Valona Port was huge.

As they neared it, Kat realized it might be as large as her entire town. And at first, it appeared just as reasonable. Caddies and shacks selling fish and other sea creatures, fishermen exchanging stories, seagulls screaming in the sky.

Of course, the place reeked of fish, but she was used to it from the market of her own town.

The closer they came to the docks, things changed. The patrons became rowdier, larger, the taverns and stalls more beaten down. She could swear that a few of the weather worn men they encountered were actually retired pirates.

As the stone slabs beneath their feet changed into creaking wood, Cage took her hand and pulled out a dagger. Kat hesitated. Sure, the place was obviously shady, but as far as she knew, so were all docks, but that didn't mean they had to draw attention to themselves by being outright threatening.

He seemed to have a completely different idea as he walked on, twisting the dagger between his fingers.

"Why are you doing that?" she whispered.

"Trust me, sweetheart. If you looked like your normal self, I'm sure someone would've tried to grab you by now. This is not a place to wonder without being trouble yourself." He continued to play with the dagger in a clear show of skill.

His affirmation made her pull closer to him because she could feel the danger around them. People glared, obviously not taking kindly to gutsy strangers. Kat suddenly wished the others could see Cage's real image. She was sure his size would dither many of them and maybe dim some of the hostility. At least she was still tall.

"Could you take off the veil?" she whispered, holding on tighter to his hand.

"I could, but I'm pretty sure half of these unsavory characters would recognize me."

"Really?" They all looked so frightening and dangerous. Why would they know Cage well enough to recognize him after seven years of absence?

The slightly guilty grin he gave her made her realize that she didn't want to know. Especially once a large, muscular man with an eye patch blocked their path. His lips were twisted in a snarl, and his beedy dark eye was narrowed. His bulging arms were filled with tattoos.

"Just where do ya think yer going, matey?"

Kat halted, her pulse rising with unease. Cage did, too, an inexplicable grin on his face.

"And wondering around with a lass." The man shook his head in pity. "So stupid."

"Now why don't you get out of our way and mind your own business? We don't want trouble."

"Then maybe you shouldn't've wondered inta my side of the docks."

"Your side?" Cage clicked his tongue. "As far as I'm aware, these docks belong to the king."

The burly many huffed. "The king himself wouldn't dare set foot here without an army."

"True. He usually sends the navy to quiet you scoundrels. How has that been going lately?"

The man tensed, anger flashing on his face. "That's no concern of yers. Now I suggest you hand over yer gold pouch for trespassin' and head on outta here before something happens to you or yer lass."

"And I suggest you move out of my way before I hang you up by your peg leg," Cage retorted, his tone light.

The man's eye widened thus time, the malice replaced by fear.

"Again," Cage said, for good measure. "Selvig."

"Wha-- How?"

Cage stopped playing with the dagger and pointed it at his neck. "I'm done playing around. Move."

This time, the man did. Kat couldn't blame him. The obvious order in Cage's tone left no room for disobedience. He pulled her hand and the two of them strode past Selvig.

"Yer heading inta witch territory, yeh are," he called after them.

"I know exactly where I'm going," Cage said, not slowing their pace or looking back.

"Admiral?" The word was a whisper in the wind and Cage ignored it.

Kat's heart started thumping even faster. Had they been recognized? Were they in even more danger? But the docks beyond Selvig were abandoned and the wooden planks rotten.

"Do you know that man?" she whispered, even if they were too far off for him to hear.

"Yeah. Selvig was a good rat, selling me information about the other smugglers and pirate activity," Cags answered. "And before you ask, I did hang him from his peg leg at some point for lying to me."

She was tempted to ask for details but decided not to. "What did he mean, witch territory?"

"What do you think?" He stopped and let go of her hand. "Look around you. There's nothing here."

He was right. The few shacks looked fallen in and abandoned. She'd thought it was mostly because it was a tiny pier stretching on the side of the bluffs, but maybe there was more. It was unsettling after the bustling life of the rest of the docks.

"This place is touched by magic."

The words had the hairs on Kat's neck standing. "How can you tell?"

Cage lifted his hand and turned it over, as if he could feel something else but the seldom spray of saltwater. "It's like a buzz in the air. Similar to the droplets of water."

She couldn't feel it, but maybe it was better. She really had to stop thinking about magic as something dangerous and forbidden when they would both easily fall under the definition of witches themselves. But it was easy to forget when their lives were normal. Or a lot more normal than they used to be mere weeks ago.

