Free War of the Princes 02: Dragoon by A. R. Ivanovich

property of the Common-Lord of Breakwater. Who do you think you are?” Dylan demanded, halting at the edge of the dock, inches away from the deck of her little ship.
    She raised an eyebrow and looked him over. “I’m Carmine Rousseau. Who do you think you are, pretty boy?” she repeated, and didn’t wait for an answer. A greasy man wearing a black apron and gloves was disembarking from her ship. “Stiller, come back here. Stiller, you good for nothing excuse for a mechanic, if you don’t fix it, you don’t get paid. Fine. Go. I’m never hiring you again!”
    Dylan looked tragically indignant. “I'm Lord Dylan Axton. I order you to return these belongings to the dock.”
    “ Dylan Axton? With irons on your wrists? I doubt that very much. I will not remove these supplies. I work for Kestrel,” she said easily.
    As entertaining as it was to see Dylan disrespected, I simply had to intercede. Kyle and Sterling were at my heels. “I'm Kestrel... er... Katelyn. I didn't hire you.”
    She looked at me and blushed. “Damn. I wouldn't have guessed that. You're a girl, and young. I imagined a stocky man with a twirled moustache.” Pacing in a circle, and doing a very graceful job of it, this Carmine Rousseau person seemed a bit disappointed. “Well, this is rather embarrassing.”
    “ I'd apologize for embarrassing you, but seeing as you're stealing our belongings, I just don't feel too sorry,” I told her, crossing my arms.
    The last of the items was placed firmly on her deck, and the crew of men swaggered back into the docks.
    The woman sighed. “I meant this to be a grand surprise, simplifying your journey. You don't need to interview ship after ship, if you already have one.”
    “ You're out of work,” Dylan translated. “Not surprising.”
    “ You will be paying, won't you?” she asked.
    “ Yeah. I hate to say it, but you gambled right, we don't have the time to hunt for other ships. We need to be on the water now,” I admitted. Her brazen strategy didn't bother me. We were lucky she acted and saved us some time.
    “ Well, that is a matter of some shame. Prince Raserion has drafted all of Breakwater's good mechanics, and, well, her engines won't start,” she told us regretfully, pointing down at the ship under her feet. “I usually tune her up myself, but this time, I just can't get past the problem.”
    “ You loaded our supplies and the rust pebble doesn't run? Shocking,” Dylan sniped, leaning against a dock post.
    Kyle practically jumped out from behind me, like a cat pouncing on a mouse. His eyes were wide with excitement. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him so enthused. “Let me get in there! I mean, do you mind if I have a look?”
    “ If you're a mechanic, by all means,” she invited, waving us onto the deck of the ship. She led Kyle to an open hatch that took them below decks. Before disappearing completely, she called out to us, “Please, make yourselves comfortable. If your friend is as good as he is excitable, we'll be underway within the hour.”
    I stepped aboard, and Dylan followed, groaning with distaste. Sterling was still on the docks, looking off toward the keep on the water. He had never been the most talkative of guys, and now he was downright mute. As much as I wanted to hate his face forever, the problems in my life overshadowed those with Sterling. His body language suggested that he was worried about Ruby. Was it a ruse to restore my confidence in him?
    The thing was, I was worried about her too.
    Hang in there, Ru. We'll be back for you soon.
    “ Brendon Axton,” I murmured, looking over the harbor waters to the island keep. “If you let anything happen to her, any single thing, I'll light you up brighter than the stars.” My consolation was simply that he knew what I was capable of.
    “ Sterling,” I said gently. He looked at me like he'd forgotten where he was, frowned at his feet, and stepped aboard the ship that would take us even farther away from her.

 
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