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Since the day Kenz took Solaris in, the boy has grown tremendously. Not just in size, but in his entire demeanor. He took to this life better than some born at sea, and Kenz has never been prouder. He looks about nineteen now, nearly a spitting image of Kenz in a lot of ways, yet he has his own personality... even if he also calls everyone a quim. “Yeh sure yeh ready for this, lad? Told yeh this is how yeh become a Hallam man.”
“Aye. Been ready fer years, Pa. Now it’s my time ta prove it.” Solaris smirks, and the fire in his eyes reminds Kenz of every Hallam that came before him.
“I never wanted ta be a Pa... but now that we’re here and you and yer sister are growin’ just fine... I’m glad ta have yeh. Yeh make me proud every feckin’ day, so don’t feck that up today, eh?”
Solaris draws his cutlass and has it against Kenz’s throat so quickly that he nearly missed the movement altogether. “I won’t let yeh down. Neither will Weasel and Rat.”
As he lowers the blade, Kenz snatches it quickly and turns the tables. “Aye... yeh won’t.” He hands it back over with a sneer and then ruffles his hair for good measure. “To the bottom of the sea, then?”
“To the depths of Gehenna itself.” Solaris grins, then dashes off in an attempt to beat Weasel and Rat to the jolly boats.
“Feckin’ bear,” Kenz chuckles and walks over next to Pogue with his eyes on Solaris’ back. “Think he’s ready for this, P?”
Pogue huffs quietly and glances over at him with an expression Kenz has never seen before. “Aye. About that, though. We need ta talk, Kenz. Now’s as good a time as any.”
Good things rarely follow a sentence like that, but something about Pogue’s energy keeps Kenz calm. They head for the beach, leaving Henley and Wayke to guard the two ships, and although they can’t see Solaris anymore, they can hear the screams he leaves behind. “What is it, Captain?”
“If yer boy survives this raid and doesn’t completely muck things up, this is it fer me.” His brother turns to face him fully. “I’ll be handin’ over me hat by the time the sun crests the horizon.”
The news truly shouldn’t be a surprise; he’s seen this coming for a while now but the words still make his stomach sink. If Pogue’s hanging up his hat, then so is Kenz. “Guess we had a good run, eh? We’re the old fecks now... time for a change. But if yeh think I’ma be that quim’s quartermaster, then yeh don’t know me at all. He was in me balls, he won’t be me boss.” Laughing, Kenz grips his brother’s shoulder and shakes his head. “I won’t make Hen quit, though... she’s gotta choose her own path, and I gotta hope she chooses the same as mine.”
“I can’t say she will or she won’t. I know she loves yeh for some fecking reason I don’t understand, but I don’t know if she has someone to hand her hat to.” Pogue looks apologetic for a split second, but it fades with the passing of a shadow as the clouds shift. “I don’t mean ta put yeh in this position, Kenz. But Wayke gave me ten years on the seas, and it’s more than I should’ve ever asked of him. It’s time I return the favor. Yer boy is good. He’ll see the Hallam name lives on.”
“Aye, he will. Too bad Iris isn’t old enough, eh? She could take her Ma’s hat.” He realizes what name he said and frowns, shaking his head quickly. “Feck! I mean Circe. Feckin’ Henley.”
“No, yeh mean Ophelia. A decade later and the two of yeh still can’t get it right.” Pogue barks a laugh and turns his sights on the city as the screams amplify, then lets out a sigh. “That’s our boy.”
Kenz beams, standing a little taller at his brother’s words. “Aye, ours. He’ll take good care of her too. Loves her just as much as anyone.”
“I know that. No way in Gehenna I’d turn over her helm to a witch if I weren’t sure. Speakin’ of which, I’m gonna need yer help after. Seems as though I get to fill me last knuckle with the coordinates of fecking Okos of all places, but Torid needed the damned reminder that the Hallams still rule these seas.”
“Aye, they did. Yer knuckles were kinda smart... can’t even remember where me first kill was at this point. Shoulda tattooed it.” Kenz smacks Pogue’s hand with a grin and shoves him a little. “I saw Sol kick yer ass yesterday, old man.”
Pogue’s eyes widen with indignant fury. “The feck he did. Yeh need ta get yer eyes checked, yeh lily-livered—”
When he rushes him, Kenz is able to dodge it at the last second but even at forty years old, Pogue is still faster. It isn’t long before he’s being slammed down into the sand and although they should be watching the raid, they both know it’s in good hands. His eldest has it all under control.
