by Simon Archer
My finger stopped on an island, Avione, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Was there anythin’ odd about the big ship, lass?” I asked. “Was it surrounded by barges an’ scaffolds?”
She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
“Okay, lads,” I said. “We’re not on the hook yet. The Pale Horse still ain’t ship-shape.”
“What does that mean?” Ligeia asked, her body practically quivered with tension and her dark eyes were wide
“It means that we’ve more time than I expected when ye came in, which is good, but it also means we cannot delay much longer.” I turned to Kargad and said, “Set some men to warn the town that Arde sails back to his kennel whilst we make ready, an’ to take on any able-bodied set to join our crew.” I turned and focused my attention on Shrike. “What’s our course, Mister Shrike?”
He looked up at me with a firm set of his jaw. “Tarrant. The bastard cooled his heels there when the seas got rough. Either he’ll be there, or someone’ll know how best to find him.”
“Good, we’ll catch Bloody Bill in his cups, providin’ fortune smiles on us. For now, though, ready the ship an’ make sure the benches are filled below. We’ll need all the speed we can get.” I turned and stalked for the helm as Shrike and Kargad set about their tasks. Ligeia padded along in my wake, a strange expression on her face.
“You seek Bill Markland?” she asked quietly as I stopped at the wheel to gaze out over the activities of my crew.
I nodded. “We plan to corner him and convince the man to lead us to his treasure.” There was no need to prevaricate. The siren was crew, after all.
“Good,” she said firmly. “With my comb, I can help you even more.”
Her help was already beyond anything I had expected, and she was proactive too. I gave her a sidelong look. “Ye went scoutin’ for us. Thank ye.”
The siren blushed faintly and ducked her head, a smile on her lips. “I wanted to do right by ye, Captain.”
“Ye have, lass,” I said with a nod. “We’ll be on the open seas, and the folk o’ Jetsam will be warned. We’ll lead whatever Admiralty the comes after us a merry chase through the islands, an’ we have a head start because o’ ye.”
A pleased look crossed her face, a mixture of relief and joy that brightened her strange features. “I am not used to working with others, so I did what I thought needed to be done.”
I pulled my gaze away from her and looked out over the bustling deck in silence. Mary still rested in my cabin after her hard-fought battle with the Commodore’s witches. “We’ll need ye an’ Mary at full strength for the battles to come.”
“I am well fed,” she observed. “Tiny and I will keep watch outside the harbor while the ships are readied. I do not know if the merfolk will range this far ahead of the white ship.”
“As ye will, lass.” The utility of a fast-moving, underwater scout with the raw power to sink or disable enemy ships wasn’t lost on me. She also had the will to take matters into her own hands, so I wouldn’t have to always tell her what to do.
Ligeia dipped her head to me and turned to walk off. Perhaps I imagined it, but she seemed to be swaying her hips a bit more as she moved, drawing my eyes to her shapely, naked backside. An old saying popped into my head unbidden: “We like to see you coming, but we love to watch you go.”
I had to stifle a chuckle at that thought.
It was dusk when we raised the gangplanks and rowed away from the Jetsam docks. The Hullbreaker turned slowly and rowed its way towards the harbor’s exit, and Sirensong followed. She was slower under oar than my own ship, having fewer rowers, but with her long, narrow hull and large sails, Sirensong might be faster before the wind than The Hullbreaker.
Kargad and I would find out eventually once we both had full crews. For now, though, our goal was to head for Tarrant and stay ahead of the Admiralty. Hopefully, we’d lure any pursuers away from Jetsam and collect Bloody Bill, willing or not, before they caught up with us.
The storm clouds were clearing as we sailed out into the open water and stars sparkled through the cracks. Tiny surfaced and roared happily at us, then fell in beside The Hullbreaker as I bellowed, “Full sails!”
Crewmen rushed to my command, running the canvas up the masts with practiced speed. I turned the wheel as the sails filled, adjusting our course into open water and towards where I knew Tarrant lay.
The free town of Tarrant was a strange cross between a trading hub and pirate haven. It was a large, sprawling collection of ramshackle buildings spread out along the southernmost coast of the second largest isle in the archipelago, Bargest. It wasn’t the only town on that particular island, but it was the largest and the best known.