"Why does this place exist?" With how much King Fherras hated magic, it was a wonder he hadn't torn it down completely by now.

"The king doesn't know about it. The navy raided it once, but we found no one. The very next day, a freak storm destroyed three of our largest ships. Let's just say we knew better than to not leave it alone."

"If it's empty, then why are we here?"

"It was empty at the time, but that doesn't mean we didn't find signs that it was inhabited." He took her hand again and continued walking.

The pier followed the bluffs further away from the main port and into a small cove. The moment they rock wall made a turn, a large ship with three masts came into view. The sails were rolled up, but appeared to be black. It was docked by a small shanty which looked a lot better off than most of the shacks by the official docs.

"If I'm not mistaken, that would be our ship out of here," Cage said, his voice cheerful again.

Kat just nodded, but she didn't like this. Sure, the ship looked clean and not about to sink at the palest gust of wind, but the fact that it was all the way back here gave her goosebumps. He, of course, seemed unaffected by this matter as he strode to the door of the shanty. Since there was no one around, not even manning the crates on the docks, he just pushed the door open and let himself in.

She joined him inside what appeared to be a hall, since it was nothing but a very narrow room with a bench, two chairs and a tiny table. There were two empty glasses on the table, next to a bottle which was sill half filled with a brownish liquid. The place was obviously not abandoned anymore.

Cage seemed to tense as he took in the signs of human presence, so he actually knocked on the second door leading further into the shanty.

"Come in," called a pleasant man's voice from inside.

She frowned at the sound of it, but didn't have time to pass any judgement before Cage stepped inside and she had to follow.

The new room appeared to be an office of sorts since it contained two more chairs and a large desk. It was fairly large and there were crates stored against the right wall. On the left side of the back wall, there was another door. A candelabra with three burning candles lit the room.  It was all Kat could gauge before her eyes fell on the man behind the desk.

He leaned back in his chair, his boots on the desk, ankles crossed, hands behind his head. She almost gasped. He seemed about the same age as Cage and his face was very handsome with a strong jawline covered by a bit of stubble, black eyes and hair the color of dried blood. He wore a simple white shirt and a waistcoat which emphasized his strong build.

"What brings you here, wondering strangers?" the man asked, his voice just as smooth and pleasant as before.

"We are looking to lease your ship for a task," Cage said, mimicking his care-free tone.

"A task you say." The man sounded even more amused. "And what would such a task entail?"

"Mainly transportation for me and the misses."

"Where to?"

"We're not sure."

"Then it's not just transportation." The man narrowed his eyes and sat upright in his chair. "That will cost you extra."

"Money is not an issue."

His narrowed eyes moved from Cage to her and he seemed to falter. Kat was sure that she'd imagined it, but for the briefest moment, it seemed like his eyes had gone from black to white. But that was impossible. It was most likely the flickering light of the candles that played tricks on her. When his attention shifted back to Cage, he seemed a lot more guarded.

"Alright. Let's say I bite. How long do you assume this will take?"

"I'm hoping as little as possible," Cage responded in the same friendly voice, but she could feel him tensing the tiniest bit.

For a few nerve-wracking seconds, the man was quiet, glancing at the two of them through narrowed eyes. Then he grinned and leaned back in his seat again.

"Jinx," he called. "Bring in the papers."

The door behind the desk opened and Kat had to keep in her gasp as a gorgeous woman stepped through, carrying a stack of papers. Her hair was flaming red, falling in intricate waves to the small of her back, her eyes green like the rarest seaglass. She wore a simple white shirt, a red waistcoat, light brown pants that hugged her hips and knee high boots. She was shaped like a hourglass and that combined with her unusual hair, small nose and freckles made her someone no one could miss in a crowd. For some unfathomable reason, it made Kat wish her real looks weren't concealed by the veil.

She only threw them a fleeting glimpse as she walked over to the man and passed him the papers, after which she settled on the arm of his chair. Much too close to him for it to be appropriate. But then again, she as wearing trousers, so she was most likely not one for social graces.

"Right," he said, as if a woman of ethereal beauty hadn't just walked in. "Let's see... Accommodations, travel expenses, supplies for you and the crew...." He jotted out things on the documents with a pen and seemed to be making some calculations. "That would be five hundred gold coins."

"What?" The ludicrous amount snapped Kat out of her admiration of the woman. It was a small fortune.

