A flock of seagulls screeched as they circled the bustling city below. Their beady eyes scanned the wooden docks, hoping to find an unguarded barrel of fish, biscuits, or anything else that might suit their fancy. No such luck—the sailors were diligent in their work, quickly moving the merchandise to its desired location. One seagull spread its wings and caught an updraft, rising higher into the cloudless azure sky before soaring inland towards the top of a hill where three figures stood, taking in the beautiful sight.

  Fresh salty air tousled Seth’s hair as he took in a deep breath and gazed out at the sparkling sapphire waves that lapped against at least a dozen ships. “Well…” he said, looking back at Gloria and Elias. “We made it—Stormvale.”

  Gloria gaped at the wide ocean horizon. “It’s even more beautiful in person…The water…it’s more vibrant.”

  Seth smiled at her. “This is nothing. Wait till you dig your toes in the sand; that…that is an experience.” He looked back to Stormvale. “Watch your step here though; this is a port town—they’re rougher than a small village along the shore.” He narrowed his eyes. “You never know who might be getting off the ship.”

  Elias frowned. “On that note,” he said, pointing at two heavily armed men walking up the winding hill road, talking to each other, “should we be worried about them?”

  Cold fear rushed through Seth’s veins. He stepped back before the men could look up and see them. “Quick! We need to hide!” He looked over his shoulder, but the tall grasses of the plains had tapered down to knee height—hardly tall enough to hide a man.

  Elias pulled his cloak out of his bag. “Master! Put this on!”

  Seth grimaced at the cloak. “I’m taller than you! They’re going to—”

  Gloria snatched the cloak from Elias and threw it at Seth. “Just put it on!” she hissed. “As long as it covers your face, it doesn’t matter.”

  Seth was about to protest, but the voices drew nearer. He quickly pulled the cloak on and yanked the hood over his face. What now? They couldn’t just stand there! He snatched Gloria’s hand and held it tight. Her hand twitched in his, but he marched forward.

  “Come on,” he muttered. “Let’s see if we can just walk past them.” Gloria followed beside him and Elias trailed behind.

  Seth’s shoulders tensed and his heart pounded in his ears as they strode down the hill pathway towards the armed men. Stay calm, he thought, trying to keep his focus on the road while also keeping an eye on the men.

  Gloria’s hand began to feel moist in his and he could hear her trying to control her breathing. He peeked over his shoulder at Elias who held his straps so tight, the knuckles on his left hand turned white.

  Seth looked forward again, now they were only two yards away from the armed men. One had brown hair pulled back in a top knot and a beard, the second was clean-shaven with short blonde hair. Seth swallowed and continued his steady pace. Don’t notice us. Don’t notice—

  “You’re joking!”

  Seth’s heart lurched and he tried not to jump. He looked up to see the brown-haired man gaping at his companion.

  “Swear to Crim, I ain’t!” said the second.

  “You’re telling me that she was the same girl you knew back home?”

  One yard.

  “I could hardly believe it either, we spent almost half the time just talking about home.”

  “And you still…?”

  “I paid for it!”

  Come on… just a few more steps. Seth held his breath when the second man looked up. His eyes narrowed as he scanned them for a moment.

  Act natural, Seth told himself, continuing to walk forward. Act natural.

  “You’re disgusting, you know that?” the first man gagged.

  The second man’s eyes flicked away from Seth to his companion. “Hey! A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

  Seth squeezed Gloria’s hand—they were passing them now. Each step sounded like thunder in his ears, and the heavy clink of their armor shot spikes of fear through his pounding heart. He resisted the urge to rub his aching chest. His jaw clenched and he tried not to make eye contact with them.

  The brown-haired man shook his head, then he looked up at Seth. He frowned and gripped his friend’s shoulder. “Hang on.”

  Seth’s stomach dropped. We’ve been caught!

  “Excuse me sir,” the man called to him. “I’ve got a question for you.”

  Gloria’s hand trembled in his. Seth wished he could peek at Elias, but that might give away their anxiety. He slowly turned back to meet the two men. He nodded respectfully. “Yes?”

  “We’re traveling to Northhorn,” the man said. “Do you know how far away the town is?”

  Seth nodded and pointed beyond them. He spoke in a low tone, trying to keep it level. “A day’s journey east.”

