Em smirked as the fruits splashed the stern waters of the catamaran. “My bananas!” Macha said, hands over his messy curly hair.

“Go pick them up but eat them away from my ship!”. Stormy clouds formed in the sky, a weather more fit for the Island of Rain than the sunny hours they enjoyed during the early morning. Em lighted his pipe and checked the end of the pier. Charles was tiptoeing through the crowd, sweating profusely. He was a fat man and, after years of managing business instead of carrying sacks, out of shape.

“You are a late, fatty bastard!” Em shouted when Charles reached the platform. ”All these years and you still cannot be punctual a single time!”

“Per-... Permission to board!” said the Ujan merchant, completely out of breath.

“For the love of the Mighty! Don’t be silly and come in! Sorry for coming without pigeon notice. It was a last minute deci-”

“Em. Em!” Charles said, grabbing the Captain’s arm softly. “The Kraken! The Kraken is in Ujan!”

An invisible hand squeezed his heart. A second of disbelief followed a moment of confusion, but his old training kicked in promptly. “Inside, now!”

“My… my men had seen them, different locations,” Charles said between gasps. “They are showing the red ink openly but making no trouble at all.”

“Lim! Lim!” Em said. “The kraken is here!” From the galley, no answer came back. An expected reaction.

Charles took a deep breath. “This morning, after one of my deck men told me you arrived, one of my city informants saw a group of them in the temple. And another around the upper hill. They must have rowed last night to the outskirts shores and walked into the city. If a kraken ship was to anchor at my docks, I’d have known!”

Em knew well how the Brotherhood operated. Charles was right in the way, but not in the time. They had been in his city for days, even weeks. The Kraken would sneak men using the dark of the night, far from city patrols, and enter the premises in small groups. Then, hiding in safe houses, they’d wait until their numbers were big enough to obliterate any defensive forces if the situation required it.

“Why are they uncovering their presence, Em? It makes no sense!”

“It’s a trick. Like when you hunt beasts in the jungle. Those groups want to scare the prey out of the city. When the prey sets sail, there’s a fastest ship waiting out in the blue. No houses or taverns to hide, no one to stop them from doing whatever they want.”

“Oh, the Gods!” exclaimed Charles. “You stay in my docks. Here they won’t dare to enter! We are not sure they are looking for you, but still-”

“They are. I’m sure.” said Lim, dragging her chair into the bridge. “What else would bring them to this far and unwelcome place? The Kraken doesn’t care about the Sou’Est manhunts, and there is no other remaining reward from the North good enough to make them take such a risk.”

Em found Lim’s words strange in tone. A certainty that made his insides churn. Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind as lighting: the image of Lim on the ground during the storm. Macha’s stunned face.

“Oh no. Lim... The kid knows, doesn’t he?” She did not answer. Her face was as unreadable as marble but her eyes were an open book. “He knew while at the tavern and talked to the Society man. You should have told me!”

“It was a mistake, and theSociety of Gentlemen despises the Kraken.”

“They are politicians! Same as the High Admirals. And in politics, enemies talk to each other all the time.”

Lim looked away. “I’m sorry, dear. My calculations have been imprecise lately.”

“It doesn’t matter now. I need to fetch Ivy and get the Hells out of here.” He rushed to grab his pistol’s holster and tested the weapon’s mechanisms. Then he loaded five bullets, leaving the chamber facing the hammer empty. Luckily, with the rain coming, no one would find his big sailor’s raincoat suspicious. He buttoned it up and checked the right pocket, a simple hole in which he could reach easily for the revolver.

“It’s hot outside for such a coat, Em,”

“Charles, please.” Em said, getting a blush from his friend. “Listen. Either they are looking for Lim or not. I need you to bring her to one of your ships. No one can see her, understand? She is easily recognizable and anyone with information who doesn’t work for you can be bribed.”

Charles nodded, and Em rushed to the hatch door. “Dear!” Lim said. “It’s not his fault. I told him not to say anything.”

