Chapter 11
Copyright J.B. Norman
Singing a song that Kat can’t tell is supposed to be about a person or a boat, Dunstana leads both crews into the ice cream parlour. The proprietor’s momentary bemusement at the sudden ingress of no less than two pirate crews entering the establishment gives way to the decision to position the tip jar as unsubtly as possible.
“Are we being invaded?” Lena mutters as Kat side-eyes the window and inwardly debates whether or not she should just jump for it. “And they’re pirates, why are they singing about plains?”
“Hi, Kat!” Dunstana calls once the pirates finish their sea shanty. Standing at the table, she turns to the Goblin girl sitting across from Kat. “Hi, um… Laura.”
“Lena.”
“That’s what I said,” Dunstana insists, rolling her eyes. “Lirazel.”
The Goblin girl stares sceptically down at Dunstana. “Are you doing that on purpose?”
Dunstana blinks innocently at her. “Doing what?”
Now it’s Lena rolling her eyes. “I need more ice cream.”
She tugs on Kat’s sleeve and steers her towards the counter.
“I bought you two ice creams already!” Kat protests.
“You haven’t bought me any ice cream yet.” Dunstana nods, tugging on Kat’s other sleeve.
Myra smirks from across the ice cream parlour, just happy that Dunstana’s attentions are turned elsewhere for the moment.
Kat is hauled over to the counter and the woman behind slides her a napkin with a hastily scrawled note asking her to blink twice if she needs help. When it becomes clear that she is not, in fact, being held hostage, Kat buys Dunstana and Lena each an ice cream and the three head back to their table.
Lena glances up from her ice cream.
“Ugh,” she groans when she sees Captain Goblinbeard approaching. “What are you doing here?”
She pointedly – and loudly, as it scrapes across the floor – turns her chair to face away from Captain Goblinbeard.
Forlornly licking his ice cream, Goblinbeard stares across the parlour at his daughter, who is still going out of her way to both ignore him and to advertise that fact as unsubtly as possible.
“Now,” Myra says as she approaches him, “I know you’re not the one I’m supposed to be mentoring, but can I give you advice?”
Goblinbeard looks up at her.
“Talk to your daughter,” Myra says. “And you might want to do it quickly.”
She points to where Lena and Kat are making their exit from the ice cream parlour.
Goblinbeard leaps down from his chair. “Lena!” Goblinbeard calls. “Belay that, lass!”
“What is it?” Lena asks coolly, lingering the doorway.
“Ye and I be needin’ to talk,” he tells her.
“Say it without the Pirate Voice,” Lena offers brusquely, “and maybe I’ll listen.”
Goblinbeard clears his throat and tries to speak, but is unable to get the words out without the Pirate Voice.
“Yeah, I thought so,” Lena mutters, turning back towards the door. “Come on, Kat. Let’s go. Bye, Dad. I’d say I’ll see you at home, but, well…”
Goblinbeard clears his throat again and nervously licks his lips.
“Give him a chance,” Kat urges Lena.
“Lena, darlin’,” he begins in a halting, unsteady voice – and a voice that is very much not the Pirate Voice. In fact, it sounds sort of like Amara’s cousin from the out in the country.
Lena pauses and turns towards her father.
“Y’all think maybe you an’ me might maybe have us a sit-down someday soon?” Goblinbeard asks. “Talk out all this a-fussin’ and feudin’? I done ya wrong, an’ now I just wanna fix it. And I think maybe I should spend more time at home. Please, darlin’?”
“Yeah, Dad,” Lena says, her own voice trembling and her natural accent creeping back into her words. “I reckon I’d like that a lot.”
“Aw, shucks, Lena,” Goblinbeard says. “I’m just right pleased as a head louse in a hat shop.
“Gross, Dad.”
Dunstana stares in disbelief. “What. The. Heck?”
Her ice cream almost falls from numb, stunned, trembling hands.
“That’s his voice?”
Chapter 10
Epilogue
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