= Prince of Shadows

The dull sound of the waves drumming against the hull 
almost drowned out the ecstatic cries of the crew
as they headed into the port town.
Kilyan closed his eyes and took a deep breath,
reveling in the sting of the briny air entering his nose.
He rested his hands lightly on the rails in front of him.

"So, that's it?"
rumbled a thick voice to his left.
The wooden planks creaked slightly under Mani's weight,
betraying the __Hanelyth__'s age.
The lantern he was carrying swung loosely at his side,
scattering and gathering shadows in time with the water.
"You found out you could be land royalty,
and that's it?
You're just leaving?"

Kilyan tightened his grip around the rail.
"Of course, Old Man.
It's what I was born for."

Mani scoffed.
"Don't swab the deck with me, Kill.
Captain is what you were _raised_ for,
no matter what Crazy Cap wrote in that journal."
He reached for Kilyan's shoulder.

Kilyan shrugged him off.
"Cajmel raised me with the full knowledge
that I am a thronechild of Kirboda,
to take advantage of it even."
He tilted his head back down in search of the moon.
Its reflection flickered in the water, beckoning.

"Oh, to the depths with what she wanted!"
Mani erupted, this time actually grabbing Kilyan's shoulder.
"We call her Crazy Cap for a reason.
You believe her ramblings?
You really think that you're _that_ legendary child?"

Rumors of the little thronechild's disappearance
had plagued the domain
for over two decades.
The speculation surrounding the incident had always been so outlandish
that anyone in their right mind dismissed it.
One bedtime verse claimed that the child had been taken by cradle mourners,
the spirits of bereaved parents who steal unguarded children in the night.
Some folks claimed that the king had been hiding a miscarriage
until it could be hidden no longer.
Certain whispers in shady corners told tales of the king's own sister,
who had been denied the throne and wanted revenge.

The truth was that no one knew the whole story.
Both king and queen had remained silent about their ordeal,
only holding a quiet ceremony for their young son.
The royal sister's disappearance had also received no official attention.
Not too long after, the queen passed away
without so much of a whisper of what really happened.
Even Cajmel's journal could not tell the whole story.

The waves lapping against the ship swallowed their breaths.
The moon had cloaked herself in clouds,
calling for Kilyan to follow her to heights
he would never know if he stayed safe in the ocean's embrace.
Mani's hand shook, fingers digging in,
but his eyes were steady,
searching Kilyan for a sign of anything other than what he saw.

"It doesn't matter."
He turned to meet his brother's eyes.

A sudden shuffling sound drew both of their gazes
to the cabin boy who'd just emerged from below deck.
His dark eyes glittered wide in the lantern light.

"Quadjreo," Kilyan called, "think you can leave and enjoy the night.
We'll start her repairs in the morning."
He tossed a reassuring nod his way.

The boy mumbled, "Thanks, Cap," before clambering down the gangway.

Once he'd turned the corner, Mani spoke again.
"So, what now?"

Kilyan took one last glance at the water's moon.
"Best to get going," he drawled,
moving in the same direction as the cabin boy.
"Xyrra's waiting."

A sharp peal of laughter ripped through the air.
"That mutinous siren?" Mani bellowed as he fell into step with Kilyan.
"Only good for -- "

" -- telling me where and how I can talk to the king -- "
Kilyan tried to interrupt.

" -- singing the info you want to hear
and then singing your secrets to the next sailor, too," Mani persisted.
"Now I know you're swabbing the deck with me.
You'd let her know about your blood?"

Kilyan rolled his eyes.
"I don't like her either, but I need you behind me."

"You're abandoning her."
Even with the sudden halt of footfalls against the beaten pavement,
Mani's voice was near inaudible.
"You're abandoning the _Hanelyth_ for scraps of royal blood,
and you want me to help you?"

The lantern clattered on the cobblestones as Kilyan slammed Mani into a wall.
He pressed his forearm into his throat
and leaned in until he could feel Mani's breath fanning his face.
Their eyes locked together.
"I'm not abandoning anyone."

"No," Mani sneered, his voice thinned by the pressure,
"you're just running to the next fountain of power you can find."
He shoved him off and bent low.
"O king of pirates, I should have known
that throne was far too easily given to satisfy you."
He picked up the lantern and stood up again, eyes simmering.

Kilyan ground his teeth together.
"Manelo, please.
I can't let this opportunity pass."

Their heavy panting muffled the breeze rustling their clothes
as they glared at each other.
The lantern had been snuffed out,
and now only the moon illuminated their faces.

Mani sighed as he glanced in the direction of the __Hanelyth__.
When his eyes met Kilyan's again, he heaved an even louder sigh.
"Oh, let the wind blow.
But only because we're brothers."

Kilyan grinned and dusted off Mani's back with a slap.
"You can thank Crazy Cap for that one."

"Speaking of things to thank her for, you get to deal with Risk."
Mani shoved his pointer finger into Kilyan's face.
"I'm not going near that tangle of knots, not even for you."
He shuddered, rattling the lantern.
"I still remember that time you convinced me to drop seaweed on her head."

Kilyan laughed dryly.
"Crazy Cap was hearing about that prank for months after."
He fished out a wax covered match from his pocket to light the lantern again.
They had spent too long making their way to Dom's inn.
"I would think she'd be ecstatic to hear I won't be around anymore.
We're not teens running around pranking each other now."

Mani chewed on the inside of his cheek.
"I suppose not."

