A hooded figure slipped inside the tavern.

Nami straightened.

"That's our contact. Remember, let me do the talking."

The figure approached their table, pulling back their hood to reveal a face covered in burn scars.

One milky eye stared blankly ahead while the other fixed on Nami.

"You said I would find you here in the early morning," Nami said flatly.

The scarred individual grinned, revealing several missing teeth.

"Time is a fickle thing in the Market, little one. Now, what juicy morsel have you brought me today?"

But then, the rough-looking man suddenly seized up at the sight of Talia.

“Those eyes, that hair,” the man said with a deeper voice. “You’re her.”

“I’m sorry?” Talia frowned, getting an eyeful from Nami, who had told her to leave the dealing with the man to her. “Did you know my mother?”

“Your mother,” the man said with a scoff, “you think your mother, the hero, would have deigned to show herself at The Broken Keel?”

The man plopped down heavily onto the empty chair at their table, causing it to creak ominously.

His unwashed stench hit them like a wave, making all three girls recoil instinctively.

His yellowed teeth flashed as he grinned at their discomfort.

"Oi! Mar!" he bellowed, causing the fat waitress to lumber over. "Bring me a bottle of your finest rotgut and make it quick!"

The scarred man leaned forward, his good eye gleaming with interest.

"Tell me, girl, how's that old man of yours? Still causing trouble in the Deep, I bet."

Talia stiffened, her hand instinctively tightening around her glaive.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice carefully neutral.

The man's grin widened, revealing more gaps in his teeth.

"Oh, come now. No need to play coy with old Mano. I know all about your daddy dearest. Quite the reputation he's got."

Nami shot Talia a warning glance, but the man wasn't finished.

"And that little display of Dark Water earlier? Impressive stuff, that. Not many can harness such power, especially not at your age — not even your daddy."

Talia's blood ran cold.

How could he possibly know about that?

The incident with Elder Kahua had happened mere hours ago.

Mano chuckled at her shocked expression.

"Surprised? Don't be. News travels fast in certain circles, especially when it involves power like that."

He leaned back in his chair, which groaned under his weight. His scarred face twisted into something resembling thoughtfulness.

"Dark Water... now that's a rare Affinity. Dangerous, too, if the stories are to be believed. Your old man must be proud."

“What stories?” Talia asked, confused.

“You two don’t talk, I take it,” Mano smirked.

“He’s fishing for information, Talia,” Nami intercepted. “You just gave him one for free.”

“Oh, now, now, you’re ruining all the fun,” the man said, taking the bottle from the waitress’s pudgy hands and popping the cork with his yellow teeth.

"I don't know anything about my father," Talia said firmly, meeting Mano’s mismatched gaze. "And I'm not here to discuss my abilities. We came to trade some information."

Mano took a long swig from his bottle, eyeing Talia thoughtfully over the rim.

"Fair enough, lass. Business it is, then." He set the bottle down with a thud. "What've you got for me?"

Nami leaned forward slightly. "We have information about one of the Siren's Passages – the Leviathan Hall."

Mano's good eye widened slightly, and a flicker of interest crossed his scarred features.

"Now that's a juicy bit indeed. Not many know how to access that one," he stroked his stubbled chin. "And what exactly are you looking to get in exchange?"

“How valuable is it?” Talia frowned.

"Oh, it's valuable alright. The right buyer would pay a small fortune for that kind of intel." He leaned in conspiratorially. "But I'll tell you what – I'll do you one better. Instead of just telling you what it's worth, how about I buy out the deal myself?”

“What?”

“He wants to buy the secret himself to sell it to more than one person. That means you would get a much bigger price than usual.”

Nami exchanged glances with Talia and Lilo.

This was more than they had initially hoped for.

"What price are we talking about?" Talia asked, ignoring Nami's warning look.

Mano grinned.

"Smart girl, getting right to the point. How about two big uns?”

Talia turned to Nami, confused.

“Two big secrets. Something dangerous about someone or something. Instead, you can think of small secrets are largely known but harder to access if you’re not in the right circles.”

"Two big secrets," Talia repeated slowly, chewing on the words.

Mano took another long pull from his bottle, his throat working as he swallowed. When he set it down, a ring of moisture formed on the grimy tabletop.

"Aye, two big uns. The kind that could make or break a career if you catch my meaning."

Lilo, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange, suddenly piped up.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"What if we want more than just secrets?" Her eyes were bright with excitement.

Mano's scarred face twisted into what might have been a smile.

