A tear dripped down Marie's cheek, unannounced and unwanted. She wiped it out, shamed that her assistant had seen it.
“Bad news, miss?” Poh said, genuine concern in her tone.
Marie put Ced’s letter aside. “On the contrary. The new Kraken fleet has finally reached Temasek. One week more and they will be in Tampra. What else do we have?”
Poh, still standing on the other side of the desk, checked through a pile of papers she could barely hold.
“The resistance of Han requests aid to start a new revolt.”
“No more fighting for us. But do not reply yet; we'll consider a way to collaborate that fits our interests. What else?”
“Charles was released. Seems Ujan has gained some autonomy, and he asks you to visit.”
“He wants to open trades.” Marie rubbed her temples. “Ask if they would like to meet here. Tell them I'm not in any condition to travel. Is that all?”
“There's an official request to send envoys. Kuraban from Tampra, announcing himself as the new Rajah’s right hand, wishes to forge an alliance. Seems in good faith, but who knows…"
Poh blew long and steady, so Marie eased her gaze on her.
“Go take a rest; we can deal with all of this later.“
As Poh left, she went back to her letter.
'I always get back to you. Love, Ced.'
The reading pushed her to open a drawer and take another paper, an old letter backed in fine silk to keep the decay of time away from its words.
She unfolded it carefully.
This was sent years ago, when the Harpy daughters were kidnapped and The Blue folk had answered the call of a desperate mother. Ced had sailed with some strangers to bring them home, and unlike many others and to the surprise of the Harpy herself, they were successful.
Marie read the lines again.
"So, Raimond's betrayal pushed us to take a longer journey. Luckily for us, he’s not too smart, and luckily for me, Donna’s fellas are competent. I can’t wait for you to meet them.
It will be later than expected, but sooner than you think. I always get back to you. Love, Ced."
A memory came unbidden.
The docks of the Lighthouse Island were new then. Pale timber, fresh from the saw. Resin smelled sharp in the air. Men hammered, ropes creaked, and the skeleton of a half-built lighthouse rose behind them. Stone and wood climbed skyward as workers scuttled like ants around it.
The Maze surrounded the island. Twisting channels where ships would vanish or sink if Marie's charts had not been made.
Ced’s boots thumped on the planks. He crossed to her and pulled into an embrace. He smelled of salt, tar and sweat, and all felt real and wanted.
She held him as tightly as she could. When he let go, she wanted to hate him, or better said, hate the people pushing him to release her.
Ced grinned and stepped aside.
“This is Em. Donna's man. A competent seaman and a great shot.”
The man saluted. Straight, clumsy. Serious in a way that made her hesitate.
“And the girl is Ivy,” Ced added. "She is mute, but we are all learning a new sign language from Ujan. Very useful."
Ivy curtsied. Small, timid, fragile. But her eyes held a spark: Sharp and wild.
Marie frowned.
Ced noticed, and to ease her, as he always did, he draped an arm over her shoulder, squeezing lightly.
“I met Uwe again,” he said. “Tried to avoid conflict as promised, but you know him. Don’t worry. I won, and he won’t be chasing duels anymore.” He pretended a chuckle to give himself time to check her reaction. “Kicked his ass pretty badly.”
Em cleared his throat, and Ced's eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Nothing,” the man combed his moustache with prosthetic fingers. Donna's work with no doubt. “Actually,” he added, “I was wondering about a promise you made. In Jo. When you were kicking ass here and there. Do you reckon?”
Ced blinked. “No.”
“When you requested a bit of lead in an iron fight. Remember? When you needed uncivilized weapons to end an honorable fight that was supposed to be 'easily quick'?”
“All right, all right.” Ced said reluctantly. “I promised Em he could use the
Ballerina
. He’ll handle the trading with Nor'Wes from now on.”
A forced smile fixed on her, waiting for a clue of approval. She made him wait while watching two unknown men help
her
crew unload
her
ship.
One limped. The other was thin, wiry; somehow wicked.
“You said you wanted to settle, right?” Ced pressed. “You said you were tired of sailing. This adventure was the last crazy thing I’ll do, as I promised. But… but the trade north must continue, right? Right?”
Silence hung. She had agreed, but she also enjoyed making him struggle for a while. Upon feeling satisfied, she asked softly, “So everything is settled with the Harpy?”
“Oh yes,” Ced said. “The mother bird even gave us a letter of passage in gratitude.” He pointed towards the ship. “Em will sail the northern Ring unbothered. Well, almost. Uwe is still there.”
“Ye should kill that man, boy.” The thin, wiry man strode closer, holding a box.
Marie stiffened. The smell from either him or his package burned the nostrils and the eyes. She blinked profusely at every inch of a man who seemed unpleasant from head to toe: from the wrinkled face battered by the sun to the rotten boots eaten by the salt.
“Trouble still there, because ye soft…
mon'boy
.” he added.
Ced waved a hand in dismissal, then spoke.
“Love… this is Ah Long, Em’s mate. The other is Joy. Both crazy as hell, but good lads.”
“Ye the crazy!” Long barked, grinning. “But ye good lad too. I like! Ye woman! Where I put my birds? And need place to store drinks also. Birds important, but drinks more important.”
Marie tensed. “I',m the one in… I… That’s how you speak to someone you've just met?”
“Nay. Long talk like this all time. Always same. Now tell me where I put things. I stay here. Take care of lighthouse now. Exciting!”
Marie’s frown deepened, making Ced fidget beside her. “They’ll manage,” he said, trying to convince himself more than her.
“I don’t like him,” she muttered.
Long, already moving toward the lighthouse, shouted over his shoulder.
“Don’t like ye either! But all fine, girl. Later ye love I like brother. Very charm I! Ask daughters of pirate woman. They find old Long the best!”
Ced and Em exchanged a look. Their eyes spoke of a mutual understanding, far opposed to what Long said. Marie felt the urge to ask, but chose not to go deep enough into a matter she might not want to know.
"Were the girls un… unharmed?”
“Oh, yes, yes… Don't worry.” Ced rushed to answer, as he did to change the topic. “Ah, yes… this is Lim. Em’s wife.”
Em froze, and his face turned red. “We… we are not married," he stammered. "We're actually… we don't… well…”
Ivy let out a silent chuckle, and Em slapped her shoulder. Friendly, but in Marie's opinion, still too rough. Yet, the girl took it with nothing but a smirk, as if that was a commonality.
A rare wheeled chair rolled down the ramp with the help of one of Ced's rangers. The woman in it was delicate, strange in many ways; almost unreal.
Lim smiled. Kind and warm.
“Nice to meet you, dear,” she said. “I heard many words about you. Forgive my crewmates; they know nothing but ships' rudeness. I hope you find my company more pleasant than theirs; we’ll need each other to survive their foolery. Won't we?”
She extended a hand Marie didn't hesitate to take. It was strangely cold.
Their eyes locked, as did her memory.
The office returned.
Through the windows, sunlight painted the sea gold. Ships drifted between piers. Men loaded and unloaded goods. The world and all its people bustled as if nothing had ever happened. They moved on, pretending everything was all right. So she did the same.
The past belonged here, she thought while folding the letters and placing them in the drawer.
Poh knocked on the half-open door. “Miss?”
“What is it?”
“Sorry to disturb. The foreman wants to discuss some issues with the new platform. Seems extremely important.”
Marie straightened. “Of course. Let him in.”