Buffy yowled as they flew so fast that Serena feared they would overtake seagulls, and that sounded messy. She tried to shout, but it seemed as though the words slid off behind her. Buffy, of course, was ahead.
They had to be getting closer, especially if the ship had sailed from Norco already. In fact, she could see something not far ahead.
She put her palms together. "Disappear!"
And she did. Serena couldn't see her own hands, but the world still looked sharp around her. The ship was closer, and Buffy circled and slowed.
"Serena?" the cat whispered.
"I'm here," she said.
Buffy fluffed and hissed as she looked around.
"Invisible. Let's get to the ship."
Buffy dived toward the ship, but Serena went more slowly, spiraling down to watch the crew. Vane spotted Buffy and hurried down to the deck where she landed.
"Clear for the next ten miles," the cat said. "The weather might be iffy, but not bad. I'm tired, Vane. Is your cabin open?"
"Yes. Tonis is working there. Go get some sleep. I'll want you ready when we head into trouble."
"Yeah. I hope he's quick to leave. He mumbles."
Vane laughed.
Buffy started away, and Serena went with her, unsteady on her feet. She would have flown, but she couldn't have remained close to her friend. It was essential to get into the Captain's room with little show. She followed the cat and dodged around the crew.
Tonis turned out to be a stocky, bad-tempered man who apparently didn't like paperwork. He did mumble, but Buffy went past him and to the bed. Serena followed and sat as quietly as she could. It worked. Tonis soon left, but he didn't put away the work.
"He might be right back," Serena whispered. She crossed to look at the papers. "Where is mom's stuff hidden?"
"Somewhere in the wall by the bed," Buffy said and moved along the wall, thumping it with her paw.
Serena crossed to look at the papers, wondering what kind of stuff a pirate would have to keep track of. They were not what she expected.
"Uh, Buffy --"
"It is the third panel from the right," Vane said at the doorway. "About two feet up."
Buffy turned with her ears back, her fur -- well -- buffed out, and her tail twitching.
"Just hold that thought, kitty," Vane said with a lifted hand.
Magic lights swirled around his fingers. Buffy had a healthy respect for magic and flattened herself to the floor and scooted toward the table. Vane didn't try to stop her.
"He won't hurt you," Serena said. "He works for the government."
Vane looked her way. Since he had magic, she couldn't be sure he didn't see her, invisible or not. So she pressed her hands together, muttered 'appear' and faced him.
"Are you crazy!" Buffy yelped as she wrapped her front paws around Serena's ankle and attempted to pull her into hiding under the table as well. It was not one of her more logical moves, but still sweet. Here, huge human, hide with me, the little cat.
"It's okay. Vane works for the government, Buffy."
"Whose government?" she demanded and looked back at Vane with a hiss.
"Yours," he assured her. "I have been working at clearing out the marauders for most of a year. I really believed you were a pirate, Buffy, and I thought you were trying to infiltrate from the other side. It was only when you brought your companion here that I thought you must be safe."
"I don't see how you can pretend to be a pirating and get away with it," Serena said and started to feel some doubt again.
"I mostly take them with a little magic, although they never realize it. That part was easier once we got the plan to do it. Then when we have the marauder in our command, I send a magical message to a ship still setting off out of sight. It's one of the king's fleet. They take the prisoners, and whatever odd things they may have picked up, then we take food supplies up to Norco."
"That's the part I really don't get," Serena admitted. She still couldn't be sure she trusted him.
"Norco is the most northern of the good-sized villages. They are far too close to the border. They've been cautious not to take favors from either side and to try to keep their neutrality. The king couldn't supply them after they ran into a bad harvest, plus brigands from the hills. So, since I was good to have some food supplies in whatever I grabbed from the marauders, we figured this was a good way to get past their stubbornness."
Serena looked down at Buffy. The cat's tail twitched, but she looked more annoyed than worried.
"What about the two guys you tossed off the ship?" the cat asked. "Won't they give you away?"
"Probably, but it doesn't matter. There is only one marauder left. We take it down and head for home."
He sounded sincere, but before Serena could come up with anything to ask, Tonis rushed back into the room. He did a comic double-take when he saw Serena.
"Where did she come from?" the man asked. Then he shook his head. "Nevermind, doesn't matter. We have a marauder who is suddenly very close to us, and the weather is turning bad."
"Do you people ever have good weather anymore?" Vane asked. Then he frowned and looked out the porthole. The sea was starting to get awfully turbulent, and Serena grabbed hold of the nearest post. "There is some magic in the storm. That can't be good. Tonis, how far away from Bay Village?"
"We might make it," Tonis stated.
"Just one problem," Buffy pointed out. "They're ready to attack you because they think you are Pirates. And they are not happy about it."
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