How many times over the years as I was growing up, did I look in the mirror and think, "Who is Lavender Jade?" If a member of the public asked me that question, then I would reply… I am the Protector of The Sea Witch, the flagship vessel of The Jade Crusaders Guild. However, if I'm being brutally honest, then I would give you a totally different answer.
I am a woman with a stupid name, which really doesn't suit me… I may be pretty enough, but I am a complete and utter tomboy, who relies mostly on my skill with a blade and pistol to get by in life, when every other flash bastard is throwing magic around. To make matters worse I have no obvious, discernable talent for magic; in this world where having powerful magic is essential to rank up in caste.
That's not to say that I don't have magic, I do... unfortunately it's not the kind you can mention in polite society. In fact, the only people who would boast about my kind of magic, are thieves and assassins. Neither of which are welcomed by said polite society, unless it's behind closed doors, where no one can see, and it can remain a dirty little secret... a means to destroy your business competitors, or remove an unfortunate heir that's in the way of your social mobility.
Finally, the clincher is that I am a half elf, which generally means that my ears are a little too pointy for most humans, and not fricking pointy enough for those snobby elves.
Oh yeah, I forgot… I have a temper, and I swear like a sailor too... This is what happens when your elven beauty Mother died before her time, and you are brought up by rough sailors, and even rougher mercenaries!! So my romantic prospects are pretty much zero, zilch, zip, totally nada… so why the hell have I suddenly become so popular?!
Okay, so not all of the men suddenly chasing after me are interested in romance, in fact I'm pretty sure most of them are just trying to kill me… but what is this precious gem of my Mother's that they seem to be looking for; I always thought that her legacy to me was The Sea Witch?
So won't you join me on the high seas, as I set sail on a journey of shadows and intrigue, stolen gems and corrupted gods, and you never know I might even get lucky and get a boyfriend, in between the assassination attempts!!
Author Note: Hopefully this story has something for everyone, and is aimed at both a male & female audience. It is is a tale of intrigue set in a fantasy world, full of action and adventure aboard the sailing vessel 'The Sea Witch'. It also has a romance sub-plot, (a slow burn one, I'm afraid I'm very fond of UST). You will find some mild swearing, fighting, and eventually some kissing & naughty stuff will happen, but nothing that is likely to bother an older teen, they've probably seen worse on TV anyway!!
Lavender woke up to the sensation of warmth on her face, and when she cracked open her eyes, she was almost blinded by the morning sun. "Ugh, why the Frick does it have to be so bright this early in the morning." En didn't exactly have a hangover, but she had definitely enjoyed a couple of glasses of the best rotgut rum that was available on board ship last night.
It served her right, Lavender thought, it was never a good idea to drink with Uncle Tomas, and Cousin Tomo. "I should never drink with old guys with livers of iron, or childhood friends who are now a foot taller and a foot wider than me… my tolerance just ain't that good!!" Her internal clock told her that it was still early, not yet the time she was due to rise, so Lavender pulled the sheet that was covering her over her head, "Ten more minutes should be okay."
Lavender sighed, and closed her eyes, but even beneath the thin cotton sheet the strong light made her eyelids glow orange. "No chance of dozing for a bit then, so I guess I'll make a mental list of all the odd jobs I have to do today." Lavender didn't really have much to do whilst at sea if all went well, after all her job was as the ship's Protector, not as a sailor, though she could still pitch in if necessary, to trim the sails against storm winds, or help reset the rigging when the wind changed.
The Protector's job was obviously to protect, the current cargo, and whatever merchant went with it, from the incursion of smugglers and pirates. Which were common enough in the waters of the Freedom Isles, and all along the coastline of the Imperial Empire, or to protect the ship against Sea Serpents, and the deadly Kraken.
Though thankfully the current voyage had been free of all of the above, and even the weather had been agreeable. Lavender could even hear the quiet slap of gentle waves against the side of the ship… wait, what?!
Lavender threw off the sheet, and sat bolt upright, "Shit!!" One of the reasons that it had been so bright that morning, was not just the direct sunlight shining through the cabin window, but the refracted sunlight from an almost calm sea, causing dapples of light to shimmer and ripple across the wooden panelling of the walls and ceiling.
Jumping up from of her cot, Lavender shoved the window wide open, and stuck her head out to look down below. Sure enough, not one jot of wake was visible, other than the slow rock of the ship, everything was completely still, and no breeze stirred the air… they were bloody well becalmed!!
"Hellfire and Damnation, way to jinx yourself En, you silly cow, ruminating over how lucky we've been to not hit any summer storms, so now you end up with the worst kind of 'nice' weather for a ship at sea." Lavender threw off yesterday's shirt and underwear, and kicked it into the corner with the rest of her laundry, then poured cool water from the pitcher into the basin.
One quick strip wash later, with a flannel and towel which were starting to get stiff with salt, Lavender pulled a fresh cotton shirt from the chest of drawers which doubled as her desk, and put it on. "Damn, I can't wait to get into port, my laundry's piling up, and I'm fed up of washing in sea water, it always makes me feel slightly sticky somehow."
