Page 6 of Virelai’s Hoard (The Dagger & Tide Trilogy #1)

A soft snore punctuated that statement. Calla could just about feel the beginnings of a headache pulsing at her temples.

But before she even cleared her throat, the rat woman’s gaze darted in their direction, and she pushed off her crate to pinch her sleeping companion.

The man stumbled out of the hammock and rubbed the sleep off his face as Calla stepped into the room, followed by her officers.

The rest of the recruits snapped to attention as soon as they noticed, and they all gathered in a haphazard line.

“Welcome,” Calla greeted them, more warmly than this morning. “You’re aboard the Moonshadow, and many of your tasks will revolve around taking care of her. Treat her well and she’ll see you through whatever the sea has to throw at us. Neglect her and you’ll pay for it with your life.”

A gulp resounded in the silence she let hang, and Calla smiled. Good . Her ship might be a sailing legend, but, despite the stories, there was nothing magical keeping her afloat. It all came down to hard work, discipline, and the mercy of the sea.

“You already know who I am,” she continued, pacing in front of the recruits, who further straightened their backs as she passed them.

“And you already got acquainted with Thorian, my quartermaster. I’m sure he isn’t holding a grudge against any of you right now.

” An amused smile flashed on Calla’s lips as she glanced at the girl with the rat.

The woman tried to hide it, but ever since she’d noticed Thorian, she’d turned skittish.

Fingers fiddling with the strap of her bag, eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape, body tense like a spring trap.

It was a healthy degree of unease, considering she made an enemy before she even stepped foot on deck.

“That over there,” Calla jerked her chin toward Gadrielle, “is the boatswain, and your de facto boss.”

Gadrielle stepped forward. “Anything you need, you come to me. Unless you need food or supplies, in which case you go to Thorian. If you get caught stealing or slacking off or fighting with your mates, then Thorian comes to you, and I assure you that’s the last thing you want.

So you behave and we’ll all get along swimmingly, yeah?

” She gave the new recruits a friendly wink, which only seemed to unsettle them.

The guy that had been sleeping didn’t even bother fighting the grimace off his face.

Calla coughed to cover up a laugh. “Then you have Sable, my first mate.”

“You heard the rules. I’ll give you one more. You only come to me if the ship’s on fire, and Gadrielle better be incapacitated if you do,” Sable said roughly. “I’m not here to hold your hand. Do not waste my time with nonsense.”

Gadrielle scoffed, and most of the recruits shifted uneasily.

Calla bit down on her tongue. So much for not leading with fear.

Distantly, she wondered how long it would take for them to see right through her first mate’s rough edges.

“Now that you know who we all are, it’s time for you to introduce yourselves, and we’ll see where we can best fit you into the crew. ”

She nodded to the first man in line, one of the two who had tackled Thorian into the water with brute force alone.

The man snapped to attention. “Draven!”

“And Venn,” the guy next to him, his partner in the challenge, butted in.

At the quizzical raise of her eyebrow, Draven supplied, “We’re brothers.” He punched Venn in the shoulder, who made a show of wincing and rubbing his biceps. “Forgive him. He’s younger and doesn’t know to only talk when asked.”

“ You don’t know to only talk when asked.” Venn glared, then ducked his head down as Calla set her sharp gaze on him. “Sorry, cap. I’ll shut it.”

Gadrielle was sure going to have fun with these two.

“We’ve both been on ships before, though never beyond the Quiet Sea.

” Draven said. “Our pa’ was a fisherman.

Tying knots, mending sails, scrubbing the decks, lifting the heavier cargo.

You name it, we know how to do it, and we do it well.

He eats a lot,” he smirked at his little brother, who only gave him a sullen look this time, “but we both work hard to make up for it. We won’t give you any trouble, ma’am.

” He quickly corrected himself at the look on her face. “Captain.”

“Deckhands, then.” Calla nodded at the two of them. “Very well.”

She moved on to the third.

“Maren,” he supplied, taking his hands out of his pockets.

