Free Sea Queen by Michael James Ploof Page A

He kicked a nearby stone and pain shot through his big toe, but he ignored it. “You were on the slaver—you never saw her?”
    Tyson shook his head. “Sorry. Like Thorg said, you can hardly tell who you’re pissin’ on.”
    “Which direction was the ship headed?”
    “Hard to tell. When we were sold by the Vald they put us below deck right off. Which way we sailed from the island was hard to know.”
    “How long were you at sea?”
    Tyson thought for a moment. “Not long, the journey lasted about a day or so. After the ship stopped moving, we sat in that hole for a few more before they brought some of us up on deck and then to an auction. It was the village where you found us.”
    Talon realized that if Akkeri was found out, she might well have been returned to the Vald.
    Tyson seemed to know his mind. “I doubt anyone would’ve known who she was. Timberwolf Tribe don’t sell their Skomm the same time my tribe does. The slaver came and went miles from your village.”
    Talon was grateful for his reassuring words. Still, an annoying flicker of doubt remained. If Fylkin somehow found out about her being on the slaver…
    He couldn’t think that way. “Alright,” he said, trying to clear his head. “What kind of people are women like her sold to?”
    Tyson shrugged. “I’m not an expert on slaving just ‘cause I was on a ship for a day. But I would guess that a looker would be sold to…to the pleasure houses, or to someone with a lot of coinage. A…whatever it is they call such people ‘round these lands.”
    “A nobleman,” Talon said, liking that possibility much better than pleasure house.
    They went on to search the rest of the cave. The main cavern split off in three different directions. As Tyson went right, Talon took the middle and soon came across depictions of him and Akkeri gathering apothecary supplies, Vaka Brekken’s death, and the explosion at the mines. The tunnel opened into another wide cavern, and there the paintings ceased—but for one. Maneuvering among the stalactites, Talon raised his torch to the last painting and sucked in his breath.
    Tyson walked in behind him. “What did you find? Anything?”
    Talon whirled around. “Nothing much. You find anything new?”
    Tyson glanced at him suspiciously. “What is it?”
    Talon laughed and pointed back toward the entrance. “Nothing. Let’s go check that other—“
    Tyson tried to inspect whatever Talon had been looking at, but Talon blocked the way.
    “Move,” said Tyson.
    Talon shook his head and stood his ground. “You don’t need to see it.”
    “Get the hells out of my way,” said Tyson, pushing past. When his torchlight fell upon the painting, he froze. “Why would you try to keep this from me?”
    “It doesn’t mean nothing. It might not happen.”
    The painting depicted Talon kneeling by a bloody Tyson, closing his eyes with two fingers.
    Chief came padding into the cavern, and he too stared at the painting. He licked Tyson’s hand and whimpered.
    “I feel the same way, Chief,” he said, petting his head.
    “This doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Talon said again.
    Tyson offered him a smile that said, Thanks for that, but you’re full of shyte . He turned from the painting and left the cavern.
    Talon followed him through the main chamber and into the last tunnel. This one too had depictions of his life in Volnoss. Scenes he didn’t recognize were there as well. In one, Talon was fighting a big man in a sand pit surrounded by screaming onlookers. In another, he was sitting, watching a sunset with a huge man who looked to be Vald. Their backs were to him, however, so he couldn’t see the man’s face.
    “Most of these are in the past, right? But others, like the one that shows me dead, are the future.”
    “ Possible future,” said Talon.
    “Sure. Well I think this one is the future, unless you’re friends with a silver hawk.”
    Confused by his words, Talon hurried to see what he meant. This one