"Done," Cage said with a shrug.

The man narrowed his black eyes at him, but the woman grinned, as if he found Cage too entertaining. Kat got a sick urge to pull the veil off Cage as well, see if she could look at him like that if she saw the real him. Would he make her heart flutter? Why did it even matter?

"Well, that was easy," the woman said. Her voice was very pleasant as well.

"Done?" The man didn't seem to feel that way. "Do you even have that much money?"

As if to spite everyone involved, Cage pulled the money pouch off his belt and tossed it on the table. It opened up and a few gold coins rolled on the wooden top. The redheaded caught one of the coins and rolled it between her fingers. Then she put it in her mouth and bit down on it.

"It's legit," she announced.

This did not seem to appease her companion  who kept glaring at them, the suspicion in his eyes only heightening.

"Who throws down the value of a mansion without seeing the documents, without knowing the name of their potential companions?"

He had a very good point, but Cage just shrugged again. "I've been referred to you, so I trust you."

"Referred?" The man leaned back. "This is new. Who referred you?"

Cage pulled a small card out and handed it to him. The man took it and stared at it, leaning his forehead in his hand in such a way that he protected his eyes from view. The more he looked at it, the more his shoulders tensed.

"No," he finally said.

The word shocked the breath out of Kat seeing as there was a huge bag of gold right there.

"Jazz?" the woman asked, seeming just as confused.

"I'm definitely not getting into this shit. No." He lifted his head and tossed the card over the gold. His easy demeanor suddenly felt threatening.

Cage narrowed his eyes, studying the man with newfound interest. "This is interesting. You're a mercenary, basically. Why would you say no when I didn't even try to negotiate your price?"

Jazz let out a hallow laugh. "I'm a mercenary? But what are you?"

Cage stiffened. "A customer."

"Oh, no. You're definitely not a customer. You're--" He halted, his dark gaze moving to her. "Jinx, please escort the lady out."

"What? No! I'm not leaving!" Kat squared her chest and stepped forward, probably looking very comical with her skinny frame and hooked nose.

"Oh, trust me. You don't need to be here for this," Jazz said, his voice once again pleasant. "You'll be right outside the door anyway and Jinxy will keep you company. And after I'm done, it will be up to your... husband if he will tell you what we've discussed."

Kat expected Cage to tell him to knock it off, that anything he had to say to him could be said to them both. It hurt when he didn't, even if his head was tilted in curiosity rather than a shared secret, so maybe he didn't know what the mad mercenary wanted and was just curious to find out.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm sure it won't last long and you'll be safe outside." The last few words were spoken in a tone that made it clear he meant for her to be on her guard and break Jinx's arm if it came to it. He trusted her training.

That bit of confidence he showed her finally had her stepping back with a huff. The fact that Jinx grinned as she led her out the door only made her hate it more. But she trusted Cage would share the big secret with her. Whatever it ended up being.

The moment the door closed behind Kat and Jinx, Cage dropped all pretense and let the animosity in him show.

"Okay, what's the deal?"

"The deal..." Jazz leaned back in his seat and placed his boots on the desk again. "You take me for an idiot and there's no way I'm risking my neck for a man like that."

"What in the crimson hell are you talking about?"

"A customer." Jazz huffed. "Coming here with a large bag of gold and a card from a sea witch."

Oh. Cage wasn't sure what he'd expected to happen when he handed Jazz the card, but not this. He thought it would help, that he'd see it as a sign of alliance, not recognize Cecile's magic on it. Truth was, if the fairy treated Jazz the way she'd treated Cage, he really couldn't blame him for wanting nothing to do with anything she'd ever touched.

"Yeah, okay, it was Cecile."

"It's not even that." Jazz stood from his seat. He was remarkably tall, almost as tall as Cage was. He probably saw himself towering above the ugly frog man. "It's you."

Cage couldn't help putting his hand on the pommel of his sword. "What about me?"

Jazz's gaze moved to the weapon, but it only made him huff again. "You wouldn't even get to touch me with that."

"I wouldn't be so sure. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I know perfectly well what you're capable of." The color of his irises began to swirl, turning from black to milky white, as if he'd suddenly gone blind. "Do you think I don't know who you are, Kale Pengranton? Do you think I can't see beyond your veil?"

Cage couldn't help but take a step back, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "What the fuck?"

