Two long, but luckily dreamless, naps later Kaisa stood by her hammock once more. Without saying a word, she removed the bandages, cleaned the wound, then applied a thick layer of a stinging and stinking orange ointment to her ribs. Golden Milk, Alex guessed. Rare in The Greenlands, but a popular wonder balm in the South.

As Kaisa reapplied the bandages, Alex spoke up, "Have you talked to your Captain?"

"Not yet."

"When will you?"

"Soon."

Soon did not mean the same day, nor the day after. Three days passed in total. Three days during which Alex didn't leave the quarters and watched countless men and women move in and out their hammocks. Their necks and faces were covered in silver and gold, with too many rings in places where they didn't belong. Lady Victoria would instantly faint if she ever met them, and Queen Crystal with her.

Some pirates stared at her as she pushed herself up and tried reaching her toes to stay in shape (she got further each time), but most of them pretended she wasn't there. She studied each and every one of them in detail, but none carried Seb's dagger.

Kaisa came back at regular intervals, sometimes to change her bandages and sometimes to bring her an old crust of bread, dried shrivelled apricots, and more of that bitter drink that she grew to like. The first two times, Alex asked whether she had talked to her Captain, but when the grumbling turned to cursing, she stopped mentioning it altogether.

On the fourth day, Kaisa woke her up by hissing in her ear. "Rise and shine, Greeny, you have work to do."

The pirate woman didn't give her any time to change. She stepped up the stairs that were barely any better than a ladder. Still clad in the nightdress, Alex followed her, glad she had trained the muscles around her bruised ribs. It was still painful, but manageable. 

The bright light of the afternoon sun blinded her as she clambered up on deck. Obediently she trailed behind Kaisa crossing the crowd and held her hand above her eyes to help them adjust to a life outside again. Though easily double the amount of people occupied the Kraken's Kiss, the ship was notably smaller than the Acedia's Revenge had been, with only two masts instead of three. Above the highest white sail waved the flag of a giant white squid in a sea of blue. Ten tentacles, she counted, each of them ending in deep red puckered lips.

Too focused on the world above, Alex bumped into Kaisa, who had halted by a large wooden barrel filled to the top with greyish creatures that resembled small river lobsters without the claws. She handed Alex two iron buckets. "The Captain has no intention to let you stay beyond Mora, but you can peel prawns until we get there."

"But I can do so much more," Alex pleaded.

Kaisa didn't budge. "Throw the heads into the ocean. Put the rest—including the vein in a bucket. Kokki can use it for his soup."

Reluctantly, Alex put down the buckets, grabbed a handful of prawns, and sat down on some wooden crates by the edge of the ship. Her head felt light as the foamy waves splashed against the side, the faces of Boy Jorn, Cici, Stellan, Fellan, Captain Ivar, and grumpy old Krill flashing in front of her eyes before settling on Len. Len, the magician she had kissed.

"Don't just stare at the sea, Greeny! Those prawns won't shed their skin by themselves." Kaisa shouted from the shroud that led to the crow's nest. 

Ten feet above her stood a man, the silver ring in his sharp nose shimmering in the sun. He was leaning on the wooden rail and chuckling, mocking her even.

And thus she grabbed the first creature. She tugged at its head and pulled it off in one go, then without looking, she tossed it down. Then she removed the tail and threw that into the bucket before peeling off the shell and ten little legs. A thin black vein ran over the prawn's back. She picked at it, cursing she did not have her dagger.

Yet she persisted. Once her fingers were used to the movement, she peeled prawns as though she had done nothing else in her life. She shifted her focus to the crew aboard the Kraken's Kiss. From where she was sitting, it was easy to study their belts. There were those that wore more than one, but the ones with multiple belts were usually the ones carrying shortswords instead of daggers. 

The daggers she did see had black or maroon handles. There was even one covered in tiny jade diamonds that looked uncomfortable to hold. No oaken hilt with sycamore leaves engraved on each side.

The Loccian pirates didn't appreciate her nosiness. A young man brought his hand to his dagger, covering it, as if she were a thief. It was a mild reaction compared to two jabbering old men, who stopped talking about the cove of Elo to snap at her:

"What are you looking at, Greeny?"

"Captain should throw her overboard."

"Yeah, I won't eat those prawns anymore—she has ruined them with her sticky Greeny paws."

Just in time, Alex suppressed Wrath's urge to throw half-filled bucket at their heads. She hadn't survived just to walk down a pirate's plank. There was a reason the Gods had put her here; she only had to find out why.

