“Sweet Sister” - Exclusive Excerpt from Seabird

In this prequel to WINDFALL, Liana Foley begins a journey of self-discovery that turns a lost princess into a pirate captain.

After the king and queen of Caerwyn are killed in a coup, their children escape to the Island colony of Madzetal. Liana and her brother Ivan are adopted by the Foley family. As a scrappy almost-sixteen-year-old, she’s spent her life struggling to fit in like her foster sister, Nellie. When Liana acts out, Ivan and their foster father decide that she needs friends in higher places.

Liana is introduced to Asha Ganem, history enthusiast and the daughter of a controversial member of the Island Council. As they comb through the tense aftermath of colonization, young romance takes hold of the girls. It sends them on a journey to find their place in a world that doesn’t quite fit either of them. But the further down the way they go, the clearer it is that their lives are set on much different paths.

SEABIRD is available on May 28th on Amazon Kindle and Hansen House Ebook

Sweet Sister

 3rd of Brydlfest, 1712

The Emporium

Madzetal

The Island Colonies of Caerwyn

“Hurry up, Liana,” called Nellie, tossing a cross look over her shoulder at me. She could move quickly when she wanted to, and I had made her late by lagging with my chores.

I made a rude gesture with my middle finger at her back. Nevertheless, I tried to keep up, knowing how important it was to her that we make it to the Emporium at one o’clock sharp. I wiped beads of perspiration off my neck. It was the worst time of day to be out. The heat proved terrible, and I wished instead that we would meet at the beach rather than the bustling marketplace.

Narrow side streets lead our way towards the harbor. I spotted a familiar tavern with a white door. Indigo flowers hung above the entrance. The swinging sign mingled amongst the blossoms read, The Blue Orchid. Clamoring noises echoed inside.

We crossed into the flourishing marketplace. Native Islanders and Northern folk alike gathered in the Emporium, an open space with commercial buildings on all sides. Each had a unique color, varying from burnt red, bright yellow to bleached white. Shoppers, going this way and that, followed no sensible flow. Their voices, reminiscent of the chattering monkeys in the rainforest outside the city, overwhelmed my exhausted senses. Colorful patterns at the textile booths and shimmering jewels mined from the far side of Madzetal nearly blinded me. 

I avoided knocking shoulders with a boy my age. My legs awkwardly tangled together as I swerved, and I held Nellie’s arm to keep right. She shook me off absentmindedly and carried on.

I usually avoided the Emporium, especially at such busy hours, but Nellie absolutely loved it. She visited every day, even when shopping wasn’t necessary. Her friends often met her there in the afternoons. She flourished under the attention, while I usually withered.

I tried to keep close to Nellie but was momentarily distracted by a flutist carrying a happy tune. Noticing an empty basket at her feet, I shoved my hands into my apron, searching for a spare coin or two. Nellie carried all the money for the shopping today, but I had my own stash. Making eye contact with the flutist, I flipped a coin to her before scampering off. 

I lost sight of Nellie’s bouncing curls, sending me into a mild panic.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like being alone. I actually preferred it. I just didn’t like the idea of losing Nellie in the crowd. The Emporium was near the docks, where many seedy folks gathered—pirates and the like. Marin always told us to be careful when we were off on our own. Nellie could become absorbed in whatever social happenings caught her attention. She wasn’t always aware of the ill-intentions of others. But Nellie just thought I worried too much. Maybe she was right.

“Liana!” A familiar voice made me whirl around. Inanna, one of Nellie’s friends, waved me over. She broke through the crowd to meet me, flashing a beaming smile of greeting. “Where’s Nellie?”

“I, uh, don’t know…” I shrugged, gripping my basket. “I lost her.”

To my surprise, she looped an arm in with mine. “Let’s go find her and Eilina.”

