Avarice of the Sea | | b o o k 1

6: Lingering Dread

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:  C H A P T E R  S I X :

The loud clatter of a plate hitting the floor spooked me awake. Disoriented and slightly confused, I groaned at the smell of fish and seaweed in the air until I realized that I was stuck straight in the middle of the source of it all. The lurching in my stomach became prevalent as well, and as soon as I recalled where I was, I toppled off the crate and headed straight for the railing.

Bile burned its way up my throat and into the sea below. Just staring down at it made me nauseous with unease and fear. Stricken with terror, I slumped down from the railing's edge and curled down onto the floor, both of my hands gripping the railing post with white knuckles.

"Easy there, princess. Why'd ya go and nap on the deck like that? Ya gotta get used to sleeping on a ship before ya do that, dearie." The sound of his voice only made me want to hurl more.

I smeared the back of my hand over my mouth, and checked to make sure I was at least relatively clean. The jacket around me provided enough warmth to heat an entire home, and I was especially glad I had it all to myself at that moment, even if it did come from a conniving pirate charged with the death of my mother.

My eyes felt crusty and dry, so I rubbed them before looking up at Cody. He was crouched down in front of me, holding out a medicine bottle of some sort. Behind him, there stood at least five other men peering around each other to look at me like I was a performing animal.

Ears lit up like embers, I snatched the bottle from him and took a sip from it. It tasted like herbs and dirt, and the odd texture made me cough at first before I swallowed it down. It got rid of the taste of bile, but that was the only good thing about it.

"Dear mother of Zula what was that?" I choked out, covering my mouth as I handed it back over to him. He took it and screwed the cap back on.

"Helps with sea sickness. You'll get used to it though--being on the sea, I mean," Cody explained. He saw me look back at all the other men watching, and turned back to shoo them away and return to work.

The sky was painted with colors I had never seen before. There were mixes of yellows and purples, blues and oranges, and they all faded into the starlit sky in the east. I strained to see the clouds, and the darkness settling on the horizon where the night was beginning to conquer.

I pointed off at it and got Cody's attention. "What's that way?"

"That there is a storm. We'll be sailin' around it, so don't ya worry 'bout a thing," he told me, and stooped down to grab my arm. He hauled me onto my feet, and kept me steady as the dots started to swarm my vision. "Eat somethin' before ya fall down."

He had settled a plate on the ground by the crate, and on it was a biscuit and a mix of rice and oil. I took the plate up into my hands and picked at the hard rice pellets and the bread that was more like a puck of rock.

"Get used to it," he told me. I blinked up at him before staring back down at the rationed meal. After my first bite of the bread, I was quick to finish it off and lick my lips after wiping the plate clear of rice. The whole time Cody and I sat on the stairs of the quarterdeck.

He popped open the top of a canteen and passed it to me. I took a sip and realized it was wine. I did not mind wine all that much, so gulped down a few drinks of it and passed it back to him.

"Thank you," I said, and he only nodded in return. He tipped back the canteen and downed the rest of the wine before screwing the cap back on.

His hand came out to help me up, and his expression told me he could be doing so many other tasks right now than following me around. I swatted his hand away and pulled myself up, tugging the coat around me tighter as a wind carried on from the east.