The Pirate and the Amber Cat 10
Chapter 10
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The Lita Nysse reached Leneau two days later as dawn was breaking. The trade port was already busy. Late fishermen were pushing boats into the misty coastal waters as more dories dotting the shallow bay pulled in nets.
Not all the sips docked at the double row of slips were legitimate. Leneau enjoyed a healthy trade life, and about half of it came from pirate activity. It was not an unruly town, although its jails were little more crowded than most ports.
Cortleno's unwavering scrutiny of the piers lasted until noon. Even then he was not certain Ros dem Juriz Shaenen had not visited the docks and quietly left. The instructions Cortleno had left at Shaenen's house in the Paraimo Valley were to meet at the docks, but there was no way of knowing when Juriz had returned from the border.
He calculated Shaenen would want to be home at least a week before his wedding to Suili, and he allowed four days of steady travel for him to meet the ship in Leneau. That would bring Juriz to the port town today. Even with the days of little wind and encounter with the Rak ship, the Nysse docked on the day Cortleno had predicted, partly because of the stiff breeze that had blown up from the south.
He looked to where Lucas was dozing on a rail, knowing the mate had one eye on the dock traffic. The mate was a loyal and capable man.
Cortleno was satisfied with the results of Suili's abduction, so far. He was also pleased to discover Shaenen's affianced wife was such a comely woman. Barely out of girlhood.
That she was part Lux was a pleasant surprise. He had always preferred the smooth, tanned skin of the Lux to the milky white of Rak and Mezparian women. Most Lux had a shade of red or auburn hair and brown or dark amber eyes, which was where Suili's Ulliran blood made a statement. Not a hint of gray or brown tinted her eyes. Instead they ranged from a translucent jade to a sleepy emerald luster, depending how angry or frightened she was at the moment.
His attention followed a man who had been waking up and down the dock for an hour. He was a tall, sturdy man who looked with interest at each of the five ships at the pier.
Lucas noticed him, too.
Cortleno nodded, and the first mate went out to meet the man.
After a few moments, Lucas returned to report it was only a eunuch looking for his master's ship.
It was not until evening settled on that day in Leneau that Juriz Shaenen found his way to the Lita Nysse. The strain of journeying from border to coast in two weeks now showed in his face. Behind his dark eyes he kept reserved the alarm Cortleno's note had provoked in him. It was an alarm that extended beyond Suili's welfare, something that threatened much more than a few simple sentences should have ignited. Three days ago he and his traveling entourage had come upon the once grand Shaenen estate. Even with an hour's ride yet he had detected the stale smell of blood and vermin infested rot.
What had happened in the valley was obvious. The drawbridge was still standing, but showed intense signs of attack, and whole interior of the house had been churned. Bodies were strewn from cellar to balcony, from kitchen to courtyard pool.
Suili was not among them, news that at first soothed Juriz's mind, until he found the braid of her hair held to his bed post by a knife. The result of the short note with it was his presence on the wooden pier in the muggy evening air of Leneau.
His eyes rested again on the ship's name. He waved for his retainers to stay at the town side of the dock.
Cortleno had watched the dark-haired man's approach and now crossed the ship's deck to meet him.
"You are Cortleno Ve D'Arkaise?" Juriz asked from the pier.
"I am." Cortleno looked to the men at the end of the dock momentarily before his attention returned to Juriz. "You haven't met my demands."
Juriz appraised the blond man briefly. "Where is my wife?"
"She keeps saying she isn't your wife," Cortleno told him, one hand resting on his sword's hilt. A dozen of the crew had placed themselves around the ship, watching for signs of trouble.
"We'll be married in six days." Juriz looked to the cabin door. "I want to see her."
"You haven't brought what I want. A life for a life seems fair."
"What do you know of fairness?"
Cortleno's hand tightened on the cutlass. "Tell me now if her life means so little to you, Shaenen. We'll end this tonight."
