smile. “You’re a good man, Jack. Hold onto that. As for Dave Taker … he’ll pay his price in time. Right now, I’m angling after bigger fish.”
“Blake. You know they say he’s a Vestossi?”
Corin chuckled but said no more.
Jack just shrugged. “Well, I can’t guess how I would help you there, but when you’re ready to find Taker, I’ll be here. And if you think of something else … ”
“See to these corpses,” Corin said. “That’s all I ask.”
“Aye, aye. Clear skies to you.”
“And you as well.”
They shook hands almost formally; then Corin turned his back and left the Espinola to the dead.
Taker’s crew had melted away, so Corin found the deck abandoned, but the pier below was still crowded close with the curious. A hush fell over them as Corin reached the top of the gangplank, and he couldn’t help but grin as he came down. They must have heard some rumors already from the Espinola crew, but shock and admiration still reigned on every face to see Corin emerge victorious.
He felt a little shock and admiration of his own. The sun was bright, the breeze was cool, and everything was well with the world. For a moment, anyway. He’d survived again. There was an old familiar thrill in that. He’d bested a brutal enemy and come away unscathed.
And more importantly, he realized with a start, he’d done it without tapping any of Oberon’s strange powers. True, he’d used the druid’s dartgun, but that was spoils of war. Fair and square. From the moment he’d arrived here on the pier, it had been pure Corin Hugh.
There was more to the victory too. He hadn’t just put down a rabid tyrant. He’d also made real progress in his quest for vengeance. For the first time since he’d left Jezeeli, he had a lead on the men he wanted dead. Dave Taker was in the Wildlands on an errand for Ethan Blake. The Wildlands was no small place to search, but Big Jack could lead Corin right to the man. But he had also freed up his new friends in the local Nimble Fingers—new friends much indebted to him over this morning’s work—and Corin felt some confidence that they could find Blake for him.
Corin’s grin faded, but his resolve held strong. Iryana was alive and still in Ethan Blake’s possession. “Only barely bruised,” Tommy had said. Oh, yes. Ethan Blake would answer for his sins.
Lost in these thoughts, Corin reached the bottom of the gangplank and ran aground against a tall, familiar form. Most of the idly curious onlookers had pulled back to grant the hero space, but the watchman who’d confronted Corin earlier had never budged, and now he looked set to resume that conversation.
He dropped a heavy hand on Corin’s shoulder and squeezed hard. “You think you get to walk away from this?”
“I do,” Corin said. “I really do. You need to ask yourself if you will.”
The watchman laughed. “I’m not afraid of you, little man.”
“That suits me fine,” Corin said. “I prefer when folks don’t see me coming. But I am not the one you need to fear.”
“Oh? Who’ve you got in mind?”
Corin rolled a casual gaze over the gathered crowd. There were pirates in the crowd and sailors who had left their work to watch the show, but there were locals too. There were villagers who’d lived under the First Mate’s cruel reign. Corin nodded in their direction.
“Think about the people of Marzelle. Think about the men you’ve pushed around.”
“The First Mate—”
“Is dead!” Corin interrupted, and he raised his voice enough to let the message carry. “Your master’s gone. There’s no more hand on the tiller, and no more money coming either. You have just become an orphan in a cruel, cruel world.”
The watchman shook his head, but sweat already beaded on his brow. “There’s more of us—”
“You mean the First Mate’s crew? You saw them slinking past, didn’t you? Defeated. Even as we speak, they’re calling in favors and quietly booking passage on the first
“Blake. You know they say he’s a Vestossi?”
Corin chuckled but said no more.
Jack just shrugged. “Well, I can’t guess how I would help you there, but when you’re ready to find Taker, I’ll be here. And if you think of something else … ”
“See to these corpses,” Corin said. “That’s all I ask.”
“Aye, aye. Clear skies to you.”
“And you as well.”
They shook hands almost formally; then Corin turned his back and left the Espinola to the dead.
Taker’s crew had melted away, so Corin found the deck abandoned, but the pier below was still crowded close with the curious. A hush fell over them as Corin reached the top of the gangplank, and he couldn’t help but grin as he came down. They must have heard some rumors already from the Espinola crew, but shock and admiration still reigned on every face to see Corin emerge victorious.
He felt a little shock and admiration of his own. The sun was bright, the breeze was cool, and everything was well with the world. For a moment, anyway. He’d survived again. There was an old familiar thrill in that. He’d bested a brutal enemy and come away unscathed.
And more importantly, he realized with a start, he’d done it without tapping any of Oberon’s strange powers. True, he’d used the druid’s dartgun, but that was spoils of war. Fair and square. From the moment he’d arrived here on the pier, it had been pure Corin Hugh.
There was more to the victory too. He hadn’t just put down a rabid tyrant. He’d also made real progress in his quest for vengeance. For the first time since he’d left Jezeeli, he had a lead on the men he wanted dead. Dave Taker was in the Wildlands on an errand for Ethan Blake. The Wildlands was no small place to search, but Big Jack could lead Corin right to the man. But he had also freed up his new friends in the local Nimble Fingers—new friends much indebted to him over this morning’s work—and Corin felt some confidence that they could find Blake for him.
Corin’s grin faded, but his resolve held strong. Iryana was alive and still in Ethan Blake’s possession. “Only barely bruised,” Tommy had said. Oh, yes. Ethan Blake would answer for his sins.
Lost in these thoughts, Corin reached the bottom of the gangplank and ran aground against a tall, familiar form. Most of the idly curious onlookers had pulled back to grant the hero space, but the watchman who’d confronted Corin earlier had never budged, and now he looked set to resume that conversation.
He dropped a heavy hand on Corin’s shoulder and squeezed hard. “You think you get to walk away from this?”
“I do,” Corin said. “I really do. You need to ask yourself if you will.”
The watchman laughed. “I’m not afraid of you, little man.”
“That suits me fine,” Corin said. “I prefer when folks don’t see me coming. But I am not the one you need to fear.”
“Oh? Who’ve you got in mind?”
Corin rolled a casual gaze over the gathered crowd. There were pirates in the crowd and sailors who had left their work to watch the show, but there were locals too. There were villagers who’d lived under the First Mate’s cruel reign. Corin nodded in their direction.
“Think about the people of Marzelle. Think about the men you’ve pushed around.”
“The First Mate—”
“Is dead!” Corin interrupted, and he raised his voice enough to let the message carry. “Your master’s gone. There’s no more hand on the tiller, and no more money coming either. You have just become an orphan in a cruel, cruel world.”
The watchman shook his head, but sweat already beaded on his brow. “There’s more of us—”
“You mean the First Mate’s crew? You saw them slinking past, didn’t you? Defeated. Even as we speak, they’re calling in favors and quietly booking passage on the first
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