Pirates of Aletharia, page 1
Pirates of Aletharia
A SAPPHIC FANTASY ADVENTURE
BRITNEY JACKSON
Contents
Summary
1. A Villainous Descent
2. A Pirate Port
3. Captain Maria Welles
4. Deals with Pirates
5. A Part of the Crew
6. The Wicked Fate
7. A First Impression
8. The First Day
9. A Pirate’s Code
10. Picking Fights
11. Scheming Ship Cats
12. Swords and Kisses
13. An Explanation
14. Dine with Me
15. An Exchange of Power
16. A Betrayal
17. A Trap
18. Oh Captain, My Captain
19. Buckets and Blushes
20. Dragon Magic
21. A Suspicion
22. A Black Flag
23. A Ghost from the Past
24. Here Be Dragons
Author’s Note
About the Author
PIRATES OF ALETHARIA
Copyright © 2021 by Britney Jackson
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 9798787510119
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published by Noctem Publishing
First Edition, December 2021
www.britneyjackson.com
Dedication
For every girl who wanted to be a pirate or kiss a pirate...
And for anyone who’s ever longed for a place to belong...
Summary
Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she’s now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles.
Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.
But when their animosity toward each other blossoms into a passionate romance, the two women will have to decide what they want most.
Vengeance?
Or love?
A sapphic fantasy adventure for people who love dangerous women, magical worlds, and lesbian pirates.
CHAPTER 1
A Villainous Descent
On the day of her execution, Emilia Drakon decided that the only thing worse than being born an evil sorceress was being born a kind one.
If she’d been a little less kind, the woman Emilia loved would’ve never had the chance to betray her.
If she’d been a little less kind, Catherine Rochester would be dead—and not standing in front of Emilia, all proud and beautiful and…
Alive.
The guards tasked to escort Emilia to the gallows came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Emilia’s ex-lover—which, unfortunately, meant that Emilia had to stop, as well.
The guards saluted Catherine, while Emilia—shackled at the wrists and ankles—simply glared.
“You’re dismissed,” Catherine told the guards.
That was the final insult, really—that Catherine assumed Emilia had learned nothing from the betrayal, that she assumed Emilia would walk to her death willingly.
Emilia Drakon was naïve once.
Not anymore.
“Admiral,” one guard said, “with all due respect, she’s—”
“I know what she is,” Catherine said. “More so than you, I assure you.”
“Yes, Admiral,” the guard said. Even so, he hesitated. “But we were ordered to keep fourteen armed guards around her at all times.”
Catherine folded her hands tightly behind her back and lifted her chin, her long, blonde hair glittering like gold in the sun. “And I, as your admiral, am belaying that order,” she said. “Are you questioning my authority?”
“No, Admiral,” the guard said quickly. “I would never.”
Emilia narrowed her eyes at Catherine.
Only a few months earlier, she’d been enamored by the pride that glowed in Catherine’s beautiful, light blue eyes.
Now, she despised it.
The guards, of course, followed Catherine’s orders, like the mindless fools they were.
Alone with her traitorous lover, at last, Emilia trailed her gaze downward, taking in the sight of Catherine in uniform.
Perhaps, if Catherine had been dressed like this—and not injured and bleeding—when they’d brought her to Emilia, she would’ve known better.
In that pressed, blue waistcoat that made her blue eyes sparkle like the sea itself, it was obvious where Catherine’s loyalties lay.
Though Emilia couldn’t see the crowd from where she stood, their chants rung out, clear as a bell.
“Kill the witch!”
“Kill the witch!”
“Kill the witch!”
Almost as if she actually cared enough to feel uneasy about those chants, Catherine cleared her throat. “You’ve lost some weight.”
Not that it was much in the grand scheme of things, but they had at least allowed Emilia to trade her rags from the dungeon for the clothing she’d worn before her arrest.
And those clothes hung loosely from Emilia’s curves now, no longer fitted to her form.
“Yes,” Emilia said, her voice like ice, “that tends to happen when you’re not allowed to eat.”
Catherine sighed. “They offered you food in exchange for information,” she reminded Emilia. “It was your own choice to starve, instead.”
Emilia forced a bitter smile. “Perhaps the only good choice I’ve made recently.”
Catherine narrowed her eyes at that.
The clouds shifted in the sky, and Emilia cringed away from the sunlight. She hadn’t left the dungeons in weeks, and the mid-afternoon sun burned her eyes.
Perhaps sensing weakness, Catherine stepped closer. “Emilia,” she said, using that same gentle tone she’d used when they were lovers, “I have a lot of power now.”
