The Pirate's Legacy: New Horizons

Epilogue: Beyond the Horizon

He pulled the knife away from his throat. The front burned and stung. He looked down and saw the entire blade's tip was stained red. Had the cut been too deep? He felt a drop of warm blood slide down his throat, followed closely by another. Roger slammed the bloody knife into the sink basin, splashing water onto himself and the wooden floor. Curses spewed from the scarred corner of his mouth. He pressed a hand against the knick. Roger felt a presence inside the doorway to his right and rolled his eyes in that direction. "Just a small cut," he said brusquely.

Blika nodded before he headed back into the captain's quarters. His footsteps barely made a sound over the floorboards. The boy picked up the left boot that he'd placed on the writing desk. He slid back on the stool to finish polishing the black leather.

Roger waited for a few more seconds before he pulled his hand away from his neck. He cleaned off the knife before going back to scraping off the overgrown hair on his face.

They were holed up in Oh Henry's cabin. Roger had convinced the pirate captain that staying for two more months for the wedding would pay off. The thought of free food and wine was tempting enough for the Politickan, but Dread Robin promised a gift that Oh Henry wouldn't be able to resist as well.

Several minutes later, Roger emerged from the bathroom with his face clean of unnecessary hair. He wore only his new dark blue pants and woolen socks. In addition to the gold hoop on his left ear, his last fang hung off a silver chain around his neck. Blika looked up as Roger joined him at the writing desk. The boy wasn't dressed for tonight yet. His captain had insisted on his help. On top of the cleared surface was Roger's long-sleeved shirt, made out of the finest Politickan white cotton. As Roger slid on the shirt, Blika pointed to the front of his own throat.

" 'Tis that noticeable?" Roger's scarred lips twisted when Blika nodded. "Can't do anything about that. If she complains, I could always call it off."

Blika stared at him for the space of two heartbeats before he dropped his head back to his polishing. The boy didn't take him seriously. Roger didn't really take what he said seriously, but he liked to entertain the thought that he could just call off the wedding if he really wanted. Roger grimaced. He wasn't yellow-bellied before, and he wouldn't turn into one now.

As he buttoned the front of his shirt, someone knocked at the double doors. Roger finished the last buttons at his collar while he walked across the captain's quarters. Oh Henry stood behind the doors. He wore native Politickan robes in festive red and yellow. His grin only lasted until his eyes fell on the small cut on Roger's throat.

"Calypso's tits, mate. Getting married isn't the end of the world."

Roger scowled, eliciting a shudder from the other man. "What the devil are you babbling about? That was an accident."

"Ah, that's a relief! For a second there, I thought you'd actually tried to kill yourself to avoid your own wedding." Oh Henry laughed as he walked inside. Roger closed the doors behind him, and they headed over to the writing desk. The Politickan nodded to the Afrikaansian, but the latter didn't lift his head from the right boot that he now polished. The older man stopped in front of the desk while Roger went around it to the other side. Annoyance touched Oh Henry's chest like pinpricks, but he reminded himself that the captain's quarters and the ship were still his.

As Roger tied his hair back with a leather thong, Oh Henry smiled broadly. "I know this is too early, but congradulavidas my friend!" he said. "As my present to the groom, I give you this!" Oh Henry took from his sash a handgun smaller than a man's fist. "I customized it such that you can hide it anywhere on your person," he said.

Roger smirked as he took the present from Oh Henry. "How many rounds can it take?" He ran his thumb over the handle where Oh Henry had engraved Dread Robin's symbol, a skull with a robin flying out of its mouth.