Sea Gypsies: The Draga Isles

Chapter 21: The Sea Snake

The Opal docked in Acante, and the crew got off the ship with wary eyes.

Gin could sense their captain and his first mate watching their surroundings as they moved through the busy docks. He did the same, watching if anyone would look their way, but the people around them were so occupied with their own business that no one turned to any newcomer on the docks.

As Acante was the most advanced in engineering among all the provinces in the kingdom of the Draga Isles, it was also the busiest and most progressive.

The boardwalks here mainly were made of metal, unlike other ports that were made of wood. Sometimes Gin hated the noise his feet made when he stepped on the malleable path, a clinking and clanking music as his feet threaded over them, mixing with the loud rolling of automobile wheels and the rowdy scraping of barrels and smashing of heavy crates on them. Thundering, but he ignored this and tried to focus.

The crew was keeping a watchful eye for any guards of Mistress Evita, though it would take a while before the mistress found out that her island was not invaded. Instead, something had been stolen from her.

Gin hoped that the hydrosi took longer to wake up to report to his mistress about the heist.

They had a day, maybe. And he hoped that the guards hadn't seen the name of the Opal in the dark ocean that night. It would also take a while to identify them.

As they entered the market area of Acante, Gin saw Enzo speak with the captain, though he didn't hear their discussion. Enzo called to Mari and Reynar, and they followed him, leaving the crew of the Opal.

Gin stepped up to Captain Zalez, "What's that about?"

"Said he needed to check in with family," The captain answered.

"Him and his crew?" Gin asked, a little annoyed that Enzo would leave the group now when they were on the run.

"Keep your gypsy pants on. They're not prisoners. They can go if they want. If they don't come back, then we're not paying them." The captain noted with a smile.

But Gin had a bad feeling about it. They should just stick together and be ready to sail if Mistress Evita decided to come after them. The Opal waited for no one. That was a hard rule. So if that happened, Enzo and his crew would be left behind, too.

The captain led them to a nearby inn with a view of the shipyard, where they could see the ship in its berth. Sam, as usual, was left to guard her.

The inn had an empty tavern except for the bartender and two other men at the far side of the room. The smell of rust and spirits greeted them as they entered.

Rodri had gone to the counter to book their stay while the rest of them sat at a round table near a bar, where a tender operated an advanced liquor dispenser that poured beer when a lever was pulled.

They all quietly sat as if they were mourning their fallen comrade--Juli. Gin despised the silence and was about to break it, to say anything just to get the group talking until Ria spoke.

"I need to use the toilet," she said, standing from her seat.

"I'll go with you." Migal started to do the same when the captain coughed out a chuckle.

"I'll be fine." Ria's face turned red.

"But--" Migal tried to get up again, but Ria had already turned.

"I won't be long," she said, walking away. The wooden chest where she kept the scrolls they had stolen safely hung on a leather strap across her chest.

Gin hadn't known what happened when she ran out of the captain's quarters the night before. In the early morning, her eyes were puffy when she asked Sam for something to drink in the galley. He'd watched her as she refused to eat, saying she wasn't hungry.