Juriz's scowl deepened, his posture at the ready. "You'll get nothing from me until I see Dai Shaenen," he said, a dark look covering his face.
Cortleno held his stare, nodding. "Come back tomorrow. With the ransom."
Juriz's hands clenched. "If you touch her, D'Arkaise, I'll flay you myself."
Cortleno's dim smile only added to Juriz's anger. "She is tempting, your Suili, and the nights are long," he said, an edge to his voice. "She certainly deserves more than you for a master."
Juriz said no more, but took his leave.
When he was out of sight, Cortleno turned to Lucas, who had witnessed the meeting. "Round up the men and set sail."
Suili had spent the long, hot day they as the ship docked confined in the stuffy bedroom. Cortleno had left early that morning, just as she was waking. Brons brought her breakfast and lunch, but did not linger to let her ask questions.
She had idled away the morning examining in detail the Bull and Lion game pieces. She could tell they were originally Othalian by the sheer number of jasper animals still remaining. The rugged, dry country south of Luxil was rich in jaspers. The other, more vibrantly colored pieces were a menagerie from collections Cortleno had fancied over the years as he came upon them.
Suili sat at the sturdy, grainy walnut table as a soft afternoon breeze rode in through a bedchamber window Cortleno had left locked a few inches open. She sat close to it, enjoying the intermittent coolness easing timidly into the room.
She again observed the game pieces. She was especially fascinated by the malachite frog and obsidian turtle pieces. The banded greens and black of the frog blended over the small creature's body so it appeared to almost move. The turtle was of Mezparian obsidian, a variety Cortleno had called snowflake. It was actually black opaque volcanic glass with feathery white infractions. The craftsman had carved it so the shell was dotted with white, marked very much like a real turtle shell.
But the cat of amber was her favorite. It glowed like a Luresian sunset when she held it up the hanging lantern she had lit as early evening descended that day. The flame illuminated the game piece with various degrees of burnt orange. She took it away quickly as the back of the cat grew warm. Her thumb felt the sloping arch of its back, amazed at the resin's smoothness.
Suili set the cat down, her mind going to thoughts of Juriz, where it had been all day. Surely he had returned to the valley by now. She turned her sentiments from the sickening carnage he would find at the house to her own plight. It was almost over now. They would remain docked in Leneau a few days waiting for Juriz, and then she would go home.
She sighed, finding a comfort in the thought, until a sudden lurch of the ship made her catch the amber cat before it fell to the floor. Frantically she peered through the rear starboard window also locked open a hand's breadth. The opposite dock line moved at an angle, omitting any doubt in her mind. She bolted for the door, where she was intercepted by Cortleno coming into the room.
"We're leaving!" she cried, her fingers knotted in his tunic. "You said we'd wait on Juriz!"
He looked down at her fists and then up at face. "He's already been here and left."
Her eyes grew wide, astonishment claiming her face. "You said I could go back." A new horror welled in her eyes. "What did you tell him?"
"To come back tomorrow."
Suili blinked, frowning, and sheepishly took her hands from his shirt. "Then why are we sailing tonight?"
He stepped away and opened the windows swiftly as the mainland fell away. He assessed her dubious expression dispassionately. "You're a silk trap, Suili. I'm not giving you up until he brings your ransom."
Her troubled eyes followed him as he unlaced his shirt and brought two bottles out of the cupboard. Her frown turned to confusion. "He didn't bring it?"
He shook his head. "Not to the dock, he didn't."
An uneasy pout came to her mouth. "What if he doesn't bring it tomorrow?"
He smiled, which irritated her. "Having doubts about his fealty?"
"Of course not," she snapped, confidence slipping into place once again. "He'll pay your lousy ransom, Captain."
"Good." He tossed her the shawl from the armoire. "Now pull in your claws and come up on deck before you melt."
