Pirate's Promise

by Chris A. Jackson

  She straightened the dress that Celeste had given her to wear tonight. Another act of kindness, one of many over the past week by the Stargazers. And what had she given them in return? She'd turned away, lost in grief.

  I promised not to waste my life ...Was that just another lie?

  A knock on the door startled her out of her musing.

  "One moment." Vreva tucked a couple of pins into her hair, careful not to prick herself with their envenomed tips. Once a spy ... Then she slipped a cloak over her shoulders and opened the door.

  "We're going to be late!" Torius stood there rolling his shoulders and fidgeting, immaculate in his brand-new dress clothes. "We'll lose our table."

  "Nonsense. They're not going to sell our reservation if we don't arrive precisely on the hour." He looked quite dashing, actually. She adjusted his cravat. Movement drew her eye, and she saw Celeste at the door to their cabin. On impulse, she gave the naga a smile. "You've done very well with him, my dear. He's quite presentable."

  Torius glowered, but Celeste smiled back. "He does clean up nicely, doesn't he?" She slithered forward, her dark eyes scrutinizing Vreva from head to toe. "But how you manage to look better in my clothes than I do vexes me to no end!"

  "Why ...thank you, Celeste!" The sentiment touched Vreva more than she expected. Tucking her emotions away before they betrayed her, she took Torius's arm and slipped into the role she'd play tonight.

  Aside from a few whistles and comments as they traversed the deck of Stargazer—most from Snick—they strode in silence to the waiting carriage. The ride also transpired quietly, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Only when they were nearing the restaurant did Torius finally speak up.

  "So, do you think we're just in for a scolding, or will this be a summary execution?"

  "A scolding, I think." Vreva had been trying not to think about her situation. Her life was going to change drastically. She wondered idly who she would become next. "But whoever we meet, Torius, and whatever they say, keep calm. Making a scene could be lethal."

  "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you by picking up the wrong fork. And by the way, shouldn't we be meeting in some secret, secluded cellar instead of one of the nicest restaurants in Almas?"

  Vreva smiled in the dark carriage. "If you hadn't noticed, secrets have a way of drawing attention. We're just enjoying a night on the town. There's nothing suspicious in that."

  The carriage stopped, and an attendant opened the door. There was no time for any more questions.

  Despite his nervousness, Torius played his part well. He kept his composure when they arrived at their table to find a middle-aged woman in a stunning gown already seated there, sipping a glass of wine. That, however, was when Vreva felt her own mask of composure slip. She hadn't seen Marshal Helena Trellis in the flesh in years. The woman hadn't changed. Her inherent force of personality shone like a suit of gleaming plate armor.

  Trellis nodded as Vreva slipped into the chair that Torius held for her. "Good evening, Torius. It was good of you to come."

  "I didn't realize my attendance was optional." He flashed a grin and took his seat.

  Vreva kicked him gently under the table. "We're happy to attend." She nodded to the hovering waiter, and he filled her glass. She sampled the wine and willed her jangling nerves into quiescence.

  "Yes, well, you may be less happy shortly." Trellis paused until the waiter departed, then turned to Vreva. "If you'll allow me to make our conversation private, I'll get to the point."

  "Of course."

  The marshal produced a small, lacquered snuffbox—a magical device Vreva remembered well from her training. She opened its lid and set it down next to her plate.

  "Much better." Trellis sipped her wine. "You're out, Captain Vin." Her pleasant smile belied the harsh words.

  "I'm what?" To his credit, Torius kept his face composed, but Vreva could tell from the flush of color that he knew what the marshal meant, and didn't like it at all.

  "You're out of the organization. Effective immediately."

  "Please," Vreva broke in, "I don't think it's necessary to—"

  "And you need to shut your mouth at once, Vee!" Trellis's glare silenced Vreva. The sound of the name she'd used in her training days set Vreva's pulse pounding.

  "I should have known better than to take your recommendation to bring in some brash pirate." Trellis maintained her pleasant mien, perusing the menu as if she cared what the restaurant had to offer. "Now your cover is blown and every bit of information you gathered is compromised. He ruined one of the best operatives we had. He's out!"

