Author's Note
Please be aware that some of the content in this book is adult material  and may be sensitive to some readers. Enjoy, comment, vote!

Evie scraped her battle-axe against the grindstone at the foot of the mast. Its name was Lazarus and she kept it close by her side through raids and pillaging alike. It was double-headed, scuffed with the long history of its use, and though she wielded it with both hands, it was suprisingly lightweight.

Cuinn gave a small shriek and fled when the girl swung it over her shoulder and latched it to her back carelessly. Evie patted her chest, pantline, and then her thighs and buttocks, searching for her coin purse. Damn it, she cursed herself. Her brown leather vest clung tightly to the curve of her torso and was adorned with crocodile skin holsters that held two small pistols. Her trousers were low on her hips and were held up by makeshift suspenders made from twine and fishing string. Her sandy hair brushed the tips of her shoulders from the offshore breeze. Her boots were old and had a hole in the toe of her right foot, which she patched by using a bit of melted wax from the captain's study.

They had made port and were free to roam about the island. Fat Tom and Kelpie left the ship early to fetch supplies and fresh vegetables from the grocer. Minnix the elf took a band of the men aboard and made their way toward the taverns and whorehouses as per usual. Shark Anchorage Port was the collective area in which all pirates, bandits, and smugglers alike came to sell, trade, drink and fight. It consisted of two islands: one where ships could dock, and the other, which was surrounded by large, barbed, towering stone walls, called Rapier Sanctuary. That was where the Seven Swords met-- a council of seven of the deadliest pirate captains to roam the seas of Oren. They discussed trials of mutiny among their crews, and passed judgement on those who wronged the pirate code. Only the members of the Seven and their first mates were permitted to cross the bridge between Shark Anchorage and Rapier Sanctuary. As it happened, a meeting was called to an accord by way of bird, and as The Siren's Song coasted into the docks a few days later, other ships were congregating there as well.

Evie reached into her right boot and skimmed the lining, pricking her finger on a hidden dagger in the process, and looped her finger through the string of her coin purse. She had almost made it to the gangplank before she felt a large hand cover her bare shoulder.

"Where are you going small girl?" the voice asked from behind. The pale pink fingers squeezed Evie's shoulders and gave her a whirl. Nebula stood smoothening out her black robes.

"Thought I might go pay a visit to Cap'n Kelly's," Evie replied, shrugging Nebula's hand off of her shoulder. Cap'n Kelly's was a notorious pub and inn on the island. It was full of thieves and bums. If you needed a meal, Cap'n Kelly had the grub; if you needed a drink, bottoms up! If you needed a warm bed, you'd speak to Madame Bouchard for one of her minxy ladies to spend the night with.

Nebula pulled at the long collar on her coat. "Is that wise, small girl?" She asked, cocking a thin white eyebrow.

"Stop calling me that. I didn't like it when I was six and I damn well don't like it now," Evie snapped, holding her arm out for Cuinn. She whistled briskly and he came bounding over and leapt onto her. The monkey wrapped his arms around her neck and hung from her back, holding onto the battleaxe with his tail.

"Last time you went waltzing about this town there was nothing but trouble. I don't think the Captain wants to see you in irons again."

Evie bit the inside of her lip. It was true, she had gotten into a scuffle a few months past when they last visited. But, that was only because someone had spat at her feet and cursed her father as a traitor. She was without Lazarus at the time, and it was fortunate for that man, elsewise he would've been without some of his parts. But, she still always carried her pistols and a few small daggers, and that was enough to start a brawl. She had walked away in irons and with a warning from Cap'n Kelly himself, which was embarrassing to say the least. Captain Enigma paid a pretty price for her release and vowed that she would be punished aboard. The only thing he had done was lecture her in his study for the length of an hour and sent her on her way to man the sails. Evie counted herself lucky.

"I'll be on my best behavior, Nebula, I swear it by Ushuros and Ilia," she said, holding up a gold piece in the palm of her hand. "If I return scathed and sourly thrown from the inn, you may have this gold piece."

The elf loomed a moment longer and plucked the gold out of Evie's palm. "I'll be holding onto this until your return. Think of it as incentive." Nebula tossed her braid behind her and walked toward the Captain's quarters. Today they'd be meeting in the Rapier Sanctuary. Myles had boasted all night long about how he knew what the meeting would concern. The only way to shut him up was to slam her cabin door in his face, yet he still lingered about all morning jabbering on about it.

