Chapter 20 - Doubts and Fears

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  Hammers struck nails, saws were worked over wood, and men in vests and headbands scrambled to rebuild that which they'd torn and burned themselves once upon a time.

  Eksa stood with her arms crossed, supervising the reconstruction of Kovar's midsection. Her throat itched, and she indulged, taking a sip from a flask that contained the bland taste of rainwater. She glanced down at her own midsection, brows twitching, judging the size of her gut. It wasn't that much rounder was it? Just a slight bulge against her tight, black corset…

  Eksa unconsciously brought a few strands of her hair to her mouth, chewing on their ends. The corset did its job in hiding her shame, but that didn't change her inner thoughts. She took another sip from her flask, both glad and not that it was water. Her hand twitched now and then with the symptoms of withdrawal. I've been through this before. I can do it again.

  Except, Aaron and her other friends had been there, helping her along the way.

  Now she was alone.

  A breeze swept through the crowded streets, carrying with it the scent of the sea and the stench of sweat and dust. Eksa crinkled her nose. Sowing season was nigh, but the warmth of the south could be likened to temperatures of early summer. The refuse and ruins of the town had been moved away, piled on one of the empty rock islands next to Kovar.

  “Madam Red Serpent,” called a man.

  “Bron,” Eksa said, nodding. The man held rolled schematics in hand that she had drawn up and proposed. “Things seem to be faring well here.”

  “Well, yes madam, although…”

  'Madam Red Serpent' was what most of Kovar's hapless citizens called her. Eksa wasn't sure of what to make of it. On one hand, they seemed to say it with a measure of awe. On the other, she knew much of that respect came from fear.

  Also 'Madam' made her seem older than 'Lady' might.

  “What is it, Bron? Are the men offering any trouble?”

  The older man turned to face the construction site. He itched at the curls on his head, frowning. He was short in stature, but had blocky arms bred from hard work no doubt — something Eksa could appreciate. “Trouble madam? No. They've been oddly obedient. Eager even to get their hands working on things if I say so. I've seen that same look in the eyes of lost lads. It's strange to think these men were behind the, er, burning and destruction of our home.”

  “Not all of them,” Eksa said. “And some only did so driven at the point of the sword and because of extreme poverty.” Which was all a poor excuse to the man whose home had been taken, she knew. But she had to make a distinction. She had to earn the people's trust if she was to lead them to a brighter future.

  Bron scratched his head again. Then he unrolled the schematics and frowned at them in turn, looking up at the empty plot of land and tilting his head as if wondering how everything Eksa had drawn would fit here. “I know it wasn't all of them, madam. I know you weren't a part of the assault, and you're trying to help…”

  Trying. Bron put too much emphasis on that word. Her trying had recently involved raiding ships at sea as every other pirate did and allowing her men to indulge in their baser instincts of violence and banditry. Despite her own devolution into despair and darkness, those raids had to be done. Too long had her men been sitting around, and men sitting around doing nothing made them jittery. They had to feel like they were doing something, or they would eventually do something themselves, and more often than not, that something they decided on involved violence.

  “The men now have purpose,” Eksa said. Her gaze passed over the many workers. Tripling their number were pirates standing guard at street ends for any hint of foul play from Crow's side of town. Even something as simple as guard duty would keep them satisfied.

  For now, whispered a fearful voice inside.

  With the loss of Jackrin, the threat of violence looming over these men for mutinous actions had been taken away. The reputation that he and Aaron had made for her held sway still. Eksa had to act and takeover while her men still respected the illusion built around her, lest they realize their helmsman was nothing more than a fearful girl playing at being the helmsman.

  They say Jack slaughtered twenty men at Qalydon, saving Tilda Coraine from capture. Had he done that from the good of his heart, or had it been one last display of power —a reminder that Eksa still had in her possession a powerful pawn? She shook her head, turning back to Bron's unspoken question. “The work will keep them from doing anything impulsive, I hope. Now, is there something wrong with my drawings?”

