Seaborn

After pillaging the schooner and setting course for a new island, I spent a quarter hour fuming in my cabin before admitting that I needed to be visible to my crew. I’d given them the order to kill innocents – I couldn’t just do that and shut myself away!

Yet on deck a black air hung around me like a dark cloak, and I was no comfort to my crew. Many were distraught, but I wasn’t the one to help them. Unable to return to my cabin and feeling like the ship was a prison closing in around me – or a kraken layering its arms on me – I stalked to the stern and practiced magic. Throwing a piece of driftwood out with water push, I would try to catch it with water whip. Repeat. Again. Blow off some mana and some steam.

Marcus had always emphasized the control aspects of the spell. Most people used it like a lash – an ineffective blade. It could be as dexterous as the limbs of an octopus. In the mental realm I could control a hundred arms with ease. Stars, I could have played a bloody organ with them! But reality required real practice. It was becoming my signature combat spell because of my versatility with it. There was no harm practicing with it, was there?

Practice. Again, and again. My mana was getting low, but I still needed some way to blow off steam – to cope.

I was a monster. Those people I’d killed … even the ones I’d tried to save. They all saw it. And now they were watching me from beyond the grave – their faces judgmental and accusing. Why couldn’t I make the sacrificial play? Did cheating death myself really cause the world to be such a worse place?

I recalled Sadeo’s words when I’d first told him I was a servant of Davy Jones. His response had been, “Who’s Davy Jones?” At that time, the whole world had been put in perspective. Jones might be the terror of the seas, but he wasn’t all-powerful even in his realm: and there was a much bigger world out there than the ocean’s that made up the center and the outer edges. This drama on the high seas was nothing on that scale: the risks I posed negligible.

The screams of the dead made it very hard to return to that mentality. I’d never claimed to be a saint, but what I was now was something the Domenic of a year ago would have despised.

Who am I kidding? I despise myself even now.

With a roar I clapped my hands together with the biggest water push I could manage, draining all my mana to supplement it into something big enough to jerk our ship several degrees.

I looked out into the sea behind us as the water swallowed up the efforts of my spell and returned to its own tranquil movement, ambivalent to my despair.

“Once your waves comforted me,” I whispered. “Why won’t they now?”

Like the spirit of the ocean was speaking directly into my mind, I understood exactly why. Once my heart had belonged to the ocean, for better or worse. Now, my heart and allegiance was owned by Davy Jones.

For better or worse.

“Captain?” Burdette said behind me. “A word?”

I ignored him for several moments. Burdette had been struggling. Some moments it seemed he looked at me like I was the same upstart crewman I’d been months ago. Other times, he looked at me and saw my charisma-stripped features and shuddered. Sometimes it seemed he remembered how deadly I could be, and handled me like a toxic blowfish.

“Yes, Burdette.” I said. “What is it?” How do you see me today? Will it be contained insolence or restrained terror in your voice?

“In your cabin, if it’s alright, sir. I’d like to go over our course.”

“Very well.”

I led the way. Sailors of our level didn’t need to review our course unless we were making changes. He really wanted to speak to me alone.

“Well, out with it!” I said as soon as he’d closed the door.

“Yes Captain,” he responded, knowing exactly what I meant. “It’s not good for the men to see you like that, sir.”

“In a black mood over the executions we did? I’ll not try to hide that from them. I think it would be a worse weakness to hide away.”

“No Captain, that’s not what I meant. I meant your magic practice, sir.”

Surprised I spouted, “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well sir, you look something fearsome when you’re doing it. Most people are already leery of what mages can do to them with magic, and after what we just did … well, it looks like you’re holding a lash over them, saying ‘don’t rebel, or I’ll use my powerful spells on you’.”

I shook my head. Powerful spells? Right.

But it was the job of mates on a ship to bring such matters as these to the Captain’s attention. Had the crew really been feeling that? I couldn’t claim to have been paying attention.

“Very well, Mr. Burdette. I’ll restrain myself.”

“Aye, sir. There’s one more thing.”

“Speak.”

“Do you have any means of improving the morale of the crew? I mean, I understand that it’s … I mean, the ship is a …”

“We’re a cursed ship crewed by men with no choice?” I said dryly. “I’m aware.”

