by Robin Hobb
He took a deep breath. His own grin surprised him. He should be exhausted. He'd been up most of the night, and risen again before dawn, just for the pleasure of rousting Lavoy out of bed. He'd given the mate his orders. He was to keep order aboard the ship, and not permit the crew to leave it or converse with any folk who came out to the ship. Above all, calm was to prevail. Clef and the other ship's boat were at Amber's disposal. Before Lavoy could dare to ask why, Brashen had added that she had her separate orders, and Lavoy was not to interfere with them. In the meantime, he wanted all the crew's bedding brought up on deck and aired, the sleeping areas smoked to drive out lice and other vermin, and the galley given a good scrubbing. It was work calculated to keep both mate and men busy, and they both knew it. Brashen stared Lavoy down until the first mate grudgingly acknowledged his orders. Then he had turned on his heel.
To Amber and Paragon, he had given his most difficult commands. The ship was to keep still and silent, to pretend he was an ordinary wooden vessel. Amber was to help him in this ruse however she could. He trusted her to pick up the meaning between his words: let nothing upset the ship. Allow no one to provoke him.
Brashen shrugged his shoulders, trying to find more room in his jacket. He was dressed for his role in the finery of a merchant captain, clothes not worn since he had bidden Bingtown a formal farewell. He'd tied a kerchief made from his yellow shirt about his brow and left his shirt open at the throat. He didn't want to appear too staid. He wondered what Captain Ephron Vestrit would think if he could see the use his tailored blue jacket and fine white shirt were being put to. He hoped the old man would understand and wish him luck of them.
"Boat's ready, sir." Clef grinned up at him hopefully.
"Thank you. You have your orders. See that you obey them."
Clef rolled his eyes, but replied, "Yes, sir," with no trace of rebellion. He bounced along at Brashen's heels as he made his way to the ship's boat.
As their boat left the Paragon's shadow, Brashen marked three other small craft on their way out to meet him. "To your oars," he ordered in a low voice. "Put your backs to it. I want us well away from Paragon before they can cut us off." As the crew obeyed, Brashen glanced back at his ship. The figurehead, silent and stoic, had his arms crossed on his chest. Amber leaned on the railing behind him. She lifted a hand in farewell, and Brashen nodded curtly. He looked at the rowing crew. "Remember your orders. We're friendly. Don't hesitate to spend freely the coin you've been given. No brawling. I don't want anyone getting so drunk that he can't guard his tongue. If they'll allow us the free run of the town, spread out. Ask questions. I want every bit of information about Kennit and the Vivacia that we can gather, but don't be too dogged about asking. Get them talking, then lean back and listen. Curious, not nosy. We'll meet back at the docks at nightfall."
They were more than halfway to the docks when the three other boats surrounded him. At a sign from Brashen, his crew shipped their oars.
"State your business here!" a skinny graybeard in one of the boats commanded him. The rain had soaked his shapeless hat to his head. An ancient slave tattoo was just visible above his beard.
Brashen laughed aloud. "My business in Divvytown? Divvytown has but one business, and I'll wager that mine is the same as yours, old man. My name is Brashen Trell, and before I state anything else, I'll know to whom I'm stating it." He grinned at him easily. Jek lolled at her oars, smiling broadly. Althea's smile looked a bit more forced, while the others were apparently uninterested in the proceedings.
The oldster took himself very seriously. "I'm Maystar Crup, and I'm the harbormaster. Captain Kennit hisself appointed me, and I got the right to ask any what come here what they're about."
"Kennit!" Brashen sat up straight. "That's the name, sir, the name that brings me here. I've been here before, you know, aboard the Springeve, though that was a brief visit and I'll fault no one if they don't recall me. But the tales I heard then of Captain Kennit are what have brought me back now, me and my good ship and crew. We'd like to throw in our lots with his, so to speak. Think you that he'd see us today?"
Maystar ran a cynical eye over him. He licked his lips, revealing that most of his remaining teeth were yellow. "He might. If he were here, which he's not. If you know about Kennit, how is it you don't know he has a liveship? You don't see no liveship in our harbor just now, do you?"
