Page 14 of Sea's Secret

I hoped she was right. Maybe later, I would go find Pearl. She had seven children, all older than Rina’s, but they always had something going on. I looked around my room, and I slumped my shoulders and reclined back onto my bed. As much as I wanted to spend time with my family, there was an ache and a fear that brought me back to my bed, where I remained, trying to silence my traitorous ways and doubts.

Chapter Five

Dominick

“Are you, Nick?” a dark-cloaked man asked after walking up to me on the dock.

“Who’s asking?” I questioned, looking at my gloves as if his dark, menacing presence was of no concern to me.

“The Grimm. I was told to ask for Nick.” He walked closer, his face covered by a hood and face covering.

“Did you bring the payment?” I asked him.

“Yes, it’s here–the rest,” he said, tossing a bag at my feet. I sloppily picked it up and inspected it, weighing it in my hand. As a pirate, I had become good at knowing the weight of coins, and their value. After inspecting the bag, I placed it in my pocket and stood back up.

Everyone had heard of The Grimm. He was known far and wide as an incredible swordsman. Like always, I needed to make sure that once he boarded our ship, he could survive. I was sure The Grimm would pass the test. It was not normal to give people passage as pirates, but we had on a few occasions, and, in those situations, I had to keep up my ruse as a prince. All the hands aboard the ship were required to keep my secret about being a prince and a pirate. It was a strange life I led.

I pulled out my sword at my waist. I wobbled a bit as I walked, moving my sword so it was in front of me, pointing unevenly at The Grimm. He then took up his sword and had it at my throat rather quickly as I expected he would, and as I had trained myself, I pretended like I had not noticed.

“Are you drunk?” he asked with a scoff.

“Show me your sword, Grimm,” I said with a crooked and cocky smile.

“I will kill you,” he said as he began to lower his sword.

I waited just a bit longer, making sure to truly sell my feigned, off balance state of drunkenness to him.

“Not before I kill you, and you–” I began, moving my sword to the right of him, pointing, as if there was a second man beside him–my pretense: seeing double from excessive drink.

“Put that down, and let me board. I paid handsomely. Prince Dominick expressed that I could have safe passage on this ship.”

“Aye, you may do that–after you best me.”

“I do not fight or kill drunks.”

“That is good, for I do not wish to die tonight, not that I would lose, even if it is two against one,” I said with a wink, stepping sloppily closer to him.

“Must we do this?” he groaned.

“Yes. Afraid, Grimm? I know I look fearsome, but my sword is even moreso.”

Then, with one quick movement, he raised his sword, but I met him halfway, moving back as he came forward, advancing on me. I moved my feet quickly, yet played into the off balance type of a drunken man. It had taken many years of practice to perfect that ruse–mostly, I had watched drunken crew members, and also men at taverns. No one took drunks seriously and always underestimated them. I liked being underestimated.

“How are you doing this?” The Grimm asked as I continued to meet him hit for hit, at the same time, still keeping up my drunken act.

“What?” I asked with feigned confusion, still meeting him jab for jab.

“This–” he groaned, coming faster at me.

I laughed, “I am a pirate,” walking backward a few paces, calculating the edge of the dock. In a show of more drunken dramatics, I fell off the dock, pinwheeling my arms as if to keep my balance. His eyes widened, but I knew that below us was docked a small boat that would take us to the ship, which Veeto had left for me.

I fell into the boat. I, then, stood up, not needing to feign imbalance in a rocking boat. I put my sword back into my belt.

“You pass,” I said with a smirk.

“I pass? What does that mean?”

“Only one of you, though. Now, hurry up; my head hurts,” I said with irritation. My head did not hurt in the slightest.

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