23. Reyna
Chapter twenty-three
Reyna
W hatever it was, Diarn Arlon was clearly determined to protect it—because everything in the leather folder was written in code.
Kianthe wasn’t pleased. As they trudged back to the inn, she grumbled about Arlon, his business practices, his general paranoia, and why couldn’t he make any of this easy on them? Reyna and Feo followed behind, letting her rant while they exchanged ideas on cracking the ciphers. It turned out that Diarn Feo held a passion for this kind of thing.
“I’ll postpone Wellia for a day. Shouldn’t take me long to decode this.” They smirked wryly. “Arlon isn’t known for his intellectual acumen, after all.”
“Well, I’m going to bed,” Kianthe stated petulantly. “We woke up in a cave this morning, and I’m aching for a mattress.”
Reyna and Feo were left in the inn’s quiet lobby after she stomped up the stairs. Ponder wasted no time soaring after her, nipping at her heels like it was a fun game. After they were gone, Reyna sighed. “I do apologize for how you were summoned, Feo. Had I known, I’d have written a note explaining matters.”
The diarn scrubbed their face. “Kianthe’s always been this way. But to her credit, she doesn’t usually waste my time with frivolous matters. And this…” They hefted the folder. “Well. I’m not disappointed.”
“How is Lord Wylan doing?” Reyna kept her tone mild, neutral. “And the shop? Matild and Tarly? Gossley?”
Feo barked a laugh. “First, I see what you’re doing, and it won’t work. The shop’s fine; the whole town takes turns managing it for the day. Everyone is good.” A pause. They weren’t an emotional person, so it clearly took a lot of mental energy to admit: “We miss you two. Tawney’s not the same without you both at New Leaf.”
Homesickness swept over Reyna like a wave. She forced a smile. “We’ll be back soon. We just need to locate this shipment; I’m hoping that folder has answers.” The small lobby was warm and comforting, and Reyna noticed a desk by the window, near the hearth. “In fact, I’ll be up for a while longer; shall we divide and conquer with this folder? I have some experience with ciphers.”
Queen Tilaine’s spymaster loved a good hidden message, after all.
Feo nodded, handed over half the contents. “You heading up?”
“Only to say goodnight to Kianthe. Light keeps her awake, so I’ll come down here to work.”
Feo shrugged, leading the way up the stairs. “Best of luck. We’ll reconvene tomorrow; I truly doubt it’ll take us long if we’re working together.”
Reyna wasn’t sure when she became a diarn’s intellectual equal, but she vastly appreciated the comradery. She bid Feo goodnight, then ducked into her room to see Kianthe already in bed. Normally, the mage fell asleep reading, but tonight her eyelids were drifting shut. She probably hadn’t even changed before falling under the covers.
Ponder was curled on a fluffy stack of blankets near Kianthe’s feet, but she watched Reyna with rapt attention.
“You comin’?” Kianthe mumbled, patting the mattress. “Cold without you.”
Reyna felt guilty hefting the parchment, but her mind was racing with the possibilities of what was inked on its pages. “I’ll just be awake for a little while longer. Don’t stay up, all right, love?”
“Ugh. Fine.” Kianthe rolled over, then waved a hand as an afterthought. The candles in the room extinguished immediately.
A smile tilted Reyna’s lips as she pressed a kiss to Kianthe’s hair, then stepped back into the inn’s hallway. Heavy snoring echoed from Serina’s room; well, at least the pirate captain found her way to a bed. Hopefully the rest of her crew did as well.
Hopefully , Bobbie came to her senses before Serina left Lathe for good. But somehow, Reyna doubted it.
She took up residence at the desk in the lobby, poring over the cipher. It was written in Common, so she recognized the letters. They were gibberish, but it was a start. She began working through common ciphers used by Queen Tilaine, then more obscure ones she’d picked up after years of watching Her Excellency’s spies—and the assassins who tried to outsmart them.
It was painstaking work, and she almost didn’t hear a door opening, closing. The inn’s front door remained tightly shut, and the innkeeper had long-since gone to bed. Even the hearth was dying down by now.
But footsteps moved quietly through the back of the inn. Whoever had intruded clearly entered through the kitchen’s back door. A service staircase led to the upper hallway’s opposite side—Reyna had scouted it on their first night here. They were heading for the guest rooms, and they clearly had no intention of being discovered near the inn’s main entrance.
