The Pirate and the Amber Cat: OpenDyslexic Mono Edition

By Chancel Jordan

When seventeen-year-old Suili is abducted by a notorious pirate and held for an unnamed ransom, she's determined to escape. She finds captive life on a pirate ship frightening and unsettling, yet her curiosity leads her into reluctant games with her captor.

Most times losing, sometimes winning, she's forced to learn dangerous secrets about her affianced husband. Despite her protests, Suili's future takes an unexpected turn as she discovers more about herself, her pirate captor, and the man she's destined to marry.

Note: This is the OpenDyslexic Mono version of The Pirate and the Amber Cat. The content is the same, but in a font more easily readable to readers with dyslexia. The book is only available in .epub downloads now, as the font will not display correctly in most online readers. If you want to see the free sample of this book, please visit the standard version page on this site. ~ Chancel & Becca

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wordlink
• Release date: May 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310011894

Book preview

The Pirate

and the

Amber Cat

Chancel Jordan

Published in 2010 by WordLink for Echo Press.

Copyright © 1996 Chancel Jordan.

Editing by WWO.

Digital Edition License Notes

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 person with which you would like to share it. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to the distributor and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter One

The Ulliran afternoon sun was warm on the courtyard’s mosaic floor, bleaching the already dulled tiles to lighter hues of green, blue and orange. Willow trees fringing the gardens bowed in the soft breeze, bringing the scent of lilacs to servants beneath the arched pavilion. The laughter of women drifted across the open expanse of yard to the moat. The sound did not quite reach the man carefully observing the movements of one young woman in the pavilion.

Suili lounged on the estate’s patio, watching the sun glint off the largest alabaster pool’s aquamarine waters. The young Hemtitti native maid Venia braided the family’s stone of carnelian into Suili’s long auburn hair, a practice that made Suili frown.

Not all her grimace was for her hairstyle. Some Suili reserved for her secretly indifferent view of her impending marriage to the Ulliran-Mezparian continent’s most prosperous heir, Juriz Shaenen. The passing of her seventeenth birthday was the last step in completion of her long engagement to him. Suili was oblivious to the eyes that followed from a distance as she moved away from an older maid’s reprimand of the Hemtitti girl.

Leda, she called to the long-time servant, leave Venia be. Take your old tongue into the house. She watched the discontented servant mutter as she took her leave. Suili strolled through the fragrant garden, burying the carnelian weighted braids in her hair. Her Uncle Methden’s vast estate was secure with the moat completely circling the grand house and grounds. Her betrothal to Methden’s nephew Juriz had made her accept as home the beautiful fortress-like palace.

In some ways her fiancé’s country of Ullira was easy in which to live. She loved its lush meadows and emerald frosts, but not the thundering rainstorm that left a new, wet world in its wade. Her homeland of Luxil was mostly desert and she had never seen rain until the voyage to Methden’s house.

The sun showed copper off her hair as she removed her slippers and sat beside the small pool of exotic gold and purple fish. From afar she heard the growl of thunder, but the afternoon sky held no clouds. Sometimes storms swept in quickly from the sea half a day’s ride west. Those were the worst storms.

The thunder grew louder, and as Suili felt it rumble in the ground, voices within the house rose to shouts. She glanced at Venia standing at the patio, frowning as the servant girl called to her frantically in her native language.

Suili stood. Venia’s eyes were wide and she was babbling something Suili could not understand. The servant girl ran out of sight around the corner of the house.

Cries and screams from deep within the house prompted Suili to move. It was not the threat of rain she had heard, but the echo of horse hooves. At the end of the garden a horse and rider appeared and the man spotted her immediately. With a whimper Suili darted across the garden into the maze of hedges. The man kicked the horse into motion behind her.

Invasion? she thought. Who? How could it be?

She delved into the high, sculpted bushes hastily, expertly, hearing the thick footfalls of the horse in pursuit. For several long moments she lost the man in the hedges. She turned a corner and crouched in an alcove of greenery, stifling cries of her own as garbled screams of agony and begging for mercy reached her ears from the house.

She slowly sunk back into the hedge, her breath stuck in her throat she watched the man on the horse rounded the corner, searching the maze for her. With only a turn of his head she would be found. She pushed her back against the tight hedges, barbs biting into her flesh, until her hand felt empty space beyond the outside bush wall. Just as she broke through it she saw the man halt the horse and turn.

