“If we wait until the very end of my season, when I have no other proposals, we can make it look like he was kind enough to take pity on the poor Sirminican girl who couldn’t get an offer. I’ve been dissuading others, you know.”
That mollified Cornelius a little, and he agreed to wait, mostly because he had no choice. My explanation wasn’t even entirely a lie, but I still clung to the far-fetched hope of buying my freedom. The delay would help.
Adelaide dazzled everyone in the ballroom, and Warren’s adoration was clear for all to see. I managed to catch a few words with him and hoped to finally learn if any of the supplies he’d gathered for his new colony had been stolen.
“Will you be leading any heretic patrols later tonight, Mister Doyle?”
“No. No doubt there are all sorts of dark rituals going on, but we all needed a night off. I figured the boys deserved the chance to partake of their own festivities too.”
I tried to picture Grant celebrating in a sparkling mask and almost smiled until I remembered our last conversation. “And I’m sure you’re busy preparing for your trip to Hadisen. It’s in a week, right? Do you have all your necessities?”
His eyes followed Adelaide as she whirled around with another partner. “Nearly. Excuse me, Miss Viana.”
I’d warned Aiana I’d be ducking out of the ball a little early. The chaos of these big events made slipping away easy. Aiana had the difficult job because as a chaperone, she was supposed to help do a head count and make sure everyone was accounted for when we returned home. She’d scolded me for being out so much with Grant, and I hoped she wouldn’t say anything to him. Neither had any idea that I was really out with Tom.
After trading my glamorous red gown for Lady Aviel’s starry cloak and subdued black mask, I made my way to the rendezvous point Tom had given me. Normally, he assembled his crew at the Dancing Bull or one of a handful of other pubs he frequented. Tonight, I’d been told to meet him at a quiet crossroads south of the city limits.
There, I found him and ten other men. All of Tom’s regular crew, except Jenks, was there. The rest appeared to have been hired for the night. There was also one woman. I immediately recognized her as Joanna Steel, one of the few renowned female pirates. She didn’t work for Tom but was another ally he’d recruited for the night. A bright red kerchief was tied over her iron-gray hair, and she winked when she saw me. Rumor had it that she’d been married to five infamous pirate captains—and that she’d killed them all.
“We’re raiding a ship called the Queen Grace,” Tom told us. “It has a light guard tonight because of the festival, but it has a big cargo. That’s why we need so many hands. We need to unload it quickly and get out of there. The crew shouldn’t be any trouble. The few who are there are probably put out that they had to work on festival night, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already hit the rum. We round them up, load our boats, and hopefully still have enough time to attend the festivities ourselves back in the city. Any questions?”
“Should we wait for more fog?” asked Anders, Tom’s Skarsian colleague and the one whose dirk I’d inherited.
Tom peered out toward the water. The sky was mostly clear, but mist was starting to roll over the bay. “No, by the time we get there, it should be right where we want it.”
Away from the crossroads, down by an uncleared patch of shore, we found five skiffs waiting in a secluded cove. We spread out among them and rowed back toward Cape Triumph’s main port, the place where all the commercial ships docked. Tom directed the boats to go wide to avoid detection offshore and then come in behind the large galleys.
“This fog is a lucky break,” Tom told me as we sailed. “It’ll make this even easier than it already is. Some might say the angels wanted this to happen, so you don’t have to have any of your usual moral dilemmas.”
“You know I don’t like hurting people if we don’t have to—especially unlucky sailors who are just doing their jobs.”
“Then let’s hope they’ve drank enough to be submissive but not so much that they try something stupid. If it helps, I don’t want any shots fired tonight. That sound carries over the water, and the less attention we attract, the better.” He scanned the boats with a small frown. “We’re down a few more than I’d like. One of my men hasn’t checked in for some time. Anders’s cousins were going to help, but they’ve run into some legal trouble, I hear. It is what it is. If luck is with us, this group is all we need.”