"I had heard Kennit was a man of many ships. Moreover, I'd heard the first mistake any man could make about him was to assume anything about him. Sly as a fox is he, that is what is said, and keen as an eagle's eye. But this is a chill and uncomfortable place to discuss such things. Divvytown has changed more than a bit since the last time I saw it, but surely it still has a tavern where men can talk at ease?"
"It does. When we decide a man is welcome in Divvytown."
Brashen raised one shoulder. "Perhaps that would be better decided over a bit of brandy. And then you can tell me if the rest of my crew would be welcomed ashore. We've been a time at sea. They've dry gullets and the coin to spend to wet them. Divvytown, they agreed, would be a fine place to divvy out our spoils." He smiled engagingly and slapped the fat purse at his belt. The coins in it clinked against the nails and the cut-up spoon he'd padded it with. He carried enough to stand a round of drinks or two, as well as pick up some minor supplies for the ship. His picked crew had enough coin for a fine show as well. Successful pirates they were, with money to spend.
Brashen's smile was stiffening in the chill winter rain before Maystar gave him a grudging nod. "Aye. We can talk in the tavern, I suppose. But your men… your crew will stay with us there, and those on the ship will stay there for the time being. We don't take kindly to strangers here in Divvytown. Not from ships that sneak in during the dark of night."
That puzzled him, did it? Well, let the old man focus on that. "To the tavern, then!" Brashen agreed heartily. He sat back in the stern and rode into town like a king, escorted by Divvytown's constabulary. Half a dozen curious onlookers were huddled on the dock, shoulders hunched to the cold rain. Maystar preceded Brashen up the ladder. By the time he reached the top, Maystar was already the center of a hail of questions. Brashen shifted all attention to himself when he proclaimed, "Gentlemen! Won't someone guide us to the tavern?" He beamed at the gathered crowd. From the corner of one eye, he noticed Jek's smiling appraisal of the men. The grins she was getting in response could not hurt his cause. As his crew joined him on the dock, the onlookers relaxed. These were not raiders, but honest freebooters like themselves.
"The tavern's this way," Maystar told him grumpily.
Perhaps he was jealous of his importance. Brashen immediately targeted him. "Please, lead on," he told him. As they trailed Maystar, Brashen noticed that their following had already diminished. That suited him well. He wanted to gather information, not enthrall the whole town. He noted that Althea had positioned herself to his left and one step behind him. It was good to know someone was there with a ready knife if the Divvytown folk did decide to turn on him. Cypros and Kert were right behind him. Harg and Kid, the two tattooed ones that Althea had chosen, followed them. Jek had dropped back to the end of their group and had already struck up a conversation with a handsome young man. He caught a word or two; she was asking him if he thought they'd be given the run of the town, and if so, what entertainment he recommended for a lonely sailor on her first night in port. Brashen gripped his smile with his teeth. Well, he'd asked her to be friendly and gather information.
The interior of the tavern was dim. Most of the warmth came from body heat rather than from the blazing fire in the hearth. The smells of damp wool, sweat, smoke and cooking lingered in the air. Althea loosened her coat but didn't take it off. If they had to get out of here fast, she didn't want it left behind. She looked about her curiously.
The building was fairly new, but the walls had already begun to discolor with smoke. It had a plank floor, strewn with sand to make each night's sweeping out easier. A window at one end faced the sea.
Brashen led them toward the hearth end of the open chamber. Plank tables and long benches supported a variety of eaters, drinkers and talkers. Evidently the oncoming storm kept folk in today. They were regarded with varying degrees of curiosity, but no outright animosity. Brashen just might dance through the deception without missing a step.
Brashen clapped a friendly hand on Maystar's shoulder as they seated themselves at the table, and before he could say a word, bellowed out an order for brandy for the harbormaster and himself, and ale all round for his crew. A bottle was swiftly brought and opened, and two clay noggins set out. As the tavern boy began to load a tray with foaming mugs, Brashen turned to Maystar. "Well, much has changed in Divvytown. New buildings and a welcoming party for my ship are the least of it. I've never seen the harbor so deserted. Tell me. What has befallen the place since last I was here?"