Suili was fleeing across the sloping lawn when she heard a crashing in the hedge and the horse grunt from behind her, but she did not look back. The trample of hooves grew louder, quicker. Her bare feet raced toward the deep moat. Suddenly the hot breath of the horse passed over her neck and an arm swept her from the ground.

For a terrible moment she thought she would slip under the horse’s pounding hooves as the man turned the animal abruptly. He lifted her higher, his arm tight around her still as she struggled against him, and his other hand pulled her knee over the horse’s back. Despite her elbowing and squirming she found herself sitting in front of him. She twisted futilely again until she saw the moat looming immediately before them. She forgot to fight as thoughts of colliding with the opposite stony bank entered her mind. The horse wouldn’t make it, even with only one rider. The animal was spurred faster.

The horse gathered for the mighty leap and they landed solidly on the other grassy side. Instead of turning in the direction of the trade road the man behind her headed the horse west to the hills.

The horse’s pace had not slackened, but the man relaxed his hold on her. Suili sensed this and threw her leg over the horse’s neck. She swung down, but not off, and failed to dislodge the man as she’d hoped. She hung there, suspended and flailing, as he reined in the horse. She was hoisted back onto the horse, which danced and snorted at the movement.

You left none? the man behind her said, but he was not speaking to her. Suili sat still as more horsemen surrounded them. Their clothes were bloodstained, armaments hanging at belts and baldrics. Unconsciously she cringed from their leers, her back pressing against her captor.

None alive. It came from a wiry, stringy-haired man to her left. She returned a frown to his look of amusement.

Good, the man behind her said.

They moved off again at a canter, a mild gait compared to the previous mad gallop. Suili made no further attempts to leave the horse, knowing she would be trampled in the crowd before even regaining her feet.

She decided the men were not soldiers, but they moved with a certain unity, as if taking silent commands from the man behind her. It took an hour to leave the Paraimo Valley and another to clear through the forest of cora trees. The little used road they came upon was disappointingly void of traffic. Her hopes of drawing attention to her situation vanished.

She heard many slants of the Ulliran dialect from the men in those hours, but no one spoke of who they were or where they were going. She didn’t attempt to speak to her captor, half sick at the attack and her immediate future. Her fingers were laced in the horse’s mane and she now unclenched them, leaving purple nail marks in her palms.

The man noticed this movement. He took her hand in his own, his thumb turning the carnelian and onyx signet ring she wore. She snatched her hand from him.

You’d best cooperate, he told her, but showed no further interest in the ring. Her hold on the horse tightened again.

They reached a small village on the coast before dark. The villagers warily eyed the score of sweaty horses and riders as they arrived. The men continued through town and halted at the pair of docks on the Rellion Ocean. The smell of the sea mingled with pineapples and it reminded Suili how far she was from home. She didn’t recognize the red and black flag raised over the only ship docked. Nervously she glanced again at the men in her escort. Pirates? On horseback?

The man behind her dismounted and offered her his hand. Suili kicked at him, which he easily eluded as she other men chuckled. She tried to swing off the opposite side of the horse, but he wrenched her off his side, fingers tight on her wrist.

Sell all the horses but this one, he was saying to the man he had spoken to earlier. Divide the money among the crew, and be back by morning.

Aye, Captain.

Men and horses dispersed back into town and the man towed Suili up one of the docks. She halted halfway, legs braced staunchly on the rough wooden planks. He looked at her with irritation.

If you insist on being dragged, he said wearily, at least wait until we’re on board. The dock’s not planed and you’ll get more slivers than it’s worth.

She frowned, pulling from him in vain. You don’t know what you’re doing! My fiancé will have you flogged to death. He’ll hang all your crew. You’ll never get away with this!

I trust not.

His hand on her wrist snapped her into motion again and she found herself approaching the gangplank extended from the ship. Her other hand fastened on the deck’s rail, jerking him to a stop. This time he didn’t bother to argue with her. In one movement she was slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

Suili shrieked, arms waving, trying to reach the knife at his belt as they descended the short stair beneath the quarterdeck and entered the cabin. He passed through the first section of this to a rear room, where he dumped her on the bed and abruptly left.

He was gone before she got to her feet. The door closed behind him, its lock rattling. She stood shakily in the alien room, barely breathing. The only light came from a flickering oil lamp bolted above the small table against one wall. She went there instinctively, knocking her shin on a wooden chest at the end of the bed. She unplugged the small cleat holding the lamp to the wall with trembling fingers. She turned up the wick.

