Spshing another bit of rum on the fire to make it bze more intense, Ruby leaned over and whispered to Ava, then got up and walked away from the circle.

  Confused and somewhat scared, Jonny tilted his head and looked wide-eyed at Ava. “Did I do something? Why did she leave?” He reached for the rum bottle Ruby had recently given him and took a few burning sips, coughing lightly once more.

  Lightly giggling to herself, Ava sat up and crossed her legs. “Yez, drink more. It might help you in the long run, yez?” She carefully braided her long ptinum-colored hair. “If I know my preciouz Ruby, she went into the tent to get a little more covered in the clothing. She saw how you zitting there flushed and a little tight in the leggings.” Ava pointed to Jonny's very visible bulge in his pants. “Want a wager on it?” She winked and flipped out a silver. “Bad habitz I have picked up from those cutthroats.” She ughed and weaved the silver between her fingers. “Ruby showed, or teachez me this?”

  “Taught?” Jonny offered and adjusted his leggings so his excitement wasn’t obvious. “I-Uhank you for that.” He patted his pockets. “I don’t have a silver to bet, Miss Avanora. Friendly wager?”

  “Okay, friendly it is.” Ava reached for Ruby’s bottle of rum and drank a few sips, and heard a set of boots coming from behind. “There she iz now, good Jonny boy.”

  Appearing out of the dark, Ruby came into sight around the orange-yellow fmes. Tossing another log on the fire Ruby did a slow spin for Ava and winked. “Aye, luve. These leathers are me history, they be. She ran her hand over the well-oiled and soft leather, “For all o’me these are Ruby’s best. Hear ya, Jonny, now…Ol’Ruby used these many a day and in many o’ssh’n.” Ruby instinctively rubbed the handle of her dagger and happened to see Jonny once again trying to get comfortable. “Heiho, watch Jonny go.” Ruby winked at Ava, “Mayhaps he visit Marybelle, aye?” She watched the boy dig around his breeches and finally sigh in discomfort. “I think it but reason that our Jonny boy have’n the name Digger. What say you, Ava?” Ruby chuckled and blew a kiss to her partner.

  “Let me zee if I say this right.” Avanora closed her eyes for a second then spoke the best she could like Ruby. “I verily believe fits himz, it does.” She smiled and blew a kiss to Ruby, that sparkled from her lips and sent little stars in the air until the lip print formed itself on Ruby’s leather-covered ass. “Sparklez, my sweetz.”

  “Digger it is.” Ruby sat down and adjusted her repcement eyepatch. This covering was unique in the way it covered her empty socket with a round ruby being held in the center with gold web-like strands that weaved and held the rge ruby in pce, and wrapped the pirate’s head in bck and gold ce to secure the patch. She picked up her rum took a few gulps and set it between Ava’s legs.

  “Here we see where Ruby came to be, Yarrr. Bottles up, rule of thumb…drink hearty until the rum is done!” She held up her bottle and waited for the other two, “Aye!” She drank her bottle dry and tossed the bottle into the dark. “Let it be known, Piracy wasn’t Ruby’s first choice. A while Paralee spent many o’time on The Crimson Runner.”

  “Shit, Shit…” Paralee pinned back her bck hair in a hurry. “Shit!” She excimed once more and poked her head out of the small tenement window and saw a few guards milling around. “That’s all I need to compliment this morning.” She sighed. Scooting out of the bed she shared with her current girlfriend, Paralee tucked the dy back under the bnket as she donned her clothing.

  Yawning and peeking open a single brown eye, the girl purred lightly. “Mmhhmm, Hey Paralee..” She paused, “...Do you have to leave so soon?”

  Sliding on her tan pants, Paralee turned and faced her partner. “Barbara, I have to go. It’s my livelihood at this point.” Paralee’s hazel eyes shined brightly. “It’s only a few days out from Venice to Crete. I think Captain Boulet said we were going to a town called Kissamos.” Pointing to the thin pane of gss, Paralee wiggled her finger. “Besides, the guards are too close for comfort.”

  Running her fingers through her dusty-blonde hair to wake herself up, Barbara tossed the bnket aside and exposed her well-curved and creamy breasts. “Always on the move.” She commented and grabbed Paralee’s red shirt. “I am keeping this, you take something of mine.” Barbara giggled and flopped back into her pillow.

  “Je n'ai pas le temps de jouer, Barbara.” Paralee calmly spoke her native nguage to her Italian lover and admired the young maiden’s bare form. “However, for now I will entertain you.” Paralee pulled her soft bck leather boots up and over her calves, then went to Barbara’s wardrobe. “Perfect. Cream, matches your…”

  Barbara interrupted, “...Don’t say it you devil dy, because then you will get that hungry smile on your face..” She stopped and tapped lightly on her lower lip. “...That hunger sounds really good right now, Paralee.” Barbara reached down and pulled a worn leather sheath from beside her. “Don’t forget this, my dear.” Rolling to her side, Barbara handed Paralee her trusted ruby dagger.

  Raising one lovely bck eyebrow, Paralee took her heirloom and strapped it to her side. “My thanks, however I was not going to forget either gems…” She winked pyfully at Barbara and tied the cream shirt around her torso to get it skin sight. “Believe me amour, I would stick around longer if I could.” Crawling over her girlfriend, Paralee watched the guards settle down across the small street and begin eating their breakfast. “Shit.” Paralee grabbed Barbara and pulled her out of the bed, giving her a quick dance twirl as she stood up. “Winds permit it, I will see you soon.” Paralee ran over to the door, grabbed her brown and gold-rimmed tricorn, blew Barbara a kiss and exited the little room.

