"Dars," Mariana whispered.
"Mh. That's right."
A whiff of lavender lingered in the air.
He was still polite, very charming, but the knowledge of his true nature caused the privateer to guard her thoughts and emotions around him.
She got up and backed away from the handsome ghost.
"I don't know what you have against me, but I will not let you interrupt my mission," she said. "Let us strike a deal."
"You have been in contact with my brother."
"He called you his adoptive brother. I don't think you are like a real sibling to him," Mariana shot at him before she could stop her mouth from forming the insult.
"Do I look like I care?" The ghost cackled, finally sounding as evil as he truly was. "I won't let anyone be happy - I was not awarded that luxury…"
"So, you don't want me to have him."
"You are correct."
The ghost knew that the deal had been made in such a way that she would eventually get a hold of him. She wondered about the ways ghosts and spirits extracted information about the world of the living. It was possible that they had spies, people and animals doing their bidding.
"You don't want me to be happy, but you don't have to kill me to achieve that."
"Tell me more, skipper," the ghost cooed.
"You can just force me to…to kill him and all the deals I have made, both demonic and divine, will be fulfilled." She swallowed the nasty lump that kept on forming inside her throat again and again. "I don't want to be like you."
"That means you don't want to be dead. Or undead. Right?"
"Right," Mariana said with a nod. "I can…I can…"
She could kill him, yes. That had been her original intention. Why had she even thought that she would be capable of living as Daniel's partner again? It was an insult towards her own nature. The Mother would understand; she could have glory, she could have a man who loved her the way she wanted to be loved. She could live this life as a free woman, and then succumb to damnation, whether it was falling into the arms of her dead love or just pure nonexistence. Yes, Dars was doing her a favor by trying to sink her ship with his magical means.
"I hope you know that you won't be able to back away from this deal anymore," Dars said. "I'm serious. You need to kill him within the next seven years or I'll come for you. And you won't like it."
"Why seven years?"
"I just like that number."
That sounded like a lie, but Mariana had to force herself to swallow it.
"Well, I must be going." The ghost sighed. "Will you be kind enough to light a candle for me, dear? I have a ship to repair. To…well, unsink, if we are going to be poetical about it."
Captain Mariana let Dars go away.
It had been so puzzling to make so many supernatural deals and contracts within such a short period of time. She decided that she'd stay up for long enough to see that Dars was not backing away from what they agreed, and then she would go to sleep and avoid all critical thinking about her actions to ensure sweet dreams.
The cat stayed with her. Perhaps it was a blessing, but the sound of a maybe-demonic feline licking its fur in the darkness was unsettling enough to mess up Mariana's dreams despite her best efforts.
The following morning was bright and clear, even alarmingly clear considering the season. They had a western route to catch up on. The Passage was away from here, so far along these oceanic currents that they really needed all of their supplies in order to reach the islands before Daniel would be gone.
It was likely that he was getting some supplies of his own from those shores, with the voyage to Aja Vana being a bit of a long one in the unfavorable winds of the rainy season. It was far from ideal, of course, but even pirates needed the ports of the north and there were few alternatives available if one had strayed too far from the intended route and spent too much food and water on a starving crew.
Then there was the matter of Daniel being quite speedy; normally, it would have taken him far longer to reach the Passage, but with the help of Karshaan weather mages, it was within the realm of possibilities that he had been quick enough.
Did he know that she was on his tail?
Mariana planned every detail of the vicious manhunt in advance. She had her charts, her astronomy equipment, things she could use to calculate everything while still allowing some room for random events that would throw her off a bit. Those things always happened, whether one planned for them or not.
What she had not planned was the guilt and the tears. She did not sleep well anymore.
She envisioned herself driving a sword through his heart, and this was too much. She collapsed, she wept. No one knew just how much this facade of strength and resolve weakened her, but every morning she got up as a hollow version of her former self. This decision she had made in haste had taken its toll, and she had not even done anything about it yet.
Her men were not stupid, not all of them, at least, and Wolfe, the keen-eyed first mate, had clearly noticed something. He didn't say anything openly suspicious, but she was often in a situation where she had to be active about avoiding him and the eventual serious conversation.
He caught her off guard during one particular dinner.
"We need to talk," Wolfe said.
The softness in his voice was way worse than any harshness, although he was most certainly capable of being stern. Whatever words he had in store for her, she was not too eager to hear anything or to have to answer to any questions he was about to ask.