Pirate Lord Read online

  Aside from their own crew, only Merek and Marco knew all of the ins and outs of what had happened on the Island. The other captains of the Pack had been told very little, and had asked even less. They fought for Lily and Tristan because they had been asked to do so, that simple reason had been enough.

  Only one thing remained secret – Jim’s heritage. He had asked them not to tell anyone, and so it remained. The three of them were the only ones who knew. Tristan suspected Eli had realised after meeting the Pirate Lord – not much got past Eli. As for the rest of the crew, Jim had not been around, they’d made sure they would not be in one place at the same time – they would not have been wondering who Merek reminded them of, too concerned with the fate of their captains.

  Eli hadn’t said anything; he knew how to keep a secret, and he understood that there were sometimes very good reasons for keeping one’s heritage untold. Princes of the Wastes were like that. Tristan had only ever met one other, a warrior of old called Uma. As such he’d known what Eli was the moment he spotted him, and knew that he should keep it to himself. Eli had pulled Tristan aside after Merek had let it slip, to thank him for his silence, and reassure him that he meant no harm to anyone on Hunter. It had eased Tristan’s fears more than he let on to hear that from him, he’d known it had been risky to not just kill Eli on sight. Lily had taken an immediate shine to him, and after that Tristan had been unwilling to shatter her impression of Eli. Lily had taken it better than Tristan had expected, but then Eli had been with them for years now, she trusted him with her life, enough that she used him as a spy.

  She thought he didn’t know, but nothing happened on his ship without his knowledge. He’d seen them having their sneaky councils. He knew that had to be how she now always seemed to know what was happening, even if he avoided telling her all of the details.

  Tristan was yet to figure out how Eli did it, or spot him listening in, despite trying to. He should have learnt from Uma, there was no way to notice a Prince of the Wastes who didn’t want to be spotted. They were far too experienced for that. As such, ever since Roselyn’s rather public declaration, Eli had been notably absent from deck.

  “Fair seas so far, if the winds keep like this we should be at Crescent Bay in a couple of weeks.”

  His wife continued her close observation of the deck. Tristan knew exactly who she was looking for. “Do you think he’ll come out? He’s not that stupid to avoid her is he?”

  “It’s none of our business Lily.”

  She paused biting at a hangnail, “I started this, I nudged them towards each other. If he messes it up now, I don’t know what either of them will do.”

  “He’s old enough to make his own decisions.” Tristan paused as Lily snapped an arm up, a clear order to be silent. “What?”

  He locked the wheel and came to her side, peering out over the edge of the balustrade.

  Eli was heading to the meet room, head down, his hands in his pockets. Lily let out a girlish squeal that was quite unlike her, and leapt down the stairs as soon as Eli shut the door. Tristan rolled his eyes, but followed her – he was as keen to know what the outcome of this would be as she was.

  ~

  Roselyn didn’t look up as she heard the door open. She didn’t want to be disappointed. Instead she continued toying with the blade in her palm, flicking the blade open, spinning it around her thumb, and then flicking it shut again, letting the hilt dance along her fingers, the light shimmering along the honed blade.

  “I heard what you said.”

  The blade paused, but she kept her gaze on the floor. “Of course you did.”

  “There’s something – before this goes any further.”

  “Do you want it to go any further?”

  “You can decide that once you’ve heard me out.” Eli tugged at his silver dreadlocks, tying them tighter. “You know what I am. As a Prince of the Wastes I’ve been around for a long time. I have learnt to fit in, learnt to become almost invisible. I have played many roles. But this, with this crew. With Tigerlily and Tristan. It’s one of the few times I’ve felt like I’m home. It’s one of the rare times I feel like I can be myself. I feel the same when I’m with you. I told myself a long time ago that I wasn’t going to – that I couldn’t bear to fall for a mortal. But it’s happened, so I guess we’ll deal with it.”

  He took a pause, as if preparing himself for whatever he was about to admit, “I could live much longer than you, not aging, not weakening –”

  Roselyn’s hand went slack, and the blade she’d been clutching fell to the floor. She felt the blood drain from her face, her heart faltered. “You think I don’t realise that? When I found out what you are, when you told me – the only thought in my mind was that I had betrayed you. That you would never look at me the same way again. That you wouldn’t feel the same way about me again.” She forced in a ragged breath, “It doesn’t matter how long you’ll live, how long I’ll live. Not to me.”

  “I had to make sure.”

  “So, what now?”

  Chapter 22

  Topaz Court

  Lord Amer Ceruse stared down at the figures before him. They were all blurring together, refusing to make sense. He sighed and pulled off the spectacles, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It was late now, the sun had set hours past turning the usual umber glow of the room into a heavy indigo darkness lifted only slightly by the warm salt lamp that occupied his desk. The faintest breeze drifted in through the drapes. It was unseasonably hot, and he’d grown used to the more temperate climate at sea. Still, he wouldn’t be on land long. He couldn’t afford to rest on his laurels now, not when his company was struggling like this. He couldn’t understand what was going wrong. Ship after ship went unaccounted for, with no rhyme or reason save for bad luck. Any merchandise that did make it back was tainted – he’d had a close call with a huge shipment of grain that had been infested with ergot fungus. If that had got out he’d have been ruined. There were heavy fines for those who brought infection to the Southern shores. And as for the other side of his business – the reports had been worrying. He was lucky he still had good connections, and those who were still willing to lend to him. But that wouldn’t last long. Amer pushed back his chair and stood up with a stretch, pulling at the banner that would summon the girls. There was at least one advantage to being back on dry land, he was a strong believer in women bringing ill luck at sea, so never took even one of his concubines with him.

