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  “This will have to do,” he said.

  Kadlest looked down at the floor. Blood streaked across the wood all the way from the brig to the janitorial room, running directly past the closet they’d be hiding in. “It should work,” she said, stepping into the closet.

  Toono shut the door, trapping the duo in a pitch black box. He could feel Kadlest’s body crammed against his, which was slightly uncomfortable since they rarely touched—a decision made mostly by Kadlest. She had her reasons, and he understood them.

  Ten minutes passed, and Toono’s discomfort worsened. His back had stiffened and his entire left arm tingled. It had twisted itself against a shelf and fallen asleep. The opportunity to open the door and stretch was long gone. With how long they’d been waiting, the likelihood that someone finally came down had increased.

  Footsteps became heavy and hurried in the orlop above. Based on the location of the activity, someone had finally taken notice of the massive hole in the ship’s frame. Shouting boomed through the ceiling followed by more footsteps, this time in the direction of the latch.

  Toono heard the latch squeal as it was jarred open, followed by the heavy thud of boots making contact with the floor. “What have you done?!” a woman shouted, likely in the direction of Yama. Seconds later it was followed by a shriek. “BLOOD!”

  More thuds as countless sailors dropped into the hold. “Was it the prisoner?” a man asked.

  “How? She’s still caged!”

  Footsteps were followed by a shout. “Who helped you?!”

  Well, at least they’re intelligent enough to realize someone was helping her, Toono thought.

  “Follow the blood,” someone said.

  Toono held his breath as footfalls trampled past their door. He could see the light of a lantern streak through the crevices, growing softer as the sailors followed the trap. The footsteps slowed as they reached the door to the janitorial room. During all of this, more sailors had dropped into the hold from the orlop, but they never left the area around the brig. Toono guessed that there were more than fifteen sailors in the hold, most in the front, but a fair amount still near Yama. He had planned for exactly this scenario. Now he waited for his trigger.

  He received it seconds later, as the squeal of a gate pierced the hold. Sounds of chaos erupted from the back of the hold as a tussle commenced cries of distress signaling Yama’s escape.

  Footsteps from above boomed like thunder, hysteria blanketing the ship. Toono and Kadlest burst out of the closet, immediately turning to the group near the janitorial room.

  After a momentary pause of shock, the sailors charged. Toono crushed one man’s ribs with the end of Orbaculum. He then thrust the other end backward into someone’s stomach before flipping it over and wrangling a woman’s neck with the loop, flipping his wrist and instantly snapping her neck. Meanwhile, others were slain by Kadlest’s acidic ancient, Baldum. It took less than thirty seconds to wipe them out.

  More sailors had spilled into the hold and were now charging past piles of barrels roped to the floor. They moved like blurs, their Adrenian speed percentages kicked up to reflect the severity of the situation. Unfortunately for them, Toono’s eyes were well-trained against fast opponents, for he had witnessed Yama the past year plus—and nobody was faster than her. He twisted, spun, and swung with precision, eluding attacks and dealing his own in a timely fashion. Nobody managed to touch him unless he decided to block rather than dodge.

  The onslaught continued from the sailors. They swarmed in droves, but Toono and Kadlest had progressed to upper decks throughout the ordeal. And Yama was even farther along, as Toono watched her climb to the gallery above.

  Fights transitioned to the top decks under the moonlight. Sailors were either thrown overboard, beaten, or burned to death by acid. At a certain point, the Adrenians stopped fighting, falling to their knees instead. At first, Toono thought they had come to their senses, realizing this to be a lost cause. But then he followed their eyes to a doorway underneath the quarterdeck, where a woman in a broad-shouldered silver uniform stood. The sailors were looking at their captain. Her chest was blanketed in medals and ribbons, and the tail of her jacket streamed to the floor like the tail of a grounded harrier—a common style in the Adren Kingdom.

  She stepped onto the main deck with a passive gaze, observing the scene before her. Her eyes combed through her sailors and then shifted from Yama to Kadlest until finally landing on Toono.