“Yes, Captain. But it seems that morale does still play some part in things … doesn’t it?”

“It does, and one of the ship features is currently sucking 5% from the morale per day.”

“That’s what I mean! Sir, if we don’t improve things … well, I don’t know how the crew will respond.”

“More talk of mutiny?” I asked, recalling that he’d told me there was seditious talk while I was recuperating from my lightning injuries.

“No one dares say anything like that. Instead, they feel like they’d rather be dead. It’s all rather bleak right now, but it could turn sour fast, especially if things get worse.”

I sighed. “We are all questioning if death would be better, Mr. Burdette. But tell me: how can I improve the morale of a crew that knows their souls are tied to the ship, they’ll never see their homes or families again. And there is nothing I can do about it!”

Seemingly unsettled by my outburst, Burdette’s suggestion was tentative. “Is … are things like port calls forbidden?”

“What?”

“Say we navigate to some small island town, let the lads swim from the submerged and hidden ship to the shore and make their way to town for an evening being normal again. Ordering food, drinking with friends, complaining together, ogling the serving girls … giving them a night like that would improve things, I think.”

I stewed it over. Why not? What were the risks? That my crew would be identified as cursed? That they’d talk? That someone would try to keep them from returning to the ship?

I voiced these concerns, and Burdette was quick to offer solutions to most. The location we picked would be key: some place big enough to handle our crew but small enough not to have enough forces to trap us. Burdette even suggested a place he knew of.

Being identified was a much greater risk that had no mitigating factors. Could the crew bluff and say they had a collective curse of a different kind? Could they collectively strong-arm a small port into putting up with them even if they were found out?

As we talked, I could feel myself being persuaded. I did need a way to staunch the spiraling morale, didn’t I?

“Very well,” I said, tracing my finger from our next ambush location to the island Burdette had mentioned. “A night on the port it is.”

It was a surreal experience, sitting alone in a tavern. I was scarcely ever alone, always drinking with whatever crew I had signed up with before swapping to the next one. That was before I’d become a Captain, much less a Captain under Davy Jones. I felt like a spy or infiltrator into the realm of normal people.

Readying the crew for a port call had been equally surreal, most stunned by the news or refusing to believe I’d actually approve it. It wasn’t until we were anchored in the shallows and readying to swim to shore that it became real for them. Many were hesitant, understandably guilty about having fun with the blood on their hands, but no one wished to be left behind. I let them split into groups under the eye of those I trusted to keep tabs on them.

I didn’t join those groups. Part of it was what Burdette had said, the men needed some time away from me. Part of it was the desire to be alone with my drink. So once everyone else had departed I swam off on my own, too, leaving the Death’s Consort without anyone on board. I wasn’t exactly worried about someone stowing away aboard her.

The town Burdette had picked was bigger than I’d expected, but I guess they did have to be able to handle the influx of nearly 300 people. The schooner I’d so badly wanted would never have fit us all unless I packed some in more tightly than the slaves had first been.

Knowing the locales that my crew was heading for, I picked a much smaller, quieter, and out of the way place for a drink. To meet that criteria and still be open after sunset meant that it was a seedy establishment. The characters here probably would have eaten the old Domenic for breakfast. Now, they all gave me a wide berth, though not without muttered comments like, “Would it hurt you to put some points in charisma?”

That’s how I found myself just over a day after I’d sentenced 31 people – at least 31! I didn’t know if the rest made it to shore! – with a half-finished mug of grog on my table, and a three-quarter full bottle of whiskey. I’d never liked grog, but my goal had been to get drunk enough to forget. After tasting the brew, I refused to do that to myself. Hence the whiskey. I wasn’t usually one for anything stronger than beer, but I’d never had ghosts to silence before.

I was making strong headway through that whiskey bottle. Maybe I should get a few to stash in my bag. A nightcap might help me sleep better at night – much better than reading and diving into the mental realm.

