below?”
Dexter rubbed his admittedly scruffy chin with his hand. “Now that you mention it, I do have a little something below I picked up.”
Talik nodded. “I understand, these things happen.”
Dexter reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bell he had taken from the table in the casting chamber of Xander’s destroyed tower. He held it up and shook it. “Fancy little thing, rings clear and true.”
“That’s your forgotten cargo?”
Dexter smiled. “Aye, I’d forgotten all about it till you mentioned that. Been an exciting time out there.”
“And the search?” Talik asked, his eyes smoldering with anger at having been made fun of.
“Keep an eye on the ship, make sure we don’t take anything off,” Dexter said, denying the harbormaster.
“I’ve a crew of eight, with any luck we’ll be leaving with a couple more.”
Talik nodded. His servant behind him put quill to parchment and scribbled down whatever notes he needed. Talik stared at Dexter a moment longer and then jerked to his followers. They turned and marched down the gangplank, with Talik casting a final accusatory glance at the deck and the crew before he followed them.
“We don’t have anything below,” Jenna said softly after she came up next to Dexter.
The Captain shrugged, but could not hide the smile. “Even so, I’ll not have some dirthugger trekking mud around my ship.”
Jenna shook her head and rolled her eyes, not caring if Dexter saw her or not.
The crew gathered on the deck, with Xander only just joining them as he stumbled up carrying a bag in one hand filled with some books and other odds and ends. Dexter’s eyes narrowed as he watched him hurry to join them, and Jenna saw the wrinkles deepen as he did this, drawing her own attention to the wizard.
“Rosh, you’re with me,” Dexter said to his new Arms Master. “I need some volunteer’s to stay aboard and guard the ship. Anybody?”
“If it is your wish I will stay, Captain,” Keshira volunteered.
Dexter scowled at her tone and deference, but nodded. “It’s my will that someone does it, but is it your will to be the one?”
“If you desire it of me, Captain.”
Dexter rolled his eyes and gave up. “Fine, anybody else?”
“I… I’d prefer to stay,” Bailynn said quietly.
“That’s two, anybody else?”
“Dex, I’ll-”
“No,” Dexter said, interrupting Jodyne. “I need you to pick up some fresh eats,” he told her. To back his point up, he tossed her a small pouch of coins.
“The rest of you, be back on the ship… scavver dung, what time is it here anyhow?” Dexter asked, distracted as he glanced up towards the sun. It was midway between the horizon and high noon.
“”There’s six hours until dusk, I think,” Xander piped up.
Dexter frowned and peered at the wizard again. “You’re knowing a lot about this place.”
“I’ve done a lot of research,” Xander said, his tone lowered slightly in anger at the implied accusation.
“Good, means you won’t be getting lost.”
“Back by dusk then, all of you. I caution you to stick together, but that might be a waste of breath,” Dexter said with a wry smile.
Rosh held up, waiting to see what Dexter needed him for. Jodyne trudged to the side, not meeting anyone’s gaze, and headed down the plank to the dock and from there further off. Xander started forward, moving quickly and anxiously, and was surprised when Jenna fell in beside him.
“If you’re fixing to pick up some magical components to help out, I figure you’ll need an extra set of hands,” she explained with a too-sweet smile.
Xander made the mistake of glancing at Dexter, wondering if he was the source of it. The captain had the good grace to appear surprised at her actions, but he just nodded in agreement. Another pouch sailed through the air and Jenna’s hand snaked out to catch it gracefully.
“After you,” Jenna said, waving her hand forward. Xander cast her a final glance then nodded and led the way down the plank.
Jenna glanced back at Dexter and saw him nod again in approval. She smiled and winked at him, then turned and followed the wizard.
“What’re we after?” Rosh asked.
“Replacements,” Dexter said, making sure Jodyne was out of earshot. “The ‘Hawk’s a fine ship, but she won’t be flying long without someone that can fix her up.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with the ship,” Rosh said, confused.
“Aye, not yet,” he responded. “You notice we have a tendency to run afoul of damn near everything?”
Rosh chuckled and nodded.
“I need a shipwright… or at least someone who can fix up some holes. That and it’d be nice to have a few more deckhands.”
Rosh scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. “Keshira and Bailynn do a damn fine job of it.”
“Aye, they do, but I’ll not work someone to the bone.”
The large man shrugged. “Keshira ain’t human, she can do it.”
Keshira, if she was bothered, stood by complacently.
Dexter turned to look at the pleasure golem. He sighed. “Be that as it may, it’s not my style. She’s my crew and that means she gets time off like the rest of us.”
Rosh shrugged, then leered as a thought entered his mind. He turned to Dexter but was silenced by the glare the man sent him.
“Don’t speak the words you’re thinking,” he threatened. “There’s not a one of us that don’t deserve to be treated right and fair. Think on that and if you’re not agreeing, keep it to yourself.”
“Captain?”
Dexter turned away from Rosh to see Bekka standing there. He smiled to push aside the confrontation and said, “What’s your plan, Bekka? You staying here or heading out?”
“Sir, I’d like to go with you and Rosh if you don’t mind.” She smiled and glanced up at Rosh, idly rubbing her hand against her freshly shaved scalp above her ear.
“You’re welcome to come,” Dexter said. “But what’s your course?”
Bekka grinned, not surprised that Dexter had sniffed something fishy about her motives. “Sir, if you’re for bringing on new crew, I’d like to recommend at least one of them know something about healing. My sorcery doesn’t do me much good for anything more than a bruise or a scrape.”
Dexter nodded. “Every time I think that hiring women for crew is bad luck, one of you goes and does something to prove me wrong,” he said with a smile.
The captain turned back to Rosh and chuckled while saying, “What do you think, should we hire naught but women from here on?”
Rosh’s eyes widened at the suggestion. A sly grin started to creep across his face until he thought of Jenna and Jodyne. His grin faded quickly.
“Cap, we’d never have any peace,” he said seriously.
Dexter laughed. “Aye, you’ve the right of that! There’d be a mutiny before we left port, I reckon!”
Rosh’s laughter joined his, and Bekka even smiled in accordance. While a woman herself, she agreed with the men that too many women on a ship the size of the Voidhawk for any duration other than a few hours would probably be a bad idea.
Dexter turned back to Keshira and Bailynn, the latter of which had wandered to the far side of the deck and was peering across the dry harbor. “Ladies, remember that nobody comes aboard that isn’t crew. Even if they say they’re new crew, unless one of us vouches for them.”
“Keep an eye out, but relax some too, we’ve been out a while and we could all use some downtime,” he added.
“You two, with me,” he said, gesturing with a hand towards each of his accomplices.
They fell in behind him as he headed off into the city.
