Corvus (Stars and Sails, Book 1)

Thirty-four (Part 2 of 2)

The Coronis was nothing like The Princess of Aydesreve. For once, Aiden had a real tangible example and comparison of how pathetic Tanner really was. The Coronis was easily twice the height and three times the length of the schooner. It was a real ship, something the sailor in Aiden had been patiently waiting to graduate to for a good long time.

But now was not to the time to be feeling validated about murder. There really wasn't ever a good time, nor a vessel big enough. Although he'd seen a galleon not to far off and had half the thought.

At long last, Aiden was away from Aydesreve, in the Naval Base of Longport. He stepped up onto the gangplank of the Coronis, heart pounding anxiously for a new chapter in his life to begin. This was it. He was out in the world. He was seeing the old elephant, as they say. He glanced quickly at the people on deck. There were naval officers on the vessel. Not what he was expecting.

Aiden hadn't been expecting to see another woman, but he and the rest of the crew were greeted by the stern face of a redheaded sailor. She sized them up, obviously not too impressed. Aiden set his bags down at the top of the gangplank. Haworth pushed forward, only a step or two and set his bags there. While Aiden could tell that this woman wasn't to be messed wit, Haworth wasn't above playing with fire.

"Howdy there," He tipped his hat.

"Where's Captain Noble?" the woman asked, her gaze floating past Haworth and catching onto no one in particular. She exchanged a glance with a foreign man beside her. Aiden couldn't tell where he was from. A lanky boy stood close by with bandaged hands. This crew didn't look anymore coordinated than Aiden's.

"My name's Aiden Payne." He extended a hand and walked towards her. He didn't know quite why he chose her and not the Naval lieutenant. She just looked a lot more authoritative.

She shook his hand, her grip sending him stumbling. "My name is Harris." She paused. "Answer my question."

Harris ignored him. Aiden cleared his throat. "Captain Noble isn't..." he paused. "Around anymore." He leaned back, waiting for her reaction.

Harris stared at him for a moment. Blinked. "Bloody hell. You've killed him," she said.

Rafaele coughed. Amelia Rose patted his back.

Aiden waved his hands. "No, no. He was..." he paused. "Kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" The foreign man asked. "Chuuk," he muttered scratching the back of his head. Laughed a little in disbelief.

"I'm leaving," a Durantan Naval Lieutenant said. He made his way toward the deckhouse.

Harris stepped forward and pressed an arm to his chest. He stumbled back. They exchanged glares until Harris finally spoke. "You leave this ship and I'll break your legs."

"As much as I don't want to become an invalid..." he frowned. "How are you going to pay these people? Because my father isn't footing the bill anymore."

Harris paused, taking a step back into the boy with damaged hands. He steadied her and she looked at him. "Me and Ollie. Oliver, I mean." She brushed a flyaway hair behind her ear. "We'll pay them. Captain Harris—he left money. A decent amount. You'll be paid."

"Handsomely," Oliver added.

Jade wrinkled her nose. "Thank you, Ollie."

The foreign man laughed. "You cannot possibly—"

"I can possibly." She turned herself towards him, challenging him to defy her any further. Aiden glanced at Amelia Rose, but she was focused on Harris. "It's my money," Harris said.

He stepped back, not even acknowledging her with a nod.

"I'm not here for the money," Aiden said. "Captain Noble had some business that I think is worth finishing."

Her jaw tightened at something. She crossed her arms. "Really?" She turned to the man next to her and opened her mouth, but he was already speaking.

"Captain Noble disappeared? This makes little sense." The man said, his statement aimed more at Jade.

"Are you accusing him of lying?" Jade asked. "Call me naïve, but I think they're telling the truth."

"You're the doctor?" Aiden asked. The look on the man's face was enough of an answer. Aiden dug into his backpack and pulled out the vial he'd collected from Silas Noble's room wrapped tight in a shirt. He handed it off to the doctor.

"My name is Sabik Nejem," he muttered, Aiden couldn't tell if he was speaking to him or the shirt that he was unraveling. The vial released itself from the fabric and slipped into his fingers. Dr. Nejem dropped the shirt. It fluttered to the ground.

"I was right. You stand corrected," Harris said into her shoulder.

"I do." He held the vial up in the air and watched the dust on the rim of the glass shimmer in the lowlight of noon. "You found this?"

"In his room. We—er Dirty Jim saw a ship with red sails." Harris made a noise, but said nothing of it. Aiden pointed at Amelia Rose. She stumbled forward and looked up at the doctor, starting at his feet and trailing her eyes upwards. And again. And once more. "He's mute, by the way," Aiden said, trying to remember to refer to her as a he wasn't always easy.

Dr. Nejem made a few hand signals. Amelia Rose's eyes widened. She bowed. Dr. Nejem made more signals. Amelia Rose made some signs back, big like fireworks, fingers twitching like rain, joining at the palm like a butterfly—and she hopped, hopped.

Dr. Nejem lifted a hand to his jaw in concentration, yet his eyebrows couldn't help but furrow in confusion. "Hm," he said. "I suppose I don't now sign language as well as I thought."

Harris stepped back. "Did Noble tell you where—"

"No. We should head to Aydesreve and see if he left anything behind."

A grin tugged at the corner of Harris' lips. "That's perfect. I have a hunch that Zelley will be there."

"The Admiral will have our heads," the lieutenant said. "We should report back to him first."

"And so what, Suzaku? You can have Zelley's all to yourself when we find him," she said. "Fairburn will never hear the end of that, will he? And you'll likely be a better fit for Fleet Admiral after that pirate is out of our ocean."

Suzaku frowned. "You know too much about my father and I." He directed his sub-lieutenants to help gather Aiden and the crew's things. Harris walked them down to the gun deck and showed them to the cabins. Whether Aiden liked it or not, he was sharing a cabin with the slim, lobster-clawed boy, Oliver.

Aiden took up his knapsack and dropped it into one of the storage chests. He had clothing, Tanner's Dagger and nothing else. What other few things he owned, he was wearing. Oliver's side of the room was covered in half eaten brown apple cores and dirty clothes. Aiden was used to sharing a room with Haworth, so this couldn't be too bad.