  The assassin nodded. “Thank you. Are you traveling from there? We’re looking for someone. A man named Smith. Have you heard of him? Gangly fellow, about twenty. Said to have been in these parts for a while.”

  Seth’s heart raced and his throat went dry, but Gloria squeezed his hand and stroked it with her thumb, bringing him back to the present. He nodded again. “Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He went east towards Westfjord about a month ago.”

  The man grinned and his eyes darkened. “Thank you, that’s very good to know.” Seth’s skin crawled at the man’s glee. The assassin nodded his thanks, then turned back to continue his conversation with his friend up the hill.

  Seth, Gloria, and Elias struggled to keep their steps steady and resisted the urge to look over their shoulders. Gloria crept close to Seth and murmured in his ear. “That was clever,” she said.

  Seth’s face warmed and he puffed up his chest as a grin spread across his face. “Really? You thought I was clever?” Gloria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded.

  Behind him, Elias snickered. Seth glanced over his shoulder. Elias’s glum face brightened, and he puckered his lips at Seth. Seth scowled at him, and his face started to burn.

  Gloria looked over her shoulder at Elias. “What’s going on?”

  Elias quickly looked away, barely able to stifle his laughter. “Nothing.”

  Gloria glanced suspiciously between the two of them. “Seth?”

  Seth’s throat tightened and he pulled the hood further over his face as his ears joined his boiling cheeks. “It’s nothing,” he muttered. “Let’s get moving. Hopefully The White Lily is in port.”

  From the corner of his eye, Gloria smiled quietly. She tucked another curl behind her ear and held Seth’s hand. “Okay.” Then the three of them walked down the rest of the hill and into the town.

  The smooth, paved streets of Stormvale thronged with townsfolk, sailors, and bustling merchants. Bodies pressed in on all sides, jostling Seth and his friends as they fought their way toward the docks. Gloria’s hand tightened around his, gripping him like a lifeline. A sharp thrill shot down his spine, and his ears wouldn’t stop burning.

  He glanced back; her eyes darted about, and her mouth was set in a grim line. He smiled a little and stroked her hand with his thumb. The gesture caught Gloria’s attention, and her face snapped to his, eyes wide.

  Seth opened his mouth to calm her when he noticed Elias behind them quickly being swallowed by the crowd. He craned his neck and struggled to push through. “Master!” he called. “Wait!”

  Seth and Gloria stopped and waited for Elias to catch up. The young man bent over, panting. “Thank goodness, I was afraid I was going to lose you.”

  Gloria held her hand out. “Hold onto me and I’ll hold onto Seth. This way we won’t get separated.”

  Elias pushed back a few long ash-blonde locks before grabbing Gloria’s hand. “Good idea.”

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Seth tried to spy the docks, but he could only see the masts above the sea of bobbing heads. “We’re getting close,” he said, steadying himself after a tall man pushed past him. “But it’s still a little ways out.”

  He glanced back. “Everyone have a strong hold?” Gloria and Elias nodded. “Let’s go.”

  There were a few close calls, but Seth, Gloria, and Elias managed to reach the docks. Thirteen beautiful vessels were docked alongside the harbor. Tall masts pierced the sky, with taut lines of rope coming off them like threaded needles. Muscled men scuttled around, tying up sails or tossing rope to their comrades tie to the harbor. Seth craned his neck and scanned their names, slowly moving down the line.

  Gloria grunted as a few bodies refused to move and squished them as they passed by. Their human chain stumbled a moment, when Elias tripped on someone’s foot. Seth steadied himself, then grimaced at the seventh ship.

  Where is she? Is she not here?

  But as they approached the tenth ship, a sharp voice cut through the noisy bustle. “Put your backs into it boys! The man says he’ll pay us double time if we get this done in two hours.” Seth brightened and squeezed past a few more people to see a sturdy fluyt made of teak. Her boards were weathered, but the sun glittered on droplets of water on her side. A magnificent white flag with a golden leaf fluttered in the ocean breeze and on her bow in glittering golden letters were painted the words: The White Lily.

  Roughly thirty men were hauling, sacks, barrels, and crates down the gangplank to three horse-drawn wagons. Half of them, Seth recognized as the crew, the other half looked like dockhands.