  Vreva couldn't believe her ears. She's blaming Torius?

  "Ruined?" Torius stiffened as if he'd been knifed. "That's ridiculous! She's the best—"

  "Torius, please, let me." Vreva's first reaction was to quail under her mistress's lash, but years living on a knife's edge had tempered her. She stilled her pounding heart and steadied her hand as she reached for her wineglass. Swirling the vintage, she sipped, then leveled a carefully neutral stare at the Marshal of the Twilight Talons. "First of all, Helena, the discovery of my identity was not Torius's fault, but my own. It wouldn't have occurred if I hadn't built a personal relationship with the inquisitor assigned to hunt me."

  "Our operatives informed me that he started a brawl with her and two squads of Okeno guards in the middle of the waterfront."

  "Torius didn't start anything. The fight occurred after he had already been discovered, which was simple bad luck. Zarina arrived at my apartment when Torius was there delivering my supplies. His performance was flawless, but I think she was jealous. She used magic to discern his identity, and that was it." Vreva put down her wineglass. "I didn't know you had other operatives in Okeno."

  "It wasn't deemed necessary for you to know. The less you knew, the less that inquisitor could have gotten out of you. Which reminds me, what did she get out of you?"

  "Nothing." Vreva waved the waiter over. "Are we ready to eat? I'm simply famished! I'll have the beef fillet, rare, with reefclaw in butter." She looked sweetly to Marshal Trellis. "And you, dear?"

  "The same," Trellis said, her tone as flat and warm as an anvil in winter.

  "Make it three." Torius smiled genuinely, and nudged Vreva under the table.

  When the waiter had gone, Trellis began again in a whisper. "What do you mean, she got nothing? You must have told her something!"

  "With all due respect, Helena, you're wrong." She lifted her glass again and smiled congenially. "I told her nothing, and unless they've torn down the Inn of the Eighth Sin, my documents are probably still securely hidden in my apartment. I'd advise against sending anyone after them just yet, however. I'm sure the room's being watched."

  "I see." The marshal fixed Vreva with a less hostile stare, and nodded. "I'm sorry you had to endure the interrogation."

  "Not as sorry as I am." Vreva couldn't quite restrain the tremble in her hand as she raised her glass to her lips. "The point is, my discovery wasn't Torius's fault. As for my usefulness, I won't be able to take a trip to Okeno soon, but otherwise, I'm as useful as I ever was."

  "Too risky," Trellis countered. "Every slaver in the Inner Sea region will know your face in a month."

  "Then change my face. It's not like you haven't done it before." Vreva caught Torius's startled glance, but kept her eyes on Trellis. "You can place me in a half-dozen different cities, and I'll have every slave merchant there eating out of my hand in six months." Vreva glared an open dare at Trellis. "As for Torius, he's assumed alternate identities before, and can undoubtedly do so again."

  "He has?" Trellis looked curiously at Torius. "Who have you impersonated?"

  "I never claimed to be just a brash pirate." He sipped his wine and flashed his smile. "We recently pulled off a little scam on a merchant who was attempting to blackmail your operative here and have me killed."

  Trellis narrowed her eyes at Vreva. "Is that where you disappeared to?"

  "Yes. I played a small part.
Torius was the one who worked the mark into position. He convinced a powerful merchant to sail with him all the way from Azir to Katapesh, then back to Sothis, where Ekhan—"

  "Wait!" Trellis's eyes narrowed even further. "You mean Benrahi Ekhan? The situation with the Star of Thumen? "

  "The very same." Torius leaned back in his chair with a self-satisfied grin. "I see that news of our success has reached you."

  "Tell me more about this assumed identity." Trellis leaned in toward the captain, instantly attentive.

  Of course the marshal would know about Ekhan's arrest; she had spies in Sothis. But her sudden interest in Torius's skills unnerved Vreva.

  "We disguised ourselves as Thuvian merchants, and touched at a half-dozen ports without anyone being the wiser. We sailed right into Ostenso under the eyes of the Chelish Navy!"

  "Is that so?" Trellis took on a cunning look. "As it happens, I do have something that would suit you both."

