‘Is Peacock around?’ The proprietor of the Wild Goat shook her head. ‘Hasn’t been in since a couple of days ago.’ ‘Okay, thanks. Let me know if he shows up.’ Cantra threw a gold coin to the man and went outside to continue her search. She had already visited ten of Peacock’s usual haunts but he was nowhere to be found. It was not like him to just disappear like that. Maybe the man had partied too hard? Or perhaps he finally took that trip to Ceshmar? Whatever the case, Cantra missed him. He’d always have a job for her and he knew how to have fun. Peacock was barely her age but his silver tongue and his keen intel on possibilities for thievery and other nefarious deeds made him quite a valuable asset on the streets. All Cantra wanted was to talk to him about the ship. Uncle can fuck himself. One day she would steal something so valuable it would afford a way out of here. Of course, Cantra had the money. But none of it was her own. Her uncle made sure there wasn’t anything missing in her life. Well, except for fun and excitement of course. No, if Cantra ever escaped Tower City and the Wildlands, it would be with her own money, earned through her own deeds. For her, it was all about empowerment. And borrowing money from your uncle or hiding on some merchant’s ship just didn’t fit into her definition of this word.
As the morning went on, there was still no sign of Peacock. Not at the Fisher’s Lament, not in the Dirty Widow, not at the Firefly Mansion. The weird thing about all of it was that it wasn’t just Peacock. Dogchild, Creepy Harryl, The Mouse, Ladimir Shitfoot: almost none of her friends on the street were there. When she wandered around the old church of the Sea Mother, she saw a couple of urchins she vaguely knew. The little thieves were in the process of emptying that morning’s loot. ‘Hey magpies, heard anything from Peacock? Or any of his crew?’ One of them, a 10-year-old named Yorgos, answered her while his colleagues were screaming about how to divide a couple of coins. ‘Members of the Broken Wing have been doing the rounds, asking for people to help with a job. Peacock and his lads went with them. Promised lots of coin. I tried to get in on it but according to the assholes, I was too young. Hey Crabs, I earn at least double that! I did all the hard work!’ She waited while Yorgos punched Crabs in his balls, then tried to continue the conversation. ‘What kind of job? What did they need Peacock for?’ Yorgos quickly counted the money he’d taken from Crabs. ‘Err.. I don’t know. Those griffon fuckers mainly deal in arms. Maybe they needed some extra hands for a shipment? All I know is they’ve been hanging around that fancy ship in the harbor, y’know, the one with the red sails.’ Crabs decided this was the moment to take revenge and he tackled Yorgos right then and there. The two boys turned into a whirlwind of curses and fists, but Cantra didn’t care. She had all the information she needed. That ship huh? Let’s see what the fun is all about.
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The last time she saw the ship, it was nighttime. Now, around noon, the private guards she’d seen were nowhere around. Instead, a bunch of Broken Wing gang members guarded the vessel. It didn’t take Cantra too long to spot the leader of the operation. A beast of a human appeared from the inside of the ship. It looked like she had settled on a resting bitch face as her default look, which looked even less appealing with all the scars dividing her face into an uneven mess of red lines and weathered skin. She wore sturdy leather armour and the giant axe she carried with her, was almost as tall as she was. Is this some kinda arms dealer? Cantra had to wait for a couple of hours before she saw any movement. As the sun started to descend ever so slightly from its highest point, she saw a group of people walking towards the ship. Four gang members accompanied a collection of beggars, junkies and other street scum towards the walking plank. As they entered the ship, the woman seemed to be giving them a speech. After that, they were led into the bowels of the ship. So they’re all there to work for this woman then? To Cantra, they seemed more like a bunch of prisoners. The thought rolled around in her head, then entirely disappeared as she saw a flash of movement next to her.
She unsheathed her knife and went into the defensive stance Peacock had shown her. A young woman, dressed in scraps of armor like a mercenary and carrying a big wooden shield, stared at her. Peacock always warns me to be more careful. Look at me now. Is she part of the ship’s crew? Am I getting beaten to death right here, right now? Fear entered her system as a tiger jumping on its prey. Cantra wanted to run or stab or do something at least but her body betrayed her. Then, she saw the gaze of the woman shift its position. Her eyes were now completely focused on the ship. Did she really choose the same building to spy on the ship? Wow. Awkward. Cantra wanted to say something or make a joke to lighten the situation but she couldn’t. She couldn’t because by then she realized this woman was filled with rage. The young thief saw a relentless anger in the eyes of the mercenary. All her attention seemed to be going to the woman with the axe. ‘I will kill the fucking bitch.’ Her voice conveyed even more rage than the words she spoke. Damn, this is one hell of a woman. ‘You mean the woman with the axe?’, Cantra asked even though she already knew. The mercenary’s answer came late. She nodded. ‘But I’ll have to wait. I’ll have to gather my strength, come up with a plan and… Wait a minute. Who are you?’ The woman with the shield suddenly seemed aware of Cantra’s presence. ‘My name is Cantra. I am a thief. I’m looking for a friend of mine. He’s in there, but I think something’s wrong.’ The woman looked at the ship again. ‘I understand. Well, Cantra, want to earn a couple of extra coins?’ The woman’s grin was infectious. Cantra grinned back. ‘Oh, you couldn’t have asked a better person.’