Apprentice To The Sorcerer

I awoke feeling Jack climbing out of the bed. Feigning sleep, I felt him tucking the blankets in close behind me so I wouldn’t get cold. Scorby had joined us again at some point, for she arched against my stomach. Jack took my hand and placed it over Scorby’s flank. She settled back. “You love your mistress, don’t you?” he asked the animal softly. “Easy to see why.”

Scorby chirruped.

“I know,” Jack said. “I must be mad to leave the bed while she’s in it. But my work is never done.”

I heard him putting on a shirt and then the clink and creak of his baldric settling over his hips and chest. Then came the soft, snapping sound of his compass shutting and I knew he’d consulted it. He put his boots on and then his coat. “Watch her,” he said in a serious tone. “Come and get me if she grows fitful.”

Scorby meowed.

“I’ve seen you open the hatch,” Jack chided. “Now be a good puss and sleep with one eye open. We’re in dangerous water now.”

Scorby made another chirping sound and Jack left.

I went back to sleep. I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but it seemed like only moments later when Jack returned, again sopping wet. Grumbling softly, he stripped his sodden clothes. Again I got to see his beautiful arse and again he covered up with breeches and nothing else.

Jack sat down with a heavy cloth and wrung his hair out in it. I saw him dig into a box on the table and take out a little vial of oil. He applied it to his head in little dabs and put it away swiftly. Using the cloth he’d dried his hair with, he wiped his eyes one at a time. I felt shocked at how young he looked without the kohl. He could have been in his twenties.

Scorby left the bed and jumped onto the table, chirruping. Jack smiled as he reached out to pet her in great, long swoops that she obviously enjoyed. “Your mistress slept, eh?” he said. “Good. Do you have to go?”

Scorby made a chuffling sound.

“Let yourself back in, then,” Jack said. “I’m cozyin’ up to the irresistible creature in my bed, savvy?”

Scorby jumped down and sauntered to the door, stopping every few inches to stretch. When she reached it, she stood on her hind legs and tripped the latch. Jack shut the hatch behind her and made for the bed.

I stayed limp as Jack pulled me against his hard body once more. He made a low sound of pleasure as we fitted together. I felt his hand brushing my hair back gently. He made me feel like a cherished thing and I wrestled with the emotions this stirred. His every touch, every look, every movement seemed designed to seduce me.

“It isn’t far to Isla Cruz now,” he whispered. “I can set you up a private little place to bathe. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I nearly laughed out loud when the Malagasy madam came downstairs to ask me if my boy was for hire. She thought your bathwater full of hair shavings meant anticipation of business.”

I silently cursed the nosy bitch.

“You’re a sweetness to curl up to, lass, that’s for certain. I can only imagine how you feel, warm from a bath, shaved, the scent of water clinging to your skin.”

Jack settled behind me slowly, lapsing into softly spoken French I couldn’t quite understand. I felt the moment he fell asleep, his possessive hand on my hip making a last, willful attempt to pull me closer. Content he would be out for awhile, I allowed myself to sleep with him.

**************************************************************************************

My clothing fought me. I threw down the breeches in a huff, grabbing up the shirt. I couldn’t wear it; glass had sliced it to ribbons. Feeling my temper soar, I went to Jack’s wardrobe.

After nine pairs of breeches I found a pair that fit well enough to wear. I had to tie them shut with an old scarf I found in the bottom of his chest. That just left a shirt. I dug around until I found one suitable. I almost didn’t strap my breasts, but then thought I might need the support. I settled for merely lifting them with a few passes of linen placed underneath and criss-crossed. Now they weren’t squashed but they wouldn’t flop around either.

I put on the shirt, my sash, and my weapons. It felt strange not have the sensation of a hatband around my head. I considered putting the thing on. I didn’t feel like being restricted but my hair really had too much length to just hang down. I’d get it tangled in the lines for certain. I compromised, again delving into Jack’s clothing. He had a black head scarf underneath a nearly ruined coat.

My energy flagged as I neared the hatch. Determined not to give in, I went out onto the deck. Bright sunlight blinded me. I clutched the stairs for a moment while my eyes adjusted.

“’Ow ya doin’ poppet?” Pintel asked, sidling up to my elbow while grinning.

“Better,” I admitted.

“So, m’I s’possed to call you Lei now? ‘Er is it Miss Swann?”

“Of the two I prefer Lei,” I said. “It’s what I’m used to.”

“She said Lei!” Pintel shouted across the deck.

Lots of heads nodded.

“Nice to have you back Lei,” Pintel said, slapping my shoulder as he walked by.

No one stopped me from attempting my duties. I worked much more slowly than normal. Once aloft, my mind began to quiet. I lost myself in the rhythm of wind and water, ship and sail. The Pearl’s heart touched mine.

Beside me, Gihr slipped. I saw him just out of the corner of my eye, falling past rapidly. His foot tangled in a loose line. I tied off my line and reached down my hand, wrapping my legs around the body of the mast for anchor. I knew I was strong enough to hold him, but he doubted me now, didn’t reach for my hand. Cursing a blue streak, I snagged his foot just as he worked himself loose. If the fool had taken my hand I could have at least wrestled him to the cross piece, but now I only had him by his foot. “Ragetti!” I shouted. “Give us a hand!”

