Chapter 46: Proper Sailing
Coop was inside the Eye of the Storm. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he was in a spot of relative tranquility, isolated from the controlled chaos outside.
Captain Kayla was accommodating enough to allow him to stay within her quarters while they sailed to the mainland. A proper sailing ship on a quick voyage was a busy place, and Coop had felt out of place without anything to do to help. The phantom pirates were constantly in motion, pulling ropes and hustling back and forth, but Coop was just a passenger. They wouldn’t let him contribute even when he offered. He worried it was because they doubted his competence, but they claimed it was because he was their Champion. He didn’t really believe them, but he still ended up taking up the captain’s offer and leaving them to their roles.
He had been alone inside of the captain’s quarters and wound up taking a nap on an extravagant red sofa that occupied one side of the room. It was a fancy piece of furniture with dark wood highlights and elegant flourishes on the arms and legs.
A wood framed oil painting was secured against the wall above the sofa that displayed a landscape where oversized waves crashed into a cliffside island. A matching mahogany coffee table with one red sofa chair on each end accompanied the sofa that Coop reclined on. The small table had a model ship inside of a large glass bottle in the center. On the floor, an elaborate reddish brown patterned carpet tied the area together.
The sofa wasn’t really that comfortable as much as it just looked nice. A small bunk was tucked against the wall on the opposite side of the wide room that looked much more comfortable, but Coop stuck with the sofa.
The huge galleon was large enough that if he hadn’t known he was inside of a ship he wouldn’t have realized they were on the ocean. It would take much larger swells to rock the boat than the calm sea offered on the average day. There was no risk of sea sickness, even for those with a weak stomach. A large ship meant a large cabin for the captain. The single room could have been an entire apartment in Coop’s experience. He found no signs of its ethereal nature from within, it was just a sturdy ship as far as he could tell.
The walls were lined with sturdy wooden shelves that were shaped like trays and filled with books and scrolls. Shark jaws, glass bulbs, buoys, and rope nets hung from beams on the ceiling and a series of thick red curtains were bundled into the corners of the walls. The curtains could be extended to separate the room into different parts. A living room, bedroom, and an office were all on hand. Coop counted six different treasure chests scattered between the sections, but he refrained from looking inside any of them, not wanting to mess with a pirate’s booty. If there was one thing he could do to turn the loyal phantoms against him, he suspected it would be being caught stealing their gold.
All of the furniture was dwarfed by the massive square executive desk that was positioned in front of the huge bay windows at the back of the room. The windows looked out the rear of the ship, giving a clear perspective of the ship’s wake as sea foam swirled in its turbulence. A chair that was more of a throne sat behind the desk and four smaller unadorned chairs were positioned for guests. Coop sat up from where he was lounging when he realized the captain’s chair was occupied.
Kayla had taken a seat at the desk while he was dozing. She was leaning back in the large chair with a scroll unfurled and held up in front of her. She had her feet crossed with both leather boots propped up on the expensive looking desk, apparently unworried about the state of the antique. Several other maps were spread across the surface and an old globe was on one end.
When she heard Coop stir she casually tossed her scroll onto the pile of maps and, without sitting up, put both hands behind her head and rested against the back of her seat.
“You could have taken the bed.” She nodded toward the bunk, “I wouldn’t have minded.”
Coop shrugged, “The sofa was fine.”