  “The drawing, Madam Serpent? No, nothing wrong with those. They're well. Very well. They said you drew charts well, but you've also an eye for architecture and city design for certain. The drawings are organized and beautiful. I've not seen their like before in my years as a carpenter.”

  Eksa felt a pleasant tingling at those words. She raised her head a little higher. “Of course not. Those are the drawings of a delicate Estraean artist. You'll never come across their like again.”

  Bron raised a brow. His mouth quirked, and he turned away before his smile could be seen.

  Eksa scowled at the man though he saw it not. That smile had been one of reprimand. The kind a parent gave their child when the child went about exaggerating all the good they'd done. Bron saw her prideful boast as nothing but that. Pride was certainly bad —but only if one didn't have the skill to defend it. Eksa was more than confident that not even an Estraean could challenge her in the art of cartography and schematics. “You've still not asked your question, Bron. You came to me with a worry.”

  “Ah, well, the construction is going well and all, madam, but if I estimate right, we barely have the resources to rebuild a quarter of this ruined section of town. We need more lumber.”

  Eksa bit the edge of her lip. “You let me take care of that problem,” she said, trying to sound in control. A shaky edge had slipped into her final words. Eksa sipped from her water to calm herself. “Just make sure disagreements don't turn into brawls and arguments.”

  Bron nodded, keeping a wary eye on his workers. Workers who'd been murderers that he was now forced alongside. That was his option after all —work under the Red Serpent's attempted benevolent rule, or succumb to meek compliance and servitude under Crow. The choice was obvious, but it didn't make Eksa feel any better about enforcing it.

  Crow, who's made a royal mess of things. Eksa had been expecting skirmishes of some sort for the fate of Kovar, but Hawthorne had not given her that. He knew he didn't have the numbers, so he assaulted Qalydon, hoping to take the city by surprise. He'd failed to capture Tilda Coraine, yes, but he'd returned with riches and new slaves for his men to abuse. He kept his side appeased, and brought a great enough victory to earn respect from those serving Eksa. Too much and the balance still might shift away from her.

  I should attack him now while I have the higher numbers, while I have everyone's attention and respect.

  But did she really want to do that? Did she dare start a war in the town she was trying to rebuild? A new wave of violence would rip apart every attempt she'd made at mending these people's lives. Every effort —every relationship all reduced to dust with one impulsive decision. It would be a betrayal, Eksa thought, to have given all the assurances that she had only to stage a bloody battle for conquest.

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  And what if I lose? This was, after all, the Man with a Hundred Plans she was considering challenging. No, no, that's just his reputation. It's nothing but my perception.

  A perception not easily overcome. Doubt lingered in Eksa's heart. Aaron had always been the one to draw battle plans for her. At sea, Eksa could give orders as she saw fit. But on land? On land, her pride was dull and her confidence barren. She didn't have Aaron, or Viper, or Jack. They had… they had seemed superhuman, had seemed invincible. They had powers that could shift a tide in her favor. She could not be brought to start a fight without even a single one of them. Why oh why did I send Jackrin away?

  Foreman Bron had gone back to the construction site, and was giving out orders to his fellow carpenters and the once homeless Tarmian pirates of Ostirin, showing them Eksa's diagrams and how it was they were to work.

  Eksa turned to leave when she found Severum, her new right hand, lounging in the shade between two homes. A short palm had grown between them and Severum sat comfortably, playing with a large leaf. Eksa stomped over to him, putting her hands on her hips and wearing the darkest scowl she could imagine.

  Severum jumped up, as if shocked anyone had found him. “C-captain,” he said. “I was, er—”

  “Save it,” Eksa said. “You were lounging instead of attending guard duty.”

  “Um…”

  “I'll let it slide this once, Severum, because I like you better than most.” This made the man flinch. Eksa's frown deepened. She'd nearly forgotten half her original crew still dreamed of one day capturing her eye. “Watch over the construction site in my absence. Report to me if any fights break out or the like.”

