Chapter Text
Dan was wet. As a sailor of many years, he was used to being wet, but this was downright unpleasant. To make matters worse, they weren’t going to make it back tonight. They were too far from port and with these waves, bringing the ship any closer to land would put them in danger of damaging the ship beyond repair. The shore was too rocky, and even with the sails furled the wind was deadly.
The rain was falling sideways, and he kept having to shake more water out of his ear. How is this even possible? He clasped the helm with all his might and looked down to double-check that his rope was still tied around his waist. They were lucky to have found the cove to anchor in. It offered some protection from the larger waves and the fjords sheltered them from the wind. Tomorrow, he thought to himself. We’ll be home tomorrow. He would see Charlotte again.
He could see John shouting orders on the deck below, making sure everything that could be tied down was secure. John was a good man and a wonderful captain. He made sure all his men were safe before the ship’s cargo, and he would give up his own rations to make sure his crew had enough to eat. Dan was lucky to be his steersman. He had heard horror stories from fellow sailors about cruel captains who treated their crew like slaves.
John turned to look up at him and raised an arm.
“All good up there?!” He cupped his hands over his mouth to fight the sound of the storm.
“As good as can be captain!” Dan watched John clinging to the railing of the ship as he climbed the stairs to the helm, his expression one of worry. “We’ll be home soon, mid tomorrow at the latest, and you’ll be with your daughter again. I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see you, sir.” Dan added encouragingly. The creases in John’s face relaxed slightly.
“I hate that I must leave her alone, my darling Chloe. I miss her smile terribly on these journeys.” John’s expression turned wistful, and Dan offered him an encouraging smile.
“You can go below now, sir. I’ve everything under control up here.” Dan nodded to the deck. “I can keep watch for a few hours; get some rest.” John followed his gesture and nodded thoughtfully in return.
“Hopefully this storm will clear up in a few hours, and we can set sail again. Send for me if anything should change.”
“Yes, sir.” Dan nodded sharply, and John made his way back down the deck towards the hold.
Dan kept his hands on the wheel and let his mind drift. The storm was loud around them and he shivered. Despite wearing several layers, he was soaked to the bone. He thought of his Charlotte; he was planning on proposing to her soon. He had already picked out a ring, and hopefully if everything went well, they would be married in a few months. He was envisioning the details of her face and how she would react to his proposal when he was rudely interrupted by a shout on deck.
“Look there! Another ship!”
Shit. Dan turned rapidly and squinted against the rain. He saw it; it was much closer than he would have liked, nearly alongside them. It was quite larger than their own ship and looked to be of a rather old-fashioned make. It had bright red sails that stood out against its dark masts, and it wasn’t flying a flag Dan recognized. He had never seen anything like it. Why on earth would they have red sails? Dyeing that much fabric such a vibrant colour is not cheap. There must be some official reason for it.
The lashing rain and howling wind, combined with the image of the strange ship sailing towards them, conjured up the legends of ghost ships, but Dan quickly pushed the thoughts from his head. He was a rational man, and ghost ships were the stuff of childish stories. Pirates, though... Those were definitely real. Shit. They were in no condition to fight off pirates.
The new arrival, to Dan’s great relief, didn’t show any marks of aggression. It slowly crept forward, and Dan prayed to God that it was only seeking shelter from the storm as they had. He shouted for one of the men on deck to alert the captain, John would want to know about their visitor.
“Come on Mazikeen, they’re not even moving to attack, it’ll be fine!”
“I don’t understand why you’re still trying, Lucifer. Remember what happened last time? Besides, it’s much more fun when we get to fight them.” Maze crossed her arms, her stance unmoving. She was not interested in playing his chaperone for the evening. “You are not going to talk to them.”
Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Honestly Maze. I’m the Devil. It’s not like they could kill me. Did it even cross your mind that I just might want to have a little fun? You enjoyed last time, didn’t you? There was that young man… what was his name… Patrick!” Lucifer grinned suggestively at her and Maze huffed. He had a point. She did enjoy their last excursion. Patrick had quite the mouth on him.
