Lost at Sea Bk. 02 Ch. 08

"I'm a pragmatist," Bella shrugged.

"Ye're also wrong, luv." The Captain picked up her cup again. "Anyone who dinnae take us seriously, we don't want as crew anyways. It's a self-correcting problem, an' with Janie's help we'll know for sure."

"What if we don't find anyone?" Bella asked. She fed her familiar one of the sugared dates they'd bought off a street vendor on their way here. He took it greedily and ran up one of the posts that held up the railing and the awning above.

Captain Vex shrugged. "Then we're short-handed a while longer an' we try again at the next port."

"Sounds like a long night," Bella sighed.

"For Janie an' m'self, aye. Ye can come an' go as ye please. Ye don't need tae be here for yer presence tae be made known. The mirror does that for ye," Belita gestured with her cup again.

Bella hadn't thought of that, but she found she didn't like the idea of wandering around alone on an unfamiliar island teaming with drunk people, even if they did seem happy and accepting of the idea of witchcraft. Her paranoia was already making itself known in her head. She didn't need to make it worse. "I'll stay," she said.

"Suit yerself," Belita said. "One North or the other aught tae be along with our first round of prospects soon."

____________________

"Will, I-" Jack found herself cut off by Will's raised finger. He was squinting through a spyglass off in the direction of the bruised sky.

"Your eyes are better than mine," he said after a moment. He sunk a bit lower so that the glass was at head height for Jack and then moved away from it, holding it carefully in the same place. "See that ship?"

Jack ducked under his arm and stood up until her eye was flush with the aperture. For a moment she was distracted by the fact that his arms were around her shoulders and they were close enough that she could feel the heat from his body. She abruptly decided that she did not want to think about that and focused on the task at hand. Against the horizon she could see the outline of a Caravel. It's sails were up, and it was riding low in the water. The purples behind it were fading quickly. In another few minutes it would be invisible. "Yes, what am I looking for?"

"Rigging," Will said.

Jack tried to focus on the ropes. At this distance they were very faint, nearly invisible. "I don't know much about rigging, Will. What am I looking for?"

"Ladders. Like ours," Will said.

Now that he said it, she could make them out. They looked like faint spiderwebs, black lines against purple. If he hadn't said anything she'd have missed them. "I see them."

"Are you sure?" Will asked. It was rare that he questioned her like that.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I definitely see them."

"I wanted to be sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. At this distance it's hard to tell for sure," Will said. He took the glass back for one last look and then collapsed it. "Too dark now for anything else, but that was the important thing. Thank you."

"Why is it important?" Jack asked, looking up at the Kestrel's own ladders.

"Because this kind of ship usually doesn't have them," Will said. "Not like ours, anyway. This is an extremely irregular rigging pattern."

"And that ship has it too?" Jack asked. "That does seem coincidental."

"It didn't three days ago," Will said. "It does now."

"What do you mean?"

"I first saw that ship the day after we left Bastard's Bay. I thought it was caught on a reef. Now it's on our horizon again, and it looks like us." Will sat down on the bench that ran along the back of the sterncastle. Jack followed and sat with him.

"I'm not sure I understand the significance," Jack shook her head. She spent a lot of time on boats, but she wasn't much of a sailor. The minutia was mostly lost on her.

"I don't either," Will shrugged. "It's just... strange. It gives me a bad feeling."

"Alright," Jack said with a glance back to the sunset. "What do you want to do about it?"

"Do you know of any ghost ship legends in this area?" Will asked.

"Not off the top of my head. We're still in Magistrate waters. They might be difficult sometimes, but they do a very good job of driving off the more exotic threats." Jack leaned back and looked up at the sky, thinking.

"I'm usually pretty up to date on those stories, and I haven't heard of anything new," Will said, half to himself.

"If it was a ghost ship, it was a remarkably clean and solid looking one," Jack said. Will nodded his agreement.

"Might not be anything, and if it is there's nothing we can do about it right now. We'll just keep our eye on the horizon when we set sail again," Will said purposefully relaxing. "What did you want to talk about?"

The moment distilled itself in Jack's mind. The way they conferred and worked together. The way he trusted her when he needed a second opinion. The way they defaulted back to a functional partnership. The moment wrapped in his arms that had felt so... easy The way they were now, next to each other, alone under the sky quietly contemplating the next challenge.

