Picture to the right is Adeline
I wrung my hands as Loki once again asked another pointless question, “How good are you with grooming your hair?” he asked with a mischievous look on his face. The man in front of us scratched the back of his head in befuddlement.
“I haven’t really any experience in that area but I am handy with a blade” he said with a smile. I glanced at Loki and just as soon as I saw he was about to open his mouth, I spoke, effectively cutting off any idiotic thing that was about to exit his mouth.
“So tell me why we would benefit having you as a crew member?” I said as I placed my hands under my chin and gazed at him over the surface of the high table.
The large man shifted from foot to foot, his black dirty boots making the floorboards of the old pub squeak under his relentless weight, “As I said before, I can stab things and whatnot and...er I’m also surely decent at starting fires.” he perked up.
Zintarrah lifted her head and from the table and cackled, “And how the bloody hell would that help when we’re on a ship surrounded by water?” she mocked. I nearly jumped at her outburst. Being around Castor was making her into the biggest silly mouth I had ever seen.
The man’s brows furrowed, “I swear I can be of use to the crew” he grumbled.
Loki jumped up out of his chair and stretched, “Well I’ve grown bored of this. You’ve got the job Pablo.” Loki said to the man nonchalantly before turning around. I sent him an apologetic look as I knew for certain that his name was Lashwin. Loki grabbed the nearly empty rum bottle he had been nursing and smashed it onto the table, the pieces of glass nearly cutting me.
“We board ship in an hour’s time! Be ready! AND IF NOT? WE’LL BE LEAVIN’ YA BLOODY BASTARDS HERE TO ROT!” he roared at the several men lounging around the pub having a pint in celebration that they had been chosen to be a part of the crew.
Loki then bowed before giving me and Zintarrah a nod and making his way towards the door to leave the pub, we followed close behind. The loud talking of the men resumed as soon as we were out the doors.
“What’s for dinner?” Zintarrah asked Loki. He rolled his eyes and swatted at her.
“Will you ask me that question every day until I am no longer damned by your presence siren?” he asked with a smile.
Zintarrah smiled back, “I absolutely adore the food you lot eat. Much easier to catch than what I used to dine on, I can tell ya that much.” Loki laughed at her cannibalism humor while I visibly shuddered. I hated blood.
Just as we sat in the small boat, Zintarrah stuck her head over the side of the boat and into the water. Loki gave me a look and rolled his eyes. I smiled and patted her back. Zintarrah wasn’t adjusting to being on land as well as Sara had. She could last maybe five hours before the feeling in her legs would start to go.
“So are your nerves out of sorts?” Loki asked as he rowed the boat, something he rarely ever did.
I scoffed, “For what? The voyage? I’m excited if anything. I can’t wait to be back on the sea doing something.” I said with a grin.
Loki nodded in agreement, “Imagine how I feel. I have to watch everyone slobber all over each other day in and day out. Positively disgusting!” he said with a mock look of horror.
I was just about to tell him to shut it when Zintarrah came up for air. She came up fast, her wet blonde hair whipping around and soaking through my white shirt. Loki glanced down at my shirt quickly before looking elsewhere, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
I quickly crossed my arms over my chest and sent Zintarrah a glare, but she was too busy staring at the ship as we approached it to notice my scathing look.
As soon as we were near the ship, a long thick brown rope was thrown over the side. I glanced up to see Castor staring down at Zintarrah with a smile. I fight the urge to gag as I began pulling myself up the rope.
How odd that the first time I had ever attempted this feat, I had been on the verge of tears, but now I could do it in mere seconds without breaking a sweat.
I swung my foot over the side of the ship’s railing and grabbed Castor’s outstretched hand as he helped me gain my balance.
“Where’s Flynn?” I asked as he helped Zintarrah over.
He shrugged without so much as glancing at me. I sighed. I watched with a small smile as Loki reached for Castor’s hand for assistance over the railing, but Castor was already walking away behind Zintarrah. Loki muttered a few curses before hauling himself over and onto the deck.
“Where is everybody?” Loki asked me.
I threw my hands up, “I haven’t any idea.” I answered as I looked around.
“Well come on then. Let’s go cook before the animals crawl aboard the ship and Tarrah eats them.” Loki said with a sigh. I smiled at the nickname he had given Zintarrah. The two of them were quickly becoming good friends, especially since it had been her who had saved his life.
I stepped into the kitchen and wrinkled my nose. The previous cook had been a filthy man. The kitchen was in a state when Loki had first started cooking down here. It was much cleaner now, but the stench of rotting food still lingered in the musty air.
