Now, though, was the time to launch a fake attack. If they could even catch Daniel, that was…because the ship of the pirate king had the benefit of Karshaan weather witchcraft.
Such things were not easy, or cheap. It was mostly a thing in the northwestern edges of the known world; the knowledge was pretty strictly guarded by the elders of each respective community. Although Sennite scientists were doing their best to discredit the practice in favor of conventional meteorology, the pirates who knew about the local traditions and had access to ports that were normally shut off from foreigners could easily get someone to make a wind jar for them.
"I need a wind jar," Captain Mariana said to Wolfe as they were trying their best to close in on the so-called prey.
It was like hunting a giant, man-eating leviathan with the help of a tiny pack of dolphins. A fool's mission, for sure, but there was nothing else they could do for now.
"We need more magical backup," the first mate agreed. "Not to be rude, but we are sailing with less knots than there are in your flawless, untangled hairdo, Cap'n."
Mariana laughed. She was not offended. How could she be, with such a perfect compliment woven into the comment?
No, Wolfe was right. They needed a weather witch who could tell a gasp from a slightly stronger gasp, someone who was so good at blowing wind to sails that they would catch the bastard without having to ambush him in the shallows for years.
They failed to catch Daniel, but there was a dying port somewhere in the west, close enough that they could maybe reach it before the last merchant in its harbor area sighed and packed up his goods to leave for better waters.
There could be someone there - Mariana knew it, or at the very least she had a decently strong premonition.
She considered the situation she was in. If she was lucky enough, she could find a magic practitioner who could break Dars' curse and make it so that Mariana would be free to choose what she wanted to do to Daniel.
She was not into being told what to do. Countless men had made the mistake of giving her orders. Now, she could add one particular dead fellow onto her list.
The port of Aribego was near. It was apparent from the cries of the gulls flying over the Good Wife. The poor creatures expected plentiful scraps, and instead, one of them got a bullet in the wing.
Wolfe chastised the bird-killer for wasting shots. Mariana was amused.
She had to pick something to wear, and being a big supporter of symbolism, she chose a nice white dress that signified peace and surrender. People treated her better when she was dressed in white. It was a powerful and almost effortless mind control trick.
She smirked as she jumped into the boat with Wolfe assisting her so that her underskirt would not be visible for everyone within miles.
"Are we going to spend the gold we took?" Callow Charlie asked her.
There were so many men that she sometimes had problems remembering all the details of their lives. For example, Charlie over here was married to a woman and her name was Sallysally, but did Sallysally have a son with him or a daughter? Hmm, it had to be a daughter because Charlie had mentioned buying a spotted foal for the kid and people only ever gave spotted foals to female people. That had to be the case, but what had been the occasion that had prompted such an expensive gift? Had it been an academic accomplishment or a new job? Mariana knew for sure that Charlie appreciated independency in both genders, and he read a lot, being a supporter of literacy and critical thinking, but judging by his favorite book - Principles of Planetary Movement - what could be something that he encouraged for his daughter? Was it going to be a simple internship as an astrologer's assistant or had he told her to aim higher and study astronomy on her own? Gods, Mariana was such a poor captain, she knew so little about her men.
"Yes, Charlie, don't forget to save and send some home as well," Mariana said with what she hoped would come across as motherly warmth.
"Thank you, Cap'n, I'll buy Sallysally something good."
Such a poor, poor captain…for worrying so much about something that wasn't her business at all.
"How's the daughter?" She had to know if the daughter was still alive, though. She would not be caught dead saying something insensitive to a grieving father.
"She thinks Luminia isn't a star but a planet instead," Callow Charlie said with genuine anguish in his voice.
Like that was the source of a long family feud or something. People who read too much ended up like that, assigning value to heavenly bodies instead of being concerned about the proper way of brewing or something else that was normal and within the realm of daily experiences.
Her patience as a privateer and a captain was tested by her crew again as they dived into the discounts of the dying port.
There was just too much stuff to buy.
She passed by a stall that sold madda damma fruits in all possible forms, from dried and sugarcoated to pickled. She didn't want to know what the latter did to the delicate, watery fruit. Walking past the stalls that sold food and beverages, she saw the merchants becoming more and more esoteric when it came to the services they provided. Although the weather was nice and pleasantly warm, an ominous scent lingered in the air. Could it have been sulphur? No, surely it was due to that woman over there burning everything she had been selling. Why was she burning the souvenirs?
Mariana decided to investigate. To keep the fumes from taunting her gag reflex, she pinched her nose shut and approached the merchant wife.