Trapped or Treasured (Book 2 Preview)

Convenience

     Somewhere off the Scottish coast, the Bloody Siren bobbed lazily on the waves of the Atlantic. A bright day with high temperatures, there was little wind. The world itself seemed to have slowed, each minute lasting an eternity. Even the crew of pirates dragged their feet as they worked, feeling the heaviness of humidity in the air. There was little to no conversation and barely any sound of the water against the ship. The silence would have been maddening had it not been for the fact cannons had been firing all throughout the night before. Everyone could still hear the blasts ringing in their ears. It was as if the energy on the ship was being sucked deep down into the ocean. 

     Gwendalyn Porter was beside herself. She had never seen Lydia's crew so lagged. While it was true everyone was exhausted from days of non-stop battling with bounty hunters and navy vessels, she had a hard time believing it was enough to bring everyone to such a stand still. She considered the mood as she paced the deck. She still wasn't used to the adrenaline rush of raids and attacks, and with all the excitement they had had in the last week alone, she had become completely restless. Not sure what to do with herself, she looked up to the Captain on the stern. And there she found the missing variable to the afternoons drudgery. 

     "What's gotten her so twisted?" Gwen pointed at a sulking Lydia near the wheel. 

     The vicious Captain Redwater was sitting on the deck, her knees tucked beneath her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. She was glaring at the wood in front of her but the typical malice in the expression was replaced with a childish pout. It was almost pathetic. Charles sighed while rolling his eyes, coiling a rope. 

     "Captain caught a glimpse of herself on a wanted poster at our last port." Gwen raised an eyebrow. 

     "Surely that couldn't have surprised her." Charles set the rope down and reached into his vest pocket, producing a worn piece of parchment that had been folded into a square no bigger than the palm of Gwen's hand. 

     The Quarter Master handed it to her, a satisfied grin on his face. Whatever had Lydia in such a mood was obviously entertaining Charles. When Gwen opened the parchment she saw the wanted poster in question. It was normal looking enough, the only difference from others of its kind being that there was an illustration of the Bloody Siren and not Captain Redwater herself. The girl scanned the poster over three times, still very confused. When she made no comment, Charles explained. 

     "It's the reward, lass." Gwen reread the amount. She groaned in disbelief, slapping the parchment into Charles' chest as she walked by. She could hear him chuckling behind her as she climbed the steps to the stern. 

     "You can't seriously be this vexed over three hundred fifty pounds." Lydia kept her scowl on the deck. 

     "I make more than that selling a hull's worth at port." She retorted bitterly. Gwen rolled her eyes in answer. She couldn't believe the woman's pride was so easy to bruise. 

     Fucking pirates. 

     Evening in Davenport wasn't much better. The air was still muggy and the crickets were screaming at a pitch to make an alley cat envious. The Porter home was as silent as the Siren, a single candle lit in the sitting room. The maid was sitting next to the candle. She hummed quietly to herself as she pulled the needle from her quilt. She enjoyed sewing more than most of her chores and had lost herself in the calming task. Her mind wandered idly, considering what she would make for breakfast in the morning. 

     "Anne, there's been word of Miss Gwendalyn's whereabouts." The brown haired woman lifted her head from her patchwork and hissed in pain as the needle stabbed her finger in her haste.