Emboldened by the gesture, I smiled back at her. Though Inanna wasn’t really my friend, she had always been nice to me. She lived a few streets south of us and had often thought to include me in whatever she and Nellie got up to. I liked her. But ever since she had become her father’s apprentice, she spent less time with us. Her father was a surgeon and since Inanna had come of age, he began to teach her the healing arts. It was good, though. Inanna was the smartest girl I’d ever met. She would help a lot of people.

“I like your hair,” said Inanna as we walked. She craned her neck to look at my thick braid. “Did Nellie do it?”

“Mmhmm.”

Inanna had made flat twists in her own hair, strung with copper beads and forming a crown-like circle at the top of her head. She trailed her fingers down my plain plait, twirling her finger down the end. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.” A warm feeling bloomed in my chest and my cheeks hurt from smiling. I always found it hopeful when she did things like that. But deep down I knew it was only innocent, friendly affection.

We found Nellie and Eilina at the far side of the Emporium under a shaded canopy, oohing and ahhing near the jewels.

“Found your little sister,” Inanna announced as we approached. I blushed.

“Oh, there you are,” said Nellie, before yanking Eilina closer. “Now, show them, show them!”

Eilina, a year older than Nellie and Inanna, tilted her shoulders in false shyness before thrusting out her left hand. A gold ring adorned her slender brown finger. Inanna squealed with excitement and let me go to throw her arms around Eilina. “Oh, congratulations!”

I politely mumbled my own felicitations, but Eilina hardly seemed to notice that I was there. That was fine. I wasn’t much interested in hearing the story of how her beloved whatever-his-name-was proposed to her. Instead, I surveyed the clear sky above the market. Cutting through the blue, the masts of ships in the harbor peeked above the buildings to the south. In the typical tropical fashion, there appeared to be no evidence of the thunderstorm last night. The ground was a little muddy and a thick humidity hung heavy in the air, but otherwise the cause of my sleepless night had completely vanished.

“Liana? Are you coming?” Nellie asked, snapping me out of my daze. Eilina and Inanna strode ahead, three stalls down.

“Yes,” I said, hurrying along.

“Are you alright?” she asked, leaning closer.

“Just tired.”

She clucked her tongue. “Why didn’t you stay home, then?”

I didn’t want to disappoint you. I opened my mouth to say something more clever, but someone in the crowd caught my eye. Finley Hock, the son of The Blue Orchid’s owner, drove a horse drawn cart with a shipment of casks on the street that wrapped around the Emporium. “Oh, Divine. Don’t look now. It’s Hock.”

Visibly resisting the urge to turn around to see, Nellie groaned. “Young or old?”

“Young.”

“Does he see me?” she whispered.

“Don’t think so.”

“Good. Let’s go. I haven’t seen him since I rejected him in front of his father.”

“And all the patrons at The Orchid.” I snorted at the memory. 

“That’s not nice to laugh about. I felt sorry for him.”

“No, you’re too nice, letting things get that far. You should have just told him no when you first noticed he wanted you. Downright cruel to string him along.”

“You wouldn’t understand…”

 I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it felt like an insult.

“What did you find wrong with him, anyway?” I asked, genuinely curious. It wouldn’t be a bad life to marry Fin. I thought he was rather good looking, myself. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be his wife, helping to run a thriving business, meeting adventurous sailors and travelers from far and wide.

“I could do better…” she muttered.

I imitated her father. “Of course, ya could, darlin’. Ye deserve a prince. Nay! A king!”

Nellie laughed. “I was thinking more like a councilman’s son.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Well, with Ivan’s new job, I think it would open up a world of prospects…”

I scoffed. “You’re really starting to sound like him, you know. So ambitious.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

I shrugged. She wasn’t talking like this a few years ago, before her mother died. It bothered me. She was so focused on getting married. I wondered if she thought about what Marin would do without her. Or what I would do.

“We’re growing up, Liana,” she went on. “It’s about time we figure out what our futures will look like. You know, find our place…”

It wasn’t something I wanted to think about. With my unusual background, looking ahead wasn’t as simple for me as it was for her. She knew that but pretended like she didn’t. Maybe it made her feel good to know that the world opened up for her more than it ever would for me.