  “I feared something was odd when I found someone as notorious and well-connected as Yama on that ship alone,” the captain said, as if striking up casual conversation. “I scoured that puny vessel for any sort of hidden compartment.”

  “You should have checked its framework,” Kadlest said, clearly amused by the situation.

  The captain smirked. “What do you plan on doing with me?”

  “I have one option,” Toono said. “I assume you’ll fight back.”

  She laughed. “No, of course not. You’d kill me—quite effortlessly might I add. I’m not going to resist. That would only extend my suffering. You are the Rogue Demon, slayer of the Prim Prince, Still Queen, Passion King, and some believe Jilly Lamay, the Spirit Jestivan.” She paused, her head tilting slightly. “And I’d say ‘demon’ is the perfect terminology. That young girl we took from your vessel is in the infirmary right now. She’s beaten and scarred in unimaginable ways. She’s so shaken; she can barely mutter a word.”

  Toono’s mind drifted to Illipsia when she walked into his cabin the night prior, covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. She said it would convince the crew, and apparently she was right.

  “How do you live with yourself?” she asked.

  Toono’s eyes fell to the deck, experiencing a lapse in mental fortitude. A certain man’s voice then rang through his head. To die without purpose is the only real sin. Toono nodded to himself and said, “I think of my purpose.”

  “Can I end my life myself?” the captain asked.

  “I have to witness it.”

  “At least you can grant that one request,” she said with a smile. She turned to reenter the specialty quarters. “Follow me.”

  Toono walked across the deck. Kadlest and Yama both tried to stop him, but he shook his head and said, “I’m fine, and don’t kill anyone else.”

  He followed the captain through a hall and into her grand cabin. She took a seat behind her desk, slumping in the chair. Toono stayed near the door, but he noticed a glass cup standing on the desk. It was filled with a dark golden liquid. She stared at the cup before glancing at him. “All I ask is that you don’t hurt that girl any more than you already have.”

  “I won’t,” he replied. Then he thought of something else that Illipsia had suggested the night before. “Under one condition.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Contact the other ships in the blockade and inform them that the unknown vessel contained a young girl and her family trying to escape the Archaic Kingdom. And that is why you’ll be leaving your position to return to the Adren Kingdom.”

  “You are a smart man,” the captain replied. “We do not keep Devish on our ships, fearing that they might be spies for King Toth’s regime. But we do have a flag that we raise to alert other ships if we were to acquire refugees.”

  “And which flag is that?”

  “Toshiro knows.”

  “Who?”

  “Toshiro!” the captain said, voice slightly raised.

  The door opened behind Toono. A young man with short black hair stepped inside. “Yes, Captain Shapu?”

  “I assume you’ve been listening to our conversation?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes, Captain.”

  “Raise the refugee flag.”

  Toshiro paused, his mouth falling agape. “But, Captain ...” His gaze slowly shifted to Toono. “We cannot let this demon escape. We will die to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about, fool,” Shapu said. “I will not have that yo
ung girl’s life on my hands. This is for her sake.”

  “But, Cap—”

  “GO, NOW!” she bellowed, all composure wiped clean from her aura. “That is my final order!”

  Toshiro lingered for a moment longer, but ultimately turned and ran out of the room, realizing the emphasis on the word “final.”

  “A nosey one, is he?” Toono asked.

  “Always has been.”

  “I appreciate this,” Toono said. “I’m assuming either you or the first mate has to raise the flag in order for the other ships to verify the legitimacy.”

  “Correct.” Her gaze hardened. “You will not hurt her any further?”

  “You have my word, and I will make sure Yama does the same.”

  “For some reason, I believe you,” she said. She reached for the glass, brought it toward her lips, and tossed it back. After smacking her lips, eyes squinting with disgust, she said, “It may be a painless poison, but that taste is enough to kill me alone.”

  Toono watched as she slowly lost the ability to keep herself seated. Her body slumped down, and her back drooped until her face slipped off the desk and she collapsed onto the floor.