I tried to pace myself, but had no idea where my limits were. On one hand, I’d never drunk anything this strong so fast before. On the other, I could tell the alcohol wasn’t impacting me the way it should. Physical resistances sometimes impacted such things – it’s how dwarves could down such strong meads without batting an eye, it was their physical resistances. Or was it their resiliency and metabolism? Did anyone actually know for certain? Ah, those bushy-faced fellows …

Okay, I probably was slightly impacted. Not bad for halfway through the bottle. My method of pouring into the small glass in front of me for each drink rather than drinking from the bottle was clearly working.

The people in this fine establishment gave me and each other a wide berth. That made it pretty easy to keep track of anyone even close to me. So it was a surprise when a cloaked figure sat down across from me and pulled her hood down to expose her flowing hair and dark, hard eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Hali.

My mind was so flummoxed that I didn’t process her sudden appearance, much less her question. So much so that I repeated her own question, though in a much different tone.

She glanced at the bottle I’d nearly finished. “Do I need to sober you up before getting answers?”

The happy smile on my face faded. Right. This was all-business Hali, professional spy, not just a girl I’d been crushing on.

Not that I’d admitted that until after I thought I’d never see her again.

Maybe I’d built more in my memory than there’d ever been, but it still hurt that she didn’t seem just as glad to see me.

Right, my face. No one was glad to see me anymore.

“No, no need.” I said. “Unless your cure is a tasty potion rather than the water dunking I imagine.”

She studied me. I studied her. Or rather, I got lost in her eyes. They were such vibrant eyes, blue and hazel and maybe a bit of green – how was I supposed to describe that color? Some people just had eyes that defied simple ‘blue’ or ‘brown’. She wasn’t dressed like a rough sailor anymore. There was a touch of makeup on her face, under her cloak she was wearing a dark green dress, with a cut that was tailored for her body …

Her eyes narrowed a bit, and I felt my cheeks reddened if that was still possible. I was 100% blaming the whiskey on my wandering thoughts and eyes.

“The last I saw you, you’d thrown me off a ship.” Hali said. “Staying behind with a band of cutthroats. How’d you survive?”

“First off, I saved you when I threw you overboard …”

“My job was to delay the pirates until the princess could make an escape,” Hali interrupted. “Thanks to you I was helpless to do that!”

“Well, I did your job for you!” I snapped back. “And saved your life to boot, so you’re welcome!”

She dropped the matter. “What happened then? Tell me about it.”

I poured myself another glass, for all that just a moment ago I’d felt like I didn’t need to drink anymore. “I made a nuisance of myself. Killed a few of them, ran down to the lower hold where the treasure was – nice to finally know how much stuff was down there, by the way! They thought they had me trapped – which I guess they did – so they got some buffs and heavy armor to root me out. That gave me time to plant a trap.” Wow, whiskey burned your throat even more after you’d been talking. “They fell for it. I blew a hole in the keel with those magic runes large enough to flood the ship …”

I told Hali everything, about how I’d continued to pester Jack into pulling off his second ship from the princess, how I’d turned the Raven’s own artillery against her, how I’d been taken alive. She didn’t have to drag anything from me, I gushed it all out. Was that a spy skill of hers, or the whiskey? I’d have to be more careful – though the memories made me wish there was another bottle.

“What happened after they caught you?” Hali pressed.

Turning the whiskey glass around in my hand, I muttered, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I felt a pressure on my mind and knew that she had to have some sort of interrogation skill. “There’s more to your story. A lot more. Keep talking.” After a moment, her voice lost some of its edge. “You know you can talk to me.”

“Stars,” I cursed lightly, only realizing I said it aloud a moment later. “The stick and the honey. Is what you’re doing a skill or are you just talented?”

The corner of her mouth twisted. “Both my skill levels and talents have been called into question, lately. But you have more to say. I’m going to hear it.”

“They tortured me,” I admitted quietly to her. “I had a dagger from the Wind Runner’s hold that applied fear. Jack took it and he cut me, and cut me, and cut me … I can’t even remember how far my terror debuff went. Or remember spilling everything I could say. It wasn’t much later I got a quest notification that the princess had escaped, and Jack gave up.”

“You had a quest?” Hali asked in surprise.

“A whole quest chain – tied to the Wind Runner. I lost it when the ship sank, but there was a hidden quest about the princess that I got credit for.”