"Ah, the little one speaks. And what might you be after, girlie? Gold? Artifacts? Something a bit more... exotic, perhaps?"

Nami shot her sister a warning glance, but Lilo pressed on.

"Information is valuable, but so are connections. What if we want introductions? To people who might be useful to know? There are a few people that I would love to meet."

A low chuckle rumbled from Mano's chest.

"Now you're thinking like a true player in the game, lass. Connections can indeed be worth their weight in gold – or secrets, as it were."

He leaned back, the chair creaking loudly under his bulk.

"I might be persuaded to throw in an introduction or two to some Great Families scions, depending on the quality of the information you're offering."

“No,” Talia said, “I don’t need introductions. I need the secrets. I also need you to sell these herbs and get a good sword in exchange for them.”

Talia threw the satchel of herbs she’d been carrying around with her on the table.

“For the Sword Demon’s child,” the man smirked.

“Yes,” Talia conceded.

“I’m amenable to that.”

“One last thing—”

“Don’t push it,” the man frowned.

“One last thing,” Talia insisted. “But before we continue, Nami, Lilo, sorry, I’d like to keep the rest of the conversation private.”

* * *

The scarred man, Mano, led Talia away from The Broken Keel tavern.

They picked their way carefully across the weathered planks of the ship graveyard, sidestepping pools of stagnant water and piles of rotting timber.

Mano's mismatched eyes darted back and forth, scanning their surroundings.

After several minutes of winding through narrow passages between the hulking ship carcasses, they arrived at a small clearing.

The remnants of what was once a grand galleon's bow loomed over them, creating a secluded nook shielded from prying eyes.

Mano lowered himself onto a barnacle-encrusted crate with a grunt, gesturing for Talia to take a seat on a nearby barrel.

The metal bands of the barrel were rusted through in places, flaking away at her touch.

She perched gingerly on its edge, hyper-aware of every creak and groan of the decaying wood beneath them.

"Well then, girl," he said at last, his gravelly voice barely above a whisper. "What's this last bit of business you wanted to discuss?"

"Before we agree to anything," Talia said slowly, "I want to know how you know my father. And how did you hear about what happened with Elder Kahua so quickly?"

Mano's good eye gleamed with amusement.

"Curious little thing, aren't you? Let's just say I've got ears in all sorts of interesting places. As for your old man... well, he and I go way back. But that's a story for another time.”

“No,” Talia said strongly. “I need to know more about my father.”

“See,” Mano cleared his throat, “I ain’t afraid of you, little thing. Your father? Oh, I know he’d gut me in a split second if I told you the things he didn’t want you to know about him. And before you go ruin someone else’s life, any Secret Dealer who knows his stuff knows not to fuck with Maui’s daughters. So, don’t go and get my competition killed — it’s bad for business.”

Talia gritted her teeth.

“Whatever. The first big secret—I need you not to tell anyone what I’m about to ask.”

“If I did business like that, I’d be swimming with the Kraken.”

“Alright. I suspect that Elder Kahua might be a Cultist or be involved in the killing of my mother. What can you tell me about—”

Without warning, Mano, who had been chugging from a second bottle he had brought from the tavern, suddenly started choking, spitting from both his mouth and nose.

“Girlie! Are you trying to damn kill me?!” The man exclaimed, laughing his ass off.

“I’m serious!” Talia said, frustrated.

“Serious?” The man wheezed, raising a hand until he collected himself. “You think that Elder Kahua might be a cultist? What have they been feeding you at the Academy? Please tell me, girlie, because I want some of it. I’m always looking to explore new recreational pastimes.”

“I—I,” Talia trembled in anger. “He—”

“He almost slapped your ass silly, yeah,” Mano said, shaking his head. “That’s because he hates your father. But that’s not a big secret — it’s barely a small one. Anyone who’s lived more than twenty years here knows.”

“What? I thought he was getting in my way because—”

“Because you’re so important?” Mano sneezed and wiped the mucus onto his dirty blouse. “You’re a darn spitting image of that crazy bastard. That Elder’s got the hots for you because of that, not because he’s a cultist.”

“Why does Elder Kahua hate my father?” Talia frowned.

“Girlie, you’re asking one too many questions for this to be a free transaction,” Mano smiled. “Are we considering this a part of the deal?”

Talia pondered.

“I’ll give you a small secret in exchange for this,” Talia said.

“Interesting,” Mano smiled. “Let’s hear it first.”

“My Star Glaive is capable of enhancing a single Skill by five levels at Level 1.”

Mano raised an eyebrow.

