Associating with pirates was in some ways worse than being among apes. Being forced to live like an animal, wearing one's hide, was humiliating, but it wasn't a crime in the eyes of the law. Pirates, on the other hand, were famous for breaking taboos. Among these taboos, the use of gunpowder weapons, such as ship's cannons and guns, was a capital crime. The authorities did not care if the weapons were quite primitive or if a person was merely serving as a sailor on a pirate ship. Anyone associated with such bandits received the same punishment.

The only way out was to escape while they were still in harbor. Ashwin tried to get out of the ropes, but these people knew how to tie knots. And they made sure that he was always watched and dragged in the middle of the group. The teen's face was as black as thunder. Missing the opportunity to meet a man who could have helped him was bad enough. But being led to a questionable place by a bunch of bandits? His pride hurt more than his wrists tied with a tight rope.

Walking down the narrow alleyways, constantly turning and taking shortcuts, the group reached a street even poorer than the harbor district's standards. Piles of rubbish decorated the fronts of the houses, instead of grass or floral garlands. Ashwin thought at first that the white walls had turned grey after years of neglect, but on closer inspection, he noticed a difference in the masonry. These buildings were old, built by another country during its term in the South territory. The harbor was unmoved, unlike floating cities. Years of changing countries have led to these older buildings surrounded by newer houses. Constant changes of owners also didn't help to improve the condition of the houses. No one cared enough to renovate these houses.

One of the walls of the building the pirates were headed towards was leaning and propped up by several logs. Loud voices and laughter could be heard outside, even though the door and windows were closed tightly. When the first few men entered the building, a man with long hair placed his hand on Ashwin's shoulder and gently pushed him forward.

"I can't be here," Ashwin refused to move, frozen at the threshold. This kind of place was definitely not suitable for the prideful Cheda family. So he firmly stated, "It will tarnish my reputation. Not to mention, it's unsafe to be here."

The man snorted and raised his hand. But before he could deal a blow, Ziana grabbed the teen by the ear and dragged him into the house. Ashwin gritted his teeth and followed. His obedience saved him from further humiliation - the young woman let go of his ear before anyone inside the house noticed the scene.

It was dark inside with only a few lamps lit. The space was full of smoke, which made Ashwin cough before he could adjust to the smell. was full of smoke which made Ashwin cough before he could get used to the smell. girl’s shoulder. The pet's nose twitched, and it sneezed, but it refused to leave.

The room was packed with people. Most of them were sitting at countless small round tables full of drinks and snacks. A few men in dark clothes were standing near the back exit. Ashwin noticed that the people here were from different origins, not just from Vardana. Some were covering their faces with shawls, headscarves, or cloaks. Constant talking made the place sound like a market on days of sale. Nothing about this place could make Ashwin like it.

The group divided, with the man in charge heading to one of the separate rooms with two others, who looked like his bodyguards. Ashwin was left with a long-haired man and Ziana. They dragged him to a round table near the wall where two men were sitting. One of them had an angular face, pale skin, and deep-set grey eyes. He turned his head and waved at Ziana. The teenager, who had already been getting his hopes up, thinking his chances of escape had increased with the separation from the scarred man, became gloomy again. Now, he was among four bandits instead of just two.

He looked at another man and held his gaze for a longer time. This one also had grey eyes and fair skin, but what caught Ashwin's attention was the man's pure white hair. Despite looking his twenties, he had the hair of an old man, which looked so unusual that Ashwin whispered to the young woman who had led him here, "Who is he?"

Ziana followed his gaze. "Ah, White-Haired? We picked him up. He had nowhere to go and looked totally lost."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Like many of us, I guess," impatiently noted Ashwin. "What's wrong with his hair, though?"

"He went through something terrible outside the wall. He didn't tell the details, but the shock turned him white overnight."

She gently pressed his shoulder down, forcing the teen to sit on the free wooden stool. Ashwin was expecting to have his wrist freed from the ropes while they were in this robber's den, but the pirates ignored his discomfort. He glanced at the young man, whose painful past had made his hair look like that of a hundred-year-old grandpa. At least Ashwin's own misfortune didn't affect him as much. He said with compassion, "Sound really horrible."

"Yep, but he is already better. See, he talks and moves. Before, he just stared at one point," Ziana said, sitting down beside the teenager. Her whisper in his ear made Ashwin flinch and recoil. The young woman grinned at his reaction, adding, "And by the way, he fights pretty well. Not like someone clumsy, we know."

The men they joined were both silently staring at the trio. The bald one leaned towards the man with long hair and asked something in a quiet voice. They whispered for a minute, glancing at Ashwin.

"How about setting me free at the pier before leaving? You can set sail and I can go my own way," while the men discussed his fate among themselves. Ashwin tried to negotiate with the woman, but his attempt was nipped in the bud.

"You do realize that you know the name of our ship, and that the authorities do not. At least, they don't know what's going on there or what our cargo is, otherwise they wouldn't allow us to dock here."

The teen took a pause, thinking about what he could offer to release him. The only truly valuable things he had were high-quality metal parts. They could be sold at a good price, unlike the information about the "nymph tower", which was probably useless to these rogues. 'However, they could use it as a source of supplies. But there is no way I'm going to tell them something so important.'

Ashwin felt an intense gaze on him. Something like this happened constantly when he lived with the troop. The moods of the higher-ranking apes could affect his well-being, so the teenager became pretty good at reading them. He lifted his gaze. A bald man was staring at him, and as soon as their eyes met, he asked, "How did you say your name is?"

"I don't remember giving my name at all," replied Ashwin, keeping a good posture as much as his tied hands allowed. The long-haired man took a knife and plunged it into the wooden table, close to the teen. Ashwin glanced at the blade, then at the man. The gesture was more than eloquent. The bleak prospects made the teen grumble, "Ashwin."

"Ashwin, what?" insisted the bald man. Ashwin glanced at his companion, hoping for some kind of support. But the white-haired guy was indifferent, concentrating more on the mug before him than on the conversation. "And don't try to bluff some nonsense about not having a surname."

"Singh," replied the teen. The common family name should at least buy him some time. His lie seemed to go unnoticed by others, but the bald man was still staring at him. Ziana glanced at both of them, equally tense and refusing to avert her gaze. Then she took the knife off the table and handed it to the long-haired one.

"First of all, stop with the threats, Jin," she said, giving away the knife and turning to another man. "Gunner, does it really matter how he's called?"

"It does," said Gunner, still staring right at Ashwin's eyes. "There are many rumors circulating in Vardana's capital. I'm particularly interested in one about the Cheda family."

When his surname was mentioned, Ashwin felt as if the air was being drawn from his lungs. He forced himself to take a breath, hoping his reaction would go unnoticed. The man's face remained unchanged. But the way he suddenly turned his attention back to the drink, as if he had lost all interest in further questioning, made the teen's heart beat faster. 'He understood everything.' The thought that he would be turned over to the police for a reward made him feel dizzy. It was only a few days in the capital, and it was already over. 'No, I have to run. I have to escape.'

Ashwin started to steal glances at his surroundings, searching for a loophole to use to get away from the pirates. But his heart sank deeper into despair when he saw armed men wearing uniforms at the threshold.