She nodded slowly. “What else?”

“What else?” I sputtered. Bloody waves, she just wasn’t going to stop was she? Not until she’d dragged out of me my oath to Davy Jones!

Wait a second, she was a spy for Antarus. Antarus already knew my identity and was spreading the word. How did she not know what I was the moment she saw me?

“I can see you’re tensing, trying to hide things from me,” she said. “You told me all about everything else, but now you’re hesitating. Why?”

I couldn’t spill everything. Think Domenic! Think! Push through your liquor addled mind and come up with a story! But Hali was a skilled interrogator – no doubt having professional abilities that would root out lies. Everything I said would have to be truth.

“Lawless Jack … he liked the grit I showed. Hated me for thwarting his mission, but liked what I’d done. He talked with me about working for him. He gave me an ultimatum. And uhhh,” my mind couldn’t think of where to go next. Any story I tried to put together she’d pick apart. “That’s all I want to say on the matter.”

She was already shaking her head. “Mr. Domenic, your story stinks. You stink. And I may have completed my mission to the princess, but this isn’t going to sit right with me until I know everything.”

“You don’t want to know everything!” I exclaimed, too loudly for the establishment. Abashed, I quieted my voice and muttered, “You don’t want to know everything. Made a deal I shouldn’t have, now good people are dead because of me.” Amber liquid splashed the back of my throat. What I’d said was true, and it was all I was going to say. Not just because I didn’t want to spill secrets, but because I was reminded of the screams of those who’d just paid for my choices.

Hali hesitated. Maybe whatever ability she was using could pick up on the darkness of my thoughts. She sighed, and just like that the mask of interrogator-Hali slipped away.

“The world punished you with your imbalance? Or was it some … some unfortunate cursing you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I repeated twirling the liquid around a glass I’d very deliberately poured. “Something like that.”

She grimaced and waved to the barkeep for an ale. “Alright Domenic, I won’t pry. I’m … I’m sorry for what you went through and … thank you. For my life, that is.”

I nodded, my throat tight. Too tight for the drink I was intending to consume. There was only another pour or two left in the bottle.

The silence that followed seemed to convince Hali to share her own perspective. “After you threw me into the ocean,” she still sounded slightly bitter about that. “Captain Michael pulled me into his craft and we made away with all haste. It turns out my presence was fortuitous. I had a cloaking ability, and Captain Michael had an ability that let him spread the effects of one crewman to all those under his command within a certain radius. The combination meant that we could hide the two life rafts. It wasn’t completely effective, but it was night. We made it. All of those rowers were given medals for the effort they put into getting us to shore.

“Once ashore, things went as could be expected. We didn’t arrive with the dignity we’d wanted the betrothed princess to have, but we were on safe shores and quickly found ourselves under Oorkom’s protection. The alliance was sealed – and since the two lovebirds who were the cause for the whole thing wouldn’t stop going moon-eyed over each other, they were even married ahead of schedule. Happy ending for them!” Finding herself in possession of the ale she’d requested, Hali took a swig of it. “Me? I found myself in hot water.”

“How?”

“Somehow, the Madu found out about an … operation I’d conducted. I won’t give details, but it was an affair that made Nilfheim and Oorkom very mad at each other. When Nilfheim told Oorkom, it was embarrassing for Antarus. They had to use a good bit of political capital on my account, which made them unhappy. It also put me under too much scrutiny for my intended purpose in Oorkom, so that was a wash. At the end of the day it didn’t matter that I’d gotten the princess to her destination; I’d failed to get her there safely with the esteem she should have had. That looked bad on me.

“All of that piled up to the court being very upset with me, and me being very well known to our allies and enemies. What’s someone like me supposed to do when everyone is looking at you? They exiled me here to these islands. Oh, they gave me a fake assignment to conduct here, but there’s no way I’m going to find leads on Davy Jones or his apprentice this way.”

If I’d been drinking, I’d have spewed it all over the table. Thankfully, Hali had just been taking another swig and I had my face under control by the time she lowered her tankard.

“They put me here to keep me out of the way. They haven’t even kept me abreast of what’s going on in the world, just act disappointed when I don’t have new information for them.”

“Sounds rough.” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.