  If only he’d realised how right he was to be concerned. Maybe he’d have lived longer.

  Amer lifted his eyes. Two had answered his summons, both draped in panels of silk that left very little to the imagination. The bracelets at their wrists jingled as they sashayed forwards. They started out shy sometimes, but the guards beat that out of them in no time. Amer didn’t like them cowering. He lifted his gaze and checked the faces. Pretty, and new ones too. Both sun-kissed, one with long black hair, a marked jaw – Westerner. The other was auburn and her face…something was familiar about it. He glanced at the papers on his desk, pushing a pile of them out of the way to reveal the poster he’d kept for himself. So they’d found her then. Amer grinned.

  “It seems my luck is changing.”

  Lily lifted her arm. “I’d reconsider that statement if I were you.” The pistol had been hard to hide in the minimalistic fabric, but she’d managed. Roselyn fanned a handful of daggers, smiling like a snake, her cheekbone tattoo writhing. They were poison tipped, deadly. Lily’s own collection had been too bulky. Though she’d insisted on keeping her boots on, they were weapons in themselves. And pistols worked better when threatening. People doubted her skill with a blade, but there could be no doubting the weighty ball of lead that slumbered in the chamber.

  It hadn’t been hard to find him. Nor to infiltrate his staff. And here he was, the man who had bought her to be his bedslave. She thanked every star in the sky that Tristan had found her before she reached his shores.

  She’
d always liked the Southern Lands. An archway crowned with golden baubles covered the entrance to the port, a glimpse of the riches that the continent traded in. Here some of the most wealthy people in the country lived, worked, and prospered. But they were all eager to knock down their peers for their own gain. It had been easy to find allies to help bring Amer down, even without the support of the Pack at her back. His ships were marked – to be destroyed or infiltrated in other ways. It had been Roselyn’s idea to poison merchandise, or scatter acid over the fabrics. She’d concocted the potions herself. Assassin training really made frighteningly smart people. As for the slaves, Lily had been strict about her orders. They’d all gone free, ferried back to their own homes with a pouch of gold for every one of them. Gold from Amer himself. But somehow he was still afloat. That’s when Lily had known she’d have to make a home visit.

  Lily blinked. The light seemed brighter here, even late in the day. The sun had fallen as they’d picked their way over the rooftops, setting the sky aglow with oranges and reds. A red sky meant blood would be spilt. How fitting for their purpose. The buildings were all white, with flat roofs, simple square windows and doors hung with curtains. It was too hot here to stop the air from circulating around the rooms, especially in the poorer quarter. The stench from the sewage, even after the cool of night, had made Lily gag, and despite her willingness to visit she couldn’t imagine what it would be to live there. It was dusty, a few spindly trees the only sign of life. Here in the richer quarter the air was different, masked by spices and incense. A tiny trail of smoke drifted up from a stick of it, balanced in a pot atop the desk.

  Opulent silks hung from the windows, the fabric swaying in the slight breeze. A few salt lamps burnt low, their deep orange glow oozing into the darkness of the night.

  “You’re really her aren’t you? Captain Tigerlily Wolf. Well fine, you’ve come at a good time. Were it not you I’m sure someone would be sticking the blade home soon.”

  “Aw, business not doing so well is it? But you’re wrong Amer – I’m not here to kill you. Or at least, I won’t if you behave yourself.”

  “What do you want then?”

  “See I’ve been taking you down for some time now, and no matter what I seem to do you keep rising back up again. Like a cockroach. It’s rather annoying really. But then I can understand it I suppose; some people just don’t know when to give up. I’ve been guilty of that myself a few times.”

  Roselyn snorted, looking at Lily pointedly.

  Lily begrudgingly continued, “Okay more than a few times.” She twirled the pistol in her hand. “Don’t get the wrong idea Amer, I don’t like you – I’m not here to offer you a chance. I need information. Records, contacts.”

  Amer’s eyes darted to his desk. “And in return?”

  “Like I said, I’ll spare your life. Or at least kill you quickly. I haven’t quite made up my mind on that.” He didn’t flinch. He’d never met her before, he didn’t even know to be afraid.

  “My business?”

  “Leave trading people out of it and I might let you make what you can on the open market.”

  “Bitch. I’m not telling you anything. Get the hell out.” Amer yanked the pistol from his belt, finger on the trigger. Eli’s elbow plunged into the back of his neck. Amer grunted and slammed face first to the floor.

  “What are you doing here?” Roselyn hissed.

  Eli moved like a shadow. He shrugged, “You think I’d let my captain and my girlfriend go off on some killing spree without me?”

  “Where did you come from?”

