Chapter 6

Days turned into weeks, and the whispers grew quieter still. The winds of change blew them to Bravebellow Port, a bustling hub of trade and opportunity. The salty scent of the ocean mingled with the smoke from the chimneys, and the cobblestone streets were alive with the cries of seagulls and the clatter of horse hooves. Ruby’s eyes fell upon a saloon with a name that seemed to whisper a challenge: ‘Ghost’s Tooth’.

The whispers of Snakebite stirred, a distant echo that grew louder with each step she took towards the saloon. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of rum and the anticipation of a fight. The walls, lined with the skulls of long-dead pirates, whispered of battles won and lost, of lives lived on the edge. The crowd was a raucous mix of sailors and merchants, their eyes alight with the promise of entertainment.

Mrs. Callie ‘Busty’ Powers, the town’s reigning champion, was a woman of legendary proportions, her body a monument to the carnage she had wrought in the ring. The fight was to be held in the basement, a space that echoed with the ghosts of the port’s violent past. The whispers grew stronger, urging Ruby to claim victory, to silence them once and for all

.Her heart racing, Ruby stepped into the dimly lit arena, her body slick with oil, her soul a tempest of doubt and determination. Mrs. Powers, a towering figure with breasts that could crush a man’s spirit, sneered at the challenger. The crowd, a sea of leering faces, grew silent as the fight began. The whispers grew to a crescendo, a cacophony of dark power that swirled around her.

The first blow was like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through Ruby’s body. Yet she stood firm, her eyes never leaving Mrs. Powers’ cold, calculating gaze. The whispers grew louder, whispering of the power she had claimed and the price she had paid. Each punch and kick was a dance of agony and grace, a ballet of fury that seemed to hold the very fabric of the room in its grip.

Mrs. Powers was a storm, her fists like hammers that rained down upon Ruby with the force of a tempest. Yet Ruby, fueled by the whispers of Snakebite and the hope of a new life, met each blow with a ferocity that seemed to stun even the hardened port town audience. The whispers grew fainter, their power waning as Ruby’s resolve grew stronger.

In the end, it was Ruby who stood tall, her fists raised in victory. Mrs. Powers lay defeated, her body a testament to the fiery spirit that had driven Ruby to conquer the alley’s dark whispers. The prize money, a glittering hoard of gold and jewels, was thrown at her feet, a symbol of her triumph over the whispers that had once haunted her.

The Ghost’s Tooth saloon erupted in a symphony of cheers, the whispers of Snakebite silenced by Ruby’s victory. The crowd, once a sea of lechery, now parted to let her pass, their eyes filled with a newfound respect. Ruby, her body bruised but her soul unshackled, climbed out of the ring, the crimson dress a symbol of her redemption.

As she stepped out into the cobblestone streets, the salty breeze kissed her skin, a promise of adventures yet to come. With Will by her side, she looked out over the ocean, the horizon a canvas of possibility. The whispers had led her to the edge of the world, and now, with the whispers silenced, she was ready to conquer whatever lay beyond.

It was in the opulent office of Baroness Sully, a woman of refined tastes and an eye for talent, that Ruby heard the offer that would take her across the sea. The Baroness, a lady of high society with a penchant for the macabre, had seen Ruby’s victory over Mrs. Powers and was impressed. She spoke of a fight in London, a bare-breasted knuckle match that drew crowds of the rich and powerful, eager to lay their bets on the fittest of the fittest. The prize was more than money; it was a chance to carve a name into the annals of history, to step out of the shadows of the alley and into the glaring spotlight of fame.

Ruby, her heart racing with excitement and a touch of trepidation, listened as the Baroness painted a picture of the grandeur that awaited her in London. The smoky streets, the gaslit alleyways, the thrill of the fight in a place where power was more intoxicating than whiskey. The Baroness spoke with a honeyed tongue, her eyes gleaming with the promise of wealth and notoriety. Yet, it was not the gold that tempted Ruby, but the chance to give Will a future where he could stand tall, free from the whispers that had haunted their past.

With a firm handshake and a glint of determination in her eye, Ruby accepted the challenge. The whispers of Snakebite had led her to this moment, but it was her love for her son that would propel her forward. Together, they boarded the Baroness’s luxurious steamer, the whispers of the alley fading into the churning wake of the ship as it set sail for the distant shores of England. The journey ahead was fraught with danger and temptation, but Ruby had faced worse in the dusty streets of the west.

The voyage was a blur of salt spray and endless horizon, the whispers of Snakebite a distant echo in the vast expanse of the ocean. As the spires of London came into view, Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine. This was a world far removed from the dusty trails and whiskey-soaked saloons she knew, a place where power was dressed in velvet and wielded with the grace of a rapier. Yet, as she stepped onto the dock, her fists clenched and her eyes alight with purpose, she knew she had come to conquer it all.