“The girl couldn’t have gotten there to steal it, but Fink slept nearby.” Agor looked at the two of them. “One of you had better confess, and save your companion from your punishment.”
Fink and Imogen looked at each other, eyes wide with horror. But it was Imogen who spoke. “I took the watch. Fink didn’t even know I had it.”
“Move the boy aside,” Devlin said. “We have some business with the girl.” He walked closer to her, and she seemed to shrink in his shadow. “According to pirate code, we never touch the girls in our service. But if one of them conducts a crime against us, her punishment is no less severe. Bring me a whip!”
Gregor stepped forward. “Let me take her instead. We can use her as insurance against Jaron fighting back. He will hand over all of Carthya to protect her. I can guarantee that.”
A whip was passed to Devlin. He ran his hands along the cable and said, “Our punishment first. Then you may have her for whatever purpose you desire. First and foremost, my pirates must be taught that we do not steal from one another! Turn the girl around.”
“She didn’t steal that watch.” All eyes went to me as I stepped into the courtyard, slightly out of breath from hurrying so fast. “I did.”
In any other circumstance, there would have been a certain amount of comedy associated with my entrance. Although the rest of the pirates only saw Sage walking forward, Gregor actually stumbled back in shock. It’s too bad he didn’t trip and injure himself.
My sword was in my hand, and I held it ready as I looked at Devlin. “Did you hear me? That pocket watch was my crime. For that matter, so was their running away. I made them leave last night. If you raise that whip against her, I promise to strike you down before it has a second to fly.”
Devlin grinned. “You took the pocket watch because you’re a thief, but I thought we had agreed you’re no swordsman, Sage.”
By now, Gregor had recovered. “Sage? Devlin, forgive my accusation, but you are a fool. Don’t you know who this is?”
Devlin didn’t appear to forgive the accusation. With a sneer on his face, he folded his arms and said, “Enlighten me.”
Gregor looked at me and frowned. “He can perform the Avenian accent as well as his own Carthyan tongue. And although he has the reputation for being able to steal the white off of snow if he chooses to, this boy is far from being a mere thief. Devlin, you are facing the boy who has haunted the pirates for the past four years. This is Jaron, the lost prince of Carthya.”
Again, the comedic value of this moment could not be denied, except that no one, not even I, was laughing. But Devlin nearly dropped the whip and his mouth hung open in total disbelief. Because of the sword in my hand, nobody advanced on me yet, nor would they until Devlin ordered them to.
Near the front of the crowd of pirates, Erick was shaking his head. I truly regretted having misled him into bringing me here, largely because he was in great danger now. Next to him, a red-faced Agor appeared to already be plotting his death.
Or I could be wrong. It was more likely that Agor was thinking about my death, at least as his first priority. Erick would be next.
“Is this true?” Devlin asked me. “You’re Prince Jaron?”
“King Jaron, actually. News must travel slower amongst the illiterate.” I glared at Gregor with every inch of disdain I felt. “Shouldn’t you be groveling to me or bowing or something?”
Gregor smiled. “I think before I have the chance, you will already be dead.”
“Ah. So much for all your toasts to my long life.”
“Take comfort in knowing you’ll join the rest of your family soon.” Then Gregor furrowed his dark brows. “If you’re here, who’s back at the castle?”
I cocked my head. “Tell me your secrets and I’ll tell you mine.” My attention returned to Devlin. “Anything that happens now is between you and me. Fink and Imogen are distractions. Release them.”
“And then what?” Devlin asked.
“Then the pirates surrender to me and I leave in peace.” I tilted my head toward Gregor. “In exchange, you can have him.”
“But that would deny me the greatest unfinished job the pirates have had in our history,” Devlin said. “Some of us have never gotten over the disappointment of failing to kill you.”
“There are several people who share your same disappointment,” I said. “Frankly, I don’t think it’s fair that you get to kill me when there were others who wanted to do it first.”
Devlin barked out a bitter laugh. “Lock the kid in that room above the beach. We don’t need him here. And take Gregor to the jail.”
“What?” Gregor snarled and began to withdraw his sword, but four pirates were beside him before he had the chance.
“Until this moment, all we had was the chance to kill Jaron.” Devlin’s tone was equally nasty. “But now we have him, and the steward of Carthya too.” He nodded at some of his men. “Take them away.”
Pirates grabbed Fink and yanked him to his feet. Several more surrounded Gregor, disarmed him, and led them both away. Gregor’s strange combination of threats and pleas for mercy could be heard for some distance. It wasn’t his finest moment.
Next, Devlin cocked his head at Imogen. “We have no need of Gregor to get what we want from Carthya. Because we have her.”
I moved closer to Imogen, blocking her body with mine. “Lock her in the room with Fink. Anything you want from her you can get from me.”
Devlin smiled at me. “Actually, I think the opposite is true. Anything I want from you, I can get by using her.” He raised a hand to his men. “You know what to do.”
Like bees to a hive, pirates swarmed me. I struck where I could, and gave out a fair share of wounds, but I took a few too. Even Erick was working with them, but although I had the chance to give him a hit, I turned elsewhere. It didn’t matter where I fought, because there were pirates advancing from every direction, and the fight was over far too quickly. They got my sword, which someone used to club me in the back and send me to the ground. Once I was down, they pulled my arms behind me and tied them, then dropped both Imogen and me at Devlin’s feet.
I pressed the side of my body against hers in a lame attempt to offer some comfort. But she knew how few options remained. There was little comfort for that.
“Valiant effort, young king, but you must have known you never had a chance against us. So you came here promising to reveal the location of the Carthyan treasury, and you will. Frankly, I was skeptical of that promise at first, but I should have been more trusting. Obviously, you know exactly where it is. Show me.”
Agor already had the map of Carthya spread on the ground beside me. Then he arched an eyebrow, waiting to see what I’d do.
I ignored the map and said nothing. Devlin was clearly enjoying hearing himself speak, so I didn’t think he really expected me to add to the conversation. Especially because I wasn’t inclined to do anything he wanted.
Devlin began pacing a line in front of us and spoke for all his pirates to hear, “I knew that someday we’d play a role in the downfall of Carthya, but I had thought it would unfold under orders from the king of Avenia. That changes now. By the end of this day there will be no Jaron. I will be king of Carthya.”