Gareth Gold-tooth's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Down on the sand, Gareth's blade rang against the thief's steel. The duel drew every eye on the ridge. That was exactly what the twins wanted. Delvin Renderick pulled his brother behind a stack of nets and watched the captain fight. Delvin was the thinking one, slim, spectacles fogged with sea air, always three steps ahead. Wystan crouched beside him, wide as a barrel, breathing like a bull. These were the two crew members who had helped hide the stolen gold. Both knew where Gareth buried his treasure maps. If Gareth caught them, he would gut them the way he was gutting the thief now. "The captain's busy," Delvin whispered. "Move. Now." They slipped up the slope while Gareth's back was turned. Lamplight spilled from a small fish shop tucked among the trees. Delvin shoved the door open. Inside, an old woman stood at her counter, gutting a mackerel with a worn knife. Faye Puddle did not look up. "We need to hide," Delvin said. He dropped three gold coins on the wet wood. "Just for the night. There's more when we sail." Faye set down her knife. She looked at the coins, then at the two men dripping on her floor. Her sun-cracked hands did not shake. "I don't like trouble in my shop," she said. "You'll like this gold," Wystan growled. He stepped close, filling the doorway. Faye held his stare a long moment. Then she swept the coins into her apron. "Back room. Behind the barrels. Don't touch my fish." The twins ducked through a low curtain and went still. Faye picked up her knife and returned to the mackerel. Fists pounded the door. Gareth pushed inside, sabre still wet, pistol on his belt. His gold tooth flashed as he breathed hard. "Two men. One tall with glasses. One built like a wall. They came this way." Faye did not stop cutting. "I've seen no such men, Captain." Gareth stepped closer. His eyes moved over the shop, the counter, the curtain. "You're sure." "I know my own doorway." She flipped a fresh fillet onto the counter. "Try the Salty Wench. Strangers drink there. Or buy some fish while you're standing in my shop. Fresh cod, good price, just for you." Gareth stared at her. Behind the barrels, Wystan's breath caught. Faye pressed her knife harder into the board, loud enough to cover it. Gareth held her gaze, then looked away. "The Wench," he muttered. He tossed a coin on the counter, grabbed a fillet, and turned for the door. "If you lied, old woman, I'll come back." "I'd expect nothing less." The door banged shut. Gareth strode down the ridge toward the inn, chasing men who were not there. The twins were safe. His maps stayed one night further from his hands, and the thieves who knew where they lay slept warm behind a fishwife's barrels.