He gestured to a table nearby where Serena, a kitchen girl who had helped me in my lowest moment with the pirates before, was already setting down bowls of stew for us. She smiled warmly at me and invited me to sit.
I sat, eager for the food, with Tobias next by my side. Mott remained on his feet and only sat when I told him he looked like he wanted a fight. He poked at his stew a little, then saw I had finished mine in only a few bites and passed his bowl over to me. “For once don’t argue with me,” he said. “Just eat.”
I was too hungry to argue. And I was nearly finished with his stew when the pirates began arriving. Mott was on his feet first, but I wasn’t far behind. They gathered in a group slightly lower on the slope than where we stood. I recognized many of them. These were the men who had inflicted wounds upon me once they discovered my true identity. They had also cheered in favor of their former king, Devlin, when I fought him. Off to one side I saw the pirate who had kicked my broken leg while I was fighting Roden — the worst physical pain I had ever endured. I’d always remember him.
Erick joined me at my side and said to the gathered men, “Not all of you were here when King Jaron of Carthya came to the pirates. But you’ve heard the story, no doubt, and know of his strength, his courage —”
“What courage?” someone yelled from the crowd. “He passed himself off as a thief named Sage. We’d have killed him if he’d told us the truth.”
“What better reason to lie?” Erick responded. “Forget whatever you think about this boy, whatever feelings you have about how he became king here. Because whether you like it or not, Jaron is your king. And each of you took an oath that you would follow him. He’s come back now, and he needs our help. I ask you all to listen to him.” He turned to me and more quietly said, “If it turns ugly, I won’t be able to stop them.”
I nodded at him, and then stepped forward. “War has come to my country. I need your help.”
“You ask us to fight against our home country?” another man yelled.
His anger was pure hypocrisy. With equal intensity, I answered, “You steal from your fellow countrymen, terrify their families, and kill anyone who crosses you. Now you want to claim that you are loyal to Avenia? I know as well as you that Tarblade is your one and only home, not Avenia. You are pirates, and I am your king. If I say that you will fight for Carthya, then you will.”
“You don’t have to be the king.” The man who spoke was nearly as wide as he was tall, and appeared carved from solid stone. A matted black beard fell from his chin and every line of his face was creased in dirt. In my current state, he could crush me like a twig. Actually, even at my best, he could probably still do that.
Erick pressed between us. “You’ll have to go through me first.”
“And me,” Mott said, raising his sword. Tobias said nothing, but stood beside them with a hand on his sword.
I pushed past them all. “If you want to challenge me as king, then that’s your right. I will answer the challenge. But not yet. I have a duty to Carthya, and I must see this war through to the end.”
Grumbling could be heard throughout the crowd. I withdrew my sword and felt surprised by the weight of it. Perhaps over the last several days, I had become weaker than I’d realized. Still, I held it high and hoped my arms could keep it steady enough to persuade them that I could fight, if I had to.
“Do you forget who I am?” I asked. “What I did here in this very spot? I am not asking for your help. I’m not here to debate whether you should follow me. I came to give you my orders, calling on your sworn oaths to follow me. It’s the same oath I took to become a pirate, which means I am bound to answer when the pirates are in need. You will collect any men who are out to sea, and you will gather whatever supplies you need for travel. Erick will have my plans and I will see you on the battlefield.”
“We know what Carthya is up against,” a man in the far corner said. “It’s too dangerous.”
I smirked back at him. “If you wanted a safe life, you should’ve become a midwife, or maybe a tailor. Unless pricking your finger on a spindle also rattles your nerves. I cannot guarantee that everyone will survive. But for those who do, I promise you a battle worthy of a true pirate’s blade.”
Silence fell over the group. Gradually a few of them shifted on their feet, and quiet mumblings escaped in whispers and loud breaths. I decided to leave while we were ahead.
“Sleep well tonight. You’ll be traveling soon.” Then I strode away without looking back. I hoped I had said enough to persuade them. The longer they debated, the less inclined they’d be to do as I’d asked.
Erick walked with me long enough to hear the details of my plans for the pirates, but a loud argument was already erupting behind us. “We haven’t seen you in months, and now you come to ask them to die? It’s too much, Jaron.”
“I asked them to fight, with the hope that they’ll live to see victory declared. Nothing more.”
“I’ll do what I can, but you had better make your plans as if we’re not there.”
“I already have a plan, and it relies on them. Get the pirates there, Erick.” My smile turned somber again. “They must keep their promises.”
“Well, even if they don’t, I will keep mine.” Erick reached for my hand and added, “Whatever they choose, you will see me there as you asked.”
I shook his hand, and then turned to leave the camp, flanked by Mott and Tobias. Erick stayed behind to take part in the pirates’ rising argument. I couldn’t pick apart their words, but my orders were clearly not being received as well as I would’ve liked.
We found our horses and left Tarblade by the shortest route possible. Once it was safely behind us, Tobias said to me, “Please tell me we’re leaving Avenia now.”
“We are. We’re going to Falstan Lake, or what’s left of it.” I yawned and checked the darkening skies for some idea of the time. “We’ll have to find a place to sleep tonight. But we should be there sometime tomorrow.”
A beat passed, then Mott said, “Jaron, do you really think the pirates will come?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I really don’t know.”
The next morning, Mott and Tobias allowed me to sleep as long as I wanted, and when I finally awoke, I was surprised by how high the sun had risen.
“I suppose I’m still recovering,” I said as I broke into a long yawn. “I expected to be past all that by now.”
“After only two days?” Tobias arched an eyebrow. “Does it bother you much on those moments when you remember you’re only human?”
“Very much, actually.” I chuckled and looked over to Mott. “How much food does this inn have? I think we might wish to order it all.”
He dipped his head at my request, said he would ask for as much as they would give us, and then left.
An hour later, we were well stocked with good food, and on our way again. It would be some time before the wounds I had suffered in the Avenian camp were healed, and perhaps some would never heal, but life was returning to me, and I was eager to rejoin my armies.
After another half day’s ride, we crossed into Carthya. It was a tremendous relief to be on my own soil again, assuming Avenia hadn’t yet stolen it from me, of course. Once we were there, we took the opportunity to get some rest. Tobias and I left our horses in Mott’s care, then wandered up a hill to see if we could spot the bluff overlooking Falstan Lake. My eyes went first to the horizon in search of my camp, but we were still too far away.