  Standing by the wagons were two men, one was round and plump who counted each package as it was loaded into the wagons and marked it off on a pad of paper and the second was a tall, toned man with a confident grin across his face. His arms were crossed calmly as he watched the rest of the men load their cargo.

  Seth smiled. “There he is.”

  Gloria came up beside him and frowned. “Who?”

  “Captain Burdock.”

  Elias came up to Gloria’s right and gaped around him. “And I thought Westfjord was busy.”

  Seth glanced around him. He didn’t want to walk right up to Captain Burdock. What if another assassin was still in the crowd looking for information? A cold shiver ran through Seth. Maybe a few sailed on The White Lily? Seth pulled his hood over his eyes. It didn’t look like it, but he didn’t want to risk anything.

  “She sure is a beauty, ain’t she?”

  Seth flinched and looked up to see the toned man eyeing them. “She’s a good ship and will get you where you’re going—provided you bring work or coin.”

  Seth shuffled nervously at the attention. He cleared his throat. “Are you still sailing down to Fenguar?”

  The man furrowed his brow, then strode towards Seth, his eyes sweeping over them. “I know you, but your friends I don’t.”

  Seth gulped and looked up to meet the Captain’s eyes. He offered a hesitant smile.

  A huge grin spread across Captain Burdock’s face. “Seth Smith as I live and breathe!” he cried and held out a hand to Seth.

  Seth grimaced inwardly. So much for subtlety. He took his hand and shook it firmly. “Pleasure to see you again, Captain.”

  Captain Burdock grinned. “That’s a mighty handshake there. Not quite as gangly as I remember. I thought you were heading off to settle down in Northhorn.”

  Seth suppressed a shudder, then shrugged. “I did for a while, but plans changed.”

  The crew behind the captain slowed. Heads began to turn, and their mouths gaped open.

  “Good Crim! Is that Toothpick? Damn! He toughened up.”

  Seth bristled at the old nickname. Gloria hid a smile, but Elias scowled at the sailors and muttered something under his breath.

  “Wasn’t he as pale as a fish’s underbelly?”

  Seth shifted uncomfortably. Did they really need to mention all that in front of Gloria?

  Just as he had the thought, the sailors’ eyes slid to Gloria. Someone dropped a bag; it landed on the stone street with a dull thud.

  “Hot damn! Look! Toothpick’s got a girl!”

  The rest of the crew halted and gawked.

  “What? I didn’t think Toothpick even liked girls!”

  Seth’s face burned. I like girls! He peeked at Gloria. I just didn’t notice them...

  “Well, he does—look at ‘er!”

  A few whistles and catcalls rang out from the ship. Gloria inched closer to Seth, her face reddening with shame. Seth ground his teeth and glared at them. Elias whipped his head towards Seth.

  “Master Seth,” he hissed. “Are you really thinking about sailing on this ship? These men are dis—”

  Gloria jabbed him before he could finish. Elias winced and shot Gloria a look.

  Captain Burdock barked over his shoulder. “Boys! Get back to it! We’ve got a deadline.”

  The crew grumbled, but they obeyed the captain and continued their work. But occasionally someone would glance over, and their eyes would linger just a hair too long on Gloria.

  Captain Burdock shook his head and put his hands on his hips with a sigh. “Sorry about that. The men always get a bit antsy when we’ve been at sea for a while.” He looked back to Seth. “Though I’ll admit,” he said with a smile, “even I’m surprised that you got married.”

  Seth’s throat closed up. His stomach flipped, and he became very aware of their clasped hands. He glanced at Gloria. Her eyes quivered with slight panic, and she slid his hand from his. His chest stung, but he gave her a strained smile before looking back at Captain Burdock.

  “No, not married.”

  Captain Burdock’s eyes flicked between the two, but he said nothing. Instead, he moved on to Elias. “Who’s this? I don’t remember you mentioning a brother.”

  Elias drew himself up and gently put a hand on Gloria’s back. “I’m Gloria’s brother.”

  Seth frowned and looked at Elias. Brother? What’s he doing?

  A vein throbbed in Elias’s neck, his jaw and eyes twitched as he stared straight at Captain Burdock, with rigid focus. Then Seth caught it—a dark glint in the young man’s eye as they shifted slightly past the captain to glare at the men still ogling Gloria. Seth blinked in brief amazement at Elias’s attempt to lie and a small smile of pride welled in his chest.