Bargest supported four additional settlements, including a shipyard, a fishing town, and a mining shantytown deep in the interior. The mines produced iron and copper, mostly, which funneled through Tarrant, and contributed significantly to that town’s wealth.
Tarrant also sported the largest collection of groghouses, brothels, and gambling dens in all the isles. I’d been there a time or two, both before and after I’d earned my ship. It was far from safe, but I still had a few friends there, provided they’d kept their necks off the chopper’s block.
“What in the name of the unholy did I miss?” Mary asked from beside me.
I started a bit. Somehow she’d managed to sneak up on me while I’d been lost in my own thoughts.
“Damn, witch!” I exclaimed, giving her the eye before letting out a chuckle.
She joined me. Her hair was mussed, and she was dressed in the clothes she’d worn when I tucked her into my bed. I briefly regretted not undressing her, remembering her beauty and soft curves. Our eyes met briefly, and she smiled crookedly before looking away.
“You are going to tell me what’s going on, are ye not?” Mary had started using a bit more of a seaman’s brogue, and I wasn’t sure she was even aware of it.
I nodded and looked back out over the deck. “Ligeia went scouting an’ told us there was trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” she asked.
“Whatever Commodore Arde manages to roust at Avion,” I replied.
While we spoke, the ships picked up speed as the sails caught more wind. Sirensong cut through the waves like a knife, slicing cleanly through them while The Hullbreaker cleaved its way through the swells like an axe. Ligeia, riding Tiny, swam easily beside us. The Dragon Turtle could swim far faster than either of the ships, so they had no problem keeping up.
Mary let out a long, low whistle. “Where are we going then?”
“Tarrant,” I told her. “Ever been there?”
“Oh, aye.” She laughed. “Every witch goes through Tarrant at least once in her life. ‘Tis one of the teaching places of the Sisterhood.”
I arched an eyebrow and made a note to ask a few more questions later, just not now. “Bloody Bill is our target, now. We need the siren’s comb and as much gold as we can plunder if we’re going to win this fight.”
The witch sighed and reached up with both hands to massage her temples. “Out o’ the frying pan an’ into the fire,” she muttered. “Do ye need me to cook up a stronger breeze, Captain? I’m feeling rested and ready. Besides, my apprentice needs to pick up a bit more experience.”
I raised an eyebrow. Mary did say she was the strongest witch in the Admiralty, and the fact that she recovered as quick as she did from near total exhaustion reinforced the truth of that statement.
“If ye’re up to it, lass,” I said with a nod. “The further ahead of Layne an’ his fleet we are, the happier I’ll be.”
“Thy wish, my Captain, is my command,” Mary purred. “I’ll see if I can cut our time in half, but you might want to… what’s the term?... batten down the hatches?”
“I’ll be the judge of that, my witch. Do what ye can, an’ I’ll make sure we stay in one piece.”
“Of course.” She winked at me and turned to sashay down the stairs to the main dec
k. Partway down, she paused and looked back at me over her shoulder. “I hope ye won’t make me sleep alone after tucking me in that wonderful bed of yours.”
I grinned back. “An’ why would I do that? Ye seem to have offered me Captain’s privilege, an’ I think I’ll enjoy it.”
“Oh, you’d better!” She laughed, turned, and disappeared down the stairs.
Her promise lingered in the air between us, and I took a deep breath of the clean, salt air. I wasn’t about to lose this witchy woman, and she seemed bound and determined to do right by me. I certainly meant to do right by her.
Even I needed to sleep sometime. I set the watch for the helm with orders to hold her steady and wake me only if I was needed. Both ships were fully under sail, oars tucked away and rowers returned to their usual duties by the time I allowed myself a bit of rest. Nagra and Mary sat, cross-legged, in the shadow of the mizzenmast while they worked their magic. The winds had picked up as I took my relief and descended into the darkness of the cabins.
Sleep came quickly, as it did for most orcs. We worked hard, played hard, and slept hard when we allowed ourselves to sleep. It had been three days since I’d last caught a few winks, and that had been on the voyage to Insmere.
