Pasadagavra Excerpt #2
The pine marten shook her head impatiently. She had absolutely black eyes, without so much as a twinkle in them. “No one’s in here except my crew, your crew, and the other crews who’re in on this. Spill it, Ailur!”
Ailur sighed. “The foxes have finally burst out of Darkwoods in the east. They’ve pushed the armies there back all the way t’ Pasadagavra.”
The pine marten nodded. “Good. Almost time, then?”
“Almost,” Ailur replied forebodingly. “I’ve got one o’ my crew waiting halfway twixt ’ere an’ Pasadagavra. Hopefully, he’ll run into the messenger from Queen Demeda. Yer turn. What’s happenin’ at Arashna?”
The pine marten spread her paws. “More o’ the same stuff that’s been happenin’ fer ages. The foxes keep tryin’ t’ throw themselves against it, hopin’ t’ break in, and the defenders keep makin’ fish food o’ them.”
Ailur nodded. “I ’ad ’oped t’ have more t’ say t’ Queen Demeda.”
“Her scheme is working, ain’t it?” the pine marten asked. “’Cause if it ain’t, count me out.”
Ailur snorted.
The pine marten rose very slowly. “You really don’t think that I’ll take my crew out of this if the battle’s lost?”
“No, I don’t,” Ailur replied. “Y’er braver than that, Shartalla.”
Now Shartalla snorted. “Y’er an idealist, Ailur. No wonder y’ gets on so well with Queen Demeda an’ Lady Raven.”
Ailur inclined her head. “Bein’ an idealist don’t make me wrong. When I ’ear more from Queen Demeda, I’ll let y’ know.”
“Thank you,” Shartalla replied. Then she nodded to Ailur and swept off into the crowd of half-drunk pirates.
Actually, watching the crowd, Ailur could tell Shartalla’s crew from the others. Shartalla allowed for drink but forbade drunkenness. She and her crew had far too many enemies to afford carelessness.
“I ’ope I did the right thing in trustin’ her,” Ailur murmured.
There's a lot more about Shartalla and why her crew has so many enemies in Pasadagavra!
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