His posture was relaxed, now that no one was throwing threats around anymore.

Despite the sleeping, his role in the rat scheme showed he knew how to act when it mattered, and how to follow orders.

“I worked on a merchant ship as a deckhand for a few years, ‘fore they went out of business. Just along the Varethian coasts, but I figured a ship’s a ship.”

Calla nodded. None of these new recruits had ever seen a storm, as the Quiet Sea didn’t get storms. But at least they wouldn’t be starting their training from scratch, which was better than she’d hoped for. “You’ll join the brothers,” she said, and took another step forward.

“The name’s Haddock, captain,” the old man said, bowing low in respect.

“I used to lead crews such as these myself, and help others lead before that. Years and years ago, if I’m to be entirely honest. A different lifetime.

But the creak of the ships still echoes in my bones, and my hands hold the memory of wood and rope and sails.

I can serve you as a carpenter, if you’ll have me, or for the mending of bones, though I hope that won’t be needed as much. ”

Now this was surprising. “Pirate crews?” Calla asked.

“Aye, captain,” Haddock said, bowing once more. “I’ve sailed most of the charted seas and some of the uncharted.”

Calla nodded thoughtfully, noticing the startled looks of the other recruits.

People sailing beyond the Quiet Sea weren’t as rare as most Varethians thought, despite the warnings and the stories and the dangers of sailing.

When adventure-seeking was in your blood, there was nothing that could keep you away from it.

Not even old age, apparently. Fixing things didn’t take particular strength, and this man’s teachings would prove valuable to some of the younger hands.

His stories might prove valuable to her other new recruits, too.

It always took a few fortnights for new hires to realize they wouldn’t get struck by lightning just by virtue of being at sea.

Having an old man who could attest to that might speed up that process.

“You speak wise words, old man. I’m sure you’ll earn your keep and more besides. You can start by checking up on the quartermaster.”

“I don’t need-”

She cut Thorian off with a look. “It’s his shoulder.”

“Aye, captain, I’ll see right to it.”

That only left…

“Riley,” the girl introduced herself in a raspy voice. “And this,” she gestured to the rodent perching on her shoulder, “is Patch.” She offered nothing else.

Calla studied them both for a moment.

Lean and wiry, with short, dark-brown curls and sun-kissed skin.

She stood to her full unimpressive height, confident, almost cocky, the skittishness from before repressed to an impressive minimum.

Her hazel eyes stayed alert, though. As were her rat’s.

He was an ugly thing, more scar than fur.

A wiry little beast with a torn ear and a tail that must’ve seen better days.

His sharp dark eyes met Calla’s gaze head-on, curious and intense.

They made quite the odd pair. Any self-respecting captain would throw the both of them overboard. However, it took guts to not only step foot on a pirate ship but also dare to bring a rat on one and pretend it was nothing to bat an eye at. Calla liked people with guts.

“What can you do, Riley?” Calla asked, the name flowing pleasantly off her tongue.

A moment passed, then Riley’s lips spread in a playful smirk. “For you, captain? Anything you ask.” The words were drawn out just enough to make Calla blink at her in surprise, and then the smirk was gone, a shrug in its place. “But I can climb pretty well.”

Calla stared at the woman for a moment longer than was proper. Then, slowly, she nodded. “You’ll start with the other deckhands. Kittredge can show you the rigging in the downtimes.”

With a last searching gaze in Riley’s direction, Calla addressed the others. “Do you have questions?”

“Yes! Captain,” Maren said, his expression entirely serious before it broke into a grin. “Is there any rum on the ship?”

Draven and Venn snickered beside him, but also looked very interested in her answer.

Calla suppressed a smile. Cheeky . “Yes, there is rum. You’ll need to barter with Thorian for it. Good luck.”

The man’s grin faded as Thorian shifted his gaze to him.

“If there’s nothing else, get to work. We’re about to set sail.”

***

Calla stood by the helm, arms linked at her back as she waited for the crew to finish the last of the preparations for departure.

