Winds of Fate [Books I-III]

Chapter Forty-One: Nassau

The dawn of redemption starts uneventfully. Dull, gray skies hang over the Bahamas. Sparta rests in a cove a boat's ride away from Nassau's harbor: Athol, an uninhabited island with the perfect cove for hiding a warship.

In the Captain's cabin, Eleanore sucks in her breath as Aggy pulls the laces of her simple white day gown. They are standing by the wall of the nook where the bed is, with Eleanore pushing her hands on the wall. Aggy strains in pulling the ribbons. She lifts a leg and pushes her foot on the Captain's bottom.

"Aggy!"

"What?" Aggy retorts over Eleanore's shoulder. "These ribbons are too short and I'm wrapping you up like a chorizo!" She pulls again, nearly yanking Eleanore from the wall.

"Ow, wait!"

"Goddamn, Nellie, you might need to trim down a bit-"

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Not exactly! You're just...plump-" Aggy grins as she ties up the laces.

"Plump?!"

The door swings open and James' voice calls. "Captain?"

"Busy!" Both women scream.

"Oh, sorry. Outside." And he leaves.

Eleanore sighs. As she breathes, her ribs ache in the tight laces. She turns around to face her friend, wincing. "God, I cannot breathe-"

Aggy cocks her head to the side. "Famous last words?"

She rolls her eyes at her friend. Aggy takes the rapier lying on the large, cherry wood desk at the center of the cabin. This cabin is larger than the Belladonna's, with details of red and gold. The whole wall behind the desk is not a wall, but a series of ornate windows. Eleanore even has a wardrobe closet across the room, a shelf filled with new ledgers and all sorts of charts and maps, and fine brown carpet. There's a locker and a foot stool. There are also two chairs in front of the large desk, drawer by the wardrobe, and a modest chandelier hanging overhead.

Eleanore takes the rapier and wraps it around her hips. Then she walks over to the bed where a floral apron is lying. "Quite sneaky, going undercover as a simple townswoman," Aggy comments, pressing a forefinger knuckle to her chin, "But how will you fight in that, if you ever need to?"

She pulls up her skirt, revealing thin and coarse brown trousers.

"Aha! Smart girl." Aggy smiles, placing a hand on her hips.

"Of course." And Eleanore walks over to her desk. A cloak is draped over her grand chair. She pulls it over her head. "Now, to the best part-"

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Aggy takes off her bandanna to brush her now medium-length golden blonde hair away. "I can go with you, lookout-"

"We'd be too suspicious."

"You might get trapped. Not that I don't believe in you and- Oh!"

"What is it?"

"Your ink!" Aggy strides to her, tugging the decolletage to hide a spoke of the compass' arrow on Eleanore's breast. Her finger brushes the silver thread holding the mermaid's gift. "It's peeping!"

"No one's gonna stare at them for long to see a single arrowtip-"

"Oh ho ho," Aggy shakes her head, "You underestimate men, dear child."

"Aggy, it's not quite you."

Laughing, they walk out of the cabin and into the deck. Cold morning sunlight spills a blue haze over the ship. Far on the horizon, the sun is till nowhere to be seen. They arrived on Athol in the dead of the night, after weeks of sailing. Eleanore hopes the tides have not changed yet, and her friends are still in Nassau after all the delays in her journey.