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The pirate king has arrived.
I look around the ship, spot Niridia, and catch her eye. The message conveyed in the look I give her is obvious.Did you do this?She shakes her head once.No.
My next action is to kick Tylon in the shin.
“Ow,” he says.
“You brought him here?”
“Of course. You obviously called for help. Why wouldn’t I bring him here?”
“Because we don’t need his help.” I make a sound akin to a growl. Then I advance to the ship’s edge. “Hello, Father.”
“Do you have it?” he asks. He does not look pleased. My father is a bear of a man. Dark brown hair and beard. Wide-set shoulders. Over six feet tall. You don’t have to meet him beforehand to know who he is. My father commands attention in the same way the winds command the waves.
“Of course,” I respond.
I reach a hand into the single pocket on my breeches and pull out the small orb. Draxen was so concerned for his brother’s life, he did not think to check me for the map again. He might not have even realized it was no longer in his possession.
In a very businesslike manner, I place the map into my father’s waiting hands. He looks over the glass, confirming I’ve given him what he wants.
“Now explain yourself. Why did you call Niridia?”
Everything is silent, halted. All the men and women hold Draxen’s crew at gun- or sword-point. My father doesn’t care about their discomfort. He’ll take as much time as he wants to question me. It’s as if everything stops for him. It has always been this way.
“I needed a way off the ship. I had the map and needed a way to transport it.”
He looks at me, slightly disbelieving. “Why didn’t you bring this ship to me?” Before I can answer, he holds up a hand to silence me. “Niridia?”
“Aye, sir!” Niridia shouts from where she has two men held at gunpoint.
“Tell me, where did you find my daughter when you boarded the ship?”
“She was—”
“In the brig,” I interject. Niridia would lie for me. She’d die for me, too. And in this case, they would be the same thing. My father may do many things to me, but I know he would never kill me. He would not show the same courtesy to anyone who lied to him.
“It was a minor setback,” I say. “I was kidnapped off this ship. Vordan Serad came for me.”
“Vordan?” My father’s face darkens. He has a deep contempt for his competitors. “How did he know you were here?”
“He had a spy on the ship.”
“What did he want with you?”
“He was curious about my… skills. He locked me up and forced me to do things for him.” I try to keep the conversation as unrevealing as possible since we have listening ears.
“What did he learn?”
“A lot, I’m afraid. But he already knew most of it. Said he had a spy high up in your ranks.”
My father’s eyes pass over his men quickly. “Be that the case, I will deal with it later. Was your escape difficult?”
I hold myself straight. “I handled it fine.”
“And Vordan?”
“Dead.”
