As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Wilkes - 19 Morning Star, 1246 A.D.

"Quartermaster, I would speak wi' ye." Cherry Pie said from the doorway to my quarters.

"What is it?" I asked in a concentrated tone.

"Mar-Dur be movin' east."

"So he's finally found his balls. What of it?" I observed the latest chart Rapheus had sent me over my lenses, marking out one of the more lucrative trade routes with a stick of graphite.

"He be in the Caper Sea, sir."

I stopped and looked up at him. "Are you certain?"

"Aye, been spotted by Captain Morely near on a day past." He said, holding a carrier pigeon's note between his middle and forefingers.

I motioned him forward and took the message from him, scanning it quickly.

Perhaps the words upon that small piece of parchment would somehow bend out of shape into something more favorable when I looked upon them, but no such thing occurred.

"Fuck..."

"Orders, sir?"

"Stay the course. I'll take this to the Captain." I said, setting down my instruments and shooing him out of the room.

He departed, and while I did my best to temper my anger, it got the better of me as I seized one of the paperweights from my desk and threw it across the room, shattering some glass thing wherever it landed. Mar-Dur knew we would not follow him into waters crawling with the Pale Navy. It would be suicide. Though if he was going willingly into those cursed seas, it must mean that he was searching for powerful allies, heavy artillery, or both. In any case, we needed to make landfall soon. Mar-Dur was not known for being discerning or calculating, so I was confident that as soon as he got what he wanted, he'd race across the sea to undo us. Going to La Harve, or anywhere for that matter, would be foolish now with such a volatile enemy on the loose.

We would have little advantage on land, but at least then we could hunker down and keep the Mirage guarded until we could come up with a more concrete plan to subdue him. Though if strategic retreat was our next move, then what would precede it was an unsavory thing to entertain, much as I knew it must be done. I sighed. That little creature was just my weakness: a woman in distress. Killing her would be like murdering a puppy or a small rabbit, but it had to be done. We needed to get what we could from her regarding how she'd escaped Seyes Palace and any other valuable intel she might have, then do away with her. She still belonged to the Third Prince and might have some alliance with him if she'd indeed been kidnapped against her will. We couldn't risk her blabbing about our plan, let alone take her back to our base.

I hurried down to the hold where Fay said she would be and found her conversing happily with Mila. Though the two ceased their conversation and became more serious upon seeing me there.

"Fay, my darling, we must change course for The Wreath of Eyes. Mar-Dur is in the Caper Sea." I told her in Tlaxlian, "It is not safe in open waters."

"Rat bastard!" She shouted as she paced for a few moments, "After all, I've done for him, and this is the thanks I get?! Mila, adjust course for the Wreath of Eyes. Now!"

"Aye, sir!"

"And you, come with me. You've wasted enough of my time. We're doing this my way now." She commanded as she walked past me.

I went along behind her without argument and let out a deep sigh.