above and over the railing. Then he let it fall. A loud splash signaled the end of the ceremony. As the others scattered, Riley walked up to the railing and looked down. The dark shadow of Maren’s body slowly sunk under the gentle waves lapping at the Moonshadow’s hull until it disappeared into the sea’s depths.
That should’ve been me.
She startled as a hand fell on her shoulder. “I’m glad we didn’t lose you too,” Nyxen said, his green eyes as steady as his voice.
With that, he left, leaving Riley standing there. Speechless and with a newfound urge to cry.
***
The storm had made a mess out of everything. Broken barrels, torn sails, pooling water, scattered debris, waterlogged supplies.
Riley and the rest of the crew took the next two days to clean and repair everything. Sable worked elbow to elbow with them, but Calla didn’t even come out of her quarters for mealtimes anymore. Perhaps solitude was her way of grieving. Or perhaps she didn’t care. During that time, no one talked much. Only the tranquil sounds of the sea and the mourning creaks of the Moonshadow kept them company as they worked.
Once they substituted the patched-up sails, the sight of the Moonshadow as they knew it before the storm breathed new life into the crew. A low, excited murmur crept on deck on the third morning after the storm, discussing the treasure and the island.
It was time to set sail again.
The murmurs gave way to the confident click of boots on deck Riley had learned to associate with the captain’s presence.
At the eager expressions around her, she realized with surprise the rest of the crew likely hadn’t seen their captain since the night of the storm. Riley, at least, had been allowed, if not welcomed, into Calla’s quarters on a daily basis, to visit Patch.
The captain hadn’t paid her any mind after that first visit, too busy pouring herself over the dozen maps overflowing from her desk or engrossed with furiously scribbling notes in a small, leather-bound journal in a way that made Riley itch to get her fingers on it. So Riley nosed about, asking questions about the books on her shelves, the trinkets strewn around the room, that brass telescope on her desk. She might as well have been talking to a wall. Any attempt at conversation was either met with distracted hums or one-word replies. The only unexplored places remained the locked chest at the foot of her bed and the captain’s heavy oak desk. Riley didn’t dare approach either with Calla in the room.
IfRileywas the one in the best position to discover Calla’s secrets… then she could understand Sable’s frustrations.
By the time the captain reached the helm, the sailors gathered around her with tired faces but hopeful expressions. A soft breeze rustled Riley’s clothes and made her shiver.
“Captain.” Gadrielle greeted her with a nod. “The ship is ready to sail at your word.”
Calla gave her a tired smile, and slid her hand to the helm, thoughtfully caressing the wood under her fingers as if it were an old friend. Riley wasn’t sure how she could tell, but the captain appeared… conflicted. It was only a glimpse of something, gone by the time Calla turned to address all of them.
“I think we’ve all realized, with the recent events, that this treasure hunt is more perilous than we accounted for,” Calla started, her voice quiet. Regretful. She met their gazes evenly as she subtly straightened her back. “ThanIaccounted for.” She sighed, a quiet apology woven in those simple words.
Riley noticed several of the crew nodding their heads in acknowledgment.
“You couldn’t have known,” Nyxen said, kindly.
Calla acknowledged that with a puzzling look before going on. “I am resolved to continue the hunt wherever it takes me, but I will not gamble with your lives. I am not here to command you. Only to lead you.”
Riley frowned, and a few low murmurs echoed her confusion.
“What are you saying?” Ignatius spoke up.
“If any of you wish to leave, we will stop at the nearest pirate cove and you will be free to walk away. With fair pay for services rendered, and a booked passage back to Vareth, should you prefer to go back on land. I will give you until tomorrow morning to decide. We won’t set sail again until then.”
Protests from the crew echoed before Calla could finish her last sentence, sudden and heated.
“Is this a joke?”
“Who do you take us for?”
“You’d just–”