She grinned mirthlessly. “That’s not the bad part. The bad part is I know the whole reason for it. They’re waiting to see if things die down, if I’ll have a use again. If not, they’ll hand me over as a prisoner as a sign of good will.”

My jaw dropped a bit. “That’s … harsh!”

“Yeah,” she said. “But I always knew it was the game I played. I was raised for this. My family are personal servants of the crown. My great grandfather was the first one to swear the oath. It’s a fancier oath these days. Used to be ‘I’ll cut any throat you say needs it, even if it be my own.’ Taking that oath as an eleven year old? I always knew my end would be harsh; either assassinated or rotting in some dungeon.”

“But,” I said slowly, noting the bitterness in her words. “That oath you took at eleven feels more restrictive now that it comes down to it, right?”

She tossed some hair from her face – I did not get sidetracked on how pretty she was when she did – and half raised her tankard before setting it down. “Yeah.”

I nodded. I could empathize about oaths that you regretted, even if I couldn’t tell her aloud.

“I think … I think I might know something that pertains to you.”

“What?”

“You said Nilfheim learned of incriminating evidence? Well, Lawless Jack was hired by the Madu, and he found some letters on board the Wind Runner before it sank. He gave those to them. Did you have anything on board that would tell them?”

“I didn’t,” Hali said, clenching her tankard tightly. “But Michael could have. Bloody stars, I wish I’d been able to send him to the bottom myself!”

I nodded. “I almost did. Things would have been simpler.”

We had a shared moment of silence, before I asked a question that had been on my mind for months. “What about everyone else who escaped?” I asked. “I’ve never actually known who the other survivors were. Did … did Virgam make it?”

She looked at me sadly. “I didn’t even think … no, I’m sorry. Virgam wasn’t one of those on the rafts.” She told me each of the names of those who had. I’d known Mr. Donaldson had, injured as he’d been, but hadn’t known Harm and Sam had made it off.

“What did they do with their medals? Sign up with the navy?” I joked.

“Actually, yes.” She said, and my face soured a bit. I didn’t want to think about men I knew being on ships I might sink. “What’s been real interesting is what Captain Michaels has done. No sooner had he handed the princess off than he asked to be on a ship hunting Lawless Jack in retaliation. And you know what? He got it. Oorkom happened to have a recently repaired ship without a skilled naval Captain, and with the alliance and all the two nations agreed it would be a fitting first joint venture.

“You see, Captain Michaels was burning up over the loss of his nephew. He knew his duty was to the princess and her safety, but I saw him as we were rowing away. Leaving his ship, leaving Redmund, it tore him up something fierce. He was set on revenge.”

I was suddenly glad I hadn’t mentioned it’d had been my hand that accidently slayed Redmund.

“About a week’s journey north of Tulisang, he got his revenge. They found the Raven limping along, trying to make it to a safe harbor. Even crippled, Lawless Jack put up a fight. Reports were that the fight lasted over a day – unusual with enchanted weapons and mages in play. In the end Michaels pulled it off. Lawless Jack won’t be sailing above the waves any more.”

“Jack’s dead?” I asked, stunned.

“Mmm-hmm.” Hali said, sipping her ale, then studying me once more. I realized what it was she hadn’t asked yet. If I was with Lawless Jack, how hadn’t I known this? How had I gotten away?

“Jack kicked me overboard,” I said. “His interest in me wasn’t enough, as it turns out. Fortunate, I guess!” I said, toasting with my glass. “It must have been right after that Captain Michaels found him. The swim was worth it after all!” I tossed the whiskey back.

I hadn’t exactly harbored thoughts of hunting Jack down – my ire had been redirected towards the people who’d hired him – but somehow I’d always thought we’d be meeting again. We had unfinished business. He couldn’t just disappear from the seas like that, could he? Well, I guess he wouldn’t be the first person at sea to do so.

My answer either satisfied Hali, or she was having pity on me and not prying. Unless this was all an elaborate, less-invasive interrogation than our first few minutes. I’d never really seen her in her element – only when she was hiding amongst a crew, pretending to be someone she wasn’t while ferreting out any potential threats to her charge. Her bosses apparently didn’t think she was good enough as a spy anymore, but she’d earned the profession at some point.

