Thread: A Sea of Secrets [Alexander x Sera]

The Card King was a legend, equal to the Devil in whose town they stood. He won his fortune on land, gambling with men who held little restraint over their coins and jewels, and practically bought the sea right out from underneath them. A pirate who was successful was also one who bled wealth. There weren't many tales of a privateer who hit it big without making any enemies, and then slinked away from the world into a quiet retirement, after all. The King was different, with warehouses that held far more than a ship's hull might carry. Everyone from thieves, to enemies, and even tax collectors hounded his treasure vaults, and so the largest merchant vessels that could be constructed were ordered, and then loaded their entire berths with his riches. Decoy ships were sunk mid-voyage, and the crews of any bearing the real goods were staffed with slaves, and sent to distant corners of the earth after their cargo was buried and hidden, never to spread word of its location. Darvan turned to his second mate, a tall and lanky man. The second of the two Andrews on the ship, and so his name was given the 's' at the end to distinguish them. Who the grog was that? Such a wretched... he paused, as he struggled to actually remember anything about the girl. It was crowded enough that most tables were filled, and there was no way he could have stood up straight enough to have spied his verbal opponent across at the other side. He was quite clearly nearing the point of having filled the tankard in his belly. ...Wretched voice he finally managed to finish meagerly, the only thing he really had to go on about her. His mate rolled eyes. You might best wait on that until morning. Get too close to that one, and knowing you, you'd end up inviting her onto your lap like a barmaid, and then I wouldn't have a captain anymore, but be left with a body to bury. Grimsbane had an appearance that could gather a lot of attention, and yet equally a reputation that would likewise scare any honest and sober men away. Darvan lacked the fortune to have either of those two qualities, right now. And under such conditions, are stupid ideas born. I think she might need a lesson. Darvan's finger stretched out, wrapped in a silver band, and it wagged and wavered, the tip wandering across the table as he tried to pick a man for a job. Finally, it settled, aimed at a fresh-faced boatswain. Miraculously, he managed to correctly recall the proper name. Holston, follow her today. I want to see where she might pop out her head this evening. Andrews could only silently wave his hand back and forth, palm out, motioning for caution, that whatever was about to spill out Darvan's mouth should be avoided. Then we'll give the strumpet a little scare, a pistol shot into the air from beside her head in the dead of night might set her attitude straight. The crewman stared blankly back at him, but a hand onto his chest and a heavy push sent him on his way. Holston didn't have quite the same head as Andrews did for knowing people and locations, and barely caught up with her trail before she embarked upon The Burning Seas. Hustle and bustle overtook the vessel, but no matter how many hours he paced the docks under the summer sun, Grimsbane did not emerge. Strumpet, indeed, it seemed to him. A fist banged against the captain's table, when Holston returned empty-handed. What do you mean, you lost her? He exclaimed, startling the young lad. I didn't lose her, the boy tried to explain once more, I know exactly where she is. On that ship, and now far away from any pranks that could be pulled on her. A wince appeared on his face once he listened to that last part he just said, and wished he could take those words back, belittling the captain quite like that. It would be just my luck, to have a man like you on my crew. I ask you to chase a woman, and instead you chase her out of the whole damned city. Darvan may not have been pleased by this turn of events, but with the time passed and his wits back about him, even he could see his foolish boyhood antics for what they were, so perhaps best to use humor to draw attention away from his own folly. Besides, once he had learned who exactly he had so poorly intended to mess with, no ordinary girl enjoying a simple mug of grog, even he had to swallow his breath with a gulp. Andrews spoke from his side. Are we settled with this matter, then? The captain waved the boy away, with a curt Yes. Holston had nearly made it outside of the captain's office, when a contradiction beat him in escape through the doorway. No. Curiosity had struck Darvan. Who in their right mind sails out of port with only a starlit sky? There wasn't anything to hit in the middle of a sea, the odds were astronomical, but one slow turn from the captain's wheel could send a ship into the docks, the coast, a sand bar, almost anything, when so poorly illuminated. I wouldn't be able to hazard a guess, sir. The taps of fingers rattled the desk, as Darvan mused out loud. That girl... we don't need to do anything to her. That would just stir the hornet's nest. But to snatch what she wants, right out from under her... Andrews, I want information. Tomorrow, find out what shops she's made purchases from. If any dock workers loaded crates into her hull, I want to know what they know. Even women that her men may have visited, somebody must have been bragging. It would be an awfully late start on his part, but he had caught the whiff of something big, and probably at least ten times as valuable as any of the meager leads they had so far, along with probably half the rest of the town.