Monkey-like, Ragetti dropped down to my position. Together we hauled Gihr up to the cross mast. I shot the Persian a poisonous look. “You’d rather have no help than mine?” I challenged. He paled under my anger, wilted like a blade of sawgrass in a freezing rain, but I wasn’t done. “I’ll take this off ship with you, Gihr, if you think I can’t do my job.”

“Easy Lei,” Ragetti said quietly. “Ya can’t ‘spect im ta not consider yer muscle strength,” he went on. “We made allowances fer that right up til you clonked him one. Besides that, you been sick fer near two weeks.”

I ground my teeth together, knowing he was right. The men usually made allowances for my strength, knowing I was small. Gihr’s reaction would have been the same no matter if my identity had been revealed or not. “I’m sorry,” I said to Gihr, hating the words but knowing they had to be said. “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

Gihr nodded, easing away from me like someone skirting a mad dog. Ragetti climbed back into his position. I went back to work.

Several hours later we changed shifts. I went down to help Marty and Pintel scrub the deck. Gihr found himself beside me, to his obvious unease. I gave him an apologetic look. “I really am sorry,” I said. “I don’t want to be treated differently because I don’t have a cock, savvy?”

Gihr’s lips turned up a little bit. “I won’t,” he promised softly.

Work seemed to go much smoother after that. But I still got tired. I was using muscles I hadn’t used in weeks. By the time supper came by I had to nearly drag myself to the galley. I used Mokulu as a brace while standing in line, not giving a damn how it looked. Once seated, I took maybe five bites of boiled ham before feeling my head drop into my plate. Barely conscious, I felt Mokulu wipe off my face and lean me against him.

“Maybe we should take her back to the captain,” Marty said uneasily.

“No,” Pintel said immediately. “She wants to be with us, she’ll be with us.”

“He’ll have her soon enough,” someone added.

“Got guts, she has,” Lloyd said. “Look at ‘er. Never seen a lass so banged up.”

“If they was all like her no one’d ever go back to land.” Landry sighed. “Mine don’t even like the sea.”

“Mine neither,” someone lamented.

“My Hodari is still awake,” Mokulu commented, monotone. “She hear everyt’ing you say.”

“I ain’t takin’ none of it back.” Landry said defensively. “Got nothing against havin’ Lei with us, not a bit I don’t.”

“None of us do,” Marty said firmly. “But what else we got to talk about? I was surprised, don’t mind tellin’ it.”

I lurched upright in a sudden burst of determination, grabbing my fork. My belly growled like a wild animal. “Sorry fer doin’ it,” I slurred, forcing the tines inside my mouth instead of where I had them poking my lip. “Envoy crew thought I was a man too. Easier to just keep being one.”

“What I don’t understand,” Ragetti said, “Is how you got yer…” he gesticulated toward his chest wildly. Pintel slapped him in the back of his head so hard his eyeball popped out.

“Tits,” he supplied helpfully. “She’s heard you say it more’n once I wager.”

“Strapped ‘em down with bandages,” I mumbled around a mouthful of potatoes. “Hurts like the devil.” While I spoke, Mokulu measured out a small bit of powdered cocoa leaves and sprinkled them in my grog. Good. I would wake up a little now.

Through my one, open eye I saw many looks of comprehension blend into admiration. Also, a few covert looks at my breasts. Mokulu must have seen this too. I heard him growl.

“But I seen you take a leak off’n the deck many a time,” Lloyd protested. “How’d you do that?”

Mokulu answered for me. From his pocket he produced the false phallus, slapping it on the table upright. It quivered once, it’s pink, fleshy glory looking exactly as it was supposed to. For several seconds everyone stared at it.

The giggling started with Ragetti. Soon, Pintel’s chuckles joined in. Before I knew it the entire galley roared with laughter. I leaned on Mokulu, chewing and laughing as well as I was able. Suddenly, Gibbs threw a napkin over the phallus. We all went silent as Jack walked past. He stopped, scanned the table with exaggeratedly suspicious eyes. His gaze fell on the large, lumpy napkin and the faces of all who were trying to control their humor.

We were doomed to failure. Faraday’s laughter had caused tears to leak out his eyes. Pintel looked purple. Gihr couldn’t even look up from the floor. Ragetti’s shoulders were shaking with silent but insuppressible laughter.

Jack, casting us more looks of obvious mistrust, reached over and snatched up the napkin. Like everyone who had come before him, he was momentarily struck dumb by the sight of my large, pink phallus. He blinked rapidly, looking again. Someone laughed through their nose like a man trying to hold hash smoke.

I bit my lip as Jack’s gaze swung to me. I knew I was blushing. Jack eased back up and threw the napkin back over my falsey. His hair charms jingled together as he tossed his head back. “You carried that around for a few years? No wonder you don’t want to see mine.” He staggered off toward the rum hold, whistling.

As soon as he had the hatch shut behind him, we erupted into laughter again. Of course what he’d said struck us funny, but we also laughed because our captain was such a good sport.