Part 10 (1/2)

She took a moment longer to plop another crate into a buccaneer's hands before turning back to me with a fresh smirk. ”Sounds like you want information as well, which is going to cost you.”

Great, I was dealing with trader ethics. An eye for an eye makes the whole world have different eyes than they were born with.

I smirked back with my eyebrows winged high. ”Maybe, but I have a better question instead. What's a military leader of Charming's forces doing, loading up a pirate s.h.i.+p in Hue's territory, Captain Bonny?”

Her face went pale almost instantly along with her jaw, eyebrow and grin all dropping. She stepped forward and captured up my shoulder to turn us around and away from the docked boats. ”How could you possibly know that?”

”I told you, I'm Gnidori.” I attempted to sell it again. She wasn't buying it though. This is why I never bothered to negotiate.

”Okay. But really how did you know that?” She pressed on.

I sighed and opened my mouth to say something more when the little fox inside my pocket tried to crawl out. My eyes went wide as I realized he was my real proof. I hope.

”Seriously, don't make me say it again.” I said while slipping my hands through my poncho and yanking out the fox to hold him between my fingers. Her crackling eye exploded as she clearly recognized the fox. There weren't exactly many people walking about with a baby fox in their pocket.

”Why do you have Reynard?”

”Why do you call him Reynard?” I eyed the woman before me. I hadn't chosen that name for him until after I had already met and left Bonny last time.

”Because that was the name Gnidori gave him.”

I turned the creamy fox around in my fingers and lowered my neck down to stare into his silvery slit eyes with slits for my own eyes. ”So that's why you insisted on having me call you Reynard. I already gave you that name?”

The cute little ball of fluff just yipped at me strong enough for his body to bounce in my hands. Then he proceeded to yawn like it was nothing. The little demon knew way more than he was telling me. Clearly whatever time I had lost, he certainly hadn't.

The fox turned his head away and laid his chin on my fingers, looking like he was going to sleep again. I sighed. ”This conversation is so far from over.”

By this point Bonny was looking at me funny. And as I stuffed the fox back into a pocket and glanced behind me at the twins they were both trying to stifle back laughs.

Who needs friends? Traitors.

”Look, Bonny. Maybe it was me then, but it's also me now. And back then I probably said something like: I need pa.s.sage or I will huff and puff and blow your carefully crafted world down. Sound good?” I rolled my eyes, then realized that I no longer had the shadow of a hood to cover my features.

”Resorting to extortion huh?” Ettie popped up next to me, practically in my ear.

”Actually that was word for word.” Bonny said, still bewildered but warily glancing at the intensely tall blonde woman towering over me.

”This is my muscle.” I said with a smile nodding my head to Ettie. ”Bonny, meet Margaret; Margaret meet Bonny.”

Neither of them shook hands, or even attempted to. They just gazed over each other and then proceeded to nod.

”Ettie, I prefer.”

”Captain Bonny.” Bonny concluded with her nod, before her electrifying gaze fell back upon me. ”Gnidori wouldn't need muscle.”

”My sister's kind of muscle, Gnidori would need.” Han jumped in, stepping up on the other side of me, before I could say anything. He settled a hand over my shoulder which made me want to kick him.

”Let's just say I don't exercise my walking houses very much.” I shrugged and got awkward glares from three different directions all at the same time. ”What?”

”You do know being a witch is a crime here?” Bonny finally asked.

”So is being the Pirate King, Captain Anne Bonny.” Han said with an amused expression between his jowls. It made me blink for a moment.

”Pirate King?” Both Ettie and I said in unison. I forgot how similarly we thought sometimes.

”She's the newest Pirate King as of maybe a year now. I heard it was a b.l.o.o.d.y battle to the top for that t.i.tle this year. She won it because of securing this port to dock, which no pirate has done before.” Han continued to explain. Bonny seemed to become amused that he knew her.

”Well it seems big boy here is more intelligent than he looks.” Bonny waved off one of her buccaneers that came to check on her as she let out that same hearty dragon bellow of a laugh I'd heard the first time I met her.

Han didn't look too excited to be called big boy. ”The name is Johnny Grelles, not big boy.”

”Alright Johnny, Ettie, Fake Gnidori. Maybe we can work something out for a ride. Bluebeard's tower you say?” Her grin could have mirrored the devious grin of a dragon, I'd know, I've seen one now.

Captain Bonny turned immediately to one of her subordinates. A brown-haired girl with big gla.s.ses and her legs rubbing together nervously, she almost reminded me of Ashe. ”Find them a place in the cabins. We'll finish loading the supplies. And put up a cot in my room for the red one.”

The buccaneer was off after a hasty glance between the three of us then to her captain. I leaned over to Ettie and whispered, ”Did you even know there was a Pirate King?”

Before I could notice, Bonny was turned back to us. ”Most people not tied to the Underworld are unaware of any of the royalty that exists in it. And in case you are wondering, there is no Pirate Queen t.i.tle.”

Both Ettie and I were staring over at Han, wondering what kind of stuff he was getting into. But no one said anything and before long Bonny was dropping crates into our arms.

I sighed as I loaded up a couple before stealing my way up to Ettie as she pa.s.sed with a crate herself. ”I may not have my hood but if we don't hurry Hue could be tracking me here. You know I'm not supposed to be in this territory.”

Ettie opened her mouth to answer but Bonny's voice arose instead. ”Hue? You mean Boy Blue? I wouldn't worry about him. Our last reports had him across the seas. So why don't you just focus on the work you have to do?”

She held her hands on her hips glaring at the two foolish girls who definitely looked like we were gossiping like idiots. I went stiff at attention, but I didn't see Ettie do much of anything. Bonny just has this voice of authority that gets to people. Well it got to me anyway.

”Get to work. You can't very well expect to get free pa.s.sage regardless of who you are. You have to work for it.”

”Alright. Just one thing though Bonny. Why bother with Charming's Army?” I asked, actually curious to know the answer for once.

She soullessly glanced at me for a moment before letting out another dragon bellow. ”Who better to steal from?”

I half-smirked. ”Alright. I like you.”

”Oh no. You better run for it, Captain, before you wake up tomorrow morning with her in your bed.” Ettie added. I promptly proceeded to smack her stomach with the back of my hand and glare at her. She rubbed it and smiled down sweetly at me.

Then all of us laughed.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad.

Right, and maybe I'm not really Gnidori. That's the only way a trip would ever not turn sour.

”Red Riding Hood. Under the Faerie Proclamation three sixty-six, you are to be apprehended or killed for stepping within the Lands of Blue.”

I spun around to find the person I had already expected to be there. Hue.