“The drinks in his belly weren’t really my concern,” Vidar added.
The men stared intensely at each other. I could hardly tell whether they were bonding or laying down silent threats.
“What is it you call your ship now?” the stranger asked. “Surely you do not still call it the Devil’s Coin.”
“The Burning Rose is her name now.”
The woman’s eyes darted from me to Vidar and then back to me.
“What are you doing with Bone Heart?”
“What are you doing with pirates?” I threw back.
Gus groaned, reminding us all that we were standing in a courtyard full of dishonorable hooligans.
“Might we find a place to talk that’s a bit more private?” he suggested.
“I see no reason to talk,” the man said. “We met. Now, we can go our separate ways.”
“Come now. Humor us.”
“You’re a paid hunter. What are you doing in a pirate port anyway? You’ll be leaving, I suspect.”
“Here for a day or two, I’m afraid,” Vidar answered. “Got some business to take care of.”
The man’s gaze finally turned my way, taking me in with one quick pass over the length of me. His eyes hesitated momentarily on the bloodied blouse that I was doing a poor job of concealing behind my coat. When his eyes found Vidar’s silentium hanging around his neck next, I knew what he was thinking. He was putting things together, probably more successfully than I was. That detail had piqued his curiosity.
“Suppose it would interest me to know why you’re keeping the same kind of company I am,” he finally said.
“Not the same,” the woman muttered.
Heavy footsteps approached, drawing our attention.
“Shit,” the stranger panted, coming to a stop beside us, his shaggy, copper hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail. “There she is. I said,” he huffed, out of breath. “To stay…” another breath. “Next to me. Cap’n, I swear. She was right there and then she was gone.”
It was only then that he realized there were a bunch of strangers standing around him and his captain. He straightened, thick brows knitting together at the sight of us.
“What’s this now?”
Stars, fallen to ground, die,
For they are meant to fly
~Amelia Nite
I found myself sitting across from the red-haired woman at a table inside a mostly empty bar further inland. We found ourselves a corner away from the crowds with warm ale in mugs in front of us. I had no intention of drinking mine, but the men didn’t seem to mind. Gus sat off at the end of the table with his pipe, his free hand resting on his belly while the raven-haired man sat across from Vidar somewhat tensely. His broad-shouldered companion sat on the other side of the girl with his ankles crossed on the table. The men looked like a couple of attack dogs the way they surrounded her, strengthening my suspicions that they were being influenced by her somehow.
“So,” the dark haired one sighed, taking a big gulp from his mug. “Vidar Bone Heart. Most known hunter in these parts. Interesting company you’re keeping.”
“And?” Vidar said. “Do you have a name?”
“Aye, I’ve got a name. Captain Nazario Basilio of the Amanacer.” He said with a somewhat dramatic flair. “You won’t have heard of me. I’m not from here.”
“And whereabouts are you from?”
“Somewhere I’ll not be returning to anytime soon. Not for an abundance of predators from the sea as much as corrupt cunts on shore making a living hard.”
“You won’t find relief in these parts. I fear the fruit is turning no matter where you pick it from these days.”
