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I didn’t think the Order had much of value to say on anything, given its track record, but I knew Naji was go
“This mark is where we fought the Hariri clan.” A coldness gripped my blood, and the scar on my stomach ached.
“How can you possibly tell?”
“Cause I’m the damned navigator. And I know–”
“Ana
I pushed the map away. My hands were shaking. “We shoulda checked that bird,” I said. “I bet it was metal, like those machines they’ve got…” And the more I thought about it the more convinced I was that the feathers had glittered in the sun, and it had left a streak of smoke as it flew off into the air.
Naji set the map and note on the bed and pressed his hand against my shoulder. I barely felt it. “You know I’m not going to put you in danger,” he whispered.
But this wasn’t danger; it was fear. It was the memory of a bullet tearing into my gut. It was Mistress Hariri laughing in the moments before I almost died – before I would’ve died, if Naji hadn’t been around. If he hadn’t decided I was worth saving.
When we finally made sail, a week later, it wasn’t to chase after starstones or to return to the place where I’d nearly died. It was to visit the Aja Shore, down on the southern tip of Jokja. Queen Saida’s idea.
She and Marjani sailed out on this lovely schooner, the wood painted orange and marigold and pink, the sails dyed the color of grass. It looked like a floating garden. Queen Saida, always gracious, offered me and Naji a spot on board, but I wasn’t skipping town without the Nadir.
“Good,” Marjani said when I told her, though she seemed distracted. We were ambling around the perimeter of the palace, next to the fence that kept the jungle from pushing in on the royal lands. “I really didn’t want to leave her here.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and all the bangles on her wrists tinkled like bits of glass. “You can captain her, if you’d like.”
“What?” I stopped. “She’s your boat!”
“We captured her with your manticore,” Marjani said. “She’s as much yours as she is mine.”
“I can’t captain a boat.”
Marjani glanced at me over the top of one bare shoulder. “Of course you can,” she said. “If I can do it, you can do it.”
“You’re smarter than me.”
“Smarter doesn’t necessarily make a good captain.” She shrugged. “Clever does. And you’re plenty clever.”
I didn’t know what to say. All my life I’d wanted to captain a ship, but lately it hadn’t seemed that important to me anymore. I was distracted by that bird and its map and its weird note, afraid the Hariris weren’t really dead. And I was afraid Naji would be, if we ever found the starstones.
“Besides,” said Marjani. “It’s just along the coast. A day and a half’s journey. Think of it as practice.”
Practice. Ha! Well, maybe I’d take off with her boat and her crew, see how she liked it then. Not that I knew where I’d go.
I ain’t no mutineer. But I toyed with the thought for a few seconds anyway, the way I toyed with handing Naji over to the Mists. And I felt just as guilty about it afterward.
“We’re leaving at dawn tomorrow morning,” she said. “Saida really does want you to come. Naji too. She likes talking to him.”
Naji and Saida had swapped magic stories at di
So that was how I came to captain the Nadir for a day and a half. Wasn’t much to it, of course, cause we just followed behind Queen Saida’s queen ship, the colors bright against the blue sky and the blue water. Crew was lazy on account of the smooth waves and the favorable winds. I wandered up and down the deck shouting every insult and curse word I knew, the way Papa always did, trying to get ’em off their asses.
“First mate!” Jeric yi Niru called out while I was making one of my rounds. I stopped and glared at him. He was up in the rigging.
“What do you want?” I shouted. “If you say the word starstone to me, I swear on Kaol and her watery birthbed that I will shoot you in the heart.” And I pulled out my pistol like I meant to use it.
Jeric yi Niru laughed and came dropping down to deck on a line of rope. “You sound like an Empire captain,” he said. “They like to threaten the lives of their crew too.”
I shoved my gun back into the waistband of my pants. “What is it?” I asked.
“The crew,” he said. “I want to apologize for them. You dragged them away from one of the wealthiest cities in the world. The dice houses here–” He shook his head in fake disbelief. I wanted to hit him. “And the women.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m taking ’em to the Aja Shore,” I said. “There’ll be whores and gambling aplenty there, too.”
“Tell them that,” said Jeric yi Niru. “I realize to a pirate captain’s daughter the life of a captain is nothing but orders given and orders followed, but in truth it’s an exchange.”
I hate to admit it, but he had my attention. “An exchange?”
“Yes. Like your relationship with that manticore. It was built on favors, yes?”
I didn’t say nothing. I wished to the deep blue sea I knew how he got his information.
“You tell the crew we’re sailing to the Aja Shore at the lovely Queen Saida’s request, but what do they care of Queen Saida? What do they care of you? All they care about–”
“Is pissing their money away at the dice houses. I get it.”
Jeric yi Niru gave me one of his insolent Empire smiles. But he was right. I’d played the manticore and the manticore had played me and we’d wound up friends. Even if her boon hadn’t turned out how she intended.
So I climbed up on the helm and rang the warning bell till I got the crew’s attention.
“What is it, Lady Navigator?” one of ’em called out.
“I wanted to let you know!” I said. “That we’ll be spending close to a week along the Aja Shore.”
The crew all stared at me like I’d just turned into a kitten.
“I know the lot of you have already lost half your earnings to the gambling houses in Arkuz.”
“Most of us more’n that!” somebody called out, and some of the crew laughed and some of them grumbled under their breaths.
“That’s cause you were gambling in Arkuz,” I said. “They take one look at your clothes and see an Empire scummy who don’t know how to hold on to his money.” I paused, looking out over them. “They cheat, is what I’m saying.”
The crew clapped and stomped and hollered in agreement.
“But on the Aja Coast,” I said, “they play nice and fair. You boys want to earn your pressed gold back? Now’s your chance.”
I had no idea how accurate any of this was, but the crew was hollering again.
“And the whores,” I added, not knowing the slightest how to build on that. Apparently it was enough, though, cause the crew hooted and stomped and nudged one another. I guess just saying the word whores is enough to get them excited.
“So I want you boys to think about those Aja women and those Aja dice houses,” I shouted. “While you’re climbing up in the rigging and steering us forward. I ain’t sailing on Queen Saida’s command, I’m sailing to give the lot of you a little taste of paradise.”
They actually cheered me. Not like a crowd cheering a champion in the fighting ring, mind, just some yelling and hollering and whatnot. Still felt good.