Sitting on the side of her cot, Lavender pulled on fresh underwear, her usual grey suede leggings, and the brown leather boots that her father had given her for her twenty-first birthday a few years back. En stood quickly and went to the door of the cabin, but just as she pulled open the door to her cabin, she found Tomo looking slightly shocked on the other side.
Tomo had his hand raised to knock, one of the thick twin braids that marked him a devout follower of the mother island's new god Taurus fell forward over his shoulder.
"Tomo, why didn't you come to get me sooner… last night I told that old coot Blakestaff that we should be in port around noon today, when I went to give him the Evening Progress Report. An' you know what he's like, that penny pinching bastard is likely to say that I gave him a verbal guarantee of arrival time, and then demand a levy for every turn of the sand timer past high sun."
Lavender had been bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet in agitation as she spoke, and the rocking movement finally caused the scoop neck of the cotton shirt to slip off her shoulder, and end up halfway down her arm, almost entirely revealing her left b**b in the process. Lavender froze, not even breathing for a moment, she might be one of the most unfeminine women you are ever likely to meet, but even she had limits!!
Slowly, En released the air that had caught in her lungs in one long breath, and relaxed her hands, which had instinctually clenched into fists ready to punch someone. Thankfully, the only person in front of her was Tomo… a man who had been one of her closest friends, as well as Artimus, who was the cousin of both of them, since they were all in swaddling.
Their mother's had bathed them together when they'd been kids; they'd even gone skinny dipping off the side of a skiff on more than one occasion in their teens. So Lavender's bare breasts were not something that Tomo had never seen before, and En wasn't entirely sure that breasts, as a whole, were things that Tomo was even particularly interested in anyway, unlike Artimus, who was definitely interested in breasts, though thankfully not hers.
"En, you forgot your girdle again." Tomo gently tugged the shirt back up her arm, and patted her shoulder to settle it back into its correct position. "Hmm, I was distracted, and in a rush when I was getting dressed this morning." Lavender turned back into her cabin, and looked round in confusion… where had that girdle gone? It hadn't been with the rest of her clothes, otherwise she wouldn't have forgotten such an important garment.
"Ah, isn't that your girdle underneath the cot?" Tomo pointed to where En's girdle must have been kicked the night before, when she'd poured her slightly tipsy self into bed. Lavender quickly pulled the errant girdle over her head, then wriggled it down until it settled around her ribs; so the boning supported underneath her breasts, and the lacing was adjusted so that the shirt was held firm, but did not restrict her breathing or movement.
Now decently dressed, En looked at Tomo, and felt a bit conflicted, "I hope Uncle Tomas… I mean the Captain, isn't gonna shout at me for dilly dallying, and keeping him waiting." Tomo smiled, "I doubt it… the wind dropped completely only a short while ago; and he only sent me to wake you up, and to say that you were to go see him once you were dressed. I was really quite surprised when you opened the door just as I was about to knock, you're not usually up this early, especially…"
Tomo's voice trailed off, "Especially what?" Lavender scowled at him, but Tomo just stared placidly back. "Never mind, let's go, let's go!!" If Tomo wasn't going to rub her nose in the fact that she had been a bit tipsy the night before, then that was fine by her… after all, was there really any reason to cut off her own nose to spite her face.
The low morning sun was almost blinding when Lavender emerged from below decks, and En had to shade her eyes with her hand to see the Captain where he was stood next to the wheel up on the quarterdeck, "Good Morning to you, En." Lavender climbed the steep steps up to the quarterdeck, and replied, "Good Morning, Captain. What's the current situation".
"The wind started to drop as the skies lightened, and by the time the sun was past the horizon there wasn't so much as a breath of air to stir the sails". Lavender nodded, "What does George say?" The Captain chuckled, "I wasn't expecting you to be up and about so quickly, so he's still up in the crows nest making his assessment ".
The sun was now behind Lavender, so she had a clear view of the crows nest at the top of the main mast. It was the tallest access point of the ship, and George had climbed even higher, so he was precariously balanced with his feet resting on the narrow top rail, one skinny hand gripping the very top of the mast to stop him from falling. "Ah, the fearlessness of youth," the Captain sighed. Lavender snorted, "Even I have never been crazy enough to climb that high. He's lucky that there's no wind at the moment, the slightest gust would have him off that perch, and flying before he even knew about it".
As En and the Captain watched, George turned and jumped down into the crows nest; he opened the trapdoor, and started to climb agilely down the rope ladder. The Captain laughed, "Now you see why the crew has nicknamed him the Weather Monkey". Lavender scowled, "Even so, he's taking too many risks... It took Artimus two years to scour through every Port City, Harbour Town, Dockside, and Fishing Village along the Empire's coast, to find someone with a weather affinity like him".
"Captain, I checked, and double checked, but the wind is not likely to pick up again for the next three to four hours". George skidded to halt in his enthusiastic rush to report to the Captain, when he realised that En also stood before him, "C-Commander J-Jade". One equally skinny teenage arm flailed nervously, accidentally hitting himself in the nose with his hand in the process.