“And that worked pretty well,” whispered the captain, striding down the board. As soon as he passed by Macha’s side, who was leaning on the pier trying to reach for his fruits with a stick, heavy rainfall fell over them. Em welcomed the rain, but not its intensity. He could barely see a few feet away. Even with their tattoo hidden, he could smell a kraken brother from a mile away, no matter what corner of the world they came from. But now, with a curtain of water that was perfect to go unnoticed, he’d not see well if any of them were lurking around.

By the end of the docks, the rain loosened, and he noticed the disturbance that the arrival of the mercenaries had caused. Charles’s men, who always wore a blue ribbon tied somewhere on their bodies, were visibly nervous, looking at every corner and stopping unknown faces to check for red ink. It was a waste of time and Em knew it well, since whoever they had infiltrated the docks wasn’t a branded member. Even so, the determination of the Blue Freedom fighters would make the real ones not dare to enter, not without causing an open fight and therefore, a great bureaucratic problem for their superiors in the Nor’Wes.

A Freedom fighter with a familiar face received him with the secret signal of welcome. The old captain scratched his nose in return, and two other Blues close by, people that he never met, saluted him as well, rubbing their knuckles in sign of ‘everything is under control’.

“I’m too recognizable.” Em whispered to himself, striding to the street of wonders. He wished to run, but that would raise suspicions and could slow him down.

“Ivy must have gone to the ‘Mimi’ and maybe the ‘Wheels’,” he mumbled. “Nay. Not the ‘Wheels’... Uncle Poy annoys Ivy deeply, uhm.”

“Mister Em! Mister Em!” The strident voice of Poy-lung reminded him why the merchant of the worst prosthetics in the Ring was so unlikeable. “I knew it was you! Lai, lai! How long? Come to my shop! I will go to the docks for a while and later we can have tea!”

“It’s nice to see you, uncle Poy, but I’m in a bit of a rush. I’m looking for my niece. Maybe you have seen her? She has grown up but still-”

“My nephew has seen her! Going to the market.” Em took a step away, but Poy was a man who would never stop talking even if he was punched in the face. “Oh, he was so happy. My nephew, I mean. He is passionate about prosthetics, and he’s been asking for you for weeks, you know? He wants to see the wonders of Bandanii.”

Em stepped away but Poy followed with mouse steps, grabbing him gently from the shirt and taping his chest, a terrible habit that everyone hated. “That’s great, I really need to go,”

“I understand. Come to my shop later, yes? Lai, lai! My nephew will be really pleased, he may even bring his friends. When he saw your crew girl, he went to tell them immediately.”

“He did?” Em said, letting Poy get as close as he desired. “Who are these friends?”

“New kids in town. I don’t really like them, but you know, youngsters. They are always naughty, Am I right?”

“Aye, you are. Listen, when you’re done with your business, meet me at ‘The old Pony man’. We can have a drink and go to your shop afterwards, yes?”

Poy grew in contempt. Being seen around with someone like Em would raise his sales incredibly well. “Of course, of course, I will be there!”

Em was, of course, not going to a tavern. But he stopped at Poy’s shop. It was a red painted building in the middle of the street, with plenty of unuseful junk at the entrance. The nephew was at the end of the shop, behind a desk. He was a tall and slender kid, not much older than Macha.

“Do you know who I am?”

“No,” lied the young man. Tensed, his face showed a fear the old captain didn’t miss.

“Cut the Parni-port, kid. I have no time for games. Your friends. I need to know what they look like and where they went. They followed my crew, correct?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” lied again Poy’s nephew.

Em grouted and looked around, hoping that, as it was normal in that store den, no one would enter to buy a thing. Then he grabbed the kid’s hair and pushed down with ease. The boy let out a little moan as his head hit the counter. “If you scream, I will kill you. Understand?” Em whispered, pressing with his hand on the boy’s skull. The answer came like a sob.

“Now, your… friends. What do they look like?”

“Sir, I really don’t know-”

Em squeezed again, and the kid groaned. “I’m told you wanted to see my arms. Well, here they are. My left can snap a sword with a twist. My right is a bit rusty but it can still crush easily that empty coconut you call head. The squids got all they wanted from you and won’t come back. So, speak freely before I make a mess.”

