“Yes, it bothers me. But I’m fine. Don’t get involved.”
“My dad taught me to stand up and fight when I felt something wasn’t right.”
Tyler couldn’t help it, he raised an eyebrow. “The assassin.”
Ollie flushed, eyes glittering in that entertaining way that meant he was pissed. “Hey, I’m on your side, don’t go attacking me just cause Jim’s out of your reach.” Apparently he was better at controlling his anger than most of the Wolves.
“Ollie, shut up and get some sleep.”
By some miracle the young Wolf listened, and soon Tyler heard his breathing slip into shallow snores. Despite his exhaustion, the thief found sleep didn’t claim him until much later.
They’d been sailing for weeks, so long that Tyler had forgotten how ground that didn’t move felt beneath his feet. He was trying not to make enemies, not to make himself a target. But whatever he was doing wasn’t working. Normally it was easy to be invisible, not so apparently with a pirate crew and a first mate who’d got it in for you the moment you looked the wrong way at their superior.
Anyone with half a brain cell would be thinking of running the minute they got to dry land. But Tyler wasn’t there yet. He needed to figure out what was going on in his world before he even knew if there was anywhere left for him to run. To live that long he had to figure out a way to diffuse the tension, if his pride would let him. He’d suffered at the hand of his own pride a number of times, it was a hard lesson to learn. Tyler suspected he’d have to get through this the hard way rather than the easy way. For that maybe it was better if he had a few people at his back. He grimaced. No, he didn’t want to do it that way. Ollie’s offer was kind, but Jim’s beef with him was personal, and causing a rift in the crew would only make the hard way that bit messier.
~
The next morning, having thought over Ollie’s words, Tyler decided it wouldn’t hurt to try harder with the natives, and make friends. Or at least allies. Not that he was forming sides, it would just make him feel more comfortable. Despite blaming him at first for Anya’s ascent to the crow’s nest, due to Anya’s insistence Pips had lowered her guard once again, giving Tyler her more common glare rather than the colder scowl she’d been treating him to in the days that had followed the crow’s nest incident. It was a look that made him shiver, like she was deciding how she’d like to kill him. The lifted animosity now made her seem almost friendly in comparison. He’d tried a few jokes to test the water, and hadn’t been shot or stabbed so far, which he took as encouraging.
He’d been wrapping sails with Blue when Pips had appeared, nodding to them both as she helped gather in an errant piece of fabric. They tied the last of the knots, the overseer almost actually smiling at a job well done. Tyler had heard rumour that she did smile sometimes, but he was yet to witness it for himself. Smiler, that would have been a fantastic nickname for her, which led him to wonder why no one had given it to her. Perhaps too close to the mark. But it led him to ask, “Why Pips?”
He realised too late he’d yet again said something out loud that could insult her. His mouth really did not know how to behave when he was around her. He prepared to defend himself, checked Blue’s expression for some insight into the chaos that could incur. Blue just grinned, folded his skinny arms across his chest.
Pips’ lip twitched, “Someone tried to call me a pipsqueak once.”
Blue chuckled, unable to contain the rest of the story. “Once. She punched him in the throat before he could finish the rest of the word. He was coughing up blood for days by the time she’d finished with him.”
She nodded, “Pips was as far as he got, and after that, it kinda stuck. I didn’t mind it, the fear in everyone’s eyes when they called me it was worth it.”
“No one’s dared utter the full word in her earshot since.”
“I was just thinking Smiler would have suited you.” If Tyler could have bitten his own tongue off in time to stop himself from speaking he would have. Again he braced himself for fury.
Pips tilted her head back and laughed.
It caught him so unawares Tyler felt his mouth drop open. Blue grinned, knocked his knuckles against the thief’s shoulder. “Well its official, you’re one of us now.”
Tyler shrugged off the comment with little more than a slight tilt of his lips, propping his back against the mast as Blue and Pips wandered off to get some grub. He leaned his head back, looked up at the sun beaming above him, the sky adorned with streaks of white cloud, like someone had grabbed a massive paintbrush and streaked it across the perfect blue. He didn’t realise his smile had widened until his cheeks began to ache. Then he became very serious.
