Mortance: Summer's Snow

Ahryn Ⅱ

My arrow wound was near healed, but that was about the only silver lining I had left.

My farcical trial was to be held in the northern shipyards of Kark. Reed and his crew paraded me through the streets to the elf they answered to. It was all so overembellished. Tempest liked to pretend himself a proper landlubber in business like this. A proper fool, more like, I thought.

"Do you tremble te know ye'll die today, lass?" Reed taunted me.

I spat in his face. "Death is after us all," I said. "But I doubt 'e's got me today."

"Then yer a fool. Ye need only look around to know ye've come 'ere to die."

I took a glance around. Sights like this one were not so uncommon in Kark, but people still gave a second glance. There were too many I recognized, like Nancy the wench, or Deon the brothel owner, or two whores of opposite sex I'd bedded many a time. They were all watching me, but there was no waiver or cowardice they could've caught. Whenever death came for me, I would surely greet him with a smiling face.

"And 'ere I thought Tempest wouldn't want such a crowd. Yer right, I was surely a fool te think so."

"The world must know how much safer the seas will become."

"Ye found me because ye were stealing from poor fishermen. Strange thing to call safe."

"Ye'll shut yer mouth, wench."

I laughed, and flinched away as he slapped me. The blow only made it funnier. I might've fought back but for my tied hands. "I thought Tempest wanted me te look good fer the execution."

"Speak in silence."

The crowd following us continued to grow as we traversed the streets of Kark. I saw even more familiar faces, some I hardly cared for, and others who brought back forgotten memories. It was strange how many people seemed to care, and how few of them were sailors. Sailors were the ones who should care the most, yet there were more whores here than anything else.

"Where are ye taking her?" someone yelled.

"Is she te die? Let me have her again before ye kill her!"

"And me!"

"And I!"

"Me too!"

"How flattering," Reed glared at me.

I smirked. "Envious?"

"No man envies the whore," he said. "And ye bed women as well..."

"Aye, what of it? Gives me twice more options than you."

"Gives ye twice my sins be what it does," Reed said. "The world will be better rid o' ye."

"I been told so before, yet here I march."

"Ye've not much longer te march."

"I'd be less sure 'f I were you. Many a ship be survived by the cap'n that is me."

"This ain't no shipwreck."

"And yet..." I shrugged. "I think I've a fair chance."

"Ye can spend yer final moments in that fantasy if ye wish, it's naught to me."

I laughed and let his words hang in the air as we approached the northern shipyards. This was to be my grave until I dug my way out. I've had many graves, privateer, I thought. None seem able to keep me buried long.

The place of my execution should've been drab and dirty, but Tempest had fixed that. His colors and sigils were hung on lines strung between the half-constructed ships. I saw torn Jolly Rogers too, and even a few flags bearing my personal design, all ripped almost beyond recognition, and well displayed. At the end of the dock, where they were marching me, I saw my murder: two massive rocks and a pile of thick rope. I nearly laughed, for it was a foolish and fruitless notion to drown me. My lips only stayed shut to be sure the fools stayed fools.