Page 13 of Crossbones
“Yes,weknow that,” Flynt sighs. “But who would you put on the throne instead? One of the other Houses certainly won’t be much better.”
“That city has been called De’Vero for far too long,” I comment instead because I don’t have an answer for him. I’ve always thought it pretentious to have the name of the city change to whatever House rules at the time. “We can think about who’ll take the crownafterwe get the gold.”
“Okay, but I think you’ve forgotten one small detail,” Van says.
I look at him expectantly and his eyes widen in shock. “Your wedding?”
I wave a hand impatiently. “They can postpone it—I’ll send a letter—”
“You’ll send aletter…” Van echoes incredulously.
“—I’m the prince, they’ll just have to deal with it.”
Van and Flynt fall silent and I can tell they’re thinking hard. I wait patiently, going over the coordinates in my head to keep them fresh. Van, ever the practical one, breaks the silence first. I can see the resignation beginning to take over his face and I know I’ve won.
“You’re obviously going to want to sail to Verdun first, correct?”
“Aye.”
Van sighs loudly. “Fine. Let’s put it to the men—” He looks over at Flynt.
“You think this is worth exploring?” Flynt asks. “Seriously, Van. Enough to risk everything for?”
Van frowns but nods curtly. “I owe Caspian my life. I trust him with it too. If he believes the information he has is good—well, that’s good enough for me.”
Flynt rubs his beard thoughtfully before he throws up his hands. “Alright, Iguess we’re going on a fucking treasure hunt.”
I clap my hands, a smile spreading across my face. “Excellent! Let’s talk to the crew!”
Once we've cleared the bay and are out in the open ocean, I lean over the rail of the quarterdeck. My crew is assembled below and they all look up at me with varying degrees of annoyance and boredom. This lot is looking forward to a relaxing stint on shore and I’m about to ruin that.
“How would you boys like to be rich?” I smirk, watching everyone’s attention sharpen—ah, there they are. “I know you were all looking forward to a break after everything we’ve done these last few weeks, but I’m wondering if I can convince you to continue on a little longer. First to Verdun—” I pause. “—then to Grythmoor.”
The deck erupts. Everyone is talking at once. I give them a minute of chaos before I hold my hands up and with Flynt’s helpful hollering to shut up, we bring the deck back in order. In the tension filled silence that follows, a few random shouts come out of the crowd.
“That city doesn’t exist.”
“The Stormwrack is a death sentence!”
“Do you have proof?”
Everyone quiets, looking at me expectantly.
“I came across information that told me the exact coordinates. And yes, the Stormwrack is dangerous, but I believe the information I was given is sound and the risk is worth the potential reward.”
I walk towards the stairs to descend into their midst. I hit the bottom step. “Think of the amount of gold we’re talking about here. A lost city—rumored to once be the capital of the North. Wealthier than all of Seven Landings combined.” I look around at each of the men. “Each of you would of course receive a share. Imagine what you could do with all that wealth.” I grin at them. “Pretty much anything honestly.” Eyes filled with greed shine back at me.
I have them. “So, what say you?”
“Put it to a vote, men!” Van shouts. “Who wants to go treasure hunting?”
JAMES
Verdun comes into view, glowing in all its glory as the sun sets behind us, setting the tropical green oasis on fire. While Verdun is a paradise, it is also in the middle of nowhere and neutral ground—no kingdom or pirates claim it, and the island is so small there isn’t any reason for either side to fight over it. It’s mostly a place ships stop over at before continuing on either north to Argentum—the last real city before the Stormwrack—or east to Ironhold.
“Who is that?” Harrison asks at my side.
We’re both looking at the only other ship anchored in Verdun’s bay.
