Salveran Tides Ch. 02

“Count your lucky stars, my pretty fish friend, that it’s me coming down these steps and not those other lot. They wanted to filet you and eat you for lunch.”

Leona made a face. “I cannot pretend I don’t have the same worry about you.”

“I have a far more refined palette,” Scarlet said. She gave the fetters an experimental tug. “Probably should’ve gotten the key to these things before booting those pirates out.”

Leona’s head snapped around. “Do you mean I’m stuck?”

“Not quite.” Scarlet yanked out her knife and stuck the point in the fetter’s lock. She jimmied it back and forth a little, trying to see if something would catch. She heard footsteps descending down. “Yesseil, a hand please?”

Yesseil stopped one step higher than the bottom, her eyes looking over the shackled mermaid. “You know,” she said, “when you said there was a mermaid involved in this I legitimately thought you were kidding.”

“When do I ever kid, Yesseil?

The elf sighed. “Here, let me in.” She reached into her belt pouch and withdrew a tiny pin that looked like a pistol ramrod of some kind. Scarlet moved to the side and Yesseil took a crack at the lock. With a few twists of the pin she had the fetters unlocked. “There,” she said, unlatching the iron bars. “Easy enough.”

“Thank you,” Leona said, rubbing her wrists. She raised her head, eyeing the stairs to the upper deck.

“Don’t even think about it,” Scarlet said. She wiggled Leona’s necklace back and forth from where it hung around her neck. “This is still mine, remember?”

Leona sighed. “I remember.”

Yesseil looked back and forth between the two of them. “What am I missing exactly?”

“I’ll explain above,” Scarlet said. She leaned against the mast, looming over the sitting Leona. “Howsabout this, Princess. I’ll not tie you up this time so long as you agree to stay down here. Fair?”

Leona looked up at her. “It’s less humiliating. Agreed.”

“Good!” Scarlet reached down and patted the top of the mermaid’s head. “We’ll be off soon for our next destination. I’ll have something for you to do there, I promise.”

Leona sighed and leaned back against the mast. “If you say so.”

Back above, Scarlet flipped the hatch shut and threw the bolt into its holder. “Let’s go see what this lot had on them.”

The two women went into the back cabin. Scarlet sniffed. “Ah, unwashed men. Lovely smell.”

Yesseil gagged. “Soap and water, that’s all you need.”

They opened the cabin windows to let the air out, then set about disposing of what they didn’t need over the next hour or so. More clothes went out the back, along with personal effects they had no need for. Scarlet wasn’t sentimental about these things. She knew that her things were probably at the bottom of the ocean right now.

“So seriously,” Yesseil said, pulling out a bottle from a cabinet and turning it over. “What’s happened? I don’t see you for a year and then you show up sans ship and swords with a mermaid in tow.”

“Oh hey, these were from the other cutter.” Scarlet took the bottle from the elf and yanked the cork out with her teeth. “Well, everything was fine until a few weeks ago.” She spat the cork onto the floor and took a long pull right from the bottle. The fruity liquor burned her throat, and she coughed once, wiping the excess from her lips. “Then my stupid arse decides to take on a new lad at port named Nashor.”

Yesseil took the bottle and took one dainty sip, but held onto it, either for a follow-up or to keep Scarlet from guzzling it too fast. Perhaps both. “That name doesn’t sound Salveran.”

“I think he’s from one of those northern nations, maybe even close to where Lexaeus comes from. Doesn’t matter where he’s from though, little shit’s never going to see it again when I’m done with him.”

“I take it he’s the reason I’m not reclining in your quarters aboard the Sanguine.”

Scarlet’s lip curled. “Turns out he’s got a whole crew already, who were waiting to ambush us the next time we made port. He had an enchanted stone or something on him that let his mates follow his position, and they snuck up on us at night. What made it all the worse was they sprang the trap during the one point where I’m truly at my weakest, which is when Lex has me pinned against a wall.” She took a deep breath, in and out once through her nose. “It’s one thing to get caught by surprise, it’s another to get caught with your pants down.”

Yesseil made a soft noise. “What happened next?”

“They cut a deal with the governess of Port Corrin.”

Yesseil’s eyes narrowed for a moment. Then they went wide like a cat’s. “Oh no.”

“Aye. She got Lexaeus, just like she wanted. I’ve been trying not to think about how long it’s been. There’s a chance she may have already executed him. I’m banking on her wanting to draw things out as long as possible, but we probably don’t have much time.”

“It’s two days sailing from here, I think,” Yesseil said. “‘Not much time’ about sums it up.”

“Silver lining’s I’m still alive, though. Nashor and his lot thought it would be hilarious to maroon me, said it would ‘fit my age.’ Never mind the fact that I’m only a few years their senior, but again, it’s whatever. He’ll die screaming all the same.” Scarlet inclined her head towards the door. “I found Leona on the beach one day, planned on using her as collateral to get passage off the island with some smugglers. They got handsy, so I left them dead on the beach and took their ship. That’s about where we’re at.”