  Double-checking herself for all of her gear, Paralee breathed a sigh of relief feeling her coin purse and her bandana tied to the pommel of her rapier. Traveling the six flights of stairs to the first floor, Paralee carefully avoided the front entrance and headed into the back and to the shadowed alley. “Small favors.” She commented quietly to herself and started walking towards the docks.

  -It’s te morning, I hope the captain is behind on leaving or I am stuck…but Barbara was worth it.-

  Paralee snickered and reached the end of the alley and poked her head out for a quick look around and then casually walked onto the main street. Passing the various shops, Paralee stopped at a small bakery and picked up a couple fig den pastries and after paying a little silver, left the baker with a slight wave. It didn’t occur to her that the man recognized her from the description he’d heard about Paralee. Halfway through the first pastry, Paralee heard heavy mail and rapid footsteps coming up from behind her yelling in both Italian and French. “Arrêt! …. Fermati… you there!” Knowing exactly what the guards were after, Paralee took off and darted down another alley to gain distance from the armed guards screaming and cursing.

  -This isn’t good. How the hell did I know that they would track me all the way to Venice! Putain!-

  Paralee cursed herself for her carelessness. Normally she would awaken just before dawn and be able to hide in the dark to escape and make her way back to “The Crimson Runner”. Six months Paralee had been doing the “slip dance” with the guards, and mostly avoiding their persistence. Initially wanting only a one-way trip to Venice, it took less than a day for Paralee to realize the authorities had reached Venice before she did and were giving her description all over the port city. Coupled with the fact her pearls from the wedding gown were virtually useless due to the sheer number avaible in town, Paralee reluctantly went back to Captain Boulet and asked if she could actually join the crew.

  Having proved herself useful and better with the rigging than his lead, the captain readily gave her a pce on his ship. “Damned if I have seen anyone as proficient with rope and sail as you, Miss Vallee. Gd to have you.” Since that time, she’d been above deck and adjusting for wind and current as they went back and forth along the Mediterranean coastline, Bartering and selling the goods the Captain kept in the ship’s hold. More often than not, each time “The Crimson Runner” docked, the Captain gave the crew a few days' leave while he made his trades and refilled cargo for their next trip. Paralee took full advantage of these little stops, enjoying the small-town culture and above all - their women.

  Now once again running from the guard, Paralee heard a click from behind her, and squatted just as the ‘Twang’ sound followed and a tiny bolt whizzed past her ear. Paralee resumed her fast pace and ughed, “M'a manqué! Vous avez besoin d'une meilleure formation!” Paralee ughed and managed to look back and see only two guards whom hadn’t given up the pursuit. Unwilling to drag them back to the ship where they could give the Captain trouble, she found a small dark nook and drew her dagger.

  -With luck I won’t have to use it.-

  Almost as if the dagger heard Paralee, it warmed up in her hand and its gems sparkled lightly from her hiding pce. Convinced that there was something unusual about the weapon and not wanting to possibly upset what entity that might be part of her lovely dagger, Paralee spoke a few cautionary words to settle her mind.“You don’t need blood yet. It’s only been a few days.” Thinking back on the memory, Paralee had docked and finished her duties when the captain gave them leave. Recalling that she wanted to give Barbara a few tulips, she’d made her way into the center of the city and was browsing the open markets, drinking and eating as she did so. Just before sundown, she found the flower vendor and had pced the silver in the woman’s hand when one of the Duke’s men grabbed her arm.

  “Finally!” The burly gray-haired man smiled, “Now I get to collect the five gold for your beautiful head.” He jerked her away from the flower stand and dragged Paralee behind him, not caring if she bothered to try and keep up.

  Biding her time until the two were free of the shopping district, Paralee slipped her dagger from her hip and drove it into the man’s back, going through his steel pte as though it didn’t exist. “Five gold, is it?” Paralee yanked the bde from the man as he fell to his knees. “Last I heard it was three.” Paralee looked up as a few people gasped and ran off in a panic. “Lovely.” Dragging the dead man into one of the alley’s She propped him up to look like he was passed out drunk, then searched his person. She pocketed a few trinkets, a compass and about twenty silver. “I can’t fathom why you idiots never take my weapons when you find me.” Paralee then made her way to Barbara’s hovel and stayed there, spending the rest of her leave in bed with the dusty blonde.

  Once the memory faded, Paralee heard the jingles of chainmail close to her position. Thrumming in her hand, Paralee looked down at her dagger and felt the pull to use it like she had numerous times before.

  -They are leaving me no choice.-

  Hidden safely in her little spot, Paralee watched as the two guards slowly walked past her and deeper into the backstreet. Without much thought to the matter, Paralee jumped from her spot and quickly stabbed the trailing guard in the side of the knee, then yanked up through the man’s meaty thigh causing his blood to start spurting from the wound with every panicked heartbeat. Writhing in pain, the guard yelled out, “Here…here…she’s behind you!” Seconds ter, he succumbed to the dastardly wound Paralee had inflicted.

  Upon hearing his companion screaming in both pain and desperation, the first guard turned and swung his sword through the air, missing Paralee when she took a couple of deft steps back.

  “Son of a B…” The guard barked, and got cut off by a dagger bde going up through the soft part of his jaw and into his head.