Page 26 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

Hill placed his hand against his cheek and smiled as if he had been under a love spell.

A loud moan came from the back of the bar. They all turned to see the lad still in Mazie’s grasp. Boots lifted his peg leg again to strike Edgard while he was distracted, but Lincoln held up his hand.

“Enough, Boots! Let the poor man be, eh?”

While trying to balance on one leg, Boots reconnected his peg leg and gripped Hill’s arm to pull him away from the bully. The rest of the crew scurried to their tables to finish their drinks while Edgard tried to get his bearings to stand straight.

“Perhaps next time,” Kitten laughed, “ye, grog blossom, give us a lil’ warnin’ before ye assault a town local.”

“And miss out on all the fun, lassie? Don’t pretend ye didn’t take a likin’ to that brawl,” Hill said, watching her wink at him, letting him know she was only teasing.

The buccaneers had their share of fights since they formed their crew, but it had been a while. Lincoln hoped that brawl was enough to last them for the entire trip until they hit dock again.

The front door swung wide open, drawing the crew’s attention to look up.

A woman walked in, her eyes growing wide as she looked around, watching a tavern full of bloodied patrons, half on the floor, many with a busted lip or eye.

Ardley handed Hill a glass of water and forcefully sat him down on a chair. The barmaid resumed her post while her brother patched up the wound on his forehead. Their casual response showed it was not the first time a random altercation broke out in their tavern.

Lincoln glanced straight at the woman; she had her head down, but he could tell her eyes searched swiftly for the bar. He noticed she appeared troubled as she marched with extreme trepidation. It was almost as if she did not want to be there. Or she did not have a choice.

The captain’s stare would not leave the girl as he watched her pad across the tavern to the bar. He noticed her clothes were worn, ragged. Suddenly her eyes flashed to his table as Hill laughed; Lincoln recognized her—the lady from the marketplace with whom he had made himself a complete buffoon.

The woman had captivated him that day. He was somehow glad to see her again. But one thing was clear—she did not belong in that tavern.

Perhaps she is from the north side of the city, he supposed. He then saw the long bag she wore over her shoulder, so he thought maybe she was just traveling through.

Lincoln’s eyes narrowed to the red-stained spots on the front of her shirt, and then over to the tiny drops on her cloak’s sleeve.

The handsome captain watched her intently as she pulled her hood off her head. Her gaze met his for a few seconds, but she did not recognize him.

What is she doin’ here?Lincoln thought. He would never forget that face, nor those fierce eyes.

His attitude had been slightly out of place that morning. He remembered being coarse, but he could not help himself. He felt drawn to protect whoever the girl was from the royal family. They were beyond evil, and that girl was anything but.

Nola clearly stood out from the other girls in the tavern, just as she had at the marketplace. Lincoln found himself hypnotized when she approached the corner of the bar right next to his table.

Those eyes,the captain thought again.

The girl’s eye sparkled, but there was fear behind them. Ardley stomped his foot, pulling him away from whatever spell she had on him.

“What happened to you, matey?” Ardley asked, clearing his throat and arching a brow.

Lincoln ignored him as the girl waited for the barman to notice her.

“Captain, we need to leave,” Kitten suggested, her voice winded, still coming back down from the adrenaline. “The Eastland Forest is a seven-day journey, and there’s talk of a storm rollin’ in.”

Lincoln held up a hand to silence Kitten to eavesdrop on the conversation at the bar.

“What do ye want?” Edgard scowled at Nola, wiping the blood that was dripping from his nose onto his sleeve.

“Water, please,” Nola’s voice pitched.

Sarah moved past her brother and looked at the girl for a long moment before throwing her hands up. “Well, ye got money for us?” she asked.

The siren drew in a deep, audible breath. “For...for water?” she stammered.

“Nothin’ is free, darlin’. Now pay me a pretty penny or get out of me tavern!”

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