"Witchcraft!" Sheba said in a strangled voice as they looked back at the post where the wheel had once been affixed.
"Magic," a Wikuni of some kind of large cat who had been near the wheel said, in a voice that was low, but still audible to Tarrin's sensitive ears. This male wasn't dressed like the others. He wore a simple blue shirt and trousers, and a silver amulet formed like a wave was around his neck. A priest of Kikkali, the Wikuni goddess of sailing? What was a priest of Kikkali doing on a pirate ship? "That little cat can use some kind of magic that I've never experienced before. That's very intriguing."
"Tarrin, lad, did you do that?" Kern asked in a whisper, coming up beside him at the rail.
Tarrin nodded grimly, keeping his eyes, still glowing, fixated on the Wikuni pirate.
"Consorting with devil-cats, Kern? That's not like you," Sheba called in a dangerous voice, still shaking her hand. "It's going to pay for burning my hand. You may as well just send it over here now."
"Do you really want it, Sheba?" Kern asked, putting his hands under Tarrin and picking him up. "I'll bring it right over, if you want. I'm sure you'll find it very entertaining. Just before it burns your ship down to its waterline."
Sheba 's angered gaze suddenly turned fearful. "Ah, no, maybe not," she called back.
And that generally ended that. Kern carried Tarrin back down onto the deck, where the sailors were standing around watching. "Sorry to pick you up, but I think it's a good idea to get you out of sight, and them out of sight of you," Kern told him calmly as he climbed down the very steep staircase that rose up to the steerage deck.
Tarrin looked up at the aged man, his eyes still glowing, and nodded calmly.
Kern put him down on the deck, and he immediately scampered down the steep steps that led to the cabins below. He was confused. What did he do? It wasn't Sorcery. At least it didn't feel like Sorcery. It could have been, because he was in his cat form. There was no telling how being in his cat form would affect his ability to use Sorcery. He had done it once before, a very long time ago, but it had been an instinctive reaction born of fear and desperation. What he had just done was a very calculating use of power, and he had been in full control the entire time. Perhaps he had used Sorcery, but his cat form had altered the way it worked, or the way it felt. A Sorcerer's body and physical health had alot to do with how effectively the Sorcerer could control the Weave. Since his cat form was literally a different body, there was no telling how it would change the way using Sorcery felt.
It seemed a logical explanation, mainly because he couldn't think of anything else.
"What was that all about?" Keritanima asked as Tarrin entered the cabin in his humanoid form, a thoughtful and slightly confused look on his face.
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I used Sorcery in cat form. It felt… strange."
"I meant with Sheba," the Wikuni pressed.
"She aimed a pistol at Kern," he shrugged. "I took steps."
"Dolanna said we couldn't draw attention to ourselves," Keritanima said.
"Tarrin did not draw attention to himself," Binter said calmly, making a move on a lanceboard holding chess pieces. Sisska sat opposite the board. "A cat drew attention to itself. A rare few know that they are the same."
"That does make sense," Azakar agreed.
"I guess it does, but you shouldn't have done that," the princess told him. " Sheba is well known for being both vindictive and spiteful. You burned her, and she's not going to forget that. Now she has another reason to chase us down."
"Let her," Tarrin said in a blunt voice. "On the open sea, there won't be anyone to see us, and she'll have nowhere to hide."
"What are you talking about?"
"I… think I can do what I did again," he said hesitantly. "I'm not sure, though. If I can, I could easily crack her ship open like an egg. It won't be chasing us if it's laying at the bottom of the sea."
"Tarrin!" Keritanima gasped. "You can't do that! If you sank Sheba , the entire Wikuni fleet would hunt us down!"
"If I remember right, they're already doing that, Kerri," Azakar said. "Besides, I thought you said that Wikuna doesn't support Sheba ."
"Wikuna doesn't, but her family would demand revenge for her loss. And her family is very powerful."
"So, in other words, Wikuna does sanction piracy against other kingdoms."
"Of course not!"
"Then why would Wikuna retaliate if a known pirate gets sunk?" he asked in a very calm tone.
"You don't understand the situation," she protested.
"I don't see why it would be so hard to understand," he replied. "Wikuna doesn't support free-free-freebooters, you said. Sheba is a pirate, and Wikuna knows it. So if she gets sunk, they should be happy another pirate is sent to the bottom."
"A pirate whose father happens to have influence over most of the noble houses of Wikuna," Keritanima said. "If Arthas Zalan got his hackles up, he could easily convince the nobles to mobilize their personal ships to hunt down whoever sank Sheba."
"So? The Royal Fleet would have to stop them."
"That would be civil war!" Keritanima said in outrage.
"So? The law would be on the crown's side. Anyone mobilizing to sink us out of revenge would be revolting against the crown in the first place, since the crown doesn't condone piracy."
Keritanima gave the Mahuut a hot look, then she laughed ruefully. "You're right," she said sheepishly. "But it wouldn't happen. Letting them sink one ship is a much better option than having all of Wikuna descend into civil war."
"That's not right."
"Alot of things in politics aren't right, Zak, but sometimes a ruler has to decide between the good of many over the good of a few. It's part of what makes a king a king."
"Or a queen," Sisska added.
"I'll leave that up to Jenawalani," Keritanima snorted, sitting down in a chair. She stared at Allia, who was looking at her calmly. "What?"
"Just listening to a queen, that's all," Allia replied in Selani. She had a very slight smile on her lips.
"Don't even think that, sister," Keritanima grunted. "That's exactly what I'm here to avoid." She looked at Tarrin. "You need to talk to Dolanna about that, Tarrin," she told him. "Whatever it was you did, I didn't feel it at all."
"I know, but it'll have to wait for her to get back," he replied.
Kern came into the room. "Are you alright, lad?" he asked in his gravelly voice.
"I'm fine, captain," he said.
"I wanted to, apologize, for picking you up like that," he said.
"It was a good idea, captain," Tarrin replied. "I don't mind being held by people when they have a good reason. Don't worry about it."
"Alright. I just wanted to make sure you understood things. By the way, thanks for watching my back. Jameson said Sheba pointed a gun at me."
"Any time."
Kern nodded, then quickly and quietly left the small cabin, which was filled with several very large people.
"I see you are feeling better, brother," Allia said, stepping up to him as Tarrin moved away from the door.
"Aside from being stuck in here, more or less," he replied. "I want to get moving again."
"I do not like being stuck in here either," Allia said. "Every time I take a step, I have to make sure there is not a tail in my path."
"Well excuse us for being more blessed than you," Keritanima said with a wink.
"You do not weigh much, Allia," Binter said dismissively. "It would not bother me to have you step on my tail. Azakar is another matter."
"I only did it once," the large man protested.