Obey Your Captain

He knew of the Warrens, while he did not know them personally. He knew, his child would be safe here.

The birds tweeted incessantly above Kaliyah whilst she surveyed the ships anchored within port or lashed to the pontoons. She recognised quite a few, weighing up the likelihood of them taking her aboard.

She found two potentials, if the captains were the same as she knew. “Permission to come aboard!” she hollered up to The Wagon.

“Eh?” A head poked over the side. “Oh, well now. Not often the merchandise comes to the ship!”

She clenched her teeth. “I’m here to see the Captain. If you think I am a lady of ill repute you have another thing coming!”

“Oh, don’t be like that! Nothing to be ashamed of!”

“Can I come aboard to see the Captain, or not?” Her boot tapped on the boards on the pontoon, rubbed smooth from countless boots walking over them

“Is he expectin’ ya?”

“No.”

“Then, nope.”

Frustration and irritation flushed her face. “He knows me. Kaliyah Warren, Merchant Sebastain Warren’s daughter.” She felt it worth a try to use her father’s name.

“The Warren?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell Cap’ you here.”

“Thank you,” she replied a little more tearsly than she wished. Politeness cost nothing, after all.

She chuckled to herself… obedience also cost nothing, didn’t mean she upheld anything in that department.

“Cap’n’ll see you,” the voice called down to her and a rope ladder jutted down next to her. Ascending the ladder, she hauled herself onto the deck of The Wagon, it were a slightly smaller ship to Afridi but appeared well cared for.

“Miss Warren!” a man she vaguely recognised spoke warmly.

“Captain Parlo, how are you?”

“Well, young Miss, well. Although I suppose you be not young anymore. Look at ya!”

“I cannot remember the last time I saw you.”

“Ah, be four year I’d say. We were all sorry to hear of your father’s passing.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Wha’ can I do ye for?”

“I was hoping for passage on your ship.”

“We not be heading for Blackwater, miss.”

“Will you be making port at Blackwater at all?”

“Hmm… it potentially would be on the manifest. Passage like that don’t come cheap.”

“I can pay.”

“What’d’ya say to having a woman on board?” the Captain turned to the few crew on deck.

“Be nice to have a warm bed, Cap!”

Kaliyah scowled at the man who had spoken. She noticed all the crew she could see were human.

“Aye!” another called.

“You are mistaken if you deem that would be my keep on the ship,” she sneered.

An arm looped around her waist. “On the contrary, that would be the perfect job for a fair maiden such as yourself. Of course. I get you first.” The Captain’s rancid breath made her gag. His body odour similar to many a man on a ship.

“Release me or lose your arm,” she hissed.

The crew roared with laughter at her threat.

“What can a little thing like ye do? Ya dan’e even have a blade!” he cried through a guffaw of laughter.

She stamped on his foot, while it did nothing to release her, it stunned the man enough. With the words of her spell forming in her mind perfectly, she controlled a coin-sized splash of liquid fire to his bare forearm. At first nothing happened until the man screamed, letting her go instantly. She set her hands ablaze in purple flame. A few men’s hands were on their swords, while others looked around bewildered as their captain hopped around, desperately rubbing at the burning acid on his arm, merely spreading the offending substance.

“What have ya done, ya bitch! Kill her!”

She made a split second decision, and threw her flames down, the dry wooden deck easily caught ablaze, in the confusion, she hopped over the side of the boat, climbing down the ladder not wishing to use any more of her magic, just in case.

With boots pounding against the pontoon, she sprinted, heading back towards Afridi. Just skidding to a halt in front of her own Captain, just avoiding barrelling into him.

“What’s the rush, Miss Warren?”

“Err… Nothing, Captain! Just excited to get to the market.” Glancing behind her possibly gave her away, particularly as six men were racing towards them.

“That so?” His eyebrow quirked up. His honey eyes watching the men grow closer. He gripped her shirt, depositing her behind him without a word.

“Stand aside!” one of the men demanded.

“You know who I am?”

“Aye, he Cap’n Torlar, of Afridi,” another voice answered.

Captain gave a curt nod, “She is crew of my ship. What seems to be the problem?”

“She be a spellcaster! She burnt the Cap!”

“That right? What happened before that?”

Kaliyah wished to shout out, state the assault she had to escape, but there was a sense she had from the Captain, he needed her silent. With her gaze on his shirt… she had a wish to splay her hands over the cloth… she refrained.

