Malspire by Nikolai Bird Page A

the perfect officer. I was unkempt, where my twin was pristine in his naval uniform with its thick cloth in rich blues and gold and bicorn hat. I had taken to wearing an older style, wide brimmed tricorne hat, and long coat waxed and worked to a near black with cheap buttons, yet well made. Made to last the rigors of the sea, wind and rain. I wore comfortable and serviceable clothing while Ajator wore what was expected of the son of a lord admiral.
    “Frilly fool,” I would tease Ajator who would then laugh, agreeing with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
    I did not find Ajator that night, but the next morning Ajator found me instead, standing not far from the Sea Huntress where the ship was taking on supplies. About us men were busy loading the ship, with carts trundling past, gulls scavenging dropped food and women calling to the sailors to come and spend a little money. A rat dared anyone to hit it by standing atop a barrel sniffing the sea air. A cat was crouched low, creeping up on it. A ship’s bell chimed and a drunk sat singing under the eaves of a tavern, singing the Lost Maid of the Far Shores song. He would stop every so often to great passers-by with a "good mornin' to ya, sir."
    “It was an honest fight, brother.”
    “Who did it?” Ajator asked, tensing.
    “It doesn't matter. I gave as good as I got,” I grunted.
    “He gave you a black eye.” said Ajator, relaxing a little when he saw my flippant disregard for the hurt. It did hurt.
    “Aye. It's true. It was one of the crew. A huge man called Jodlin. Lost all his teeth already, but I broke his nose.”
    “One of the crew struck an officer?”
    “I dropped rank for the evening,” I pointed out. For a second Ajator looked shocked, but then smiled, obviously realising that he might have done the same.
    “We had a fight, we gave each other a beating. No harm done,” I said, rubbing my cheek which still ached from Jodlin’s crushing right fist.
    “And what did Captain Crosp say when he saw your face?”
    “I told him I fell down some stairs, to which he remarked that I was always falling down stairs.”
    Ajator laughed, at which point, Jodlin appeared on deck and smiled a toothless grin when he saw me.
    “Stop grinning you gormless idiot and get back to work, Mister Jodlin!” I scowled. Jodlin knuckled his forehead and wondered off, still grinning.
    Ajator, bemused, said, “The man’s a monster!”
    “Not too bright either, but when the time comes for a proper fight, I'm pleased we can call upon his services. As long as he isn't too drunk.”
    Then Captain Crosp appeared on deck looking stiff and stuffed up in his finest clothing, hands held behind his back. He was doing his rounds and pointedly ignored me although he nodded at Ajator.
    “That bastard’s a mean one,” I said in darker tones.
    “You shouldn’t speak like that about your captain.”
    “No? What’s the admiral like then?”
    Ajator thought about this. “A little stiff perhaps,” he smiled.
    How my brother could lift my mood. Even I would smile in Ajator’s company which would make the crew stop and stare as though something were wrong.
    "How goes the fight against the beastmen?" I asked, changing the subject.
    "A deadlock, it would seem."
    Ajator had recently been fighting the beastmen invaders in the east. I had never seen one but I had read about the creatures in the papers. It seems they are men, but so twisted in shape and barbaric in nature that they could just as easily be compared to rabid dogs as human beings. Some even had the heads of animals it was said.
    "Is it true they eat the flesh of men? Father says so." I had always wondered what that would taste like. Biting my own fingernails does not count.
    "I believe so," said Ajator. "To be honest we've never been that close to them. We've sent a few of their crude vessels to the bottom of the ocean but I've never been close enough to study one or observe their eating habits. Next time I see them, I shall take notes