For an instant, the old man looked puzzled. Althea wondered if he even remembered that he was supposed to be the one asking the questions. But Brashen had pegged his garrulous nature well. He probably didn't often get the chance to hold forth as an expert for so long. Brashen became the most attentive and flattering of audiences as Maystar told in lurid detail of the slaver's raid that had changed forever not just the layout but the very nature of Divvytown. As he spoke on, at great length, Althea began to grasp that this Kennit was no ordinary pirate. Maystar spoke of him with admiration and pride. Others added their own stories of things Kennit had said, or done, or caused to be done. One of the speakers was a man of obvious learning. The tattoo on his cheek wrinkled as he scowlingly recounted his days below deck in a slaveship before Kennit had freed him. They spoke of the man as if they were telling hero tales, Althea realized uneasily. The stories made her grudgingly admire the pirate, even as they chilled her heart. A man like that, bold and sage and noble, would not easily give up a ship like Vivacia. And if half the tales told of him were true, perhaps the ship had given her heart to him. Then what?
Althea fought to keep the smile on her face and to nod to Maystar's tales as she pondered it. She had been thinking of Vivacia as a stolen family treasure, or as a kidnapped child. What if she was more like a headstrong girl who had eloped with the love of her life? The others were all laughing at some witticism. Althea chuckled dutifully. Did she have the right to take Vivacia away from Kennit, if the ship had truly bonded to him? What was her duty, to her family, to the liveship?
Brashen leaned over to reach the brandy bottle. It was a pretense, to bring his leg into contact with hers. She felt the steady warm pressure of his knee against hers, and realized that he saw her dilemma. His brief glance spoke volumes. Worry later. Pay attention now, and later they would consider all the implications of what they had heard. She finished her mug of ale and held it aloft for a refill. Her eyes met those of the stranger across the table. He was watching her intently; Althea hoped her earlier thoughtfulness had not made him too curious. At the far end of the table, Jek was engaged in arm wrestling with the man she had targeted earlier. Althea judged that she was letting him win. The man across the table followed her gaze, and then his eyes came back to hers. Merriment danced in them. He was a comely man, his looks spoiled only by a trail of tattoos across his cheek. In a lull in Maystar's explanations, she asked him, "Why is the harbor so empty? I saw but three ships where several dozen could easily anchor."
His eyes lit at her question, and he grinned more broadly. He leaned across the table to speak more confidentially. "You're new to this trade, then," he told her. "Don't you know that this is the harvest season in the Pirate Isles? All the ships are out reaping our winter livelihood. The weather is our ally, for a ship from Jamaillia may have been running three days in a storm, its crew weary and careless, when we step out from our doorsteps to stop it. We let winter do our harrying for us. This time of year, the cargoes are fatter, for the fruits of the harvest are now in transit."
His grin faded as he added, "It is also the worst time of year for those taken by slaveships. The weather is rough, and the seas run cold. The poor bastards are chained below in damp holds, in irons so cold they bite the flesh from your bones. This time of year, slaveships are often little more than floating cemeteries."
He grinned again, fierceness lighting his face now. "But there is sport this year, as well. The Inside Passage swarms with Chalcedean galleys. They hoist a flag and proclaim they are the Satrap's own, but it is all a sham to pick off the fattest hogs for themselves. They think themselves so sly. Captain Brig, Kennit's own man, has taught us the game of it. Let the galleys prey and fight and glut themselves with wealth. When their ships ride heavy, the harvest is ripe for gathering. We go in, and in one battle, we harvest the cream of many ships they've taken."
He sat back on the bench, laughing aloud at Althea's incredulous look, then seized his mug and banged it on the table to attract the serving boy's attention. After the boy brought him a fresh mug, he asked, "How came you to this life?"
"By as crooked a road as your own, I'll wager," she returned. She cocked her head and looked at him curiously. "That's not Jamaillia I hear in your accent."
The ruse worked. He launched into his life history. Indeed, a convoluted path had brought him to Divvytown and piracy. There was tragedy in his tale, as well as pathos, and he told it well. Unwillingly, she began to like him. He told of the raid that ended his parents' lives and of a sister vanished forever. Carried off from his family's sheep farm in some little seacoast town far to the north, he passed through a succession of Chalcedean masters, some cruel, others merely callous, before he found himself on a ship southbound, sent off with half a dozen other slaves as a wedding gift. Kennit had stopped the ship.
