The Hunter's Pursuit

60. As Meant to Be

The next several days passed in a whirl of activity. Jacob barely had a moment alone between helping with the Leviathan's repairs and plotting their course back to Orphic. Of course, he didn't mind. He didn't want to be alone anyway. He spent all of his free time with Viviane, listening as she told the crew what had happened when her sisterhood arrived to help her trap Ryujin.

Viviane had told him what happened afterwards too, but that part remained between them and Emilia. Jacob didn't bring it up after the first time. Viviane didn't seem particularly bothered by her sisters' decision, and as long as she was happy, he would be too.

They were already making plans for what they would do once they arrived in Port. Finding a house was first on the list, followed closely by procuring new jobs. Neither of them wanted to remain on fishing boats, but the life of a pirate didn't seem quite fitting either. Jacob was toying with the idea of traveling on merchant ships, but he hadn't broached Viviane on the idea yet.

They still had some time to decide anyway, and Ms. Harriet was also full of ideas. They rendezvoused with Scarlet Minx and Kalifa Venus towards the center of the Cantata Sea. Ms. Harriet, Prim, and Kitty had been glad to rejoin them on the Leviathan and Viviane had given the piece of jawbone to the two Pirate Lords.

They were now on their way to collect the reward for Ryujin's "death". Ms. Harriet, Prim, and Kitty were full of stories too now. They'd talked non stop about what life was like with Scarlet and Kalifa. It seemed they certainly hadn't been lacking in excitement after leaving the Leviathan.

They'd also brought word about Malcolm Hugo's fleet. Caspian had been relieved to learn that the fleet prevailed against Kieran Blight and Mallory Archer's attempts to overpower and annex them to their own forces.

They'd also appointed a new Pirate Lord, which everyone had been surprised to find out was a Faerie! A Day Faerie, that was, though Jacob couldn't recall her name. Apparently, there had never been a Faerie Pirate Lord before. Caspian seemed eager to meet her, and Prim reported that Scarlet and Kalifa thought she was a suitable replacement.

There had been some discussion about traveling to meet the new Pirate Lord, but Jacob had mentioned that while he was pleased a new one had been found, he and the rest of the crew were eager to have a little time off. Everyone agreed, and they'd maintained their course for Orphic. Now, Jacob could just make out the coastline from his position up in the crow's nest.

"We're nearly there," Viviane remarked, climbing in beside him. "It will be good to be off this boat for a change."

"No kidding," Jacob chuckled. "And as much as I love my cousin, I'll be glad to get some space from him. He is rather annoying after a while."

Viviane elbowed him with a wink. "You must be related."

He rolled his eyes and slid an arm around her waist. "Have you spoken to Amos and Emilia yet?"

She nodded. "They're going back to Valencia. Emilia said they've decided they're going to try to convince Amos' mother to move to Port with them. They'll have some good opportunities here and they'll be able to see their friends more."

"Do they think she'll agree?"

"Amos says it will take a lot of convincing, but he thinks they can manage."

Jacob nodded, his smile growing. "I'm glad they changed their minds about staying in Valencia. They're right. They will have good opportunities to find better jobs and grow their practice in Port. They'll be protected in case they've been spotted with Caspian and marked as pirates. And like you said, they'll be able to see their friends. I think it'd be good for you to have Emilia around. You're not as prickly when you hang out with her."