We caught up with Eilina and Inanna and made our rounds in the market. When our baskets were full, we lingered near The Orchid. Inanna and I discussed her experiences at the clinic, while Eilina and Nellie talked about the wedding.

“Shall we go in for some shade?” Eilina suggested, fanning herself.

Our family often went to the tavern for meals, when it was early like this. After Leda died and Nellie and I were learning to run the household, we would eat there. We would go home before it got too late. Ivan and Marin, though, would stay, talk and drink. It was still afternoon, so it wouldn’t be terribly inappropriate for four young women to go inside to slake their thirst. 

Nellie shied away. “I think Liana and I should head home…” she said, pointedly.

I frowned. She had gotten me out here and now that I was actually enjoying myself, spending time with Inanna, she was going to tear it all away. “Don’t be a baby,” I said to her between my teeth. Inanna giggled, giving me a surge of confidence.

Nellie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not being a baby. I just don’t want to be rude.”

“What’s rude is refusing to patronize an establishment because you embarrassed the owner’s son. Don’t punish us all because you broke his poor heart.”

Her nostrils flared and in response, I sauntered inside.

The tavern had an atrium with a retractable roof managed by pulleys and ropes. It reminded me of the webs of rigging I often saw on ships in the harbor. Wooden rods lined the ceiling and walls, holding up vines of indigo flowers. I could smell them, earthy and sweet. Desperate for some liquid relief from the heat, I led the other girls to a table.

Oddly enough, I felt better there than I had in the Emporium. It was just as busy, but I was able to see everything from our table. With the wall at my back, I made myself comfortable. Inanna sidled up next to me and Nellie came to my other side, wearing a puckered scowl. We set our baskets safely below. Fancying myself the new leader of our troupe, I took the liberty of ordering us four ciders. There was nothing so refreshing as an island cider on a day as hot as it was. Fruit grew rampant, wild and in orchards. Much of the water that could be found on the islands was brackish, so it was best just to drink cider or beer.

I took my first gulp and slouched in my seat, earning an elbow in the side from Nellie. She always complained when I didn’t sit up straight. My poor posture embarrassed her. It painfully reminded me that Inanna and Eilina were her friends, not mine.

  Inanna didn’t seem to notice the change in my demeanor. Instead she asked, “So, how is your brother?” It only made matters worse. I could swear, if people weren’t talking about Nellie's beauty and charm, then they talked about the ever-charismatic Ivan. Ivan was my brother by blood, ten years my senior. Nellie was our foster sister.

“Fine. Just started a job as a scribe for a councilman,” I mumbled.

“Oh, which one?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Ganem,” interrupted Nellie. “Councilor Ganem. Did you know that he has a daughter about our age? I’d bet she knows many men of status who are unattached.”

“I met her a few times,” bragged Eilina. “Asha Ganem. She wears the finest clothes—and so creatively. Even the ladies in the Capital don’t dress half as well, I’m sure.”

All but cut out of the conversation, I sipped my cider. I didn’t really fancy talking about fashion again. We’d done enough of that while shopping. After we finished our drinks, I opened my mouth to suggest we go home, but was interrupted by four tall ales being placed at the center of the table. We looked up and there, much to Nellie’s horror, stood the handsome Finley Hock.

While the rest of the girls sputtered, I forced myself to speak up. “Hello, Fin. What’s all this?”

He removed his tricorn, revealing straw colored hair tied loosely in a ribbon, and held it to his chest. His freckled cheeks burned scarlet. “I just wanted to say thank you for coming into The Orchid today, ladies. And,” he spoke directly to Nellie, who stared at her lap, “apologize to you, Nellie. I didn’t mean to embarrass you when you came in last week.”

We all looked to Nellie, who took a painfully long time to respond. “It’s alright,” she said, barely audible.

“Consider this on the house,” he said, smoothing back his hair and replacing his hat.

