Dust to Danger

The market was pure chaos. Bodies pushed and shoved from every side. Street urchins ran under foot, light fingers dashing into and out of pockets. Travelers bumped through the crowd with giant packs, on to their next adventure. The smell of foreign spices filled the air from the countless stalls piled high with bright pyramids of saffron, cinnamon, dried ginger and more unrecognizable herbs. Merchants shouted their wares over the roar of conversation, changing prices for every new customer. Mothers haggled for their weekly bread and eggs, while their children pulled on their skirts and begged for sweets. Stalls boasted everything from razor sharp weapons to strange vegetables, love spells to shining pots and pans, woven clothing to snarling and snapping animals. The hot dry air was dusty from the feet shuffling the dirt path between stalls. Though it seemed anarchic, the Ammeda Market was the place to go to find anything that you could ever need. Each street offered more goods to waste money on. And the further in one dove, the less reputable those goods became. 

Deep within the market, where even the guards avoided on their patrols, spies, cutthroats, thieves, and every other black profession sold their own unique services. Here blood money bought information. Here dark schemes were hatched.  

Here was where I needed to be. 

Only my first and second mates followed me to this part of Ammeda. Each of our faces concealed by the dark cowls of the coats which brushed our dusty boots with each brisk step. The other customers around us shied away at the sight of gleaming steel flashing in rays of sunlight which shone through the ripped canopy above the market. Sweat slipped down my back, partly from the sweltering heat that the canopies did nothing to abate, and partly from the nerves that ripped  through my insides. 

The nerves were not from the dangerous clientele we walked among, rather the knowledge that if we were recognized here certain people were sure to find out, and if that happened we would be done for. Our false reputation of peaceful merchants would be blown away.  

Our steps slowed as we reached our destination, a nondescript mottled black tent. So many patches had been sewn on to mend the walls, I doubted any of the original material remained. The canopy over the dark maw-like entrance sagged and the frayed edges of the material hung limply in the heat. Nefariously curious eyes watched from the shadows as we glanced around and my first and second mates plunged into the dark of the entrance.  

I took a deep breath before I followed, suddenly struck with a stronger wave of unease than the one that had washed over me during the walk here. I cast one last look over my shoulder as if the source of my anxiety would reveal themselves. 

They didn’t. 

No one is here. I told myself as I followed after my crew into the dark.

I forced myself to take a step. Two. Three. Then ten measured steps in complete darkness. Suddenly a bright light blinded me. I blinked several times trying to adjust my eyes to the light within the tent.

“I wish you’d stop enchanting your tent to be so damned bright, it kills my eyes every time.” I grumbled pressing my palms into my throbbing eyeballs. 

“Oh you poor baby,” a voice chirped in reply, not sounding nearly apologetic enough. “It must be so hard being the feared captain of the most dangerous pirate ship on the seas, having sensitive eyes.”

Two sets of chuckles sounded from my right, and I squinted in their direction, wary of any other burning my retinas might endure. My first and second mates had thrown their heavy coats off onto the plush colorful ottomans and had taken up positions reclined upon a pile of pillows as they drank chilled wine and  snacked lightly off of a fruit and cheese platter. 

“Enjoying yourselves, are you?” I asked drily . 

“Oh, immensely, Captain.” My first mate, Neva, joked as she tossed a bright red grape into her mouth. Her warm brown eyes glowed with mirth, as she smirked at me. Next to her my second, Rusana, just scoffed a laugh and poured me a goblet of wine from the decanter on the low mahogany table between the two. 

As I accepted the cup, I turned to our host. She was standing in the middle of the richly decorated room which looked like it belonged in a grand sprawling palace. The floors were covered in intricate carpets whose bright colors  continued onto the jewel toned mosaics that covered the walls.  The room was much too large to fit in the small shabby tent that I had entered ten steps ago. Our host matched the room perfectly, with a turquoise silk dress that wrapped around her waist before draping luxuriously over her delicate shoulders. Her chocolate hair twisted in an intricate spiral around her head, with a few wisps perfectly framing her fine cheekbones. Braided in among the coils were fine strands of gold that made her bronze skin look like it glowed from within. 

“Sidri, it’s good to see you.” I said warmly, moving forward for a hug. 

“Ah, ah Captain, you keep your distance until you get that grimy coat off, this dress is more expensive than your precious ship.”Sidri scolded, taking a step back as she raised hands covered in delicate whorls of ink.  I sighed and shed the heavy wool coat, tossing it on top of where the others left theirs.

“You’ve got to have some spell in that bag of tricks of yours that’ll clean your precious dresses.” Rusana teased from the floor. 

Sidri rolled her eyes and with a flick of her finger, sent a grape flying to smack my second in the middle of the forehead, before pulling me into a hug that smelled of cinnamon. “It’s good to see you too, Beck.” she responded with equal warmth in her richly accented voice. 

“Now, Sid, I wonder who you got that dressed up for?” Neva questioned, shooting a wink to Rusana. 