They gathered first in a trickle, then in a swarm as word spread that she would be giving a speech before they set sail.

The undertone of curious murmurs rising from them was only pierced by the sharp chill of first morning and the gentle lapping of water at the hull.

She touched the iron key hanging at her hip, a nervous habit that had to stop. This was it. The moment she committed them all to this course, there would be no turning back.

If I’m wrong about this…

She forced the thought away. The crew needed to see her confidence if she wanted them to buy this. If they doubted her, this would all end in disaster.

Once everyone was gathered, Calla looked at her pirates, trying not to imagine all the ways she could lead them to ruin.

“I’m sure you’ve all been wondering for a while at what I’ve been doing,” she started, seeing no point in beating around the bush.

A few reluctant assents resounded in response.

“Dropping anchor at several ports along Vareth’s coasts, leading you in circles and living off our dwindling spoils.

I realize it might’ve seemed confusing, and I wanted to thank you all for your patience and cooperation. ”

She offered them a smile and noticed some of the tension falling away from shoulders. No one had dared challenge her so far, but she wouldn’t be captain if she couldn’t pick up on the moods of her crew. They were eager to get their blood rushing again. As was she.

“It’s time for me to reveal the purpose of all this.

” She drew in a breath, subtle but steadying.

She needed to sell this. “But first, a story.” A calculated pause followed, to make sure everyone was listening.

To show them this was important. “I’m sure many of you have heard of Virelai.

But for those who haven’t… Centuries ago, before the seas turned on us and people used to roam the whole of Rivora, Virelai was a feared pirate queen.

There were no known waters who escaped her reach, or her wrath, and pirates from all over paid her tribute, lest they ended up on the bottom of the sea.

It is said that, before she died, she buried her hoard on a phantom island.

An island that only reveals itself when kissed by the stars.

” Calla took another breath, and delivered her announcement. “We are going to find that island.”

Silence. Then, a ripple of whispers. Someone muttered a curse.

“I was right!” Kittredge jumped up, wrapping herself around Nyxen’s shoulders and sing-songing in his ear, “I told you we were chasing a treasure big enough to swim in! You didn’t believe me!”

The older deckhand made a show of cringing and slowly pushing her away, but he couldn’t stop the corner of his lips from turning up. “Yeah, yeah. I guess so.”

“Virelai’s hoard, eh?” Ignatius, her chief gunner, spit to the side, turning one cynical eye on her. “And what makes you think we’re gonna find it?”

Some of the hubbub died down, and Calla nodded at the expected question. “I have the map,” she said, and resolved to wait for the following murmurs to quiet down before delving into more explanations.

“You’re gonna have us chase fairy tales?” This one came from Sable, arms crossed and a deep frown set on her face. “I assume there will be dangers involved,” she continued. “And what if it’s just that, a story, and there’s nothing at the end of it?”

“Fairy tales? Maybe.” Calla shrugged. “We’re pirates, that’s what we do.

We chase whispers in the dark and forgotten secrets, we brave cursed waters and storms, hoping it will bring us fame, glory, and gold.

We go where no one else dares to. None of you would’ve set foot on this ship in the first place if talk of danger was enough to cow you. ”

The murmurs rippling throughout the crowd were approving now, and Sable nodded once, sharply, conceding the point.

“You’ve never led me astray, captain,” Thorian said gruffly. “I’m not sure I trust legends, but I trust you.”

A lump caught in her throat, and Calla thanked him with a soft smile. He was the only pirate on board who knew the whole story, that this was going to be their last run together, and his support meant everything.

“Hear, hear!” Gadrielle thumped her palm against the ship’s mast.

Calla let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as excited chatter started rising from the deck, discussing the legend, the treasure, what they were going to do with all the gold.

“I don’t like this,” Ignatius grumbled, rubbing at the patch on his eye. “Stealing from ghosts can only bring us ruin.”

No one paid him any mind, though. He was always like this before big jobs, and then the first to splurge his coin on all the finest clothes and drink.

Stealing from ghosts was their livelihood.