Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Three / Gathering (Staves of Warrant)

By Morgen Rich

Failing once hurts. Failing the same test again is deadly.

Gráinne’s learned a lot, but she's under the impression that caution and diligence will pave the way for a safe return to Incorrigible. What she hasn't considered is that survival may be out of her hands. She'll have to ace a test she's failed repeatedly, and the odds don't favor her success. Neither do the forces her party's about to encounter. She'll have to dig deep into a past she can't remember or lose everything ... again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morgen Rich
• Release date: Oct 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989210256

Morgen Rich

Morgen Rich grew up in the southwestern U.S., where the sky reminds humans just how small they really are. Staring up at a sky stretching into forever prompted her to wonder what was there, and thus, her writing career in speculative fiction began. She's taught English, American Literature, Women's Studies, and Communications and still dips her toes into teaching a course now and again because she loves to see the excitement of students exploring imaginary worlds. She lives mostly in Pennsylvania with her husband and two Great Pyrenees, Bianca and Tahoe. On occasion, she lives in Lincoln, England.Her current project is a speculative fiction series that begins with Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present. Incorrigible is Book One of The Staves of Warrant, a trilogy set in the Shifting Worlds Universe. Books Two (Discordant: Kin Foreign & Familiar) and Three (Seditious: Promises Broken & Bound) will be available in Fall 2013 and early 2014.Get to know Morgen on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, or on her blog/website (Worlds Enough and Time) at www.MorgenRich.com

Book preview

Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present

The Staves of Warrant Book One

Part Three / Gathering

Morgen Rich

Bookmite Press

Pennsylvania

www.bookmitepress.com

*****

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2013. Morgen Rich. All rights reserved.

Published by Bookmite Press.

ebook ISBN 978-0-9892102-5-6

Smashwords Edition.

Cover design by Derek Murphy of Creativindie Covers

*****

Table of Contents

Chapter Nineteen: Guarding

Chapter Twenty: Coalescing

Chapter Twenty-One: Preparing

Chapter Twenty-Two: Working

Chapter Twenty-Three: Boarding

Chapter Twenty-Four: Discovering

Chapter Twenty-Five: Learning

Chapter Twenty-Six: Resettling

Extras

*****

Chapter Nineteen

Guarding

Morning arrived without any dreams Gráinne could remember. She dressed and went downstairs to meet with Fenn, who was already having breakfast with Lan. None of their other companions had come downstairs yet, and Gráinne felt grateful for the chance to speak with Lan and Fenn without distractions. Good morning, she said.

Good morning, Fenn and Lan replied in unison.

Fenn and I are going to see the Cailleach Bheur today. She made port last night, Lan added without hesitation.

Gráinne sat at the table and eyed the cheese and bread Marta had left for them. Marvelous! She is early. When do we leave?

Nae, lass. There is bound to be gossip about ye silver after that scene at the market yesterday. Lan and I agree we can make a better bargain without ye.

Oh, she said, feeling a tad nonplussed.

Do not pout. It is unbecoming, chided Lan.

What am I to do for the day then?

Lan shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. Tend the children?

Fenn chuckled.

After an awkward silence, Lan looked directly at Gráinne but spoke to Fenn. We will have to negotiate shrewdly, Captain, unless we can resell certain contracts and recover some of our recent losses.

Gráinne ripped her gaze away from Lan as Fenn spoke. One hundred-fifty silver pieces worth of shrewdly, I would say, lad. I dinnae think ye’ll change the lass’ mind.

Lan sighed and mumbled.

Fenn chuckled again and dug into his breakfast.

Gráinne thought she caught no and ridiculous and stubborn woman in the mumbling. She ignored it and continued to eye the cheese and bread until she couldn’t resist either.

Fenn spoke up. I have been thinkin’. If ye and the lads sleep on the Cailleach Bheur and sail on her for the goods delivery, ye can save the silver ye would be paying for lodging. Marjorie, the boy, and I will be moving to my boat today.

Lan started to calculate aloud. Two silver and two coppers each day, one for each room, including board. Two silver plus three coppers per day if Caera were here. That is what we would have paid without the additional expense of those three. He looked at Fenn as he continued. If it takes Caera five days to get here, and the passengers another two, then we could leave in a week. One week at two silver and two copper each day is fifteen silver and four copper savings, plus two copper savings for Caera’s stay. A total of fifteen silver and six copper we can save by staying on the ship, he announced. However, there will be expenses to feed the horde. He looked up again.

