Notna Bay, Oshea

It was all hands on deck as they prepared Lady Faith to depart Notna Bay. Working in the dark was tricky, but the crew could do it blindfolded, if needs be. They knew their way around.

Lanterns swung on posts, casting moving orbs of orange light. Between the mass of bodies and the shadows, a dance was struck. All that was missing were instruments. Voices might suffice, but they didn't dare chant a shanty tonight.

Bennett reached for his pocket watch, checked the time, then returned it to the inner pocket of his coat. It wasn't unheard of to set sail in the middle of the night. Merchant ships had tight schedules to keep, after all.

"Faster, you lazy louts!" Jonah called, his voice a subdued growl.

Even Cat was out to help, dressed like one of the crew, holding some of the rigging for one of the men. She wore gloves, as he'd insisted. Her hands were not roughened like theirs. And she needed them to work.

He'd tried to send her below after her return. Gods only knew she'd done plenty for them already. But she'd insisted, and rightfully so. With the information they now carried, and the manner in which she'd left the docks, they were in a hurry to retreat.

Even still, they might be in trouble.

The anchor was pulled next, and with it, the sails furled, catching the wind. The Lady Faith began to move, cutting through the water as wind whipped across the deck. His gaze darted towards the collection of navy vessels in formation. They sat waiting, but soon, far too soon, they'd also depart. He only hoped there'd be enough time to warn the king.

"Think we'll get out okay?" Jonah asked, coming up beside him on the poop. They watched the crew work, side by side, legs braced wide for balance.

"Pray to the gods we do," he growled, his eyes flicking towards Cat. She'd shed her gown, dropped it overboard right after her return. He didn't blame her.

"Takes a lot to rile that one."

"Aye," he agreed.

"And you believe the numbers?"

"Not got much choice," he mused. "Look at the galleons there. Each one'll carry near a thousand. I can't even count 'em all. Must be near a hundred."

"A hundred thousand men..." Jonah mused.

"I'm more worried about the bats." A shudder worked through him. "Hard to say how many of those ships cary 'em."

"But the king has the Drengr."

"And thank the gods for that. Even still. A surprise attack like this?"

"How many Drengr you suppose are in Fort Kastali?"

"Damned if I know," Bennett barked, running a hand over his ropes of hair, eyes darting back to Cat. She stood observing the others, now that the work had slowed. Her eyes swiveled in his direction. He didn't turn away from that gaze, instead, gave a brief nod. She was the one to turn, to head towards the deck below.

The Lady Faith picked up speed, passing by the mass of navy ships. In the distance a horn blew, the sound sent chills over his skin. He and Jonah looked at each other, their eyes meeting and holding. Somehow, they both knew what the sound meant, without really knowing. Still, they continued on.

The mouth of the bay crept closer. He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath behind the darkness of his lids. They just needed to make it to open ocean. Then, they were free.

Cat had returned less than two hours ago, her breaths labored, eyes wide. She'd returned with the rest of the crew he'd sent. They'd all looked just as fearful.

When he'd seen the blood spattering her gown, he'd nearly exploded with wrath. Only a quickly uttered explanation from Jonah kept him from rounding on his crew. She'd been their responsibility, after all. Didn't matter that she could take care of herself. None of his rational thought had worked properly in those moments.

She had delivered her story in rushed gasps. "We need to go now, Captain," she'd insisted. It wasn't often that he heard fear in her voice—not fear like that. Still, he'd wasted valuable minutes drilling her for an abridged version of the story.

The long, mournful call of a horn sounded again, and Bennett's stomach twisted.

"Godsdamn it," Jonah muttered. The wind was only so strong. "Look, there," Jonah said, pointing to a smaller navy ship that had broken away from the others.

"A coincidence, perhaps."

"No, I don't think so. Look—"

A growl rose in Bennett's throat at the sight of the flag they hoisted. He might not have spent much time in Oshea, but he knew what that flag meant. It was a beacon and it carried a message.

"Think we can outrun it?" Jonah asked.

"Not with the cargo we carry." He ground his teeth.

"We prepared for something like this, Captain. We just stick to the story and we're fine."

