The stench from the whaling ship going by had him reaching for his Dunwall whiskey flask. One could always smell the damn boats before seeing them, it was a cloying mixture of blood and whale blubber that stuck at the back of throat. Corvo took a healthy swig from the flask, but not before raising it up in a morbid toast to the passing Whale strung up on the ship's rigging. Its sad eyes were glazed over, half dead already. It had little idea of the horror that was in store, he thought wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat. Poor bastard.
His heart lifted when he saw the port of Dunwall. He still had little love for grey, industrial Gristol, but one it was home to had claimed his affections long ago.
"Reckon there's still time to high tail it back to Serkonos? I'm missing the beaches already, not sure about the Blood Sausage though. You guys actually enjoy eating that shite? "
Geoff Curnow. Not a bad travelling companion, Corvo had been stuck with much worse in the past. He was a bit too talkative for his liking, but he was one of the rare few that Jessamine trusted implicitly.
Corvo gave a wry smile in return, "If we turn around now, we may just make it back before the bastards barricade us out and leave us to rot."
"We both knew this would probably be a fruitless search Corvo, hell we'd do the same if we were in their position. Got to stop the spread somehow." He straightened his coat, fussing unnecessarily, Corvo knew he was choosing his next words carefully.
"Look man, I'm just going to come out and say it, if the Rat Plague has gotten worse since we've been away, then we need another plan. To the void with waiting to see how this pans out, this curse just isn't going to go away of its own accord. Since finding a cure is no longer on the table, we need to protect the Empress at all costs. I.."
"And Emily."
"Yes, yes and young Lady Emily of course. Look, I just think they may be safer outside of Dunwall, the people of Gristol look to the Empress now more than ever. And if Maker forbid something were to happen… I'm little more than a glorified City guard, I'm still not quite sure why the Empress would send me to accompany you to the Isles. But I know if the worst came to pass and Dunwall was to fall, they wouldn't refuse entry to the Empress and her heir. Just talk to her Corvo, she trusts your counsel more than anyone else's."
Corvo nodded once briskly, he didn't give a proper answer but it seemed enough to satisfy Geoff Curnow. The City Watch Captain was right, Jessamine would be loath to leave Dunwall in its current state, but she was not safe there. The city was fast approaching the precipice, despite the best efforts of its beloved Empress, and her court. Jessamine's letters had carefully skimmed over the rising death toll as she gave an update, but there was no ignoring the floating corpses they had been spotting since before they sailed into Gristol's waters.
He would have to find somewhere for her and Emily to shelter until this was over. Dunwall could be rebuilt, as it had been before in its troubled history, but Empress Kaldwin the first could not. Hell, he'd drag them both to Pandyssia to live as savages while the Empire rotted if it meant keeping them safe. Corvo smiled to himself, his Emily was already a little savage when it came to getting what she wanted, she'd certainly have gotten that quick temper from her mother.
Geoff Curnow sensed that Corvo was lost back in his thoughts and turned away from the taciturn Royal Protector, but not before he caught the small, private smile on Corvo's usually guarded face. The near silent and deadly 'Lord Protector' had sulked for almost the entirety of the trip. Moody, bloody bastard was probably over the moon at the prospect at being reunited with his lover and child again, plague ridden city be damned. Still, Curnow couldn't fault Corvo for missing his secret family, he himself had felt the horrid ache at being apart from loved ones. Guardsman Edwin was his secret, just as the Empress Jessamine was Corvo's. He just hoped their story would end a little happier than his and Edwin's had. God-damn Rat Plague.
He could definitely appreciate what her royal highness had seen in Corvo. The man was the epitome of 'strong and silent' with lovely dark eyes and a rough, common-born manner, perfect for a well-bred Empress who like to get her own way. Even the common folk of Dunwall whispered about the Empress and her Serkonian lover. The Overseers still seemed annoyed that an official explanation was never given as to who Emily's father was. As though it wasn't painfully obvious to all, the precocious little shit even looked like Attano.
Curnow watched as they neared the Wrenhaven river and spotted a trawler head towards their ship. Time to deliver the good news to Dunwall, the gods had damned them all.