The elf nodded. “And you needed me for all this because...?”

Scarlet grinned and pointed to the sack of guns in the corner. “I needed weapons. I needed an ally I could trust. Who better than the Eagle Eye?”

Yesseil blushed. “Haven’t heard that name in a while.”

Scarlet leaned over and poked the elf in the chest. “See, that reaction right there? That tells me I made the right call. You missed this, don’t deny it.”

“I don’t think I missed this specifically.” Yesseil took another swig of alcohol.

“Come on.” Scarlet scooted closer to the elf. Up close the elf smelled nice, her natural feminine musk a subtle, sweet scent. “What’s not to miss? The rock of the boat, the salt in the air, a good bottle of something to light your belly on fire.” She reached around the elf’s shoulders, sliding her hand down Yesseil’s other arm to pluck the bottle from her fingers. The motion brought her body into close contact with the elf’s, Yesseil’s slender frame tucking neatly against her side. “Good company,” she murmured.

Yesseil quivered, the tips of her pointy ears wobbling in front of Scarlet’s face. Begging to be nibbled on. “W-well, you know...” she stammered. Scarlet breathed along the back of Yesseil’s ear, making all the little hairs on it stand up. Yesseil went rigid, a shaky breath slipping from her lips. “No fair...”

Elf ears were erogenous bullseyes, and Scarlet took full advantage of that fact. Her first nip was light, lips ghosting along the outside curve of Yesseil’s ear. She nuzzled into the curve, running her tongue along the sensitive inside. Yesseil quickly turned to putty in her arms, and Scarlet set the bottle down to free up her other hand. She lifted Yesseil’s jerkin, feeling up the elf’s small tummy. “Glad to know you’ve still got your appetite for the important things.”

Yesseil didn’t so much exhale as she did whoosh, like she’d been holding a breath for all the time she’d been stuck on land. She wriggled in Scarlet’s arms, jamming her face into the crook of her neck and breathing deep. Small huffs of air fanned across Scarlet’s throat, raising goosebumps where they passed. “Interesting new jewelry,” she panted.

Scarlet leaned back so she could take Leona’s pendant between her fingers. “Aye, this is what’s keeping the mermaid on a leash,” she said. “It’s important enough to her that she’s willing to put up with me while I hold on to it.”

Yesseil regarded the necklace with a look of curiosity, then leaned in close. “Hang on, let me see.”

“You really want to inspect jewelry right now?” Scarlet said, fingers undoing the top button of the elf’s top. They slid inside, and found that Yesseil still didn’t wear brassieres. Wonderful.

The elf panted again. “H-hang on,” she said, taking the necklace in her palm and turning it over. “You said the mermaid had this?”

“Aye,” Scarlet purred, nudging Yesseil’s jerkin off her shoulders, exposing a pale collarbone begging to be nibbled on.

“Huh.” Yesseil rubbed her thumb against the crystal pendant. “I wonder what she’s doing with something like this.”

Scarlet stilled, her fingertips on the cusp of the swell of Yesseil’s tiny tits. “What do you mean?”

The elf held up the pendant between her fingers. “This is a navalslyn. It’s something my people make. It looks like a normal stone, but it’s actually a very finely crafted piece of glass that refracts light within itself.”

“Fascinating,” Scarlet murmured, kissing Yesseil’s slender neck. She bit down and pulled back a little, enough to leave a red outline of her teeth on the pale flesh. “And this is important because...”

“We hid things in them,” Yesseil said, the words running together into one. “Damn you.” She pushed Scarlet, and Scarlet let herself fall backwards onto the cabin floor. The elf scrambled on top of her, their mouths meeting in a frenzied kiss. Human tongue met elf tongue and slid against one another, a warm feeling filling Scarlet’s being. The last time she’d been fucked had been weeks ago, when Nashor and his cronies caught her and her first mate in the act. She was ravenous for intimate contact. And who better than an elf she’d taught many a trick to?

Both women parted for a moment to get their shirts all the way off. Yesseil was so skinny that if she were a human she might be mistaken for wasting away. But elves were always on the slender side, though Yesseil had once told her there were pudgy elves out there somewhere. Scarlet never wanted to meet them, they sounded like an irresponsible lot. Yesseil had almost no tits to speak of, two vaguely raised mounds capped with red nipples, but that was just one of the things Scarlet found so entrancing about the elf.

