Kraken and Gabb made a big show of entering the inn. They stomped their feet and brushed invisible things from their clothes with flapping hands. Gabb called for drinks, while Kraken challenged a group of men in Al’Ri dress for their table. They glared as they left.
Gabb sat, and they toasted wealth and success loud enough to be heard by most of the room.
Then the bragging began.
Kraken stood on his chair, and put a boot on the table. “One shot each!” he shouted. “A toast to one shot each!” He raised his tankard, and downed the contents in several long gulps.
Gabb shouted and banged the table. He imitated an explosion, and threw his arms wide. “That’s what happens when someone threatens the Kraken Pirates!”
Kraken hopped down from the furniture and called for more ale. He and Gabb spent long hours insulting Blake, Reaper, the Al’Ri and everyone else who thought them targets. They boasted their superior strength, and drank. Their hand gestures became more frequent and exaggerated. Only a Kraken Pirate would recognize the sign language they used.
At closing they staggered out of the inn singing a crude song of blood and death. They stumbled and laughed. The hand gestures continued, as they started toward the docks: Three starboard. Two port. The streets became more narrow the farther they went. The sound of lazy ocean waves came from their right. The light of the docks became a distant glow.
Gabb was bumped by the street boy at the head of a dark alley. The boy lifted Gabb’s money bag and fled. Kraken and Gabb turned down the alley the boy had been in.
Kraken tripped on a loose brick in the dead end alley. He laughed and called for more ale.
Gabb hauled him up, saying they weren’t at the inn. Then he looked around with bleary eyes. “Where are we?”
Kraken snickered. “Get me a wench to . . .”
The sound of breaking glass drew their attention. A dozen men blocked the alley entrance. Some were Al’Ri, some were mercenaries, and two belonged to Blake.
“Braggarts often miss their own fall,” said an Al’Ri man holding a glowing blade.
Kraken guffawed. “Only twelve! Ha! One shot killed Reaper! One shot Blake! One shot the Hunter! Twelve?” Kraken’s words slurred and ran together. He stumbled into Gabb and blew a raspberry.
Gabb grabbed at Kraken, and they both went down in a heap. “We can take ‘em,” Gabb said getting to his feet. “All the rest are dead. They can be too.”
“Blake and Reaper ain’t dead!” shouted a man wearing Blake’s colors. The Al’Ri glared at him and he glared back. “Well, Blake ain’t dead. It’ll take more than those pussies to kill him.”
“And they won’t be telling anyone,” said another Al’Ri. “What does it matter? The Masters will be here in two days to claim the girl. With these two dead what does it matter? The rest are going no where. So what if Reaper is dead? Better him than us.”
Kraken and Gabb both snickered and danced in unsteady stances. “Masters. We don’t have no Masters,” Gabb said.
The man with the blade advanced slowly. The rest followed in a crowd. He stopped just out of reach. “The Masters will crush Protector, but they’ll take the one you call Cousin first.”
Kraken and Gabb stood steady. “Two day? Plenty of time,” Kraken said.
“Blake’s alive,” Gabb said. “We need to save one of his.”
“Aye,” Kraken said as shadows shifted at the mouth of the alley.
The Al’Ri in the lead sneered and charged. His glowing blade shattered on the black staff while Kraken’s charm hummed. The clash was quick and decisive. Those in the front were put down one after the other. The narrow alley gave no room to flank, and the charge broke against the two. Those in the rear who saw the change in the targets attempted to retreat only to find their way blocked by some of Kraken’s crew.
Kraken stepped over the men he had slain, and walked to the mouth of the alley. Gabb followed checking the fallen to make sure they were dead.
The boy walked up, and tossed the money bag back to Gabb. Gabb hefted it. “You didn’t take anything.”
The boy shrugged.
“Ever think about being a pirate?”
“Can’t. Have to take care of my brother.”
Gabb nodded and tossed the bag back. The boy looked at it a beat, then ran off into the dark.
Kor held the pirate from Blake’s crew against the wall, a blade at his neck.
“So,” Kraken said, “where is Blake?”
Leave a Reply