Sidri released me, blushed and snapped a reply back in her native language. I only managed to catch a colorful curse word and something about the importance of minding one's own business. I glanced at Rusana and saw her with a deep red tinge as well. 

I picked my glass up from the table and settled down on an ottoman across from my crew. “Sid, we need to get down to business. I'm sorry that this isn’t a social call but we need information.” I said quickly, interrupting her. 

  “Ach, it’s always business with you lot. Would it kill you to sit still for a moment?”

“There are people who need our help out there, Sid. For their sake, we can’t afford to stop.” Neva responded, an apology in her voice. 

Sidri leveled her gaze to each of us, eyes filled with emotion from the memories which were undoubtedly running through her mind, and replied softly, “I know. Better than most, I think.” Sid agreed, dropping her heavy stare and busying herself with filling her glass. “Yes, business first, then I might be able to convince you to stay for a drink once we’re done.” Sidri said, a  mischievous grin slipping across her lips as her gaze met Rusana’s with a different kind of weight in it.. 

I gently cleared my throat, and the mage roseto her feet and stepped over to her scrying bowl situated in a dark corner. I glanced at Rus, and bit back a smile. She was trying for nonchalance as she sprawled on the cushions on the floor, but her cheeks nearly matched her flaming curls that were slowly escaping her braid. 

Neva followed Sidri over to the bowl and peered over her shoulder, trying to see what the mage saw in the enchanted water. Her ceaseless curiosity driving her nose into places it probably shouldn’t be. 

“Give me some space, Vossler.” Sid snapped, “You won’t be able to See, no matter how hard you try.”

“I don’t know how you can make sense of those shadows anyways,” Neva huffed as she returned to her seat and continued eating the grapes. 

It was quiet for a few moments as Sidri searched through the shadows of the world. Her eyes darted around, looking at nothing but Seeing everything. Her brows furrowed as tendrils of night flowed over the rim of the bowl and coiled around her forearms, like snakes borne of the darkness. We remained quiet so that Sid could keep her focus as she tried to find those we could help. I took the opportunity to mull over how exactly I was going to ask her to find him. 

Godfrey. 

Captain Mack Godfrey. 

He kept popping up at the most inopportune times. And whenever surfaced, chaos was bound to follow. It was infuriating. How could one man be such a pain in my a*s? He had managed to sabotage multiple operations that we organized. Whether his actions were on accident or purposeful, his repeated interruptions were becoming suspicious. I needed to know more about him. For my crew's safety. For the safety of the people we were helping. And not at all for my own curiosity. 

“There’s a group on the coast of Apros. About fifteen of them. It looks like they’ve been running for a while now. A few of them have the sigil of Dryenta on them somewhere, necklaces and bracelets. Most of them are young, not old enough to see if they have abilities but soon.” Sidri stated, brushing off the remaining shadows from her arms, sweat dampening the tendrils of hair lying on her neck. 

“Perfect, we can be there within a week. Where on the coast are they? Could they make it to Port Camnau in time?” I asked brusquely, setting down my cup and picking up my coat. 

“If they hurry they will, I’ll send them a shadow raven.” Sidri replied. 

Neva stood as well, pulling her coat on and hugging Sidri, promising to have a proper visit soon. Rusana followed my first mate. Putting her jacket on, however her hug to the mage was a beat too long to be considered just a friendly gesture. 

Before my second released her, Sidri whispered something in her ear and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. For the third time, since we had entered in the enchanted tent, Rusana’s cheeks flamed and she all but ran out of the tent after Neva. 

Sidri watched after her, a soft smile on her lips and a contemplative tilt to her head. 

“Sid, I have another question for you before we leave.” I asked softly, though we were the only two left in the room. 

She nodded her head like she expected my demand. 

“There’s another captain. He keeps appearing wherever The Medusa lands, and making a mess of our operations. I need to know more about him. His name is-”

“Mack Godfrey, captain of The Sapphire Rose.” Sidri interrupted me before I could finish. 

If it could reach, my jaw would have brushed  the tiled floor in shock. “How do you know him?” I demanded.

“Oh, I keep an eye on you all through the bowl, I’ve seen a few of your interactions. He is quite handsome isn’t he?” Sid noted with an unbothered air, busying herself with cleaning up the nearly empty platter of fruits and cheeses, “He’s quite harmless... well for a pirate, that is. But it isn't a coincidence that he keeps running into you and your ship.”

“How does he keep finding us?” I demanded, deliberately not focusing on the comment she made about his looks. She wasn’t wrong. But there was a more pressing issue.

“I don’t know-” Sidri began, but was soon interrupted by my first and second mates charging back through the entrance. 

“Captain, we have a problem.” Neva stated as she slid to a stop. 

“What is it?” I asked, immediately on guard. 

“The b*****d found us again.” Rusana spoke, just as calm as my first mate. They were seasoned fighters, used to things going wrong and adapting immediately. 