“Two young fellas from Tana. Tall and skinny. And a Northener, short and bearded. They are not my friends, I swear they are-”

“I know they are not. Where did they go? Followed my girl to where? The market?”

“Yes, yes… the market.”

Em left the kid over a puddle of his own urine and hurried to the end of the street, where hundreds of stalls filled the biggest square of the city. It didn’t take him long to notice amongst the normal comings and goings of such a place a bit of commotion in a corner. People gossiping in groups, too many soldiers together and signs of struggle. Soon, his eyes found Ivy’s straw hat smashed between stalls.

“Excuse me sir, would you mind telling me what happened here?” he asked to a stall keeper who seemed to be talking about the matter with other citizens.

The man answered in whispers, as if frightened to be heard. “There was a fight. They say they are mercenaries from the far north, although most seem to be from the Ring. The soldiers detained a few, but most fled.”

“Was there a girl? Long black hair, light brown skin.”

“Oh yes, yes.” said a woman from the side. “That scum tried to go too far, and she stood up at them! I saw everything! She stood up to them and even knocked some of them down. Then, well, they hit her. And then the soldiers came and took her away, along with the perverts.”

“Thank you.” Em said, with a lump in the throat.

“Why did they take her?” Continued the woman, talking to the merchant when she realized Em was leaving the conversation. “These Parni soldiers are incompetent, I tell you! Why did they take her? She was an innocent victim!”

There was only one place to go now. If the city guards did as they used to do years back, they’d have taken her to the old governor’s house. A thick stone-walled building that now served as a temporary jail for drunks and brawlers. Em breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still worried. If Ivy was being held by the Parni authorities, that meant she was free from the grasp of the squid tentacles. Hopefully, if everything went as usual, the soldiers would let her go, in exchange for a sum of gold that was normally not very high.

He reached the stone bridge and turned north, galloping through the canal side. “Hey you! No running!” said a soldier sitting on a guard post. Em slowed down, raising a hand as an apology. “Why the rush?” asked the soldier.

“I have a drunken mate to release.”

“Then no need to run. He’s not going anywhere, init?”

The square of Eng Hess was a small opening of cobblestone and stone walls facing the water canal, with an old dry well in the center surrounded by a line of street food stalls that only operated in the evenings. Only two streets broke the monotony of the adjoining buildings, the south street, which led to the old quarters of the city, and a small alley that separated the old governor’s house from the rest.

Em didn’t study the place well for pleasure. He was only interested in escape routes and suitable places for an ambush. From among the few people around, He was quick to spot a group of eight who, while showing no clues, were easily recognizable. They were hanging in a corner, under the cover of one of the old stalls. None Nor’Westeners, but all squids. Only one, an old fella dressed in flamboyant clothes, more similar to the buccaneer’s outfits of old tales than the real ones, seemed to pay attention to him. Em pulled down his coat’s hood and headed to the jail. It was strangely closed, and he knocked repeatedly.

“What ye wan?” said a voice from a small window that opened in the middle of the humongous wooden door.

“I came to pay for one of my crew’s release.”

A hand came out of the window and pointed its finger downwards. “Three gold. Leave them there.”

As Em did, another small window at the base of the door opened and the same hand took the coins with clumsy fingers. “Name of yer mate and name of yer ship.”

“Ivy. sailing with the Ballerina.”

With a loud bang, the windows slammed shut. “Sorry fella, but that one’s not goin’ anywhere.”

“Ye leh! that one’s not for sale!” said another voice between chuckles.

“Why?” shouted Em. “Why?”

“Orders are orders. If you’re the captain of dat’ship, report to the High Command office tomorrow. That’s all I can say.”

Em glanced at the door. Reinforced. maybe he could break it but not without damaging his prosthesis. He also didn’t have enough bullets for the soldiers who were surely hiding inside. Then there were the mercenaries at the square’s edge.

