37 The Dyscovera
Once exposed, the young sailor Mior thrashed like a hellcat, grabbing the remnants of her torn shirt and trying to cover herself. Javian gaped, as if he'd never seen naked breasts before. The other crewmen recoiled, taken aback by this surprise that did not match any of their dark suspicions.
Prester Hannes's eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to spout a condemnation that could not be taken back, but Criston cut him off with a loud warning. “I am captain of this ship, Prester!” He swept his gaze across the crew. “Any man here—no matter what his station—who presumes to command this ship in my stead will find himself cast overboard!”
The prester tensed, fighting back the anger flaring in his eyes, then relaxed his stance. He deferred to Criston with a visible effort. “As you say, Captain Vora.”
“How did a woman get aboard our ship?” Kjelnar demanded, as if this were his failing as first mate.
“The same way the rest of you did.” Mior glared, staring down the crew, her body coiled and ready to fight. “By signing up for the voyage and doing my work.”
But Criston was not through with his scolding. “You deceived your captain and your crew, young woman.”
She remained unapologetic. “Only by hiding my gender, not my abilities. If I had signed the roster as a woman, you never would have allowed me as part of your crew.”
“Of course not.” Kjelnar barked a laugh.
“And why not?” Mior rounded on him, her whole body shaking with anger. “Can only young men dream of going off to sea?” She swung like a skilled duelist squarely upon her next opponent, Prester Hannes. “Aiden brought plenty of women aboard his great Arkship at the beginning of history.”
The prester's expression remained stony. “As passengers, not as crew.”
“Does the Book of Aiden say that? I can read—the scriptures are not specific. During Aiden's long voyage, do you believe the women aboard never lifted a hand to help? Never aided the sailors?”
Kjelnar scratched his full beard, still angry but uneasy. “In Iboria, women help herd the mammoths. Some of them even fell trees and work the logs as they float down to Calay.”
Javian spoke up. “She's right, Captain. We would never have let her join the crew if she told us up front.”
“And good thing, too,” one of the sailors grumbled.
Mior sniffed. “I knew I could do the work, but you would not have given me the chance. So I had to pretend to be what you expected. Have you found fault with my work in any way?”
Prester Hannes seemed torn. “There is some merit to your claim. I too had to hide my identity when I lived among the Urecari, Captain. My deception was for the greater good and the glory of Ondun. But what is your true purpose here, young woman? Urec also brought women aboard.” His countenance darkened, and he turned back to the captain. “This girl has already deceived us once. How can we know where her heart truly lies? If she tricked her way aboard because she wanted to see the world, then her deception was for her own wants and needs—not for the glory of Ondun.”
With a soft expression, Criston regarded Hannes. “Truth be told, those are exactly the reasons I signed aboard the Luminara when I was but a young man. There's no fault in that. In light of this revelation, I rather doubt she's a Urecari spy. What is your real name, girl? Come now, I'll have the truth.”
“It's Mia.” She stared down the angry, uncertain sailors and Prester Hannes in turn, then back at Criston. “I did what I had to, Captain.”
He pondered in silence for a moment. “We can argue all day, but there is a practical matter to consider. We've gone too far to turn back, and we are not close to any shore whatsoever. What are we to do with her?”
“We can always throw her overboard,” said a sailor named Enoch Dey.
“It is an option to consider,” Hannes pointed out. “She may bring ruin upon this expedition.”
Mia glared at them. “Throw me over the side and leave me? Like the crew did to Sapier? Remember your own tales, Prester! Ondun watched over Sapier, and he caught a sea serpent with his fishhook. Sapier made it home safely, but the men who wronged him faced severe punishments.”
“It's not so easy to catch a sea serpent with a fishhook.” Criston laughed in spite of himself. Every crewmember knew how he had survived after the sinking of the Luminara.
Javian seemed upset and confused. “We should give her a chance, Captain. If she turns out to be a ra'vir, we can still put her ashore the first time we make landfall.”
Hannes remained uneasy. “I need to ponder this and study my Book.”
“Prester, you may be the spiritual leader of the men, but I make all final decisions in regards to the crew of this vessel.” He couldn't simply kill Mia, nor could he let her be a festering wound among his crew. “I see no reason why a young woman cannot haul ropes, set sail, scrub decks, and pump out the bilge like the rest of you. Princess Anjine does a good enough job ruling Tierra along with King Korastine—would any of you dare speak out against the princess?”
The men shook their heads with great vigor. Criston strode back to his cabin. “It's settled, then. Now get back to work. We've got a whole world to explore.”