I woke briefly when Mary slipped into my cabin and joined me in the comfortable pile of furs, blankets, and cushions that served as my bed. She was warm and comfortable against my side, and I drifted off again, soon after.
17
When I woke some hours later, the dim, gray light of dawn was peeking through the aft window. Mary had rolled away from me and was curled up in a little ball under some of the furs, though her warm back still pressed against my side. She made a soft sound of protest as I rose, then buried herself under the blankets again and fell back to sleep.
I chuckled softly to myself, cleaned up, dressed, and took my exit.
It was a blustery morning on deck, and The Hullbreaker was practically flying over the waves with Sirensong pacing her. I relieved the helmsman and took my place at the wheel, gazing ahead to see a few dark lines on the horizon, each a distant island, and off to port was another, much closer one.
I studied my inner map for a minute and took my bearings. We were making good time. At our current speed, we were only about two-and-a-half days from Tarrant. Mary’s magic had bought us at least a day and a half.
Of course, the Admiralty had witches, too. Ours might have been the best, but there was only one of her. Strength was good, but numbers could eventually overwhelm even the mightiest warriors, and I assumed that counted for witches as well.
The Hullbreaker rose and fell as it rode the swells, getting ever closer to our destination. The wind whistled, ropes and timbers creaked and snapped, canvas rattled, and crewmen called back and forth to each other as they went about their duties. I cracked a faint smile. It hadn’t been too many years since I had been one of those crewmen.
I’d served under Sturmgar, the master of Jetsam, and rose through the ranks from common seaman to first mate. That had been my position until he’d retired and left me his ship. From there, I’d gone on to serve the Empire as a privateer, doing my part in the war against Milnest.
It was a funny thing. I started out as an axeman in my tribe, served as a mercenary, and then, ensorcelled by the call of the sea, I’d enlisted with the first warship I came across and never looked back. Old sailors always spoke of the call of the sea, and I’d laughed it off until that day when I set foot on dry land and it no longer felt like home. I hadn’t even been back to visit my clan since then. Hells, it had been years since I’d even been back to the Imperial mainland.
How many of my men had been away from home for that long, too?
I shook my head to clear it and glanced off to where Tiny and Ligeia had been pacing us. They were gone, but that could just mean that they were underwater. Soft footfalls and a briny smell, though, told a different tale.
“Good morning, Captain,” Ligeia came to a halt beside me and smiled her close-lipped smile. “Tiny sensed a pod of whales a few miles distant and went to hunt. I decided to stay with the ship.”
I returned her smile. “Good to have ye, lass. Any good word?”
“Nothing yet, though I could find out.”
“Once Tiny’s done fillin’ his belly, I just might have ye do that. ‘Til then, though, perhaps ye can regale me with what ye know of the merfolk.”
I noticed her tense as I spoke, probably expecting me to ask about Bloody Bill and how he came by her comb. More than likely, their relationship had been a bit more of a familiar one than she let on. That was her business, though, until it caused problems. Then it became mine as well, and I’d deal with it my way.
She huffed softly, and I couldn’t help but drop my gaze for a moment to her chest. Small of breast she may have been, but she was well-formed. I raised my eyes to another of her strange smiles and a faint flush to her scaly skin.
“Merfolk are a bit like me, only less…” She gestured down at herself. “... able to walk in the air. Otherwise, they’re like sharks, only intelligent and organized. The ones who have joined the Empire do so out of a need to conquer. Likely, they have been promised rulership of the archipelago.”
I scowled. “That would give the Admiralty an edge in the war with Milnest.”
“And against the free towns,” she added. “Unlike my sisters, Captain, I have spent time among the land-dwellers. I… have a fondness for them, even compassion.” A nervous chuckle escaped her lips. “Perhaps you think me strange for being sympathetic to my prey.”
“Feh.” I turned away from her and looked out over the busy deck. We were running on a skeleton crew, even with a few new recruits from Jetsam. “Lass, ye are what ye are. If I were to turn away any mother’s son or daughter with a strange appetite or a history that’d send ‘em to the gallows, I’d have a mighty small crew.” A grin bared my tusks even more. “Ye’re among orcs, lass. We fight, burn, an’ bathe in blood when we can get it. Drink the hardest whiskey dwarves can make an’ still come back for more. None o’ us, save maybe the humans an’ dwarves, would turn up our noses at a bit o’ long pig if we were shy on rations.”