Tom was right about the mist thickening. By the time we’d reached the port, it was hard to even make the ships out. Tom had to confer with Elijah and another man before determining which one the Queen Grace was. When they’d made the identification, the skiffs came up alongside it, and no one spoke. All communication was done by hand signal. Lesser Tom scaled the ship’s side with astonishing dexterity and disappeared over the top of the railing. A little while later, a rope ladder came tumbling down, and all but two of us climbed up. The others stayed with the boats.
I was one of the last up, and my comrades had already encountered some of the crew. As I swung over the rail and onto the deck, I saw Elijah disarm one sailor while Joanna held a couple of others at gunpoint.
“Sweep the ship,” ordered Tom. “Don’t let any of them get a gun.”
A few sailors down below hadn’t realized what was happening. I went with Elijah and Anders, and the three of us took a group by surprise. One sailor pulled out a knife and looked as though he might rush us. After doing a double take at our blades and guns, he surrendered his weapon.
When all the sailors on the ship were secured, Tom had them locked in the captain’s chambers. Then we began the arduous task of hauling out crates from the cargo holds.
“I hope these are filled with gold,” one man said with a grunt. “They feel like it.”
Each skiff could hold a couple of crates, and once one was loaded, Tom would send it off. I found myself in a boat with Joanna and Lesser Tom. He rowed, and she smiled over at me.
“Easy work, eh?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” I admitted. “Tom said it would be, but I didn’t really believe him.”
“You shouldn’t,” she said. “Don’t trust any man who smiles too much or gives too many compliments. I keep hearing you’re good . . . but also a little squeamish.”
“Not squeamish. I just don’t like hurting or taking advantage of innocent people.”
“You’re in the wrong business then, little angel. But if you ever get tired of Tom, come work for me.” She kicked at one of the crates. “Let’s see what’s in these, shall we?”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to,” said Lesser Tom uneasily.
Joanna ignored him and took out a heavy hunting knife from her belt. She broke a crate’s seal and popped the lid open. Even Lesser Tom couldn’t help his curiosity and leaned in with us to look.
“Cutlery?” asked Joanna in disgust. “It’s a good thing we didn’t risk our necks tonight. Would’ve hated to get shot at for a bunch of forks.”
Not just forks. The crate also held spoons, plates, and cups. “Are they worth anything?” I asked.
“Mostly pewter and horn. The knives are iron, but all of it’s plainly made. Real silver’s usually his game.” She gazed at the other boats thoughtfully. “I’ll say this, he’s certainly got a lot of it. I suppose if he can sell it all, there’s money to be made. But it’s not something I’d pick. Fewer things worth more money are the way to go.”
When we arrived back at the cove, the party split up. Tom had had wagons and horses hidden, and he instructed half of the men to take the crates to one of his storehouses. The rest of us rode back to Cape Triumph to collect our pay.
“No Dancing Bull tonight,” Elijah said cheerfully. “He doesn’t keep enough money there to cover tonight’s work. We’re going to Molly’s. She keeps track of his big money.”
“I’m sure she do
esn’t mind,” said Joanna. “Then everyone can gamble it away at her place.”
Molly’s was a nondescript house from the outside, but a gambling den inside. It was a darker, rougher place than the tavern I’d been to with Grant. Immediately inside the door, four huge men checked us over and took our weapons.
“Molly trusts no one—not even friends,” Tom said. “She moves too much money to take any chances. We won’t get any special treatment here, so don’t step out of line.”
The smell of sweat and smoke that I’d come to associate with these places filled the air, as did the heat of so many people enclosed in one space. But unlike other taverns, this one had a very clear purpose. Some patrons diced or played other games, but poker was the main attraction, and tables filled with a wide range of classes and vocations spread out over the room. There were more of Tom’s ilk, but also pirate pretenders, tradesmen, laborers, and all sorts of other citizens hoping to make it big. A number of them wore festival masks and made toasts as they played. Others remained deadly serious. We were regarded with interest by some but not nearly as much as we received in other venues.
