Chapter 11

“Thomas” a voice whispered. The night had grown dark and Thomas wondered if he was dreaming. He opened his eyes sleepily. Riley peered inches from his face. She signaled for him to be quiet. Plopping out of his hammock, Thomas took Riley’s hand as the two slinked towards the Finneas’ quarters. She had been more distant the last few days but the touch of her hand warmed his mood.

Riley knocked on Finneas’ door twice before stepping inside. Finneas looked up from his desk with heavy eyes. Thomas wondered when the last time he had found sleep was. The quartermaster raised his eye to Riley.

“We have a plan, Thomas, one that requires complete discretion. Given the risks, we also need you to volunteer for it” Riley gently explained. They both looked to Thomas with sincerity. 

“Yes, yeah. Whatever it is, I’m in.”

Finneas nodded approvingly. “Good man. Now, here’s the deal. We can’t glide into Brinemarch with the Princess onboard. The second that news of her disappearance breaks, the first thing they will do is search every ship.”

“That’s assuming it hasn’t already broken” Riley pipped in.

“Correct. Also, there’s the matter of good ole ma and pa looking for their golden hair boy. I imagine you’re not keen to return to your kennel, ay?”

Thomas scoffed, a sense of relief flushing his face. “No, thank you.” He had spent the past day fretting over what to do with the Moon Gem and if his new crew would abandon him once it was revealed. He didn’t think the Captain a forgiving  one.

“So, we need to get you off this boat, along with the missus. And we need to do it discreetly. Now she’s a handful.” Finneas held up his bandaged hand. “Since we need someone we can trust, Riley will be going with you.”

The idea of more alone time with Riley was more than pleasant. “But what about the crew?” Thomas asked.

“Aye, let us take care of that. You two just need to focus on keeping the princess alive and unsullied.”

“When do we leave?”

Finneas stood up from his desk, “Now”.

Making their way down to makeshift cells, the three prisoners already sit awake in their cell. Finneas unlocked the door and Riley stepped inside to a grinning Korlai, “Finally come to your senses and invite me to your crew?”

“You wish merc.” Finneas huffed back.

To Aaliyah’s surprise, Riley undid her shackles before pulling her to her feet. Aaliyah pulled back, resistant to Riley’s direction, but Riley’s sheer size was no match and she carefully but forcefully pulled Aaliyah out the cell. 

“Oh c’mon, don’t take my princess,” Korlai smirked.

Thomas tried to look half intimidating as Finneas locked the door back. Trudy watched on silently, miserably as the group vanished back into the ship with Aaliyah. 

The captain waited on deck for them, the setting moon welcoming their journey with shining light. Aaliyah had coldly accepted her fate. 

Thomas climbed down the netting first. At the bottom of the ship rested a dinghy not too unlike the one he had boarded on, although this one was bigger and had some resources for their journey ahead.

“Down!” Riley barked at Aaliyah who listened, much like a cat defiantly listens to their owner. 

As Thomas gave her a hand into the boat, he thought he saw a rare embrace in the shadows above. The two lingered and it was several long moments before Riley appeared on the netting. He knew that Riley would die for the captain, and of the night they had shared, but he wondered if their relationship was deeper than just pleasure. What did the Captain offer Riley in the sanctity of privacy? Was he in the middle of a strange love triangle? He chuckled to himself, amused that these questions always seemed to arrive only when he must row small boats in dark waters.

Riley slid into the boat with ease, and it was time to leave. Thomas was at awe at the form and technique that Riley commanded their small vessel. It was a glint in the night compared to the Silent Tide but they seemed to almost skate across the water. This wasn’t the experience of a pirate but of someone with years of experience. 

Thomas offered support with his own oars being careful not to disrupt Riley’s own cadence. Aaliyah sat in the middle, refusing to look at or acknowledge either of them. It would be several hours before they made it to shore.

Finneas watched out at the sea for a long time next to the Captain, both in silence. He rubbed his red beard as the small boat vanished into the distance. “Aye, well I guess that’s that” he huffed. 

“That’s that…” she echoed coldly. She turned to him and his heavy eyes. “Get some rest, I have a feeling we have more surprises in store. I’m going to need you fresh.”

He looked off into the water, as if not to give her access to his troubles. “No, it’s not that much of a hassle. The crew will need me in the morning.”

She refused him, “Finn, sleep. That’s an order. I will not see you before noon.” 

The Captain immediately walked away, leaving him no space to rebuttal or logic with her. This tactic was very effective so she knew to only use it when it was truly important.  And Finneas, the tactician he was, knew to listen when she did it. He would sleep. Well… maybe after fine tuning the plans for a few more hours. But then, he would sleep.