adnor shooed away another seagull as he walked closely behind Garson.
"They're after that fish you're hiding in your tunic," Garson told him in a quiet voice.
"When will we get somewhere to cook it?" Radnor asked. "I'm starving!"
Garson looked over at his brother and could see him shaking in need of nourishment. They were only able to steal one fish that morning for food and nothing the night before. They'd barely eaten in the three weeks they'd left their province, but getting away had been more important in the beginning.
He looked around and saw a small alley across from a pier where two ships were anchored. Radnor followed him behind a stack of crates containing rum and dried goods.
"Grab some of that paper," Garson told him as he pointed toward a nearby stack.
He gathered some loose bricks and rocks to form a small firepit while he waited. There were sticks and fallen branches from a tree leaning over the roof of the restaurant that shared the alley with a fishing tackle shop. He cleaned them off to add to the paper and took the fish from Radnor.
"Start the fire while I get the fish ready," he instructed Radnor.
As they worked to make the fire and cook the fish, they kept an eye on both ends of the alley. Someone would step out from the side door of the restaurant from time to time to throw refuse into a barrel, but no one ever saw the boys hunched against the wall eating.
"She's a fine ship, Captain," a man's voice rang out.
It echoed between the walls, and Garson and Radnor stayed still in hopes they wouldn't be seen.
"Picked 'er up from a crew that didn't know how ta handle 'er," another man replied, a loud chuckle punctuating his answer.
"What're ye gonna call 'er, Captain Darragh?" the first asked.
"Thought of callin' 'er 'Ode To Lorey,' but that woman don't find it romantic to have her name ascribed to a ship," he chuckled and the other man laughed with him. "The Black Wood," he continued. "It'll be named fer me 'n the Black Forest of legend."
"Aye," agreed the other man. "Brings fear to superstitious folk."
Garson and Radnor looked at each other in surprise at the name. They kept quiet as the men continued.
"We'll be pullin' up anchor in the morn' if yer lookin' to join us," said the voice they had come to know as Captain Darragh's. "Sailin' far away from here this time. Heard of some prospects needin' to lighten their load," he laughed.
"I might do that," the other man replied.
"Good! Be here bright 'n early!" Captain Darragh instructed.
The two boys peeked around the crates to see the men part ways along the boardwalk. They stood but stayed low as they hurried to watch where the men were headed.
They ignored the taller man going into a tavern as the other walked down the pier. He called out to a few men who hurried to join him, then they walked up a boarding plank to the first ship they came to.
"It has to be a sign, Gar," whispered Radnor. "We planned on going to the Black Forest, and here's this ship and its captain named for it."
Garson nodded.
"We'll sneak on tonight," he told his brother. "First thing we have to do is learn how things work. We can help load some provisions on one of the cargo ships we passed and have a look around, talk to some sailors, find a good place we can hide on that pirate ship."
"Would it be the same?" wondered Radnor.
They both looked up at the tall ship with its sails rolled up and a hint of three black flags peeking out from behind the tops of the masts.
"I don't think it would be that different," Garson replied. "They all have the same basic needs: sleeping, eating, bathing, storing things for long voyages. Come on. Let's hurry so we can learn what we need to in the time we have left of the day."
They hurried from the alley toward a ship where they saw men carrying aboard crates and barrels.
"Do you think we'll see Mother again?" Radnor wondered. "That captain said they were sailing far away."
Garson sighed and rested his hand over his heart, where his mother's flower was still inside his pocket.
"We'll make our way back here as soon as we can," Garson told him. "When the people of that town have moved on to fear something besides my devil eye, we'll go back. We'll take Mother and leave for good."
"Maybe we'll find a nice town to bring her to on our travels," suggested Radnor. "We're about to visit a lot of new places that probably don't care about that eye and won't know what happened with Father. We can find a nice cottage where Mother can have a garden with butterflies and birds."
"It'll be nice to hear her sing to them again," smiled Garson. "Come on, brother. We have a lot to do before we can see to all that."
Radnor nodded and followed Garson to a stockpile of crates.
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