With a snarl, he headed for the alley, knowing that harping the soldier about Ivy or the coins he had stolen was futile. He remembered the place. The narrow, dark street had no doors, just barred windows leading to the cells. They were openings so small that no one but a toddler could squeeze through them. Even so, if Ivy was behind any of them, she’d hear him.

He whispered her name, and sounds of climbing followed. A recognizable hand appeared between the bars. He didn’t need to jump, just by standing on tiptoe his fingers were able to reach the opening. Ivy tapped his hand with repeating hits that formed words. “I’m fine, uncle. Just a bit shaken. I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to go back, but they didn’t let me.”

“I know. Those people-”

“Hoy, ye! Whatcha doin’ there?” Three of the kraken brothers entered the alley, two stepping closer while one kept his distance, ready to ask for help if needed.

“Is that them?” poked Ivy over his hand.

“Aye. Seems I’ll have my share of fun as well.”

“Is’dat the girl? Ye the cap’n of the Ballerina?”

“Is there a bald man? A squid with a beard and many tattoos,” asked Ivy with rapid movements. Em looks askance at the approaching threat, to see just hairy youngsters, filled with self pride and lacking judgment.

“Nay. No baldies. Listen, pumpkin…” Em said, turning away from the window and rolling his shoulder, a mechanism that used to give him troubles too often. “Do not worry, you hear me? Tomorrow I’ll get you out of here.”

The two kraken stood in front of him, close enough he could smell the beer of their breaths. He couldn’t believe how stupidly inexperienced they were. The two smiled and one poked his chest. “Wanna come on good terms or bad?”

Em stared at the one far away. He had to act fast. “Kid, you squids still use the whistle?”

The brother at the alley’s end raised his eyebrows and smirked, amused by such a question. “We do. Not gonna use if ye come peacefully, swavy?”

The man on the right raised his finger to poke him again. Em turned his head to the side and looked over the mercenary’s head for an instant. “Birdie, birdie,”

“Wha-” The punch cut off from the right. The left hit him right after, twisting his head in the other direction, followed by another hook from the right. With a flash, Em checked at the kid further away, his hand already grabbing something in his pocket. Good, he thought, whistle, not screams. His elbow was already up, crossing through the air and snapping the jaw of the man at his left. “What was that flying thing? A tooth or a piece of your tongue?” said Em, holding him tightly from the shirt.

The kid did not whistle. His hand did not reach the lips, but raised slowly at the sight of a barrel he didn’t see drawn.

The man on the right fell over his knees, eyes in white. The one on the left was still standing, only thanks to the captain’s powerful grip. “You are a smart kid. See, if you’d blown that whistle, I’d blown your face. You saw that coming, good job. Now, don’t get me wrong, nothing would please me more than seeing your eyes rolling over the square, but you know how annoying parni soldiers are, and a shooting would bring them all.”

Em released his unconscious prey, and he felt loudly like his companion did seconds ago. “So, how about you let me pass and forget about all this with the night ales? That’s better than feeding the worms. Am I right?” The kraken brother stepped to the side slowly, hands still up, until his back touched the wall.

“Tomorrow, Ivy!” Em moved slowly, his revolver aiming at the target relentlessly. When he reached the kraken brother, he stopped. “Toss me the wissy. And go help your friends,” the squid moved hesitatingly and mumbled, “Ye a dead man walkin’.”

“We are all dead men walking, kid.”

At the square, the other kraken brothers didn’t need a sign to realize something was wrong. The remaining five prepared to engage him. Nail-biting and spurred, their hands were reaching for hidden blades. When Em passed the well, the flamboyant elder stopped them all. His arms pulling back his impatient companions and his eyes, wide open, staring at him. Em realized too late his hood felt with the struggle and rushed to put it on again. Looking through the edge of the fabric, he met the gaze of the old buccaneer, following him at each step.

He was an old fella, old enough, he thought, while checking his rear. With the bridge at sight, he took another look. No one followed and that meant only one thing: He recognized him. And that was another problem hanging over them. A problem much more dreadful than the rest.