They walked on with only the sound of their footsteps piercing the air.
The moon peeked around the clouds again, taunting Kilyan with a kiss blown in the wind.
His hand flexed, reaching for any indication that he was making the right choice
but finding only the weighty handle of the lantern.
He was a boat with a tattered sail,
moving at the mercy of the wind
with only his own resolve to brace against the waves.
Before the beating of his heart beat his eardrums down,
the cheers of drunken sailors echoed from the rundown building
the two were quickly approaching.

The barkeeper looked up as they entered.
"Captain, Quartermaster, the usuals?" he greeted them,
the corners of his thick lips twisted down into a frown as always.
Dom slid two prepared cups across the counter.

"May unity hold fast your bonds."
Mani raised his cup toward the barkeeper and knocked his drink down in one go.

"And discord flee your spirit,"
Dom sighed and reached under the bar again.
He traded a full cup for Mani's empty one.
Glancing at Kilyan with flat eyes, he said,
"She's waiting for you downstairs.
Take the tray with you, huh?"
He nodded his head at the steaming hot food on the counter beside him.

"What am I, your hire?" Kilyan grumbled
as he placed his cup on the tray and picked it up.
"All my crew's food and drink is free then."

Dom snorted as his hands worked clumsily on the next drink.
"Leave my inn unscathed and I might consider taking off the surcharges."
He gestured toward the staircase.
"Better get going before the food chills.
Xyrra likes taking a layer off her mouth."

Kilyan hummed in acknowledgment then murmured in Mani's ear,
"Stay up here but keep an ear out for me."

Mani settled into a seat at the counter.
"Didn't want to be in that slimy siren's presence anyway."
He raised his new cup in Kilyan's direction and downed it in one gulp again.

Kilyan chuckled at Dom's groan echoing throughout the first floor.
It was a stark contrast to the stifling silence
that smothered his descent to the basement.
His steps thudded loud and hollow against the stone stairs.
His drink faintly sloshed inside of his cup.
Her flickering shadow stretched up the final steps.

"Discount or your dinner is mine," he called to her.

Xyrra raised her bet without a word.
A couple of the other players threw down their cards,
grumbling under their breath.
The candlelight deepened the shadow on their faces.

Kilyan lifted his drink and dropped the tray onto the table.
A few drops of broth slipped down the side of the bowl,
and the hearty aroma wafted into the air.
"Discount or everyone here learns your hand."

A low growl rumbled in Xyrra's chest.
"You get one bonus question."
She raised her hand. "Dealer."

The last card was dealt,
and eventually it was down to Xyrra and one other.

Xyrra pushed her coin toward the middle, saying softly, "All in."

The other player paused, glancing at their meager coin.
Kilyan sipped his drink audibly as they laid down their hand.
The liquid stung his throat exactly how he wanted it to.

"Everyone out."
Xyrra tossed her cards onto the table face down and began eating.
The massive pile of coin in the center of the table remained untouched
as the other players shuffled up the stairs.

Kilyan took a seat and leaned back in the chair,
sipping much more quietly on his drink.
The chair creaked under his weight and was still warm.
Once everyone had made their way up the stairs,
he reached toward the money.

Xyrra's knife barely missed his hand, lightly embedded in the table.
He settled for the knife instead of a coin, sighing.
"What do you have for me?
Let's get this over with."

Through a mouthful, she said,
"Money on the table.
Lay it out so I can count it."
She swallowed and spooned more food into her mouth,
dark eyes honed in on his hand, still next to the knife.

Grinding his teeth, he pried the knife out of the wooden table.
"We've known each other for so long.
You could stand to be a little more friendly, you know."
He twirled the knife in his hand.

"Request denied.
My food is also cold, so your bonus question is only half off."

He ground his teeth at the steam still rising from her food.
"Guess I'll take what I can get."
The gold he'd brought clinked together as he laid them out across the table.

Xyrra hummed with satisfaction.
A slight smile extended the jagged white scar
that stretched from the right corner of her mouth to her ear.
The sawtooth terror was a stark contrast to her skin,
which was made even darker in the dim light.
When Kilyan had first tagged along to a deal between her and Cajmel,
he'd initially thought she failed to block a knife attack.
It was only after their deal was done
that he realized no fighter would take the time
to carve something like that into the opponent’s face.
Not when she could still drive her own knife into their neck.

No, disfiguring of that magnitude was a trophy reserved only for the victor.A slight smile extended the jagged white scar
that stretched from the right corner of her mouth to her ear.
The sawtooth terror was a stark contrast to her skin,
which was made even darker in the dim light.
When Kilyan had first tagged along to a deal between her and Cajmel,
he'd initially thought she failed to block a knife attack.
It was only after their deal was done
that he realized no true fighter would take the time
to carve something like that into their opponent’s face.
Not when she could still drive her own knife into their neck.

No, disfiguring of that magnitude was a trophy reserved only for the victor.

Kilyan set the knife down.
He had never asked Xyrra about her scar
because the information he actually needed already cost a pretty penny.
Plus, he almost hated dealing with her as much as Mani.
Sliding a small gold bar toward her,
he asked, "So what do you have for me?"

Begrudgingly, she set down her eating utensils
and pulled a small booklet from her breast pocket.
She flipped through its pages rapidly,
showing off a literacy Kilyan had always admired despite his aversion to her.
After she finished skimming the report, she set the booklet aside.
"The king's schedule for the next two weeks."
Her dark eyes snapped up to his, glittering.
"Before I hand it to you, mind telling me what you need this for?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, I'm sure you're already aware that'll cost you.
Maybe I can take all of this back?" he asked,
reaching for the gold he'd just laid out.

She didn't move for a moment, weighing the options.
Then her fork went flying at the table in front of him.