“Nothin’! The bitch jus’ came on board n’ started burning!”

“She were allowed on deck without permission?” Captain Baron accused. To allow any person on your deck without permission, accused a lack of reign over the boat. Kaliyah smirked to his back.

“Nah! We know pro’ocol! She wanted to pay passage, the Warren’s be destitu’e.”

“Miss Warren stated she couldn’t pay?”

“We all know she canny.”

“So she must pay another way, eh?”

“Aye.”

Kaliyah looked behind her, wondering if she were able to slip away without notice. Before she managed a single step away, she found her arm gripped in a secure hold. She found her back against his front within but a moment. Scowling to hide any fear, five crew were before her, weapons ready in hand.

“The news has not reached you?” Captain asked.

“News?”

“Miss Warren is intended. To me.” With one hand still on her arm, his other came up to grip the back of her neck, a squeeze of warning for her to remain silent.

“I am not your intended, Captain,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

The squeeze turned painful. “My intended doesn’t like to be insulted. Her fire erupts before the consequences are thought. To insult her, you insult me.”

“The code!”

“If you wish to burn where you stand, feel free to enact the code. She is within her rights to defend herself.” His hand slipped from her neck, lingering for his thumb to trail down her spine.

She knew the code as well as anyone, she could only defend if they took the first step in attack. The men looked from one to the other, all clearly thinking the same thing, risk enacting the code, or walk away.

Of course they were not going to walk away.

Their swords rose, some more hesitantly than the others. Captain stepped beside her just in her peripheral vision, hand on the pommel of his sword. She knew he would not break code, maybe he feared they would turn on him.

Licking her lips, she thought of the best spell, liquid fire she could use more than the others, but if she controlled a fireball she may be able to take them all out with one spell… unfortunately, that would probably deplete her crystals.

The human in the middle took the step, lunging towards her. Sidestepping, she didn’t even think, the burning liquid spit from her fingers, landing on her assailant’s shoulder. The viscous liquid fire ate at the man’s leather vest immediately, getting to his skin before he could change direction to attack her. Screaming out, his sword clattered to the floor, wild panic in his eyes. He rubbed furiously, “Wha’ are ye, ya bitch!”

Setting her hand ablaze in purple flame, she surveyed the next move, not wishing to harm anyone who did not move first. She wanted no question she stuck to the stupid code.

“Anyone else?” she called in her most courageous tone. They couldn’t know her heart were in her mouth.

A movement to her left made her react on instinct, a jet of flame burst from her left hand in the direction of the man injured by acid. Her flame hit him dead in the chest with the velocity of a crossbow bolt, charring him from front to back. He fell. Dead.

By the time she looked back to the four remaining humans. There were three. She didn’t have time to look which direction he had run when all three looked at each other and ascended as one. Before they could split and attack on all sides, she sent a catastrophic jet, aiming for it to hit one, then another.

Succeeding with her first aim, the ricochet she hoped, did not come to fruition.

A glinting sword swung down, forcing her to jump back, she couldn’t think on what spell to use, instinct shot liquid fire, the splash scorched the cobbles, but most importantly, the puddle landed on the scarred human’s face. Instantly blinding him. In a daze, he twisted, sword still in hand and sliced his crewmate’s belly. Crimson spilt over stained linen, he didn’t appear to notice, stepping forward to stab his sword to her chest. Stumbling back she had to avoid the flailing sword of the blind human as well as the jab. Her heels caught the dead human, falling backwards over his still body. Her head cracked against a stone cleat. Pain exploded in a blinding light, stunning her.

A groan escaped her lips, pushing herself upright, she forced her vision clear in time to see the last man standing a mere two feet from her. Her head was spinning. Mind foggy. Spells couldn’t form through the fog. Groping at her belt, she pulled a dagger hidden beneath her breaches. It was a pathetic defence.

Scrambling around the corpse on hands and knees, she forced herself to her feet. The world shifting and spinning. She focused much harder than she usually had to, managing to chuck liquid fire in his general direction. She desperately tried to shake her dizzying vision, managing to perceive the human still approaching. In a last ditch attempt, she threw the same spell, hearing a sickening… yet satisfying howl of agony.

A sword clanged to the floor, she took the opportunity, tripping forward, she dove her dagger deep into the howling man’s chest. Releasing the grip on the weapon, she could no longer stand upright. Black crawled into her vision until all went dark.