"You better damn hope so," he muttered, as if any of this was Jonah's fault.

His first mate gave the order and the crew exchanged nervous glances before jumping back into action. After all, that's what a merchant ship would do, was it not?

The anchor was dropped.

The navy vessel approached. Rigging was used. He braced himself as several of the emperor's Oshean navy climbed aboard. One of the men separated from the others. "Who is the captain here?" he demanded, a sneer on his lips.

"That would be me," Bennett said, walking over to the man, looking over his fancy uniform. He withheld a sneer of his own.

"What is the manner of your cargo. The reason for your departure at this hour?"

There was only one reason they'd be asking this sort of information. "Jonah, retrieve the documents," he called before turning back to the man. "And you are?"

"Captain Fenworth. Received some troubling news, looking for a person of interest."

"Oh? And you thought to come aboard my ship for that person?" He curled his thumbs through his belt loops. "I've got a tight schedule to keep, Captain Fenworth. We need to be in Aplia by midday tomorrow. Jonah will bring you the documents. Got a hull full of goods to deliver."

"Yes...well..." The captain's eyes were already darting over his crew.

"Who, exactly are you looking for?"

"A woman, a harlot. Someone killed one of the emperor's captains. Got a description of her, and a sketch. We're not letting anyone out of the harbor without a thorough search."

He snorted. "No harlots aboard my ship, Captain Fenworth. And you're welcome to search below. You'll find naught but cargo. All the crew is here on deck, making sure we adhere to our timetables."

"Right. Line 'em up."

"You heard the navy captain," he called to the crew. "Get in line for a search!"

There came a series of low grumbles, but everyone got in line, Cat included. His stomach lurched. A series of thoughts crashed through his mind. He needed to be ready in an instant, if needs be.

The man beside Captain Fenworth produced a sketch. He exhaled, but still didn't relax, as he looked it over. "Never seen that woman," he said. "And for the sake of bein' obvious, we don't keep women on our crew."

"Then you are not hiding one aboard?" The captain lifted an eyebrow.

"You have reason to think I might?"

"The woman in question was seen rushing from the Exotic Cup earlier, right after one of our officers found her leaving Captain Alden's rented room. They found his throat cut."

"That's awful, Captain Fenworth, but it ain't my problem."

"Interesting, since the only vessel rushing to leave the harbor is yours."

"We informed the dock master we'd be leaving at this hour, earlier this afternoon," Jonah said, appearing beside him, holding out their papers. Captain Fenworth's expression was hard. He snatched them from Jonah's hand, looking them over, before shoving them back at him.

"A lucky coincidence. The whore could have known you were leaving, and paid her earnings to be snuck aboard."

Bennett refrained from an exaggerated snort. "Fine—you seem so set on the matter. Search the crew then. You want them to drop trow too, show you their baggage? That'll be the surest way, won't it. Whatever you decide, hurry up. I got a time table to keep."

"Mind your tongue, swine. You might be a merchant captain, but you are speaking to a navy captain," said the man beside Captain Fenworth.

Bennett's jaw ached. His nostrils flared but he nodded. With a great deal of restraint, he stepped backward, indication that Captain Fenworth could begin his perusal of the crew.

The captain moved from one to the next, with his assistant's help holding the sketch in front of each person. So...the navy captain had reason to believe that the whore was masquerading as a crew. The only relief he felt, was that the sketch was gods-awful. Cat's hair, was down in the recreation, and that was, perhaps, the only thing they'd gotten right. Perhaps the only thing that might save them.

His breath caught as Captain Fenworth hesitated. Cat stared at the captain, a look of defiance on her features. The captain held the sketch closer. "Take off your hat," he demanded. Bennett's fist clenched. Beside him, Jonah took a step closer.

Cat hesitated, then removed her cap.

Bennett's stomach lurched again at the sight. It had been a precaution, one she'd taken after returning. And it had been smart to do it. Even still, his chest wrenched at the sight of her shorn hair, no longer than half a finger's length now.

