(RoS) Leaving Greenhill (Part 1) - Ch. 55 (Patreon)

“Care to share them?” Maya asked, ignoring Cyll as he pulled his discarded clothes on.

“Oh, this and that,” Humbol said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He cracked his neck and yawned, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m sure I’ll have a chance to show you soon enough, but I can’t do it until we’ve got some free space and don’t have inquisitive eyes watching us.”

The extravagant man yawned theatrically, covering his mouth with the back of his hand and giving Maya a pointed look.

“I’m rather tired. It’s been a pretty stressful day for me. Getting threatened, revealing my true form, joining a crew…it wears on a man. I’m going to get some sleep, and you’d be wise to do the same. Who knows when that fleet will sail in, and I’d rather be at my best when they arrive.”

With that, Humbol spun on his heel and launched himself into a hammock. Not even a minute later, the man was snoring loudly.

“It’s not even sunset,” Maya muttered, rolling her eyes. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“I’m not sure,” Cyll said, shuffling his shirt around until it was comfortable. He strode up to stand beside Maya and frowned down at Humbol. “But he’s an interesting fellow. Much faster than he originally let on. Either way, he’s right about the sleep. If they show up in the middle of the night, you don’t want to be exhausted. Get some rest. Patty and I will keep watch.”

“If you’re sure,” Maya said slowly. “But first…Patty, can you be absolutely certain this man saw your Master?”

The puppet nodded.

“He’s met him. He knows him too well, and Master doesn’t leave enemies alive,” Patty said with a confident nod.

“How would you know? You never left your dungeon, did you?”

Patty paused. Her head tilted to the side as she thought. Eventually, she gave up and shrugged helplessly.

“I didn’t. But I just…know it. He met Master.”

“I believe you,” Maya said, raising her hands and giving her crewmate a wry smile. “And in that case, I’m going to follow our new crewmember’s example and get some rest. I figure my future self will thank me for it.”

Patty and Cyll bid Maya farewell and their captain ascended above deck to retire to her cabin. The two of them followed after her shortly after. Cyll cast one final suspicious glance back at Humbol before he pulled the trapdoor shut, casting the hold into darkness.

“Keep an eye on our new friend,” Cyll said, leaning against the railing and gazing out at Greenhill. “I’ll do the same. He might be telling the truth this time, but only time will tell.”

“I will. I need to find out if he knows anything else about my Master,” Patty said. “At least I know he’s out there and hasn’t forgotten me.”

“Can’t say I’d hope the same with those from my past,” Cyll said. He chuckled grimly, his eyes growing cold. “It’ll be much easier to kill them if I’m nothing more than a bad memory.”

The two of them lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Time ticked onwards and the sun slipped behind Greenhill, disappearing below the horizon. The moon rose in its place, illuminating Wavedance in dim silver light.

Hours passed before anyone moved. A slight movement upon the docks caught Cyll’s eye. The immortal pirate didn’t budge, but his eyes focused on the source of interest. The dockmaster that Humbol had spoken to the previous day stood in an alley, furtively scanning the area.

A moment later, the portly man made a dash for the Wavedance from the darkness of the city, avoiding the lantern light as best he could. The small man clambered up the gangplank and ducked behind the railing.

His face was red and his breathing came in quick gasps. It was clear the man wasn’t particularly used to exerting himself.

“Can I help you?” Cyll asked.

The man launched upwards like a startled cat, clapping his hands over his mouth to stop the scream from escaping. His wild eyes alighted on Cyll in the shadows of the ship. His face was white, as if he were one slight scare away from fainting.

“Four seas, man! Don’t scare people like that,” the dockmaster hissed, ducking back behind the railing. “I came to tell you that the fleet has almost arrived. The sea gate is going to be raised within the hour. Just wait until the fleet enters and you can follow after it, I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thank you,” Cyll said, scanning the city line for what might have caused the man’s condition. “Is there any reason you look like you saw your own ghost?”

The dockmaster shot him an angry look.

“I’m out after curfew and talking to outsiders to pad my own pockets,” the man hissed. “Why do you think?”

“Is it really that bad?” Cyll asked. “Why don’t you just leave?”

“Leave? You’d have better luck killing yourself,” the dockmaster said angrily. “There’s no escape from Greenhill. Not if you’ve been here long enough. You’ll do well to get out of here and never return.”

The portly man rose back to his feet and hopped over the railing, nearly tripping and falling on the way down, before he managed to stabilize himself and dart back into the shadows of the alleys, cursing all the while.

“That’s a lot of work for a fake gold ring,” Cyll muttered, rising to his feet.

“It’s not for the ring,” Humbol said from behind him.

Cyll swore, spinning and nearly slamming his elbow into Humbol’s head. The bejeweled man danced out of the way and raised an eyebrow at the aggressive reaction.

“You’re lucky I don’t have a weapon,” Cyll growled, relaxing slightly. “Don’t go sneaking up on people in the middle of the night. It gives them the wrong idea.”

“It wasn’t for the ring,” Humbol repeated, ignoring Cyll’s complaints and giving the other man a wry smile. “It’s for what was inside it.”