"Oh, yes," Jazz said, his eyes still milky white. "I know your name, I see what you look like, and I know who you are."

"I have no idea--"

"Your Majesty." Jazz's voice was low, but firm, leaving no room for interruptions. "A king without a kingdom, searching to put another on the throne."

"You don't--"

Jazz suddenly frowned and his eyes flickered. "Your brother. And..." He groaned and covered his eyes with his hand.

Cage just stood there like an idiot, his mind drawing a blank because he couldn't understand any of this. When Jazz looked to him again, his eyes were once again black. It didn't explain anything and there was no use pretending that he wasn't at a loss.

"How do you know all that?" Cage asked, his voice low.

Jazz nodded towards the card. "You're not the only one Cecile enjoyed playing with. They have a thing for complicated games, you know."

"She cursed you, too?"

"Long ago." He narrowed his eyes again and Cage expected them to go white, but they didn't. "She lifted yours."

"She fucked mine up."

Jazz leaned his hand on the back of his chair. "Do tell."

Maybe it was crazy, but being in the presence of one of Cecile's other victims removed the need for pretense altogether. "She cursed me to turn women who found me attractive to stone. And if I wouldn't kill them that way, I'd morph into a sort of beast that would kill everyone around me."

Jazz winced. "Yeah, okay, that sucks more than mine. She must've really hated you."

"I rejected her."

"Oh, no. We never do that."

Cage bit his lower lip, wondering if Jazz had been in the same predicament as him, if he'd actually given the witch what she wanted. Hell, he was good loooking enough to draw her eye. But that didn't explain why he was cursed.

"I found that out the hard way. She lifted some of it, though because she eneded up being wrong about me."

"And tied you to Kat," Jazz said with a nod.

"Wait, how do you know her name?" Cage squinted at him. "What does your curse do?"

Jazz let out a defeated sigh. "I see people's fates."

The answer was shocking and Cage took a few moments trying to determine what that might mean. "You mean the future?"

"Not the future in general. When I see a person, I see the strings of their fate. Of course, it's not always clear since every action and every decision can change it, but I see the most likely outcome."

"Then how did you know my past?"

"Because your past is part of your fate. It brought you here." Jazz massaged his forehead. "Look, I don't know how to explain it."

"But that basically means you do see some of the future."

"I guess so."

"That actually sounds useful."

The hallow laugh Jazz let out had Cage's stomach sinking to his feet. Of course there was a catch. It was Cecile they were dealing with.

"It might, but it's worse. I can never share whatever it is I see."

Cage frowned. "Why not?"

"Because if your future holds something good and I tell you, I sever that thread and it never happens. If I see something bad and I warn you, I strengthen the thread and ensure it will happen."

Yep, that was definitely a curse. "Why would she do something like that?"

"It's the only way these kinds of gifts can work. It ensures fate can follow its course without interference."

It made sense in some weird way and Cage was starting to appreciate his own modified curse. It was a lot easier to bear than this. His eyes drifted to the bag of gold between them. Jazz sighed, massaging his forehead.

"Damn this to hell and back," he muttered. "She knew what she was doing. It's not like I can escape this."

"Can you see your own fate?"

"Yes. And that's the biggest curse of all." He stood in thought for a few moments, then the easy grin returned to his face. "So I guess we have a deal. For this delicious bag of gold, you and the lovely Kat can come aboard and we'll search for the lost prince together."

Cage stiffened at his words because it was still odd for Jazz to know things that no one told him. "Isn't this part of telling me things that won't happen?"

Jazz's grin only widened. "My dear Kale, I'm not telling you how the search ends."

"Call me Cage, please. But do you know how it ends?"

"Nope. There are too many strings in the way of that. We'll take it as it goes. Now let's inform the ladies of our gentleman's agreement, and then I can take you to meet the crew."

Cage nodded, though he still felt the need to keep his hand on the hilt of his sword. Jazz didn't seem bothered, but of course he wouldn't be if he could see the blade coming even before Cage could make a definite decision. Even if they were both cursed, he couldn't say he liked this.

But Cecile had made another move on her chess table, and he had to live with that.

You are not hallucinating! I have updated so soon! But I was very anxious to get to this part of the story and introduce you to our newest characters.

I'm not going to ask you what you think about them since they're still new, but I am curious what you think about Jazz's curse. Feels very confusing, doesn't it? What does he know? What did he see?

We're going to have more fun soon enough so stay tuned!