After their discussion, Kat thought Cage would demand that they start training her immediately. Instead, Jazz started assigning tasks to everyone and she ended up in the depth of the ship, listening to Harrison prattle on about supplies and what should be used first in cooking because it was perishable.

Then, the two of them set off to cook dinner for everyone, because lunch was apparently not a thing when there was limited food.

Kat wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand, being inside felt a bit easier than out into the open, staring at endless see. On the other hand, the fact that the floor moved under her feet made everything much harder than in needed to be. And what was worse was that Harrison walked without the slightest sway or difficulty, as if he could tell which way the ship would move before it did.

Gritting her teeth, she focused on the familiarity of cutting vegetables and roasting meat. It managed to soothe her, as did the fact that the old man threw her work space one glance before deciding that she was much better at this than he was and followed her lead instead.

It took ages. The tiny stove in the mess hall hardly had enough power to boil and egg, so everything cooked very slow. Kat had read in a book somewhere that slow cooked meals were a lot more savory, but this seemed like overkill.

While the food was left to simmer, Harrison began teaching her about the condiments they had and how to use them.

"Look, Mr. Harrison, no offense," Kat interrupted during a lecture on thyme, "but I do know these things."

Harrison narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to call me mister."

She faltered. "You call me Miss Kat."

"And I call Jinxy Miss Jinx, but it's more an endearment rather than a formality."

An endearment. They'd barely know each other for one day, and the man was claiming endearment.

"Um, not to sound rude or to dismiss this, but why?"

The man's squint deepened and for a moment she regretted asking rather than just accepting his warmth. But it was still weird.

"I have met my share of people," he finally said. "I grew up in Valona Port, in the seedier part of it. I've been exposed to sailors, pirates and mercenaries all my life. I'll be honest with you, because you don't really have a choice. Most of the people were the bad sort. A lot of people in this world are the bad sort. So when I see someone who is not, I tend to dispense with the formalities."

She blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just said. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to grow up in a port. She hadn't even considered that some of the shanties might be for families rather than bars or taverns. He was awfully articulate for his background.

"Um, thank you. So Cage and I... You see us as good people?"

"You are innocent in a world with so little of it left. And Cage..." Harrison drummed his fingers on the table, deep in front. "Let's just say I believe he would've made a much better king than his uncle."

Kat winced at his words, trying her hardest to get used to the fact that there was no one to overhear, to turn them in. But she was impressed by how close the crew were if Jazz had shared their secrets with everyone.

"Speak your mind, Kat."

She couldn't open her mouth and speak her mind. Her mind was treason. And she was too afraid that once she'd start speaking her mind on this, she wouldn't be able to stop and doom them all by accident.

"Do you not trust us?" Harrison asked.

It was much too soon for that question. "I'm sorry, but I don't really know you. I appreciate your kindness and having us along... " But you did it for a lot of money and it's business. Jazz should've kept his big mouth shut.

"I see." Harrison returned to his condiments.

"Look, I don't want to offend you, but I think you can guess we're in a whole lot of trouble and it's very important that everything remains confidential."

"Of course I can," Harrison huffed. "I'm no fool."

"I didn't say you were."

They both fell silent. It wad awkward, but Kat didn't feel like opening up more than before. They'd just met. It was hardly the time to present her political views or her ideas regarding the kingdom. Maybe Harrison had good intentions, but one could never be too careful. They already knew too much.

"Let me show you some condiments you probably don't know of," Harrison said, breaking the loaded silence. "We picked them up from the Southern Isles."

She appreciated the change in topic and marveled over the spices with him, even if he knew a lot of them from Cage's pantry. That man had not been lacking.

Before she could appreciate how much time had passed, night fell upon them and the food was actually ready. The rest of the crew joined her and Harrison in the kitchen, Cage planting a kiss on the top of her head before sitting at the table. Jinx sat herself in Jazz's lap once again, though she looked more upset than she had the previous evening, with Trix taking the seat next to them.