I bit my lip, thinking it brave of Finley to come and speak to her after what had happened. I thought the apology was sweet. 

“Thank you. That’s awfully nice of you,” I said, trying to rescue the situation. He brightened.

 “You’re very welcome. Anyway, I should get back to work. My parents are in Terrajar on business and I’m running the tavern.”

“That’s a big responsibility,” I said, with wonder. “They must trust you.”

“It’s a test… to see if I can take care of things on my own.”

“And how’s it going?”

“Well, I suppose. Some disreputable people have come in to stay, but… I can manage it.”

“Let us know if you need any help,” I offered. “We live just around the corner, as you know.”

A little taken aback at first, he blinked at me, then smiled. “Oh… well, thank you. I appreciate that,” he said, tipping his hat gratefully. He began to back away from the table, but not before adding, “And Liana… your hair looks nice today.”

“Th-Thanks, Fin.” My heart soared and stuck in my throat, but I managed to choke out the words. Inanna and Eilina burst into excited giggles.

“Looks like he’s moved on to the next sister down,” Inanna said out the side of her mouth. I laughed a bit too loudly at the joke, making her and Eilina dissolve into hysterics. Nellie, however, didn’t find it a bit funny. She crossed her arms, seething.

“I want to go home,” she announced. “I didn’t even want to come here in the first place.”

“Oh, come on, Nell,” said Eilina, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s not like you really wanted him. Personally, I think your sister would make a fine Mistress Hock.”

I glanced over to the bar and caught eyes with a grinning Finley, who must have overheard Eilina, because he was laughing. I offered a nervous wave and he winked. I could have floated on the spot.

“Cheers to that!” I gloated, soaking in the attention. I took one of the glasses of ale and raised it.

Nellie scoffed and scooted her chair back, the leg obnoxiously scraping against the floor. She looked me dead in the eye. “I’m ready to go.”

“I’m not,” I shot back, before lifting the glass to my lips. 

“Liana,” she hissed, warningly.

I didn’t move. She snatched up both of our baskets and stormed out of The Blue Orchid.

Inanna sucked a breath in through her teeth. “Oh. She’s mad.”

I didn’t care. She was just jealous because her friends were having fun with me and not her. I reached over and pulled Nellie’s abandoned glass closer. “More for me.”

The three of us quickly lost track of time. We became so absorbed in conversation, mostly fueled by the other two girls fiendishly encouraging me to flirt with Finley, that we didn’t notice the hour or even that the sun had gone down.

“Go on,” Inanna whispered to me. “He doesn’t look too busy.”

I wiped my clammy hands on my skirt. “I don’t know…”

“You’ll never know unless you ask,” Eilina said in a singsong voice.

I thought about what Nellie had said, about finding a place for myself. I looked around, with a smile, easily imagining myself running the place, with someone as agreeable as Finley by my side. I’d known him for half my life. He would want a friend and a partner in business, rather than a little wife to order around. It could be a good match. I got to my feet and scuffed to the bar.

“Enjoying yourself, Liana?” he asked, kindly. To my relief, he looked happy to see me. Good, I thought. I wasn’t imagining it.

“I am,” I replied.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No, I actually wanted to know… if I could do something for you.”

He hummed, intrigued. I liked the sound.

“I was serious about wanting to help. Maybe I could… wait on tables… do some cleaning…”

“You want to work here? As in, you want a job?”

“We could always use more money, and… I want to learn something. Do something outside of the house, you know?”

“Be a part of something?” he added. He seemed to understand.

“Exactly.”

He pressed his lips together and looked at me, thoughtfully. I continued to fidget with my hair. “Have you asked Mister Foley about it?”

“Well, no. But I don’t think Marin will mind.” It’s Ivan I’d have to worry about.

“I think it would be great. But I don’t think I should hire anyone without asking my father first. Can you wait until he gets back? Maybe a couple of days?”

