The Ember Thief

Chapter Twenty One - The Ember Thief

Raide eyed the barrel with mistrust. 'In there?' he asked.

'Of course. You can't just stroll off the ship waving goodbye to everyone. Besides, it won't be for long,' Ruby said, staring into the hollow barrel. 'Just enough time for us to steal you from these preachy fools.'

Raide sniffed the opening. 'What did you keep in here?'

'Amberjack,' she replied.

'Is that like Blackwater?' Raide asked, still nursing his branded hand close to his chest.

Ruby screwed up her face. 'No, Blackwater is a drink slavers use to keep the minds of sailors dull. Amberjack is a fish.'

Two Jackals came bustling into the room carrying an unconscious man. The one held the man by his arms the other held the man's legs. 'Where you want him, Rubes?' the Jackal at the back grunted, out of breath.

'On the floor by that cannonball,' she nodded to the heavy weight.

Raide looked at the semi-naked man. Blood trickled down a blow he had taken on the side of his head. He instantly recognised the man's crooked teeth. 'Grub?' he said to himself. 'Wait, I know him. He's been looking after me.'

Ruby helped the other Jackals place him on the floor. 'Well, now he's going to be looking like you.'

'What do you mean? He looks nothing like me,' he said, pointing at the man's shaved head.

Ruby winked and grabbed the black sackcloth she had taken from Raide, pulling it over Grub's head. 'Now he looks a lot like you,' she said, cocking her head, inspecting the crumpled man. 'Kind of.' She pulled out two dark stones from a pouch on her waist and started smearing them on his legs and body.

Raide shook his head. 'That's not going to fool them for long.'

'It doesn't have to. We just need enough time to make the switch and be on our way. There, at least now he looks as dirty as you,' she said, putting the stones back in her pouch. 'You two,' she jabbed her finger at the two men. 'Put the debtor in the barrel,' she ordered.

Before Raide could protest, the two burly Jackals had picked him up and dropped him, feet first, into the barrel. 'Wait, can't we take him with us?' Raide asked, looking at Grub's unconscious body.

'Is he rich?' Ruby's eyebrow raised.

Raide screwed up his face. 'Who Grub? No.'

'Well connected?'

'I doubt it.'

'Then he's no use to us,' Ruby quickly dismissed, picking up the circular lid to the barrel. 'Right, squat down as low as you can.'

Raide held his breath and slid down the oily sides of the barrel, his knees rising to his chest. 'It's tight,' his voice sounded deadened by the thick wood.

'Yeah, I know it is, but we still need to make it look legit, in case we get stopped.'

Raide breathed through his mouth. 'What did you have in mind?' There was a short pause before a large fish suddenly dropped down and flopped over his knees. Its lifeless eyes and open mouth stared vacantly back at him. 'You're kidding me.' The first fish was quickly followed by several more, piling up over his head.

'You alright, mate?' Ruby's voice came in from above.

'Never better,' he shot back, as the scaly face of an Amberjack pushed against his cheek. Everything went dark as the lid of the barrel was hammered shut.

Ruby rapped the top. 'Don't worry, we'll try and get you to The Gamblers' Fluke as quick as possible,' she shouted, cupping her hands against the wooden lid. The two Jackals grunted as they hauled the barrel up and balanced it between them.