How intriguing.
A wry smile crossed her lips, and she eased away from the desk. Arlon’s papers were folded into a tidy stack, which she tucked into the deep pocket of her pants. Silent as a cat stalking prey, Reyna climbed the main staircase, sticking to the shadows.
If someone thought they were going to murder the Arcandor in her sleep, they had another thing coming. Reyna slid two of her favorite knives out of their hidden sheaths, twirling them absently as she crouched in an alcove near the top of the staircase.
But the intruders—two of them, one bulky enough that she wished she’d taken her sword, the other thin and willowy—clearly weren’t after Kianthe. They moved with confidence not to the Mage of Age’s room… but to Serina’s.
Well, that was a surprise.
Reyna watched, curiously, as they ducked into the pirate captain’s room. Reyna lurked on the edges, waiting to see if they were going to hurt her—but all they did was press a cloth to Serina’s face, then slide a burlap bag over her head and toss her over their shoulder.
She should probably intervene, but Serina wasn’t in immediate danger and now Reyna’s curiosity was piqued. They didn’t move like Arlon’s constables. They clearly weren’t bandits, or Her Excellency’s spies. Their practical clothing implied they were sailors, but this close to the Nacean, that could have been intentional.
So, who were they?
Well. There was one way to find out… and she just had to hope Kianthe didn’t absolutely loathe her for it. Reyna turned on her heel, sheathed her knives, and snuck back down the staircase. By the time the kidnappers had entered the kitchen, she was perusing the cabinets as if looking for a midnight snack.
“Oh—” she said, feigning shock. Her eyes clearly roamed the unconscious woman over the bulky one’s shoulder, then settled on the willowy figure.
“Get her,” the big one ordered, panic in his voice.
The willowy figure moved faster than Reyna expected. Not fast enough she couldn’t have countered… but then again, that was hardly the point. Reyna opened her mouth as if to scream, sucked a quick breath, and when the person pressed a cloth to her nose and mouth, she exhaled.
Then, she did exactly as they expected—and dropped.
“Should we leave her?” the willowy figure asked. Their voice was deeper than she expected, considering their stature.
“Not after what she’s seen. We take them both.”
A burlap sack was crammed over her head, too, and her ankles and wrists were tied with rough rope. She stayed limp as they hauled her over the big one’s shoulder, opposite Serina, and carried her outside. Reyna counted paces, tracked direction, and determined they were headed to the harbor well before they stepped foot on a boat.
Perhaps a disgruntled merchant and his crew?
If she’d been smart, Reyna would have prodded Serina for her list of enemies sooner. Far too late for that now. They carried her below deck, and a stern voice shouted, “Weigh anchor,” and then they were off, sailing fast out of Lathe.
Kianthe was not going to be happy.
Reyna, however, was feeling quite satisfied with herself.
They eased her into the cell, laid Serina down beside her, and their footsteps receded. Silence filled in their wake, although on deck footsteps thudded and commands were shouted as they angled the ship south. Reyna waited several more moments, then plucked out the knife sewn into a secret pocket along her waistband. It didn’t take long to slice the bindings at her wrists and ankles and remove the burlap hood.
The knots were the same kind Pil taught her for the rigging.
Interesting choice for a captive.
Serina was still unconscious, but Reyna patted her cheek anyway. “Captain, with respect, a development has occurred that demands your attention.” Her whispered words were lost on the woman, though; she’d had enough alcohol, and whatever tincture they’d used to knock her out was doing its job.
“All right, then. Let’s see who these folk are.”
Reyna left Serina against the bulkhead wall, stepping lithely to the metal door. The ship was rocking now, firmly back on the river, and moving faster than Reyna expected considering the wind here. It was wholly possible they had a mage onboard.
She plucked two hairpins from her bun. One was angled with a sharp turn, and the other had a slightly curved edge. She swiftly picked the lock, then eased the cell door open. She closed it behind her; for anyone passing by, Serina would look like the only captive.
After all, she wasn’t supposed to be here anyway. Odds were, no one would notice.
At least, not fast enough to intervene.
Reyna lifted a cloak off a hook near the staircase, and a hat off one of the hammocks near Serina’s cell. At first glance she’d look like a sailor, and that was good enough for her.