He looked back down at the deck, scrubbed a foot over the boards. He was getting in deeper, actually enjoying himself. He had to be careful about that. People were easy to trick, and he was playing them all. He kept forgetting it.
For the first time in a long time, the thief was confused, pulled in two different directions – on the one hand he wanted to get back, reassert his position, and he was pretty sure if he overstayed his welcome Jim would kill him. On the other there were good people on this ship, and her. He chewed at his lip, worrying away a piece of loose skin. Never forget what you are. The words came to him as if on the wind, but Tyler knew it was nothing but a memory. A curse. His tutor’s words, when it had all come crumbling down.
He pressed his knuckles to his forehead. He refused to head down that path, not now not ever. He wasn’t that person anymore. But those words at least were true. His hands were changed, hard calluses marking blisters long gone, but they were still thieves hands. Nimble fingers, crisscrossed with papercut scars. The little finger on his left hand was crooked, a bad fix from a memorable lesson, and his nails were blackened with dirt. These hands held history, held skill, they were the hands of a thief.
“Penny for them?” His head snapped up, he hadn’t heard her approach. Irena perched her hands on her hips, “I’ve come for an explanation.”
“About what?” Tyler tried to think back as to what he might be being blamed for, no doubt Jim would be behind it.
“I thought I told you I don’t have to be visible to know what’s going on aboard my own ship. I know Anya was up in the nest and I’m pretty sure I know why. Is there anything you would like to tell me?”
Not what he’d expected, he didn’t think anyone had seen what happened that night. The cold weather had meant everyone had been hunkered beneath decks. He still owed Anya for that one. And he wasn’t a snitch, unlike some people. He let a playful grin appear, if just to disguise the current confusion on his mind. “If you want to hear all of my dirty little secrets you’ll have to try better than that Captain.” He checked her expression, continued, “Try privacy and alcohol next time. A little temptation wouldn’t go amiss either. You’d be surprised how talkative I’ll get given the right distraction.”
She wasn’t smiling really, but there was a light to her eyes that revealed her amusement. “Noted. I’ll be sure to remember that. Next time.”
It was certainly better than ‘give up’, it promised more to come. Tyler tilted his head, made those puppy-dog eyes that he knew from experience were infallible. “Why do you cut all of our interactions so short? It makes me feel like you don’t want to spend time with me.”
Irena smirked, “Why would I?”
“I can make a list if you like,” he held up a hand, and marked his points off as he went, “I’m fantastic company, I know a fair number of jokes which get dirtier as I get drunker, I’m a dab hand at canasta–”
“I prefer poker.” She interrupted, striding off with purpose.
That was more like it, now she was playing along. Tyler beamed, shouted after her, “I can be flexible.” Her answering laugh was little more than a whisper on the wind, but he didn’t miss it. There was something telling him it was too early to head back to land, and he trusted his senses. The streets wouldn’t be any safer for him without allies. And a dead man
didn’t have friends. A bit of chemistry might just make him relax enough to hold out for a little longer.
~
How such a huge figure of a man could make himself invisible, Tyler wasn’t sure, but he was pretty certain that somehow or other Jim had noticed his and Irena’s latest interaction, and was now doing his best to make Tyler’s existence as miserable as possible. If he’d thought he was being tough on him before, he didn’t know what depths Jim’s imagination could sink to. He’d been on slops all week, and suspiciously all of the gloves he was given had gaping holes in them. Fortunately he knew where the store cupboard was, and he didn’t need the key.
On top of that he’d had three nights in the nest, with no food or reprieve. Jim was getting wiser to the others now, creating jobs that would take Ollie, Pips and Blue to the other end of the ship, keeping them too busy to offer a hand, making sure they were asleep before calling Tyler to lookout. There had been a fourth night Jim had tried to intercept Tyler to send him to the nest, but Ollie had gotten up to pee, and offered to take Tyler’s place. The dark look the young Wolf gave the first mate meant Jim didn’t try to refuse. Tyler suspected it was something his grandmother had taught him.