“So I’ve heard,” Emilia sneered, “Admiral Rochester.”
Again, Catherine sighed at her tone. “I don’t want to see you hang.”
Emilia lifted her wrists, the heavy shackles rattling in protest. “Then, maybe you shouldn’t have put these on me.”
The crowd roared louder, and Emilia realized the executioners had taken their places.
“To them, you’re just another witch,” Catherine said, as if that somehow justified the crowd’s cruel excitement, “but I know better. You’re different, Emilia. You’re not like your mother.”
Emilia scoffed at that. Did Catherine truly think the events of the last few months hadn’t changed her?
Now, who was naïve?
“No, I’m not like her,” Emilia agreed, “because she’s dead, and I’m alive.”
Catherine looked away. “It would upset a great deal of people,” she said softly, “but with your cooperation, I can still save you.”
Emilia lifted her eyebrows, as the gleeful chants of the crowd filled the silence between them.
“You got another witch for them to kill?” Emilia said.
“Like I said,” Catherine said, “they’ll be upset.” She stepped closer. “But I’m still willing to do it—as long as you assure me that nothing has changed between us.”
Emilia stared blankly at Catherine, stunned that those soft, perfect lips she’d kissed so many times were capable of such absurdity.
“You used and betrayed me. You slaughtered my people,” Emilia said slowly. “You drugged me—used the secrets I’d shared with you against me.” The acid in her voice grew thicker with each word. “You let them torture me, and now, you want me to tell you that nothing’s changed?”
“I didn’t do this to you, Emilia,” Catherine told her. “I simply enforced the law. You’re the one who—”
“Who what?” Emilia interrupted. “Was born? What terrible thing did I do—aside from saving your life?”
Catherine hesitated.
“And trusting you,” Emilia snarled.
“Emilia,” Catherine said with a sigh, “it’s starting to sound like you have no intention of cooperating.”
“I’m in shackles,” Emilia reminded her. “How uncooperative can I be?”
Apparently, her sarcasm came through clearly enough to make Catherine think twice—because the woman Emilia had once loved suddenly looked down at the shackles, her eyes wide with alarm.
It was now or never.
Emilia shook off the shackles and lunged forward, snatching the sword from Catherine’s sheath.
After so long with no food or rest, Emilia’s arm ached at the weight of the sword, but she pressed through the pain and slashed it upward, as Catherine had once taught her to do.
Catherine froze, raising both hands, as the blade pressed against her throat.
“Emilia,” she gasped.
Emilia looked up at the Illopian admiral, pressing the blade closer to her throat. “Where’s my dagger?”
“Emilia,” Catherine whispered, give me my sword, and we can do this the right way.”
“I’ve tried that already,” Emilia reminded her. “I got my people killed, doing things the right way.” She narrowed her eyes. “I think I’ll try doing it the wrong way for a bit.”
Catherine lowered one hand, reaching out toward Emilia’s wrist, but Emilia swiftly shifted the sword, nearly sending the blade straight through Catherine’s throat.
Both of her hands instantly went back up.
“My dagger,” Emilia snarled. “I know you know where it is.”
A slight flush darkened Catherine’s pale, white skin.
“Emilia—”
Emilia was getting tired of hearing her name come out of that mouth—especially when the memories it triggered were so painful.
“Dagger!”
“You’ll never make it past an entire armed guard with nothing but a dagger,” Catherine warned, “especially not in the shape you’re in right now.”
“What armed guard? You sent them away,” Emilia said with a sharp laugh. “Fortunately, the one thing I can count on is your pride. I knew you’d never let them see how you really defeated the dragon sorcerers.” A bitter smile curled at her lips. “They wouldn’t approve, would they?”
“No,” Catherine admitted. Her brows creased. “I assumed you’d tell them. If you’d told them about us, they might’ve given you food in exchange for the information. But you didn’t. I thought—” Catherine sighed. “I thought that meant you still loved me.”
Emilia forced herself not to react to that. “Dagger, Catherine.”
With a slow sigh, Catherine said, “I’ll need to move my hands.”
“Fine,” Emilia said, “and I’ll consider not slicing your throat open, when you do.”
Catherine reached beneath her waistcoat and removed a long, sheathed dagger. She held it out, offering it to Emilia.
Emilia looked down at the dagger. “You’ve had it?” she said, blinking in shock. “All this time?”
Catherine nodded. “Emilia,” she said softly, “I do love you.”
Emilia knew she couldn’t listen to that, lest her heart return to its softened state—the one Catherine had so easily taken advantage of.