The prawns were bulging out from the brim as a half-naked, bald Scorian man appeared at the rudder. He was stout but muscular and had dark skin. Her eyes were instantly drawn to his five belts—one fastened above the other with a golden buckle in the middle holding them all together—from the bottom one hung a dagger with a brown hilt. Though he was standing too far away to see the leaves, she was sure it was Seb's dagger.

The Captain of the Kraken's Kiss had stolen it!

She decided to take her chance. Grabbing a few prawns, she made her way to the quarterdeck. Nobody stopped her as she skipped up the stairs, though she could hear some mumbling in the back.

The Scorian man didn't acknowledge her. He peered straight ahead, keeping his hands on the rudder, though not turning it.

Alex glanced at the dagger's handle and found the five lobes of the sycamore leaf. Without hesitating, she presented the four prawns. "Would you like a quick snack? I'm afraid they're uncooked."

"You did not come here to offer me food," he said in a thick Scorian accent. She had heard tales that their language sounded like music, and they hadn't been an exaggeration; his voice had a musical ring to it.

"That's right. You have my dagger—I want it back."

"It's payment for your stay aboard this ship," he said. As she hastened to put the prawns in the chest pocket of her dress, he added, "I didn't say I didn't want them. I prefer them uncooked—makes them taste more like the sea."

Alex held her hand open. He scooped up all four at once and pushed them into his mouth, chewing loudly. She wasn't going to give up so fast. Southerners liked their bets. She had seen it on the Acedia's Revenge, and it was because of Kaisa and Dag's bet that she had been taken out of the water.

"I want to earn it back," she said. "I'll bet you for it."

The man's throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. "How? You have nothing to offer."

"I'm a Greenlander," she hinted at being rich. Not that she was, but the pirate didn't need to know that.

"Not interested unless you have any silver or gold to show." He moved the rudder a bit to the east.

Alex didn't know how to reply. She bit her lip, wondering if she should bargain with information about Sunstone Castle, King Thomas, or the army. But why would a pirate be interested in a city that lay so far inland it didn't even have a big port?

"Thought as much." The Scorian man murmured. "Get lost. I've got work to do, and so have you."

"Wait..." She didn't think she would use this argument so fast, but the words were already out of her mouth. "I had a friend in the Greenlander army. I know which cities they'll fortify with extra troops. I know which ones they won't."

There was a slight downward shift of his bushy eyebrows. "A friend—how convenient." He hummed.

"Yeah, he's studying at the Academy in Sundale. He seemed afraid of you, but I think being a pirate is exciting. My father used to be one too," she assured him.

"So I heard." He clicked his tongue. "Your dagger for the information, that's it?"

"And if I win, you let me stay—let me work for you," she suggested. 

"Sounds good." The man licked his teeth, a hint of a golden tooth showing. "So, how do you want to settle this bet?"

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She hadn't expected it to work, but the Captain had taken her bait. It was a small deviation from General George's plan, but then again, the plan hadn't counted on her surviving a shipwreck. She was allowed to make her own choices now. 

Now all she had to do was win, and she knew precisely how. Not by drinking or by playing unpredictable games—oh no. She pointed at the group of young pirates shooting arrows at a range on the foredeck. "I challenge you to an archery duel."

"If not, I'll chase you down the plank—let you swim to Mora." He grinned, the golden tooth showing in all its bright glory. "I propose a single arrow from here to the foredeck. The one closest to the bull's eye wins."

"Unless the second arrow pierces the first."

"Evidently." He nodded and stretched his hand. "May the best one win."

Already tasting the sweet victory, Alex accepted the shaking of hands. "Likewise."

As the Captain whistled on his fingers, organised chaos filled the ship. The little gang of pirates by the shooting range were ordered to leave, and the deck was cleared. With a loud voice, he instructed the crew—fifty heads easily—to move their ugly heads unless they wished to get their brains pierced. 

Overall, there was a cheery, exciting atmosphere, with people pulling bottles of Palm tears from under planks and out of the cannons. Dag and Kaisa had come down from the crow's nest. Kaisa picked up the bucket of freshly peeled prawns and passed it to the rest of the crew. The prawns went from hand to hand, with only a few sour-looking men and women refusing to eat it.

A young man, thirteen or fourteen years old, with a large jade stone hanging from his neck had climbed up on the quarterdeck, carrying a bow and two arrows.

"Here you go, Nagi," he said as he handed the bow to the Scorian man.

"Thanks, Lasse-lad." The Captain gave the string a quick tap, then accepted the arrow. He aimed at the target without shooting and gave a quick thumb's up.

"You better win. I've already bet the treasure of our next raid on it," Lasse said sheepishly. 