"Nothing," she said. "It can wait."

"I like your shirt," Will smirked, still looking out over the water and not actually at her shirt at all.

She smiled. "I know."

_______________________

"How are ye finding 'em so fast?" Belita asked Danica. Her First Mate was leaning on the other side of the rail with her back to the street. They'd just sent away the latest in a string of out-of-work sailors who were very excited at the prospect of taking a berth on the Kestrel. There were five more waiting inside, but they were taking a break while Janie slipped away to talk with Caine.

"Apparently there's a lot of sailors looking for work right now," Danica said after a pull on her mug. "A bunch of ships that were expected in the last month haven't showed."

"Pirates?" Belita asked.

"If it is, they're slick. These are busy waters," Danica said. "From what I've gathered it seems more like what you'd see if there was a blockade, but there isn't one."

"Anything we need tae worry about?" Belita asked.

"Could be. Hard to tell. There's a bunch of theories, but nothing that rings true. It seems to be isolated to medium sized ships." Danica drained her mug. The table was out of her reach, so she and handed it off to Bella.

"Like the Kestrel." Captain Vex's eyes hardened. "Tell your husband to fill out as much of the armory as he can tonight."

"Aye, Captain. I know that's on his list. I'll have him bump it up in priority. Now I'm off to the next bar to find more sailors," Danica said with a tip of her hat. The Captain gave her a nod and then Danica was lost in the crowd.

"Ye're a diviner, right? Any way ye c'n find out what's going on?" Captain Vex asked Bella.

Bella put another date on the table. Jack the monkey ran down to retrieve it and ran back up to his perch again. "I'm... not that kind of diviner." Bella said. "I'm not a clairvoyant. My magic is more about looking into possible futures, and trying to nudge things in the direction of something good,"

"Well, that's better than nothing," Belita said. "How do ye do it?"

"I've never done a reading on a ship before. I think it would work better if we did a reading on you," Bella said.

"Ye're talking about cards," the Captain said, catching on. "That works."

Bella began rooting through her large purse and came out with a velvet bag. She untied it, pulled a cloth out and spread it on the table, then took her cards out and set them on the cloth. "Shuffle them. On the cloth, please."

Belita leaned in and gave the cards a few practiced shuffles. When she set the cards down, bella trapped her hand on top of them. "Now kiss me," the witch said with a small smile. Belita grinned and leaned forward even more. Their lips met and Bella's finger's touched the Captain's sternum.

Belita felt a tickle run through her and she pulled back, eyes wide. "What was tha'?"

"Just establishing a connection," Bella said with a small smirk. "You're going to draw five cards and put them on the cloth face down. Before each draw you're going to cut the deck. After each draw you're going to shuffle them. I'm going to help you visualize."

"Is this going tae take long? We're still in the middle of our interviews," Belita asked, suddenly a bit skeptical about the complexity and time.

"Not long at all," the witch shook her black curls. "This used to be my breadwinner. On a good night I could do five of these in an hour."

Belita grinned. "Alright, witch. Do your worst."

"First you need to clearly ask and visualize a question," Bella said. "What is it you want to know."

"What's going on that's making ships go missing and not reach port, and how do I avoid it?" Belita said.

Bella shook her head. "Too broad. Narrow it down."

"What's the best way to make it safely from here to Drifter's Key?" Belita asked.

"Much better. Now, think of that question, and visualize the situation you are in right now. You, and your ship, here," Bella said. "Then cut the deck and draw a card."

Belita looked in the direction of the Kestrel and pictured her ship in her mind's eye. She knew every inch of her, but when she imagined herself as well, it was always at the helm. She cut the deck and drew a card, setting it on the soft velvet. Then she picked the cards up and shuffled them again.

"Now picture what has led you to this point. The course you took to get here," Bella's guiding voice said. The Captain cut the cards, drew one, and shuffled. "Next are the hidden influenced. You've established the present and the past. This card is about the things you don't know." Belita cut, drew, and shuffled again. "The next card is about the environmental influences on the situation. This is the state of the world you are headed into, and how it might change the outcome." Cut, draw, shuffle. "The last card is your answer. It builds on all the cards that came before it and gives you a glimpse into the future." Belita took a deep breath and cut the deck again, setting the last card on the table.