Lavender took a deep breath and held it, biting the inside of her lip to stop herself from laughing, "How cute, is he trying to salute?" She thought. However there were more serious concerns that must be raised. "Thank you for your report George, but there are a few things that I should mention".
"First, this is a ship of the Freedom Isles, although you are on duty, and making an official report, you do not need to salute, or bow to either of us, a respectful tone and manner is enough. A bow is only necessary towards clients from the Empire, and even then you are not their servant, if they should try to order you around more than necessary, then you should inform an officer, either of the ship's crew, or one of my team of mercenaries from the Guild".
"Second, surnames or clan names are rarely used, even in formal situations, as Islanders didn't have either before the Empire invaded, so if you need to refer to me in an official capacity, then you may call me Commander En, as I am not particularly fond of my full name, the Captain would be Captain Tomas, and so on".
"Third, as an official member of the Jade Crusaders Guild, you are also considered to have joined the Jade clan, and as such all the sailors and mercenaries aboard this ship are to be considered as your family, and when off duty they should be treated as such. For example, you may call me Sister En when we are off duty... Actually, considering that I am almost a decade older than you, maybe you should call me Auntie En... Ugh, no that's just too depressing, just simply call me En, everyone else does anyway".
"Lastly, as someone who considers themselves both your commanding officer and a member of your family... WHAT IN HELL'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING STANDING ON THE RAIL ABOVE THE CROWS NEST, ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!! If I ever see you do that again, I swear that I will turn you over my knee, and paddle your backside until you can't sit down, and I won't care if you are sixteen, or twenty-six, do you hear me!!"
George's adams apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, "Y-Yes, Commander En". Lavender stared the youth hard in the eye, he was at that awkward stage between boy and man, but she really did not want to see reckless teenage arrogance cut short his life's journey, "Fine, dismissed". George didn't need telling twice, quickly scurrying back down to the main deck.
"We can't wait three or four hours for the wind to pick up En. Blakestaff will start demanding compensation if we don't get to port in time for him to take luncheon at his club. He really hasn't changed at all since your mother's time as Protector". Lavender nodded, "I'll go ask Leonora to work her magic, and get us under way again".
The Captain pulled out his prized pocket watch from his waistcoat, and pressed the button that opened the cover to look at the time, "It's a quarter to seven bells". Lavender winced, Leonora believed religiously that there was only one seven bells in a day, and that was in the eventide. The Captain chuckled at En's expression, and patted her on her shoulder, "May I suggest that you call in at the mess and get some food, for yourself, and Madame Leonora".
Lavender sighed, and rubbed the bridge of her nose, she could feel a tension headache forming, "It's always best to come baring gifts, I suppose…" As En reached the main deck, the Captain leaned over the quarterdeck railing and shouted, "Don't forget the coffee, lots and lots of coffee!!" and his laughter followed En as she made her way below deck to the mess.
Lavender looked around the room when she entered the mess, there were plenty of people sitting at the long tables; those eating sausage, bacon and eggs, had probably come off the night watch, whilst the day watch were tucking into thick creamy porridge with raisins, and fresh apples for dessert.
En noticed that George had also come down to grab some breakfast, as he was on the dawn watch, and was currently stood in line for food. As En came up behind him, she made him jump as she spoke, "You should go for the bacon and eggs rather than porridge today. We're due in port at high noon, so your shift is likely to run on as we unload, and Cook won't make lunch as most of the crew will be taking shore leave, and the skeleton crew can fend for themselves."
George nodded nervously, and asked for the cooked breakfast when it was his turn. En sighed, he was still so nervous around her, and when George was about to go sit down, she stopped him, "Wait... hold out your hand." George juggled the plate into his left hand, and held out his right hand to En, into which she placed a sweet smelling apple.
George opened his mouth to speak, and Lavender could guess what he was about to say, so she quickly interjected, "Put it in your waist pouch for later, it's going to be a long day." George hesitated before nodding firmly, and En was pleased to see him take his pouch out as soon as he sat down, placing the apple inside carefully, and then double tying the strings as if he was scared it would fall out, and then tucking the pouch back into his waist sash securely.
Satisfied En turned back to where the Cook was waiting, he grinned at her, "It's like watching someone trying to tame an alley cat with food." En rolled her eyes at the man; she'd known him for over a decade, since the current crew of The Sea Witch had come into being. "George is much cuter than any alley cat I've ever met; I kinda want to pat him on the head every time I talk to him."
George was the only newcomer to the crew, and this was his first solo voyage, since the previous weather sensitive Old Joe, had finally retired at the end of their last voyage to the Isles, and was probably at this very moment being woken up by his grand kids, at his small cottage in Black Pearl Village on Mother Island.
"I've got to go wake Madame Leonora up so she can work her magic, and get us moving again, so I need a tray with porridge and apples, enough for both of us, and a large pot of coffee." The Cook put everything on the tray, and pushed it towards En; she picked it up, and carefully made her way to Leonora's cabin.
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