A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Thirty-Four

1868, Fraysner's Harbour

Adelyn woke to sunlight pouring through the windows, stretching her arms out high above her head. The pillow might have been thin and the mattress hard, but after months of sleeping in a hammock suspended over four feet of air, it'd been the best sleep she'd had in weeks.

With a yawn, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood, the old Inn's floorboards cold against her feet. Part of her felt weird, having slept in a room she'd robbed time and time before-- but a bigger part of her didn't care.

She could hear voices in the room next to her, Nik's room, and though they were muffled, she could tell exactly from whom they belonged; Nik and Nina's arguments had always been pretty distinctive.

Rolling her eyes, Adelyn slipped her boots onto her feet and tied the laces. She left her own room and let herself into Nik's, not bothering to knock. Sure enough, Nina was seated at the desk in the corner, her feet resting on the corner of the bed, shoes on, uncaring of the dirt and mud she was caking onto the sheets. Nikolai was standing a few feet away, leaning against the wall.

Both of them looked up the moment she stepped in, their conversation ceasing. Adelyn's eyebrow rose, "What's going on?"

Nina clicked her tongue, arms crossed over her chest. "Nikky here's trying to convince me to do something I don't want to do. Must be that time of the hour."

"What?" Adelyn pressed, staying close to the door. She didn't like the air in the room-- a part of her wished she hadn't gone in there at all.

The curious part of her was bigger, and it wanted to know more.

Nina stood up, abrupt enough that the chair she'd been seated on nearly toppled over-- Nik caught it with the toe of his shoe. "He wants me to be a tour guide."

"A tour guide to where?"

"Not to where, so much as just where." Nina frowned, turning back to Nik and jutting her finger at him. "I left that city for a reason, Ninpachka. You'd have to offer me a lot more than my regular pay to get me back there."

"How's three times?" Nik said, eyes on the floor.

Adelyn watched Nina's demeanor change; her shoulders shifted, and her face settled. All it'd taken was those three words and she'd gone from angry to pleased in a seconds time. Nikolai tried to hide the smile in his face as the pirate woman spoke, "I'd say that'd just about do it."

"Thought as much," Nik said, grabbing his coat from the bedspread. "You're as easy to please as a tavern wench-- same currency, too."

"Bastard." Nina muttered, and Adelyn laughed.

Behind her, the door opened again, and Xavier and Stinger sauntered in. Xavier looked as though he'd had the best sleep of his life, whereas Stinger looked as though he hadn't slept a wink. Not only that, but the collar of his shirt was soaked, and he stank like rum. It was a scent she could not say that she'd missed.

Stinger fell back onto Nikolai's bed, arms crossed behind his head, "Next time can you do my a solid and send someone with a nicer face than Xavier to fetch me in the mornings? Even Nina would be better than this chump. He dumped water on me."

"I'd do a lot worse than dump water," Nina threatened with a glare.

"Next time, move faster." Nikolai said, shrugging. He turned to Xavier, "What's the verdict?"

Xavier was fiddling with a knife in his hands, twirling it between his fingers. "You get yourselves to Perlings, Darya will meet you there."

"You're sure?" Nik pressed. Xavier nodded harshly. "Good."

Adelyn kept quiet, though questions buzzed at her mind. She knew Nikolai would answer them later.

Nikolai stepped away from the wall, instantly looking as though he were the tallest person in the room. He paced at the foot of the bed, lost in his own thoughts for a minute, "We leave tonight, as planned, and we sail to Perlings. You take the ship north-- I don't care where, but if I come back and find the navy's looted it and you've landed yourself and the other half of my crew in a cell, you'll have me to answer to, not just the crown. Understood?"

"Aye," Xavier nodded. Nik sighed.

Adelyn understood, then, that they wouldn't be sailing to Garinth. It made sense, now that she thought about it. The Siren was a beautiful ship, but it was a pirate ship in every way shape and form, from the sails to the cargo. If it sailed within a mile of the capital, it'd be stopped and everyone aboard arrested.

And then hanged.

Nikolai bit his lip, "We get all our supplies in Perlings-- blankets, clothes, food... only the essentials. We ditch it all when we get to Garinth. Nina knows her way around the city, she can get us to the palace, hopefully without crossing too many guards along the way. This is probably one of the most dangerous things we've ever done, I'm not going to lie."

"It's damn right stupid," Nina agreed, shaking her head.

Adelyn bit her lip. She knew that the capital wasn't the best place for them to be, but they were talking about something other than the city itself. She took a step forward, chiming in, "What's the dangerous and stupid part?"

Nikolai swallowed, looking up at her, "The Second Witch's island is more than just a pirates legend these days. And lucky for us, that means there's a map-- and not the kind you need to burn into your skin."

"Okay..." Adelyn said, her voice trailing. "And?"

"And..." Nik repeated. "The unlucky part lies in where this map can be found. There's only one."

"Where is it?"

"Only the most guarded and well protected place in the entire country." Nina said, her fingers drumming on the desk.

The moment it dawned on her, Adelyn gasped. Fear struck her in an instant. "Good god-- tell me we're not breaking into the Palace.."

Nik took one step towards her, and then another, as though he were afraid she might run. Only when he was an arms reach away did he stop, his silly smirk taking root on his lips, "Now why would I lie to you like that?"

THE END.

sequel info in next part