The sight of that bell smashed away any doubts about this being an island under Calico Jack's purview. There was no chance this hamlet could afford, or even desire, a bell of such opulence. The bell had some significance on the island, perhaps some significance related to the strangeness going on with the citizens. Whatever the meaning, Anne didn't wish to stay long enough to find out, but she had the feeling that to continue, she would have to find out.
Each of the villagers in the centre of the village took note of them, nearly in unison, and each did the same simple wave and hello the farmers and their sons had done on the way in. Two flicks of the wrist, a slight bow of the head, and back to what they were doing before. If not for the consistent banging from the smithy, and the horses chomping, the village would have been silent for the few heartbeats that the wave took.
Alexandre and Victoria walked past Anne, and only then did she notice she had stopped moving. "Intéressant…" the Frenchman mumbled on his way past.
"Wait, Alexandre," she called sharply.
Alexandre stopped and turned on his heel. "Oui? Yes?"
Though he had stopped, his tone was curt and perfunctory. His eyes wandered with each movement from the villagers, and his tapping foot alluded to his impatience more than anything about his manner. It seemed his foot was the most spirited thing at that moment, a stark contrast to the people around them who seemed to be merely going about the motions of activity. If this were a play, the villagers were the atmosphere, and he the principal.
Anne leaned forward and spoke for Alexandre's ears only. "There's something… odd about all this. We need to stay together."
Alexandre smiled, though the smile was as devoid of life as the hamlet around them. "Then you may stay together. I wish to learn more of this… étrangeté… my own way."
As though the matter were settled, he turned back around and walked away. It was then that Anne noticed Victoria already talking with some of the citizens, a sheaf of paper in one hand and a piece of graphite in the other. She had her shield and short sword exposed, and she and the people she was talking with paid them no heed from what Anne could tell.
Anne shook her head and rubbed her temples. After a moment, she composed herself and headed towards the general store to see if she could gather some information. Before heading up the steps to enter the store, she instructed the crew, save William, to stay outside, but within sight.
Anne and William both stepped up the well-worn wooden steps and into the general store. The cracked paint on the wood and the groans and creaks as they stepped spoke to the age of the building, and if that hadn't been enough, the scuffs and indents that warped the wood over the years was a reasonable testament.
Inside the store, a small establishment that could fit no more than thirty in the room standing shoulder to shoulder, the walls were lined with an assortment of miscellaneous items. Glass display cases separating the standing area from the owner also contained all manner of trinkets for sale.
On the left, there were bags and tins of spices, dried meat and other fresh produce from the farms outside, next to what appeared to be a second-hand set of pots, a dark iron fire poker and tongs made by the local smith, and some tools Anne wasn't familiar with. At the back, Anne saw other, heftier tools for maintaining livestock and axes and pistols and muskets with ammo and cleaning instruments in the glass cases. On the right, there were homespun fabrics and clothing made in town, from what Anne could tell, and separated on its own were well-made clothes and dresses that must have been imported. In the glass cases in front of the clothes, there were glasses of assorted sizes, ladies' gloves, and toys for children.
Because of the size of the village, Anne surmised the general store was the sole source of any of the items found inside and thus probably sold liquor stored in the back as well. That made the general store the hub of information and trade, and their best chance at getting information.
That was if this were any ordinary hamlet with ordinary citizens. And, so far, this had been anything but ordinary.
The owner of the general store stepped out from the back and into the main room when he heard Anne and William enter. He gave the two the same wave and hello the others had and then walked over closer to them while still staying behind the glass cases so that he was handy to any of the items for sale.
"Hello, good sir, we're—" Anne bit her tongue.
She had been going to explain that they were sailors seeking supplies due to a storm forcing them off course when they happened upon the island, but she had doubts about her own cover story. The way these villagers were acting, however, could be part of the manner they were supposed to act around Silver Eyes' men. Perhaps the strangeness was synchronized through practice, and perhaps the relationship was a healthy one for both parties and explained why they were given a warm welcome. Maybe it was all in her head, and maybe not.
Anne decided to err on the side of caution and do her best to act as though she belonged there. She straightened her back, her eyes cast down with a slight air of hostility and authority.
"We're here for the next shipment," she continued. "But this is a new assignment for
