Pirate Lord Page 3

  “Do you remember when we first met?”

  Lily let him change the subject, if just to see where he would go with it. She could always set the discussion back on course again. “Sure, you spent the entire night telling me a pack of lies.”

  “It wasn’t all lies. Not the part about how you made me feel. Not the part about wanting to see you again.”

  “What’s gotten into you?”

  “I’m not allowed to say sweet things to my wife?” He leaned down again, letting his lips brush against the hollow of her ear. “Then how about we investigate what else that filthy mouth of yours can accomplish.”

  Lily gently swatted him away, “How about you tell me about the whole labyrinth thing?”

  Tristan pouted, “You’re no fun anymore.”

  “That’s what you’re so worried about isn’t it?”

  He pushed himself up off of her, almost getting out of the bed but thinking better of it. His shoulder muscles rippled as he sighed. “Do you doubt me? Do you really think I would lead our family into danger on purpose, for my own ego?” He looked back down at her. His jaw was set, as if he was holding back. The low tone of his voice was a challenge, as much for her as for himself. Though he may have meant it as a rhetorical question she knew he wanted an answer.

  “No.” She sat up and lifted a hand to his cheek. “Don’t ever think that. Of course I know how much you love me and the kids, I know you wouldn’t do that.” The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, “But Tristan, you have to learn to trust me, to talk to me about things like this.”

  He nodded, “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I get it, I really do.” She didn’t have to say anymore, they both had valid reasons for their issues. Lily forgave him his faults as he did her own.

  She wondered what faults the Pirate Lord would have. Tristan had told her a great deal about him, but also kept a fair amount back. He had a way of telling her things without telling her everything, and she’d learnt by now how to read between the lines. Lily watched Tristan get up, dress. She propped herself up as he paused at the door, wrist resting against the frame.

  “We’ll make it.” He didn’t look back.

  Lily sank back into the pillows with a long exhale, brow furrowed. After hearing what her husband had to say about Merek she was troubled by why she was being summoned, why he would want to see her children, and why Tristan had not been mentioned.

  ~

  Tristan grabbed up Irena in his arms and blew a raspberry on her cheek. She giggled uncontrollably and wriggled until he put her down again, immediately tottering off as soon as her feet hit the ground.

  Lily was up in the crow’s nest, her kestrel Saff sitting next to her. He’d given Saff to her as a present a few years ago, just a chick. He had helped Lily train her to act as a lookout, as his own falcon Elsa had once watched over The Shadow. She had been killed in a raid before the twins were born, shot down by a rival ship’s captain. Lily had blown his brains out for that. She had no tell, she would give no warning, before they knew it they would be corpses. It was that trait which had gained her status, which set terror into the hearts of the enemies they faced.

  She and Saff looked rather comical sat up there, as if they were in deep discussion. Lily spotted him watching her, she moved, and a glob of spit flew down from the heights, splattering onto the deck next to him. He heard her laughter, and tried his best to fight back his own. She’d not changed. Even living the life that they did, even after bearing children, she was still the same old Lily, his Tigerlily.

  He could only hope that meeting the Pirate Lord would not change that. But no, he wasn’t to think like this. Besides, they had to get there first. Tristan schooled his expression into neutrality as he strode up to the top deck. Stig was at the helm. He smiled humourlessly, but Tristan had known him long enough to glimpse the unspoken doubts behind his weathered face. “Not a word Stig.” He was not in the mood for Stig’s warnings. There was no room for doubt right now.

  “Captain.” His first mate’s blue eyes were unreadable.

  “We’ll make it.” Tristan said, his teeth gritted. “I’ll take the helm.”

  “Fine.” Stig said.

  Tristan gripped the wheel and ran his eye over the ship, checking every rope, every sail, every crew member was in position. There was no room for error right now. He focused on the horizon before them. The Island was already visible, the port and castle deceptively close, deceptively easy to reach. That was the first trick, you had to ignore the Island, and keep your focus on the sea, or risk shattering the hull against the reef. The route to the Pirate Lord’s Island was not dangerous for the tides, or for the creatures that lurked beneath the waves, but for the labyrinth of reefs that were concealed under the surface.