"Wow, smells so much better than your food," he said, grabbing his for and knife and banging them against the table top. "Now feed the sailors!"

She grinned at them as she placed the portions before them. Cage barely waited for her to leave the plate down before digging in.

"You said you weren't very hungry," Jazz said.

"I missed good food," Cage retorted, plopping a roasted potato in his mouth.

Kat's cheeks warmed with pleasure as she sat next to him with her own plate. To her surprise, Harrison joined them on their side of the table, his own plate in hand.

Jinx raised her eyebrows and sunk her fork into a potato as well, dipped it in sauce and bit into it.

"Oh, by all that is holy." She covered her mouth with her hand and slipped out of Jazz's lap. "This is delicious." She slid the plate which was supposed to be hers closer and started cutting up her meat with renewed vigor.

"I second that," Trix said, his mouth full. "I was kidding when I said you sucked, Harrison, but boy, did you suck!"

Harrison only let out a growl, too busy with his own food.

Only Jazz didn't pick up his fork, his eyes slightly narrowed at her.

"Seriously, if you're not gonna eat, I'm having it," Jinx said.

"Oh no, I'll eat," he said. "Thank you, Kat."

His affirmation confused her. "Whatever for?"

"Helping with the cooking. You didn't have to do that."

"But I offered. And didn't you say we needed to pull our weight around here?"

Jazz huffed. "I was obviously joking. Cage paid me a fortune. If you chose to, you wouldn't have to lift a finger."

"That would be rather rude of us," Cage said. "Sailors help each other out."

"Not to mention you're insanely useful with your knowledge of navigation," Jazz continued. "It's just that if you--" He stopped himself abruptly and skewered a potato.

Cage narrowed his eyes the slightest bit. "You saw something good, didn't you?"

Jazz didn't answer, bringing the food to his mouth. He chewed on it, his gaze lost in the distance, but since his eyes were there regular black, Kat supposed he wasn't staring off into the future.

"Gotcha," Cage said, returning to his food.

For a few minutes, everyone ate in silence, enjoying the food. Then, they fell into pleasant conversation about what everyone had done that day. Apparently, Cage and Jazz had spent most of the day making calculations regarding their route. Trix had taken care to adjust the sails in accordance with the strength of the wind, then he'd taken a long nap in the crow's nest on top of the center mast. Jinx had cleaned the decks and the captain's quarters, then beat Jazz and Cage in a game of dice. Kat was still unsure how she'd lost so much time just cooking.

"You don't have to stand next to the stove the whole time, you know," Jazz said. "Plus, maybe tomorrow, you'll join us for a morning sparring session."

The thought reminded her unpleasantly of what had happened that morning and she realized that maybe all of Harrison's prattling about spices might have been meant to distract her.

She nodded, knowing she needed training, but she could feel Cage tensing next to her. It would put them face to face with magic, and neither of them wanted that.

After the table was cleared, everyone said goodnight and wondered off to bed. Cage led Kat to her cabin, gave her a long, lingering kiss and the promise that they'd talk the next day because she looked tired, then headed off for his own quarters.

Kat did feel tired, but after changing into her nightgown and tucking herself in the small cot, sleep eluded her.

With her eyes closed, all she could see were the flames twisting between Jinx's fingers. Awake and with something to do, Kat had been able to force herself not to think about magic anymore or the harm it could do to them.

In the vulnerable state between sleep and awareness, her mind wasn't as strong. The flames reminded her of Jinx's hair, of her hypnotic eyes.

I am beautiful.

Yes, she was. Beautiful and deadly. How hot could her skin become? Could she hurl fire? Was she right and that fairy had saved her by allowing her to singe whoever approached her? If Jinx could control it, was it the first instance of benevolent magic that Kat had ever seen? Was there such a thing, with no string attached?

Her mind kept swirling, going into dark places, imagining a young, pretty girl with flaming hair being offered to a man much older than her. Like cattle.