In spite of all of it, Tyler kept his head low, he refused to complain to anyone, let alone the first mate. But he didn’t take the hint about Irena. If he saw her he made every effort to speak to her, to make her smile. Smiles didn’t come as easily to her as they did to someone like Anya, but she still looked beautiful when her lips curved like that. He ignored any mention the others made of the first mate’s behaviour, shutting down conversations before they could begin, but there was something in the air that told him it wasn’t enough.
Maybe he’d grown wise to treachery, could sense something was off. Maybe it was paranoia. Tyler was suspicious the moment he saw Ollie and Blue on deck, conspiring with each other. He sighed to himself, tucking his hands into his pockets. The instant they caught sight of him their jaws set into the same determined expression, and they nodded to each other. Tyler rolled his eyes, bracing himself for what he knew was coming. “What?”
“We’ve got your back.”
He sighed, “Great, thanks. I don’t need you to, but thanks.”
“Look, he’s treating you like a slave on this ship – it’s not fair and we don’t like it. We’ve been talking about it.”
Who was we? Tyler swore internally, he didn’t want this, he wasn’t looking to cause a mutiny. But with life you couldn’t count cards, every time he thought he’d got an ace it would turn out to be a joker. “Ollie, what did I tell you – I’ll deal with it in my own way. I don’t need you to get involved.”
“Well too bad, we are involved.” He knew her voice immediately.
“Anya.” His heart sank. He hadn’t spotted the girls approaching. All the Ladies were there, save for Irena of course. Pips was as sour faced as usual. She glanced at Blue – Tyler got the distinct impression she was only standing on Tyler’s side because of her Southerner lover. But he had made her laugh once too, so maybe she did actually like him a little.
Jackie nodded, blue hair bouncing on her shoulders, “We’re with you Tyler, this isn’t right.”
“Actually, I’m with Jim.”
“Negrita!”
She stood with a hand on her hip, a finger tracing the hilt of her sword, “You made your choice, I made mine. Personally I think Tyler is a jumped up asshole Jailbird who expects everyone to love him after showing off a bit of street hawker sleight of hand.”
“I do not!” He wasn’t sure which part insulted him more; that she thought he was jumped up, or that she’d called him a street hawker. What he did was an art, not that he was about to shout that back at her. Tyler wasn’t going to argue about the third point. He didn’t care that she wasn’t on his side, he didn’t want there to be sides at all. He’d have to act now, if it was to be on his terms. Tyler didn’t like having his hand forced. He tried not to show how pissed off he really was.
Negrita continued, her stare cold and unyielding. She’d clearly made up her mind long before she’d been approached – then why had she bothered to come here with them? Was she just looking to start a fight? “Jim isn’t doing anything out of his rights. He’s first mate after all. If Tyler can’t handle the load then maybe he shouldn’t be here.”
He didn’t want to be here, not right now. But one person had believed he’d be capable. “Captain Irena picked me herself!”
“And what – you think that makes you special?” Negrita let that cruel grin she sometimes wore slip onto her face, “She picked all of us.”
Rage was bubbling up, he couldn’t speak to her anymore. She’d set him off, and if they saw him angry the whole farce was over. Lower thieves didn’t know how to fight like he did. He began to walk away, pushing himself past Blue and Pips, “I’m not going to stand here and listen to this. I’ve got jobs to do.”
“We’ll help.” Ollie, as usual, didn’t know when to shut up.
“NO.” Tyler forced himself to calm down. His shout had rung out across the deck, people were turning to look, raising their eyebrows. “I don’t need your help.”
