Herbert nodded. "I'm sorry as well. I could have handled that better. And," he added with a wide grin, "I too promise not to drink anymore until the deed is done."
Edward and Herbert both laughed together, the first time that they had in a long while.
"Well, I see ye both're gettin' along well enough without me."
A familiar voice drew the two men's attention, and when they looked up, they saw a ghost in the flesh. Edward rose half from his seat at the sight of the man in front of them.
"S—Sam!" the two of them said in unison.
"I heard ye bastards thought I was dead. Don't ye know ye can't kill a man what looks this good? Why, just think of the ladies whose hearts would break."
"Sam!" Edward said again as he ran in to embrace his long-lost crewmate, Samuel Bellamy.
"Whoa, whoa, Captain, ease yourself. Don't bring any attention this way. As I understand it, you're here to kill the big man. Wouldn't do ta ruin the surprise now."
Edward pulled away from Sam. "How do you know what we're here for?"
Sam walked over to one side of the table and sat down. Edward joined him and sat back down to hear Sam's story.
"I met yer wife nearabouts a week past. She got me up ta speed with what you ran off ta do, and I agreed to come help."
The news that Anne knew where Edward was, and that Sam had come in her stead, was almost as shocking as the revelation that Sam was alive.
"I know," Sam said. "I had the same dumb look on me face. She's facin' off against Silver Eyes ta save the island he took over and keep him distracted. If ye ask me, she made the wrong move, but the woman's got standards, that much is true."
Edward nodded. If the people on that island needed her help, Anne wasn't the type to let them die, nor leave a job half-finished. As much as he yearned to see her again, this was probably her way of telling him to finish things as well.
"So, what about you? What happened after I escaped Cache-Hand?"
Sam waved his hand. "We got no time fer that. We'll small-talk later. Right now, we need to take care of yer pa," he said. "So, what's the plan?"
Edward and Herbert looked at each other, then back at Sam. "We don't have one. We just got here."
"I thought we might scout his villa and come up with a plan from there."
Sam chuckled. "Are… are ye boys tellin' true? Ye have no plan?" Sam shook his head and rubbed his face. "Well, there ain't no chance of ye getting ta him in his home. Too heavily guarded, so best leave that out. Ye need ta strike when he's outside. Me crew and I can help ye with an ambush, we jus have ta find the right time."
"You have a crew?" Edward asked. Sam gave him a stern look of disapproval. "Right, focus," he said. "That won't work, we don't have the time. Grace O'Malley will be looking for us soon, so it's now or never."
Sam's eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets. "Grace fuckin' O'Malley'll be lookin fer ye? The hell did you boys do?"
"We joined her crew to get here, and we're supposed to go meet Jack soon as new crew members," Herbert explained. "And could you not call us boys anymore? We're older than you."
Sam ignored Herbert's comment. "Wait, you're supposed to meet Jack?" Edward and Herbert both nodded. Sam looked at them both as though the next trail of thought were self-evident.
Edward shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. You said yourself, his home is well guarded. As soon as he sees either of us, it's over. Our only opportunity is a surprise."
"I'll handle the guards. I'll have me crew start a small riot o' sorts, something he won't be able to ignore. You use that chance ta finish him off and get outa there, head ta me ship the Whydah and we'll head back to yer wife. Done and done."
Edward hunched over in his seat, thinking it over in his head. He looked at Herbert, who also seemed to be testing the plan in his mind. Herbert saw Edward looking at him, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I suppose it will bring us directly to him, rather than us waiting for him to come to us."
"Aye, it's the best plan we got," Sam said before standing as though it were settled. "Ye better get back to Grace's ship, she's not a woman ta be left waitin'."
"Tch," Edward spat. "You don't know the half of it." He held out his hand to Sam. "Good to have you back, Sam. We'll be counting on you."
Sam shook Edward's hand. "As it always was." Edward and Herbert both went to leave, but Sam stopped them. "Almost forgot this," he said as he took his cutlass off his belt and handed it to Edward. The hilt was covered in cloth, but once Sam pulled it out from its sheath, he saw the familiar golden gleam of his cutlass shining out.
Edward reached for his blade, the familiar gold that was not gold calling to him, but he pushed it back towards Sam. "I can't. If any saw it, they would know something was wrong. You hold onto it for me."
Sam nodded and put the cutlass back on his belt. "Don't die, Captain."
"Same to you, Sam."
Edward and Herbert headed back to the Black Blood, still moored to the wharf. The crowd that had been gathering before was gone, and the ship looked, at least on the outside, undamaged. As they approached, however, they saw Grace on the weather deck, and she looked quite displeased.
When they came closer, a crewmate pointed at them, and Grace turned around. She seemed surprised, but her expression changed at once, so it was hard
