Page 10 of Found at Sea

4

Kellan

I wasn’t sure what possessed me to do it. The boy was nothing to me, just a young thing that’d walked in on me with two other men and then had served me mead in the tavern. There was nothing extraordinary about him. He was small and lacked muscle, so he wouldn’t be of much use in that sense. His green eyes showed his innocence, and the pink that marked his cheeks portrayed his timid nature. Such traits were unappealing.

And yet, he called to something in me. Something I couldn’t ignore.

His behavior in the tavern had been impulsive, and the man he attacked was out for blood.

“When I find that rat I’m gonna string him up and gut him,” the man had said as he’d come back down the stairs.

Other men were with him, all nodding and swaying with their intoxication.

“I want the boy,” I said to my men.

Kristoff nodded and didn’t question my judgement. The others didn’t either. I tossed some coins on the table to cover our drinks and then we stood. As we walked out the door, the enraged man had followed behind us, looking for the frightened boy as well.

His friends didn’t follow him, having found something else to hold their attention—more mead.

“What are ye damned pirates doin’ here?” he spat as we walked. “Leave.”

“Hold yer tongue in front of the captain or I’ll yank it outta yer head,” Tig retorted, placing his hand on the knife on his belt.

I ignored the man at first, but when he continued to follow us around to the side of the tavern, I knew he wouldn’t end his pursuit.

“He’s mine,” he’d slurred, bumping against me as he tried to pass.

No, he’s mine.

That’s when I made up my mind; a bit of an impulsive reaction, I suppose.

I shot him in the chest with the pistol I kept at my side.

After the shot had pierced the air, I heard a faint gasp, followed by retreating footsteps. I snapped my head in that direction, forgetting the dead man at my feet, and continued walking. We rounded the corner just as a small figure disappeared into the wall of trees behind the tavern.

“They’ll be lookin’ for us now,” Kris said as we neared the trees. “Happens everywhere we bloody go.”

“If men wish to live, they needn’t piss me off,” I said with a smirk. He was right, though, and I turned to him. “Go to the brothel and tell the others. We sail at daybreak.”

They wouldn’t find my ship before then. Since those incidents frequently happened, I’d made habit of dropping anchor in hidden locations, unless it was a town we often visited.

When Tig and Dax didn’t move, I ordered, “Go with him.”

“Yes, Captain,” Tig said before he and Dax ran after Kris.

My crew would be irritable at having to cut their shore leave short, but I’d soon find us another town for them to whore and drink in for a while.

As for now, my only concern was for the boy.

I’d hunted down many men in my life, and this boy was much too easy to track. I walked through the forest, amazed that he hadn’t tripped over himself as he’d run through moments earlier. Perhaps it wasn’t the first time he’d ventured that way. Then, it occurred to me that the place he was running toward meant something to him. Frightened and on the run, it made sense for him to go to the one place he felt safe.

Or maybe I was wrong and only believed such a thing because it reminded me of my past—of what I had done in my younger years when I’d been cast out.

It took a while, but the trees finally began to lessen, and more of the night sky became visible. The ground sloped, and I stood at the bottom of a steep hill. Although faint, I saw impressions on the grass, going upward. One of them was long, as if he’d slipped before righting himself and continuing his ascent.

I climbed, not sure what I was going to say or do when I reached the top.

The boy was clearly not a fool, and I suspected he wouldn’t willingly go with me. Why would he? Pirates weren’t known for their kindness. However, if he had nowhere else to go, he might decide that life aboard a ship was better than one on the run with no home to call his own.