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.Sam surveyed the carnage, twitching a little at the sight of her new family entertaining themselves with one of the crew who wasn’t quite dead.The deck was slick with blood, but she didn’t notice.Her bare feet left a trail of prints as she entered the sterncastle and trundled down the steps.She ignored the few signs of struggle below decks and the scent of cooking from the galley as she worked her way aft to the captain’s cabin.She opened the door carefully, squinting in the bright lamplight.The cabin was huge and well-appointed with upholstered seats, an expansive table, and a bed — not a bunk, but a real bed.Its four teak posts were built into the deck and the overhead both — an unbelievable extravagance, even for a ship’s captain.She searched quickly, finding the ship’s strongbox without difficulty even though it was cunningly secreted in the captain’s chart table.She pulled it out and eyed the lock.Likely the captain had the key on his person, but she didn’t want to take the time to search all the bodies.She drew her cutlass and smashed the hasp of the lock with the pommel.Just as she thought, the screws holding the bronze hasp were not deeply set into the wood of the chest.Two more blows broke the hasp off, and the lock and hasp clattered over the lid as she flung it open.Neat bags arranged in rows made her smile.They jingled when she lifted them.She stood to call for help hauling the gold up onto the deck, then stopped as she heard a sound, a soft sniff, from under the bed.She made a face and lifted the coverlet with the tip of her sword.A girl about Sam’s own age cowered there, wedged into a dark corner, her skirts drawn up around her knees.“Hey there!” Sam called softly, sheathing her sword and smiling at the girl’s frightened features.“Hey, come on out of there.I won’t hurt you.” She showed the girl her empty hands, but wasn’t surprised when she didn’t come out immediately.“Come on, come on out.Are you the captain’s lady, then? Come on out.He’s up on deck.”“He’s…he’s on deck?” The girl’s voice was a trembling squeak, barely audible.“He’s alive?”“He’s fine,” Sam lied, extending a hand, coaxing the girl out.“Come on, you can see for yourself.I won’t hurt you.I know I must look a frightful sight, but I’ve been shipwrecked for months.Come on.”The girl edged forward and took Sam’s hand, coming out from under the bed in a flurry of skirts and petticoats.“There now, see?” she said, examining the girl for a moment.“So, you must be the captain’s lady, with fine clothes like that.”“His…mistress,” she admitted, cringing at her own use of the word.“He keeps me aboard.”“Oh? He doesn’t let you go ashore at all?” Sam wrinkled her brow.“Only with him.He knows I’ll run away if…if he lets me go alone.”“Well, I’ll set you free then! How’s that?” Sam said, gripping the girl by the shoulder.“Would you like to be free?”“Would you?” the girl’s face lit up, her eyes widening.“C…could you?”“Why sure! It’s easy! Here, let me show you.”Bright blood sprayed from the girl’s throat behind the razor-sharp obsidian blade, painting Sam’s face in droplets of crimson.The girl’s eyes widened for a heartbeat, two, then faded as she collapsed to the deck.“See?” Sam said, her tongue flicking out to taste the warm droplets on her face.“You’re free! I told you it was easy.” She licked the broad obsidian blade and sheathed it, bending to relieve the girl of the large ruby ring on her finger.“Dying’s easy,” she said, her lips pulling back from her sharp, pointed teeth in a shark-like grin.“It’s living that hurts.”
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