Read Online The Merman and the Barbarian Pirate by Kay Berrisford - Free Book Online Page A

desolate. But his heart beat on, and Kemp slipped one of those strong hands beneath his head, lifting it. With an effort, he fluttered his eyes open.
    "Here," said Kemp, raising him higher. "Drink."
    Kemp held a goblet, pressing it toward him. He worried that if it contained that Jamaican liquor from earlier, he'd be embarrassingly sick or the muck would finish him off. He'd no energy to protest, and when the rim of the cup touched his parched lips, he parted them and sipped. The substance turned out to be a curious mixture of bitter and sweet, dry and fruity all at once. It coated his throat like honey and made him feel a bit better, so he drank more. He'd been too unwell to notice before, but he was desperately thirsty.
    "Good lad," said Kemp, and at last Raef managed to focus on his face. Kemp leaned over him, hair mussed and less sleek than usual, and his bronzed face paler. The lines at the edges of Kemp's eyes had deepened with worry. Raef guessed he was maybe thirty years of age, but he looked older, craggier… and more beautiful than ever.
    Kemp cared about him. Kemp might be a brute who believed him insane, but he cared if Raef lived or died. The notion cheered him, though yet again, it confused him also. Why should a pirate give a damn, especially one who kept locking him away? Whatever medicine or magic Kemp had prompted him to sup, Raef felt its healing power course through him. He managed to curve his mouth into a smile. "Th-thank you."
    "It's an elixir the old captain of this ship used to make." Kemp hooked a strand of hair behind his ear and smiled back. "Port wine mixed with herbs from land and sea."
    The latter probably explained the concoction's success. Merfolk used many medicinal plants and were learned in all that could be reaped from the ocean. However, though a weed might temporarily lessen Raef's suffering, he doubted it would stop his decline for more than a short while. He wanted to enjoy Kemp's ministrations and then sleep a full day, but if he did, he feared he might never awake.
    "How long is dawn?" he asked.
    Kemp furrowed his brow, stroking Raef's cheek. "About an hour, I should say."
    Hope sparked. Raef wasn't chained any more. He could escape. An hour seemed like an eternity under fear of imminent death, but he could make it to sunrise. He must make it, and now he felt a bit better, his curiosity kicked back. Last night, Kemp had spoken of a woman called Cecilia, who he intended to visit in pursuit of a treasure map. Kemp had said Raef could go free once he'd seen her, and Raef wondered if Haverford's ring was bound for her, as a gift. This could be useful information, especially as stealing the jewel from Kemp now seemed an unlikely prospect.
    "Cecilia," he murmured. "Who is she?"
    Kemp leaned back and withdrew his touch, which had Raef regretting his enquiry. "Ah, now that is a question. I first encountered Cecilia about three months past, the first time we made port near Lilhaven. 'Twas fate. She was fighting off a hooded man bent on murder with her bare fists and a pot of acid poison. Now there's a hearty wench, I thought."
    "Heavens! Who was trying to kill her?"
    "Another potent question," replied Kemp. "It wasn't only Cecilia who'd been set upon. That night, a gang of hooded horsemen set upon the town, carrying flaming torches and seeking out young women. One was badly injured, another snatched and never seen again. We chanced to arrive in time to help Cecilia, not that she wasn't doing plummy without us. She's a swan with a sharp peck."
    "Who were the attackers?" asked Raef. This behavior sounded like that of pirates, though now he'd met Kemp, none of his assumptions seemed to fit.
    "Ah, that's something only Cecilia could tell me, and I don't think you want to know." Kemp tapped his nose. "You should try and get some sleep."
    Raef bit back his frustration, reminding himself this story was unimportant. He ought to have no desire to hear more of this Cecilia, who fascinated Kemp so. He