  Vreva opened her mouth to ask what she had in mind, but at that moment, waiters arrived with their dinners. The sight and smell of the glorious fare captured Vreva—she'd been living on ship's rations for far too long. Cutting a wedge of the luscious steak, she dredged it through the reefclaw butter and popped it into her mouth.

  Glorious ...

  "Ostenso."

  Vreva nearly choked on her steak. She swallowed without chewing and reached for her wine.

  "Ostenso?" Torius went pale, though he managed not to choke on his dinner.

  "Yes." Trellis cut a piece of steak and sampled it. "This has nothing to do with the slave trade, so it will be safer for you, Vee. The Chelish have been rattling their sabers, and we need eyes in Ostenso." She eyed them questioningly. "Is there a problem?"

  Vreva started to protest—she had promised herself never to return to her homeland—but Torius beat her to it.

  "Actually, yes. The harbormaster ...um ...entertained me at her villa during my last visit, and I don't really care to cultivate a relationship with her." Torius drained his wineglass.

  Trellis's smile widened, and Vreva knew there was no getting out of it.

  "A relationship with the harbormaster makes this even better!" Trellis carved her steak with relish. "And Vee, since you are Chelish, you'll fit right in."

  "I ...see." Vreva choked down another bite of her dinner, determined to keep calm. Vreva and Torius exchanged significant glances. There was going to be one hell of a discussion aboard Stargazer tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Familiar Friends

  I'm worried about her." Celeste coiled on the quarterdeck next to Torius, half of her concentration fixed on maintaining her illusory form, the other half on Vreva. "First she's a courtesan, then a spy. She's in love with the inquisitor, then hates her, then loves her again. Now this."

  "I know." Torius shook his head.

  Vreva sat on the pier below them, her legs folded tailor-fashion, hands on her knees, open palms toward the sky. She sang low, words that seemed to catch the ear, then drift away on the tendrils of fragrant smoke that wafted from the incense arranged before her. The really odd part, however, was the plate of fine porcelain mounded with diced chicken livers surrounded by the incense.

  "She's been at it all day," Torius said. "It looks like she's praying, but I don't think Calistria would be impressed by a plate of chicken livers."

  "I think she's gone completely wonky." Snick turned from where she was working to join them. "After what she's been through ..."

  "She's stronger than you think, Snick."

  Celeste didn't mind Torius's admiring tone. She thought she understood Vreva a bit better now, and found more pity in her heart than spite. They watched silently for a while longer, Thillion and Grogul joining them with some muttered speculation. Finally, a tiny cat, black with white dabs on its chest and paws, tottered down the dock toward Vreva. It looked young and half-starved.

  The puzzle pieces all clicked together in Celeste's mind. "That's it!"

  "That's what?"

  "The cat, Torius. You remember her cat, Saffron?"

  "Yes, but ...Ah! A familiar."

  "Exactly." Celeste watched as the feline stalked cautiously up to Vreva. It stopped about two feet away, just out of reach, its tail flicking nervously. The sorcerer didn't move, but the pitch of her singing changed. The cat inched forward, ready to flee, finally close enough to sniff the food. Lashing its tail twice in quick succession, it looked up at Vreva once more, then bent to eat.

  "Well, I think she's made a new friend," Torius said.

  "I hope so." Celeste considered Vreva's way of life—lies within lies—and understood. "Everyone needs someone they can trust."

  The cat finished eating, then sat down and flicked its tail a few times, looking up at Vreva. It meowed, and Vreva stopped singing. Nodding, she whispered, and the cat meowed again.

  "I think she's talking to it." Torius sounded disbelieving, but Celeste knew better.

  "Of course she is." The odd conversation continued.

  "What do you suppose she's telling it?"

  "I don't know, but I hope it works." Come on, accept her. Please!

  As if the cat had heard her thoughts, it looked up to the small crowd on the quarterdeck. The cat meowed loudly, and Vreva whispered again. Then, finally, the scraggly feline hopped into her lap and climbed up to nuzzle her chin.

  "Yes!" Celeste blinked away tears.