  11

  A Legend’s Inception

  The first order of business for Agnos and Tashami as they reached the pirate town of DaiSo was to visit Jostle and Juggle for a bite to eat. They had only eaten at the restaurant once—the day they had returned from their first voyage, one that involved hunting and destroying Toth Brench’s grand merchant galleon, Brench Hilt—but that one visit was enough for them to continue going back. It was one of the few buildings of solace in a place littered with pirates.

  They entered through the unobstructed entrance, for doors weren’t popular in DaiSo, and headed straight for a table against a side wall. Agnos was pleased to see only a handful of customers spaced throughout the floor, each one alone at a table.

  A barmaid approached with a wide, and somewhat toothless, smile. Last time they were here, nobody looked that happy. “What can I get for you two hotshots?” she asked.

  Agnos raised a brow. “Uh ... glass of water and whichever fish you have today.” There were no menus in a place such as this. The food available depended on the day.

  “Roasted chicken sandwich,” Tashami said. “Water, too.”

  As she left their table, Agnos looked at his friend. “Hotshots?”

  Tashami chuckled, dismissing the terminology. “Who knows,” he said.

  They conversed until their orders were placed in front of them. “Enjoy,” the woman said. As she headed for the bar, Agnos noticed that they had attracted the eyes of every single person in the room.

  “Why is everyone staring at us?” Agnos asked out of the corner of his mouth.

  “We’re two good-looking guys,” Tashami said, chuckling at his own humor.

  Agnos didn’t find it funny. People didn’t just stare in a place like this. These were people of privacy. They kept to themselves, wallowing in their dark thoughts. For them to be acting in such a way alarmed him.

  “Let’s hurry up and get out of here,” Agnos said, turning back to his food and scarfing it down.

  After finishing lunch, they left the restaurant and searched for the tavern they had stayed at a year ago, before becoming members of the Whale Lord. Barloe, the Whale Lord’s quartermaster, had gotten them the room. Otherwise, they would have been out of luck; the building wasn’t actually a lodging establishment.

  “I forgot the name of the place,” Agnos said. “I don’t think I ever knew it ... I never bothered looking.”

  “Flailing Fin,” Tashami replied, gazing at every sign they passed. “If we had ever bothered leaving the place during our four days there, maybe we would remember where it is.”

  Agnos moved closer to Tashami’s shoulder as he watched passersby stare them down. “Why is everyone looking at us?”

  Tashami laughed and gazed down at Agnos, who was a few inches shorter than him. “Is that why you’re cowering into me?”

  “I’m being cautious.”

  They must have turned down nine different dirt roads, passing dozens of buildings in the process, but not one was the Flailing Fin. “Alright, I’m asking for directions,” Tashami said.

  “No!”

  Tashami’s nose curled in disbelief. “Nobody is going to kill us for asking a question.”

  Agnos nearly refuted his claim, but he was saved by a familiar mullet ahead of them. “There,” Agnos said. “Let’s ask Crole.”

  Crole, one of the squallblasters on Captain Gray Whale’s crew, spotted the two Jestivan. He clapped his hands and sprinted toward them, hopping into the air mid-run to clack the soles of his boots together.

  “That’s a better reaction than the stares,” Agnos said.

  “Where have you guys been?” Crole asked, skipping the hellos. “Everyone thought you’d be arriving yesterday!”

  Tashami smirked, his hand rubbing the back of his head. His body language screamed “guilty.”

  “Well, we’ve been avoiding the Whale House,” Tashami admitted.

  Crole frowned, and his shoulders slumped. “Why?”

  “Tashami and I enjoy more reserved atmospheres,” Agnos explained. “That house is the opposite.”

  “You participated in a voyage on the Whale Lord, but you can’t handle a chaotic environment?” Crole asked.

  “Exactly my point,” Agnos said. “We were at sea for so long, it was overload. We needed extra time away.”

