The lack of sound should’ve been my first clue. Nights were never silent affairs near the taverns, and even the ocean held its breath, as though waiting for disaster to strike from the shadows. The wind played with the locks of my hair sticking out from beneath the hood of my cloak. The only light was the full moon, but even this was muted by clouds gathering near the horizon. The reflection of it in the water teased me with the illusion of luck. I knew Varvana was not on my side tonight.
The tavern loomed before my eyes, tall against the star-studded sky. I was ten feet back when the sounds from there reached me. The door creaked as I opened it, but no one paid me any attention except the guard, Markus, standing just inside the doorway. His brown hair hung low over his glazed eyes. He gave me a customary glance, and as I was about to pass him, he grabbed my arm, shooting me a seedy smile, gaze lowering towards my chest. He pulled me aside roughly, pinning me between his figure and the wall. Markus’s fingers pinched the flesh at my waist and I gasped. The sound drew no attention to us.
“Whatcha looking for tonight, sweetheart?” His smile oozed attempted charm, but his mouth reeked of alcohol.
I shallowed my breathing to avoid the pungent odor, trying to stifle the rage stirring in my chest. The drunk idiot was trying to get himself killed. I put on a smile as though I was happy to have his ham hands touching me.
“Nothing you have, Markus.” I put as much malice in my voice as I could. Confusion flickered over his face at the sound of his name. He reeled back a few feet, fists tightening by his side. I saw the moment as he realized who I was. Regret was instantly clear in his eyes.
“My father would be interested to hear about this incident, don’t you think?” I laughed. “Or even the fact that you’re drunk on the job.” I gave my words a second to enter into his slow head and get processed.
He was instantly more alert. “I don’t think the Captain needs to hear about this, Liana. It was just a little fun,” he pled, voice an octave higher than usual.
I smirked at the tone of urgency in his voice. “Just don’t let it happen again,” I drawled confidently. The guards’ fear of my father’s wrath was fun to play with; it worked like a charm to get me what I wanted. If that didn’t work, there were always other ways.
I stepped away from Markus, who was now watching the door more diligently, and towards the bar. The smell of alcohol grew stronger. Intoxicated men and women populated the dining area, laughing too loudly and rowdily gambling on the outcomes of games. Other groups hunched in the back corner, whispering trades to one another. The bar stood on the left side of the large room, extending from the entrance to a rear exit. The wood was old and scratched from too many years of wear. I took a seat where Pike was cleaning the counter in a monotonous motion with an already brown rag. He perked up when he noticed my approach. The long hair he sported was pushed behind his ears, curling at the ends.
“Having a drink, Liana? Or ya here for something more interesting?” Pike asked, nodding towards the close-knit groups in the back.
The entire town of Aspen Port had a reputation of black market sales thanks to my father. While most of those occurred down by the ships, Pike’s tavern was an exception. It was rumored you could buy, sell, or trade anything here. I followed his line of sight to see a girl no older than 11 with her hands bound behind her back. She wore a gray thing that could only be described as a long shirt. Her large eyes flitted between two men as gold exchanged hands. The seller beamed. The girl cried.
“Got any water?” I was disinterested in drinking when other things happening were far more interesting. Besides, drinking lowered my inhibitions, a negative when attempting to gain information about the capital, Chara.
“Sure, sure,” Pike replied, rolling his eyes for no apparent reason. “You never find out anything your father doesn’t already know. Why keep doing it?”
He handed me a cup and I took a sip cautiously. I watched the crowd and ignored Pike’s question. He knew why. A man with a braided beard cheered when he won. My father and Pike go back to before I was even born, though I don’t know how they met. My sight caught something interesting to watch. Hidden from full view by his cloak, a broad-shouldered man flirted with the teenaged girl giving out drinks. He gestured towards the seat opposite him, but the girl shook her head, negating the offer. She walked away with an attitude in her step. It was not possible to see the man’s expression to know if the encounter disheartened him. Behind me, Pike sighed at the exchange as though he was the one disappointed.
Turning towards the bar, the man shrugged his shoulders, face now in plain view.
Pike muttered, “Damn it, Provinia,” under his breath.
The stranger’s piercing green eyes almost glowed in the darkness, reflecting the light of the fire cheerfully crackling a few feet away. His stare turned towards me; a smile spread over his lips, white teething flashing. A silent invitation. He promised to intrigue me for at least a few moments.
Pike glared at me from under his lashes when I said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I hopped off the barstool and went towards the man.
I sat across from him. His bright expression was as radiant as a sun.
“What’s your name?” I inquired.
“Is that what you wanna play for?” he teased, voice taking on a flirty tone.
“Who said I wanted to play for anything?”
“Why the coyness? I already know what you want,” he commented. “Wouldn’t have come over here otherwise.” The stranger’s lips curled into a smile. He looked me over. “You want information from Chara, right, Liana? About the king’s or armies’ movements?” I sputtered out a laugh.
“I see. And what if I don’t want to play?”
“Let’s just say that this intel is once in a lifetime.” A lick of wanting warmed my body. Today would be the day that I found something that would help my father.
“Name your game,” I demanded, eyes narrowed.
“Shapes.” It wasn’t coincidence the man picked a game of pure luck. If he knew anything about my reputation, which he seemed to, he knew I was a skilled card player. The goal was to get at least 25 points worth of cards in your hand before the other person while only using 7 cards. The game never lasted long. I agreed to play Shapes with him.
