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Tides of Chaos - Chapter 2




Tides of Chaos is a brand new standalone novel in the world of Dakaal that explores the world of the pirates seen in Regret (Book 1 of the Assassins of Dakaal series). This is Dark Fantasy. It may contain instances of horror elements, steamy scenes, and dark humor.


This book contains a pirate crew that is inclusive (including disabled, LGBTQ+, and diverse characters). Please be aware of this and if this will bother you then this is not the book for you.


This book is being written with all the best intentions and the author welcomes thoughts from people in those communities to insure that they are being properly represented. Due research is being conducted and the main characters have interacted with people from those communities for years in other forms of media.


Tides of Chaos will be free-to-read as it is written. It is being posted as a serial novel with the goal of at least one chapter a week. As such it is being minimally edited before it is posted. If you would like to read the polished and professionally edited version please wait until it is published as a book. The author does welcome feedback from readers should they want to take the time to do so. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read this. I hope you enjoy these characters as much as I enjoy writing them.

 

CHAPTER TWO


Inxli glanced in a mirror to make certain the cosmetics on his face had not smeared then shoved the large plumed hat on his head, hiding his short pink hair. He adjusted his fancy ruffled shirt, put on his pink coat, tugged up his boots, then strolled out into Port-town. His town. The town he and Reckless had built. Nothing but fishing huts when they’d started. Now, just seven years later, it was a bustling and busy dock full of all sorts of sailors. Mostly pirates. This was a safe port for them and all that sailed under his flag were protected. Those who didn’t were either convinced they were wrong or their ship burned.


He didn’t think he was unreasonable. Not like the assassins guild who killed whoever didn’t obey. Well, sometimes he killed people. But only if they really did something stupid. He believed in giving people extra chances. After all, if you killed everyone you’d have to do everything yourself eventually. There would be no one left! But he only asked for a small cut of their findings and even normal sailors with shipping businesses or treasure hunting ships often took port here. A tiny fee was nothing compared to the actual protection of the pirate fleet.


People scattered out of his way as he strolled down the busy streets. Gone were the days when he had to worry about being stepped on or tripped over. He’d grown up an orphan on streets like this but now he had the power to make people respect him. Somewhere deep inside he was sure child-him was proud of them. So were his parents. He made a note to stop by and visit adoptive parents on the trip. The ship would be passing right by the little beach island they’d retired to.


He beamed, joy filling him, as he reached the massive ship docked there before him. Pink pirate flags rippled in the breeze, and the ship’s pink hull glittered in the late morning sun. The Flaming Flamingo, the largest pirate ship on the sea. All feared the sight of its radiance. Ships turned and fled when they spotted pink on the seas.


Inxli glanced at the horizon. Not a cloud in sight, the breeze was cool and gentle. A great day for a sail. Not that the weather out on the ocean couldn’t change quickly and dangerously but it’d take a kraken to sink his ship. Despite his father’s love of the deep sea monsters Inxli had only ever seen one in his lifetime. Thorne kept a pink kraken, affectionately named Chip, to guard their private island.


“Look alive ye bilge rats, Cap’n Inxli on deck!” Reckless called as Inxli sauntered up the plank to the ship.


The pirate crew, all dressed in bright pink as well, snapped to attention to salute Inxli. Inxli prided himself on only the best crew manning The Flaming Flamingo. And by best in his definition that meant people that were special but the world had outcast. Any gender, any race, any preferences were allowed and celebrated on this ship, as well as people the world called disabled and overlooked.


“Wait, wait! Does the King of the Seas go to battle looking like this? No, no he does not!” A petite person, who was still twice as tall as Inxli, darted up to kneel in front of Inxli. Whipping a cosmetics kit out of her pink silk kimono, Dalia stopped him with a finger to his chest then clucked her tongue. She pinched his cheeks a little before she put pink blush on them. “Darling, are you eating well enough? Is Reckless taking care of you? You seem more pale than normal today.”


Inxli sighed and closed his eyes before the flurry of the cosmetic brush. When Dahlia seemed appropriately appeased he grinned, only to get bring pink lipstick put on his thin lips as a reward. He huffed and pulled away before the cross-dressing cosmetologist could make him look too feminine. He was fine that Dahlia preferred it but he did not! He turned to catch Recklyss snickering at him and sighed.