A woman, older than me but younger than Joanna, came striding forward. She wore a bright blue satin dress and looked completely unimpressed by us, or anyone really. I was sure part of that strength and confidence came from having henchmen on either side of her. But I also suspected that she, like Mistress Smith, had an inner strength that commanded respect.
“I know that look, Tom,” she said. “You must have had a good night and need to pay out. Let’s go look at the books.”
“Still don’t see how it’s that big a payout,” Joanna said when he was gone. “But you must be happy about it, judging from that big smile.”
“Oh, I am,” I told her. “I’m also just happy to see another tough woman in this city. I keep finding more and more of them.”
Joanna laughed. “Not many of us, but we’re out there. We’ve got to keep pushing. You sure you don’t want to work for me?”
When Tom returned, he carried a heavy sack and began doling out gold. He paid each of us ten and kept the rest in reserve for those who’d gone to the safe house. Holding that much money left me momentarily dumbfounded. Then, old instincts from Osfro kicked in. Showing wealth in certain neighborhoods was like an immediate request to be robbed. I quickly spirited the coins away to an inner cloak pocket.
Some men in our group wanted to stay and try their luck, but the rest of us headed for the door. Suddenly, Anders stopped and stared across the room. Incredulity, then anger, filled his face.
“Look who’s over there! It’s those bastards who think they can call anyone a heretic and beat them up!”
I spun in the direction he indicated and immediately found the table, all the way in the back, that had caught his eye. Ten men sat around it, intent on their cards. A few of them I recognized. At a recent party, I’d caught sight of heretic patrol members coming discreetly to the kitchen’s back door to report to Warren. These were some of the “average citizen” members. The patrol’s more elite members probably only played cards at the Chambers plantation.
And, of course, I knew one of the players very well. Grant.
Tom put a hand on Anders’s shoulder. “Leave them be. They’re authorized by the governor.”
“You think that matters to me?” Anders shrugged Tom off. “They’re the ones that arrested my cousins this week! Broke one’s ribs and knocked out some of the other’s teeth. And that’s only part of it.”
“Anders—”
But Anders was already storming away from us, pushing his way through the room and shoving aside anyone who blocked his path.
“Damn it,” said Tom, hurrying after Anders. Elijah, Lesser Tom, and I began to follow as well. Joanna caught my arm.
“Don’t do it. This is going to be a mess. Leave with me while you can.”
“I can’t.” I left her and caught up with the others.
No one at the table had noticed Anders’s approach yet. Grant seemed particularly focused on his hand, which made me think he must actually be here to play and not gather information.
Anders walked over to one of the patrol members, jerked him up by the shirt, and punched him so hard that he flew backward into another table, scattering coins and cards. A hush fell in the room, and the other patrol members—including Grant—jumped to their feet. He recognized me in an instant. Our eyes locked, and even he couldn’t conceal his surprise right away.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” demanded another man from the patrol.
“What you did to my cousins on the east side!” Anders roared.
The man tilted his head. “What, you mean those Skarsian delinq—”
Anders punched him too, and a third patrolman lunged forward. Elijah blocked the attack and grabbed him around the throat.
That was as far as it went because we were all suddenly surrounded by Molly’s burly bodyguards. “Out!” she yelled. “All of you! There’s none of that here!”
Her men herded my party and the heretic hunters to the front door, some of us—like Anders—more forcibly than others. The bodyguards gave us our weapons back and shoved everyone out to the street.
Anders wasted no time in pulling out his pistol as he strode toward the man who’d spoken to him. “Let’s see how you do against men who can actually defend themselves!”
I expected Tom to halt this. He had no qualms with necessary violence in his jobs but usually only engaged in minor scuffles within city limits. Apparently, this was an exception. Things moved so quickly, I could hardly keep up. Joanna and another hired hand from the ship raid had quickly departed. That left six of us and five from the heretic patrol. At most, the patrolmen were armed with knives. They’d only come here for gaming, after all. The pirates, fresh from a job, had guns and swords.
