With that, we left and made our way to the cabin. Leoni shot Driscoll, who already lay in the bottom bunk, a glare as she climbed the ladder to get to her bed. I dropped into mine, the mattress lumpy and poking into my ribs, and despite my empty stomach, I fell into an immediate sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
“Princess, Princess Gabrielle! Wake up,” Driscoll whispered, voice frantic.
My heavy eyes blinked open to see Driscoll leaning over me. “What do you want?” I asked, groggy.
He frowned at me. “Wait, why am I talking to you? I need your captain of the guard. Even if she is the size of a gnome.”
He scrambled up the ladder of their bunk, which sat across the narrow aisle from mine. “Wake up, Leoni! We have an emergency.”
She sat up in bed, her long reddish-gold hair tangled and tumbling down past her shoulders, her chiffon from yesterday wrinkled and stained. “What in the bloody waters do you want?”
She sounded how I felt.
“Someone is trying to murder me, and I need you to defend me.”
She blinked a few times. “Oh? That’s all?” She lay back down and rolled over.
He let out a groan and shook her. “No, I’m serious.”
She ignored him, her determination to sleep impressive.
I sighed, fully awake now. My limbs creaked as I stretched my arms overhead, smelling myself and almost gagging. I was going to bathe today. Hopefully. I didn’t know if the ship had a tub anywhere other than in Bastian’s quarters, but they must have. The other option was too horrifying.
Driscoll twisted around, still clinging to the ladder. “He keeps following me, and he called after me with this growly, low voice that just screamed ‘I want to murder you.’”
Leoni huffed and sat up, finally giving up on slumber. “Who?”
Driscoll threw an arm out. “How am I supposed to know his name? Do you make it a habit of asking for someone’s name when they’re trying to kill you?”
Leoni rolled her eyes. “I make it a habit of not irritating anyone so much that they want to kill me.”
I sent a cursory glance around the room. The empty room, which meant... we’d likely slept in too late and missed breakfast. Damnit. My stomach grumbled.
“So where is he now?” I asked Driscoll. “This murderer that’s after you?”
“I don’t know!” He looked around. “We have to be prepared.” He twirled his hand in Leoni’s direction. “So, prepare.”
Just then the door to the bunk room banged open, a low growl coming from that direction, and we all froze.
I shot a look at Leoni. “I didn’t think he was serious.”
She shrugged. “It surprises you that someone wants to murder Driscoll?”
“Thank you,” he said to her, then paused. “Hey!”
Boots clomped on the stairs, shadows encompassing the figure. Driscoll shrieked but didn’t move, his gaze stuck on the stairs.
We all waited with bated breath as the figure stepped into the dim lighting, and I swallowed.
A man stood before us. No, no, that wasn’t right. He towered over us. Scars covered his entire face, and his knuckles and hands were cracked, blackened with what looked like blood. His clothes were similar to all the pirates on this ship, leather boots, dark trousers, a linen shirt tucked into them, and a blue bandana tied around his head.
His gaze locked onto Driscoll, who let out a squeak and shriveled into himself.
The man took a few steps forward, and I stood, moving toward Driscoll, but the man reached him first.
“Oh...” Driscoll trailed off, unable to form words as his head slowly tipped up.
