Chapter 41 - New Mission

  1 1/2 YEARS LATER

  Year 4240 of the Second Calendar, 7th cycle of Elaina

  Crow tipped back his chair. He listened carefully to conversations of interest, and watched carefully people of note. He sat in the left most corner of Aki's tavern near to the entrance. His usual corner. There was an unspoken rule that this specific corner belonged to him and him only. Even if the bar were full, none touched his specific seat. Every Euralite sailor knew this.

  And the bar was full today. As it had been for the past few months. It wasn't as if this bar was the only one near to Eurale's port, but it certainly had become among the most frequented. A great deal of that had to do with that flesh eating jester —who happened to be an adept entertainer in too many regards.

  Crow had kept an eye on the lad for long cycles since his joining. He'd proven himself abnormally normal. He was cracked for certain, but sane when it suited too. Crow begun asking questions about the Vampire race, but every story corroborated them as mere myths. Everyone save for Astral Union legionaries, who would use any excuse to infiltrate towns and cities. They claimed Vampires darkspawn threats, but their words couldn't be trusted. The jester was a freak and Crow had decided to end it at that. An unpredictable asset was no asset at all.

  Yet, Crow couldn't get rid of a feeling of jealousy. The freak was an exceptional fighter. And so was that boy Aaron. Both of them served on Captain Eksa's boat. Eksa who had curried far too much favor with the men of the navy and had even stopped drinking. Aki was doing a poor job of breaking that girl's will, and the older she got, the harder it would be. The navy had no need for two with impeccable brains. No need for two to whom they'd be beholden when Dhorjun was gone. Already Crow could feel his influence slipping. Fortunately, none from Eksa's ship were present at the bar right now.

  The bar door swung open. The fleet admiral thumped inside, followed by Aki. Crow waved his hand, and the mercenary heads seated at his table dismissed themselves. Dhorjun seated himself across from Crow whereas the barkeep sat next to him.

  “Is it time, Hawthorne?” the admiral questioned.

  Crow nodded. He sipped lemonade from his mug and ran a hand over his smooth—shaven head. Only fools drank so early in the day. “It's now or never. I've eyes from Qalydon reporting that Lord Coraine was summoned to the capital ere not long ago. Not so many of his warships patrol the basin when he's not around. Our correspondents from Ostirin will summon a few ships to aid as well.”

  Dhorjun stroked his beard like a wise man in thought. Crow kept his spiteful thoughts to himself. His superior, while not stupid, was the farthest thing from wise. “And you, Aki?” Dhorjun asked. “The plan Hawthorne laid out isn't unfolding exactly as devised.”

  Aki swallowed. She averted her eyes as might a guilty child before spilling a lie. “My apologies, sir, but Eksa has proved stronger of will than I'd thought.”

  “I told you we should have gotten rid of her,” Crow muttered, taking another sip.

  Dhorjun leaned forward. He pressed both arms down on the table. “And I said no. That girl's talent is well worth keeping her around. She's brought in half of the fourteen vessel fleet we've built up. And most of them with little to no damage from artillery fire, and without losing any men in that motley crew of what? Forty now?”

  “That isn't so much as her credit as it is Aaron and Jackrin's,” Aki said. “She's good at catching winds. Great at it even. Her commands are obeyed seamlessly now, but those two have frightening cunning and fight well enough in tandem to lay ruin to any daring to challenge them. It is… uncanny.”

  “Uncanny or not, Eksa holds too much sway for a mere girl of sixteen,” Crow hissed. Or is she seventeed now? “Not only her conquests, but the few parties she's thrown over the past year have everyone on edge for the next one. They bloody love her.” He turned to Aki, expecting some answer.

  “There's nothing I can do. She has Aaron and Jack wrapped around her finger, and they've hounded her every step since that first party.”

  Crow clicked his tongue. It wasn't as if he didn't have backup plans —he always did. But rarely did his first plans ever fail.

  “I offered the lad his own ship,” Dhorjun said. “Seems I misjudged him. Eksa will object to the plan at every turn. And some of the men might be hesitant because of it.”

  “Surely you can threaten everyone into submission, Admiral,” Aki said.

  Crow snorted. “That's one way to have power usurped from you. Fear is a terrible tool of maintaining power. Admiral Dhorjun has everyone's respect for his strength. But the moment he turns it on anyone we've recruited, that respect is replaced with fear, and they unconsciously seek an alternative leadership.”

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  Dhorjun grumbled an agreement.

  Crow doubted he understood the full gravity of such a scenario. “The next course of action is simple. We send Eksa away again. There's a merchant vessel heading to Katur from Ostirin ere long. A weapons trader. One of ours. They won't take kindly to being robbed but it'll have to do. Send Eksa to take that ship while we go about our business. As a member of this navy, she'll be dubbed our accomplice and have no choice but to comply when the deed is done. The same will be said for everyone afterwards. Any influence she holds will mean nothing after this point.” And if this plan failed too, Crow still had a third in mind. It was rather unsavory though.

  “Where is Eksa now?” Dhorjun asked.

  “On her ship,” said Aki. “She's been eager for her next mission. Seems she almost has enough to fund another party.”

  Dhorjun flicked a coin over to the barkeep. “Get me something strong. Then go deliver the girl her next mission.”