Bella set the deck aside and flipped over the first card. She tried to keep her face calm, but Belita noticed the fear and worry that flickered across it. "The Tower."

"What's that mean?" Belita asked.

"Disaster."

_____________________

"The Teach gang has put a bounty on you," Caine said quietly.

Janie felt the blood drain from her face. She'd known it was a possibility, but the reality of it still came as a shock. "So soon?" It was all she could think to say.

Caine nodded and took another sip off his ever-present tankard. He was facing straight ahead across the floor of the Lounge looking at everything and nothing, the same way he always did when he was working. Janie sat next to him keeping her voice low. She hoped her veil and makeup did a good enough job of hiding her face and her expressions that onlookers wouldn't know that she was fighting off a feeling of panic. She took a breath and steeled herself. Putting on a mask of unflappable aloofness was a skill she'd mastered long ago. She hadn't broken when those horrible men had broken into the Lighthouse, or on the docks, and she wasn't going to break now.

"What should I do?" Janie asked calmly.

"For now, nothing. I have some folks working to spread word that you've been smuggled out. It might throw them off the scent. Just keep the disguise up. It seems to be working," Caine replied.

"What about the... staff here? They know? Now there's a reward. What if someone takes

it?" Janie asked.

"I don't think that will happen. We look after each other pretty well. Anyone who doesn't isn't around long," Caine said. "Still, you're safer here than anywhere else on the island. Even if they find out you're here, I doubt they'll break the truce to come get you. The Old Man would have their heads."

Janie swallowed the lump in her throat. "Alright. I suppose nothing really changes. Thank you for telling me."

Caine didn't answer so she picked up the drink she'd ordered and headed back across the lounge towards Bella's alcove.

"Sister? Ah, Sister Evangelina?" she turned and saw a familiar face. Her first client. Her only client so far. Her John. She didn't know what to say or do so she said nothing. She simply waited. An awkward silence stretched for a few moments.

"I... was hoping you would be free?" John asked. She didn't know his name, but he was John in her head.

"I am afraid not, John," she said, her voice cold and distant.

"Uh, my name isn't-" She cut him off.

"I don't care," she said crisply. "Here, to me, you are John. If you ever earn the right to have your name fall from my lips, I will let you know."

John blinked, then nodded. "Uh, alright. John then. When can I see you again?"

"Tomorrow. After sunset. Before midnight," Janie said, making things up as she went, hoping the part she was playing didn't crack. Apparently it didn't. John smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sister," he turned to leave. Her voice stopped him.

"John," she said crisply.

He turned around, looking surprised and confused. "Uh, yes?"

"You did not thank me, John. I've graced you with my time and presence, and you have not expressed any gratitude. You will learn the error of that tomorrow," Janie said. She felt like she barely recognized her own voice. Where had that come from?

"Uh, yes sister. Thank you sister," John said, clearly reeling, not sure of what else to say. Before he could say anything else she turned on her heel and left, her walk high and proud.

As soon as she was behind the curtain and safely in her alcove she let her breath out. Her hands were shaking. "What... was that?" she asked herself out loud. She shook her head and rushed back to the mirror, lighting the candles and letting the strange fog rush in to reveal a place that had never felt further away.

_________________

"So, the cards are sayin' that the safest way tae get from 'ere tae Drifter's Key is through... disaster?" Captain Vex had one elbow leaning on the table and was looking at the cards like they were playing a trick on her. She was just drunk enough that her accent was coming in extra strong. "You sure they understood the question?"

"Did you?" Bella asked. "The cards are a reflection of the person drawing them."

"Maybe it'll make more sense if we do the rest," Belita made a face and pointed to the next one. "What's this one again?"

"The past. The events that led you to this present situation." Bella flipped the card over. "The Jack of Coins. That card represents ambition. Desire. It isn't necessarily bad or good. Just a description of motivation."

"Yeah, a'right. That one makes sense,' Belita conceded. "The next one is the stuff I dinnae know, right?"

"That's right. Hidden influences, either unknown, secret or overlooked." The witch flipped the card. It was the moon, but it was upside down. "Well that's not terribly helpful."

