Still under the influence of Nerice’s spell, the big man offered a dopey-looking smile and spat out the lemon rind he had been chewing. “Oh.” He started to his far left. “Aye, they there be Delton Sterling, most o’us call hims Del.” He looked questioningly at Ruby, “Methoughts you knew ol’Del here. Tis why I picked him.”

  Looking over the brown haired man with a full beard, it took Ruby a second to pce where she’d seen him. “Aye.” She ughed, “Nay so well with dice that one be. Took ya for a king’s ransom, me did young man. Mayhaps your luck will fare better with me than oppose’n me, savvy?”

  “Still try’n ta get me skin back from the sh’n, Ruby.” He held up his hands, “Me so more angry that ol’Lemonhead gave ya half the spoils on this here endeavor.” He scratched his beard and pointed to the fishing ship. “Can I comes aboard, One-Eye?”

  Without any hindrance, Ruby waved her hand and then pointed to the bow of the boat. “Take that seat, ya will Del. We need ta bance for Lemonhead.” She snickered and looked over at Larry again. “Alright, who be next on yer list?”

  Patting the second guy on his shoulder, Larry ughed deep and loud. “Aye, Ruby. This fair man be one legendary Ashton Smith, called Ash fer’short.” Larry took a step back when Ashton gave him a funny look. “Sorry old friend, overstepped me space.”

  Cracking his knuckles, Ashton took off his tricorn and bowed to Ruby. Long brown hair tumbled free and obscured Ashton’s vision briefly as he took the time to carefully tuck the silky locks behind his ears. “Finally we meet, Miss Ruby.” His voice came across as insidious as much as alluring. Bearing the oceanic stare of a pirate, Ash took the time to focus his brown eyes on Ruby’s full form. “A lovely meeting to be sure, something of a legend yourself. I am gd to be along.” Slick as a snake, Ash pointed to the space beside Del. “If you are agreeable to my presence..” Ashton tied his hair back and kept it in pce with his hat before stepping onto the boat. “Many thanks, Miss Ruby.”

  Legend was one word that Ruby used among others in her head when Larry introduced Ashton. While the two had never truly met, there was an ongoing rumor that he was not only a well-seasoned traveler and pirate with the reputation of a perfect gentleman, but Ashton’s gift happened to be swordpy. Many of his debts were settled with a duel in the streets with a set of perfectly honed longswords that he used as both weapons and shields. Currently, Ruby couldn’t account for anyone that had bested the man in single combat.

  -“We might have a problem, Nerice. Watch him closely and be ready.”-

  -“I figured that when I heard him talk, Tanya. I don’t think for a second that he agreed to take a small portion of what we find. He’s up to something, I can smell it.”-

  With their quick telepathic conversation complete, Ruby watched as Ashton took his seat before she really agreed to allow him onboard. “Aye, Ashton. Be a boon it is that we has those twin bdes for any occasion that might assuredly arise, y ta that.”

  Lastly, Lemondhead tossed Ruby a sack of lemons and pointed to the boat. “My turn? Larry asked and looked longingly at Nerice. “Me knows, me knows. Dead center.” He patted his fbby belly. “Used ta have’n be accounted for as it were.”

  Easily capturing the burp full of lemons, Ruby waved her hand. “Odd duck you be, Lemonhead, but see’s now why ya got the name.” She jiggled the bag with a chuckle. “How many o’these sour things does you need for a small jaunt to lizard isle?” She pointed eastward. “We be gone a few hours tops, if’n this map nay be false. Does ya really need two pounds o’them?”

  “What?” Larry ughed once more and slowly crawled on the small boat and slowly made his way to the middle and plopped down causing water to crest over the edges. “Sorry, ‘bout that Ruby. Water nay a bother, used to be’n close to it.”

  -“Close to it, not in it with soap.”-

  Ruby thought and heard Nerice snicker to her left. “Ashton, if you would kindly untie us from this pier we will makes our ways out. Fortune is what us, guys the tide is gonna swing us right to the isnd.”

  -“Tide? That’s what you are calling my lovely oceanic control? I take offense to that, Miss Tanya. It’s a delicate thing to have fish approach and push this heavy thing through the water. I deserve compensation.”-

  It took a few hours sailing in a south-easterly direction before Ruby began to make out the small palm trees that decorated the islet that the map indicated. “I’m gonna bring her around, check see that there be no surprises.” Ruby indicated as she steered the stolen fishing boat to make a full circle. It was only after she’d dropped the sail and anchor in the shallow water did Ruby feel a small current of electricity surround her. “Feel that, did you Natasha?” She asked as the other three hopped out of the vessel without a care in the world. “Hey, dontcha be head’n in there. Ruby has a bad omen feeling, aye?”