Captain Fenworth's gaze lingered on it. Then he nodded, glanced once more at the sketch, then moved on. Cat replaced her hat, shot him a wide-eyed look of relief, then turned her face forward once more. They'd been lucky he hadn't asked her to drop her pants. That would have blown the whole thing out of the water.

But the real luck came when he caught sight of another vessel moving through the harbor. One of Captain Fenworth's crew spotted it, too, and shouted something across to the captain. Captain Fenworth took a quick glance at the sketch, looking down the remaining line of crew. He said something quiet to his first mate, then the two of them turned and headed back in his direction.

"We've got another ship to search," he bit out.

Bennett nodded. "Good luck with that, Captain. Hope you find what you're looking for."

The captain eyed him a moment longer, then strode across his deck and returned to his own ship.

"That was godsdamned close," Jonah muttered. Then his first mate gave the call to their crew, and everyone seemed to expel a pent up breath before jumping into action. They needed to get out of here now, while luck was on their side.

~

"Take a seat, lass," Bennett said, shutting his cabin door behind him.

"Don't call me lass," Cat said as she settled in.

"No? Why, because you look like a boy?"

"I don't—" She made a scoffing sound of annoyance in the back of her throat. He was only baiting her. An attempt to quell his anger. But it wasn't only anger he felt.

"You didn't have to go and cut it off," he said, rounding the desk, taking a seat on the other side.

"If I hadn't, we would be in deep shit, Captain. We both know that. I spent years growing my hair to that length." And within a few minutes, it had been shorn clean off, tossed overboard, to remove all trace of its existence. "You should be thanking me."

"I—thank you, Cat."

A frown pulled her eyebrows together. She hadn't been expecting his gratitude.

"We can have Monty take his sheers to it. He does a pretty good job with the others."

She snorted at that. "Not a single person on this ship has nice hair, Captain—"

He jerked in his seat, affronted.

"—except, perhaps, you."

"Ah, so you like my hair, then." He patted it, offering her a wicked grin.

She scowled, but he knew it was an act. A front she put up to hide whatever she was feeling. "How do you even get it like that, anyway?" she muttered.

If he didn't know her better now, he'd think she was only asking to sass him. But he knew better. So he said, "With a good deal of effort and care," because he knew it would irk her.

She huffed. "Whatever." Her arms crossed and she eyed him. "You didn't call me down here to talk about my hair. Or did you?"

Gods, she was still beautiful. Even without the long tresses. They'd grow back, certainly. But if anything, the loss of her hair left her face on full display. "You are far too beautiful," he mused, then realized he'd said it aloud.

"Yes, and?"

He snorted. "We both know why I called you down here. Tell me what happened. You failed to tell me you murdered a navy captain, earlier."

"As if there was time. I told you I—"

"You said you did something bad. Not something stupid."

She sputtered.

"Forgive me, that was rash. I don't know the circumstances, so I will refrain from judgement until you give me your story. Tell me why it was necessary to kill your informant. The whole story, if you please."

She sighed. "I met him outside the Exotic Cup. Knew by his uniform that he was important—knew that I hadn't much chance for more information since we were leaving tonight."

"Uh-huh. So, you resorted to drastic measures?"

"Well..." The grin she offered sent chills across his skin. He wasn't sure if he liked it or feared it. "Not initially. No, I invited him to have a drink with me, several, in fact, then suggested we get a room."

"Despite me telling you I didn't want you spreading your legs on the job."

She snorted. "I wasn't going to take it that far."

"Course not, cause you were just going to kill him, eh?"

"Will you let me finish? Or have you already worked it all out for yourself."

"Fine, fine." He waved a hand.

"We went upstairs, and I used magic to bind him—"

"You did what?!"

She shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, Captain. I had it all worked out already, anyway. I'd already slipped him a dose of sanidi—truth serum," she added, when he gave her a look. "I was going to follow it up with something to make him pass out afterward, so that he'd be out cold for a solid half day before he realized he'd given away valuable information. We'd be long gone at that point. Turns out, cutting his throat was a better option."

His mouth worked. "So you just decided—"

"No I didn't just decide," she scoffed. "He broke free of his bindings and I didn't realize it until his hand was wrapped around my throat. He tried strangling me, Captain." She pulled down the collar of her tunic and his blood turned cold. He saw the obvious bruising there, not quite healed yet. It would heal faster with her mage blood, but it wasn't instant.