“To Lawless Jack!” She toasted. “May his corpse feed the fishes a long time!” I gave half a smirk and toasted with her.

“What of Michaels after that?”

“His success was looked on very favorably. He was promoted to Admiral by the king, and he and Admiral Thurgood from Oorkom are sharing command of the H.M.S. Emerald, largest warship on the oceans. They’re tasked with stopping Jones and his lieutenant before they can get up to mischief again.”

“Again?”

“Stories go that Jones is the only reason humanity didn’t crush Nilfheim, Bandarn, and others centuries ago. I’ve lived in those place, and I’m not as racist as some, but humanity got a big smack-down back then. Jones and his sea monsters utterly wrecked naval movements, and geography didn’t play into the humans favor back then. Since humans are the dominant force on the seas once again, there’s a war against an alliance of the other races, and Davy Jones suddenly popped his head up again …” She spread her arms as if to say ‘there you go!’ “The court doesn’t want to be sent back to the isolation years. Antarus is an island nation: we don’t do so well without our imports.”

I nodded. “They don’t even care to talk first?”

“Davy Jones is seen as more of an elemental force than a reasonable person. Attempts to reason with him in decades past never ended well. No one really thinks he’s human anymore, either.” She shrugged. “As long as I’m not at sea when the storms blow through, I honestly don’t care.”

That was fine and dandy for her, but I had a vested interest in what the court thought and tried! But then, I was Jones’ own lieutenant and even I didn’t know his motivations. His first orders to me had been to stir up trouble and level up – not likely the same goals that he had. That begged the question what is was he wanted, and why it seemed his only role for me was to be a villain.

“It’s weird,” Hali continued. “On the Wind Runner Michaels was Captain, but I was placed above him in authority – surreptitiously, of course, you know all about that. Now, in a way, I’m reporting to him after all. He’s Admiral of the task force, I’m an informant,” she drew air quotes around the word. “On the dealings with Jones. As if there was ever anything …” She took another drink.

“There a lot of ships under Michaels’ command?”

“Oh, he can pull nearly any local ship he wants in so long as there isn’t another engagement going on! Aside from that, he’s got a few warships with him all the time. He even has some old buddies with him, Captain Darius is in command of the Athair, and they go way back.”

I knew of the Athair, and of the Emerald, and I’d noticed the names of their Captains and Admirals, even if I hadn’t been sure if they were the same people I knew. I’d encountered them in Tulisang, when they’d tried to trap me.

The Athair had been the one to block me in the harbor, sending a high-level squad after me immediately. At the same time, I’d been given my quest Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son. It had explicitly told me that the identity of my father would have consequences, and the timing of the Athair showing up and the quest assignment was too much to be coincidence.

“Captain Darius?” I asked, trying to be nonchalant. “What’s his story?”

“Funny enough, he used to be a gang with Michaels and Brennon Marston. You remember the Marston’s don’t you?”

“Yes …” I said, but she wasn’t listening.

“In fact, I seem to recall something about Jennifer Marston hating your guts while we were aboard the Wind Runner, all because of rumors that you were an illegitimate child of the family. Son of the dead Marston boy before he could marry your mom, was that right? Oh!” she said, in mock shock. “That Marston boy was Brennon!”

I swallowed. “Yes, yes. His friendship with Michaels is news to me …”

“You never even tried to pressure the Marston family? They could have made you a junior officer on your first sea voyage!”

“I didn’t want their help!” I said. “I wanted my mother free from them, but turns out that wasn’t what she wanted. Anyway, I have my doubts Brennon Marston really was my father.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Reasons.”

“Was it a quest?”

“What?” I tried playing surprised.

She ticked off points on her fingers. “You already mentioned you had a questline that got sunk – literally – and it probably indicated that Brennon Marston wasn’t the guy. You never knew the true identity of your father. You got interested when I said Michaels was part of a group with your presumed father, you think he’s the guy! That sounds so messed up.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it. “I don’t think Michaels is my father. Or at least, I didn’t …”

“Not likely. He was the moral compass of their group; not likely to be the one messing around with ladies – sorry to talk about your mom like that. That leaves Captain Darius, doesn’t it? Ooh, this is juicy. If only this were the sort of thing that could get me off the hook with the court.”