  “Yeah, I felt it and am still smelling it. It’s like lightning struck and made gss or something.” Nerice offered and looped her arm into Ruby’s before using her typical clicks to figure out where and what was occurring. “Strange, it’s not working. I can’t get anything, even our…you know, I am in the dark.” Nerice pointed in the direction she heard water pping on the boat. “Is there gss out there? Was it possibly lightning?”

  With Nerice’s revetion of being completely blind, Ruby’s concern for the situation had doubled. “I suspect that you can’t even use your powders and such right now, Natasha.” She looked up at the moon and swore she saw a slight reflection. “To answer your question, no. Nothing floating on the water. I wish they hadn’t jumped over so soon.” Ruby paused, “Shit, shit…shit.”

  “Interesting.” Ashton happened to offer when the other two ran off, leaving the women behind. “Lose something, Ruby?” He asked with that same subtle devil-filled voice. “Seems like you have lost your accent and repced it with..” He tapped his lip for a moment. “French. I do believe that it is a light and almost refined French accent.” Stepping back into the water Ashton offered his hand. “Let me help you both out of there and we find out what is going on.”

  Already wary of the events unfolding, Ruby felt the hair on the back of her neck rise when Ashton graciously offered his hand. “Thank you, but no. She and I will get on shore easily enough.” Deciding it was pointless to deny what the man heard, Ruby pointed to the other two men still walking around within the palms. “So if you knew something was ‘going on’ then why did you jump out with the other two?”

  “Oh, it is true.” Ashton calmly dropped his hand and waited for Ruby and Nerice to disembark. “Both brains and beauty. I am honored.” He pyfully bowed and casually slipped his hands to the hilts of his swords. “What was the point in staying in the boat? The other two had already cast the die and our fate when we all felt that little shock. Which happened to be about the time they hit the beach.”

  Reluctantly internally agreeing with Ashton, Ruby made sure that Nerice was comfortably holding onto her arm before slipping out of the skiff and into the knee-deep water. “Careful, it’s up to our knees.” Ruby verbalized only because she no longer felt the connection between the couple that she’d grown accustomed to. “If I had to guess, Natasha, your special gifts aren’t going to work.” Ruby noticed another glint come from her side and instinctively turned where she saw the little fsh. “That is the second time I have seen a hint of something just outside of my vision. I catch it peripherally.” Ruby scrubbed her eye and tried to catch the reflection as her vision slowly unblurred. “Nothing.”

  “You’re right. All of my kyanite feels suppressed and lifeless.” Nerice mentioned and leaned heavily on Ruby for support. “It’s been a very long time since I have had to rely just on touch and hearing, my love. It will take me some time to adjust.” She leaned into Ruby’s ear. “I hope the spell is still on Larry, or else we might be losing a fortune.”

  Walking slowly ahead of the dies, Ashton studied his surroundings and happened to look at the ground. “Well, isn’t that cute.” Kneeling down, Ashton showed Ruby what he found peculiar. “We aren’t on sand. This is like silt, with rock and like your lovely Natasha mentioned, it’s gss.” He then wrinkled his nose. “The air feels stale. Is that about your assessment, Ruby One-Eye?” He stood up and knocked the silt from his hands. “Ever wonder why no one ever comes to this pce? I mean you can see the little draco lizards gliding all over the pce.” He pointed to the palm trees that didn’t seem to have wind in their leaves, but moved all the same. With his hands behind his back, Ashton started to whistle and walk in the direction where Del and Larry had disappeared into.

  Annoyed that the suave man was just as quick to understand the meaning of their dilemma, Ruby paused to take off her bandoleer and strap it across Nerice’s chest, then took out the map once more. “Natasha, nothing he said was wrong. Still that glimmer is bothersome, and he’s not seen it yet. How long will it take for your hearing to adjust?” Ruby asked while running her finger over the course id out on the piece of paper-cloth. “Wait.” Ruby took a deep breath and crushed her eye shut and then reached for her dagger. While everything else around them seemed to be deadened or suppressed, her dagger pulsed with its normal heat and sensation of desire for blood. “At least we still have this.” Ruby whispered and patted her namesake.