  The squallblaster paused and sighed. He turned and said, “Come on. There’s a lot for you to catch up on ... and we have something to show you.”

  * * *

  The Whale House was the biggest structure in DaiSo, save the shipyard and the abandoned castle behind the town. The crew house sat at a dead-end, which was a rarity in the town. All of these factors could be credited to the success and reputation of the Whale Lord and its captain, Gray Whale. Ironically enough, the captain never lodged in the crew house, nor did she ever visit. Her relaxation time was spent on her ship between voyages, where she’d bask in isolation. In that regard, she was very much like Agnos.

  Agnos and Tashami flanked Crole as they turned down the street to the crew house. A massive crowd swarmed outside the building, forming several misshapen lines that stretched for half a mile down the road. Agnos was impressed that there was any resemblance of order.

  “What is happening?” Agnos asked.

  Crole beamed. “Registration.”

  “Quite a turnout,” Tashami said. “Is it always like that? Or is it because of the magnitude of our last voyage?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough, but it’s definitely not the norm.”

  As they reached the back of the crowd, they could hear someone off to the side shouting over the din. “Estimated hour-long wait until reaching the table!”

  Agnos snorted. That was a generous estimate.

  “Luckily, we don’t have to stand in a line,” Crole said, stepping to the side of the road where a path had been cleared, leading all the way to the crew house.

  As Agnos and Tashami followed, the crowd roared as they passed. Agnos flinched, but after a moment, he noticed they were cheering. What?

  Crole turned and walked backward, gleaming at the two Jestivan. Pirates reached over the rope barrier to pat their shoulders; some punched as a friendly gesture. One man’s fist knocked Agnos into Tashami.

  A burly man with dreads stepped to the front of the path. He crossed his massive forearms in front of his chest and grinned. Relief washed over Agnos at the sight of his quartermaster, Barloe. He almost wanted to break into a run.

  “Good to see you, boys,” Barloe said, swallowing each of their hands with his own. “You’re a day late.”

  “Yea, Crole already hammered into us,” Agnos said.

  They walked behind the rickety tables that had been set up for the registration, observing the front of the lines as men and women of all types hunched over to fill out a brief for
m. The people still waiting in the queue stared in the direction of Agnos, Tashami, Barloe, and Crole. Agnos noticed a few of the crew’s riggers strolling between the lines with buckets of water, offering swigs from a ladle as they went.

  “Ever seen something quite like this?” Tashami asked.

  Barloe gave a hearty laugh. “Never, and this is the second day. Yesterday was worse.” Agnos’s eyebrows climbed. “I’ve seen several quartermasters of other crews pulling their members out of the line.”

  “How do you choose who to take on?” Agnos inquired. “Surely, not everyone can give a speech to explain their value to the crew—not with this many people.”

  “I’m not choosing anyone,” Barloe stated.

  Agnos sighed, recalling Barloe’s lesson a year ago about a pirate ship being more of a democracy than a monarchy. “You know what I mean. How does the crew decide?”

  A heavy hand landed on Agnos’s shoulder. The quartermaster chuckled. “Agnos, these pirates are applying for a spot on your crew.”

  * * *

  Agnos burst through the crew house’s twin front doors like a battering ram, Barloe hot on his heels. Tashami and Crole had elected to remain outside, their reaction to the news more pleasant. Agnos stormed up the stairs, opening every door until he found one that was empty. Meanwhile, Barloe pleaded for his cooperation. “You’re being a brat, Agnos.”

  That wasn’t helping.

  Once Agnos found a room, he entered and tried slamming the door on Barloe’s face. Of course it didn’t work, as the quartermaster nearly knocked it off its hinges. “What is this?” Barloe asked. “Show some appreciation.”

  Agnos balled up his fists but kept them at his side. “You called me the captain!”

  “Because that’s what you’ll be,” Barloe said, his forehead crumpling with confusion.

  “I did nothing during the voyage! Give it to Tashami!”

  “You were the reason why the objective was achieved.”