Alexis Glaciermage's Arc

Chapter 2 of 13

The Roaring Dragon made port at Crescent Harbor three days later. Alexis watched the crew spill onto the docks, their voices loud and loose after weeks at sea. Captain Rikki stood near the gangplank, scanning the town with that same measuring look he gave every sky. Quartermaster Raihan leaned against the rail beside her, grinning. "Twenty gold says the captain can't win a woman's heart before we sail," he said, loud enough for half the crew to hear. He pulled a heavy burlap sack from his belt and set it on the shiplap planks with a thunk. Coins shifted inside. Rikki turned, eyebrow raised, and Raihan's grin widened. "You're all business, Captain. No charm." Rikki said nothing. He walked down the gangplank and disappeared into the market. Alexis stayed at her post, tracking the sky and ignoring the crew's laughter. By evening, Rikki returned with a dark-haired woman at his side, her hand resting easy on his arm. She wore a trader's vest and spoke to him like they'd known each other years. Raihan's face went flat. The next morning, Raihan set a second sack of coins on the dock where the whole crew could see. Rikki picked it up without a word and handed it to Alexis. "Supplies," he said. "Your call what we need." She took the weight of it and met his eyes. He'd won the bet, but he'd given her the prize—and with it, another piece of trust the crew would have to reckon with. She nodded once and turned toward the market, the coins heavy in her hands.