  This reef was not as it seemed, it was man-made and ancient, crafted centuries ago by the first pirate lord as an extreme form of protection for his land. It had been built in the form of a maze, the one clear route passed down from generation to generation. And now passed to him. He’d sailed out of it once, but sailing into the port was said to be trickier. Then there was the gate.

  He gritted his teeth, “You know what to do in case it all goes wrong?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Good.” Tristan nodded towards the lower deck, “Get down there, get everyone ready.”

  “Good luck Captain.”

  “We’re going to need it.” Tristan braced his weight against the wheel, and adjusted the course. He had seen the water change, the dark waters that surrounded the Island, the home of the Pirate Lord. These waters still haunted him. The last time he had come he had been a passenger. Now he was expected to guide them in. And he had seen what would happen if he got it wrong.

  The ship he’d been on had got through safely, just about – but while he’d been on the Island another had tried to come in. Unannounced, uninvited, it had smashed to pieces. Tristan could still recall the sound of the wood smashing, the screams from the crew, the pleading voices. No one went out to save them. A few of them tried to swim to shore, but no one made it. Tristan had watched them drown, while the rest of the Pirate Lord’s guards didn’t even bother to look up. It was yet another fragment of his past that he would rather forget.

  Even if you knew the route somehow – if word got out about the pattern to follow, there was a second barrier. The gate. The controls were at the castle, and the only one who gave the okay to open it was the Pirate Lord himself. The trick was you had to linger long enough to let the Pirate Lord’s guards check your flag, check you were invited, and then give time for the gates to open. You could just about tell if they were closed or not, but only if you knew where to look. In addition you had to time it just right; it was too deep to anchor safely, and the currents meant that it was impossible to just stop and wait.

  Tristan had not lied to Lily, he believed he could do it, and he wouldn’t put his family in danger. Not unnecessary danger. But this was the only way to get to the Pirate Lord. And you did not ignore a summons from him. If you did you were better off turning your pistol on yourself and wishing for a quick death, Lord Merek wouldn’t give you that. He’d told Lily what he knew. If she was nervous then she didn’t show it. Then again she rarely showed when she was afraid.

  He glanced up, she was still up there, the mast swaying in the wind. He heard Kilo’s shout, and saw him standing at the bottom of the mast, his hands cupped around his mouth. Lily heard him too, for she stood and leapt out into the air. Tristan’s heart dropped, and he swore under his breath as she grabbed the rope before her and slipped down it. He didn’t know how she managed to avoid rope burns. The first time she’d done that he’d near had a heart attack. He suspected she knew how much it irritated him, and did it all the more. She reached the deck, her feet landing lightly. Tristan couldn’t hear what they said, but she glanced up at him, then nodded her head and followed Kilo towards the meet room, beyond Tristan’s gaze. He turned his attention back to the horizon.
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br />   Eli and Arthur trotted up the stairs, and Tristan directed them to their posts. They were two of his best – they could see a reef coming before most even knew about it. He’d certainly need them now. Tristan didn’t know what had happened to the water here, but it was always murky, clouded, as if it was stirred from underneath. It was very hard to see the dangers below, you had to do the route from memory. Eli and Arthur were back up – Tristan hoped to not have to rely on them. He didn’t like relying on others.

  He didn’t know where Arthur had come from, why he was so good at spotting reefs. He’d picked him up from some tavern or other, as he had done with most of his crew. Arthur had been about to start a fist fight, if Tristan recalled correctly. But then they all kind of blurred into one, it seemed like a long time ago that Tristan had actively gone recruiting.

