Chapter 18

Penelope opens her eyes to the light streaming in through the room’s single window, fully rested. She hasn’t slept this good since this whole ordeal began. It’s strange how a good fucking can do that for one.

Oh good, you’re up. Let’s go find Eidlan and get the book.

The witch groans, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed. “Do we have to? Can’t we just lie here a little while longer?”

No we can’t wait. The sooner we get the book, the sooner we can be separate again.

“Ugh ... you’re always so pushy...” Her eyes fly open. “What’s that?”

I don’t know. You’re the one in control, you tell me.

“Well how am I supposed to know?”

Try picking it up and reading it.

Penelope frowns and picks up two folded pieces of paper. She flips open the first and reads it aloud. “I apologize that I had to leave. Urgent business called me and my brother away from the monastery.”

Urgent business? What can be more urgent than helping us?

“Shush,” the girl says before continuing aloud. “I could not find the book. Last night I remembered why. It was taken by a high wizard that passed through here some many years ago. He can be found further to the east, across the sea.”

Wonderful, just wonderful... I’m stuck with you like this even longer now.

“How do you think I feel?” the girl complains.

Probably pretty good, considering that it’s my body you have and that is getting you laid left and right.

“Oh, and I couldn’t get these men any other way?”

Men? If that’s what you want to call most of them. You probably could, but you forget I suffer right along with you.

“I don’t suffer,” the witch contradicts. “Actually I have been rather enjoying myself.”

You would, but I don’t like it.

“Why not?”

I have my reasons, and they are of no concern to you.

“I’m your master and a master should know what the familiars like and don’t like and why,” the girl instructs.

Well this is one familiar that isn’t sharing. What’s the rest of it say?

Penelope frowns. “I know you complained of not having money and as a lonely monk I don’t have any to give, but I do know people. Take the second note to Captain Rowley down at the docks. He will take good care of you.”

Anything else?

“That’s it,” the girl says.

That can’t be it.

“That’s all there is.”

Open the other note and see what it says.

“I can’t do that,” she says. “That’s private.”

So what? We need to know what it says.

“No we don’t,” she says firmly. “It’s none of our business.”

Alright, there’s no sense in arguing with you.

“Thank you.”

Let’s get dressed and down to the docks. There’s no sense in wasting anymore time either.

“But I’m hungry,” the witch complains.

And who is going to cook, you?

“I see your point.”

After getting dressed, Penelope took a look around the monastery, including the room next to hers and against the general mutterings of Hazel. She found the place devoid of any life other than her own. Afterward, she set out toward the docks and began asking around for Captain Rowley. Eventually she finds someone that knows who he is and directs her to him.

Eidlan must not have very high connections.

“Why do you say that?”

Considering only one person seems to know who he is...

“Oh right, but maybe he’s just not very popular,” she reasons. “Maybe he only visits this port every so often.”

I love the optimism but I doubt either is the case.

Penelope finds the man soon enough. Like his ship there isn’t much to brag about. Yes, yes ... mmmhmm ... yes...”

“Well?” the witch asks impatiently. After making a short introduction, she handed him the note, which the monkey on his shoulder grabbed instead to hand to the captain. Now she is eager to know what the note says.

You should have been nosy.

“Well ... it seems that you don’t have any money for me to take you on this fine ship of mine,” he begins.

Fine ship? It looks like a sailboat.

“Yes, it is a magnificent ship,” Penelope agrees. “And no I do not have any money. But Eidlan guaranteed that you would take care of me.”

“I don’t know any Eidlan,” the man says, shaking his head. “This note you gave me is from my friend Piers. But he did mention a form of payment that I certainly would accept.”

Here we go again. Too bad you can’t see my eyes rolling at you.

“There has to be something else I can do. Maybe scrub the decks, cook your food.” The witch is all for what the men have in mind, but she knows well that Hazel will have nothing but complaints.

Rowley shrugs. “No way to pay, I cannot take you. Supplies cost money, port fees and not to mention my time wasted. I don’t have any goods to take and I’m not even guaranteed to pick any up to bring back.

Well shit. If he’s not going to take us on the piece of crap ship, then I highly doubt we’ll get a ride on any of the others.

The witch bites her bottom lip in anticipation of the cat’s go ahead.

You know you’re just going to take the offer no matter what I say. Just do it. This journey is already a mess.

“You got yourself a deal,” Penelope says, the words flying from her mouth like flies to... “Where shall we do it?” she asks, beginning to pull off her dress.

“Not here, missy,” he says. “As much as I would love to accept payment before we leave, I think it best we get under way first.”

And that they do.

“I wonder who this high wizard is,” Penelope says out loud as she sits on the bed of the captain’s cabin.

You mean you don’t have any idea?

“No idea.”

How many high wizards are there? There can’t be that many.

“There really aren’t too many, but there are a lot,” the girl says confusingly. “There are many that have left to become hermits or evil wizards or...”

I get the point. I hope this one isn’t evil.

“Well, if he is we’ll just have to take him down,” she says sounding confident and brave.

What, a third year witch and a cat? That sounds like a high fantasy is I’ve ever heard one before.

“My magic may not be my strength, but I do have other means of succeeding.”

Yes, that thing between your legs is only missing the ability to shoot off fireworks.

“There might actually be a spell for that,” she remarks with a grin, opening her book.

Don’t even think about trying it out while I’m a part of you.

The witch closes the book suddenly and looks up. “Did you hear that?”

You mean the scratching outside the door? Yeah, I heard it.

Penelope’s eye zero in on the cabin door, just as it is beginning to open. Already she can feel herself getting wet in anticipation of the captain coming to take his payment. But the door only opens part of the way, and instead of Rowley, it is the captain’s little monkey with a note in his hand that steps in.

Getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?

The girl feels her face heat up. The monkey walks over to her and hands her the note. “So the captain wishes to have dinner with us,” she says a moment later. Looking down at the monkey, she finds him smiling up at her.

Well, let’s not keep the man waiting.

When she reaches the galley, Rowley is waiting patiently at the table with a bottle of rum in his hand. Sitting on the table in front of him is a plate of grilled fish—head and all. The same is on the plate where Penelope is meant to sit. There is also a bottle of wine for her. “I took the liberty of setting out a bottle for you. I don’t figure you as the rum drinking type,” he says, standing up and offering her a seat, gesturing with his hand toward it.

“We actually make our own brews back at school,” she says, taking a seat.

“I wouldn’t have normally taken you as a witch,” Rowley says, cutting into the fish.

“How do you know I am one?”

With a piece of fish on the fork, he points it in her direction. “The hat and the dress give it away,” he says. “I’ve been to a lot of ports and I’ve seen a lot.”