A crash interrupted my answer. I stood abruptly and Finley ducked under the bar. In the corner, a group of four burly men roughhoused. They didn’t look like the usual merchant travelers. Men like that would wear fine, clean clothes. These men wore sailors’ garb. But an empty bottle of top shelf rum rolled away from their table, now turned over. One of them wore a gold chain and another grinned to reveal a row of silver teeth. No average sailor could afford anything like that.

They were most certainly pirates.

“I’ll be back,” said Finley, apologetically, before rushing over to see about getting the men settled down.

As I watched, Eilina and Inanna approached me.

“How’d it go?” asked Inanna.

“He said he would ask his father.”

“Oh, good! That could lead to something great, Liana. I’m proud of you.”

Eilina peered around us at a clock on the wall and gasped. “Is it that late, already? I have to go. My parents are going to be worried about me.”

I cringed. Marin and Ivan would be home, as well, and I left Nellie to prepare dinner and clean up by herself. At this point, it felt easier to wait until everyone was asleep to return home.

“Do you have to go, too?” I asked Inanna, who shook her head.

“My parents know that I was with you and Nellie. They probably think I’m at your house,” she said, mischievously. “They trust me.”

“Mmm, rightfully so,” I said, sarcastically. She laughed and we bid farewell to Eilina. But before she could make it to the door, one of the rowdy men in the corner blocked her way. We couldn’t hear what was said over the music and his jaunty crew mates, but Eilina shrunk down.

“Liana,” I heard Inanna call.

It could have been the cider and ale giving me false bravery, but before I knew what I was doing, I went to Eilina’s side.

“Move out of the way,” I said, so loudly that even Finley and the other pirates looked over. Shoving myself in front of Eilina, I managed to make the man take a small step of surprise backwards. I opened the door and nodded at Eilina. “Go on. Your parents are waiting.”

She smiled gratefully before slipping away.

I firmly shut the door and tried to turn back to Inanna, but the pirate gripped my arm. “Hello, luv.”

I wrenched it away. “Keep your hands off me, you smelly git!” I snarled.

“What’ll ya do about it, lass?” he sneered. He was a Northerner, hailing from central Caerwyn, judging by his speech. He flashed his silver teeth at me. My knees shook, but the belly full of beer helped me to stand my ground.

“I’ll send word to your captain that you’ve been harassing young girls.”

“Oh? No harassin’ here. Just a lonely sailor lookin’ for some company.”

“Stuff it, Denning,” said another pirate, approaching us, carrying two stout glasses of rum. He was an Islander, with broad muscular shoulders. “If you want company, go sleep in the street with the dogs. The captain won’t pay for any more lodging if you get us removed from here.”

Denning made a throaty sound before turning away, back to the rest. The Islander pirate looked after him, then faced back to me, amused. “Know how to go for the throat, do you?”

I crossed my arms. “My father is a sailor,” I said, referring to Marin. “He used to be a privateer. I know your limitations, pirate.”

“Aha, I knew I spotted a kindred spirit,” he said. He slowly blinked his glazed, dark brown eyes. “A privateer’s daughter, eh? The name’s Maiz Samara, of the Bounty. Our captain is staying in the attic room, in case you want to report Denning’s behavior.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…”

“Have a drink on me, sweet sister. As an apology.” He pressed a glass in my hand, and I sniffed the rum suspiciously. I’d had the stuff more than once, a few sips at a time from Marin’s stash. But I’d stopped since he caught me. Twice.

“Liana!” I heard my name again, from far away. But I ignored it, finding myself drawn into this fascinating conversation with a pirate. It felt strangely natural. I touched glasses with him, the act making a sharp clinking sound, before I knocked back the rum, earning a few whoops from the corner table. The other pirates had been watching us.

“LIANA!”

My name came again, this time as a bellowing in my ear. I jumped, dropping the glass with a shattering crunch. I coughed as the burn of alcohol lingered in my throat. A few drops of it dribbled unattractively down my chin as I looked to the door. The pirate slunk away, leaving me face to face with my irate brother.