  With that, Eksa stomped off. She headed for The Scarlet Reaver, hoping to catch some alone time in her cabin where she could mull over her thoughts. Perhaps she could draft new copies of her diagrams so Bron wouldn't have to use his set to show the workers what needed to be done all the time. Drawing would certainly keep her mind off that itching need for alcohol.

  Still, Eksa eyed the windows of taverns she passed with envy. It took a great amount of discipline to keep her feet from steering her in that direction. Or perhaps I should be drafting assault plans against north Kovar. The attack on Qalydon would slow food and resource supplies to the island town. Resources like lumber that was needed for reconstruction.

  So deep had she gotten lost in her thoughts that Eksa did not notice the thick mound of billowing black smoke rising from the southern edge of town until the bitter smell of burning wood irritated her nostrils. She flinched, looking up at the sky in confusion.

  “Captain! Captain!” called a screaming voice. The man ran down the street and came straight for her.

  Eksa put a hand to the cutlass at her waist —the one her father had gifted her long ago. “Tyles,” she said, nodding to the out of breath messenger. “What's happening? Cooking fire? A forge go down in flames?”

  “No, Captain. One of the… bars… fire.”

  “Breathe, Tyles, and explain again,” Eksa said, maintaining an austere tone. She held back her nerves with great effort, praying that the worst had not come. That Crow had not attacked this deep into her territory somehow. Her thoughts were a storm. Superior numbers meant nothing if she didn't have a counter plan.

  “One of the bars has gone up in flames,” Tyles said after several breaths.

  Eksa heaved a subtle sigh of relief. This sounded like an accident. “A bar? How?”

  Tyles shook his head. “We don't know. Believe it might be one of Hawthorne's men. Must have knocked some bottles over and set the drink alight I think. The flames spread and the rest of the booze got caught—”

  The headaches returned almost instantly. “How many wounded?” Eksa demanded. “Any fallen?” But even as she said it, she was already hurrying down toward the flames, surprising even herself from her lack in hesitation.

  ***

  Crow sat on a crate aboard The Virulence, filing away at overgrown nails. A smirk touched his lips when he finally took notice of the distant smoke rising into the sky.

  Aki, watched her captain carefully as she ran through drills with her spear. It would be a simple task, throwing the thing straight into that one-eyed bastard's breast. It would free Aki of her chains, and relieve the Red Serpent of all Crow had planned. But it would also mean Aki forfeited her life. Hawthorne surrounded himself with Dhorjun's former favored guards. They'd surely cut her down, now that she'd lost his trust.

  What a fool I've been. Had she killed Crow the night Dhorjun died, she might have been in charge of his crew now. A wasted opportunity for certain. It became more apparent that she'd been relegated to a mere officer's position while Jakart, the new captain of Tidestrider, was in a more favored position to be second in command of Crow's numbers should he fall.

  Aki paused her martial display, sweeping her forehead with a backhand. Her sweat damped arms felt cool in the ocean breeze, but from above, a merciless sun beat down on her skin. She glanced at the southern horizon, gaze catching on the undulating smoke plumes rising therefrom. “That little campfire one of your ploys, Hawthorne?” she asked. She approached him from the side, careful to not get too close lest the guards be forced to show their alarm against her. It was a trivial little formal display. Aki made sure to not get too near to Hawthorne, and the guards pretended they were still friends. Aki leaned over the side, staring into the waters below. Daring fishes danced in her shadow. “What'd you do? Set her favorite ship aflame?”

  Crow looked up from his distraction, single eye twitching. “Aki, Aki, why show so much interest in that craven little whore.”

  Right. Any interest she now showed in Eksa was taken with suspicion. Aki had sent secret messages, urging Eksa to attack now while she had higher numbers and the people's favor. But that girl was hesitant, and Aki couldn't guess why. Something to do with her conflicting sense of morality perhaps? Maybe she didn't want to be an aggressor —but that hardly made sense given her pirating actions in the last year and a half.

