Jewel of the Sea [Black Sails]

Chapter Seventeen

(Alira)

I woke before the sun and went about my morning training. Starting with a swim to The Atlas and back to shore, a climb of the bluffs, some sprints across the sandy shoreline and finished up with some weapon training. By the time I'd finished my training, washed up and saw to my morning duties with the crew, it was about midday.

Captain Vane had a meeting with Miss Guthrie and the others they conducted their meetings with for trade and other drab politics I didn't much care for. It irritated me that they were together, but after our conversation the night before, I didn't feel as irritated by it. Eleanor Guthrie was no threat to me, despite the history she and Captain Vane shared. I headed into town with a mind to visit Anne but paused as I spotted the man from the day before who'd tried to reason with Miss Guthrie about the price for his bloodied goods. He was a member of the crew of The Fancy that had shown up not too long after we had. Their captain was a cold man with mismatched eyes that held a darkness to them, a darkness like my own eyes, the eyes of a killer.

Curiosity got the better of me and I drew nearer to listen in. The ginger haired man, Mr. Meeks, seemed worried about the well being of his crew, himself and even Miss Guthrie herself and hinted at some kind of unique item the crew had unearthed when they took their last prize The Good Fortune. He wanted her to depose of Ned Lowe as Captain, the mention of her deposing captains made my blood boil. I remembered what she had done to Captain Vane with such an act.

My stomach twisted into knots, I shouldn't be eavesdropping but something about their conversation had me on edge. I had a feeling Mr. Meeks' warning hadn't come soon enough and Captain Low was going to make some kind of play. Though I loathed Miss Guthrie, I had a feeling it might still hurt Captain Vane if something were to happen to her. Groaning, I pulled myself away from the window and trudged into the bar being careful to keep myself low, my head bent and my face concealed.

I found a place tucked away in the back of the bar and watched as Eleanor left her office and went upstairs for her meeting. Mr. Meeks stepped out of her office and went to have a seat near the bar, apparently his business was not done here. Not long after Eleanor went upstairs and Mr. Meeks got himself a drink, I noticed the man with the mismatched gaze, swathed in black step through the door.

His lethal eyes flicked about before finding his target, Mr. Meeks, sitting at a table near the bar. He didn't even notice me, though in his defense, no one else had taken notice of me either. I possessed many skills as an assassin, I could blend in with crowds, avoid being seen when I so chose. There were a few men flanking him one stood post at the door and another went with him to approach Mr. Meeks.

Though I wasn't close enough to hear them, I could read enough from their body language and expressions to get the gist of what they were saying. Mr. Meeks was in trouble. I didn't care about him, in all honesty I didn't give a damn about anyone here save for Captain Vane, even Miss Guthrie but I stayed because I knew if things went south and she were to get harmed when I could have done something to prevent it, Captain Vane would be upset.

I watched as Captain Low pulled a concealed blade tucked into a sheath behind his back and set it on the table in front of them. Mr. Meeks tensed at whatever he'd said as he placed the blade on the table and made a move to get to his feet. The other man who'd accompanied Captain Low clapped a strong hand on his shoulder and held him in his seat. A small smirk wormed its way onto my lips at the prospect of getting to see this fellow killer's skills. Was he skilled? Did he possess the training of the assassination arts too?

My smile fell as I watched Captain Low and the man who'd accompany him overpower Mr. Meeks and force him down onto the table before Captain Low began to saw away at his neck with the knife. There was no skill, no formal training, no significant strength. He did not walk the same shadows of death as I did. He was a brute, sloppy, untrained but ultimately more dangerous for it. An indiscriminate killer was by far more terrifying than a trained one.