The Pirate Queen Ch. 01

Celeste tries to put on a convincing face. "I-"

Dorado scoops her up in his arms and turns to take her out.

Brandon smacks the floor to get Dorado to stop. "Hey, what's he going to do to you?"

Celeste gives Brandon a mournful smile. "Sorry, captain's orders. I hope I'll see you again. I'll convince the captain to treat you well. I can promise you that, Brandon."

As soon as the door closes behind them, Celeste lowers her voice and sighs. The crew pauses in their tracks as the duo goes back up to the deck. Most of them had hardly seen their captain in her mermaid form in a very long time. She normally is human by the time they pull her and Davy up from shipwreck scavenging. Celeste throws a few winks in their direction. The crew are too superstitious to risk a mermaid's wrath while out to sea. The dozens of ships they've sent to the deep are more than enough evidence of Celeste's power.

Dorado brings Celeste all the way to the captain's quarters and shuts the door behind him. He sets her down in her chair behind her desk. Out from his pocket, he pulls her pendant and hands it to her. The moment she takes it, her tail begins to split into shapely, human legs. Celeste puts it on and slouches into her seat.

"How's the prisoner, Captain? You didn't talk for very long."

"Talking in the air gets difficult really quickly in that form. I'm sorta used to it, but he's not. I'm gonna release him soon enough so don't worry."

"Why are you pretending to be our prisoner? You can't keep a charade like this up forever. By the way, one of the crew drew a picture of you dressed as a man and the powdermonkeys are taking turns wanking at it during breaks."

"That's... I'll just pretend you didn't just tell me that. As for the prisoner thing, he never would have told me anything in my human form. He's from my hometown, you know... I don't want to hear him call me a traitor."

"If you miss the sea so much, why do you bother staying aboard the ship? You could literally go home before I next blink."

"The crew elected me captain. If they vote someone else captain, then I'll go on my way then. You guys really saved me from some terrible people. I'm forever grateful for that, Dorado."

Dorado allows a bare hint of a smile on his face. "The crew is glad to have you aboard. Maybe not all for the same reason, but they admire you nevertheless... Do you still want to stop at Port Royal? What with us holding two prisoners?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. The crew deserves it. We've been at sea for months. They must be itching to spend their gold."

"And the prisoner?"

"Prisoners." Celeste rubs her wrists. "Don't worry, Dorado. I'll keep my eye on both of them. By the way, stick Brandon in a barrel of seawater to keep him healthy."

"You still didn't answer my question about how long you can keep this lie up."

"Just long enough to find out more about home. My kind are still being caught, Dorado. And I know there is one person behind it all."

"The longer this lie burns, the bigger it will be when it explodes."

Celeste stares at the map on her desk, tracing the route to Port Royal. "Dorado, are you glad to have me on board?"

Dorado strokes his beard. "Captain Celeste, you are an clever mermaid, a trusted friend, a wise leader... and a terrible human being."

"Thanks, Dorado." Celeste stares back down at the map. "Oh and Dorado?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Call in Davy. We have some unfinished business between us. Oh, and tell him to bring some rope."