“Interesting. Yalena never revealed anything about her—your mother was always so secretive, unlike your father. Good enough for me. This is no big secret anyway.”

“So?” Talia wondered eagerly.

“Elder Kahua was your father’s master. Maui graduated under him as his Champion, giving his School enough of an advantage to rank first in the Academy for all five years that your father spent with him.”

Talia leaned forward, and her eyes narrowed. "What about Professor Iakopo? What can you tell me about him?"

Mano's face tightened. He shifted on his crate, causing it to creak loudly. "Professor Iakopo?" He shook his head. "Sorry, girlie. He's another one I don't talk about. Same as your old man."

"Why not?" Talia pressed, her fingers drumming on the rusty barrel.

"Because," Mano said, his voice low, "that man would gut me faster than a fishmonger on market day if I spilled his secrets." He took a swig from his bottle, some of the liquid dribbling down his chin. "And I quite like my guts where they are, thank you very much."

Talia frowned, frustration etching lines on her forehead.

"But why? What's he hiding?"

Mano wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving behind a smear of dirt.

"That's for you to find out, isn't it? If you want to know about Iakopo and your mother's history, you'll have to do the digging yourself."

A gust of wind blew through the clearing, carrying the stench of rotting wood and stagnant water.

The smell seemed to cling to everything in the Market.

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms. "What can you tell me, then?"

Mano scratched his stubbly chin, his good eye scanning their surroundings. The mismatched gaze made Talia uncomfortable, but she held her ground.

"Well, as for one of the big secrets, I could tell you about a special place. A training ground your father used to frequent."

Talia's eyebrows shot up.

"Really? Where?"

"It's hidden," Mano said, lowering his voice. "In one of them Siren's Passages. That's what makes it a big secret, see? Not many people know about it, and even fewer can find it."

Talia nodded slowly, processing the information. The barrel creaked as she shifted her weight, and for a moment, she worried it might collapse beneath her. But it held, and she refocused on Mano's words.

"Alright," she said. "That's one. What about the other big secret?"

Mano's scarred face twisted into what might have been a grin. "Eager, aren't you? You’re lucky that so very few know about the Leviathan’s Hall. Well, for the second one, how about this – I know some juicy details about who hated your mother."

Talia's heart skipped a beat. She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "You do? Who?"

Mano wagged a finger, tutting.

"Now, now. That's not how this works. You've got to agree to the deal first."

Talia bit her lip, considering. The wind picked up again, rustling through the decrepit ships around them. A loose board creaked rhythmically somewhere like a metronome, counting down the seconds before she had to decide.

"Fine," she said at last. "Deal."

Mano nodded, satisfaction gleaming in his good eye.

"Smart girl. Now, about that training ground-"

He launched into a detailed description of a hidden chamber accessible through a specific sequence of actions in one of the lesser-known Siren's Passages. Talia listened intently, committing every word to memory.

"You'll know you're in the right place when you see a mosaic of the Kraken on the floor," Mano finished. "Your old man spent countless hours there. I don’t know the details of it, though. You’ll have to figure it out by yourself once you get there. I’m not even sure your father would want me to explain it to you, really.”

Talia frowned.

“Does my father scare everybody this much?”

"Aye, that's the gist of it," Mano nodded, taking another swig from his bottle. "But I'm feeling chatty today, so how about I throw in a little bonus? A piece of advice, free of charge.”

Talia raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of advice?"

Mano leaned in close, his breath reeking of the cheap alcohol he had just ingested.

"Your father is a very dangerous man. He’s no holier-than-thou noble — which means he’s still reasonable. But be careful about what you share with your old man."

Talia was getting tired of these cryptic messages.

She had received a similarly confusing warning from her very father about the people at the Academy.

The people in the Deep really loved talking in enigmas—something that was grating on Talia’s nerves.

But since she was on the topic of what her father had told her…

"And the other secret?" she prompted, leaning forward. "About who hated my mother?"

Mano's expression grew serious. He glanced around once more before walking up to her and leaning in close.

“This one I’d be careful to share,” he said in a whisper.

The smell of alcohol and unwashed body odor made Talia's stomach turn, but she didn't pull away.

"Your mother," he said, his voice low and gravelly, "had more enemies than friends by the end. But there was one person in particular who hated her with a passion that burned hotter than the sun."

Talia's breath caught in her throat. "Who?"

Mano's good eye locked into hers, his gaze intense. "Someone powerful. Someone close. Someone who-"

A sudden crashing sound from nearby cut him off.