  Vreva stood, cradling the little black cat in her arms, and walked back to the ship. She moved as she always had, graceful and precise, but Celeste noticed something else, something that had been missing since her rescue from the slavers. Vreva's confidence was back.

  Vreva climbed the steps to the quarterdeck, rubbing her cheek on the cat's furry head. "I'd like to introduce you all to someone. This is my new friend, Mathias."

  Celeste had never really liked cats—part of being a naga, probably—but this one was rather cute as it yowled and nuzzled Vreva's cheek. The courtesan leaned down and whispered something to it, and the animal settled down.

  "And I've been informed that I should really introduce myself to you, also."

  "What?" Celeste's tone came out harsher than she'd wished.

  "I haven't been entirely honest with you all, and from this point on, I intend to be." Vreva scratched her new companion under the chin. "The truth, I'm told, is essential among true friends."

  "Vreva, you needn't ..." Celeste began.

  "It's really not necessary, if you don't want to," Torius added.

  Grogul looked embarrassed and started to back away, but Vreva raised a forestalling hand. "No, Grogul. All of you stay, please."

  "Yeah, would you all shut up!" Snick jostled her way to the fore. "If Vreva wants to tell us the truth, we should let her!" The gnome reached up a tentative hand for Mathias to sniff, and once accepted, scratched the cat behind its ears. Mathias meowed and purred, enjoying the attention.

  Vreva laughed. "Mathias says that gnomes are wise, and you should listen to her."

  "See? What have I been telling you all these years?" Their laughter broke the tension of the moment.

  Vreva took a deep breath. "I owe you all my life—and the truth. My true name is Vera Jentis. I'm Chelish by birth."

  "And Vreva Jhafae ...?" Thillion cocked an eyebrow.

  "Was my cover identity in Okeno. That was my only identity for more than five years, but after what's happened, Vreva Jhafae is no longer viable." Vreva—Vera—sighed, and Mathias nudged her with his nose and meowed. "I know, love. I will." She smiled again and continued. "I was born in Egorian, in a prominent family of arcane casters. House Jentis has served the crown for generations. My parents, and theirs before them, deemed our arcane talents to be our one true worth to the empire. Those without magical talent were cast out."

  "But you—"

  "Quiet, Snick! Let her tell it!" Celeste nudged the gnome with her tail, earning a scowl.

  "Not me, Snick, but my younger sister, Delphie. When she hadn't m
anifested any magical talent by the time she was thirteen, my parents ...sold her."

  "Sold her?" Torius's hands clenched at his sides. "Gozreh's guts!"

  Celeste caught her breath. She was the one who had unintentionally revealed to Vreva that Torius's own mother had sold him into slavery as a child. If he should learn of her indiscretion ...

  But Vreva didn't even glance her way. "Until that day, I had never given slaves a second thought. We had many in the household. If they displeased, well, punishment was only fitting. Or so I thought, until Delphie ...She was my best friend."

  "You don't need to tell us this, Vreva," Celeste said, forgetting that wasn't her real name.

  "I do. I've never told anyone, and I need to." She cuddled Mathias closer. "I ran away, promising myself I would find Delphie and free her. Delphie was very pretty, you see, so I knew what would become of her." She paused and shook her head, blinking back tears. "I knew where to look, but when I found her ...I got her out, but ...she was hurt, and I had no way to heal her. She died. But she knew I hadn't abandoned her."

  "So, you left Cheliax and came here?" Snick asked.

  "Yes. I embraced Calistria, swore revenge on all slavers, and came here. The ...organization recruited and trained me, changed my face and my name, and eventually sent me to Okeno." She shrugged and wiped away tears. "You know the rest."

  The quarterdeck remained silent for a long moment, before Vreva finally said, "I'm sorry I lied to you all."

  "You didn't lie." Celeste's heart was about to break, but she swallowed her own tears. "You survived."

  "Yes, well, now you know the truth." Vreva started to turn away, but Snick spoke up with her usual aplomb.

  "So, should we call you Vera or Vreva?"

  She turned back and smiled at the gnome. "Whatever you like, Snick. It doesn't matter." She reached out to ruffle Snick's hair. "I'll have a new name soon, anyway. Just like the rest of you."