192 Laki Meets Macha

A dry cold wind nipped at Laki's nose as he tossed his empty bottle of wine into a pile of snow. He was tired of drinking and wanted to take a nap by the waterfall. It had been his responsibility to stay behind and perform maintenance on the airship.

By the time he finished his duties and returned to the hideout, the captives were already being killed. The whole situation pissed him off because he did not even get a chance to be with any of the women.

He pulled out an ivory comb and slicked back his corn-colored hair. A tooth from the comb snagged one of his earrings, eliciting a curse from him. He hated when it did that. Annoyed, he shoved the comb into his back pocket.

A small twinkle caught his eye. His eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head to the side. Within the shadows of the trees, the moonlight caused something to sparkle. Moving closer, his steps stopped creating the satisfying crunch from walking through the snow and he glanced down. Two pairs of footprints led to the shadows.

A smirk spread across his face as he thought, "Maybe I can get lucky after all."

He straightened his shirt, wanting to look as attractive as possible. When he moved a low-hanging branch, a dark dagger pressed against his throat.

His brows raised, "Whoa, let's not be too hasty here."

Macha had been watching this man walk towards her. At first, it appeared as if he would pass by without any problems, but then he suddenly glanced straight at her. She did not understand the language he used, which sounded the same as what the other pirates had spoken in.

"I'm sorry, I have to kill you," she replied, her voice trembled slightly.

She felt guilty because the man did not attack her. This would be her first time killing an unarmed person. It lacked honor even if she knew he was probably a bad man.

In her moment of hesitation, Laki's hand snaked out and grabbed the dagger. He twisted her wrist, forcing her to release the handle. As the weapon dropped, he caught it with his other hand and took a step back.

He released her and his fingers touched his chest. Giving her a roguish lopsided smile, he declared, "Sorry, don't plan on dyin' tonight."

White puffs of air escaped his lips with his breath and he gave her a playful wink.

Luckily for him, he spoke Yenafocee; it was actually his native tongue. In his youth, he worked as a pirate for Phocée. It wasn't until the civil war with Marseille did he join Captain Killigrew's crew.

When he disarmed her, she brought her offhand dagger into her right hand. Now, both of them stood pointing the ebony blades at the each other.

To alleviate the tension, Laki flipped the weapon as he thought of what to do next. The black weapon spun easily in his adept hands. The woman was odd looking, and he wondered what region she came from. Despite speaking Yennafocee, she had a heavy accent.

"Small handles… So, what's our plan? It's a beautiful night, we could have some fun."

He still did not have sex tonight and thought he would put the suggestion out on the table. She was small but better looking than most of the women in the village. Earlier, he was willing to do a threesome to get a little action, so not having sloppy seconds was a better bargain.

Macha's eyebrows came together. She understood what he meant. The lecherous look in his eyes made it so he need not say more.

"Pass," she replied flatly.

The man seemed relaxed, so she advanced and aimed her blade for his heart.

Despite Laki not focusing on the fight, he was still eight-hundred and twenty years old. He lived most of that life fighting on ships and watching his back. The small woman was good, but not good enough for him. With her speed, she probably could kill most of the crew in a one-on-one fight. Unfortunately for her, he was not some idiot who relied on the Captain to raise him every time they went out.

He stepped back and using his palm, he slapped the flat side of her dagger. When it was pointed away from him, he grabbed her wrist. He then pulled her arm high behind her.

"Drop it!" he said as he squeezed her wrist.

A sharp pain caused Macha to release the handle of her weapon. The black dagger fell to the ground and landed in the white snow. He kicked the dagger's pommel, and the weapon flew into a bush. White snowflakes fanned out into the air, reflecting the silvery moonlight.

His other hand reached up and stabbed the dagger he possessed, high into a pine tree.

After doing this, he remarked, "Ain't that better?"

Being close to a stranger who implied that he wanted to have sex caused Macha to freeze up. A shiver ran down her spine and flashbacks of Jarnvid's attack filled her vision. Tearing up, she struggled furiously.

Laki was surprised at how crazed the woman seemed to get.

Despite her size, she was stronger than he expected. In order to keep his hold on her, he put her into a grapple and both of them tumbled to the ground.

As they rolled around in the snow, he said roughly, "Calm down will ya?"

His hold tightened and she tried to move, but could not. The only thing she could do was claw at the man's arms. When she did that, he tightened his hold even more, and it became hard for her to breathe.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

In an attempt to injure him, Macha rocked her head back and forth, hitting his muscular chest. His arms stung from her scratches, but her struggles weakened with each second.

Through gritted teeth, he repeated, "Calm down. I jus' wanna talk wit' you."

He needed to uncover how she even got in here. If there was a security breach, he wanted to inform the Captain. Sex, if there would be any, would come after his questions.

Her head became dizzy from his chokehold. Her body was becoming weak, but the man did not touch her inappropriately. She settled down to test if he would loosen his grip. After she stopped struggling, his hold on her neck relaxed enough for her to breathe normally.

Still shaking, she asked, "W-what do y-you want t-to know?"

Laki was elated that the woman finally calmed down enough to talk. While he did not mind holding her, he needed to ask a few questions.

He changed the grapple, so he could look her in the eyes. Her small body pressed into the once clean snow; the pure white flakes were stained from their struggles.

In a calm voice, he asked, "How'd you get in here?"

Macha stared into the man's aqua-colored irises. She wanted to drag out this conversation as long as possible. She hoped that Tyr would return and deal with the man.

"What are you going to do with me?" she demanded.

He tilted his head. "Now, now. I inquired first. Unless manners changed, I believe you are being rude."

Before he joined Killigrew's crew, he was the youngest son of a lower noble family. In an effort to make the small woman relax, he replied using the noble's dialect because that was what the girl spoke.

Her eyes widened. She did not expect him to respond to her like that. A pirate knowing how to speak the dialect of the nobles confused her.

"We aren't in a situation that would require manners. What are you going to do with me?" she hissed.

The lopsided smile returned to Laki's face. "I suppose it would depend on how our conversation goes."

If she cooperated and then had sex with him, he would be willing to let her leave with no one else being the wiser. There was no reason for things to get ugly if she did not put up a fight. The Captain had already made a good sacrifice tonight, so there really was no need to capture the small woman.

A soon as he uttered those words, a loud explosion erupted and a blaze of fire came from the village square. Both of them watched as a tall wall of flame blazed across the ground. A heat wave washed over them, forcing their eyes shut. Around them, the snow melted.