Cinder had watched as Thorne manned the wheel of the ship with expertise. They were so far out to sea that Port Royal could no longer be seen on the horizon. This fact gave Cinder a spark of hope, and a jab of despair at the same time. She was so glad to be out of Port Royal because if she'd stayed, she would have been sent to the Gallows. But even if she'd never been arrested, she would have been a slave to the Linh house for her entire life. Now, she was free. She could do whatever she wanted with her life and be whoever she desired to become.

Yet, Cinder felt a ping of loneliness for one solemn reason. She would probably never see Kaito again. He'd been so kind to her, and seeing him gave her the courage to do incredible things. Sadly, to keep her freedom and her life, it was likely that she could never show her face in Port Royal again.

"Why so glum, Cinder?" Thorne called from the wheel. He had to shout for her to hear him, since she was half way across the ship from him. "We're free! Another wonderfully executed escape from the Gallows. And I couldn't have done it without you."

Cinder shrugged as she placed her weight against the last mast. "We wouldn't have needed to escape from jail if you hadn't kidnapped Ka- ... the governor's son."

The Captain eyed her in suspicion. "Do I detect a bit of sentiment in your voice?"

In response, she rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying, if you hadn't taken him hostage, you never would have been arrested."

He shook his head and sighed. "For the record, I saved his life and that stupid lieutenant used a handshake to find out that I'm a pirate. Such a wonderful way to thank me for saving that guy from drowning."

It was somewhat of a shock that Thorne had been arrested for saving Kaito from drowning. Though that's not exactly the reason why he was arrested. Still, it gave Cinder a little more insight into who Thorne really was as a person.

For a while, Cinder had thought Thorne was the reason for her being arrested. Then, she realized it was because of Kai. If she hadn't saved his life from Thorne, she would still be a swords-women, living under the Linh name. So the list of things Cinder and Thorne had in common.

A question popped into her mind. "How did that lieutenant know you are a pirate from a handshake?"

"I have a tattoo on my arm," he replied. Cinder's eyes went wide. "He must have heard of me already and knew about it. But almost all pirates have some sort of tattoo. That and a mark from the East India Company."

Standing upright, Cinder approached the wheel and Thorne. "A tattoo?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just a thorn bush, because I'm Captain Carswell Thorne."

"So .. could a pirate have a tattoo like mine?"

Thorne tensed at the mention of her tattoo. She already knew that it meant that she was a Lunar, somehow. She'd never met her parents, so she could have been Lunar.

Giving in, Thorne conceded, "Some Lunars do become pirates. There are even rumors that Levana has a secret navy of Lunar Soldiers at her command. But yes, it is possible for pirates to have tattoos like yours. I even happen to know one. And we're going to see her in Tortuga."

If she'd been drinking water, she would have had to spurt it out to prevent herself from choking on it. "Tortuga? Isn't that place crawling with pirates?"

Thorne chuckled, "Well it's a pirate port. I should hope it has loads of pirates there. Plus, we need to met a friend of mine. In fact, she's the same friend that has a tattoo with a likeness to your own. Maybe she could help you fill in the blanks about life as a Lunar."

Scratching the back of her head, Cinder considered meeting another Lunar. Levana and Aimery hadn't been at all pleasant. "Is she dangerous?"

Thorne's lips curled inwards. "Not as long as you don't make her angry."

.................

Docking the Solstice had been less difficult than Cinder and Thorne had expected. What was more peeving and impossible than two people sailing a ship than was meant to be crewed by fifty men was getting through the massive crowd of pirates, homeless people, ladies for hire, and crazed drunks.

Thorne dragged Cinder through the mob of people and yanked her out of the way of falling glass bottle, men, and drizzling liquor from windows.

Cinder was sure that this was probably the highest concentration of drunk people she'd even seen in her life. Again, today was a big day for new firsts. First time defending someone's life, first time breaking out of jail, stealing a ship, leaving Port Royal.

It felt like hours before Thorne led Cinder into a special bar that was scrawling with drunks. From what Cinder could tell, the walls and roof were barely standing up by the support of one another. The wooden walls were stained with liquors and what Cinder hoped was red whine. There were holes in the wood as small as bullet holes and as big as fists. The stench of sweat and grime hung over the bar like a mist. All of the people in the bar were half drunk or worse, and it was nothing different than what Cinder had imagined it would be.