Evie clambered down plank and onto the dock. The air smelled of fish and sewage. To her left, a man and his Ogre friend played a game of dice on a couple of crates. They hollered after her to play as she passed, probably spying her coin tied tightly to her belt. To her right, a small and dirty boy sat with a barrel of crabs next to him. He was swinging his legs and humming absentmindedly as he gave his crab string a tug every few seconds. Evie bent down beside him and slipped him a copper piece. The boy giggled and tickled Cuinn, who squealed with joy.

Down the road a ways, some beggars crooned at her, but then shied away when they saw the battle-axe attached at her back. She kicked a few rocks and observed her surroundings. Some feet away from the pub was a blacksmith forge, where a man named Dalan worked. She sometimes stopped to speak with him about his family and their business. Smiths always fascinated her, and she almost wished she had the skill to wield their tools and make such magnificent weapons and armor. Today, he was absent, and the small shack that was his house sat darkened and boarded. Idly she wondered why she had a feeling they had fled.

Cap'n Kelly's was bustling as she neared it. The booming of drums and pipes were heard from nearly a mile away, and when you entered, you were in an entirely new world. Evie squeezed through the open front door, a patron stumbling out past her and vomiting in the dirt just outside. It was brightly lit and crowded, and all sorts of smells and sounds came together at once. Something damp touched her arm and she turned her head to see a sweaty balding forehead leaned against her. The man it belonged to had fallen asleep standing right beside her. She stepped forward and let him go crashing to the floor with a great thump.

She pushed her way through drunkards and serving wenches straight to the bar, where Kelly himself was arguing with an extremely intoxicated man.

"I'm tellin ye, Cap'n-n-n. The w-w-whore t-took me gold," the man slurred. He finished with a burp and his glassy eyes met in the middle.

Cap'n Kelly was a tall man with long white dreadlocks and a twisted white mustache that curled at the ends. He was muscular, like a boxer -all arms and no legs- but had a little round belly from all of the ale he'd consumed over the years. He wasn't even really a captain of any sorts; he had been born on the island and never once left or touched the sea except for the occasional swim. He pushed the drunk patron backward and into the crowd. "You paid for yer pussy, lad. That's how it works!" He hollered back at him. The old man caught sight of Evie and a mischievous smile peeked from under his mustache. He curled his finger toward himself and she trudged over. "Aye, missy, ye done your bleeding for this moon?" He asked, filling a mug with ale and sliding it toward her.

Evie rolled her eyes. "I attacked that man because he insulted my father, who by no means is a traitor," she said, taking a long drink. Kelly's eyebrows rose.

She leaned against the bar and looked around. At the base of the stairs across the room were a few Hollow Rovers. Minnix stumbled down the stairs with a whore on each arm, each bare from the navel up and laughing heartily. She spied Myles at the base as well, on a tattered red-cushioned couch. He laid back with his chest peeking through a half unlaced tunic, one of Madame Bouchard's whores draped across his lap, reaching up to stroke his exposed skin. The girl had long raven hair and was covered in sheer silks that revealed the outline of her breasts and nipples. It made the pirate girl a bit jealous that men hardly ever seemed to treat her with as much warmness as they treated concubines. Evie scoffed.

"Cap'n, if I ever look as ridiculous as Luna please strike me dead," she pleaded, taking another long drink.

"What say you is 'ridiculous'?" He jested.

Evie turned her middle finger up at him and winked, finishing off her drink. She slapped a gold piece down and slid it over to him, but his hand came down to rest on hers and he slid it back.

"Kristo Knox was a fine man, Evie. But yer time to live out of his shadow is now. Don't let yer past haunt ya," he said sweetly, flashing a bit of gold in his teeth.

The girl scooped her coin back up and left him with no more than the attempt of a smile. She went over to the gaggle of men by the stairs and leaned over Myles on the couch. His eyes were closed and he looked to be enjoying the amateur massage he was receiving. Evie held Cuinn over Myles' head and dropped him suddenly.

Myles sat up with a start and dumped the whore from his lap onto the floor. "Fuck!" he yelled, reaching for the top of his head. What he found there was a furry thing who panicked at the sight of Myles' curled and threatening fingers. Cuinn escaped the pirate's grasp and threw himself back onto Evie's chest. She laughed loudly and hugged the creature.

"What did ya think it was? Your lady's very hairy friend come to pay you a visit?" Evie laughed as Myles regained himself. The whore held her head on the floor and scowled at Evie, who in return laughed even harder.