  Eli leaned against the wall behind her, his arms folded across his chest. “I’ve been keeping an eye on things while you two were busy playing dress up. A guy called Lord Denza was here earlier – a dignitary who has particularly close ties with Amer Ceruse. They were discussing plans to intercept one of the slave trade routes, they’ve heard that ships are having trouble making dock. They are raising funds to protect the slavers, and keep the trade running. He knows the right people but he’s up to his eyeballs in debt.” Eli glanced at the papers on the desk, “I don’t think he’s even aware of the extent of it himself.”

  “I didn’t know you spoke Old Stedarin.”

  Eli just shrugged at their open mouths, as if admitting that there was a lot they didn’t know about him.

  “What should we do with him?”

  Lily stroked her hand along the edge of the desk. She’d already forgotten about Amer. “Kill him.” She’d always taken the lives of those she wanted without much aid from others. But something was pulling her back now. He was just lying there, unconscious. Even as she raised the pistol, Lily hesitated.

  “Let me do it.”

  This was not Roselyn’s kill, and she was unwilling to use Roselyn as an assassin. She’d never had need of them before. Lily shook herself, focusing her attention back on the room before her. This wasn’t like other kills, she felt no anger writhe up inside her, though Amer certainly wasn’t the kind of man she’d defend. “Make it clean.”

  Roselyn nodded once, flipping all but one of her daggers back into the slinky silks.

  Lily swung her arm out the moment Eli stirred. “You, stay put.”

  Though he looked disgruntled, he didn’t hesitate at backing down. “Yes, Captain.”

  Dozens of carpets covered the floor, and huge cushions dotted the area. Where the external city was white and simple, inside apparently they went for colour.

  Well, she knew Southerners liked colour – their blue hair told that much.

  Roselyn had been surprised when Lily had faltered. Not everyone could do what she could, but Roselyn had seen Tigerlily fight, knew something of how her mind worked. She was kind of pleased that she could do this for her, and do it well.

  The dagger sunk in deep and true. It was a tiny blade, more of a needle. Roselyn felt it puncture his heart, and gave it one last tug before she felt it break.

  When she withdrew the blade there was barely any blood, and the hole the dagger had left was nothing more than a pinprick. They’d mistake it for an insect bite. Roselyn rubbed her hand over the tiny puncture wound, letting the fibres of the fabric of his shirt knit back together.

  She looked over her work, stood up and nodded.

  Lily stepped forward. She reached him in a matter of strides, crouching beside his body. The captain gripped his wrist, checking for a pulse, then clutched his chin and titled it to see his face better. Seemingly satisfied, she sniffed, stood up, and returned to her assassin. “Very classy. Thank you.”

  “Certainly cleaner than your last kill.”

  Roselyn revealed the blade in her palm. “Designed the blade myself. Leaves barely a mark. Kills almost instantly if you know the right place to stick it.”

  “If we’re done here we should leave.” Eli said.

  Lily tutted. “You should know me well enough by now that I wouldn’t consider that as retribution. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted information.” She nodded at the third drawer down.

  Roselyn knelt beside the desk, the flimsy fabric shifting. Eli just smiled his easy smile when she glanced at him, heat rising to her cheeks. She should know him better by now – he didn’t leer. It wasn’t that he was immune to her particular appeals – he’d made that quite clear on numerous occasions – but he recognised that this was a job. Now wasn’t the time for mixing business with pleasure. She liked that about him. She needed that line to be drawn if this was going to continue to work. The wood was dark, panels sculpted in such a way that it was hard to see where joins had been made. She tugged at the handle. “Locked.”

  Lily didn’t hesitate. The wood shattered as the honed tip of her boot connected with it. She lowered her foot and preened.

  Roselyn nodded approvingly, “Useful.”

  “Will you please tell Tristan that when you next see him?”

  “Speaking off where is said dark and stormy one?”

  “Providing an alibi. Hunter is making itself very visible elsew
here.”

  “How does that protect you?”

  “Jim may or may not be sporting a rather accurate auburn wig. But that doesn’t pass these walls.”

  They rifled through the papers. She’d been right. All the names, all the schedules, everyone and anyone who had ties with slaving.

  “There’s some pretty interesting information in here. Things that certain parties would pay a great deal to keep secret. And I’d definitely be interested in gaining my own audience with that Lord Denza.”

  Eli grinned, silver dreadlocks sneaking back over his shoulder. “So, not such a mysterious death after all.”

  Roselyn feigned offence, “You could have a little more faith in my methods.”

  “It doesn’t matter if they figure it out, though Roselyn has at least bought us some more time. We’re the Pirate Lord’s dogs remember – we’re untouchable. Who’d go up against Merek now, when he’s just bested a king?”

  Roselyn looked up from a handful of documents. “So, what’s next?”

  “We go for all of them. We shut it down. The entire slave trade.”

  The assassin sucked at her teeth, “Merek won’t be happy about this.”

  “It’s in black and white, we have clearance to do whatever we like.” Lily grinned like a wolf. “I’d like to do this. But first lets see if Amer’s staff fancy an early holiday.”

  Eli’s lip twitched as he dangled a bunch of keys from his finger. “Way ahead of you Captain.”