~
BY THE TIME SOLARIS and the others return to the beach, Pogue is ready. He knows without a doubt that his time has come and the sun has set on his reign, and oddly, he’s fine with it. No part of him ever considered the possibility of retirement — he’d been sure he’d die aboard The Heartbreak, partially because of Gnash’s spell and mostly because he loves the sea — but now, it’s the only option that makes any sense at all.
“Well?” Pogue asks with a stern expression. “Tell me true, Bear. How’d it go? What’re yer spoils?”
The new nickname doesn’t trip Sol up for a second. He’s dripping sweat and blood all over the sand, but nothing can dull the brightness of his eyes. “Take yer pick, Captain. Yeh want gold? We’ve got enough coins to bog down The Anguish till she’s crawlin’ slower than a pregnant gator. Yeh want sustenance? We’ll be eatin’ fresh meat and drinkin’ fresh rum until we’re crawlin’ slower than that gator’s fat husband. Yeh want d—”
“Alright, we get it! Yeh did good. Now get it all loaded up and meet me on the upper deck, savvy?”
“Aye, Captain.” Solaris beams, then shouts orders to the rest of his crew as Pogue winks at Kenz and jumps back in the jolly boat.
Kenz makes his way over to slap Sol’s newest scar and then joins Pogue to return to The Heartbreak. “Fecker’s not half bad, eh? Takes after his Pa.”
“If he didn’t, he’d be dead,” Pogue says bluntly. It had taken an extraordinary effort for him to look past the magic in Sol’s blood, but part of that came from reconciling the magic in his own blood. The reminder that only a hypocrite would turn the boy away forced him to step back and see him for what he is: a Hallam. “Let’s get this over with. I promised Wayke a lengthy honeymoon, and maybe it’s time yeh took Hen on one, too. Yeh’ve only been married nine years, after all.”
“Dunno how I convinced ‘er ta marry me. First dozen times I asked she told me to feck off.” Kenz barks a laugh and then makes his way up the ladder to the deck, and Pogue follows close behind.
“‘Cause yeh wouldn’t ask her sober, yeh quim. Took yeh a dozen times ta remember ta ask before yeh got piss drunk.” Those memories are fond ones, and as he watches Kenz sweep Henley into a kiss the moment their feet hit the deck, he’s glad she held out until he straightened up. He needs discipline whether he’ll ever admit it or not.
Iris runs to check on her brother as the rest of the crew boards again, and Pogue whistles to make sure they gather round. “Now, I know in the past we’ve done this bit by vote, but that vote is always fer a Hallam. I’d like ta save the trouble and instead just ask fer objections, if that’s alright... but I have an announcement ta make.”
The crew quiets down quicker than it used to, and knowing they have a crew they can truly trust settles something inside him.
“Don’t need me ta yell at these quims no more. Feelin’ kinda useless here, ya twats.” Kenz reaches out to pull Iris in by her blonde little head and puts his other arm around Henley, but his eyes are locked on Solaris — his legacy. When he pulls out the compass, Pogue knows he’s about to pass that down, too. Knowing Jones Hallam himself held that compass always makes Pogue feel closer to his ancestors and it’s served him well in times of need, so this makes as much sense as anything. “Here, Bear. Yeh break this, Jones himself will haunt yeh. Never knew how it still worked all these years later, but I think I’ve got an idea now. Take it, yeh magical quim, then pay attention to yer feckin’ uncle.”
“Aye, Sir.” Sol eyes it like it’s the greatest gift he’s ever received, and Pogue has a moment where he wants to throttle Kenz for stealing his thunder — but this is bigger than one gift or one man.
“Right then. Yeh’ve all served me better than I deserved over the past twenty-six years. Some of yeh ain’t been around that long, but yeh’ve still made me proud to call meself Captain of The Heartbreak. I can’t tell yeh what an honor it’s been, but it’s time fer me ta step down. With this raid, Sol can finally age himself up and become a man... and yer new Captain.” When he hears no dissent, he steps forward and places his hat on Solaris’ head. “Congratulations, Captain Hallam. Yer future begins now.”
A hush falls over The Heartbreak’s deck as Pogue’s words start to sink in. Renton gasps. Whispers fill the silence. The air changes, becomes almost alive, teeming with a ravenous, excited energy. It’s been years since The Heartbreak has changed captains. Years since Pogue’s allowed himself to just be, without shouldering the responsibility of an entire pirate crew.
But that time is over. The next generation of Hallams has come. And this is only the beginning.
