The Price of Power

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

When Larkel stepped into the galley, she stepped into a bustle and humdrum of noise, colour, laughter, ale, and cheer. Not to mention the delicious smells coming from the far corner where the ship's cook was stirring some kind of stew with a well-used wooden ladle.

Her heart was pounding, and despite having Doc on one side and Hedger on the other, she couldn't help feeling scared. Judging from the captain's reaction to her, the rest of the crew would probably hate her as well.

But then again, Hedger and Doc seem to like me, so maybe I won't be hated after-all?

Studying the faces of the pirates, she spotted a few women among the men, laughing and drinking along with them. She blushed at their behaviour, for the women were rowdy and swore just as often as the men did. They wore loose trousers, much like the pair she was wearing, and many of them had silk scarves wrapped around their hair, wrists and waists. Men and women alike had ears studded with glittering hoops of gold, and fingers were heavily adorned with jewels.

It made it easier therefore to spot the captain. In the glittering array of gemstones and necklaces and velvet waistcoats or silk shawls, he was a centrepiece of exotic simplicity. Unlike his crew, who revelled in colour and extravagance, he wore no finery except for a simple gold stud in his right ear. He wore black from head to foot, and though his clothes were well made, they were not opulent in any way.

He was laughing, his head thrown back, and Larkel noticed that he looked much younger than he had before. It was the lack of tension in his face, and the lack of bitterness.

Bitterness that was brought about by me, no doubt.

He sat among his men and it was obvious that all of them looked up to him. The crew looked to him for approval, laughed uproariously at all his jokes, and all of them looked at him with admiration in their eyes. All bar two. One of whom was Doc, who was raising one eyebrow at the revelry before him - he was not looking forward to the job of concocting headache cures the following morning. The other was Hedger, who had his hands on his hips and wore a little scowl on his brow.

Hedger was annoyed with the captain. He liked Larkel, and he had noticed how the captain made her feel uneasy earlier. Nobody messed with Hedger's friends! He would not let anyone be mean to her. It was his job to look after her. Not even Cassius, who everybody knew was really a big softie under all that show.

Uneasily, Larkel let herself be prodded by Doc towards the ship's cook and the wafting smells of good food. At first their entrance went unnoticed, but as the trio walked further and further into the room, it fell silent, as if falling under a spell. Larkel turned pink with embarassmen and aprehension, sensing all eyes on her, and she almost stopped dead all together, as if that would make people stop looking at her. It was Hedger's little warm fingers tugging on her hand that drew her on towards the serving table. Avoiding looking at anything apart from the wall in front of her, Larkel heard the noise of rustling, and the whispers of the crew as they studied her intently.

Please, somebody help! What if they all hate me? What if they want to kill me, or don't want me to sit with them because I'm Evermathian. I hate being put on the spot like this!

Reaching the table of food, Larkel took the wooden bowl Hedger handed her and looked up at the cook, who stood over the hot pot of stew. He was a fearsome sight, with crooked teeth and scars that knotted his eyebrows, one eye milky and the other bloodshot.

" 'Ello dearie," he said, sinisterly. Larkel shrunk back, but Hedger pushed his floppy hat back and gave the man a fearsome scowl. The pirate looked down at Hedger and chuckled. " Aye, I'll play nice, don't you worry. 'Ere you go, squirt."

He proceeded to ladle the stew into Hedger's bowl, before turning his one good eye back to Larkel.

She stared back at him in petrified silence, while soft sniggering ensued from behind. Larkel wanted the floor to swallow her up. She wanted to throw herself into the sea, if only to escape this mean. She heard the captain, his sniggers loudest of all.

"Ah, well, hold up ye bowl, then!" the cook roared suddenly, making Larkel squeak and half drop her bowl. The sniggers had turned into outright laughter now. Hedger turned red with indignation on her behalf. The cook cackled, enjoying himself.

She held up her bowl meekly as the one-eyed man ladled spoonful's of the delicious stuff into it, and couldn't help sniffing the steam coming off it.

"Oi, what's you doin' then?" the cook said, leaning forward over the stew-pot until his greasy nose was almost touching hers, suddenly sinister and leering.

"I er, um," Larkel squeaked again, " well, I was just admiring the smell. It smells so good!"

The cook looked at her with a narrowed eye, weighing up her words, and suddenly threw back his head and laughed, before clapping her on the shoulder.

"We'll get on fine then, lass. I was on'y messing with ya. I'm not usually such a brute. Ah, lookit squirt over 'ere, positively boiling with fury. Sorry 'Edger, won't bother 'er again.. much."

He was still chuckling to himself as he ladled the stew into Doc's bowl too - Doc looking very disapproving, for he did not appreciate the way the cook had treated Larkel.

Grabbing a chunk of bread each, the trio turned around, and Larkel froze on the spot. The room had fallen silent again, each man and woman scrutinizing her where she stood.

So many eyes. It shouldn't be possible for there to be so many eyes facing in one direction!

"Come on," said Doc, leading her towards the last empty table in the far corner. Heads swiveled and eyes followed them as they went. Larkel saw Cassius watching, his eyes dark and inscrutible, but his mouth turned up in an amused grin.

Well, I'm glad someone is enjoying himself!

Irritation broke through the intimidation, and Larkel shot him a glare. His eyes widened and his smiled broadened, and just as she sat down, the captain leapt up.

The eyes swiveled and focused on him, suddenly warm and approving.

He let out a loud laugh and stood in the center of the room.

"Friends, we have a guest!" he said, gesturing towards her.

Back swiveled the eyes, pinning her down. Larkel physically had to stop herself from cringing.

"Let's all welcome the one, the only," he said, his tone light and his words mocking, "the terrible, the girl capable of giving one mean punch," here everybody laughed uproariously, all having heard about the captain's first encounter with the Evermathian, "the terror of the seas and land, the wonderful and weird, everybody, meet....RETTA!"

A/N: Hi there everybody! Sorry for the awfully late update - times have been bad, very bad indeed. Exams left, right, and center. ugh. But thank you so much for your patience and your support - and I hope I haven't let down anyone's expectations so far! If you have any questions or any comments or feedback, whatever really, just message me or leave me a comment down below. I'd love to hear your opinions! :) Oh, and this is dedicated to While Falling, who has been an absolutely awesome person. Here's to our conversations!