“All right. But I’m going on board with you. And I’m bringing my knives.” Her hands went to her belt to stroke her weapons lovingly. Maybe the other sailors would attack after all and she’d get to use some of them. Lucifer adjusted his jacket cuffs, a satisfied expression on his face.
“Lead the way.” He gestured out in front of them towards the other ship. They had come as close as they could without running the risk of ramming the other ship, and some crew members readied a long board to allow them to cross over. Maze went first, followed quickly by Lucifer. They both moved across the chasm with swift, preternatural grace, neither of them having any trouble balancing, despite the harsh weather rocking the ships.
As she crossed, Maze examined the other boat. It was nothing special, and nowhere near as large as Lucifer’s ship. All its sails were furled and its average looking crew members, at least those braving the weather above deck, had gathered at the planks now connecting the two ships. At the last minute before reaching the other side, she glanced down, allowing her to spot the name of the name of the other ship, then silently jumped down onto its deck. Solvor. She smirked. Charming.
The captain of the Solvor was an older man, his face worn from years at sea and his hair greying at his temples. A much younger man stood next to him, with dark hair, tanned skin, and a fierce glare in his blue eyes. Neither of them was a match for Maze of course; she could have both of them flat on the deck before they knew what hit them.
“Gentlemen.” Maze nodded at them politely, introducing them in Dutch. “My name is Mazikeen, first mate. Allow me to introduce you to my captain: Sam Morgenster.”
Lucifer was going to murder Maze. It didn’t matter that he understood why she did it. It didn’t matter that no sane, God fearing man in the 18th century would let a being named “Lucifer” onto his ship. It didn’t matter that she was protecting him. She. Was. Dead.
He stalked after her, glowering at the back of her head, as the man, who was presumably the captain of the Solvor, beckoned them inside and out of the nasty weather. Not that the weather bothered him, but he was rather fond of this coat, which he had permanently borrowed from a rather handsome pirate, and it would be nice for it not to become damp and salt encrusted. It was so hard to maintain a fashionable wardrobe at sea, especially when one could only go ashore every seven years. Once assured they were all inside, the other captain stepped forward to introduce himself.
“Good to meet you Captain Morgenster, Miss Mazikeen. I am Captain John Decker, and this is my steersman Daniel Espinoza. I take it you were seeking shelter from the storm as well?” John greeted them cordially, traces of his native Norwegian accenting his Dutch. He held out his hand to Lucifer. Lucifer blinked, torn from his thoughts of methodically skinning Maze, and took Captain Decker’s hand.
“Enchanted,” he replied, also in Dutch. John’s handshake was firm and friendly, and Lucifer was surprised by the warmth from the man. “We were indeed looking for a place to weather the storm; we mean you no harm. Where are you headed once fair weather returns?” Lucifer had conveniently left out the fact that they didn’t actually need to take shelter from the storm; as a supernatural vessel, his ship was not affected by such Earthly things.
“We intend to make landfall a few leagues from here. It has been a long voyage and I am looking forward to seeing my home and my daughter again.” Lucifer’s heart skipped a beat. This man had a daughter! This was just perfect! Now he only had to convince him to let them return together. Maybe he actually had a shot at breaking his curse.
“I, too, am finishing a long voyage. I am looking for lodging on land; would you happen to have a spare room I could make use of for a night? Money is no object of course.” Lucifer pulled a purse from a pouch on his waist, swollen with gold. “I have more on the ship if this is not enough.” He watched as John’s eyes widened. Good. He was interested then. Lucifer grinned. “Come, I’ll give you a tour of my vessel.” Things might just be looking up for him this time.
Dan did not trust this new captain at all. The man all but appeared on their ship with his creepy, female first mate. Who had a female crew member? Didn’t he know women on board could bring bad luck? Dan gritted his teeth. The way the woman had grinned at him like he was food did not sit well at all. She was wearing a long, black coat that was buttoned to the neck and hugged her body, showing off her female figure. Her long hair was tied back in a braid underneath an equally dark tricorn hat, and there was a belt of sleek, wicked looking daggers around her waist.