Nagi huffed. "As if I'll lose from a Greeny."

A smug smile threatened to curl at Alex's lips. Greenlanders weren't known for their archery skills, but she wasn't the average Greenlander girl. Let them underestimate her—the prideful always fall hardest and deepest.

Lasse twirled the remaining arrow in his hands, then gave it to her. "Greenies first, fish or tail?"

"What?" Alex asked.

"To determine who goes first, of course." He fished a copeck from his low-hanging trousers. "So, what will be your answer? Will the coin land on the fish or the tail?"

"Err... the fish?"

Lasse threw the silver coin into the air. He caught it as it fell back down and smacked it onto his hand. "Tail—Nagi starts."

She had lost this, but it meant nothing. If anything, it gave her an advantage. If Nagi managed to hit the target, then she could still pierce his arrow with hers.

Nagi nocked the arrow and lifted the bow. As he drew the string back, the crowd started clapping their hands and cheering, "NAGI! NAGI! NAGI!"

"Show the Greeny, Nagi!" shouted the man who had wanted to throw her overboard.

The arrow soared across the deck in a smooth straight line. Since there was no breeze to bring it off course, it landed precisely in the middle of the range. The crew erupted into mad roars and too loud an applause.

"I can still beat you," Alex said as she received the bow and nocked her arrow onto it. Nagi merely shrugged.

This was the first time she used a bow that was not her own; she had lost hers in the shipwreck. Her ribs protested in pain as she stretched the string towards her cheekbone. Sweat was forming in her hands, making her grip unsteady. She wiped them to her dress and re-aimed the bow, her vision turning blurry as she sought the target. Blowing a strand of her from her eyes made her regain focus. She had done this so often; all she had to do was concentrate.

She gritted her teeth and shook her head, blocking out the booing of the crew. One good shot, that was all she needed to win their hearts and get the dagger back. She would gain their trust, and then that of the Morians. Once she was there, she would gain the information King Thomas needed and return home a hero and... get married.

She felt an intense jerk in her ribs as the string snapped forward and her arrow took off. Clutching her hands to her chest, she watched her arrow take a similar course as Nagi's. Her point pierced Nagi's fletching, but not the shaft. It bounced against the range, then fell to the ground.

Oh no. No, no, no.

This had not just happened. She had lost—how could she have lost? She brought her hands to her face in shame. How could the Gods have forsaken her?

 "Bring out the plank!" shouted someone.

A second voice was laughing loudly. "Yeah, let's see if she's a better swimmer than an archer."

"I've heard Greenies don't float," said a third person. "Too much land, you see."

She heard a pounding on the barrels, voices high and low demanding her to be brought to the main deck. It was over twenty miles still to Mora—she would never be able to swim—she heard someone say.

Desperately, she turned to Nagi, who held his hands in the air, making a little dance and encouraging the cheering. She had everything to gain or everything to lose—this was it. In one fluid motion, she snatched the dagger from his hilt.

But before she could aim it at his heart, a door behind her flew wide open.

 Out of it stepped a woman clad in a long black mantle, around her waist six belts, each of them made out the purest gold. As small as she was as big was her voice. "What's the meaning of this? Why aren't you lot working?"

The tumult of the crew turned into hushed whispers. Behind her, appeared a young man, taller than her. His face bore all the Jade Islander features, but his skin was whiter than that of Queen Crystal. His curly hair was all white too, and his eyes a scary reddish blue.

Nagi lowered his head as they entered the deck, the low heels of her boots click-clacking on deck. "We were... it was a bet. She lost."

"No more betting when you're on duty—we made that deal, and you agreed when you signed your contract." The woman circled around him, the movements of her head snake-like yet determined.

"Yes, Captain, I did."

Alex dropped the dagger, her jaws opening wide. Nagi was not the Captain; it was this woman. A female Captain. She bowed, too perplexed to say anything.

The pale young man crouched down and picked up the fallen dagger as the woman continued her rant, "And so did all of you. Get your lazy asses back to work. I don't want to see a single bottle of Palm Tears before we see the beaches of Mora. Is that understood?"

There came a series of obedient mumbling. Feet shuffled over the deck, planks were moved, and ropes were pulled.

Captain Ilona joined the pale man's side. "And, Panu, what should we do with the girl?"

"I think we should invite her for a drink, mum," he replied smugly. "Have a chat with her."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." The woman's hand landed on her shoulder. As Alex looked up, her deep brown eyes landed on her. A sly smile crossed her face. "Don't look so surprised, girl. You're not in The Greenlands anymore."