Xebec from Call of the Sea - #AtoZChallenge

“…try to write the best you can without worrying too 

much about other things in advance.” 

– Qui Xiaolong 

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Xebec  

Call of the Sea

Fantasy / Romance

by Rebecca Hart

Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth. 

Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O'Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter's ship, The Siren's Call. However, his new captain's first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter. 

Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra's lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other in order to quell the raging storm between them or have any hope of hunting down the captain's killer.

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Excerpt:

“Sails to the stern, Captain!”

The call from the crow’s nest jerked Daniel’s attention toward the top mast and the crewman pointing behind them.

Captain Winters lifted the spyglass, peered through it. “Lateen sails, no colors. Looks like a Xebec.” Lowering the glass, his gaze swept to Daniel. “All hands at the ready.”

“All hands at the ready!” Daniel shouted across the deck of the brigantine. “Step handsomely, men!”

The Captain rested a hand on Daniel’s sleeve. “Take the helm, Daniel. I want you at the wheel if there’s to be a fight.”

Daniel nodded, looking to the man he’d grown to admire. “Aye, Captain.”

In his years with Winter’s Shipping, Daniel had done well for himself, rising in rank from cabin boy to first mate. For reasons he could never be sure of, the Captain had kept his secret for eight years. That moonlit night had changed everything for Daniel, and he vowed to repay the Captain for the kindness he’d shown.

Daniel took the wheel from the helmsman. “Go help Walters with the leeward yards, Jacobs.”

The toothless Jacobs bobbed his head. “Aye, sir.”

Glass in hand, Captain Winters joined him on the quarterdeck. “They’re shallow on the draft and coming at us with a bone in their teeth. We won’t outrun them.”

Daniel turned the wheel hard to starboard, steering The Siren’s Call toward her swift pursuer. “Then we best outgun her, Captain.”

The Captain’s blue eyes sparkled with light. “That’s a plan if ever I heard one, lad.” He stepped toward the rail and shouted across the deck. “Mind the yards and keep those sheets tight, men! Hold close to the wind!”

The Xebec closed in.

“She’s flying a Roger, Captain!” Another call from the crow’s nest.

Daniel cursed. Corsairs.

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