“Just Darius, eh?” I said. I waited a moment. No quest updated popped up, but that would have been too easy. “Well, not likely we’ll cross paths at this point.”

“Come on! No curiosity? No desire to stir the pot just a bit? Think of the drama!”

“It seems you are the only one who delights in the dramatic, Hali.”

“Oh, I doubt that. Somewhere inside of you is a showman who likes to make an entrance. You might think you’re a modest nobody, but I see right through you!”

Hali, at once you’re so right and so wrong, I thought. Maybe I am more dramatic than I think myself, but if you really see through me right now I’m in a lot of trouble.

“I’ve gone my whole life without my father. No need to drag him into anything now.”

“Fine. But if I get the chance, I’m going to have a very fun conversation making Darius feel as awkward as possible. Were you passed down any lurid details that I can pin him with?”

“Passed from who? This was my mum we’re talking about!”

“Okay, yes. Eww. You’re right, that would be weird.”

I couldn’t help chuckling to myself. “See, this is how I remember you: bantering and running your mouth at a mile a minute.”

“It helps to disarm people,” she said. A knife appeared on the table as if by magic.

My mind stalled as I tried to process what had happened – the betrayal that had led up to this. Had she been leading me along by the nose for the whole conversation? My reflexes wanted to spin one of my blades at her, but another part of me said that this was Hali! I couldn’t do that! Locked in indecision, her knife stayed on the table.

“Oh stars, your face!” she broke up. “That was revenge for when you pulled a knife on me, remember? Oh, stars! Totally worth it! If only I had an artist around to sketch you.”

I closed my mouth and tried to decide if I should be relieved, fuming, or laughing. Assuming I wasn’t who I was with the secrets I had, it could be seen as the prank she seemed to intend … I guess. I’d had crewmates pull much worse on me – and done it to them in turn, of course.

I tried to force a chuckle and poured the last whiskey from the bottle. “Got me,” I said. “Oh, you got me alright.”

Cooling her mirth, she drained her ale. “Where are you going from here?”

“From here? Hmph. That’s a long ways to think these days.”

“Catching the first ship headed anywhere? I thought that was your M.O.”

“Not many crews would take me, these days.” I pointed at my face. “It was getting hard to get simple jobs even before … this. Now? Well, I was always thrifty with my savings.”

“Join an adventurer’s guild,” she advised, somehow serious. “The local chapter will take you on, imbalance or no. Slay some monsters, hunt some pirates, when you level up put everything into charisma. It’ll take some time, and you’ll probably never have the same pretty face, but your imbalance can be mitigated.”

“You thought I had a pretty face?”

Was it the alcohol, or did her cheeks get just a bit red?

“Just listen to me. Don’t sign on with a pirate crew or any less savory types because you think you don’t have a choice, alright? Promise me.”

Oh, Hali. If you only knew.

“I promise. No signing on with anyone else.”

“Good.” She dug into a pocket and pulled out a small, multifaceted white orb. “Take this.” She rolled it across the table.

Stopping it, I picked it up and analyzed it, asking for an explanation while I did. “What is it?”

“A communications device, I have its pair. Not as good as something that lets you speak telepathically, and something of a one-use item, but it can be used on opposite ends of the world. Use it, and it will share your emotions and thoughts for a brief duration, as well as pinpoint your location. I want you to know that if you ever need help, you can let me know. I’ll do my best to repay you for the debt I owe you.”

“Debt?” I asked, rubbing the small orb between my fingers.

“You did save my life, even if you threw me overboard.” She stood. “Don’t despair, Domenic. Things don’t have to be at an end just because they seem bad now.”

As she trailed by, she let her fingers slide over my shoulder. All the tangled thoughts and doubts I had got suspended as I received a notification.

Congratulations! You have earned +1 to your main attribute: Charisma.

To have my charisma boosted naturally, Hali would have had to see past my ugly magically imbalanced features. I would have had to truly impact her somehow, she would have had to truly care.

She never saw the tear that slid down my cheek. She was already gone.