How long will the journey to fulfill the contract take? Gráinne asked Fenn.

The big Scot rubbed his chin. With fair winds, six or seven days there and back. Depends on the cargo. Light freight, faster sailing.

Gráinne bit her lip. And how many crew members does it take to sail her?

Ah, well, that I cannae tell ye. Depends on the crew. In fair winds, she may take only three or four worthy seamen for each shift. Two shifts. Depends on the ship. I need to see her to know what condition she is in. I hear she ran aground in Librar.

But surely she is in good condition if she sailed here, Gráinne said.

Aye. One would think so, but a Captain has to be sure. I’ll nae set her to sail ‘til she’s sea-worthy.

Very well, then, Gráinne said. It would appear we cannot finalize our plans until you and Lan have seen the ship and negotiated the purchase and contract. I will tend to the lads. We can discuss what you learn this evening. She rose from the table, focusing her thoughts on speaking with the three males in Lan’s room.

Before she was out of earshot, she heard Lan say, Her thoughts are never that simple.

Fenn laughed. If ye think ye can learn the mind of a lass, ye’ll be spendin’ all ye nine lives apprenticed to a scholar.

Lan hissed, and Fenn laughed again. We have a ship to buy, lad. Daylight is burnin’.

Gráinne went straight to her room and packed her belongings and Caera’s before proceeding down the hallway. From Lan’s room came the sound of laughter, which made Gráinne smile. After she knocked on the wooden door, the laughter died down, and the door creaked open a sliver.

Jaer looked up at Gráinne. Oh, it’s just you, Mistress.

Who did you think it would be? she asked.

Jaer shrugged. I don’t know. Master, maybe?

Gráinne’s skin prickled. Will you please tell the others to pack their belongings and come down for breakfast? We have somewhere to go.

Yes, Mistress, Jaer responded.

Gráinne, she said, agitated. My name is Gráinne, not Mistress.

Someone whispered softly from behind the door. Jaer looked over his shoulder, obviously toward whichever of his companions had whispered to him. He turned his head slowly back and looked up at Gráinne. Err . . . Gráinne.

Thank you, she said. I will be in the kitchen.

Yes, Mis . . . Gráinne.

As she walked down the hallway toward the stairs, she heard the door close and the sound of Dragorloth’s deep baritone voice. Outta bed, lazy beast. Let’s get a move on.

Gráinne chuckled. Lan and Fenn were only partially correct—the lads were a handful, but a handful of playful mischief. On the way to the kitchen, she stopped in her room and penned a note to Lan and Fenn, which she folded neatly and put into the pocket of her gown. A few minutes after she made her way downstairs and sat down in the kitchen, the trio arrived. Jaer sat down immediately, surveying the food on the table, and Dragorloth smacked the top of Jaer’s head.

Hey! What was that for? Jaer rubbed his scalp, mussing his hair in the process.

Where are your manners, boy? Dragorloth scowled.

Oh. Sorry, he said, standing up. I was hungry.

Please sit down, Gráinne interjected.

Jaer stuck out his tongue at Dragorloth and sat back down again. Zak and the Kathan took seats, as well.

While you are having breakfast, I will tell you what service I ask of you today, she said, getting straight to the point.

Jaer didn’t wait to grab an apple and begin eating, though he looked at Gráinne attentively. Zak stabbed a piece of cheese with one barbed tendril and wrapped another tendril around a piece of bread. Dragorloth put several pieces of cheese on his plate and then filled his bowl with gruel. He looked from the food to Gráinne and back to the food.

Go ahead and eat, please. I have eaten already.

Dragorloth spooned some gruel into his mouth.

I will be venturing outside of Port Firth today and would like your company.

Why are you going to a place outside Port Firth? How far away is this place? Jaer asked.

I am going to speak with someone, and that is all I can tell you now, she said. Gráinne felt strongly that she had to keep secret the whereabouts of the cave dwellers. Although she didn’t believe any of the three lads would harm them, she wasn’t sure they wouldn’t inadvertently endanger the community. She didn’t wish to be responsible, even indirectly, for another attack on the encampment.

I’ll go with you, Dragorloth said. There was a tone in his voice she hadn’t heard before, a boldness that aired confidence. "This . . . I . . . don’t want you to go alone today. And I have never been given a thing in