And there it was again. His story challenged not just her idea of who and what Kennit was, but her notion of what slavery meant and who became slaves. Pirates were not what she had expected them to be. The greedy immoral cutthroats she had heard tales of were suddenly men pushed to the edge, clawing their way out of slavery, stealing back a portion of what had been stolen from them.
He told her other things that greatly surprised her. Part of the shock was his casual assumption that all knew these things were so. He spoke of the carrier pigeons that ferried news between the exiles in the Pirate Isles settlements and their kin in Jamaillia City. He spoke of the legitimate trading ships from Jamaillia and even Bingtown that regularly made furtive stops in the Pirate Isles. The latest gossip from both towns was common knowledge in Divvytown. The news he passed on seemed far-fetched to Althea. An uprising in Bingtown had burned half the town. In retaliation, the Bingtown Traders had taken the visiting Satrap hostage. New Traders had conveyed that word to Jamaillia City, where those loyal to the Satrap were raising a fleet of warships to teach the rebellious province proper humility. There would be rich pickings in the wake of battle between Bingtown and Jamaillia. The pirates were already anticipating Jamaillian ships fat with Bingtown and Rain Wild goods. Discord between the two cities could only be good for the Pirate Isles.
Althea hung on his every word, trapped between horror and fascination. Could any of this be true? If it was, what did it mean for her family and home? Even if she accepted that time and distance had fertilized the rumors, it boded ill for all she held dear. Meanwhile, the pirate waxed large in his telling of these tales, flattered and encouraged by her rapt attention. He gloated that when Kennit returned and heard these tidings, he would know that his time was truly come. In the midst of his neighbors' discord, he could seize power. He had often told them that when the time was right, he planned to control all trade through the Pirate Isles. Surely, that time was soon.
A sudden gust of wind hit the tavern's window, rattling it and making her jump. It made a space in the conversation. "This Kennit sounds to me like a man worth meeting. Is he returning to Divvytown soon?"
The young man shrugged. "When his holds are full, he'll return. He'll bring us word from the Others' Island as well; he has taken his priest there for the Others to augur his destiny. But no doubt Kennit w
ill pirate his way back. Kennit sails when and where he will, but he never passes up prey." He cocked his head. "I understand your interest in him. There is no woman in Divvytown who does not sigh at his name. He is a man to put the rest of us into the shade. But you should know that he has a woman. Etta is her name and her tongue is as sharp as her knife. Some say that in Etta, Kennit has found the missing half of his soul. All men should be so fortunate." He leaned closer, eyes warm, and spoke quietly. "Kennit has a woman, and is content with her. But I do not."
Brashen stretched, rolling his shoulders and spreading his arms. When he rocked forward, his left hand rested on Althea's shoulder. He inclined very slightly toward the other man, and gently confided, "What a pity. I do." He smiled before he went back to Maystar's conversation, but left his arm across Althea's shoulder. She tried for a disarming smile and shrugged her free shoulder.
"No offense meant," the man said a bit stiffly.
"None taken," she assured him. A warm flush rose to her face when, down the table, Jek caught her eye and dropped her a slow congratulatory wink. Damn Brashen! Had he completely forgotten that they were trying to keep this a secret? Yet, she could not deny that she took keen pleasure in the weight of his arm across her shoulder. Was this what he had been speaking of, the comfort of publicly claiming one another? Once they returned to the ship, they would both have to disavow this as a sham, as part of their overall ploy to gain information. But for now… She relaxed into him, and felt the solid warmth of his body, his hip against hers. He shifted slightly to accommodate her.
The pirate drained off his beer. He set the mug down with a thump. "Well, Maystar, I see little threat from these folk. Noon's well past now, and I've still a day's work to do."
Maystar, in the midst of a long-winded tale, dismissed him with a wave. The man gave Althea a farewell nod, rather curt, and left. With his departure, several others also made their excuses and left. Brashen gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. Well done. They'd established they were no risk to Divvytown.