Anger bubbled inside her even in her half-asleep stage. Why not to wield magic in those circumstances? Why not burn them to the ground? Or toss them around like rag dolls, like Jazz had done to Cage, or Cage had done to Donnie. Donnie had certainly deserved it. And Cage's healing abilities.

His magic, his strength. His power.

Mine, mine. MINE!

Kat sat up, breathing heavily. The moon shone through the tiny circular window, leaving a flickering pattern on her blanket. Her heart raced as if she'd ran a mile, and despite the uneasiness, she was still angry. With a groan, she pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes.

She shouldn't have gone to bed without talking to Cage about what happened that day. She should really stop pretending that everything was normal or fine. Yes, she was confused and everything was new and a little scary, but that didn't mean she should coddle herself or let the other treat her like a liability. She was not.

Half of her wanted to get up and go to Cage's room, but she really wanted him to rest. He'd be worried that she was there, and she'd seen him worried for her too much lately.

She lay back down and closed her eyes. It didn't feel right. She didn't want to lay there like that. Not that she knew what else she wanted to do, but she threw her cover off herself and placed her bare feet on the wooden floor. It seemed to jerk from under her and her heart skipped a beat.

She gritted her teeth. How hard could this be? She'd done so many more difficult things. This was just walking and figuring out the sway of a damn ship. After all, Cage had told her not to try and walk straight, and she'd seen the way Harrison timed his walk. So she stood and waited.

Nothing happened, so she took a few steps. It didn't feel right. Her knees didn't know how to balance her out. She stopped again and put a bent in her knees, then she tried again, bringing a swing to her hips. Now that she was swaying on purpose, it seemed much easier.

With this new pattern to her step, she began pacing the room. It wasn't science, but it did feel a bit better. After several laps, she began to feel less awkward. Yes, she could do it as long as she focused. But once it became easier, it wasn't enough to occupy her tormented mind.

She stopped in the middle of the room and contemplated going back to bed. Something told her she wouldn't be able to fall asleep and she needed a distraction. What better than to face more of her fears?

With her new walk, she stepped out of the cabin and headed up the stairs towards the deck. Stairs were harder, so she enjoyed a few moments of blissful distraction. Once she was out, she took in a deep breath and glanced up at the stars.

Just like the previous night, they were breathtaking. Seeing them made some of the tension wash away, and the sound of the waves felt relaxing for the first time rather than frightening. Maybe Cage was right and she could really get used to life at sea, maybe even come to enjoy it the way he obviously did.

"Why, hello there."

Kat jumped a mile, her hand darting to her chest. It took her a second to realize the voice hadn't sounded threatening and another to assess the fact that she had no idea who was talking to her, because she couldn't recognize the musical voice.

A sweep of the deck had her eyes falling on a woman with raven black hair and milky skin, resting her forearms against the surface of the deck, and her chin on top of her joined hands. Kat blinked and looked again. She was gorgeous, the moonlight making her translucent skin glow. The sight was so surprising, it actually took Kat a few seconds to realize that she was basically hanging off the ship.

"By the gods, are you alright?" She rushed over, reaching out her hands to help her up.

The woman laughed and it sounded like the song of birds. She pulled herself up with ease, sitting on the corner of the deck, her body angled under the railing.

Kat halted, the breath hitching in her throat. It had been hard to tell before, but the woman was naked. Her flowing locks were long enough to cover most of her, but as she twisted, a delicate breast uncovered. She needed clothes, she needed... Legs!

Her eyes drifted along the length of the woman's body, and right under the line of her hips, the skin was replaced by delicate scales in shades of green, blue, turquoise and purple. They seemed to glow with surreal beauty in the moonlight. Somehow, against all odds, Kat had ended up facing a mermaid.

"I'm fine," the mermaid said. "But what about you?"

"Um... Great, just great," she stammered.

"My name is Alathea. What's yours?"

The name sounded like a song, and Kat had the sudden urge to move closer, to look more, see her better. Why? Why when she should be scared? But this being before her was entrancing with her large eyes the color of the sea, her long dark lashes, small nose and round face. She looked innocent and beautiful at the same time, and the ease with which she sat there naked made her even more fascinating.

