Of Sails and Souls

Chapter One

Some wondered why the ocean was so fascinating. Why it drew so many people to its borders to gaze in awe. But Nalu knew exactly why--it was her home. Her home that left the taste of salt in her mouth and the cold winds that kept her hair wild and long. And she loved it.

Standing at the bow of the ship, her hand wrapped firmly around the slick edge of the ship's side, she couldn't help the small grin that pulled at the corners of her mouth. How free indeed it was to be a pirate.

"Nalu, the captain wants to talk to you." She turned to the man who had spoken, her cold gaze causing him to shift uncomfortably.

"Would you like to rethink how you just addressed me?" Her hand caressed the hilt of the cutlass at her side, smirking as the man paled.

"First mate, I mean, sir. Uh, ma'am... I mean--" Nalu rolled her eyes and shoved by him. "Sir works just fine. If you say it to the Captain, you can say it to me. Remember, I am second only to my father on this ship. You'd do well to keep that in mind."

He scurried away and she grinned as he went. No backbone, that one. It was probably better that way. He'd learn soon enough to listen to the first mate of the Sea Star. Her boots echoed in a satisfying way as she made her way to the captain's quarters. Boots made of shed Wyrm scales were always the best. Waterproof, durable, and they came in all colors and textures.

"Nalu, come in." Her father didn't look up from his map as he motioned her forward. "I've received a threat from some of our competition and I need you to silence them. Permanently isn't an option, I'm afraid, as they have too many allies. Just persuade him in a non-violent way. You're good at that."

"Non-violent? But where's the fun in that?" She frowned and hopped onto his desk. "Blood, guts, and cries for mercy are oftentimes the best part, especially as very few of them can actually fight." It was true, the leaders of different pirating businesses in Uise were usually just old men who spent their days drinking diluted elixir and counting their gold. A single blow to the stomach or a slash to the throat and they'd be done for.

"Subtlety is key here, my blue-haired bandit." He smiled at her fondly. "We lost quite a few sailors in that last storm--curse the gods--and I need to be cautious for a few weeks. Just use that voice of yours and we'll be fine."

Her voice. Of course he wanted her to talk to them. She jumped off his desk and rolled her eyes. "Talk? Papa, you know I hate to. It always drags on and they're so boring. The last one tried to ask me to be his wife."

"And what's so wrong with that?" her father demanded, arms crossed. "You're a beautiful and fiery woman who carries a cutlass like it's your baby and has hair like the sea on a sunny day. Nalu, I'd be surprised if there was any being out there who wouldn't want to marry you."

What a tender-hearted lump of a man. It was a wonder he made a profit from pillaging. She studied the worn features of her father, seeing mirrored on his face the same lopsided smile and wide nose that she herself had. "Well, I'll have you know he was over fifty, drank all his worries away, and already had two wives."

He snorted in disgust. "You can do much better than that, I agree. But I'm not changing my mind. You're going to Zak, you're talking to him, and you're going to smooth this whole thing out. That's an order from your captain."

Zak? The Sorian soldier who had rebelled and killed twenty of his kinsmen? Now there was an interesting being. "Fine, Papa, I'll talk. But if things don't go well..." She pulled her cutlass out of its sheath and grinned.

***

Shikes, how she hated talking. Actions always got the desired results faster. But, her father was captain, so it was her duty to obey. Hopefully Zak gave her a reason to make him bleed. Or did Sorians even bleed? Weren't they technically all muscle and bone? Well, she hoped he gave her a reason to puncture his heart.