"I panicked," she explained, oblivious of his turmoil. "I didn't even use my magic. Instead, I reached for the knife on his belt and slit his throat with it. Wasn't until I was covered in his blood, and he was laying on the floor, that I realized what I'd done. By then, I'd already gotten all the information I needed. So I slipped out the back, but there was a group of his friends out there, smoking. They...they saw me. They called to me but I ignored them, didn't have the fortitude to hold a conversation without giving myself away anyway. And they no doubt saw the blood on my gown."

So you raced to find Jonah and the crew, and got back to the ship as quickly as possible." She nodded. He swore under his breath. No wonder she'd been so frantic.

"And the numbers you gave earlier? A hundred thousand men?"

"That's what the navy captain gave me. Along with the blood bats."

"Did he say anything about the blood bat capabilities?"

She shuttered. "He said they've been trained to devour. That they swarm in formation and attack whatever's in their path. That they will be the destruction of the Drengr."

"Godsdamn it," he muttered. "All right, anything else?"

Her throat bobbed and she shook her head. "That about covers it," she managed, her voice low.

He stood and poured them both a stiff drink, passing it over to her. He downed his in a single swig, then eyed her. At last, she picked hers up and did the same. He refilled their glasses.

"Think they'll have enough warning?" she asked at last. She didn't bother hiding the worried tone of her voice.

"I'm going to get us there as quickly as possible, lass."

A bark of a laugh fell from her lips after downing her second glass. "I hated them all so much—still hate them. And yet, I'm worried for them."

He lifted a shoulder. "You are allowed to feel both emotions simultaneously. For example, right now, I'm godsdamned furious with you. So angry I want to push you against the wall there and smack you for being so careless. And yet, I'm terrified and afraid because you could have gotten hurt, could have gotten hauled back by the navy for your crimes."

She snorted, but he saw it for what it was, a way to hide her surprise at his words. "Don't lie to me, Captain. You were just worried I'd put your crew in danger."

"You are my crew, Caterina." Her eyes widened. It was the first time he'd bothered to use her name like that.

"So, you care because I'm crew."

"No..." He let the quiet admission sit in the air. "I care for more than that reason alone..." But he didn't elaborate. She probably didn't want him to.

He poured a third refill and they drank in silence, until at last he said, "Go and get some rest. You did well tonight."

"So you're not going to scold me any further. Punish me? Discipline me?" A brow raised in challenge.

He felt his insides curl. Instead of ignoring it, he said, "Is that what you want, kitty cat? You want me to push you for being so carelessly naughty?"

Her mouth opened and closed. Then she stood. "Good night, Captain."

He nodded, letting her go. "Sweet dreams, kitty cat," he muttered as she shut the door behind herself, looking down into his empty glass with a frown. He was playing with fire and he knew it. A dangerous thing aboard a ship. And yet, like a moth, he knew it was bad and still flew directly into the flames. If he wasn't careful, she was going to incinerate him. The only problem was, he was beginning to want her to. 

⭐🌟 DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!🌟⭐

Hi Bookdragons!

I don't know what it is about Bennett and Cat's dynamic but I've been having fun with it. I guess I like writing characters that irritate each other. Har har har. Makes for more fun banter, I think.

Admission time: I have no more chapters written for this book. April was so busy, working on the Arcane Artifacts Series, the second book that YONDER is contracting from me, along with my author events and work stuff, that I took a month off from writing Bedelth and now it's crunch time. 

So...I'll set some time aside this week to get next Friday's chapter written. 

Hope you're all having fun with this story. I think we're about 50% done, no? Word count is showing 85,000 words. Yowza! That's a lot. 

Hope you all have a great week. See you next Friday! 

-Mel

PS. Oh! A wonderfully talented reader shared this gorgeous art with me that I want to share! She did a fantastic job. I apologize that it's a smidge blurry. Wattpad limits image quality (boooo). Her name is also Melissa! Can you guess which Drengr it is??