Chapter 383:
Nancy
"What's the prince's little navigator doing here?"
I jump and spin around.
She's on her throne—the high-backed chair at the head of the deck, the one the pirates treat like an altar. Her feet are propped on a stool. The purple parrot perches on the arm of the chair, its beady eyes fixed on me.
Both of them are looking at me.
She has her face resting on her knuckles, one leg crossed over the other knee. She looks amused. Bored. Like I'm a character in a play and she's watching from the sidelines, waiting for me to do something entertaining.
I swallow.
"I greet the Devil." I bow. Low. Respectful. The way I was taught to bow to nobility, even though this woman is anything but.
The corner of her mouth twitches.
"Oh my." She straightens, just slightly. "How noble."
She motions for me to come closer.
I walk toward her. The crew watches—not obviously, not aggressively, but I feel their eyes on me, tracking my movements, judging me.