Belita raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Bella to explain.

"It means confusion or misinterpretation," Bella said with an apologetic smile.

Belita laughed. "So the hidden influences are the ones I don't understand." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks cards. Real useful, ye are."

Bella flipped over the next card, the two of swords, also upside down. "The environment. Hmm. This card, in this position, represents a situation or choice with no good answer. Any choice is bad, and the best you can hope for is the option that results in the least damage."

"Well fuck," Belita said, her mirth suddenly gone. "So the whole world really is against me."

"Well, for now it looks that way,' Bella said. "Keep in mind that these readings aren't literal. They're usually very clear in hindsight, but they are often very hard to interpret correctly. At best, they give you an idea of the kinds of things you can expect so you can be emotionally prepared for them."

"Aye, that's what I'm getting. Give me the last one. There has to be something good in the answer, right?"

Bella made a small shrug and flipped the last card. "Ace of swords. Clarity of action. A breakthrough."

"Hmm. Well, that seems positive?" Belita asked, not really sure what to make of it all.

"I agree."

"So, I'm headed toward disaster, and I have nothin' tae blame but my own ambition. The things I haven't noticed yet are confusin' me, and I'm going tae end up having tae deal with a situation that there aren't any good ways outta. The best way through is to make a decision in a moment of clarity and have a breakthrough. Do I have all that right?"

"That's how I read them," Bella agreed.

"Well, that's helpful. Sorta," the Captain's brows narrowed. "Seems a little vague. Like those things could be applied tae any situation."

"But they aren't about any situation. They're about this one." Bella swept up her cards, whispered a small incantation to purge off any excess energy, and slipped them back into their bag.

"Definitely somethin' tae think about," Captain Vex smiled.

The mirror clouded and cleared to reveal a panicked looking Jaine.

"Bella, my John came back! I... I made an appointment with him!" She looked distraught.

Bella's black eyebrows brows rose. Her lips opened as if she were about to speak, but she didn't say anything at first. It took her a few moments to change focus in her head. "It doesn't sound like you are very happy about that."

"He came up to me and asked if he could see me again! I just... panicked and told him I'd see him tomorrow night!" Janie was so wild-eyed that they could see it through her veil.

"You have a regular," Bella smiled. "Treat him well and he'll send a lot of coin your way."

"I didn't treat him well at all! I was actually... mean. I told him that I didn't care what his name was and that I was going to punish him for not thanking me," Janie shook her hands to release some of the excess energy she was carrying. It didn't help.

Bella and Belita looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh. "So you gave him more of what he got from you last time?" Bella asked.

"Yes!" Janie's voice nearly broke.

"It sounds like that's what he wants. Give it to him," Bella smiled.

"I don't know if I can?" Janie took a few quick breaths. "What if last time was a fluke? I had Tonya there to help, and I wasn't feeling like myself, and the disguise was exciting. Now, I've gotten more used to it, and it feels more like me, and I'm not supposed to draw attention to myself-"

"Janie, breathe lass," Belita interrupted. "You're just fine. You dinnae have tae do anythin' ye don't want tae do."

"You can always cancel," Bella said. "Just tell Caine or Ruby at the bar. They'll let your John down gently."

Janie started breathing slower. She nodded. "Caine said there's a price on my head now," she said a bit more calmly.

Both the women on the other side of the mirror sat up and leaned in at that news. "And tha' wasn't what you wanted tae tell us first?" Belita asked.

"Why is that the part of this you're calm about?" Bella asked right on Belita's heels.

Janie shrank a bit, and gave a small shrug. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem as worrying as the... the thing with John."

Bella muttered something in her native tongue. The Captain shook her head. "Janie lass, ye make no sense at all sometimes."

"I know," Janie said apologetically. "There's just nothing I can really do about the bounty. It doesn't change anything for me right now. The... the other thing. That's different. I have to do that."

"You don't have to," Bella repeated.

"I said I would. I made the appointment, I feel like I should keep it. That's the professional thing to do." Janie pursed her lips.

"Oh, so now ye're a professional? That dinnae take long," Belita snorted.

Bella gave the Captain a gentle whack on the thigh. "Be nice."