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4
NIKATHY
I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to imagine what my father would say. Undoubtedly, he would tell me that my hair was too long and my clothes too shabby, but I was trying. I'd had the silly notion that I could just borrow a suit from his closet for this occasion. Maybe if I wore one of his finely cut jackets with the bejeweled cuffs I would take on some of his stature. But my reflection said otherwise. The jeweled cuffs looked offensive around my wrists, and no matter how tall I stood and how far I threw my shoulders back, I still looked like a pirate in ill-fitting clothes, not a distinguished leader of the free world.
Frustrated, I tore the ridiculous jacket off and tossed it aside. If the councilors wanted to meet with me, they were just going to have to put up with my regular attire. I grabbed my belt and my weapons, strapped them around my waist, and pulled back on my usual overcoat, saggy shoulders and all. At least it had the added benefit of hanging a little too long, hiding my hands and weapons from view in case I needed to make a quick move for a blade.
I left my room, stalking down the hallway and straight past Cosma.
"Um, really?" she started, but I gave her a withering look, and she stepped out of my way. "They're in the dining hall."
I was already headed that way, eager to be done with this business so I could go back to... whatever it was I was supposed to be doing. Mourning my father? Making sense of his business? It was hard to know exactly what people were expecting of me just now, but they knew better than to speak of my relationship with Pops, at least to my face.
I pushed my way into the dining hall and spotted the two men waiting for me, drinks already in hand. They sat back in overstuffed chairs, looking oddly confident and familiar. That made me uneasy.
"Gentlemen," I greeted, trying to sound welcoming.
They looked up at me, their conversation grinding to a halt as their eyes went from my face to my coat and back again. I could feel their judgements from here, and my hands curled into fists, hidden by the cuffs of the coat.
"Where is everyone else?" I asked, forcing myself to take two more steps forward and sit across from them.
"There isn't anybody else. The council is just us... and your Pops, of course."
The two men shared a sideways glance and then eyed me over their drinks. They were lying. I didn't know much about this place, but I did know that the council was made up of at least six members, plus my Pops as a tie breaker. Whatever these two were up to, I needed to be on high alert.
"Well then, if that's the case then this should go quickly. Bring me up to speed, if you don't mind."
I reached for the end table, pouring myself a drink from the open bottle, noting wryly that it was one of my father's more expensive bottles, taken from his private collection, and judging by how little of the amber liquid remained, I'd say they had treated themselves to more than one before my arrival. They waited for me to finish pouring and take my drink in hand before the one on the left began speaking.
"As you know, your father left the two of us in charge there at the end."
He looked at me earnestly, touching a hand to his heart, waiting for me to acknowledge his statement. This, too, was a lie, but until I got to the bottom of things, I didn't want him to see my distrust. I nodded, putting on the solemn face of a boy who's lost his father and finds himself without direction. Perhaps if I gave these two enough rope, they'd hang themselves with it.
Encouraged by my somber look, the man continued. "Anyway, we've been doing our best to keep things running smoothly. You know, since he passed? But we've run into some problems. Of course, we don't want to be a bother to you and yours during this time. There's still a funeral to have and all, and you need your time to grieve like the rest of us. I mean, what I'm trying to say is this: we wouldn't come asking if it weren't important."
My shoulders stiffened as I prepared for the request that I knew was coming. I may not have been a politician, but politicians and pirates had a lot in common when it came to grifting, and I could smell the man's envy from here. It was so strong, it almost blotted out the pungent stench of the shoe polish that he had applied hastily before coming here. Fucking amateur.
I pasted an appreciative smile on my face, doing my best to show him that I was all ears.
"Anything for you gentlemen," I answered. "If you had my father's trust, you have mine."
They shared another spurious look, and I slid my hand toward my belt.
"Well, it's two things really. First, there's the matter of the port renovations. Expenses ran a bit high, and we need to secure the funds for the remainder of the project." He was watching me closely, waiting for me to react, but I kept my face stoney. "And then, there's the council's pay. Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind my paycheck being a few days late, but we were afraid that you just didn't know the arrangement around here. That's why we decided to stop by and make sure everything was properly sorted."
The second man hadn't said a word this entire time, but his face had gone from something like disinterest to a sly smile as the conversation went on. I took a long sip of my drink, enjoying the way they leaned out of their seats, waiting for me to swallow their hook. They thought they had me, which was going to make this so much more enjoyable.
I smashed my glass on the end table and took up the empty bottle in my hand. I threw it directly at the man on the right, catching him in the face before he could dodge. He grunted and clutched his bloodied nose, but he didn't try to rise. I was on my feet, lunging for the man on the left, drawing a blade from beneath my coat and leveling it with his eye as I stood over him, keeping an eye on the other man just in case.
"I didn't know my father was in the habit of keeping rats as pets," I growled, daring one of them to speak up. They cowered, and I smirked, knowing I had them caught. "The port renovations will be completed on time and on budget. And if they're not..." I let my blade dip, slipping it beneath the man's sloppy tie knot and yanking it through the fabric with a swift movement.
He sucked in a breath, his eyes turning watery as he struggled to make excuses. "It's just business," he began, but I pressed the tip of my blade into his throat, cutting him off before he could go any further.
I lowered my voice into a menacing thrum and leaned in close to his ear. "This is how I do business."
I pulled back. The heavy scent of the liquor mixed with the man's cheap cologne, making me shudder. I turned abruptly and walked back out of the dining hall, slamming the door in my wake.
Outside, Cosma was leaning against the wall casually. She made to stand up straight when I emerged but I glared daggers at her, wilting her confidence.
"Do not bother me with this nonsense again," I instructed cooly.
I was almost back to the office when I heard Cosma's voice taunting me from behind. "You should go check on your little friend. I hear she's not happy.”
