“Why?” he asked, bewildered.

“I want you to join us as our wizard,” she calmly answered.

“You’ll earn your way by fighting alongside us, and get a share of the bounties.  When you’ve built up your stake and I deem it time, I’ll release you from my service.”

“Find someone else,” he quickly argued, tenseness growing in his voice.  “Let me take a share of the ship’s chest and be on my way.”

“And where would you go?  How would you get there?  Your father was known as far north as Humboldt Bruit, yes?

“The only way you’ll find out anything, is by using,” she snapped up a hand, forcefully, to stop his objection, “your family name.  Are agents still looking for your father’s survivors?”

“None of that matters.  I already helped you.”

“Our fearless leader,” Sienna spouted at him, “had already tumbled the dog’s plot.  We knew it was going to come to a fight, anyway.”

She leaned closer, with a slightly smug look, and asked, “Do you have magic skills we can use, or are you just good at losing fights?”

“If I had my tools,” he answered, with a cold glare, “I would show you my skills.”

“Then use them,” she said, in a more amiable tone.  “Get ready for what you have to do.”

He looked away, silently.

“You’ve only thought of freedom and rejoining your mother, but not how to do it,” Fawnlum guessed.  She really could not blame him, for having a lack of foresight.  She could tell he was working hard, just to bite back the pain in his wounded face.

“I can’t waste the time,” he grumbled.

“You told us your troubles in the cage,” Anna said, in a non-forceful manner.  “You’re free now.  But you’ll be standing out.  In Duanhaum, that’s the worst way to be.”

“The women are ganging up on you, lad,” Engel said.  “Just trust her and do it.”

Then he bravely turned and walked back toward the bow, with Fawnlum glad to see him gone from Lucas’ side.  The male ego was more fragile, when other men were around to see it get bruised.

“My magic will protect me.”

“And draw more attention to yourself,” Anna continued, again with a gentle but assertive tone.

Fawnlum let her speak her advice, in an elder’s way to a youngling, as her opinion of the woman climbed a notch higher.

“And you dare not go by sea, not with suspicious wounds and rumors about this boat.  You’re no good to her if you never reach her.”

She quickly but respectfully stopped his response.  “This woman is a hero among heroes,” she steadfastly continued.  “Go with her and add to her strength.  And in the process, build your own.”

He avoided eye contact.  Fawnlum guessed, as his building frustration shone like a beacon, his young pride might still explode.

“And truly, if the Bandit King knew your father was a threat, do you not think he might pursue his heir?” she patiently asked.

“When you get stronger with us,” Sienna cut in, “next time brigands won’t be able-”

“All right!” he tetchily snapped.  “But help me recover my things.”

“Engel!” Fawnlum called.

He walked back over, as Anna went toward the bow.

“He needs to only hold the wheel steady, right?” she asked Lucas.

“Yes,” he said.  “But then one eighth turn to the south in thirty minutes.”

Engel stepped up and took the handles.

“Come with us,” Fawnlum told him, and Lucas followed her and Sienna back into the hold.

Fawnlum picked up the gauntlet lying on the floor.

“Better we get it out now, before it stiffens.”

With a straightening of the digits and some finagling, she worked the detached forearm out, and held the gauntlet up to Lucas.

He started to reach out for it, but she stopped him, motioning him into the brig, where they relieved Caitlyn.

Sienna then dragged Quanou out of the cell, and forced him to his knees in front of Lucas, locking his good arm up and behind him, while pulling his hair back and exposing his neck.

Fawnlum pressed a dagger into Lucas’ hand.

“Bah!” the captain spat.  “You fancy yourselves in the right, girly?”

“Quiet!”  Lucas snapped.

Then he looked at Fawnlum.  “You’re giving me his life, eh?”

He turned back to Quanou, his tone becoming vengeful.  “You.  By your talk and these cells, you’ve taken the lives of others.  You and your filthy crew deserve to die.”

“Then why do you hesitate, whelp?!” Quanou barked.  “You feel the need to explain yourself to your big bitches?”

Lucas held the weapon at the ready, but Quanou kept talking.

“A pity you spirited your mum away.  A right proper wench she would’a made, for rutting!  Six days to weeks’ end!  An’ you wouldn’t have done nothin’ but watch!”

Lucas stood quietly, and looked up at Fawnlum, his face a quiet mask.

“You’re coming with us,” she said.  “But you make your own kills.”

Without another word, Lucas bent down.

The vile lifeblood spilled on the deck, as the dagger ripped across.

The youth stood back up, with both hands shaking.  But he kept himself steady, as Sienna dragged out the cook.

“This isn’t justice!” the crewman yelled, as he was held fast on his knees.

With a deep breath and tightening of his jaw, Lucas started to bend down.  But Fawnlum stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“You make your own kills, but only when I say so.  Go back on deck.  We’ll attend to this.”

<*>                                                          <*>                                                      <*>

“You shouldn’t have let him take so much,” Sienna said moodily, as they followed an east-bound road two days later.

“The good harbor master has to eat too, you know,” Fawnlum answered.

“I’m just glad to be out of that stinking city,” Caitlyn said.  “It had buildings packed in as far as the eye could see.”

“And the destitute on many a corner,” Halrick added.  “And that was just the docks.  Although, I think we were clever enough in smuggling Anna and the others away last night.”

“But why are we on the easterly road now,” he asked Fawnlum, “instead of going more north, into Humboldt proper?”

“Yes, why?” Sienna chimed in.

“Because I want to get Lucas healed.  And the best place to do that is Henbrace,” she replied audaciously.  “His father was known to the wizards there.”

“Aw?” Dreighton said, looking at Lucas’ cut face.  “Those wounds are soon to heal.”

“Holding me down and scrubbing my face with vinegar and whiskey, does not count as ‘healing’,” Lucas grumbled.

“It keeps the pus out.”

“And we’ll be out of coin without some monsters to fight,” Sienna said, even though they had heavy purses from the sale of the ship.

“Henbrace is an important city, where many people come and go,” Fawnlum replied.  “I’ve decided we’ll go there, and see where the need is greatest.”

“Better that, than go straight to the fray,” Sienna sniffed.