13. The Green Isles. #2
And a dying one, if I recall my history.
The Cheerfolk travel the continent with caravans, following the seasons and crops like migrating birds.
But the rise and fall of kingdoms forced them to put down roots over the centuries, and fewer caravans are being seen traveling every year.
I met two pirates who were of the Cheerfolk.
They’d given up their life on the road for a life at sea, for the sea still offered a semblance of freedom. Both died during the Crimson War.
“What happened?” I ask.
Harlow hesitates, then says, “My family died, and a famous surgeon adopted me. My new life was in Dragonest.”
“A boy of the world turned dragoner.”
He smiles sadly. “What is more otherworldly than dragons?” Then his eyes turn back to Mandinka.
There is a story there. The story of how a boy from the Cheerfolk lost his family and got the skin of his back burned deep. I broke his trust with my mistake and it might take a while before he thinks I’m worthy of his secrets.
“We’re docking at the Mermaid’s Ire to drop our bags and the last harvest, then the Blunder is going to the shipyard for repairs,” I say.
“What’s the Mermaid’s Ire ?”
I smile. “My mother’s humble establishment.”
Minutes later, as we ready to dock on the pier of the Mermaid’s Ire , I know I’ve successfully undersold it to Harlow. The face he’s making is priceless as he takes in the impressive building on shore.
Thirty years ago, my mother bought a broken down inn.
But she grew her business over the years with sheer tenacity and skill, and turned it into a flourishing venture.
She bought the surrounding buildings and hired workers to connect them with a network of walkways and bridges.
Now the Mermaid’s Ire is one of the most famous establishments in Mandinka and an unmissable stop for weary travelers wanting to experience the soul of the city.
The Mermaid’s Ire has its own airdock, and people wave as we descend. My mother must already know of our arrival.
“Is this where you grew up?” Harlow asks me.
I nod. “In part. I spent my youngest years here, then later my father took me sailing all around Hargos, to my mother’s chagrin. But that is expected when you fall in love with a sailor.”
Harlow frowns. “Your father…”
“He died at sea years ago. I went looking for news of his ship, and that’s how I ended up at the Devils’ Cove and became a pirate. The rest is history.”
He looks about to say something, but as we near the airdock, I jump down to the pier to tie the Blunder and lower the ramp with Freddy.
Minutes later, my mother walks out of the Mermaid’s Ire main entrance wearing an expensive kimono befitting her status, but I know it hides a dozen pockets that carry purses heavy with gold, account journals, weapons, and even sweets. She braids her long hair in the fashion of our people.
“My ungrateful son,” she says before crushing me into a bear hug. “How I have missed you.” She’s a small woman, but she’s stronger than she looks and has the backbone and the temper of a dragon.
I kiss her on the forehead, and she does the same for me.
Then she turns to the rest of my crew and offers them the same embrace—and a whack on the arm for Kuroki, who never writes to his mother, her sister.
She doesn’t hesitate to do the same for Harlow, to his surprise.
And only after she has crushed him to her chest, does she ask his name.
“It’s a delight to meet you, Harlow,” she says. “I hope my son treats you right.”
Her comment triggers unease tinged with sadness in his eyes, and she offers me a look heavy with reproach when she finally turns back to me. I know I’ll get a good tongue lashing later. I can hide nothing from this woman; she can taste your lies in the air, even the ones you tell yourself.
My mother’s employees help us carry our bags to the building reserved for family members and friends—no less fancy than the best rooms for rich travelers—and the rest of my crew stay at the inn while Kuroki and Wilbur help me take the Blunder to the shipyard for repairs.
Considering the damage, we’ll be aground for at least a week.
When we return in the evening—after arguing for hours with the shipwrights—the crew sits at one of the best tables in the main common room.
Once again, Harlow has garnered the attention of another customer at the inn. The man looks to be about his age, with brown hair and a hawk-like face. They are both talking excitedly near the counter.
“He attracts suitors like honey attracts wasps,” I mumble, sitting down with a tankard of beer in hand.
That night at the Heart of Scorched Land, the desert nomad came at me after Harlow’s departure.
He even offered to do a threesome when he noticed the way I looked at Harlow’s back as he walked away.
I managed a smile, barely, and told him to go bother someone else.
I couldn’t be sorry about putting a stop to their flirting. Call me immature.
Alara snorts, but Kuroki says, “Nah. It’s just a friend of his from university. Another dragoner. He’s traveling with that bunch over there.”
He gestures toward a table at the far end, where two aristocrats—judging by their expensive attire—are sitting.
One is a severe-looking black man with a fancy dark outfit.
He has his arm around the other man’s shoulders—with short blonde hair—who looks about to pass out from too many drinks.
The other two at the table with them appear to be their personal bodyguards.
The somber air around them is hard to miss.
“They look delighted to be traveling the world,” Gia jokes.
“Maybe they should just admit defeat and go back home to their great estates. Nobody forces them to travel,” Alara says.
“Why do they have a dragoner?” I ask. “Are they trying their fate at fire scrounging?”
Kuroki shakes his head. “Apparently, the dragoner is working on an important thesis. Something about the different uses of dragon organic matter to save lives. The two aristocrats are his patrons. He didn’t want to spill the beans, no matter how much Harlow insisted.
I think that’s why he’s offering him drinks now.
He’s hoping to get the man drunk enough to get him to talk. It looks like it’s working.”
Indeed, Harlow’s friend is now explaining something excitedly, spilling his drink—if not the beans. In the other corner of the room, I notice the black aristocrat whispering something in the ear of one of his bodyguards.
“They won’t let him talk,” I say, just as the grumpy bodyguard makes his way to the dragoner to pull him back to their table.
Harlow looks taken aback for a moment, then he waves at the other dragoner and comes back to sit with us.
“Well, that was weird,” he says.
“How are they traveling?” I ask.
We share a glance. It looks like we had the same thought. Our eggs thieves are rich adventurers traveling on a sleek airship with black sails.
Harlow shakes his head. “By boat. They docked three days ago in the harbor to refill their reserves.”
I nod thoughtfully. It appears we’ve lost their tracks until the next dragon attack. Either way, the Blunder is in no shape to venture into an enraged dragon’s territory.
“We’re grounded here for a ten-day,” I say. “So you guys feel free to roam the city and have your fun.” Gia and Kuroki cheer. Then I turn to Harlow, who seems lost in thought. “And this week, I’ll be teaching you how to swim, as promised.”
His eyes widen, and a delicious blush appears on his cheeks. “What?”
“We can’t have our best dragoner risk his life every time he falls in the water. I know a place that will be perfect to teach you.”
Alara shares a look with her husband, and I want to drown them in their tankards.
I know what I’m doing. Teaching Harlow to swim means nothing. It’s not like I’m going to throw myself at him as soon as I see him half naked again.
“Oh… okay,” he says, eyes hopeful and his blush deepening.
Well. Fuck me.