Chapter 71: Trouble Part 2

"Sounds lovely. I'll have to visit sometime."
"Sadly, I don't think it would be wise." Bri met her eyes. "The new emperor is not content with what he has. I don't like it, but no one asks people like me their opinion."
"I see." Cal half grinned. "Until we are officially enemies, I will count you as a friend." The light dimmed as men came into the room.
"Time to go," Jorges said quietly. "The men who came in are trouble. They work as muscle for the gangs, and hire out to take contract work."
"Drink your tea. Laugh a little." Bri put his hand on Cal's arm. "Wait until they sit before you leave. Don't look at them as you leave."
Cal followed his instructions. She got up and slapped Jorges on the shoulder. He groaned and pushed to his feet. On the way out, he waved at the serving girl and she blushed again.
"They're following us, probably plan to jump us in the alley. There may be people waiting there to cut us off."
"Suggestions?"
"If it was just me, I'd let them attack and see what I learned from them."
"Let's do that. Real sailors wouldn't suddenly change their route anyway."
They walked and shoved at each other laughing as Jorges told horribly dirty jokes. As they ducked into the alley, Cal snuck a peek behind her. Three men sauntered in their direction. Even the most confident thugs would want better odds.
Cal tapped three times on Jorges' arm. He tapped twice back. The slap of a shoe on the cobbles alerted her. She turned to face the three while Jorges faced the other way. A couple of thumps and grunts were the only indication battle had been joined. Cal kicked some refuse at the three coming at her. She had no idea how to fight; it had never seemed important.
The lead man grinned wolfishly at her. He stretched out his steps to carry him ahead of his companions. Jorges spun Cal around and met the eager thug with a kick to his throat. The man went down with a gurgle. Two men lay bonelessly on the pavement. She turned again in time to see a shadow drop behind the last two before they fell forward to lie still.
The whole thing had taken seconds.
"Good work," Jorges grinned at Bundo before kneeling to search through the attackers' clothing. "Pros won't carry anything to identify them or their employer, but it never hurts to check." He rolled one over and paper rustled under the dead man's shirt. Jorges pulled it out and handed it to Cal. She tucked it in a pocket. "Let's go."
At the other end of the alley, a man lay slumped against the wall. Blood turned his shirt black. The attackers had probably taken the paper from him before taking the opportunity to eliminate Cal and Jorges. Cal stepped over him to follow Jorges. Bundo had vanished again. A group of sailors left the tavern.
"From the ship two down from us," Jorges muttered, meaning the sailors. He pulled Cal up to tag along at the back of the group. None of the men noticed. Cal missed their presences as she and Jorges walked toward the Kestrel.
They weren't more than twenty yards from the ship when several men stepped out of the shadows on a path to intercept them.
"Sailors!" Paul shouted from the deck. "You're late. The Captain is going to have your ass." Joliu and Hank joined him at the rail to shout at them.
"People like you are what get us all locked on the ship." Jorges pulled Cal along as if the men weren't there. When Cal chanced a glance around, they were gone.
Paul tossed the rope ladder over for them. Once on the ship, he rounded on them.
"I warned you what would happen if you were late again. Didn't I?"
"Yes, Sir!" The men shouted.
"I'm going to be kind to you and not wake the Captain, but you'll be polishing brass all day tomorrow."
Cal grinned at him and winked before Joliu hauled her away talking about work needing doing in the engine room and when was she planning to do that if she were polishing the Captain's brass.
Once inside and down the ladder to the engine room, Cal allowed herself to relax.
"Turn up the lantern." She pulled the paper from her pocket and peered at it. It looked like someone had asked a chicken to copy a drawing. She could make out there were two 'C' shaped things around a central core. It looked like the core was supposed to spin on its long axis. Lines led from the 'C' shaped things. Now that she looked closer it looked like they were wrapped in something. Markings which might have been labels in Dynasty script were scattered about the page.
Shouting sounded from on deck.
Cal put the paper into the fire and shut the door.
"If that's what I think it is, we don't want that paper anywhere on board. You go first and let me slip to my cabin."
Joliu nodded and scampered up the ladder. He paused a moment in the hatch to the deck as Cal ran to her cabin. She'd barely closed the door behind her when a fist thumped on it.
"Captain, some folks are demanding to see you, now."
"Be right out." Cal changed into her Captain's uniform and used her rag with turpentine on it to clean her face. A last look in the mirror to set her cranky Captain's face and Cal stormed out onto the deck.