Word Travels Fast

Rosa continues singing with the men for a few more minutes before fading off to let the crew continue on their own. With a little smile she says to her fox who lay across her belly taking soft pets over her head and ears. “There are songs in every heart, you just have to find them. You taught me that, little sister. Remember?”

It is not long before the chaos of launch quiets into a steady rhythm as the ship and her crew settle into the work of sailing the open sea. The next crewman who passes by our little ‘cabin’ peers in and flashes a half toothless grin at Rosa before giving Cassie a respectful nod and continuing on. It seems Rosa’s song really had erased the hostility from before, at least among the lower ranks.

As the crewman comes back past us again Cassie asks. “When can we go above deck?”

He shrugs. “Should be fine now, just get clearance from Kreer as you go up.” Patting Catalus’ haunches, much to the chagrin of swaying steed, he adds. “You lot’ll be responsible for picking up any mess down here. Don’t care who ya are out in the world, aboard ship we look after our own messes.” Peering to the ladder then back to Cassie, who stood half lit in the ghostly wan light of a nearby lamp. “That was something, what you did to Balbus up there. Crew and I agreed we ain’t seen anything like that from a lady before. You got Amazon blood or something?”

With impressive nonchalance Cassie doesn’t miss a beat as she grabs the crotch of her dress in such a way to reveal that there was nothing there without being too crude about it and quips. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Ha!” He snorts. “I would at that.” Giving me a glance I meet his gaze with a silent warning to behave himself. He nods again, the message received, and continues on his way.

With nobody else in earshot Cassie addresses Rosa as she should. “Would you like to accompany me, my Lady?”

“Yes.” Rosa says. “I’d like to feel the wind in my face.” She holds her hands out and waits for Cassie to help her down out of the hammock, which she does. Rosa pats Danae as she curls up in the center of the hammock. “Stay here, little one. You’ll be safe.”

Nudging Colly I say. “Come on. I could use some fresh air myself, before I’m as green as you are.”

Colly shifts away from me and hugs to a bulkhead, her forehead pressed into it. “If you don’t mind, Thir, I’d rather thtay here.”

With a sympathetic smile I pet her head then kiss it. “Okay. You’re in charge while we’re gone.”

Not in a mood for humor Colly just nods and gives me a wave to say she was okay. Or, as okay as was possible right now.

Keeping Rosa between us Cassie and I bumble our way back toward the ladder. Despite her blindness it was Rosa who ended up aiding her two landlubber helpers. Try as I might I was having a hard time moving with the pitch and roll of the deck beneath my feet. If there was one thing I thought I could have taken for granted in this life it was that the ground was not supposed to move!

Leaning close Rosa pulls my head down to kiss my cheek as she strokes the other one. “You’ll get your sea-legs, my love. It just takes time.” Slipping her arm around my waist she says. “You can lean on me this time. The gods know I owe you.”

Taking her support I say back. “Rosa, I’ve been leaning on you since the first day we met.”

With Cassie taking lead we climb back up and onto the deck. Once Rosa and I are up Cassie spreads her arms wide and faces out to sea with a big smile on her face. Right away I look around for the distinctive copper colored robes and slate gray skin of the telchis first officer. I discover he is already above us on the deck house leaning on the railing and peering down at us.

I face him. “Permission to come up?”

After an unnervingly long pause he nods then continues to watch us.

I thank him then, keeping Rosa in my arm as much for my support as her guidance, I follow Cassie to the side rail of the ship. Below us the waves buffeted the hull as above the great sail stretched taut by the wind. In the distance to the East and North were the greens and browns and far off mountains of Italy. I marvel at how swiftly we’d gotten so far from shore. Looking back from where we came I couldn’t even see the port of Buxentum anymore. To the West and South there was only blue atop blue for as far as the eye could see. I was accustomed to vast fields but those spaces were always hemmed in by hill or forest, I had never seen such a wide open expanse as this. It was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. Of those emotions Cassie embraced the former while I was leaning more to the latter. I was acutely aware that just a couple inches of wood were between us and a one way visit to Neptune’s briny realm.

While Cassie cast her eyes past the bow to the distant horizon my eyes are locked on the receding land. I close my eyes and whisper a prayer to Ceres. When I open them again I am startled to find Kreer standing not five feet away as he continued to study us. Even just standing still he continued to move effortlessly with the ship, as if it were his partner in a dance they’d practiced a thousand times over, in that strange way of his. At his side was Balbus, the sailor that Cassie had tripped and disarmed earlier.

Tightening my grip around Rosa’s shoulder I say. “Seems a fine ship you have here.”

“Yes.” Kreer says flatly.

During the awkward pause that follows Cassie steps up to say to Balbus. “Hey, sorry I knocked you down. I was just protecting my own.”

The man smiles and puts up his hand. “Oh, no. No hard feelins, Miss Cassie.” He laughs. “Get to tell the boys in the taverns I got my butt kicked by a real live heroine.”

“A real live…” Cassie’s grin fades as she looks back at me, her heart and mine sinking faster than an iron anchor.

Rosa laughs. “Cassie is many wonderful things, but a heroine? My goodness, you do have an imagination Master Balbus.”

Kreer disregards Rosa’s comment and addresses me, his face devoid of any recognizable emotion. “You are Quin the Wingslayer, yes?” As I stand stunned he continues. “With his demon slave and the deadly huntress at his side.” He nods to Rosa then Cassie. “A great war steed of onyx and a goblin to serve him. And that sword below, the Harpy’s Bane that is said to be touched by Vulcan himself. This is you? Or is there another Quin with such a coterie, Quintus Quintilianus?”