His boots left a thumping sound on the wooden dock. There was more trade in this place than Markus anticipated. Goods weren't transported by small boats; ships could dock directly at the port. If all this belonged to Scias, that man had done well for himself. 

And they were challenging him. 

And for what? 

Because of one little boy. A captain's toy. 

A whore—that was all he was. 

It made him feel sick. From the beginning, he'd believed this was a ridiculous undertaking—something that was none of their concern. Markus had no idea what that little devil had done to his captain, but Rogier was completely under his spell. 

He wasn't stupid—lately, he'd seen how they looked at each other, how they showed little signs of affection, believing nobody saw them. His captain had fallen for that little brat. Markus had no idea how it could've happened, but it certainly had. 

And now, Rogier had sent him out. Markus wondered why. Was his old friend showing him that he still trusted him? Or was this a test, was he trying to figure out if Rogier could still trust him? Rogier never did something for no reason, but it was hard to decide if this was an opportunity or a warning. 

Markus suppressed a sigh while leaving the port behind. He had to explore the surroundings. Map the town, the number of guards, possible escape routes—he had to write down everything that caught his eye. 

There was nothing wrong with his memory, so he strolled across town until he found a quiet spot to take notes. The port was half an hour away from here, where there had been quite an activity because of the many merchants. Around here, it was quieter. People with carts passed him and here and there, people entered their houses. Far to his left was a fortress. Probably the place where Rogier had left his boy toy behind to find his little friend. 

He was tempted to find Scias, to tell him Rogier had left a spy in his castle. Was there a way to do that while staying in the shadows? It would probably mean Rory's end. And it could be done without his part in it coming to the light, right? 

Suddenly, the fortress was pulling him closer. How deliberate would it be when he was finally freed from that mutt? Rogier would forget about him in a few days. And if he still felt the need to have his way with a man, Markus wouldn't turn him down. He couldn't think of anything that little fucker could do better than him. 

Despite all the hatred he felt, he still possessed a shred of common sense. When Rogier did find out, it was over. He would have betrayed his captain and Rogier would never forgive him. Furthermore, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that his old friend was testing him... For all he knew, Rogier might have sent someone to follow him and report his actions. No... He shouldn't be guided by his grudge. He would find a way to get rid of that devil's child—it would be stupid to seize the first opportunity. There would be other ways, at other moments. Perhaps it was better if his hatred for Rory wasn't this obvious. When he convinced the others that his feelings towards Rory had changed, he might not be held responsible when something happened to the boy. Would he be able to do that—to put aside his envy? Could he pretend he didn't hate the boy and act nicely? 

Every word, every glance made his blood boil. But perhaps he could do it as long as he focused on the future. A future without that deadbeat. 

Toying with fantasies in which that brat would 'accidentally' fall overboard during a storm, or got a knife in his back during a fight in the dark, or died after a delicious dinner, Markus mapped more and more of the island. By now, he had wandered off a long way from the port and the castle and he was surprised to see a thick wall with guards in front of it. What were they guarding? 

At some distance he strolled across the structure, noticing how the guards kept a close eye on him. There were no small views—he had no idea what was on the other side of the wall but it had to be something valuable. 

To his right, the terrain was a little higher. Loosening his belt he walked to some high trees, giving the guards the impression that he was going to take a piss. Out of sight, he searched for a tall tree to climb in. He drilled a knife in the wood to use it as a footrest and used a second one to climb higher, until he could hoist himself up a thick branch, climbing higher and higher.

Eventually, he was high enough to see what was between the walls. A glass structure reflected the sunlight. Markus squeezed his eyes, trying to adjust to the radiance. There were square buildings made of glass. Greenhouses? A cloud floated in front of the sun, improving his sight. They were greenhouses indeed—there were plants in them, with purple, closed flower buds, which was strange since it was in the middle of the day. They seemed to be covered in cobwebs, even though their color was almost silver. 

Undoubtedly nice flowers—but not something he'd expected to find behind these well-guarded walls. Yet, this seemed to be the best discovery of today. Without a doubt, this would be something Rogier would like to hear.

. . .

Rogier stroked his beard. Right before nightfall, Markus had returned. He'd shared his findings immediately. 

"Flowers?" he repeated. "Like some sort of plantation?"

The presence of slavers would explain the amount of guards...

"No, I saw no people. Just greenhouses full of these plants."

Then they must be very valuable plants. He could work with that. Stealing them would be difficult; they would probably perish before they were well and truly on the sea, but they seemed to be a good source of income for Scias.

This could turn into a nice distraction.

"When we set that shit on fire, that will draw Scias' attention," he mused. That would be a good moment for Rory and Finn to flee the palace. 

"You want to storm the gate?" Markus' face showed his doubts. 

"Won't need to." Rogier took a few steps through the cabin and looked outside through the thick glass. "When we weigh down the torches with stones and throw them on the glass roofs, I'm sure they'll break."

"And what if a good fortune will go to waste?"

Rogier shrugged. "It's not our fortune."

"It could be our fortune."

"You want to steal these plants?"

"We should at least try to figure out what their use is."

Rogier didn't care—he didn't plan to start some flower trade. All he wanted was for Rory and Finn to come back so they could leave this place. He didn't like the idea of snooping around while the boy was in danger. Scias wasn't a man who advertised his secrets, it would be hard to discover the plants' worth.

"The plants might have some healing power. Could be true gold, man. Maybe the redhead can help."

Rogier gave Markus a thoughtful look. 

Lee would probably want to see the plants with his own eyes and Rogier didn't want anyone else to come near these plants until they would burn them down. He didn't need extra risks. 

"I'll think about it," promised Rogier, who didn't want to rush things. 

Thinking was hard enough, ever since he let Rory in the lion's den while he could only hope that the boy hadn't blown his cover yet.