The room that Diggs provided them with was probably the largest one in the tavern, but that wasn’t saying much. It smelled of old dust and saltwater. There were two small beds on either side of it and a grimy window at the back.

Luckily for them, they didn’t have to spend much time there. After only a few hours of sleep in the shoddy beds, a firm knock on the door ripped the two pirates out of their sleep. Cyll rose from his bed with a yawn and opened the door.

“I’ve got someone who’s interested in selling you a boat,” Diggs said, lowering his voice.

“We’re ready,” Maya said, brushing some of the dust from her scruffy clothes. “Where is he?”

“Bottom floor. He’s the only one still awake, you can’t miss him,” Diggs replied.

He stepped away from the doorway and ambled back down the creaky stairs. Maya and Cyll followed him. Unlike just a few hours earlier, the tavern was completely silent. Men were passed out all over the floor and on top of the tables.

Maya stepped over someone resting in front of the stairs. Her eyes quickly found a table near the far corner of the room, where a thin man with a hat pulled over his eyes sat straight up. She and Cyll made their way over to him and sat down.

“Looking to buy a boat, are you?” The man asked. His voice was dry and raspy.

“We are. A small one, but something that won’t sink the moment it enters open water,” Maya said.

The man drummed his fingers on the table. His eyes were still hidden under the brim of his hat, but a smile appeared on the man’s grizzled face.

“I can help you there. I’ve got a real beauty that might be what you’re looking for. Her name is Charbrand. She takes to the seas like a fish. Pretty new as well.”

“And she’s in one piece? No damage or the like?” Cyll asked, watching the man closely.

“Fit as a fiddle, my word on it. The real question isn’t how good she is but how much gold you have,” the man said.

“Enough. Don’t worry about that,” Maya said, her brow creased.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose in thought as something tickled the back of her mind. The thin man adjusted his hat slightly and cleared his throat, but he was clearly waiting for Maya to speak.

“Wait. Charbrand. That’s an Ashwind ship,” Maya said. Her hand lowered to the sickle at her side and she started to rise out of her seat. Cyll’s muscles tensed as he did the same.

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“Hold on now!” The man exclaimed. “It is. But I’m not with the Ashwind family, don’t you worry.”

Neither of them relaxed, but Cyll nodded for the man to continue.

“The Charbrand is in port right now. The Ashwind family sailed her in just this morning before sunrise. They’re looking for two people. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s you two,” the man said. He raised his hands placatingly before they could move. “But don’t worry. I’m no friend to the Ashwinds either.”

“Keep going,” Maya said, slowly sitting back down.

“I’ve got a bit of a vendetta against the Ashwind family. I’ve been waiting for a chance to stick it to them, and this could be it. The Charbrand is worth more than you could possibly afford, but you aren’t buying a ship from me. You’re buying a distraction,” the man said.

“Is it worth aggravating the Ashwinds further by stealing their ship?” Cyll asked.

Maya thought for a moment, but the grin pulling itself across her face told them her opinion on the matter before it even got to her lips.

“Oh, absolutely. The real question is, how is our nameless friend going to assist us?”

“My apologies,” the man said, tipping his hat slightly. “My name is Whalen. And I have awakened my Essence abilities. Suffice to say that I will be more than capable of buying you time against a mere Overseer.”

“You’ll forgive me if I find that hard to believe” Maya said. “Overseer Heral is one of the strongest people in Ashwind, but you’re making him sound like a small bother.”

“It’s clear you’ve never traveled,” Whalen said, laughing. “An Overseer is about as close to the bottom of the food chain as you can get. You’ll figure that out soon enough.”

Maya frowned, but Whalen didn’t seem to think he was lying. Of course, it was rather hard to tell exactly what the man was thinking under his huge hat. A chill ran down Maya’s spine.

“If he’s not even on the food chain, then what am I?”

“A rock, maybe. Nothing of notice, that’s for sure,” Whalen said. “But maybe you will be one day. To be frank, I don’t care. I like money, and I like aggravating the Ashwind family. Are you interested or not?”

“You said you could fight an Overseer. Does that mean Heral is here, in Hook bay?” Maya asked.

“I don’t know his name, but there is an Overseer here,” Whalen said.

Maya glanced at Cyll, but the older pirate just shrugged.

“I don’t know how strong an Overseer is, but same problem. He can’t kill me, but I doubt I can do much to him before he gets you,” Cyll said.

“Right,” Maya said, turning back to Whalen. “And you give your word you can hold the Ashwinds off until we escape with the ship?”

Whalen just nodded.

“How much do you want?”

Whalen tilted his head to the side as if he were listening to something. After a few moments, a small chuckle escaped his lips.

“Forty-eight gold, ten silver, and one copper,” he said.

Maya and Cyll emptied their pockets on the table. As they counted out the money, Whalen’s grin grew wider with every second.

“We’ve got forty-eight gold and the ten silver to the coin,” Maya said, frowning. She pushed all of their money across the table to the man. “How did you know how much we had?”

“You’re still missing the copper,” Whalen reminded her. “It’s in your friend’s left pant leg.”

Maya glanced at Cyll. He shrugged, but reached into his pocket. Cyll’s eyebrows raised slightly as he removed a copper coin from within his pants. The letter ‘W’ had been emblazed into the center of the coin.

“Ah, my coin. Thank you,” Whalen said, plucking it from his hands. “Now, shall we go? You’ve got a ship to steal.”