“What?”Zaria said, noticing the silence.“Ain’t this grand?It’s bloody history we’re gonna make.”
Isaac nudged her arm, pointing down at one of theparagraphs.
“Oh, just tell me.”
He had to lean in to read it.The wine felt like it wassqueezing his skull.“The fugitive from justice currently aboard, known here asZaria, is to immediately be taken into custody, whereby she will be returned tothe mainland to stand trial for her crimes, listed here as murder, piracy,theft—”
“That’s enough,” Vance said.“Listen—”
“What?”Zaria grabbed the scroll, nearly burning it on acandle as she read.“A fucking warrant, for me?”
Isaac reached for the wine bottle, deciding all at once toabandon propriety.
“Listen,” Vance said, leaning on the table.Her gloved handwas not far from the pistol on her chest.“I am not—”
“Is that it, then?Thanks for the work, now fuck yourself?”
“Zaria—”
She slammed the scroll on the table.Plates fell andrattled.“It’s fucking rubbish!The queen loves pirates when they’re raidingmerchant ships, but not on her barnyard boat, is that the way of it?”
Vance sent her chair clattering as she stood.“I’ll not beyelled at in my own cabin.Keep your peace.”
“Oh, is the queen’s dog gonna start barking?”
Percival stepped back from the table, drawing his cutlassfrom the scabbard.
“Zaria,” Vance said.Her hand was tight on her pistol’sgrip.“Calm yourself.We’re just talking, as of now.Nothing more.”
Isaac’s chair scraped along the planks as he stood.“Takeyour hand off your gun, captain.”
“Not now, sir mage.Not until—”
“Take yourhandoff yourgun!”
No one moved.Candles flickered.Fire reflected off theplates and knives.Isaac was so drunk that he nearly swayed with the ship,though his arms were always firm and steady, held in a pre-mnemonic stance.After a twitch of her whiskers, Vance gave a small nod to Percival.A hand fellfrom a pistol grip, and a sword returned to its sheath.
“Listen to me, ya stubborn cunts,” the otter said.“If I wasmeaning to follow that directive, I wouldn’t have warned you of it, would I?”
Zaria stood behind Isaac, her breath blowing through hishair.“Small relief, captain.”
“I had my suspicions of you,” Vance continued.“Navies thesedays are lousy with pirates, and you just got that bearin’ about you.But,despite my misgiving to your kind, you did some damn fine work, and I’ve notseen any reason to complain.I’d sooner have been ignorant of your crimes, justletting you fuck your wizard at every port we make.”
The tablecloth began to burn from a fallen candle.Percivalreached over and beat the flames out, never taking his eyes off Isaac.
“Here’s how it is,” Vance said, collecting her breath.“We’re making landfall in two days.It’s a cove not too distant from a royalpost called Dewclaw, a nine-day journey southward.From there, there’s roadsleading to native cities, other ports of call, anywhere you want.Zaria, you’llbe given enough provisions to make that journey, plus all your wages, as wellas my own written recommendation, in case you wish to grace someone else’sdeck.Meanwhile, I’ll tell my superiors that you jumped overboard.They’llthink you’re dead, and things will stay peaceful between us.”
Zaria tried to laugh.“How bloody kind.”
“It is, actually.”
“You’re maroonin’ me!”
“I can’t do otherwise.The Royal Claw wants a clean roster,and they didn’t appreciate you lying about your past, let alone all their shipsyou’ve plundered to the sand.”Her snout began to curl.“And I’ll not abidesome cutthroat serving on my vessel.From the way it’s told, you’ve got quitesome blood on your hands, serving the Black Eye.She was worst of the lot.”
“I won’t mince about her,” Zaria replied, “but don’t actlike your hands are clean, neither.”
“My blood was spilled for country and valor,” Vance said.“Yours was for greed and malice.If you compare us again, you’ll leave thisship by plank.”