That night Suili awoke as the larger of the two moons crossed her window. For a long while she lay there, admiring the pale globes hanging beneath the starry blue-purple heavens. She pulled the linen sheet closer, appreciating the slow breeze that found its way into the dark room. The ship creaked as it bobbed languidly on the reflective waters, a sound she had learned to accept.
She glanced toward the door where Cortleno was sleeping. She had even learned to sleep through his low snoring. Silently, she moved to the cushioned bench beneath her window and drew her knees up close. The Father Moon was huge, signaling the waning of summer. There would still be a few weeks of hot weather, and then the cooler days of harvest would sweep over Ullira, followed by a tepid winter.
She sighed, watching the mirrored moons on the rippling waters. The smell of the sea was a welcome contrast to the closed up heat of the room earlier that day. She could not see the mainland, but knew it was just out of sight. Far enough, she had been told, to be back at dock by noon. She watched two gulls fly low and silent over the waters, their shadows streaming sleekly behind them.
"What are you looking at?" Cortleno asked from the corner.
Suili flinched at his voice. "Just the moons."
"Is the Mother Moon out?"
"Yes, but it's faded and small." Her eyes went from the smaller moon back to him for a moment. "Will you really let me go tomorrow?"
He laughed easily. "I didn't steal you for myself, Suili. If Shaenen meets my price tomorrow, yes, I'll let you go."
She leaned against the wall, her eyes gong back to the moons. "You said your price isn't money."
"It isn't."
For a long moment she waited for him to continue, but he remained quiet. "Just tell the ransom, Cortleno," she said with a sigh. "It'll be over tomorrow."
"Your husband's visit has made you bolder," he noted with an amused laugh.
"Captain."
"We're past formalities, Suili," he said. "Shaenen can tell you the ransom."
She looked back at him again, unable to see more than a vague outline in the shadows where she knew him to be. For a moment, in the dark, he seemed less of a threat than ever since she'd been aboard the ship. "Is it much?"
"To me it is," he admitted, "but your husband will never miss it."
"He's not my husband yet," she mumbled, her eyes going to the window.
"I told him you said that."
Her attention shot back to him. "You didn't."
"Well, you keep saying it," he said, accusation hinting his tone.
"Merely a few days wait," she corrected with a haughty lilt, her gaze returning to the water lapping at the hull.
"Your ardor is overwhelming." He smiled, appreciating her profile against the window. In the scant light he could see the casual folds of the silk slip in absence of the pelisse. The heavy lilac material draped over her drawn up knees with only her feet in view. Her auburn tresses falling on her shoulders were a dark honey color in the moons' light, moving faintly in the gentle breeze.
"Have you been everywhere?" she asked suddenly, her voice void of insolence now.
He shrugged, watching the turn of her body when she looked at him. "Everywhere I've wanted to be."
She wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Where haven't you been?"
He sighed, considering the question. Finally he said, "Cyntias."
"The island of People-Eaters," she murmured. "Are they really like that? The Cyntians?"
"Yes. They eat their enemies. Raise captives for food," he added. "Just like livestock. The adults file their teeth to points."
"Do their eyes really glow at night?" she wondered, fascinated despite herself, recalling stories she and Iyene had heard as children.
"No. Those are just rumors."
For a moment she was quiet, absorbed in the view out the window. "I can read," she said somberly.
He shook his head, chuckling at her fleeting attention. "What made you think of that?"
"I can," she insisted.
"I believe you."
The largest moon now shone brighter into the warm room, making Suili conscious of her bare arms and slight clothing. She chanced a look back to find Cortleno watching her intently. A flush rose in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the summer heat.
She wordlessly went to the bed the crawled in, rolling up in the sheets until she could barely move.
Tomorrow she would be on her way home, she thought in relief, eyes closing tightly, ignoring the added heat of the bedclothes. Juriz had come for her.
It was all over.
PG13. #romance #cleanromance #teenromance #YA #fantasy #pirateromance #pirates #ambercat #ChancelJordan
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