  Despite the years that had passed Arthur’s hair was still a bright copper red, a shade lighter than Irena’s own fiery hair, it reached someway down his back, though he often tied it with a ribbon of fabric. He still wore his beard short, although there were a few more silvery hairs than he’d previously had, the only thing that betrayed his years. His cloudy blue eyes were still young and sparkling. The crew had tried out the nickname of ‘The Prince’ on him in the first few months he’d been on board, since he was so well spoken, but Tristan had managed to nip that in the bud and Arthur had stuck. Nicknames were like that on pirate ships – you got one and that was it, that was your name for the rest of your time aboard. Some of the crew had forgotten their actual names, or so they claimed, they had been referred to by their nicknames for so long.

  Eli had come from a rival pirate ship, Captain Jethro. A ghost from Tristan’s past, intent on reminding him of his father and what his father had been. A slave trader. Tristan had killed Jethro himself.

  Eli had been a reluctant hire at first, but had since settled in well. He was extremely clever, silent and stealthy when he needed to be – a born pirate. He had been wasted really, working for a man like Jethro.

  His long silver dreadlocks shone in the sunlight as he leaned over the edge of the ship, searching for signs of the reefs in the murky waters below. He had been rather skinny when they’d first taken him on, but in the six years on board he’d become more muscular, toned. It could do wonders for the body, a pirate’s life and diet – if you avoided too much ale that was. Not that there was any danger of Eli getting a beer belly; he never drank – some religion thing. Mind you, as far as Tristan was concerned his crew could do what they liked on his ship as long as they got on with their job. He didn’t mind what religion or race – as long as they could follow orders. It set their crew apart from many others. Tristan saw it as an advantage.

  Arthur shouted from the port and Tristan adjusted his route accordingly. He cursed himself silently. Concentrate. They’d entered the labyrinth.

  ~

  The ship pitched to the side and Kilo glanced to the doors. The crew had fallen silent, the only sounds came from the creaks from the ship, the splash of the waves, and the occasional shout from Arthur or Eli, warning of oncoming reefs.

  “Sorry Lil, I have to go now – they’ll be wanting me on deck.” Kilo looked reluctant to leave – he knew how much she hated being sent to the meet room, even now when it was to watch over her children.

  It still felt like a prison, like being locked away. It didn’t help that Tristan had done that very thing to her before, locking her in the meet room when he’d found her amidst a fight. In his view he’d done it to keep her safe, but Lily had been trying to help, had wanted to help, and she’d spent far too much time in manacles to be comfortable with locked doors. Silly to think of that really, Kilo wasn’t going to lock the doors, she wasn’t going to be trapped here. She nodded, “I understand.”

  He chewed at the inside of his mouth. The sun streamed through the window, lighting his startling blue hair. Even now it reminded her of Giana’s hair – she’d been a Southerner too, though she’d sported the more common navy hue. There were rarely those with hair as bright as Kilo’s. Lily had only visited the Southern Lands once, a couple of years ago, but she itched to return, the main city was a fantastic place, tall thin buildings that seemed to be carved straight out of the landscape, gold and white, colourful markets, huge cathedrals and shrines – they were a very spiritual people, although Kilo had never struck her as such.

  He still hadn’t left, was still eyeing her warily, his hand reaching out for the handle. She laughed slightly, “Kilo, go, it’s fine.”

  “You’ll stay put?”

  “I’ll do my best.” She muttered it under her breath, and he narrowed his eyes at her as he slipped out of the door.

  Lily jumped up and paced the meet room floor, her boys watching her intently while pretending to play cards. Irena had gone down for a nap almost immediately after entering the meet room. Lily should probably try to relax as well, but she couldn’t, not now. She knew the point that they entered the labyrinth, she’d heard Arthur’s shout from above.

  Stig and Tristan had had words about this, passing the labyrinth. Raised words. Lily reached up to run her hand through her hair, then realised she was doing it and quickly snapped it back to her side. She’d adopted the habit from Tristan. They’d not argued within her earshot, she’d got it out of Eli. Tristan didn’t know it, but Eli was a great spy for her – he told her anything she wanted to know. Lily suspected it had been out of fear at first. They tended to fight alongside each other in raids, their techniques merging into one undefeatable team. Or that’s what it felt like. He fought with a strange style, a style she had not seen before, and he preferred to use hatchets, which he kept strapped in his belt. He was a terrifyingly good opponent, and she loved to spar against him.

