Brethren by Hoffman W. A

Author:Hoffman, W. A. [Hoffman, W. A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-01-07T10:45:39+00:00

Seventeen

Wherein The Die Is Cast

We arrived in Port Royal on my twenty-seventh birthday. I made mention of this, and all were amused that I had been given so fine a gift as to return home safely. Gaston regarded me thoughtfully. I supposed I should not complain; I was still amongst better companions than I ever had been on a birthday, and I had much to be thankful for. Yet I was miserable.

On a whim, I asked Gaston, “What day were you born?”

“March fifth, Gregorian.”

I chuckled despite my mood. “I suppose that is more accurate. I have always counted it by the day, no matter which calendar I was living under the aegis of.”

“This year it was right before you arrived,” he said quietly. Then he would not look at me.

We asked about, and no one had seen or heard from the North Wind.

This sat heavy in our hearts, but we knew we could not give up hope as of yet. Thankfully, Hastings had brought the flute, our first prize of the voyage, into port; and it had been sold at auction. Striker decided to look for him later. Word of our adventure spread throughout the buccaneers in the Hole, and we were soon besieged with well-wishers and the curious. Striker promised to give a full accounting at the Three Tunns that night, and that relieved us of many of them. Gaston’s glare relieved us of the rest.

We sold the tobacco and parceled out the shares of it. Our cabal kept one of the flyboats, while others of our men kept the second. We 330

W.A. Hoffman

Raised By Wolves - Brethren

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parted company with the men for the time being, and our little band staggered down the street to Theodore’s. We could not think of another place to go; and with news of our story spreading through town, I thought it best to see him in person as soon as possible.

Peering through the window showed Theodore with clients we did not recognize, so we slipped into the yard and availed ourselves of the cistern and wash tub. Samuel appeared pleased with our arrival, and provided us with lemonade and a lemony cheesecake, which made him Pete’s friend. This seemed to alarm the poor man greatly.

Belfry, Dickey, and Tom blundered into the midst of us shortly thereafter, and Dickey squealed quite absurdly. Belfry and Davey stared at each other in surprise, and I stupidly wondered what that was about for a moment. Then, of course, I remembered – and immediately wondered how we would ever manage this mess.

“Boys, how good to see you,” I blurted. “How is that you are here?”

“We live here,” Tom supplied. “How are you? How was roving?”

“All three of you?” I asked, and they nodded. This elicited quiet groans from Striker and Pete, as we had hoped to sleep there for the night.

“Roving was… quite adventurous. You will have to accompany us to the Three Tunns tonight to hear the whole tale. We took a galleon from the Flota, and

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