The Misadventures of Anna Cabbot

Distract and Extract

It was Anna's favorite time of day — the sun had set but it wasn't yet full dark. She stood next to Carson on deck. He wore a shirt across his hips like he sometimes wore his sealskin, and strapped a knife to his thigh. She flicked the back of her fingers against his abs near his belly button; he grunted.

"I didn't hit you that hard," she muttered, glancing up at him.

"Made you look."

Snorting, she wiped her palms on her jeans. She still wore her borrowed linen shirt, but she'd needed clothes she could run in. It was why she'd worn her high tops, too.

"You're leaving first, by the way." Carson nudged her into motion.

"Oh. Alright." She faced him, well aware this was where she was supposed to say something deep, meaningful, and profound and yet she was well aware the entire plan would fall apart around their ears. Maybe none of the sharpshooters hit their targets. Maybe Carson and his men didn't find Nigel or, they would find him but be unable to get him off the ship. There were a number of moving pieces and any of it could go wrong at any time.

Anna didn't know what would happen if she or Carson were to die in this odd in-between world. Quite frankly, she wasn't in a hurry to find out.

Carson grinned, eyebrows raised. "Wingin' it?"

God bless him.

"Wingin' it." She bumped her fist against his.

"Go blow shit up, Anna Cabbot."

She laughed and headed for the opening along the rail, snagging the lantern off the deck on her way by. It hung heavy and unwieldy at her side, and the way it slapped off her calf was definitely going to bruise. She hesitated at the edge and looked over her shoulder — Carson, arms crossed over his chest, nodded.

Anna took a deep breath and allowed Jenny and another crewman — Filip, she thought his name was — help her down into the rowboat that would take them to the bordello. Once Anna was settled, Jenny reached for the rope to haul herself back up the side and said, "We'll be ready, but we can't wait too long for you."

"I understand." She set the lantern between her feet. "Good luck."

"Same to you, my friend." Jenny took her trifold black hat from her head and set it on Anna's. "Don't lose my hat."

"Aye-aye, Captain."

Jenny snorted, then climbed up the side.

It was full dark by the time Filip tied off the rowboat at a small, empty dock on the bordello. She fed a little witchfire into the lantern though refused to carry it high as a light source. Filip and his men peeled off into the darkness and she was alone on the boardwalk.

This was her idea. All of it was her idea and if it failed...Well. Best not to think about that in too much detail.

Anna turned the corner on the boardwalk and it was like someone had turned the sound up in the world. There were people everywhere, most of them scantily clad and looking for company. Sailors mingled with women; people yelled to and at each other, and several choruses of raucous drinking songs spilled from various doorways.

A dull, echoing thud rolled across the expanse of water and wood.

She tucked herself into a pocket of deep shadows and set the lantern at her feet. Clapping her palms together, she struck against her Evrael, pulled her fingers apart, and surveyed the melon-size ball. She rolled her shoulders and windmill pitched it through an open upper floor window on a nearby building. Still tethered to it — though barely — she fed it a little more juice and then let it go.