Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
They make quick work of stripping off their valuables, and once I’m confident there’s no uprising, I turn to the occupants of my boat and hold the bag out. The man closest to me scowls, but he pulls off a jeweled brooch and asks no questions. I turn around, and to my surprise, there’s a large guardsman standing in my way.
“You don’t have to do this. We can help you.”
His mouth doesn’t move, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s not him talking after all. There’s someone behind him, using him as a human shield. Coward.
“Show yourself,” I say, holding the bag out. “My master wants all the jewels. Please make this easy on yourself and no one will get hurt.”
The woman steps out from behind the guard, and to my surprise, it’s a face I recognize. I stare into the hard, sneering face of Lady Dywan. She’s not a slave like I’d wondered, but covered in jewels and wears a fine dress. And she’s riding in a slave boat wearing those things, which tells me that she’s found a way to regain her fortune. Why is it that bad people always somehow find a way to survive?
She looks at me with equal surprise. “You.”
“Me,” I agree, and hold the bag out.
“The monster kept you? All this time?”
“Aye, he did. I’ve seen terrible, horrible things that would make your hair curl. Please, Lady Dywan, do as he says.”
She doesn’t strip off her jewels. Instead, she takes a step forward and holds her hands out to me. They’re covered in gaudy rings, her bracelets clinking as she extends her fingers. “You don’t have to do this,” she tells me. “We can save you. I can save you.”
I’m touched…at first. It’s kind of her to offer to rescue me. I remember five years ago, when she was the only one that protested that I’d be given to the sea-ogre. But I know now that Lady Dywan’s rescue isn’t a rescue after all. I’d just be patted on the back even as shackles were put around my wrists. Lady Dywan is the type that gets ahead by stepping on others. The fact that she’s a slaver now tells me everything.
Not that I’d ever take her up on her offer. I clasp her delicate, bony fingers in mine…and slip the biggest ring off of her hand, a huge ruby surrounded by knots of gold. “I’m good.”
Some time later, the seven slaves are huddled on Akara’s back in the fish-hide tent as the turtle lazily makes her way out to sea. The slaver ships are floating somewhere in the channel where we’d left them after taking all their oars and tossing them into the water. If they’re smart, they retrieved them and went on their way. If not…well. Lord Vor tends to those who tend to themselves.
I lounge near the water’s edge with Ranan’s arms around me. We pick idly through the riches we stole from the slavers, but I’m more concerned with the poor souls we rescued. My husband’s chin rests on my head and we watch as they ravenously tear through our stored supplies that we’d given them, eating everything down to the old, dry bits of fish jerky.
“I don’t think they were fed on those ships,” I tell my husband as his fingers stroke along my arm. “You’re going to have to fish tomorrow to feed all these hungry bellies.”
“I can do that.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “Did you have fun today? You were very convincing.”
“A lot of fun. It occurs to me that we don’t need this gold nearly as much as our new friends do.” I point at the rescued slaves. “The fun is in the stealing anyhow.” After seeing all the riches that pour in from our piracy, I’m less excited about pretty, sparkly things. It’s more fun to give them away to others and to watch them light up with delight. I’ve got a few particularly jade-encrusted pieces I’ve kept aside for Balo. It’s become a tradition for him to give me jewels with rubies and for me to give him jade or emerald. It started when he joked that the red gems matched my hair, so I gave him green for the same reason. Never mind that we both have the same hair color.
The flotilla probably thinks all humans are as silly as the two of us when we get together.
“You want to give all our ill-gotten goods to the slaves?” He just chuckles. “If we keep doing that, my lovely wife, we’re going to be the poorest pirates in all the seas.”
I snuggle in his arms, loving that I’m cocooned in his embrace. There’s nothing quite like a four-armed snuggle to make you feel truly safe. “You’re just annoyed I suggested it before you did.”