Oh how I missed Poseidon’s Curse.
Loki and I had just put the stew on the fire when we heard loud yelling and men moving around on the deck.
“The animals are here” Loki bit out.
I whiped my hands onto my pants, “I’ll find Flynn so that he can greet them. You go up and get them in order.” I instructed.
Loki nodded and rushed out of the kitchen and above deck as I made my way to the captain’s quarters. I stopped at the door and raised my hand to knock. But instead, I shrugged and opened the door quickly.
As soon as I walked into the room, the smell of berries and the ocean wafted up my nose. My face broke into a smile as I walked over to the bed.
There he lay, fully clothed all the way down to his boots fast asleep with a map in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other.
“Flynn?” I said as I shook him slightly. He reached up and swatted me away. I fought the urge to pinch him.
“Flynn the crewmen are here and you have to introduce yourself” I said sternly. Finally Flynn opened his eyes and glared at me. His sea blue eyes boring into my face.
“I will stuff you in a barrel Adeline” he said in a raspy voice that made my toes curl in my boots. Of course he’d get me hot and bothered over a threat.
“No you most certainly will not. Now get up. You have a job to do Cap’n Gaige.” I said before saluting him. He rolled his eyes and sat up slowly.
“Get out” he barked.
“Oh shut it and stop acting like a child. I swear you’re the most intolerable man alive” I muttered.
Flynn mumbled incoherently before standing up and grabbing his hat and pistol. He holstered his pistol, put his hat on his head quickly and made his way to the door, but not before turning around and muttering, “Well come on Addie. We haven’t got all day.”
I trudged over to him and followed him out the door and onto the deck.
The men were talking amongst themselves and goofing around. But as soon as they saw Flynn, all talking ceased.
Flynn looked over all the men with a look of disgust before speaking, “I am to be referred as Captain Flynn or if you prefer Captain Gaige. I run a tight ship here, and I expect all my orders to be followed quickly, successfully, and unquestioned.” He looked around suddenly before growling, “Where the bloody hell is Argo?”
“Here Captain!” Argo yelled quickly as he rushed onto the deck breathlessly. Flynn looked him over once before continuing his speech that I myself had heard when I had first boarded Poseidon’s Curse.
“This is my first mate Argo, who in any event that I am unable to captain this vessel, will take my place and issues orders.” He nodded at Argo, who then took a step back. Loki then stepped forward, “And this is our cook Loki, if you have any preferences as to what you eat, that’s just too bad. The bastard can only prepare four meals.”
I gasped as the crew laughed at the joke, the very same joke he had said when I had first laid eyes on him. Was he really so lazy that he just repeated the same speech?
“While aboard this ship, be prepared to face off against creatures you hadn’t thought of in your wildest dreams. Ogres, Sirens, Storms and more importantly, Sirens. Do not go messing with that lot men.” He said in a low voice.
“Now I know many have you already guessed that this isn’t the ordinary ship in the traditional sense, and you are correct in your assumptions. We have three women aboard this ship. I doubt I need to tell you to be respectable when it comes to them, but I’ll say it anyway. For your own good, stay away from them. You’ll have me to deal with, or ya never know, they might just eat you.”
A few of the men chuckled, but Flynn’s face was that of a serious man. They had no idea that Flynn’s words were true.
“Go find your bunks, and then eat. Rest up, we set sail at the break of dawn.” And with that, he made his way back below deck. I was just about to follow him when I crashed into Sara face first.
“Ow!” I exclaimed as I rubbed my now throbbing forehead. “Watch where you’re going Sara.”
“Adeline do you feel that?” she asked worriedly.
“Feel what? What are you going on about?” I asked slightly annoyed. My forehead was still hurting.
“The air, it doesn’t feel right. Zintarrah agrees.” She said with widened eyes.
“Sara it probably has nothing to do with us. We’re not the only ship on the waters with uncanny enemies.”
Sara pushed her hand through her hair, “Well I doubt they’re doing what we are trying to attempt.” She said with frustration lacing through her tone.
I rubbed her arm, “It’ll be fine. The boys know what they’re doing. They wield swords remember?” I said with a smile.
Sara shrugged off my arm, “Mark my words Adeline, something is not right. And we shall find out sooner rather than later what it is. Trouble is brewing on the sea, and I have an odd feeling it has to do with that bloody witch” she said before stalking off.
I did not edit this so bear with me. Thanks for reading! Leave a vote and comment if you liked the chapter and PLEASE REMEBER TO VOTE FOR "ADELINE" UNDER THE ACTION/ADVENTURE SECTION IN THE WATTYS!