Plus, it felt unspeakably good to pull Yesseil close and have her own breasts smush against the elf’s torso. So she did just that. They kissed again and again, each one lasting an eternity as they stole each other’s breath. Hands wandered, caressing torsos and sliding lower and lower. Scarlet slipped her fingers past Yesseil’s waistband, feeling the heat radiating off the elf’s cunt before she even touched the wetness. She pressed down on the elf’s mons, wringing a pitiful moan out of Yesseil. “How long has it been?” she murmured into Yesseil’s mouth.

The elf moaned, the sound of pleasure tinged with a little squeak. “I can’t remember...”

Scarlet kissed her, long and slow, as she slid Yesseil’s pants down her thighs and copped a feel of the perfect, taut ass underneath. “Gonna make you cum buckets then,” she growled.

Yesseil panted, going along with Scarlet’s nudge and giving her a little space. Scarlet slipped her pants off, too full of need to worry about getting a splinter in her bare ass. Then she pulled Yesseil back on top of her, grapevining her legs with the elves’ and squeezing tight. Her hand slipped between Yesseil’s thighs, fingers finding the elf’s heat and diving in. Yesseil squealed, her fingers tightening in Scarlet’s hair. “Oh, Scarlet,” she moaned.

Hearing someone moan her name was as intoxicating to Scarlet as even the most potent of meads. It was common knowledge of what she got up to with her crew - she’d never denied it. It added to her legend, and it pissed off the Flame Church that her conquests both in battle and in the bedroom were known far and wide. And anything that pissed them off was a good thing in her book.

With such legend came experience, and Scarlet was able to play anyone, male, female or otherwise, like a fiddle. Two fingers was the most Yesseil could take, but it was all Scarlet needed. She kept one hand firmly on the elf’s ass while she finger-fucked her, curling her pointer and middle fingers to hit that sweet spot deep in Yesseil’s body. The elf was a quivering mess in her embrace. All she could do was rest her head on Scarlet’s shoulder and keep herself grounded with long, shaky breaths. She was muttering in her native tongue, a long string of words punctuated by enthusiastic mewls of Scarlet’s name.

Her hips rocked back and forth, seeking something. Scarlet adjusted her thumb so it rubbed against Yesseil’s clit with every rock, and with that, the elf was gone. It was like fingering a warm mass of quivering putty. Slick heat drenched Scarlet’s hand, but she wasn’t going to stop until Yesseil told her to.

After a long time and who knew how many peaks, the elf managed to breathe a single word into Scarlet’s ear. “E-enough...”

Scarlet stilled her fingers. “Sure?”

“Yes...”

She withdrew her hand, Yesseil leaning against her with all her weight. Scarlet was able to bear it easily. Her heart beat strong in her ears, her own groin wet and wanting. “Need a minute?”

Yesseil shook her head, then gave Scarlet another warm kiss. “Lie back,” she whispered.

Scarlet reached up to grab a blanket off a bunk above her, balling it up into a makeshift pillow. She let herself recline backwards, spreading her legs. Yesseil slithered between them, nuzzling at the swell of Scarlet’s groin. “My turn...”

The first touch of her tongue sent a jolt through Scarlet, followed by a warmth that flowed through her whole body. Then Yesseil really went at it, lathing her tongue against Scarlet’s swollen labia with long, slow strokes. Her finger splayed on Scarlet’s freckled thighs, more to keep herself in place than to hold Scarlet down. The elf was a natural.

Though she’d had the best teacher on the seas of Salveras.

“Good girl,” Scarlet purred, caressing Yesseil’s dark hair. Her fingers brushed along the back of those sensitive ears, setting them a-quiver all over again. “Good girl...”

As Yesseil ate her out, Scarlet idly examined the crystal pendant. What was a mermaid doing with an elf pendant? What secrets did it contain? Or did Leona not even realize what she had around her neck? The Princess did seem the oblivious sort. Or maybe it was all a front, and she was actually far more crafty than Scarlet gave her credit for.

The thought made her smile. Despite the fact that she was shipless, her weapons were gone, and her first mate might already be dead, there was no escaping the thrill of all this. It had been some time since she’d last been on a proper adventure. Things had settled into a kind of rut, and Nashor stabbing her in the back had been quite the jolt out of it.

It wouldn’t save him from the painful, painful fate Scarlet had in mind for him, but still.

She looked down the length of her body, past the swell of her belly to where Yesseil’s face was buried between her legs. The elf’s eyes were closed in delight as she worked with her tongue, winding Scarlet up tighter and tighter with each lick until finally even she couldn’t keep her composure. She moaned, pulling Yesseil hard against her labia as she came. The elf lapped it all up eagerly. She looked up, giving Scarlet a questioning look. Scarlet simply pushed her head back down. “More,” she commanded.

Yesseil was all too eager to provide more. Scarlet let her head fall back against the wood behind her. A day of violence and fire, ending with a beautiful woman eating her out. Yes, this was the kind of life she was destined to lead. The only kind of life befitting the dread pirate Rydell.