It looked like Dahlia had helped Celeste that morning for the trip too, their navigator looked radiant despite the displeased purse of her lips. “Are you sure this is the course you want to plot, Captain?” Celeste asked, her shimmering mermaid’s tail catching the light as she flicked it. When she turned this way and that Inxli could see glitter shimmer on her dark skin as well.


Dahlia was a fan of glitter today apparently! Inxli brushed some off his fancy shirt, or tried anyway. A quick glance at the rest of the crew revealed some were reveling in the cosmetologist’s attention and the rest were doing their best to avoid her as she darted around the ship. Inxli turned back to Celeste. “That’s the course!”


Celeste used her magic to create legs instead of her tail, her long dress flowing down to trail along the deck as she stalked toward him. She threw a map out in front of his face. “This part of the sea is cursed you know. No one goes here, not even my people.”


“Yes, I realize that. It’ll be fine,” Inxli tried to wave her off. He wasn’t afraid of curses, that’s what they were after, a cursed object! The very one causing the curse probably.


“Don’t wave me off! I’m your navigator for a reason. I propose this path instead,” Celeste drew him a line with one of her long manicured nails.


Inxli scowled at her, considering the path. “But, Celeste. What I want is in the middle here,” Inxli pointed out as he jabbed the center of the cursed path with a finger. Inxli looked around the crew. “We’re sailing into cursed waters! Anyone want to stay in Port-town I won’t blame you.”


When the crew around them cheered Celeste gave him a sigh but returned to her place at the wheel. “Aye, aye Captain. As you say.”


“You can stay if you want, Celeste. Recklyss can navigate,” Inxli said as he plopped into the chair set up for him near the wheel.


“I’m not letting my family sail into cursed waters without the best navigator in the world!” Celeste huffed. “Ready to sail, Captain?”


“Let’s go!” Inxli cheered, excited, as the rest of the crew followed suit. They didn’t get to go on adventures as much anymore and the morale was high right now. The crew below heaved the anchor, and Celeste spun the wheel. The Flaming Flamingo slid out of the dock and out toward open sea.


A smaller ship passed them on the way in and its captain, Vyrgil, leaned over the rails to peer up at Inxli. “Where are you goin’?” Vyrgil called.


Inxli waved at them, noticing the worried look on Vyrgil’s face. Out of all the pirates he trusted Vyrgil the most to keep things in check when he was gone. “We’re going on an adventure! Keep my town from falling apart when I’m gone.”


“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Vyrgil said with a salute.


“Please be careful!” Rubei, Vyrgil’s husband, called as he joined Vyrgil to watch The Flaming Flamingo leave the docks.


Inxli sighed. Rubei. The elven lord just didn’t understand that being careful wasn’t part of being a pirate. Oh well, they were new. They’d learn!


“Don’t worry, darlings! I’ll make sure they’re safe!” Dahlia said, waving a fancy handkerchief at them and blowing kisses goodbye.


Inxli got out of his seat and went to watch with the rest of the crew as they entered the open sea. Recklyss wordlessly swung Inxli up onto his shoulders, standing taller than most of the crew, besides Pete. Pete towered over them all at the edge of the crowd, muscular arms crossed, and tears sparkling in his eyes. Pete always got emotional when they set sail.


Inxli did too, but a different sort of emotional. He settled onto Recklyss’s shoulders, quite used to his husband picking him up to help him see things better or to get him out of harm’s way. It’d annoyed him at first but now he knew Recklyss only meant well. It was quite handy for someone so short. His thoughts were interrupted when the wind gusted and blew the ridiculous plume on Recklyss’s hat into his face. He sneezed and batted it away, much to the amusement of the rest of the crew. Inxli cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure, then he pointed out to the sea. “To victory!”


“To victory!” The rest of the crew cheered. A few of them even saluted with mugs full of rum already. Inxli rolled his eyes. “And mind the rum!” He warned.


“Aye, we’re minding the rum,” one of the closest with a mug said with another salute and a snicker.


Inxli shook his head and looked again to the sea. The water was blue and calm, the sky was brilliant sapphire, the wind gusted just the right way to blow them out to sea and fill their massive pink sails. They couldn’t have had a better day to set out. He decided to take it as a good omen and sat there content as his crew celebrated around him.

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