I grinned toothily at the siren. “So what if yer song calls men to their deaths? Ye be in good company here.”
Ligeia blinked a few times at me and fidgeted a little, her feet shifting on the planks of the deck and leaving wet trails where they’d been.
“Thank ye, Captain,” she said quietly. “I suppose I’ll worry less about fitting in, then.” Her eyes met mine for a moment, then she frowned as if a thought just hit her. “Should I… dress? I see how your men… and you… look at me, and I see how everyone is clothed…”
“‘Tis up to ye, lass.” I shrugged. “Everyone knows what ye are, an’ nobody’ll do more than look, unless ye ask. I’d rather ye didn’t kill anybody on the crew, but if they’re moon-addled enough to try ye, do what you must.”
“What of thy gaze, Captain?” She tilted her chin up a bit. The siren was nearly as tall as me but less than half as broad at either hips or shoulders.
“If ye mind, then ye can tell me,” I replied. “If ye don’t, then ye can tell me that, too.”
The winds shifted a bit, forcing my attention away long enough to adjust the wheel to a steadier course. When I looked back, she was gone.
“That’s no damn answer,” I grumbled to myself.
What did I think of the siren? First, she was dangerous. Second, she was beautiful. Third, she was useful. With the Dragon Turtle, Ligeia was as immediately dangerous to our enemies as Mary, maybe even more so. It wasn’t like either of them could be easily hurt, either. The siren was fey, after all, and it’d take cold iron to hold or kill her. Mary, though, was a changeling, a human with fey blood in her veins, I wasn’t sure what sort of defense that gave her, but she’d come through both fights on Old Man’s Isle without a scratch, so likely was tougher than a human in any case.
Aside from that, I was growing fond of Ligeia,
but she didn’t seem to know what she wanted. We had time, and who knows? Maybe she’d talk to the witch. I frowned to myself and wondered what Mary might feel about the siren. Although when I thought about it, she seemed to have nothing but smiles for the both of us whenever we were together.
As for the crew, none of my men would question me, though I suspected there might be a bit of good-natured ribbing at my good fortune.
I let out a brooding sigh and shifted my stance a bit at the wheel as I made a few idle adjustments to our course.
What would we do if the fleet didn’t pursue us? Ligeia seemed certain that they would, but she didn’t know Admiral Layne. The man was a pragmatist and utterly ruthless. He might just decide to pass a few replacement ships to the Commodore and let the man come after us himself. Arde may have been the Admiral’s dog, but if there was one thing I knew from all my years of fighting and sailing, it was that you could always get another dog.
All these thoughts and more swirled behind my eyes as we sailed on. The ships were moving at a good clip with Nagra sitting at the mizzenmast to maintain the hex. If the girl was holding the winds all by herself after just the few days of teaching she’d had, either Mary was the greatest teacher I’d ever seen, or the young she-orc was just as talented as my witch had said… maybe both. Around mid-day, Mary came sauntering out from belowdecks and flashed me a smile before relieving her exhausted apprentice, who staggered off with a weak salute to me. I returned it, nodded to the witch, and went back to my own watch.
Shrike drifted up next, about an hour or so before he was to take his turn at the helm, and offered me a skin of grog and a wooden bowl of some kind of spicy stew. “There ye go, Cap’n,” he said. “Compliments o’ the cook.”
I snorted. “Jogrash can compliment all he wants, but I’ll not call him a cook.”
My new first mate let out a chuckle. “I’ll hold the helm while ye eat,” he offered.
“Won’t take long,” I assured him, and we traded places.
The stew went down quick and wasn’t half bad. Jogrash had learned to cook over the fires in orcish warbands, and he could make anything palatable. The problem was that he covered the taste of whatever the food was in so much spice and sauce that you never truly knew what you were eating. It could be a fine cut of sweetmeats, or it could be a sauteed bilge rat.