  She had such trust for Eli that she had told him her story. Her full story. Something she did not tell lightly. He remained brief about his past, but she wasn’t about to push him into revealing it – it was up to him. He was perhaps a few years younger than her but, while he was undoubtedly handsome, she’d never looked at him in that way – not when she was so deeply wrapped up with Tristan. She too didn’t seem to be his type, for he’d never tried it on with her, never even made suggestive comments, unlike pretty much every other man she came across. He’d respected her from the start. Maybe that was why she’d liked him immediately.

  Over the years he’d really seemed to start feeling relaxed on The Shadow – when they first met he’d seemed unsure. He was one of those people who fitted in anywhere he went, and he’d become part of the ship rather quickly, as if it was completely natural. At her request he watched her back for her, but Lily suspected he’d been watching her the moment he set foot on The Shadow, he kind of had this habit of appearing when she needed him.

  Perhaps it was deceitful of her to have him act as her spy on her own ship, but then how else was she supposed to find out things?

  The ship knocked against something and Lily swore internally, throwing out her arms to balance herself. Jon and Kris didn’t even blink. They’d been born on this ship, they never reacted when it swayed, even in the bitterest storms. She darted to the cabin, but Irena was still sound asleep.

  Tristan hadn’t thought to tell her that The Shadow had been a gift from the Pirate Lord. He’d told her himself that gifts from the Pirate Lord normally came with conditions. He’d not mentioned what the conditions had been with regards to The Shadow. Perhaps that he’d just promise to calm down a bit, and not take on every ship on the seas. More lies. He’d told her he didn’t attack smaller ships because of his beliefs, letting the little guy have a break. He’d told her he’d been first mate of this ship before his ascension, that Stig had put him forward as a candidate for Captain when Captain Shadow died. Captain Shadow…now that she thought about it, it was a complete cop out for a made up name. Really, pirates had such limited imaginations when it came to names, especially for a man who could lie through his teeth.

  That was it, she’d been patient enough. When Kilo
had told her Tristan had requested she go into the meet room and keep an eye on the children she’d been half tempted to point blank refuse. But she knew why he did it; she couldn’t concentrate properly when he was around either. Still…what he didn’t know.

  She glared at the twins, “You two stay put, okay?”

  “Yes ma.” They spoke in unison, a habit that infuriated her – they did it all the more once they figured that out.

  Though, she admitted to herself, it was marginally better than them speaking in turns, finishing each other’s sentences. Only she could tell them apart, even Tristan struggled to sometimes. But they were together constantly, so to everyone they were simply Jon-and-Kris. They came as a pair. A noisy pair. Unlike her brothers Irena was quiet, preferring to watch with those alien eyes, so intelligent, so understanding. Though she was yet to start talking properly. She could say a few words, and had made it clear she understood. Tristan was concerned about it, but Lily had told him not to worry. Irena spoke when she needed to, when it was important.

  She gave her boys one last look before she pulled open the doors and wandered out onto the deck, taking care to not go too far – Tristan would spot her otherwise.

  “Jim.” She saw him lounging on the steps, looking at the horizon with interest.

  He jumped up as soon as she approached. He was certainly no longer the boy she’d first met. Now eighteen he was a man in societies eyes, but that meant little to her. He still had a few freckles, and his eyes were the same creamy hazel. His growth spurt had hit him at fifteen, and he’d towered over her ever since, his fluffy blonde hair taking on a sleeker, thicker appearance, his voice deepening to an unrecognisable baritone. Despite all this, he could still not grow a proper beard – a fact that the other crew members teased him for constantly. The teasing had gone a little too far in her presence once and she’d pinned the culprit up against the wall, a dagger to his belly, daring him to speak out of turn about her favourite again. After that no one said anything against Jim in her presence, though she knew the banter would continue nevertheless. Banter was one thing, but she wouldn’t tolerate bullying.