Veils of Storm

10. Travel by Sea

The moment the anchor began raising, the entire ship jerked under Kat. What she'd taken to be a safe, large body keeping them afloat proved to be a lot more flimsy. Her knees started shaking instantly. When Jazz turned the helm with a flourish and the ship moved towards the left, she had to reach out her hand and grab something to keep herself steady. That something turned out to be the captain's elbow.

He gave her a sideways glance and turned the helm again, steering the Jolly Marauder away from the pier and into open waters. Kat could hear the splashing of water against the sides of the ship and it made her nauseous.

"Don't worry, Duchess," Jazz said with a kind smile. "You'll get your sea legs in no time."

She just nodded though she didn't like being called duchess and she sure as hell wasn't certain about her sea legs. She wanted Cage to come back, but she had no idea where the anchor mechanism was or how he'd actually raised it.

"He'll be right back," Jazz said, as if guessing her thoughts.

She huffed and stepped away from him. Cage hadn't mentioned if Jazz knew about the new curse Cecile had bestowed upon them, and if he didn't, she definitely didn't want to clue him in. It was a weakness she saw no point revealing.

On some level, it ached that her relationship with Cage was a weakness, but she couldn't deny the truth. She was a lot easier to kill than Cage, and if anyone knew that ending her would doom him, she'd paint a giant target on her back. Which made Jazz incredibly dangerous.

Unfortunately, the ship itself also appeared incredibly dangerous and it took a tiny wave to send her back towards Jazz and grasping on to his forearm. His grin only grew and she wanted to smack him.

"It's understandable that you'd be unprepared," he said with a wise nod. "Women aren't often allowed on boats, let alone ships."

"Why are you different?" she mumbled, trying to think of anything else than the fact that they were slowly but surely moving away from the safety of land.

"Oh, I don't believe in that garbage superstition. Why would gods or fairies or anyone else care what's in your pants?"

Kat jumped and stumbled away from him. Jazz just laughed, making her uncomfortable apparently entertaining for him.

"Seriously. If you're going to be at sea, you'd better get used to this. Being stuck in small spaces for long periods of times brings out the true nature of people. And after you do it a lot, you tend to find that you enjoy it and have no patience for lies and small talk."

Seeing how Cage occasionally slipped into sailor talk himself, she could believe it, but it didn't mean she liked the familiar way in which Jazz spoke. They didn't know each other. He seemed to notice her discomfort because he closed his eyes and shook his head as though pitying her.

"You know, Iride is generally a good place, especially for those who had the pleasure of knowing it before Fherras' reign. But the damage that man has done..." He shook his head again.

Kat's heart began beating erratically and she couldn't help glancing from left to right to make sure that they were alone. "You speak of treason."

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Love, you're traveling with the rightful king of Iride and are touched by magic. The two of you are treason."

"I don't know what Cage told you..." The words died in her throat as his eyes narrowed. She expected them to turn white again, but they didn't. It didn't make him any less creepy.

"Cage didn't have to tell me anything. I'm certain he already told you what I can do."

And she had a million questions about it, but wasn't sure if she should ask. "You see people's fate."