The ship was smaller than the Knot for Sail and clearly moved faster downriver. Through the singular windows in the lower deck, the dark trees seemed to blur past. Definitely a mage on board, which meant she’d have to be careful.
Reyna moved through the lower deck, sifting through crates, personal belongings, anything that might tell her the truth of their captors. Unfortunately, it was unproductive; whoever they were, they clearly didn’t spend much time on this ship… or have any identifiers other than “sailor.”
Hmm. Reyna returned to the cell, letting herself back in.
Mystery sailors, doubling as kidnappers. A boat they clearly didn’t use for long. And no insignias—which implied a professional.
Her lips curled into a smile.
Well. If her hunch was correct, Reyna was about to secure incredible bragging rights.
The next day, someone slammed a wooden baton against the bars of the cell. Reyna had been awake from the moment she heard boots thudding towards them, but Serina jolted upright like she’d been burned.
“What—” she clenched her eyes shut against the mid-morning sunlight, swallowing a groan. “Oh, Stars above, it’s so bright. Are we… moving?” Her skin paled, and she groaned for a different reason. “On a boat. Right after a night like that. Why do pirates drink so much?”
“We don’t. That’s a rookie mistake,” someone drawled.
The person before them could have belonged to any gender, and it was obvious they were confident and poised. Their thumbs were hooked on a leather belt adorned with both a spyglass and a well-polished sword. They wore black breeches and a loose-fitting white shirt. Perched on their shoulders was a crimson cloak studded with black buttons and trim.
Crimson and black.
It was obvious who’d ordered their capture.
The Dastardly Pirate Dreggs quirked a wry, almost friendly smile. They were older, with maybe a decade on Reyna and Kianthe, but it didn’t stop their charming demeanor. Their skin was tanned from the sun. Short hair tousled playfully over blue eyes—eyes like steel, light enough to seem gray.
Gods above, it was no wonder they had such a reputation. If Reyna hadn’t already snagged the Arcandor herself, Dreggs certainly would have merited a second look.
“Did you enjoy your midnight romp around my ship?” They addressed Reyna, lips tilting in amusement. Their accent was unplaceable—it might have once been Sheparan, but now was as unique as Dreggs themselves.
Reyna found herself smiling in return, cocking her hip. “Whatever do you mean? I’m a humble captive here.”
Dreggs laughed, the sound bright and airy. “In my experience, there are no coincidences. I sent my quartermaster and boatswain out with very specific instructions, and they returned with my intended captive… and an extra who just ‘happened’ to catch them in the act.” Now Dreggs’ smile grew into something cunning, dangerous. “Plus, my hat’s not where I left it.”
“How odd,” Reyna replied, tilting her head.
Dreggs laughed again and waved a hand at the bulky person beside them. “Ladies, I’d love to introduce you to my esteemed quartermaster, Mister Mom.”
“Your name is Mom?” Serina said, looking baffled.
“On this ship, it’s Mister Mom to you.” The man growled the words, setting his jaw in irritation.
“He’s a delight. Truly.” Dreggs wasn’t actually wearing their jacket—it was just draped over their shoulders like a cape. They shrugged out of it, hooking it over one shoulder. The picture of confident ease. “You’re new to piracy, but in the Southern Seas, the captain is elected… and everyone else falls in line based on seniority. I’m the alluring one—” at this, they offered a flirtatious wink, “—but Mister Mom is the real authority.”
“Don’t get on my bad side,” Mister Mom grunted.
Serina, meanwhile, looked like she’d just swallowed a lemon. “Holy shit. Shit, fuck, shit .”
“Took her a moment, didn’t it?” Dreggs asked Reyna.
“You’re the Dastardly Pirate Dreggs!” Serina dug her hands into her long hair, tilting her face towards the wooden ceiling. “Stars be damned. I must be good at my job to pique your interest.”
“Good enough to warrant a visit and a chat, certainly.” Now when Dreggs smiled, it was like a shark scenting blood. Serina stiffened, but the infamous pirate was already gesturing at the locked cell door. “Why don’t you two join me for a cup of tea? Mister Mom, if you please.”
The quartermaster unlocked the cell door, motioning for Reyna and Serina to follow Dreggs upstairs.
Well. At least now they’d get some answers.