“I want the intel. What do you want?” I asked, wary of his answer.
His gaze went blank as he considered. “I could make you mine for a night…” he trailed off. When I failed to react, he clicked his tongue, disappointed in my lack of interest.
“You’ve already struck out plenty with the ladies tonight, don’t ya think?” I asked, referring to the girl’s refusal to sit with him. The man smiled gleefully and raked his fingers through his hair.
“She’ll come around. After all, she is my beloved.” He chuckled. “When will your father next seize the merchant goods?”
Every few months, my father and his men took goods from merchants in town to feed his crew and keep his ships running. This meant the man as a merchant; he wanted to keep his goods safe from seizure. I gave the merchant a half smile and nodded. On the off chance that I lost, that information was easy to tell him. It posed no risk towards me or the actions of my father’s organization.
With the bets placed, the merchant dealt seven cards to each of us. We both picked up and observed our hands. The merchant smiled when he saw his cards; I knew my hand could be better. Three circles, two X’s, and two squares. Each symbol was worth a certain number of points.
“Please, ladies first,” the merchant said, gesturing towards the pickup pile. Each turn, the player drew a card and then discarded one, aiming for a larger score by keeping cards that were worth more points. They wanted to get rid of cards with negative points.
I drew my first card, and put it in the discard pile. Another X wouldn’t help. X’s caused 2 points to be deducted from the hand’s total. The game continued for several turns; frustratingly, I drew a X three times in a row, not allowing my hand to improve. The merchant placed his hand face up on the table for me to see. Four squares, two circles, and one triangle. I counted silently to make sure the hand was good. Three points for squares, five for circles, and four for triangles. He had 25 points already. Frustration and anger colored my cheeks.
I’d lost the game.
Disappointment spiraled in my stomach. I glanced up to see the merchant’s pleased face. Usually I won, but today I had lost. He seemed unsure of how he was victorious, but a win was still a win.
“The promised information, please. When will your father next seize goods?” His pleased face turned smug.
“If you tell anyone else the date,” I threatened. “I will kill you. Next Thursday. I would suggest you’re well out of the city limits by then if you wish to keep your goods.”
My heart sank at the thought of another pointless night attempting to get information to help my father. Always at sea, he never saw his only daughter. While I could take care of myself, I never would get his approval. I did nothing to help his cause despite my efforts.
“Maybe you’ll learn what you need next time we meet. But it’ll be too late by then, because this--” He pulled out a flyer from his jacket. “--will be over with by the time you win it out of me.”
The anger turned to rage. It felt like liquid fire had been shot into my veins; my vision was edged with red. The merchant rose from his chair and nodded a goodbye to Pike. I briefly considered staying and attempting to find someone else to deal with, but quickly dejected the idea. If what the man said was true, I would finally be able to help my father. I followed the merchant as he strolled onto the street. At the sound of my footfalls, he looked over his shoulder at me. He ran. I saw a flash of cloth as he spun around the corner and I rushed to follow as quickly as I could. He raced through the streets, passing dozens of houses and businesses. When I was close enough, I tackled him from behind. We skidded for a few feet, and he groaned underneath me.
I adjusted the fit of cloak and watched while he struggled to find his footing. We were in an alleyway of sorts, surrounded by garbage. It smelled like urine and I could hear the scratching of rats rustling for leftover food. I waited until he was standing firmly before I approached his daunting figure.
“You’re going to regret mocking me,” I seethed. “Give me the information or else.”
“No! I won the bet fairly. You won’t be getting this information tonight.” A note of pride is heard within his voice. He tried to walk away from me again, but I blocked his path with my body. The merchant puffed up, a foot taller than I, but I didn’t back down. The four lines of scar tissue on my wrist seemed to shine under the pale moonlight.
I concentrated on the image of the merchant in my mind, on opening the doors of his consciousness. At first, there was a struggle of wills, his brain putting up wall after wall to defend itself against my attack. I pressed further, an army marching to take down each wall put up. I dug around his defenses until a blank look is pasted on his face. I knew that whatever I wanted is now mine. There would be no more fighting for him.
“Give me the flyer,” I commanded. The merchant reached into his pocket and pulled it out. The flyer, baring the emblem of the royal family, proclaimed, “A great prize awaits those who can prove their worth.” I tucked the flyer into a pocket for more extensive reading later.
“Tell me everything you know about this ‘great prize’.”
The merchant’s mouth was set in a straight line as he spoke. “King Leopold is holding a competition to locate a bride for his son. The flyer states that the right women will have some sort of power. It starts in a few days at the castle in Chara.” His voice is monotone and controlled.
The merchant subconsciously struggled, and I released him after a command to forget all that commenced. I practically ran home.
I reached home and walked through the door towards my room. I was free to come and go as I pleased. With my father gone most of the time, it was just me in the house.
I sat on my bed, the mattress squishing only slightly under my weight. I pulled the flyer out of the cloak and read it to make sure the merchant hadn’t been lying. But it advertised exactly as he had said: a contest to find the prince a bride as he had come of age and had yet to find one. It called for a woman with great power. Some may think this meant a lady, but I knew the true meaning. It wanted someone like me.
Excited about the possibility to impress father while he was gone with this, I planned to leave for Chara the next morning. It was an opportunity the resistance had been waiting years for: the chance to get close enough to kill the king. I was sure my father would be finally pleased with his daughter.
ns 15.158.61.7da2
