"So you agreed on my behalf just because the pirate leader was a woman."
When the Portal opened that evening, Annan was at a loss for words.
Faster said, "But you're a Sorcerer."
"You too? My Lord's Manor still has only one maid." The Sea breeze felt especially cold that night.
Faster thought about it. Annan really had never been the subject of a scandal, and he even kept his distance from Evelyn. Maybe he was right. "But she's very charming."
"How charming? I mean... how charming can a woman who rules a band of pirates be? Is she a Sorcerer too?"
Annan's attempt to recover did nothing to soften the growing contempt in Ingrid's gaze behind him.
"Now you've got me wondering..." Faster tried to recall whether he had been charmed, but nothing came to mind. "What a pain... thinking was never a Warrior's strong suit."
"Don't drag all Warriors into this. You're the only one who isn't very bright." Francois was wiping down an arrow shaft in the background.
"Then you've never met an Orthodox Warrior. Compared with them, Martin's like the cleverest king in the whole country."
"Why compare a country and its king?"
"Because a king who rules a bunch of idiots is still an idiot."
Annan put a stop to their Martin-insulting session and asked Francois, "Do you think I should agree?"
"Better not refuse. They're a bunch of lunatics..." Francois described what he had seen. They cared nothing for life or death; all they enjoyed was plunder.
What kind of woman could rule lunatics like that and make them obey her?
"Can you deal with these pirates?"
Star-Moon Bay would gain a fleet of pirate ships, a port to use as a foothold, and unobstructed access to the surrounding waters.
"None of us can