Chaos followed. The pirates descended on the heretic hunters, and Anders promptly shot someone in the leg. As he was trying to reload, another hunter attacked him, and in turn, two pirates attacked him. And me, I stood there stupidly, having no idea what to do until someone slammed into me and knocked me to the ground.
Grant.
“What are you doing?” I demanded in a low voice. He held me pinned in the dirty street, as if attacking, while the fray raged behind us.
“What are you doing?” he growled back. “Are you okay? Have they hurt you?”
“Me? No! You’re the one who’s outnumbered.” He regarded me intently, not satisfied with that answer. “Don’t worry about me. Trust me on this.”
He hesitated a beat more. “Then keep my cover. I can’t get made. Do you understand that? No matter what you see. Don’t try to help me out here—”
“Let her go!”
It was Elijah and Lesser Tom coming to my rescue. They ripped Grant away, and I lost track of him in the shadows. I’d just staggered to my feet and took out the dirk when another patrolman tried to grab me. He didn’t get very far. Two punches to his jaw sent him stumbling, and then another gunshot sounded. My opponent screamed and put a hand over the left side of his head. It looked like the bullet had only clipped his ear, but it was still a bloody mess. Tom himself came over, shoving his pistol in his belt as he kicked the man in the ribs.
I looked frantically for Grant but couldn’t find him. The lighting was too poor, and it had gotten noisy. Along with the grunts and cries of the combatants, half the patrons from Molly’s had spilled out to watch the spectacle and offer their own shouts. A couple of heretic hunters were still engaged in active fighting. A couple more were completely down and being beaten further by the pirates. I couldn’t tell who was whom.
A voice from the crowd yelled, “The militia! The militia is coming!”
Tom looked up and scowled. “Get out of here!” he shouted. “You know where!”
Between the din and battle lust, I didn’t
think any of his men would even acknowledge the order. But they all stopped what they were doing and assembled at his side, quickly untying our horses. I was still standing and searching for Grant, but things were becoming even more chaotic in the street.
“Get moving,” Tom said, coming to my side. “We need to—”
One of the patrolmen, who apparently wasn’t down for the count, had obtained a pistol somehow and was charging toward Tom. Without even thinking, I jumped in front of Tom with my dirk pointing out. The man tried to swerve but stumbled and ran into my blade. It pierced the side of his abdomen, and he crumpled to the ground. I pulled the dirk out and stared at the blood on it, stunned.
“Come on, Aviel!”
Tom practically dragged me to the others, and then he and Elijah roughly lifted me onto a horse. I peered back frantically, still needing to know what had happened to Grant. I was on the verge of actually turning around until Tom slapped my mare, and she took off after her cohorts.
We rode to a town house in a sleepy, middle-class neighborhood that had apparently finished celebrating for the night. The home belonged to some business associate who was away, but Tom had a key. We crowded into the parlor, dirty and bloody, and Tom immediately began issuing orders.
“Everyone lays low for the rest of the night. Elijah, go tomorrow and get some funds from the Bull to pay whoever we’re bribing in the militia these days. Lesser Tom, you get word to the men who went to the storehouse. Tell them they’ll still get their money for tonight—it’s just going to be delayed. And Anders . . .” Tom fixed the Skarsian man with a glare. “As for you, you’re going to take your cut back to Molly’s tomorrow and give it to her as an ‘apology’ for the disturbance.”
Anders winced, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of that punishment or because one of his eyes was almost swollen shut. “Boss, I’m sorry. When I saw them, I just—”
“Yes, yes. I know.” Tom sank onto a plush sofa. I’d never seen him look so worn out. “But you caused a hell of a mess tonight. We can’t afford to get on Molly’s bad side. And, for better or for worse, those men are acting on official orders from the governor. The militia can’t ignore that. They’ll have to come looking for us, and that’s going to be an inconvenience until we get everything settled.” He glanced over at Elijah. “You’d better double our standard bribe.”