Tanner swung his legs over the railing and hopped down onto the poopdeck. “A word, Stillwater.”
Keelin suppressed a sigh and followed Tanner, marvelling at how much his limbs protested at the idea of moving again. They walked towards the stern and looked out at the calm waters that had just recently been a battlefield.
Ships were everywhere, some sailing, some limping, some doing their very best not to sink. At a rough count Keelin guessed they’d lost a full half of their vessels, including North Storm and Fortune. He didn’t even want to imagine how many people they’d lost.
“If Drake survived…” Keelin started.
“We’ll hang him,” Tanner finished.
Keelin nodded.
“It’s my daughter I want to talk about. Elaina will be queen, no doubt about that now.” Tanner smiled. “Without Drake around there’ll be plenty of people looking to sit beside her.”
“I’ve got…”
“I reckon it should be you, Stillwater.”
Keelin laughed. “I don’t think she needs anyone…”
“Don’t be dense, lad. Ain’t about needing a king over a queen, though Rin knows we’ll need one at some point to continue the line. It’s about my daughter needing someone to temper her… temper.”
Tanner grimaced. “Back on Ash, Stillwater, I agreed to join you and Drake because your argument was sound. I knew the folk of the isles would never follow me, nor would half of the captains. Also knew they’d follow Drake, at least to a point. Always knew the bastard would show his true colours eventually. It’s my temper, you see…”
“It’s your reputation, Tanner.”
“Aye, that too. A lot of that comes from my temper though. Short fuse, they call it. It’s a curse of my family. Elaina has the same damned temper.”
“I know.”
“Aye, and I know you know. So stop fucking interrupting me. She likes you. Always has. And she’s better around you. Calmer, happier. Less prone to fits of murderous rage.”
“Tanner, I’ve got a child on the way with…”
“Aye, that little squinty bitch you let swab ya deck. I know. What of it? You really think to pick her over my daughter? Over the chance to be king?”
Keelin sighed. He really had no idea what to do. Aimi was pregnant, it was true, but they hadn’t been getting along for a long time. There was friction there that went deeper than a simple misunderstanding, and it went deeper than Keelin cheating on Aimi. He also had to admit that Elaina was Elaina, and he’d loved her for as long as he’d been a pirate.
“Don’t mistake me, Stillwater,” Tanner continued. “I ain’t promising you to my daughter. Elaina will choose herself who she wants beside her. I’m saying you should ask, and I think she’ll take ya. Reckon you’ll both be better off with each other than without.”
Keelin stared out at the setting sun and wished he had a bottle of rum to help him drown his thoughts.
“Just remember, lad,” Tanner said. “I damn near raised you. Don’t ever expect me to bend a knee.”
Chapter 72 - Starry Dawn
The dead were given a sea burial en masse. Every ship still floating collected the bodies, both pirate and navy, and they were identified as best was possible. Names were noted, and the families of those that had them would be informed and paid for the sacrifice. Normally the bodies would have been wrapped in canvas and weighted, the best way to ensure they reached Rin’s court, but there were just too many. So many that Elaina was certain the dead outnumbered the living.
Starry Dawn’s ceremony was brief. The bodies were lined up on the deck and she spoke a few words about what their sacrifice meant to the isles and how Rin was sure to take them. Then they were thrown overboard. No one stopped to watch the denizens of the deep come up to feed on the dead. Everyone heard it though.
Once the ceremony was done, they broke out the rum and everyone drank more than a few measures. Elaina left her crew singing mournful shanties as she rowed Blu over to The Black Death. He was sullen and spiteful and might have tried to kill Elaina, but his hands were tied and the new captain of Ocean Deep accompanied them. Elaina left her brother with their father, and she wagered it was the last time she would ever see Tanner’s eldest son.
When the sun rose on the next morning, the real work began. The sea had gone from calm to choppy, which made the job at hand that much harder. Sailors and soldiers alike were given a choice. They could join the Pirate Isles, join the crews of those they’d fought against, or they could return to their kingdoms.
Many chose to join the pirates. They had before them a real opportunity for a new life, unfettered by their low status. In the Pirate Isles there was plenty of land and plenty of jobs, and Elaina felt her spirits soar as their ranks swelled.
Officers were taken as prisoners, to be returned to their own people upon agreement to the cessation of hostilities. Everyone else returning to their own homes was packed aboard the worst and most rickety of the vessels still floating and told to be on their way.
Elaina counted forty-four ships in her fleet by the time those wanting to return had been sent off. It was now official – the Pirate Isles had the largest and best-armed fleet of ships in the known world. There was simply nobody left to challenge them. But it wasn’t over, she knew that. Her people might crown her as queen, but there would be peace talks and negotiations before Sarth and the Five Kingdoms accepted the pirates as a nation of their own. They would, though, Elaina knew. She held all the cards now. She could form blockades around ports, lock down the shipping lanes. Her enemies had no option but to agree to her demands.
Word had got around about the Fortune burning before the battle, and only a few of her crew had turned up. Elaina dared to hope that Drake was dead.
The trip back to New Sev’relain was long and tedious despite the fair weather. Sharks and serpents and worse trailed them for a few days, hoping they would throw some more bodies overboard. Eventually even the most persistent of scavengers lost interest. Elaina took to imagining herself on a throne, maybe even with a crown.
When their home port rose up from the horizon, it was clear they weren’t the first to arrive. Some of the ships crowding the bay were new, while others were pirates who had fled the battle or left before the main force. Starry Dawn had kept pace with both The Phoenix and The Black Death, but the other two slowed as they approached to let Elaina make land first. It was a small sign of respect, one that put a smile on her face as her ship docked in the seat of her new empire.
Folk crowded the docks, from the piers to the sand and all the way back to the town proper. They came out in droves to see their new king and queen and hear of the battle that had finally secured their safety and freedom.
Elaina dressed for the occasion, wearing her best and smartest breeches and blouse and a long, grand coat over the top, all black. Her hair was getting long, almost down to her shoulders, so she tied it back with a bandana and applied just a touch of dark powder to make her blue eyes stand out. Feeling she looked every bit the conquering pirate queen, she strolled down the gangplank to the waiting masses.
Elaina had experienced notoriety before. This was different. The folk here didn’t just know her – they cheered for her, they celebrated her return. The noise was near deafening, and some folk even tried to touch her, almost as though by the mere act some of her good fortune might rub off on them. Through it all Elaina grinned and nodded and desperately tried not to reach for a weapon.
“Where’s Drake?” an older lady, plump and red-faced, said in a booming voice.