Edit: The Chapter after this one, should the one titled ;Guests, I made a mistake when uploading unfortunately. Forgive me.

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Chapter 367

Caspian

The silence is disturbed when a group of drunkards stumble through the door.

They’re loud. Obnoxious. Reeking of rum and stupidity. They don’t notice the frozen tavern. Don’t notice the terrified faces. Don’t notice him.

One of them slams his tankard on the bar. "Barkeep! Another round!"

I don’t have time to process what happens next.

Gunshots. Four of them. Quick. Precise.

The drunkards drop. Dead. Each with a bullet hole clean through their foreheads.

I stare at the bodies. The men around me stare at the bodies.

Their killer hasn’t moved from his chair. His gun is already back in its holster. His feet are still on the stool. His face is still hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

"Clean this up," he says.

A couple of men rush forward. They drag the bodies out. Others appear with rags and buckets, scrubbing the blood from the wooden floor. They move efficiently. Quietly. Like they’ve done this before.

The Devil of the Seas watches. He doesn’t offer praise. Doesn’t acknowledge their work. Just waits.

When the floor is clean, he stands.

He tucks the map into his inner jacket. The purple parrot shifts on his shoulder.

"Okay." His voice carries through the silent room. "Now, who wants to make a deal with a devil?"

A man steps forward.

He’s trembling. His clothes are rags. His face is gaunt. He pulls out a small knife and, without hesitation, cuts off his own pinky finger.

I watch in horror as he walks toward the Devil, holding the bloody digit in his palm.

"Please." Tears stream down the man’s face.

"I’m in debt. My wife is sick. My children are starving. I’ve waited two months."

The Devil tilts his head. I can’t see his expression, but I feel his attention shift.

"You don’t look like a pirate."

"I’m from the kingdom of Asteria." The man’s voice breaks. "I’m a farmer. Was a farmer. Before the high taxes. I can’t afford to feed my workers. I can’t afford medicine for my wife. I can’t—"

"You don’t have to explain." The Devil cuts him off. "Are you sure about this? I don’t take money as a form of repayment."

The man holds out his severed pinky. His hands are shaking.

"I’m sure. Please."

The Devil looks at the finger. Then at the man.

"What was your job?"

"Farmer. I was a farmer." The man wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

"I had land. Workers. A future. Now I have nothing but debt and dying children."

I clench my fists.

I knew it was bad in the kingdom. The reports. The letters. The desperate pleas from villages I never visited. But watching a citizen of my own kingdom cut off his own finger for the chance to make a deal with a pirate—

It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I vow to kill the monster. I vow to restore prosperity to Asteria. I vow that no citizen of my kingdom will ever have to do something like this again.

The Devil takes the finger. He doesn’t look at it. Just drops it into a pouch on his belt.

"Come with me," he says.

He walks toward the door. The man rushes after him.

No one moves.

Even after the Devil is long gone, the tavern remains frozen. The patrons don’t breathe. Don’t speak. Don’t even blink.

It’s only when the purple parrot flies out the door—a flash of bright feathers against the dark—that the room seems to exhale.

Men slump in their chairs. The barkeep wipes his forehead with a trembling hand. Someone mutters a prayer.

I sit across from the scarred old man, my heart still pounding.

I place a gold coin on the table between us.

"Who was that?"

*

Back on the ship, the arguments begin.

"No!" Marina’s voice carries across the deck. Her hands are on her hips, her stance wide, her eyes blazing. "Absolutely not."

"Your Highness." Smith steps forward, his weathered face tight with concern. "As much as I detest agreeing with her, this is a bad idea."

"I didn’t ask for your opinion."

"You’re going to get it anyway." Smith crosses his arms. "That man is dangerous. The most dangerous man on these seas."

"I’m not afraid."

"Then you’re a fool."

I turn away. Nancy is in the corner, bent over her maps, saying nothing. She never says much.

Marina blocks my path.

"Pa is the pirate king," she says, her chest heaving. "And he is afraid of this man. My pa."

I try not to look at her. Marina dresses provocatively—nothing like the noble ladies I’m accustomed to. Loose shirts that fall open. Trousers that fit too tight.

It’s distracting.

"I wasn’t asking for any of your opinions," I say.

"Your Highness, I beg of you." Smith’s voice cracks. He’s an old man, past fifty, my brother’s tutor and mine. He taught me history, swordsmanship, how to tie a proper cravat. I have no idea why he decided to join this journey. He should be retired, sitting by a fire, telling stories to children.

"Enough!" I shout.

The deck falls silent. Even the wind seems to hold its breath.

"I am the leader. The captain." I meet each of their eyes in turn. "I am saying I will meet this Devil."

Smith opens his mouth. I cut him off before he can speak.

"You know what I saw?" My voice rises, cracking with barely contained fury.

"I saw a citizen of Asteria cut off his own finger! A farmer. A man who worked the land, who fed his family, who contributed to our kingdom—and he cut off his own finger because he was desperate enough to make a deal with a pirate."

I pause, letting the words sink in.

"And you want me, as the prince, to have less courage than my own subject?"

No one speaks. Marina’s arms are still crossed, but her jaw has loosened. Smith’s weathered face is unreadable. Nancy traces a line on her map, saying nothing.

The silence stretches.

"Fine." Marina uncrosses her arms. She steps forward, her boots heavy on the deck.

"But I’m coming with you. Lest you get yourself killed before we even find the monster."

I open my mouth to refuse.

"As will I." Smith steps forward too. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword.