Vesia Undone
an excerpt

“Tasty isn’t it. Far superior to whiskey though it’s a hell of a lot harder to get. In the docklands they call it Bonsu.” She waited until he took a few more sips before saying, “Comes from Rindar. They make some of the best alcohol there.”

Korion nearly choked on the drink, and had another coughing fit before he could breath freely again. “R-Rindar? That’s illegal.” He had guessed that she lived a questionable sort of life but Rindar was their sworn enemy. Being caught with anything from there, be it people or goods, was tantamount to treason.

“Hmmm, is it? Don’t you ever wonder why?” Korion couldn’t decide what was worse, Kiri asking him questions about the mission and his parents, or her talking openly about Rindar.

Vehemently shaking his head, Korion said, “No, no, Rindar was the reason for all the bad things. The Grand Emperor was right in cutting off all ties…”

He was interrupted by Kiri’s laughter and he stared, perplexed, as she laughed and laughed and laughed until the tears were running down her face and smudges of kohl rimmed her eyes. He was beginning to wonder is she was truly insane when she finally wound down and stopped. Wiping her eyes on a bit of cloth she had dug out from somewhere, she leaned her elbows on the desk and looked straight at him. “You’re quite possibly the most adorable thing I’ve seen since Jenri. Maybe I’ll forget to send you back to your parents when this whole mess is figured out. I don’t usually allow men on my ship bit I just might make an exception for you.”

Korion just stared at her, wondering how such an odd person had managed to become the captain of a ship. Kiri didn’t act seriously at all, she wore odd clothes and talked freely about things that could get you thrown in the nearest jail plus she ran a ship run entirely by women.

“God, that was the best laugh I’ve had in ages. Alright kiddo, in thanks I’ll take you up on deck and let you look at the stars before bed. That’s assuming you’re smart enough to not jump off, these waters aren’t kind to swimmers.” The questions was simply rhetorical and she was herding him out the door and up a set of very narrow stairs before he could fully catch what she was saying.