Page 74 of Wicked Tides
Thelasa swiped the coins and stuck them in the pocket of her apron, pushing a brown curl of hair behind her ear.
“And for you two?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“Two mugs of ale,” Vidar answered, his voice overlapping with mine.
I shot him a look and he just shrugged
When Thelasa returned with two mugs, I glanced down at the foggy liquid and winced at the smell.
“What? Don’t like ale?”
“It has a rotten taste. I will never understand why men drink it.”
“And I’ll never understand your taste for human flesh.”
I sighed and picked up the mug, bringing it to my mouth. I forced down a big gulp, displeased at the bitter tang. Vidar huffed a laugh as he took two big swigs and leaned back on his elbows, watching his men engage in careless conversation. There was tension in his brow as if something was bothering him and he had far too much reason to be bothered for me to question him. He cared for his crew and I hated to relate to that.
Realizing how many vulnerabilities I had made me stiffen. I was too exposed. I’d attempted to make myself stronger by evading attachments in the past, but I failed time and time again. My soul longed to have companionship and it was my undoing. It would be forever because I could not stop.
It didn’t take long for Thelasa to bring out a few loaves of bread and some cloth-wrapped cheese. The stew, however, seemed to be brewing in the back and would take a little time. It smelled mildly seasoned and meaty, unlike the stale porridge that the girls had been served on the ship.
In the corner of the tavern, a pair of old men played string instruments while one of them sang in a raspy voice about beautiful women in big cities made of gold.
Soon, I caught Mullins walking down the steps with Sakari by his side. She was looking shy but eager, her eyes darting curiously aroundas she came into the tavern. Mullins brought her to the counter, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his worn trousers.
“Found her standing at the top of the steps,” he said. “She looked curious. Thought it couldn’t hurt.”
Vidar didn’t look happy at first, but within moments, he warmed to the idea of her being there. He handed her his half-full mug of ale with a smile and she took it, hesitantly looking at the contents and giving it a sniff. She didn’t recoil like I would have expected. Instead, she took a good-sized sip, cringed, and gave it back. Mullins and Vidar chuckled and she laughed with them, bashfully covering her mouth.
“These girls haven’t been out much I think,” Mullins said.
Sakari noticed the music before noticing the food and gravitated toward the men playing. Her face lit up at the sound and she stood near one of the tables closest to them to listen, gently swaying to the melodies.
She and the other girls had been on the Rose for days and no man had touched them or given them a reason to be afraid, save for the first night when Vidar had used her against me. She seemed to have gotten over that and looked like she was feeling nothing but safe among the men. It boggled me. I kept a close eye on her, holding my mug but not drinking the bitter contents.
Finally, I saw Thelasa filling bowls in the back with stew. I was eager to go back upstairs and get away from the increasingly rowdy men in the tavern. They were growing louder with every passing moment and I could do without their boisterous laughter and excessive drinking.
Just as Thelasa was walking bowls over to us, the front doors to the tavern rushed open. No one cared except for me and Vidar and a few of his less intoxicated crewmen. From outside came a whole new group of strangers I didn’t know and by the look on Vidar’s face, he recognized them. I dipped my head to keep my face hidden in the shadows of my hat and watched as a dozen men strolled in, clearly in need of sleep and drinks.
I didn’t have time to study them fully before Vidar straightened, his eyes landing on a tall young man with a slender build and orange curly hair.
“Fuckin’ hell,” he hissed, slamming his mug down on the counter and splashing warm ale across the wood.
Amongst the newcomers, one of the other men caught sight of Vidar and paused, squinting. The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin, but there was no kindness behind it. A few days’ worth of stubble traced his jaw and a head of thin hair was tied into a ponytail.
“Ah!” he said, announcing himself to the tavern, but mostly to Vidar. “So those were the Rose’s sails I saw out in the water.”
Vidar’s jaw pulsed with tension as he stepped away from the bar, hanging his thumbs on his belt.
“Collin,” he greeted coldly. His eyes shifted to the boy again and his anger began to give off a dangerous scent that only I could smell. “David,” he said. “What the fuck are you doing with Collin Jones, boy?”
The boy’s face went rigid with disappointment. He didn’t speak. He simply dropped his gaze elsewhere, a sense of shame on his cowering expression.
“I see you know my newest recruit,” Collin said. “He said as much. Called you a bastard if I remember correctly.”
Vidar did not take his eyes off the boy as Collin spoke.