The boy shook his head and gave Evie a shove. "Don't be scarin' people like that around here. What say you if I grabbed Cuinn and snapped his neck in my pure shock?" He asked her angrily. He reached down and yanked Luna up off of the floor by the arm. For a moment she looked pleased but then her face went sour when Myles let go of her and shoved her off. She lingered beside him anyway.

"You're not fast enough to catch him," Evie said, stroking Cuinn. She returned him to her shoulder. "Or, is he Luna? I mean, you do resemble something of a monkey." Evie picked up her bellowing again, grasping at her stomach in pleasurable agony.

Luna struck her own thigh and removed a knife strapped to her garter. She pulled back on it and lunged toward Evie, pushing her against the staircase. Cuinn jumped to Myles and the girls went crashing back against the wooden frame of the stairs. The knife dug deep into the boards beside Evie's face and Luna's forearm pressed against her neck. The two locked eyes for a moment before Evie smiled and leaned the back of her head up against the wall and brought it forward with a great force. Her forehead connected with Luna's nose and the whore went tumbling backward clutching at her face.

The pub was in an uproar in an instant, surrounding the two and shouting. Some threw money by both of them, betting on one or the other. Evie only half listened to their drunken squalor but a fire lit within her when she heard a patron comment that his money was on the "pretty one" and not the "homely one". She knew which one she was. The band played on, pipes whistling their cheerful tunes, as if nothing of consequence was happening.

Evie turned and pulled the knife from the wall and waited for Luna to regain her eyesight. Luna looked up at her, eyes watering and nose bleeding. Evie threw the knife down by the whore's feet and it stuck in the floorboard, snagging a piece of Luna's sheer dress with it. The girl was still stumbling around, pulling at the fabric stuck in the floor. She finally ripped it out and put up her hands to form two fists, clearly not finished. Evie did the same and the two began a roundabout.

Myles stared, his mouth falling slack. He sighed and set Cuinn on his back and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his annoyance evident to those paying attention.

Evie kissed the air between her and Luna and curled her hand up, asking for the first hit. "C'mon then, let's see what else you've got. Can't fuck your way out of this one," she taunted.

Luna lunged and threw a small fist into Evie's cheek. It connected in an instant and blood splattered from the pirate's lips. Luna tried again for another hit, but Evie seized her hand and threw her own up in reply. Evie's fist crashed hard into Luna's mouth, and a second punch struck her in the eye. Someone from off in the crowd tossed a bottle into the air between the two. They both scrambled for it but raven haired girl came up victorious in that race.

She dinged the butt of the bottle against the wall and circled Evie, who held her hands out in front of her with a smirk. Oozing ale trickled down Luna's hand and to the floor. She jabbed the jagged glass at the pirate and caught her in the shoulder. The blonde hissed at the pain and caught Luna's wrist and twisted, causing the bottle to smash at their feet.

Evie's hand let go of the frail wrist and instead tangled in the lush black hair. She held Luna away from her and drew back her fist, only to toss it full force into the already bloodied mouth once again. The concubine shook and withered to the floor. The drunks roared around them and some of the men dove to the floor to collect their winnings. Evie staggered away, gingerly dabbing at her bleeding shoulder with her fingers. She huffed, the adrenaline gone and exertion overtaking her.

"Myles, give me Cuinn. I've had enough of your idiot friend," she said, reaching for the monkey.

"No!" Myles shouted suddenly, pushing Evie aside. Evie turned with a shudder to see Luna on her knees, one arm outstretched, and the knife she had used in Myles' hand. He clutched it tightly by the handle, and the point faced him. The bitch threw it while my back was turned, Evie thought bitterly.

She started toward Luna, but when she glanced back at Myles, the shock was evident in his petrified stance. Evie set her hand on his and the other on his arm, peeling the knife from his grip and sending it clattering to the floor. Myles swallowed hard and stood un-moving. Evie's eyes scanned the pub while a few drunk men helped Luna to her feet and hobbled her back toward's the kitchens.

Cap'n Kelly wasn't fond of trouble in his pub, but a nice fight now and again did the town good and he often let it go. She caught his eye and shrugged, half tempted to laugh and give him back the gold piece for the trouble she had caused. He shook his head and slung a few mugs across his counter.

Her surveying concluded that everyone had gone back to gallivanting and drinking and cursing. However, across the pub, in the open doorway, Nebula stood among the commotion with a scowl. Her black eyes lit aflame, and then she disappeared from view. Evie sighed. Time to go.