  Aki nodded and rose from her seat. She began chewing on her lower lip no sooner did she turn away —Crow didn't miss the detail. He kept his eyes on her swaying hips as she weaved through the tight spaces between each table to reach the front of the bar. She spoke to her colleagues up front and they handed her a dark bottle. Crow finished his lemonade. He spared Dhorjun a glance. Drinking so early in the day…

  ***

  If there were a sound, aside from any melody played from an instrument, which could be described as soothing, then it would have to be that of endlessly sloshing waves. Second to it was the scratching tip of a quill being dragged along a page. Eksa revelled in both noises as she crafted another map within the confines of her cabin. This new piece was a land map of the Illeyan Alliance. She'd done it at the behest of King Agram. And at Aaron's suggestion.

  It was focus on the craft that had eventually cracked Eksa's drinking habit. So much so, that she didn't keep a single bottle in her desk drawers. Viper, sent by Aaron no doubt, probably routinely inspected her cabin for any drinks. She didn't recall drinking anything for the past two months. Not even at the parties she sponsored. Especially not those, in fact, after the first shameful display of herself.

  Life was better now, Eksa thought. The past year had seen many improvements. She'd captured many a pirate ship for the navy. The fleet had expanded to a total of fourteen respectably sized and well equipped vessels and close to a thousand men, though only some five percent of that was actual soldiers. Most were mercenaries or freed slaves taught to sail and fight. From the whispers caught by both Viper and Jackrin, many held Eksa in high regards. The latecomers respected her accomplishments. Hardened mercenaries knew her as the one who paid for their drinks every now and then.

  And Eksa's own crew had expanded to forty hands, if only for space constraints on other ships. She didn't mind. The new members were decent fighters and had some degree of respect for her, she thought. Though she caught lecherous gazes toward both Aki and herself here and there.

  Finished, Eksa stoppered her ink jar and rose to stretch her limbs. She left the map on her desk to dry and went up to the deck. I ought to find lacquer for my maps sometime. Gull cries greeted her. Some dove into water to catch a meal with a splash. Eksa filled her lungs with fresh ocean air. Half her crew lounged about while the other half were somewhere in the city, either in a bar or a gambling den. Jack was up on the crow's nest doing Flames knew what. Aaron stood on one side of the ship, staring at the northern horizon as he so often did. Eksa slipped between two prepped ballistae and joined him, to the jealousy of a few others around whose gazes she did not miss. “Hot day,” she said, resting her hand on the ledge.

  Aaron took her hand and ran a thumb over a black smudge just below her littlest finger.

  “I spilled a drop of ink on my table,” she explained. Her heart thumped. He'd grown taller and his arms were larger with more rigid lines and a clearly defined curve of his biceps. His chest was wide enough to fit her whole hand on one half, and then some. But Eksa didn’t know what to make of their relationship. Aaron was more than a friend. He all but took care of her. But it never progressed further than that. His every touch sent her emotions in a frenzy. Eksa wanted more out of him, but didn't know how to ask of it. She was well past the age of adulthood by Estraean standards, as was he. Some part of her feared whatever this was wouldn't last. She didn’t want to let go of him, but marriage felt too great a leap right now.

  Aaron let go of her hand and Eksa found herself chewing on her lip. “You've started taking a more active role in our missions,” he commented.

  That was true. If fights broke out she tried being a part of them to overcome her cowardice. Her confidence rose with every attempt. Though her attempts typically amounted to covering for others of her crew rather than fighting on the van. Nor had Eksa dealt any killing strokes before. She had yet to muster enough courage for that. “Are you worried?” she asked. The sun glared down at her.

  “Yes.”

  Eksa held her breath. I have him. “Why?”

  “Because you're the captain,” he said, as if it weren't the most obvious thing in the world.

  She turned to him and scowled. “Why else?”

  “Do I need another reason?”

  “Yes!” Why won't he just say it? He was enjoying this. His mouth twitched. But for once, Eksa did not want to be teased by him. She just wanted an answer. The answer. Not having it was as irritating as it was hurtful. She clenched her fists. I'll start drinking if you don't give me another reason!

  She didn't say that aloud. How could she after all his efforts to help her out of it?

  “Captain,” came Aki's voice, followed by her clacking footsteps. “The admiral has given us a new task. A weapons dealer from Ostirin is expected to purchase black iron weapons from the kingdom of Katur within the next cycle. We have to go stop it.”

  Eksa clicked her tongue and set away from the ledge. “Strange how all these sailors with ill intent just decided to come out of the woodwork once Lord Coraine's patrols became less frequent. A weapons dealer… Hold on. Not pirates? Are we aiding Xenaria with their feud against the Empire?”

  Aki flinched. “Er, not exactly. Dhorjun's merchant contacts in Ostirin believe these weapons will be lent to those looking to cause trouble on the waters.”

  “So are we questioning them then? Or is this confirmed information? We can't attack someone based on rumor.”

  “It is confirmed information,” Aki quickly said.

  Eksa narrowed her eyes. The barkeep's dark skin shone bright from a damp layer. She adjusted the strap holding the spear on her back. The day was truly hot if Aki of all people was sweating. Eksa shrugged. “Within the cycle… We'll set sail tomorrow I suppose. Make sure everyone knows.”