Chapter 8
The Ace of North
Malcolm strode across the deck purposefully, rummaging in the pockets of his coat. Tyler didn’t like to think what he kept in there, his fingers probably came out grubbier than they went in, though it was hard to tell by his tobacco stained fingers. Predictably, despite whatever he’d actually been looking for, he also procured a generous amount of the pitch black chewing tobacco he favoured, stuffing a clod of it under his gums before passing Tyler his other prize. Honestly, he was reluctant to look, but at least it wasn’t sticky.
“Found something I thought might be of interest to you.” Malcolm grinned, tapping the top of the pack of cards with a grey nail.
“Proper.” Street talk came easier with a character like Malcolm, he reminded him of plenty of back-alley dealers he’d come across in his time.
He knew the accountant would have a reason for giving him them, so he wasn’t surprised when Malcolm sidled a little closer, checking inconspicuously for anyone about. “And you know, since I equipped the dealer, maybe you could see to it that I get a cut of any winnings? Just a token, you understand.”
“Of course.”
“Mums the word.”
“I’m mute.”
Malcolm smiled with his blackened teeth and drifted off, the red ribbon in his hair flickering in the breeze.
Tyler flipped through the pack of cards, whistling through his teeth. Malcolm had certainly dug the pack up from somewhere, they were torn and filthy, but a skilled dealer could work a banged up pack as well as a brand new one. There were four suits, North, South, East, and West. North took the symbol of the crescent moon, the navy and silver of the Northmen. South took the sun, turquoise and golden. East was purple and black with a striking white star, and West a swirl of pattern reminiscent of the Westerner’s tribal mark, branded in green and copper. The colours had faded with age, but they were still a pretty striking pack, the Lords and Ladies painted intricately, the outlines thin and black and unbroken. Two cards were missing, Tyler could tell after a couple of shuffles – the three of East and the seven of North. He was deducing ways he could turn it to his favour. If only one of the aces were missing he could think of a few games that would line his pockets. God knows he needed it now that Jim had stooped to docking his pay.
“Plotting against us?”
He looked up, lost count, marked his place with a notch to the edge of the card, and secured the pack back in his palm. His eyes didn’t leave Irena’s, so he saw her attention flick to his hands. But he’d already stopped moving his fingers. Irena frowned, then steeled her expression as Tyler opened his mouth. “What makes you think that?”
“Your jaw twitched. When you saw the fourth ace.”
“Why does that mean I’m plotting?”
“Because were it not for the three and seven
you’d have a full pack. Without a full pack the only way to win is to rig it. The interesting thing is that I don’t think it’s crossed your mind that you could just throw away one of the aces. But you don’t like to be deceitful. You’re an honest thief. And that means I don’t know what to make of you.”
Tyler lifted the pack, “Yours?”
Irena shook her head, “No, Malcolm takes the three of East and seven of North out of every deck he owns. Sets him up for sevens. He won once years ago on a rigged pack and can’t seem to shake the addiction. But all he’s got from it since then are two black eyes and a nervous disposition that led him to tobacco.”
“You know your crew well.”
Irena nodded, “My mother taught me that you could tell a lot more about a person by watching them than you could by talking to them. Even the most honest person lies, but they can’t fake the way they act when they think no one’s watching.”
“I know you’re probably intending to sound menacing, but I can’t help but feel excited to know that you’ve got your eye on me.”
“Why not throw the ace?”
Tyler handed the pack to Irena. “Who said I didn’t?” He twitched his arm, catching the ace that slipped from his sleeve, and flipping it to face her. The ace of North, the moon picked out in tarnished silver. It danced along his fingers, darting between them and disappearing once more. Irena narrowed her eyes. “Where did you learn that?”
“You’re one of the first people to see that who didn’t accuse me of witchcraft.”
“I trust my eyes.”
“If you employed the rest of your senses you’d make a good thief.” Tyler flicked the card free from his other sleeve, and offered it to Irena with a jaunty bow. He wasn’t surprised when she ignored him and walked off. He shrugged and pocketed the ace, counting under his breath and smiling as Irena turned to glance at him over her shoulder just as he murmured ‘one’. She didn’t stop of course, but it was a small victory.
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