Veils of Storm

16. Yarik

By the time the Jolly Marauder found a place to dock, Cage was more than ready to get off the ship and do what had to be done.

He hadn't lied, he'd been to Yarik many times before, but that didn't mean he liked it. The place was a shithole, filled with smugglers, pirates, seedy taverns and brothels. To make it worse, this time he didn't even have his status to protect him from the uglier aspects of the place. He'd always known about them, but being the Admiral of the royal navy actually allowed him to ignore them.

As it was, he had to think things through very carefully. Once he'd step off the ship, he'd be nothing but a stranger in the crowd. And because Cecile liked to mess with him, he wouldn't even be a very impressive stranger. The ugly frog man was short, squat and looked as if he couldn't run very fast. Fortunately, he didn't look rich or well-groomed either, so maybe they'd all just assume he was a pirate sidekick and leave him alone. After all, he only wore boots, his simplest black breeches and a white shirt. No tunic, no vest nor anything else that could indicate status.

But even so, he had to look dangerous. He equipped a double sheath to his back and plunged two swords into the slots. A dagger strapped to his thigh and a small crossbow hanging on his hip should do the job. He didn't want to use the weapons, but if it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate.

He joined the others on the deck and noticed that they'd all resorted to much simpler clothes and many weapons. Kat herself worse nothing but trousers and a shirt. They probably hung loose on her illusion, but the clothes hugged her real body as she struggled to tighten her belt and secure the sheath. The ornate handle of her father's sword was visible against her thigh.

"Oh, gods, you look ghastly," Jinx said.

"I don't need to look handsome, I need to look dangerous," he pointed out.

Kat's eyes flickered to him and widened the tiniest bit. Of course, she could see the real him, just like he could see the real her. There was a fire in her expression that got him heating up as well and he couldn't help but take in every detail of her. Golden tendrils had escaped the braid she'd woven like a crown on the top of her head. Her eyes sparkled with desire as they roamed over him. The top buttons of her shirt were undone. Shit, she actually had to do those up.

"Yes, you're both probably still dreamy to each other," Jinx said. "Can we move on?"

Jazz laughed. "Leave them alone. You're just upset that you had to make yourself look ugly."

Jinx was by no means ugly, but she had resorted to larger clothes than usual and her flaming hair was mostly hidden under a poorly tied scarf that made her look like a handmaiden. It was too obvious that she was uncomfortable, and Cage would've laughed at her if he wasn't much too busy controlling his urge to sweep Kat up in his arms, take her to his cabin and unbutton the rest of her shirt. Instead, he walked over and buttoned it up.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"We really need to not draw attention," he said. For some reason, he sounded apologetic and he hated himself for it.

She just nodded and looked to Jazz and Jinx. "What's the plan?"

"The purpose is to find out where Wolfbane is," Cage said, forcing himself to get back to business. "So we split up and ask around."

"We still need supplies," Jazz pointed out and handed him a list. "Make yourself useful."

Of course he would. Just like he knew Jazz probably already knew a handful of people he could ask. He'd have to improvise because he'd avoided Yarik like the plague. But that didn't stop him from walking down to the pier like he owned the place, Jazz to his right and the girls trailing behind them.