Tides

Chapter 5- Mer

Blair invited me onto the deck while she took her turn steering the ship. It was nice up here, a breeze to keep you cool while the sun shone on you keeping you warm. The whole time she chatted away to me about various things, mainly the boat though. She told me it was called SunDowner and had been her father’s ship. Praxis, who was her older brother, was captain while she was first mate.

She told me that Archer had earned his name because he could shoot a fish out of water from fifty yards, no one used his real name any more and indeed most the crew had completely forgotten what it was.

Tyler was a master swordsman, having been in the cavalry of some country for several years he was eventually framed for terrine when a rich man saw him flirting with his soon to be wife. Leaving the country had been hard as no one would sell him a horse so he stowed away on a ship. Obviously he'd been found witch was when he realized it was a pirates ship, with nothing to loose he'd joined the crew and here he'd been ever since.

Then there was Rowen. He was known as the sea bard. Having traveled all the known land singing and telling stories he took to jumping from ship to ship. He'd made good friends the first time he'd come aboard SunDowner and though he still ship jumped he spent most his time aboard this one.

“Miss Blair, miss Blair!” The cook yelled coming onto the deck and interrupting her flow of talk to my utter relief. There's only so much you can take in at once you know.

“What is it cook? Cant you see I’m busy?” She said sounding utterly annoyed. God that girl scared me.

“Miss we’ve got no meat, or fish nither.” The cook panted out in the hot air.

“What on this god forsaken earth do you mean? There was a whole barrel of meat and fish when I last looked and it was a bloody big one at that.” The girl growled.

“A rat got into it and died Miss Blair. Died of poison, we eat that and it’ll kill the lot of us or make us sick at least.” The fat man fretted as he fiddled with his apron.

Blair’s eyes widened, “Is there nothing we can do?”

“Fish for our dinner, literally, but that’s about it,” The cook said, “We were only going to make it to the next port as it was but now the ration’s will have to be halved at least!”

“HALFED!” She cried, “The men can’t work on empty stomachs, they’ll start dropping like flies.”

Seeing my chance to actually do something by getting away and swimming for a bit I murmured, “I can get us some fish.”

“Well what more do you want me to do? Chop of my leg and feed it to them?” The cook cried sounding more than a little annoyed as the two of them ignored me.

“Yes if you must, I know you sneak extra food anyway and there’s so much fat on you it could feed us all for ten years!” Blair yelled back.

“I said I…” but I was yet again cut off by the two of them.

“If you wish to treat me like that then find yourself another cook,” The cook said as he took of his apron to throw at her.

“For the sake of the goddess!!!! If you won’t do your job then you can bloody well starve!” Blair screamed at his back. How did the girl get riled up so quickly?

“I’LL GET THE FISH!” I shouted over her.

They both turned to look at me, “What?” They asked in unison.

“I said I’ll get you some fish, I’m half one myself so it shouldn’t be to hard.” I shrugged.

“Your feet…” Blair began but I cut her off.