  Gloria furrowed her brows at Elias and opened her mouth to correct him, but Seth cut her off. “Yes, this is Elias, Gloria’s little brother.”

  Gloria stammered and shot glances between him and Elias. Seth gave her a soft look. Trust us. Gloria’s mouth gaped another moment, then she closed it and nodded.

  Seth looked up at Captain Burdock who raised an eyebrow. He looked over the three of them, then scratched his beard. “Well, we’ve got a load coming this afternoon. After that, I’m giving the boys the rest of the day off before we set sail tomorrow.” He looked at Gloria. “Cook was just complaining about not having enough help in the kitchen. When he gets back from the market, he can give you a tour of the kitchen and I’m sure he’ll want some help with any preparations he needs before we head out tomorrow.”

  Gloria nodded. “I can do that.”

  Captain Burdock looked at Elias. “My last cabin boy left a day or so ago, so you’d be perfect for the job.”

  Elias stole one last look at the crew, then turned back to Captain Burdock. “What does a cabin boy do?”

  Seth tried to hide a laugh when Captain Burdock smiled at him. “Whatever I tell him to.”

  Elias pursed his lips, then nodded. “I can do that, sir.”

  Captain Burdock chuckled, then turned to Seth. “I know it’s been a while, but you think you remember enough of what we taught you about rigging?”

  Seth nodded. “I think so.”

  Captain Burdock’s smile widened to a grin. “Excellent!” He clapped his hand on Seth’s shoulder and looked at Gloria. “This young man ties the best knots, I’ve ever seen. I tried to convince him to stay on the ship, but he said he was more of a smith than a sailor.”

  Seth flushed with embarrassment. “Well, your men are good teachers.”

  Captain Burdock shook his head. “You sell yourself short. I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I tell you, those knots of yours would make any sailor jealous.”

  Seth smiled shyly and glanced at Gloria, subtly hoping she’d be impressed. She seemed unsure, but she did smile at Captain Burdock’s praise. Seth felt a little crestfallen. Well… this is the first time she’s been near a ship.

  “Simon!” Captain Burdock called over his shoulder.

  A sleek young man with a red bandana on his head peered over the side of the boat. He grinned at Seth. “Yes, Captain?”

  “We’ve got some temp workers, get them situated with some hammocks and acquainted with the crew.”

  Simon nodded. “Yes, Captain!”

  Captain Burdock turned back to Seth. “Once you’re settled, you can take the rest of the afternoon familiarizing yourself with the ship. But we’ll need your help when it’s time”

  Seth jogged to catch up with Captain Burdock. “Captain!” he called. “May I have a word?”

  The captain paused and turned back. “Yes?”

  “I was wondering if you’d be willing to drop us off a day before Autumnport?”

  Captain Burdock raised an eyebrow. “Just on the shore?”

  Seth nodded and rummaged around his pockets before pulling out a lean coin purse. “It’s not a lot, but I can pay you for the trouble.”

  Captain Burdock eyed the pouch, then leveled a skeptical look at Seth. “Care to explain why?”

  Seth swallowed and tried to keep a steady gaze. “It’s personal, sir.”

  Captain Burdock’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like secrets on my ship. Much less trouble.”

  Seth’s heart thudded in his head. “No trouble to your ship sir,” he answered, holding up the pouch. “Just asking to be dropped off a little early.”

  The captain crossed his arms, stroking his chin, and considered Seth for a long moment. “One question.”

  Seth blinked. “Captain?”

  “I get to ask one question,” Burdock said firmly. “At any point during our voyage, and you will answer it—truthfully.” He gave Seth a sharp gaze, before flicking his eyes towards Elias. “I know when I’m being lied to.”

  Seth grimaced inwardly. Damn it. One question? Risky deal… He glanced over his shoulder at the ships behind him.

  “I wouldn’t,” Captain Burdock said. “Not with your lady with you.” Seth turned back warily. “Not all sailors are as upstanding as mine.”

  Seth’s jaw tensed and he pursed his lips.

  Captain Burdock held out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

  Seth stared at the captain’s rough palm for a moment, then let out a slow sigh and clasped it. “Deal.”