Chapter ONE - Weebly

Ethan had to laugh. The evening mist and a few
stubborn midges still clung to his waistcoat, and already
Diver was asking him to buy his next ale. Ethan walked
to the bar, where a few men stood drinking ale and
eating oysters.
“Evenin’, Ethan,” said Kelf Fingarin, the hulking
barman. “Wha’ kin I getchya?” Actually, he said it so
quickly that it came out as a single word:
WhakinIgetchya? Ethan understood only because he
had been in this tavern a thousand times. Newcomers
weren’t so lucky, and in addition to being the size of a
Dutch merchant ship, Kelf also had a quick temper. He
was certain that his words were as clear as an autumn
morning in New England.
“What’s Diver drinking?” Ethan asked.
“Th’ cheap stuff, as usual.”
Ethan wrinkled his nose. “You have any of the pale
left?”
“From Kent, you mean?”
Ethan nodded.
“I might have a bit.”
Ethan tossed two shillings onto the bar. “I’ll have