"No name?" she trilled.

It felt like a trap. Kat had no idea why, but it definitely looked like a trap. And yet, the mermaid's hypnotic stare loosened her tongue. "Kat."

"Kat," she repeated. It once again sounded like a song, but with a much graver note, as if its conclusion was less happy.

"How, um-- Why--" She couldn't get a coherent statement out. She couldn't stop gawking at her body, at her perfect breasts and at her fish tale.

As if guessing her fascination, Alathea began wagging her tail. The tips were a very deep green. The way the light caught her tail made it seem as the colors were alive, always changing into an intricate pattern.

What's wrong with you? Look away!

Kat forced herself to blink and kept her eyes closed for a few seconds. It seemed to alleviate some of the fuzziness in her mind. There was something obviously odd there, and she forced herself to remember everything she knew about mermaids. It wasn't much, if anything at all. She'd only read about them in novels, and those were clearly unreliable sources.

"Anything bothering you?" Alathea asked, her tone breezy, as if she knew the effect her presence had and she enjoyed it.

Kat opened her eyes and kept them on the mermaid's face. She honestly wished she'd taken a dagger with her before wondering off, but she didn't think she'd be in any danger on the ship. The iron dagger would've been appropriate.

"No, of course not." The lie sounded poor in her own ears. "Can I help you with something?"

The mermaid hummed in thought. "You did seem eager to help. Did you believe I was a damsel lost at sea?"

Yes, stupidly, she had. Because only now did she come to realize how high the deck was compared to water level and that there was no way a normal person could climb the side of the ship on their own.

"I did, for a moment," she admitted.

"That was nice. Good intentions." Alathea wagged her tail some more.

"Why are you here?"

The mermaid stopped the movement and turned to her, pouting. "Don't you like me? Am I not welcomed here?"

What the hell did it matter if Kat liked her? And she had no idea if the sweet little face could morph into a killer one and eat everyone on board. Why wouldn't they eat people anyway?

"Allie?"

Trix let himself drop off the nearest boom, his boots loud against the deck. The mermaid's gaze drew away from her and the pout disappeared once she took in the newcomer. Then she broke into a smile that seemed to light up the night.

"Tricksy!"

He turned to Kat for a second, a mild frown on his face. "Are you alright?"

She gave him a small nod, a little overwhelmed at the idea that he had a nickname for a mermaid. He nodded back at her, then turned away and it felt like she'd been swallowed by the wood beneath her feet.

In the blink of an eye, Trix launched at Alathea and hugged her against him. "I wasn't expecting you so soon. We've barely cleared the shore."

"I missed you. I know it's dangerous, but I thought it wouldn't be any trouble."

Whatever they said next was too low for Kat to hear. She didn't want to anyway. Even if it had been Trix crashing their party, it was obvious that she was the intruder. It was also obvious what the mermaid was doing there. Once she circled her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth, it became even more obvious. Her presence seemed to be giving him the same surreal shine.

Trix was in love with a mermaid.

Since she showed up at night, it became obvious why he napped in the day time so much.

It was none of Kat's business. She shouldn't even be there anymore. But as she turned away to give them privacy and headed back below the deck, her mind began twisting around the mechanics of it all. How did that even work? Did everyone else know? She honestly doubted there were things happening on his ship that Jazz was unaware of. Did he endorse this? Why did she even care? But, to be fair, she was curious about it.

And not just about how a human could fall in love with a magical creature. Alathea was fascinating in her own right, so much so, that it was very hard to look away from her. But what did she see in Trix? Not that he wasn't handsome, but he was an entirely different species.

As she settled back into her cot, her mind still whirling, and closed her eyes, Kat realized that, for the first time, the floor hadn't felt like it was running from under her feet.

Well, this was... interesting? What do you think about this random new romance just springing up on you?

At least Kat is starting to get used to life at sea and people are eating properly. But everything is getting so confusing... There is more!

And I'm keeping on schedule. Yay me! Vote and comment for support.