Page 10 of Virelai's Hoard
That only left…
“Riley,” the girl introduced herself in a raspy voice. “And this,” she gestured to the rodent perching on her shoulder, “is Patch.” She offered nothing else.
Calla studied them both for a moment.
Lean and wiry, with short, dark-brown curls and sun-kissed skin. She stood to her full unimpressive height, confident, almost cocky, the skittishness from before repressed to an impressive minimum. Her hazel eyes stayed alert, though. As were her rat’s. He was an ugly thing, more scar than fur. A wiry little beast with a torn ear and a tail that must’ve seen better days. His sharp dark eyes met Calla’s gaze head-on, curious and intense.
They made quite the odd pair. Any self-respecting captain would throw the both of them overboard. However, it took guts to not only step foot on a pirate ship but also dare to bring a rat on one and pretend it was nothing to bat an eye at. Calla liked people with guts.
“What can you do, Riley?” Calla asked, the name flowing pleasantly off her tongue.
A moment passed, then Riley’s lips spread in a playful smirk. “For you, captain? Anything you ask.” The words were drawn out just enough to make Calla blink at her in surprise, and thenthe smirk was gone, a shrug in its place. “But I can climb pretty well.”
Calla stared at the woman for a moment longer than was proper. Then, slowly, she nodded. “You’ll start with the other deckhands. Kittredge can show you the rigging in the downtimes.”
With a last searching gaze in Riley’s direction, Calla addressed the others. “Do you have questions?”
“Yes! Captain,” Maren said, his expression entirely serious before it broke into a grin. “Is there any rum on the ship?”
Draven and Venn snickered beside him, but also looked very interested in her answer.
Calla suppressed a smile.Cheeky. “Yes, there is rum. You’ll need to barter with Thorian for it. Good luck.”
The man’s grin faded as Thorian shifted his gaze to him.
“If there’s nothing else, get to work. We’re about to set sail.”
***
Calla stood by the helm, arms linked at her back as she waited for the crew to finish the last of the preparations for departure. They gathered first in a trickle, then in a swarm as word spread that she would be giving a speech before they set sail. The undertone of curious murmurs rising from them was only pierced by the sharp chill of first morning and the gentle lapping of water at the hull.
She touched the iron key hanging at her hip, a nervous habit that had to stop. This was it. The moment she committed them all to this course, there would be no turning back.
If I’m wrong about this…
She forced the thought away. The crew needed to see her confidence if she wanted them to buy this. If they doubted her, this would all end in disaster.
Once everyone was gathered, Calla looked at her pirates, trying not to imagine all the ways she could lead them to ruin.
“I’m sure you’ve all been wondering for a while at what I’ve been doing,” she started, seeing no point in beating around the bush. A few reluctant assents resounded in response. “Dropping anchor at several ports along Vareth’s coasts, leading you in circles and living off our dwindling spoils. I realize it might’ve seemed confusing, and I wanted to thank you all for your patience and cooperation.”
She offered them a smile and noticed some of the tension falling away from shoulders. No one had dared challenge her so far, but she wouldn’t be captain if she couldn’t pick up on the moods of her crew. They were eager to get their blood rushing again. As was she.
“It’s time for me to reveal the purpose of all this.” She drew in a breath, subtle but steadying. She needed to sell this. “But first, a story.” A calculated pause followed, to make sure everyone was listening. To show them this was important. “I’m sure many of you have heard of Virelai. But for those who haven’t… Centuries ago, before the seas turned on us and people used to roam the whole of Rivora, Virelai was a feared pirate queen. There were no known waters who escaped her reach, or her wrath, and pirates from all over paid her tribute, lest they ended up on the bottom of the sea. It is said that, before she died, she buried her hoard on a phantom island. An island that only reveals itself when kissed by the stars.” Calla took another breath, and delivered her announcement. “We are going to find that island.”
Silence. Then, a ripple of whispers. Someone muttered a curse.
“I was right!” Kittredge jumped up, wrapping herself around Nyxen’s shoulders and sing-songing in his ear, “Itoldyou we were chasing a treasure big enough to swim in! You didn’t believe me!”
The older deckhand made a show of cringing and slowly pushing her away, but he couldn’t stop the corner of his lips from turning up. “Yeah, yeah. I guess so.”
“Virelai’s hoard, eh?” Ignatius, her chief gunner, spit to the side, turning one cynical eye on her. “And what makes you thinkwe’regonna find it?”
Some of the hubbub died down, and Calla nodded at the expected question. “I have the map,” she said, and resolved to wait for the following murmurs to quiet down before delving into more explanations.
“You’re gonna have us chase fairy tales?” This one came from Sable, arms crossed and a deep frown set on her face. “I assume there will be dangers involved,” she continued. “And what if it’s just that, a story, and there’s nothing at the end of it?”
“Fairy tales? Maybe.” Calla shrugged. “We’re pirates, that’s what we do. We chase whispers in the dark and forgotten secrets, we brave cursed waters and storms, hoping it will bring us fame, glory, and gold. We go where no one else dares to. None of you would’ve set foot on this ship in the first place if talk of danger was enough to cow you.”