The captain was also dressed in black, a surprisingly fashionable waistcoat under a long open jacket, trimmed with red embroidery. The inside looked like it might have been lined with silk. How he kept it so clean, Dan had no idea. The clothes were strange, yes, but it was the differences in their physical appearances that picked at Dan’s conscious most. While Mazikeen’s skin was a golden tan, Morgenster was deathly pale under a head of dark hair. Dan didn’t know it was physically possible to be a sailor and remain so pale. There was definitely something wrong with this man.
John was so trusting of the newcomers. This could only lead to trouble. He didn’t notice the way the other captain’s eyes lit up at the mention of his daughter. That was when the money had come out, but he hadn’t seemed to make that association either. Dan held back a sigh as John took Morgenster up on his offer of a tour of his ship, and he made his way over to the other vessel. Dan swallowed his discomfort and followed. He couldn’t let John go alone.
As they went back out into the weather, Dan barely noticed the rain, a horrible unease settling in his stomach over boarding the other vessel. He steadied himself against the railing and looked up to see the others crossing over. Morgenster and his first mate crossed first, not even using a rope for balance, despite the wind grasping at their clothes and the waves rocking the boards. Dan stumbled a few times when it was his turn, clinging to the rope and trying not to think about what would happen if he fell.
As nice as it was to have his boots solidly on a ship again, everything about the other ship felt off. The wood was dark, black in a way that almost absorbed light. The crimson sails reminded Dan of blood, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They were much brighter in colour up close, and he couldn’t find a single patch or repair mark on them. What the hell? They were still unfurled. Did they not care about damage? Did they just replace the whole sail every time it needed to be repaired? Dan had never seen anything so impractical and so eerily perfect.
The crew mostly stayed out of their way, leaving them to examine the ornate patterns carved into the wood. The carvings depicted various scenes from myths and legends of a variety of religions. Some of them featured creatures Dan recognized, such as fearsome, tentacled leviathans from the deep and lovely, but deadly, sirens. Many of the others, though, had beasts that Dan had never seen before. He examined one with a strange, man-shaped creature with a spikey head and multiple mouths.
“How old is this ship?” John asked conversationally. The other captain hummed.
“A great deal older than anyone you know.” He answered cryptically, not quite making eye contact. He turned and led them to his quarters, opening the door and waving them forward. Dan fought with his desire to flee as he entered the room and gasped. They were probably the most luxurious quarters he had ever seen on a ship. The room was littered with priceless artifacts and chests brimming with treasure. Bookshelves lined the walls, a strip of leather bisecting the spines of the books to keep them in place. Every available wall space was covered with maps and charts of which Dan only recognized a tiny fraction.
At one end of the room, there were floor to ceiling windows, partially concealed behind red velvet curtains. The grey light from outside shone through onto a paper covered, ornately carved, wooden desk that was so large, Dan could have slept on top of it comfortably. There were several comfortable looking armchairs scattered around the desk that were just begging to be sat in, but as Dan turned, he saw the real gem of the room.
Against the back wall was a magnificent pipe organ. Who is this guy? Why does he need a pipe organ, of all things, on his ship? How did they even get it in here? Dan moved to get a closer look, while the other men spoke. Upon further examination, he realized that the organ was actually built into the ship and not merely positioned in the room. It was clear this man had an excessive amount of money, but there was no way he would have been alive when this ship was built. He looked about the same age as Dan, and if what he had said about the age of the ship was true… but then, where on earth did he find it?
“Ca—”
“Captain! The storm has broken!” One of Morgenster’s crew members called from outside, cutting Dan off.
“Excellent! Gentlemen, shall we?” Morgenster gestured towards the exit and John turned to head back out, eager to set sail. Dan took one more glance around the room before following him out, his question lost to thoughts of seeing Charlotte again.