Rhys's wounds were every bit as bad as they looked. Originally, he'd only asked Esselk'ti to strike him once or twice so that he'd have proof of his encounter with a 'demon' in the lighthouse. That, plus cutting herself on his sword to leave a trace of Eldritch blood on the weapon, would have been enough to sell the story that he'd found a 'demon' and chased it off.
"It would help," he'd added. "If one of your blows is a little heavy. Enough to give my men an excuse to take me to the Church's temple. I hate to waste their healer's efforts on theater, but the visit will do more to make the rumors spread, and the whispers that come from other people's lips can be just as powerful as the words spoken by mine."
The Witch of Deep Currents, however, had other ideas for inflicting those wounds.
"Too weak, Lord of the Black Sails," she'd said in disapproving judgment after she pierced his ear and placed the pearl earring in his left ear. "Teach you, use power. Power from deep currents."