  Or was it the loss of her skillful fighters that made her doubt herself in a head to head match with Crow's capable armsmen? Aki had seen firsthand the ruin that madman jester had left in his wake at Qalydon. But he'd left. He'd turned away and not returned to Kovar —she was sure of it. A fact she kept from Crow, though he suspected Aki had a hand in betraying him on that night, causing their loss, and allowing Tilda Coraine to remain free. Failing to capture the high lady had forced the pirates to flee back to Kovar for fear of retaliation they could not handle.

  “You're provoking her,” Aki said. “Even after the report I gave you. She has higher numbers. If she attacks—”

  “She won't,” Crow said.

  “And that mad jester of hers?”

  “One man, Aki. One man. One alone does not bring ruin to a city, let alone take down nearly twenty men.”

  You weren't there. You didn't see, Aki wanted to say. She refrained, lest she expose her own fear. Crow did not point out her supposed betrayal as mere formality. “So? What good does burning a ship do?” she asked.

  “Oh it wasn't a ship. Just the bar she frequents most, all that drink gone up in flames,” Crow said wistfully. He shrugged in feigned lament, smiling.

  Bastard's gloating. “And that's supposed to help us how?”

  “Oh, Aki. You owned a bar and you don't know?”

  She knew of course, she merely sought to coax out any hidden motives he might have. He'd be willing to share if he was in the mood to gloat. It was a flaw she noticed in even the most conniving of men —when assured of victory, pride swelled in their minds and addled their usually clever brains. “So you burn her bars. Her men come to us to wet their whistle. Can you control all of them when inevitable fights break out and the like?”

  “That won't be needed,” Crow said. He leaned forward and began filing a thumbnail. “You see, Kovar's about to have a shortage in food supply thanks to our little raid on Qalydon. No food, no drink, the men will get desperate and fight amongst themselves. They will turn to their looting ways and the Estraean bitch will lose her support of the people.” He looked up, staring Aki in the eyes while he teetered from side to side, grinning.

  Aki snorted and looked down at the ocean waters again. Shuari's Ashes. He stole food more than anything from Qalydon. Crow would become favored in the city in one fell swoop if Eksa did not attack soon.

  She won't.

  Of course not. She wouldn't bloody the streets and make the people relive their pain of two years past. Stupid and impulsive enough to go against her very nature and raid merchants, but too holy to start a war. Idiot girl.

  “And you know what's funny about all of this, Aki?” Crow asked.

  She ignored the question, certain that he'd tell her anyhow.

  “A missive arrived from Qalydon,” Hawthorne continued. He paused for the screeching of a gull, letting that sentence play out in its full drama. “We didn't need to retreat from Qalydon. They had no reserve forces to fear. But I'm glad they didn't. We've become enough of a thorn to Xenaria that their dear queen has offered to hire us as privateers. They've offered a meeting on Qalydon.”

  “A trap,” Aki said, letting the thought sink. If such was true, Tilda Coraine certainly had had no say in the matter.

  “So I thought initially, but they've no ships to contest us with any longer. They will pay us to maintain rule over the island town. An offer allegedly blessed by the Holy Vicegerent of the Trillian Order or some such.”

  Aki folded her arms, spear gripped beneath one. Her grip on the shaft tightened. This effectively handed the reins of Qalydon as well as Assak to Hawthorne, if he played his cards right. There was next to zero chance of a man like him letting such an opportunity slip him by. What use is there in me remaining here a spy for Eksa if she's about to be strangled and refuses to do anything about it?

  How convenient for Crow to have owned north Kovar to receive the Xenarian queen's missive before it could have reached Eksa instead. Everything was falling apart, and Aki found herself giving serious thought to immersing herself in servitude again, if only to be on the winning side. Do it, the coward within whispered. You have no choice.

  No. Not again. She had decided that there always would be a choice. As she saw it, there were two more favorable options. Fight and die, or bide her time and rely on providence —something she had not done in a very long time.

  Aki decided to wait. An opportunity would surely present itself at some point or another. Shuari watch over me, she prayed.