I cursed colorfully. “We need to get to the ship. Now.” Authority ringing in my voice, “Where is he?”

“A few stalls down, he’s got three men with him.” Neva replied.

“Let’s get out of here. We need to leave before Sid’s cover is blown.” Rusana proclaimed, worry tinged her voice as her eyes darted between the three of us. 

“If he is that close, he is bound to see you leaving. My cover will be blown as soon as you walk out.” Commented Sidri, with hands on her hips. 

“Did he see you come back in?” I asked my crew, they just shrugged in return.

“Well, it’s no use, I’ll just come with you. Give me a moment to pack my things. I’ve been looking for an excuse to relocate as it is.” Sidri stated, pinning us all with a look that dared us to argue.

“Fine,” I said after a moment of silence,” just be quick about it.”

“Good, this damned excuse for a black market is too dreary for my tastes.” Sidri rushed across the room, fingers flying in intricate patterns as objects around the room flew into trunks and cabinets, while rugs rolled themselves up and stacked in a corner. She pulled back a gauzy white curtain to reveal a luscious bed stacked high with blankets and pillows. Sid dodged dresses and jewelry and clothes that were speeding into closets and boxes and snatched a small gold and emerald box from her nightstand. 

Neva, ever impatient, was shuffling from foot to foot next to the entrance. With her sword already in her hand, she said, “Sid. We need to go now, do you have everything you need? We are going to have to leave the tent. We don’t have enough time to take it down.” 

“I’m ready,” Sidri snapped, quickly making her way over to us still clutching the small box. “We are going to have time. I am not leaving anything behind.”

Neva looked ready to object, but I interrupted brusquely walking towards the entrance, “If you’re ready then let’s go. If we hurry we can hopefully make it back to The Medusa without them following us.” 

I plunged into the dark, and pulled my hood up to cover my face, then ten steps later I was back in the dusty, blistering heat of the market. My First and Second emerged behind me, hoods drawn also. Sidri was hot on their heels, she had magicked a dark navy cloak over her dress while we were exiting and had her hood drawn too. My crew scanned up and down the street looking for our unwanted visitors.  

“Alright Sid, do your thing. We need to get moving.” Rusana mumbled, her hand resting on the hilt of the wickedly sharp hatchet that was stuck through her belt. 

Sid snapped her fingers and the entire tent flew off the ground, twisted together, and vacuumed into the emerald box. The only evidence that it had been there a moment ago was the dust that had been disturbed from the motion. She pocketed the golden item and nodded.

We still hadn't seen Godfrey or his crew yet, “It isn’t going to be long until those worms find us. Back to the ship. We stay together unless I say otherwise. Let’s go.” I ordered. 

Before we could move out, a deep voice shouted from behind us, “You there, stop!”

I whipped my head to the voice and saw four armed men each with a red clenched fist emblazoned on the white field of their surcoats that declared them the official guards of Ammeda Market. They must have been brave or stupid to venture this far into lawless center of the market. Damn, this is not preferable. 

I didn’t take the time to figure out which one spoke. I pushed on Sidri’s back and ordered my crew to run. Deciding that worrying about Godfrey’s crew was a problem for later, when all our boots were safely on the deck of The Medusa. 

Rusana and Neva took off like shots down the alley, Sidri close on their heels. Before I followed, I pulled a small brown paper envelope from one of the many pockets and hiding spaces within my coat and threw it at the feet of the guards. By the time the dark smoke that erupted from the packet cleared, the dust from our escaping feet had already settled.

Author's Note

Please let me know what you think! Anything helps! Also, if anyone could do a cover for this, I would greatly appreciate it!

Reviews

[Willow Fairbairn]

I want to start with I am enjoying it. It's set up to be a fun ride. It's still in a "let's see what happens" phase for a full review, too many unknowns right now, which is fine for a short first chapter. You don't want to give everything away.

With that being said, one thing that it appears that you are giving away is the Captain's feelings for Mack Godfrey. I'm assuming the Captain and Mack will end up in a relationship. If that is the case, it's a bit too obvious so early on. If that's not the plan, then you can ignore me. I would suggest waiting to plant that seed until we first see Mack. I'd just have the Captain describe his looks but do so almost generically except for one tiny detail that stands out. Maybe his hair flows in the wind perfectly, or his muscles bulge his shirt in just the right way. Give the reader the joy of the ride of discovery that the Captain makes about her feelings for her rival instead of telling us up front that she has them and is in denial. That puts us at the end of the ride waiting for the character to finish up.

Anyway, I hope that was helpful. If you have any questions or need me to clear up something I said, go ahead a message me. And like I said, I based the hopefully constructive criticism on how I'm predicting it to go, so if that prediction is wrong, then ignore it, and I look forward to seeing where it goes in the future.

[Ryleigh]

Hey Willow! Thank you for this review!! I'll take it into consideration! I liked what you had to say about having the audience wait a little bit!