“If you do this,” Catherine said, “you’ll only confirm what they already believe about you. You’ll become the villain they think you are.” She softened her voice, until it was nearly inaudible amidst the crowd’s chants. “I don’t want to watch you descend into villainy, Emilia.”
Emilia’s stare turned cold. “Then, close your eyes.”
With that, she pulled the sword back and thrust it into Catherine’s stomach.
Then, Emilia fled, leaving a blade inside the woman she’d once loved.
Emilia slid behind a tall, stone building and unsheathed the dagger her mother had given her.
Her mother hadn’t given her much, but in that moment, this one gift was worth more than any other could’ve been.
Because it was her key to freedom—and her key to vengeance.
Only a few moments passed before the alarms were sounded, and then, boots pounded against the dirt, as the guards searched the city for her.
Like any form of creation accessible to mortals, magic didn’t come from nothing.
Only gods could create from nothing.
Magic was more like transmutation than creation—taking from the sorcerer and creating something else in turn.
Emilia hadn’t eaten well in weeks, and she’d used the last of her own energy to free herself from the shackles. If she wanted to create fire, she’d need to take from somewhere else.
Fortunately, her mother had crafted this enchanted dagger for that exact purpose.
Its magic had kept her alive, even through starvation, and now, its magic would give her the power to escape.
The sound of boots against dirt grew louder, and Emilia knew she had little time.
She closed her eyes and drew the magic from the blade, channeling it into a spell she’d pay dearly for.
In body and soul, she’d pay the price for this spell for months to come.
But it was her only chance.
She channeled the stored dragon magic into herself, and then, she cast a spell that her mother had once taught her—one she’d never intended to use.
As magical fire consumed the city of Regolis, their chants for her execution turned to screams.
With her own heart aching at the loss of her innocence, Emilia escaped in the ensuing chaos.
CHAPTER 2
A Pirate Port
After three months on the run, Emilia finally found a port city that wasn’t swarming with the Royal Navy.
The inhabitants of this city seemed significantly less wealthy than the inhabitants of other port cities she’d seen. Fishing and merchant vessels filled the harbor, but the wealthier naval or passenger vessels were nowhere to be seen.
Even the sanitation of the city reflected less wealth and upkeep. Apparently, the great King Eldric only cared for the cities that put gold in his pockets.
What a strange coincidence, Emilia thought bitterly.
Though it was unfortunate for the city itself, Emilia was relieved by the navy’s absence—because it meant she could finally rest for a while. For the first time since being captured, Emilia slept through the night.
She’d emerge the next morning to steal food, but for this one night, she’d rest.
It wasn’t just for nutrients that she needed the food—though that was certainly a concern, as well. Emilia also needed food in order to use her magic. Magic required a sacrifice of energy, and if she had none to give, she’d either have to steal energy from someone else—through a blood sacrifice—or leave herself utterly defenseless.
And leaving herself utterly defenseless seemed like a bad idea, considering the entire Royal Navy was hunting her.
Emilia awoke the next morning feeling more rested than she’d felt in months. So, she slipped on her cloak, lifted the hood to hide her face, and ventured down to the water in search of food.
To her shock, however, she found the harbor empty. She blinked a few times, halfway convinced she was dreaming.
Wasn’t it just the day before that she’d seen the merchant ships out here?
Emilia walked out onto the dock, carefully avoiding the loose planks of wood. This city desperately needed some repairs.
She passed several battered, wooden stands—where the merchants sold their wares, she assumed—but today, they were all empty. It was as if the city had evacuated in anticipation of a hurricane, and yet…the sky was a clear, cloudless blue.
Something had scared them all into hiding, but what could it have been?
Emilia noticed the wooden post with papers nailed to it. There was one in every town.
As discreetly as possible, she searched the Wanted Person notices for any depictions of herself. She saw image upon image of scraggly criminals—murderers, debtors, thieves—but she saw no drawings of herself.
One notice, in particular, drew Emilia’s gaze. Listed beneath the drawing was a list of crimes so long that it required multiple papers. She didn’t recognize the face of this criminal, but she recognized the name.
Captain Maria Welles.
She doubted there was anyone in Aletharia who didn’t know that name.
The most dangerous villainess of the seas—a woman who sank ships without mercy and left no survivors.
Well…that was the story, anyway.
Emilia had healed some of her victims—the ones who’d washed ashore on Drakon Isle. So, though the pirate had clearly intended to leave no survivors, thanks to Emilia, some survived, anyway.
It was strange, after all of this time, to pair an image with the name.