One figure managed to catch her eye from the corner of her vision. A three cornered, black hat sat upon their head with red, curly hair flowing beneath it. She sipped a drink and held a controlled position at a table.

Thorne's winning smile made a reappearance when he saw her. "There she is. She's always hanging around here somewhere."

He walked over to Scarlet's table and pounded his fists onto the wood. "Scarlet Benoit. How long has it been?"

The girl turned her attention from her cup to the Captain, a scowl on her lips with narrowed eyes. Pushing herself from the table, she rose, showing her height and face. Freckles spread over her skin like flecks of paint. She was shorter than Thorne by a few inches, but towered over him in terms of confidence and demand of respect.

In a split second, her scowl morphed into a grin. Her expression kind and friendly. "Just long enough for us to have to meet again."

Abruptly, Scarlet threw her arms around Thorne in a bear hug. She squeezed the wind out of him in moment, which was a hilarious sight to see. Cinder would know of course, since she'd been there to witness it.

When Scarlet released Thorne from her death grip, she offered to buy him a drink. One that Thorne would turn down. "I'm trying not to get back into that cycle," he omitted. "You know how I was when I was drunk."

"Of course I do. You burned a ship down to nothing but the lifeboats that managed to get away."

Without even giving Cinder a glance, he waved her over, and Cinder approached the two of them with caution. The girl who Thorne had called Scarlet smiled at her kindly, though with a squint as well.

"A girlfriend? Really Thorne? I thought you swore off that kind of stuff after-"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Thorne interrupted. "She helped me break out of jail. And .. she's a very special girl I might add."

Scarlet's features scrunched in disarray. Thorne motioned for Cinder to show Scarlet her mark. Not seeing any reason to object, she brought up her wrist for Scarlet to inspect. Once Scarlet saw the mark, she was breathless. She took Cinder's wrist in both of her hand to verify what she was seeing.

"This is real?" Her question directed at Thorne.

"As far as I can tell." He was calm and collected as he spoke. Whatever was going on, Thorne was used to the anomalies of the world and was prepared to deal with whatever this was. "And Levana saw the mark herself. It's the reason this girl – uh, Cinder, by the way – was thrown in jail with me."

Releasing Cinder, Scarlet took a moment to consider what Thorne had just told her. Minutes ticked by, and Scarlet shook her head and grinned. "I have a feeling about what you're doing .... and I want in."

Thorne matched her expression and remarked, "Eager for a little revenge, are we?"

"You know what they say," Scarlet began. "Take what you can ..."

"Give nothing back," Thorne finished.

.....................

Standing on the furthest deck from the bars of Tortuga, Thorne inspected the sailors and pirates Scarlet had gathered to help them sail the Solstice. After all, they would need as many hands as they could muster to man the ship properly.

Thorne asked them all standard questions, regarding what they were doing here and why they wanted to sail with him. The most common answer was, "Because I have nothing to do."

In the end, all of the sailors Scarlet had found had proven themselves good enough for Thorne's approval, and they made their way to the Solstice to make way.

Once back on the ship, Thorne and Scarlet took to the wheel. Cinder watched as the men they'd hired worked and ran around the ship, lowering the sails, tying down the supplies, even swabbing the deck. It was like watching several parts of a machine working all at the same time. Oddly enough, Cinder was growing more used to the sights of the ship and crew more than she thought she ever would.

"How long have you been going by Captain Carswell Thorne? Last I heard, you were sailing a dingy across the Atlantic like a madman. And that was two years ago."

Agreeing, Thorne said, "Yep! And until yesterday, I was still sailing that stupid dingy. And look where I am now!"

"You're on a stolen ship, on the run from the Navies of Port Royal and Luna, and with a full on Lunar as well."

Pressing his lips together, he suggested, "So ... it's just another Tuesday?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes and turned away from the wheel, making strides for the map room of the ship. "Alright. But I'm your first mate on this adventure. You try to treat me as anything less and I will personally throw you overboard!"

She closed the door behind her as she entered the map room, and curious, Cinder followed her. Thorne made no move to stop her, most likely because he hadn't seen her go inside. She needed a few of her questions addressed. She wasn't going to leave without the answers she wanted.

And just to make sure Scarlet took her seriously, Cinder curled her fingers over the handle of her ax and kept her pistol strapped to her leg, ready to be used. She didn't know what Scarlet was capable of, but Cinder was nearly sure that Scarlet hadn't entered the map room with any weapons on her person.

Oh boy was she wrong.