Empress of the Sea|✔️

Chapter 3

Rewritten
***
Trigger warning for a brief mention of suicide. Please read at your own risk.

The next morning, Aeryn awoke to the sound of a gun.

The sun still hadn't risen, and she'd slept after twilight. Her eyes burned with exhaustion and she shivered in the chill. The wind was fast, reckless as it flew into her hair. It shot through every hole in her clothes, freezing even her bones with its frosty grace. It made breathing that much harder. With every breath, her throat burned with dryness.

Captain Sheries threw open the door to his quarters. "What was that?"

She remained silent, not wanting to speak. Her throat was still sore from the scream that had erupted from her mere hours ago.

"Somebody tell me something!"

Sherie's mustache flew alongside the blond hair he'd grown out in the last two years. He needed a haircut almost as he needed to learn basic etiquette.

His first mate, John replied. "A gunshot?"

"Was anybody shot?"

Aeryn sneered, "Like you care."

Sheries' face scrunched up, his eyes glaring at Aeryn and her rope-burned arms. "Girl, I care for my crew."

She turned her head away, daring to break off eye contact with him. "You don't even know my name," she whispered, the sound stolen by the wind.

Another gunshot rumbled in the sky. She could see the small trail of smoke it left in its wake as it travelled to touch the clouds. Aeryn stood to see who had shot the gun and saw a black ship cloaked behind the darkness and the water vapour.

It was her birthday, and it did not start the way she wished. It started with a bang instead, but she was yet to determine if it was friendly or not or if the bang would cost her life or save it.

The sun peeked over the horizon, its light reaching closer to the Maiden's Cross with every passing second. The highlighted waves did nothing to calm her racing heart.

The black ship finally arrived close enough for her to see through the fog.

A Jolly Roger flag lay dormant on a pole despite the heavy wind, almost like it had given up.

The ship towered over Sheries', in a way that brought a smile on Aeryn's face. Should the vessel attack, the Maiden's Cross stood no chance.

The elegant black egret at the head of the ship with gold lining seemed more of a jewel rather than something one would find on a pirate ship. The black wood forming the outer layers of the ship curled perfectly, not a splinter out of place. Smooth as metal.

The ship turned parallel to the Cross quicker than possible for a ship that size.

The second it stopped, the sun had shown itself fully, still at the edge of the horizon.

Aeryn could only watch as a wooden plank erected from the black ship fell onto the Cross acting as a bridge. Three individuals stood on it and walked across, jumping onto the main deck. Each of them wore black clothing with a white poet blouse and a gun strapped at their waist. But what Aeryn found fascinating was the bow swinging off the woman's shoulder.

Before they could spot her, Aeryn hid behind her rope-bed.

The tallest of the three people spoke with an aloof grace. "I am the newest captain of the Black Egret. You may call me Han. This is my first mate and gunner Marty," he informed, gesturing to the other man, "and this is my quartermaster. You may call her Aranaz." He held the woman's shoulder but let it go once she glared at his hand.

Sheries and a few crew members scoffed, ridiculing the female quartermaster. They gave her eyes, the same ones Aeryn had seen countless times, but she remained indifferent. She didn't fix her braid, scratch her neck in embarrassment, or even notice their stares. The way Aranaz held herself was like how Sheries did, except confidence pushed her shoulders back, not ego.

"Who is your captain?" Han asked.

Silence fell, and Sheries did not reveal himself as the captain. He pointed at his first mate and pushed him towards the intruders. "He is the fine captain of the fine Maiden's Cross."

The captain of the black ship laughed. "I am sure your first mate would never be the captain of this fine ship. Don't be scared, Sheries. I don't bite." He cleared his throat. "But there's a first time for everything, am I right?"

Aeryn's head leaned towards the man, wanting to hear more. Specifically, how he knew Sheries's name and face.

A booted footstep was the only sound she heard.

The black ship's captain spoke. "A pleasure to meet you for sure. I must say, I am proud of your accomplishments."

Sheries merely let out a thin chuckle. "Ah, yes. My accomplishments," he said, not able to remember his "accomplishments." Because he didn't have any.

"I mean, murdering a woman in her early twenties then driving another to suicide, all while keeping an underaged girl under systematic abuse. A job well done." Sarcasm lined his words, keeping them light. Much lighter than the weight of those crimes. "I applaud you for being able to elude the police for so long. Or maybe it is because most of your silver goes into their pockets. Isn't that why you cut down everyone's salary recently? Who knows?"

Time seemed to freeze. Unable to stop herself, Aeryn's head popped out of hiding. She wanted to see who spoke and who knew so much about Sheries. He—or Han knew more than she did. Aeryn never knew Sheries murdered a woman. She knew of the many men he'd killed while torturing them for information on the Tiger's Ruby, but never a woman.

She made eye contact with the black ship's captain. He was so young. He couldn't be much older than her if he were at all. His comrades, too. Younger than Sheries and every other crew member on the Maiden.

Han's eyebrow raised upon seeing her. "Are you Aeryn?" he asked, his tone no longer lighter than a feather. The vibration in his pitch was much heavier than the ship's anchor.

She ducked, hiding again.

He inhaled hard. Was he frustrated?

Why?

"Aeryn dear, get off this ship before you die. Consider this a warning," said Aranaz, voicing the words her captain could not.

She rolled her eyes at the warning. She had no plans of staying on the Maiden's Cross for longer than she had to.

Han regained his unhinged body language and lax tone. "Sheries," he said. His footsteps were quiet as he approached the captain. The stride was intimidating, scary to the regular person, but it terrified Sheries. It would have alarmed anyone not used to being overpowered. "I hope you wouldn't mind losing all of your supplies. I would like to keep them in a place where they'll have a better use."

A mere second later, she could hear a gun holster opening. The click of the buttons freeing the gun trapped inside.

Han pointed the gun straight at Sheries' forehead. His arm was straight and confident, like he knew he would not miss despite the rock of the ship. "I also hope you won't mind if I take your life. I have a client to avenge."

Han pulled the trigger, a bullet wedging itself into Sheries' shoulder.

Aeryn whispered to herself. "Why didn't you shoot him in the head?"

Han must've heard her because he said, "I'd like you to die a slow, slow death. Similar to how my client requested you die." He turned to his comrade. He murmured, "What was her name?"

"Sarah Walker," Marty replied.

"Ah, yes. How could I forget that Sarah Walker asked me to sink your ship and take your life?"

***
Thank you for taking the time to read "Empress of the Sea!" Don't forget to vote and add this book to a reading list or your library to be notified when I update.

Word Count: 1197