Abe was worried, probably less so than he should be, but he was worried nonetheless. The cold was beginning to creep in. It wasn't just an odd cold day sort of cold. This was the deep, frozen colds of the beginning of winter. It was probably his imagination, he thought as he studied his maps, but winter seemed to be rolling in particularly early this year. Abe pulled his bottom lip through his teeth. He knew exactly where they should be, but this fog made it damn near impossible to see anything. If it didn't clear by night, then navigating by the stars would be near impossible. As it was, a man could barely see from one end of the ship to the other. It was some consolation that the oceans were deep out here. At least they didn't have to worry about running aground. Still, there had been no complaints from the captain, so they were still in pursuit of the Tarn ship. That could only be good.
Abe checked his compass and clicked it shut. They were still on course. Of course they were, he was the best navigator to sail the seas. There were better navigators than he, but they didn't sail, they swam. That was entirely different. He briefly wondered where their Sea Angel had got to. It had been some time since she'd been on deck. Not that it was unusual for her to be gone for a considerable amount of time. Truth be told she still unnerved him. He had always been a sucker for a pretty face, and probably always would be, and she was certainly pretty, but there was something about her that was off putting. She was so utterly un-human, unlike anyone he knew, even the other mermaids he had met.
Abe sighed, the restlessness of cabin fever beginning to set in. They had to be close to the ship by now. He rolled the maps back up, carefully lining them back up in the drawers of his desk. Abe pushed up his sleeves and grabbed his bow and quiver. There were a handful of arrows still in the quiver, but he had others hidden about his quarters. He slung the quiver over his shoulders and headed onto the deck. Outside, the air was damp and heavy, the fog only just beginning to lift into a mist. The sun was pushing through weakly. Visibility was much better than it had been earlier that morning. A shadow appeared through the mist. The Barley. Abe felt himself relax. Everything was working out according to the captain's plan.
βAll hands, make ready! Bring us in close and prepare to board! I wish to do business with our esteemed merchant friends. First, a hush now for our Quartermaster." Abe heard Captain Xing call out. He nocked an arrow and took his place next to the captain, keeping an eye on Adalrik, making sure no one on The Barley was pointing a weapon at the quartermaster. Good quartermasters were hard to come by and Abe really didn't like the idea of stealing one from The Barley. For a moment, everyone on The Barley seemed to be waiting on their captain's orders. Then their guns opened, blasting holes into the Tarn ship. If they had any sense, they would surrender soon, while they still had a ship left to salvage. Too many times he had seen men value their ship over their lives. There were few things worth dying for and, when it came down to it, despite the love and the memories, a ship was just wood. A new one could be made. But people? No, people couldn't just be replaced.
Abe held steady, blocking out the sound of the cannons. They were closer now, close enough for someone on deck to maybe land a mark on Adalrik. He saw a man take aim at Adalrik and Abe raised his bow, pulling the string tight. The arrow flew straight and fast, unseen until it buried itself in the would-be marksman's chest. Abe grimaced. He wasn't getting that arrow back anytime soon. He nocked another arrow and waited.