Hugh was bored. On the ship there was always something happening. A game of dice, or one of the sailors would be singing, or even chores to do. That is it, I have gone mad. I am so bored I think I would rather be checking lines or swabbing the decks. I thought we came here to trade not sit in the boat forever.

He looked at the captain, who was sitting at he prow calmly smoking his pipe. Why is he so calm? I have seen him threaten to throw a harbormaster into the bay when he made us wait half this long. What is it about this man?

Hugh once again turned his attention to the cloaked figure standing on the dock. He had tossed them a rope when they arrived, and even helped them tie off. But as soon as they were secure he told them to wait in the boat. He did not ask he simply told them to wait. He is not that big, why are we just sitting around like this?

Unable to take it any more he stood and leaned past the two men on the rowing bench. “Captain,” he whispered, “Why are we doing this?”

The captain’s eyes narrowed and his pipe made a small circle as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. Slowly taking out his pipe, he pointed at with its stem a the man on the dock. “The man there said we wait in the boat. So we wait in the boat. It is that simple.”

Hugh blinked, and shook his head. “But we have been here for hours. I have seen you threaten bigger men for wasting less of our time.”

“So you think the captain should encourage the man to hurry, do you?” the sailor to his left asked. “Think he should just hop on the dock and threaten to toss him in the river, if he does not get a move on?”

To be honest that was exactly what he was thinking, but the condescension in his tone made it clear that was not a good idea. Hugh cleared his throat and tried again. “No, but we should at least be able to stretch our legs. If he will not even give us the courtesy of standing on the dock, then maybe he should spend some time in the river.”

“That is a monumentally dumb thing to suggest boy.” The captain’s voice picked up the iron tone he had when backing out orders. “They are a very valuable trading partner, and I will not upset them because a brat, still wet behind the ears, wants to stretch. You will sit back down, and keep your mouth shut.”

Hugh swallowed, and sat back in the bottom of the boat. He felt the captain glaring at him and stared at the bottom of the boat.

“Do not take it too hard,” whispered the rower on his right. “Anywhere else you would have been right. But not here.”

“But why?” he whispered back after checking that the captain, had turned to look out over the river.

“It is because of who they are. They have strict rules, but break any and they will never trade with you again. And that would be if we were lucky. Heard stories of men insulting them only for a single crewman to bring back a boat full of arrow riddled bodies.” The older man inclined his head to the man on the dock. “You only see the one on the dock. But I promise you there are a lot more we cannot see in the trees.”

“They would do that if we got out of the boat?” Hugh could understand if it started a fight, but to kill crewmen over it seemed mad.

“They would and have,” the captain’s voice broke into their conversation. “They only spared the last one so he could deliver the message, not to come back. Now I would appreciate it if you two would shut your gobs, and let me enjoy my pipe.”

The sailor nodded at the captain’s words and turned away from Hugh. This left Hugh, slowly looking over the treeline for the archers the sailor said were lying in wait.

After almost an hour of seeing nothing but trees, Hugh gave up. Sliding under the tarp that covered the trade goods, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

…

He awoke to the sound of voices. Gently sliding out from under the tarp, he saw two more cloaked figures had joined the first on the dock. One was a large bushy bearded man, who was talking to the Captain. The second figure stood a few paces back, and shorter than the rest.

As the captain and the large man haggled, Hugh sat up on his knees and placed his elbows on the dock. “Psst,” he whispered at the nearest figure, “what are they arguing about?”

The figure spun causing its hood to fall back. He had expected it to be a boy around his age, instead a girl a little younger than him stared at him wide eyed. Her eyes quickly narrowed, and he got the impression of a cat that had just been startled.

“Sorry,” he whispered as she glared at him. “I did not mean to startle you.”

The sandy haired girl’s face scrunched up as if he had insulted rather than apologized to her.

“I did not mean to offend you,” he whispered insistently. How do I smooth this over? His mind raced through lines he head heard his classmates use to sooth their partner’s tempers.

Giving his best smile he tried the line that seemed to get his friend Fredrick out of as much trouble as he got into. “I have given offense, and can only beg your forgiveness. Would that you find it in yourself to forgive me? It hurts me to have caused such discomfort to such a beautiful lady.” For a heart beat he though it was working, but at the word “lady” he saw murder in her eyes.

The sudden change in her appearance caused Hugh to fall backwards into the boat. A moment latter, a large knife buried itself in the deck where his arms had just been. He swallowed as she bent down to pull it out the dock. Then with a look of satisfaction, pulled her hood back up and walked to stand closer to the other two hunters. As his eyes followed her, he noticed the captain was glaring at him.

…

[Olivia’s POV]

Once the traders left, Olivia followed Kojar and the others to the log cabin they stored trade goods in.

“So what did you think?” The large man asked, opening the door for the rest of the group.

“The papers said what they were supposed to,” she replied stepping past him. “If you are happy with the arrangement, then we just need to double check when they deliver the goods.”

“Not a particular trusting thing to say,” the hunter behind her said as he came through the door. “That boy even tried to flirt with you, I cannot believe you tried to stab him.”

“I did not try to stab him. I just reminded him to keep his arms in the boat,” Olivia replied glaring a the man. That freckle faced jerk snuck up on me, and then had the nerve to call me a lady! I volunteered to handle the reading and writing for Kojar, just to get away from her ladyship’s “lady” lessons. Not for some half-sized pirate to refer to me that way…

“Let her be,” Kojar waved the rest of the hunters in. “She is just at that age. What did you think of their terms?”