The light shown brighter on the spacious room, and she was surprised to find it orderly and clean. The bed was centered against the aft wall, its tall, dark wood posts carved with figures from Luresian legends. Besides the small table at the starboard wall, the room also held an armoire, upholstered bench, washstand, and a chinoiserie screen near the aft corner. She touched the satin black lacquered finish on the last item, then the enameled orchid design.

She went to the end of the bed and tested the lid on the chest to find it locked. Across from it was a fireplace in the wall shared by the first room. Below the mantle a shadowed light seeped in through the grate. She crouched, giving the opening more attention, and found that the fireplace serviced both rooms. It was large enough to crawl through, but the lowered grate barred any passage. She tried to lift the metal piece, but could not, and decided it was locked into place from the other side.

On either side of the mantle were closets built into the wall, but all were locked. She investigated the armoire, and to her surprise found a rack of dresses and other clothes in the drawers. The left door opened to reveal a floor-length mirror.

The uneasy feeling in her stomach now turned into a spasm. Quickly she closed the armoire. Why a woman’s clothes? The fears she had fought on the long ride now threatened her senses, but she knew she could not give in to them. She looked to the washstand where a comb and brush and two small clay jars lay. Although they held a certain familiarity, she didn’t touch them. Desperately she tried to open the window above the bench. It held tight, as did the ones at the table and other wall.

The trembling in her stomach made her legs weak, but she refused to sit down. The portside wall was much like the one with the armoire with a free-standing closet and washstand, but here the detailing was decidedly more common. A third cupboard rattled when she shook its case, but would not open. Inside the second wardrobe were more clothes—a man’s clothes, and on the washstand basin were a few short light hairs from a recent shave.

Now Suili did sit down, slowly, on the bed. This was no hasty raid on an unsuspecting household. This had been planned well in advance. They had left no one else alive, only her, and they had traveled inland half a day to get her. Horses had been used and were now being sold. Except for his. She also recalled that nothing had been carried off from the house—no plunder.

She looked back to the washstand with the comb and brush. Maybe they had belonged to another woman. Maybe she was only one in a long line of captives brought here.

The door opened suddenly and her captor stepped in, making her yelp and jump to her feet. She dropped the lamp, spilling oil on her skirt and catching it on fire. She winced as the heat clung to her leg. He set him own lamp on the chest and ripped off the lit length of her hem, stepping on the flames.

Sit down.

She increased the distance between them. What are you going to do?

Sit down, he repeated more sharply.

Suili sat, biting her lip against the searing pain at her calf. She flinched from him when he reached for it. He threw her a dark look, and she resisted moving away when he took her bare foot. He examined the wax burn for a moment, and then retrieved a cork stopped jar from one of the cupboards. She watched him replace the key that hung from a chain at his neck. He handed her the jar.

Caron oil. It’ll take the sting away, and it won’t scar.

She opened the jar, a strong almond smell coming from it. We always use saffron.

The caron is better. He collected the pieces of broken lamp and lit another candle lantern hanging from a ceiling beam.

She gingerly smoothed the oil on the red spot forming on her leg. Within seconds the pain had noticeably numbed.

He stripped off his headband and ran a hand through his blond hair. When does your husband come back?

He’s not my husband, she corrected. Lack of regret slipped into her tone.

You’re betrothed to him, he stated factually, his shadow falling over her. What is it? A matter of months?

She did not reply, but handed back the jar.

When did he leave?

If you don’t return me now he’ll have ten ships after you, she warned. He has –

Eight ships, he told her, watching her register surprise. I sank two last month.

She studied him slowly, carefully, deciding she would not aid his cause with the slightest degree of help. Her chin tilted with distaste. You’re lying. You don’t even know his name.

He put the jar on the washstand near the screen, watching her attention go to the door. "I sank the Ten Reeds and Northern Promise, he recalled levelly. And your husband’s name is Juriz Shaenen, relation to the late Ros dem Methden Shaenen."

And who are you?

"Cortleno Ve D’Arkaise, captain of the Lita Nysse."

She shied, her courage wavering. She had heard stories of him, but was unsure how many were true. If even half held any truth she would have been better off slain at the house.

