The Jackdaw

The Guild

The guards were in pursuit. Gunshots rang in your ears. Your mother screamed as if she were somehow surprised that you might end up dying from her callous decisions. The streets were crowded, making it nearly impossible to get through. Which, thankfully, was the same for the city guard.

You pulled Edward sharply down an alley, your feet carrying you through the city with muscle memory alone. You turned another sharp corner, ready to leap up a stack of crates when you heard a familiar whistle. You spun on your heels and met their familiar features. They waved you over to the doorway with a quick glance around.

"This way," you told Edward, leading him to the open door. You both hurried inside before the guard could catch sight of you.

"What is this place?" He looked about the meager room, a simple and very humble abode.

"Thieves guild." The moment the words left your tongue you questioned whether or not you made the best decision.

The door was slammed shut. A bar of wood was dropped onto a pair of barricade brackets. They turned with a wry smirk on their lips. "You can follow this tunnel to the outskirts of town." They strode across the room to another door.

Edward went tense. "Outskirts? We've gotta get back to the Jackdaw."

They cringed somewhat in confusion. "What's a jackdaw?"

"My ship."

You placed a hand on his arm, hoping it would help him relax a little. "Is there any way we can get to the harbor from here?"

"Sure but..." They tossed a shoulder up in apathy. "If your ship is the one I'm thinking it is, there's no point. Had to leave the harbor when the guards tried to detain it. A bloody mess that."

"Jaysus," Edward cursed under his breath.

"Ade might've sailed around the island. We could meet him on the other side." You turned your attention from Edward to the person across from you. "Thanks, Jo."

"Good to have you back."

"I'm not back," you retorted

They tossed a pointed thumb over their shoulder. "Looks like you're back. You've got half the city looking for you."

"A misunderstanding," Edward humored.

"And here I thought you were after that stockpile of reales that just came in. A whole ship of them carted off to storage a day ago."

He perked up with interest. "Reales, you say?"

You squeezed his arm, drawing his attention. "We've gotta get out of the city."

"With all that coin, we could bribe our way out of here."

"Not quite," Jo interjected with a slightly raised palm. "You'll have to go through Barnaby first. He's got his eyes on it already. A plan in place."

"Who the hell is Barnaby," groused Edward with a darkening tone.

"Guild leader," Jo said matter-of-factly. "He's got a network of thieves on nearly every island. It's best for you to stay on his good side."

"Let's meet with this Barnaby." Edward leaned closer to you, words softer, "Unless there's some reason we shouldn't."

A part of you did like the prospect of stealing again. Thievery was a part of you. But the other part desperately wanted to leave Kingston and never step foot in it again.

He added a little sweetly, "It's too good an opportunity to pass up, don't you think, love?"

You laughed under your breath. "Alright." Your attention rolled to Jo. "Take us to him."