Vermit and Kor stood watch while the captains and the first mates met behind closed doors on Slaughter Fish. Vermit picked at stitches from a healing wound. Kor let his senses reach out to inspect the surroundings.
“I know you,” Vermit said. “You were a slave for Ke’less on Le’An.”
Kor snorted.
“Before that you were a warrior in his army. A trainer. A strategist. A general.”
Kor didn’t answer.
“I know because I was a slave there too. Before Butcher. I saw the things you did in Ke’less’ name.” Vermit shuffled his feet. “And what you refused to do.”
Kor looked at Vermit from the corner of his eye. “So?”
“Just saying. I know you.”
“Won’t help.”
“No, but . . .”
“No buts. Won’t help”
Vermit leaned against the wall at his back. “I tried to tell the Cap. Told him stories. Told him it would take all of us to end you. Just you. Told him we would never survive the attempt. Not that I wouldn’t have done my bit, but . . .”
Kor snorted. “No buts.”
Vermit nodded. “No buts.”
Only the ship spoke for some time. Distant voices came to the two sentries. Bits of grumbling. Parts of plots. The ship shared a few secrets, and kept many.
“Is it true, you think?” Vermit asked.
Kor, knowing they were listened to, gave a rueful smile. “I know one thing about the little miss that is truer than all other things.” Kor took a few deep breaths. He could feel the unseen hanging on his next words. “Our Cousin is a Kraken Pirate to her core before she is anything else. You can bet the world on that.”
The door between them opened and the conclave came out.
“And that is what we are doing,” Butcher said.
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