“Never refuse anything that’s free. Just look it over twice.”
-Tumbani saying
Kurko stooped, nearly doubled over to fit through the fort’s narrow hallways. He followed the captain tight on her heels, struggling not to let any sound slipped. His old runic scars had flared up, filling his muscles with biting fire every time he moved, and his chest thumped insistently.
I have to say something, he thought. He followed Quintilla with his gaze, tried not to get distracted by her long legs and shapely waist. The way things were going, it seemed likely that they would die before reaching their goal. That being the case, he didn’t want to leave anything unspoken between them.
“Captain,” Kurko said. “There’s… There’s something I…” The words stuck in his throat, mouth going dry.
“Yes?” Quintilla said. She glanced back at him for just a moment, and he felt like the biggest fool that ever lived.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to say something, anything. “Do you remember when you found me?”
A shrug. “Hard to forget.”
“I’ve never properly thanked you for what you did.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve thanked me a thousand times.”
“Not like I should have. You…” He stroked his beard, eyeing a guard they passed until he was out of earshot. “When I was in that pit, I had nothing. No goals. No dreams. No friends. Only pain, and rage, and shame. I fought because my body commanded it, ate because my body needed it, and slept to forget it all. Then you came.”
Kurko held up his arms and clenched his fists. “I still remember those shackles digging into my wrists. Every morning when I wake up, I have to remind myself I’m not in chains anymore.
“You gave me that, captain. You gave me freedom. More than that, you gave me purpose. I would follow you to the Beyond and further still. I—”
Quintilla stopped outside Governor Chaesim’s office. The guards posted outside looked at Quintilla, then Kurko, then each other. They stepped aside, rifles lowered.
“I know,” Quintilla said, voice soft. She looked back. “Right now, we’ve got a job to do. We can talk about this after.”
Kurko wanted to say something. Just say the words, he told himself. I love you. Is that so hard?
But the moment passed, and Quintilla entered the governor’s office. Kurko did what he was best at.
He followed.
*****
“How unfortunate, Ms. Wenezian,” Chaesim said without a hint of sympathy, cleaning his glasses with a silk cloth. “You know, I am starting to think that you are a poor investment.”
The governor sat behind his large desk, which made him look all the smaller by comparison. Quintilla straddled a chair opposite him, the back pressed against her chin. Kurko stood behind her, hands folded before him.
“This is my shocked face,” Quintilla said, pointing to her impassive countenance. “Look, I’ll get the pieces back, then my treasure, and then you’ll get paid. Don’t worry on that account. But you’ve got a bigger problem.”
Chaesim cocked a bushy eyebrow. “Yes?”
“You’ve got Concordians in your city, Cassie. Right under your nose, too. They attacked us at Sweet Devil, tore the place to the ground. Something tells me they’re not quite done in Tumba, either.”
Chaesim set his glasses down. He regarded them for a long moment, frowning, before folding the silk cloth into the breast pocket of his suit. “Those are grave news. Do you have any way to corroborate this?”
Quintilla threw a Concordian medallion onto the desk. “They were all wearing those.”
“Gods damn it,” Chaesim muttered. “How many?”
“I was hoping you could tell me that. Any suspicious ships dock in Tumba lately?”
The governor went and fetched a thick, leather-bound ledger. He placed his spectacles on the bridge of his nose and began flipping through the pages.
“Hmm…” he murmured. “Three ships would fit that bill. New accounts, all docked in the last few days, all under Wealther names. Trading vessels. Large enough to comfortably accommodate two dozen crew members, assuming no actual cargo is being shipped.”
“That’ll be it,” Quintilla said with a nod. “Could you take them out? Point some guns at the docks and blow them all to bits before anyone knows what’s happening.”
Chaesim let out a bitter laugh. “Impossible, sadly. I do not have the men to enforce that kind of aggressive stance. I would need the support of the pirate crews to drive the Concordians from the city, and that takes time. Firing on ships in my own dock would only cause panic. Perhaps even start a riot.”
“So you’re going to let them roam the city and do whatever they want?” Quintilla scoffed. “I always knew you were a coward, but not this spineless.”
“I will do what I can to impede their progress. I appreciate you bringing this to me. Now, I have business to attend to. You may leave.”
It was about what Quintilla had expected, but hearing the governor say it made her blood boil regardless.
“There’s one last thing you should know,” Quintilla said as she rose. “The Concordians are working with one of the pirate crews.”
Chaesim didn’t look overly surprised. “Which one?”
“Rand.”
“That figures. The man has never flown a cause apart from his own. Rest assured, I will be taking measures against this.”
“Whatever you say.”
Quintilla stalked out of the room, and Kurko followed. She rounded a hallway, then punched the wall. Nearly cracked a knuckle.
“He said he would look into it, at least,” Kurko pointed out.
“That’s politician speak for ‘I’ll do absolutely dick all’,” Quintilla said. She gave herself a minute to calm down, leaning against the wall. “Hey, Kurko.”
“Yes, captain?”
“About what you told me. I know how you feel.” She looked into his pale eyes. He diverted his gaze, and at that moment the hulking brute had all the intimidation of a bleating lamb. “I’m sorry. I can’t love you back. My life has no room for that right now. You were in chains, once, but I’ve still got mine.”
Hesitant, she reached up and touched Kurko’s chest. He was cold to the touch, almost freezing, but it was a soothing kind of cold.
“Maybe, once they’re off, we can reexamine what we’ve got. But until then, I need you to be my first mate, okay? Nothing else.”
Kurko slowly nodded. He took a step back, retreating from her touch. “I understand, captain.”
In his eyes, something broke.
And Quintilla hated herself for doing that to him.
*****
Yin was rather pleased with herself.
She waited on the nose of the Tits Up for the captain to return. The older she got, the more she realized just how slow everyone was.
Finally, Quintilla entered the bramble-choked courtyard with Kurko in tow, and Yin leapt down to greet them.
“Give me some good news,” Quintilla said, motioning for Yin to follow her up the landing ramp.
“I found where the Concordians are hiding out,” Yin said. “Their leader, some fancy-pants asshole, was meeting with Rand. I followed Rand on the way out and found his digs too. Honestly, I’ve seen better.”
Quintilla looked visibly relieved. “That is good news. Anything on the map?”
“The Concordian leader kept twelve of the pieces. I saw his men assembling them before I left. Rand has the last one.”
“You happen to see where he stashed it?”
Yin grinned. “You know I did, captain. Hid it behind the wall in his bedroom.”
Quintilla stopped and cupped Yin’s cheeks. “You are such a blessing. Come—I have a plan laid out for you.”
The best plans are often laid out in desperation.
On another note, I had a feeling Kurko was going to be the no.