Pirate gold (drabbles)

[winter]

For circe_tigana's 882 ways to appease the heathen gods challenge. I wanted to do more, but won't have the time before I leave, and by the time I get back it looks like the challenge will be over - there's well over 700 drabbles already, with just a few of them being off-topic (I trust Circe'll be vigilant about deleting those).



~a study in gold~


There were streaks of dull red-brown in the mortar.

"Everyone confirms Mr Graves put up the wall by himself, constable."

"I see. Then we know who must have murdered Mrs Graves."

"He had to, then hid her body here. He'll swing for it."

"I don't doubt it. But who tore down the wall?"

"Uh, there was a flood recently, it must have loosened-"

"No. Those marks were left by sledgehammers. I guess we will never know. But they brought a murderer to justice through it."

The mortar on the floor inside the torn-down wall held the imprint of a strange coin.
~




~Hungarian blood~


"Urk! Would you - would you mind not dropping me? It's two 'undred feet to the street and it'll hurt like 'ell and I'll survive and come after you anyway! I swear on me wooden eye!"

"Why did you attack me?"

"You see - coin you got from dead guy back there? 's cursed. Makes you look like... well, this. We need it back."

"It turns the owner into a skeleton?"

"Lots, lots worse, poppet."

"I will not draw a curse on Viktor's house."

"Hey, thanks, love! You've got Ragetti's eternal gratitude!"

"And you have a Death Dealer's wishes of good hunting. Now begone from this city before I rip apart each bone in your body."

"Done!"
~




~Trinket~


She gave her boy a kiss as he went off to war.

He gave his girl a promise as he left.

To mark and take heed and to remind themselves of words and deeds, they did not have rings, nor the time to make them. But they did have a coin they had found together. So they broke it in half and each kept one piece.

And the boy died in the field, not by the hand of one those he was supposed to fight, but by the hand of a dark man with eyes like embers.

And the girl died torn to shreds by bony hands and glinting knives.

And the two halves of the coin were reunited in Koehler's hand.
~



~Throwing Shapes~


"Where did you hide it?!"

The man doing the yelling is uncouth and smelly, and Sheldon Geoffrey of Sandsworth does not think highly of him. Though the hat is nice. But not the monkey.

"Now, that'd be telling. And I suggest you untie me now. You know as well as I do that Queen Anne would have your head on a platter if you killed one of her special envoys."

The man smiles, then steps back from Sheldon, into a streak of moonlight. And the Viscount of Sandsworth knows fear.

"You do not see the problem here," the man says.

When the man - captain - tells Sheldon what can be done that is worse than death, Sheldon tells him the way to the cave and the coin.

And his eyes are still burned out.
~



Since I won't make it in time for the challenge, my last drabble will probably evolve into a vignette. Ah well. A chance to revisit an old fandom at least.

Merry Christmas or equivalent holiday to all!