She laughed.Tinkling bells in a peaceful garden.
“Well, I wouldn’t take that liberty, to be sure, seeing as you appear to be already claimed,” Smoke commented.
Dinesh looked like he was more confused than he’d ever been, and that was saying something.He was a man of the seas, a pirate, and a—well a bit of a man-whore, although reformed.
“I am.This is Captain Dinesh Martin,” I said, introducing him.
“Oh, we know that too,” Fleur said, looking smug with a tawny blush to her cheeks.
“Okay, what the devil is going on?”the captain asked, gazing back and forth between the three of us.
“Not devils.Witches,” I said.“Right?”
“Yes,” Fleur replied.“Although Smoke is much more powerful than I.”
“In some things, yes.But you have your skills, my dear,” Smoke said, placing her hand over Fleur’s.“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Simon White.I’ve been watching you for some time.”
Captain Martin frowned.“Since we came in the tavern, you mean.”
Fleur smiled, hiding her mouth behind a gloved hand.
Smoke only shrugged.“A bit longer than that.”
In my mind’s eye, I saw a vision of a young child at its mother’s knee, listening to her reading from a book that lay open on her lap.Then playing in the forest.Splashing in a creek.Lying in the grass.I recognized myself and my mother almost instantly.
“What are you saying?”I asked, gazing at her in wonder.“That long?”
“That long.”Her smile vanished, and she looked sober.
I saw a fire, felt pain in my side where the scar had been.Saw a vision of Carago.Then I saw this very tavern, and a thin, filthy young man crouched on a stool, gazing at a group of pirates.
I blinked.“Why…why didn’t you make yourself known to me?”My voice was a whisper, but I knew she’d heard.
“We were not here,” she said simply.“Fleur and I reside in England.”
“But…you’re here now.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“When you wielded your magic, we noticed.We thought to make the journey to meet you, Simon Bartholomew White.I want to teach you about those powers you hold.”
“Now just a moment,” Dinesh said.“Why should he trust you?”
“Because we are telling him the truth.And he knows our sincerity.”
“Beyond a doubt,” I confessed.
Captain Martin tugged my arm, glanced fearfully at the frozen men and the barkeep who was also in stasis, and pulled me aside.
“What if she’s put some kind of a hex on you?You don’t know that she’s trustworthy.How could you?You’ve only just met her.”
“I can’t explain how I know she’s telling the truth and that she has my best interests at heart.But she does.I can feel it.You saw how Pearl has reacted to them.”
I couldn’t blame him for being uncomfortable with the situation.But like the expert negotiator and leader that I knew he was, he got a hold on his doubts, gathered his resources, and made a reasonable request.
“I’m so sorry, but we’ve only recently arrived at Port Royal, and we were hoping to walk around and enjoy the night.Can we perhaps agree to meet you again later?I’m sure that Rooster—sorry, I mean Simon—has a great many questions for you.But I’d like you to give us some space so that we can discuss what you’ve told us.”
