“A what now?” Sue asked, eyes narrowed in Clara’s direction.<br/><br/>“A pirate ship, on the river.” Clara pointed towards the western wall.<br/><br/>“A pirate…ship,” Sue repeated, pronouncing the words carefully. Half turning towards Thora, she murmured, “How much eggnog has Clara had already?”<br/><br/>“I’m not seeing things,’ Clara grumbled, pulling both women along, toward the walls, “Come on, see for yourselves.”<br/><br/>Sue and Thora met each other's eyes with equal skepticism. Still, they humored her, following her up the stairs, their footsteps echoing their disbelief until…<br/><br/>“Holy hells,” Thora gasped, catching sight of the massive seafaring vessel, “How much eggnog have I had already?”<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr bbc-hr--3"/><br/>Mercedes shivered under her winter coat, holding up a lantern so William could look under the hood of the rented car and see if he could figure out the problem. It wasn’t much colder in Berlin than Chicago, but it was past sundown on Christmas Eve, and stranded in a broken car was the last place she wanted to be.<br/><br/>“The oil froze,” William explained, slamming the hood, “They must not have switched to the winter blend before we rented it.”<br/><br/>“Ugh, this is the last time I pick a car based on the fact we share a name,” she grumbled, shivering a bit more. They’d have to find someone who ‘d let them in, just long enough to call for a tow, who also happened to speak English or Italian. She may as well pray for a Christmas miracle. Almost on queue A few doors down from them, a couple knocked on a residence, and when the door opened, and when the host greeted them, Mercedes thought they spoke English.<br/><br/>Nudging William, she pointed that way, “Why don’t we ask them if we can use their phone to call a tow truck and a cab?”<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr bbc-hr--3"/><br/><br/><br/>Clara had rushed out to meet the ship before Thora or Sue could stop her, awe filling her eyes. How had this massive ship made the journey up the Sarn? Several people disembarked, most dressed in typical pirate fashion (or what Clara imagined typical pirate attire to be), but one couple in particular were strange, in their black outfits. But that errant thought left her mind by the time the last few people touched upon the backs of the river.<br/><br/>“I know you! You’re that famous pirate captain!” Clara declared. She turned from the light-skinned man with dreadlocks, towards the tall women with ebon hair and umber skin, “You’re the Onyx Queen! You lead the first open rebellion against the demons…except, wait, that was over a hundred years ago. But you look just like the pictures of her I’ve seen.”<br/><br/>She laughed, equal parts embarrassment and pride in the short sound, “Nah, I’m just one of her descendants, Captain Aurelia Seaborne. Not looking into any rebellions either, just hunting a demon known as Matthias the Traitor.”<br/><br/>Clara grimaced, and shook her head, “If you’re looking for a demon, you’re going to be disappointed.”<br/><br/>“He’s not here?”  Aurelia cast a sidelong glance at the man with the dreads.<br/><br/>“Oh, he’s here alright but…Well, it’s probably easier just to show you what I mean.”