No, she murmured to herself. Captain, he’ll pay whatever you ask, Juriz will. Please, let me –

I plan on returning you, Ros Dai Shaenen, but –

It’s Brijholn, she corrected stiffly, then chided herself at making the distinction against what would become her married title.

He smiled at the interruption. Dai Suili Brijholn, he said slowly, if you wish to return to the Paraimo Valley, you will have to do as I say. From outside someone shouted. Cortleno took a key from his pocket and turned to the door. There are clothes in the closet.

Suili remained on the bed after he was gone, her mind as numb as the burn on her leg. The day was too much. She took a deep, shaky breath. She could think of many stories of Captain D’Arkaise and his crew, none flattering. Most placed the Lita Nysse in the colder Gorzai Sea around Kacerak and Mortania. He was eight or nine years her senior, not an age she thought a pirate captain should be.

He did not plan to keep her. He was going to take her back. Or, that’s what he said, she thought, unconsoled. But it could not be any time soon, or there would be no need for those, she reconsidered with a glance at the armoire and screen.

She went to the washstand and took the hairbrush, holding it up to the lantern. It was clean, new. She examined the dresses in the armoire. They were made of fine gauze and silks and their seams showed no wear. Everything was new.

Perhaps he would return her tomorrow, after– No, she thought with determination. Surely he had not raided and slaughtered an entire household for what could be readily obtained in the village. She had seen plenty of women on the street as they rode through. Then it was money. Juriz’s family was one of the wealthiest in Ullira and Mezpar.

Her eyes rested on the floor-length curtain on the aft wall she had not seen earlier. Upon investigation she learned this partitioned off the water closet. This small room was provided with a tiny barred window and out it she could see only the darkening horizon. Another lamp was pegged to the wall here.

She did not change her clothes, nor continue to search for a weapon. The cabin was shut up; Cortleno had anticipated her actions. A means of escape would have to come when the door or window was unlocked.

Cortleno returned shortly and with him came a teen boy who placed a plate of food on the small table. He looked with curiosity at Suili under Cortleno’s watchful eye, but took his leave without speaking. Cortleno shut the door and gestured to the table.

Eat, Suili. It’s sausage and ginger, he added when she made no move from where she stood at the bed post.

I’m not hungry.

He shrugged, and then found a dark bottle from a locked cupboard near the mantle. He took a long drink, and then held it out to her. She shook her head.

Please yourself, he said indifferently. He took another bottle from the shelf and put it by the plate. Gooseberry wine from Hemtitti. It’s not strong.

She held his stare as he lit another hanging lamp.

When will Juriz be back?

She stalled answering for a long moment, unwilling to aid in her own tragedy. He was about to ask again she said, I don’t know.

I believe you do.

She stood her ground when he stepped nearer. Think what you like, Captain, but I do not know. She watched his steely blue eyes drop over her slowly, making her both angry and blush deeply.

We’ll have to send him something. To prove you’re here.

She frowned at the smell of the whiskey on his breath. He’ll have you drawn and quartered if you touch me.

He nodded, setting the bottle on the table. And well he should, too. At the very least.

She stepped back as he took the long knife from his belt. She lunged as his hand grabbed her hair and then moved to her neck as she struggled to pull away. Her fingernails dug into his arm as he brought her closer.

Hold still, Suili, he said when she resisted. I just want the braid. She tried to push from his as the hand on her neck slid down her back, anchoring her against him.

You can’t cut my hair, she said through gritted teeth.

Would you prefer an ear?

She felt a tug and saw a thin braid in his hand. He released her and she backed quickly away. He’ll kill you! she bit out, touching her neck and glaring at him.

If he doesn’t cooperate, we’ll send him a finger next time.

She stared at him in horror as he holstered the knife, looking at the red carnelian beads still attached to the braid.

He looked back at her, stepping closer as she retreated. Do you have another braid?

You don’t need two. One is –

He reached to the other side of her head and found the braid. Take it out.

She tried to pull the braid from him. Why do –?

Take it out or I’ll cut it out! he bellowed.

Suili withdrew as he relinquished the braid, surprised at the venom in his tone over the beads. Her fingers nimbly removed the stones and plait, leaving the auburn hair crimped.

He held out his hand. She hesitantly gave him the beads. He stepped away, appraising the braid he still held.

You should change your clothes, he said with more temperance. He put the braid on the mantle and finished the bottle of whiskey, watching her smoothen her hair with nervous fingers. You smell like a lamp wick.

When he had moved to the far end of the room, she