Explorer of the Endless Sea

by Jack Campbell

  Ang narrowed his eyes toward the north. “Could be a merchant ship, then. Trying to hide for fear that we’re pirates.”

  “That’d be smart of them, since we are pirates.” Jules rubbed her neck as she also gazed north. “Or it’s an Imperial ship of war hoping we’re pirates and trying to sneak up on us.”

  “If it’s an Imperial galley or sloop, it’s only looking for one pirate,” Ang said. “We both know who she is. And it may have other Imperial warships nearby.”

  Jules frowned. “True enough. But we need to take a decent ship. Pickings have been slim lately. I hate to run when there might be a good prize nearby.”

  “But we don’t want to be near when the sun rises if that is an Imperial galley.”

  “No.”

  “We don’t have to either run or stay in this area,” Ang said. “We can head north, get upwind of where Cori thinks that light was. That’ll give us the weather gage at dawn.” A ship upwind of another ship was said to have the weather gage (though no one knew the origin of the term), meaning that the ship with the gage could quickly turn and run down on the other, or evade any attempt by the other to catch it. “Then if the morning light shows us a ship we want nothing to do with we can run, but we’ll be able to swoop down on him if he’s a merchant.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Jules took a deep breath, angry at herself. “Why didn’t I think of it?”

  Ang’s face wasn’t easy to make out in the dark, but his voice sounded amused. “When you lack experience, you tend to think of the two opposite choices. Run or fight. Buy or sell. Win or lose. But with time you start seeing there are a lot of choices in between the two opposites.”

  “Believe me, I know I need more experience,” Jules said, mollified.

  “You listen to those who do have it, so perhaps you’ll live long enough to learn the lessons for yourself.”

  “That’d be nice.” Jules looked up at the sails, their white shapes ghostly against the night sky. “Let’s work out how far to go upwind. Then you and I both need to get some sleep or we’ll be useless tomorrow. Who’s going to take over the quarterdeck after you?”

  “Gord will have the watch, Cap’n.”

  “Good.” Gord had been aboard the Sun Queen for years and had plenty of experience before that, though like most of those aboard he spoke little of his earlier life. In any port he was prone to drinking too much and then doing something stupid, but at sea Gord had proven reliable and smart. “If anything happens he can handle the first moments of it while the rest of us get on deck.” She turned, wincing as her side flared with pain. “Where’s Keli?”

  “I’ll have him come see you. It hurts?”

  “Blazes, yes, it hurts. What do you expect?”

  “I didn’t know. I’ve never known anyone to live through being hit by lightning,” Ang said. “What would’ve happened if the lightning had struck on the side where you have the Mechanic weapon?”

  Jules paused, looking down at the revolver. “I don’t know what would’ve happened. But I think I’m lucky I didn’t find out.”

  * * *

  Jules was up again well before sunrise, the burn down her side making every movement painful as the sky slowly paled in the east and the stars gradually retreated, surrendering their mastery of the sky to the overwhelming brilliance of the sun. She responded to the splendid sky with a sour look, having slept poorly after refusing the sleep draught that Keli had offered because it might make it hard for her to awaken in an emergency. Naturally, no emergency had occurred, since she’d sacrificed any chance of a decent amount of sleep just in case.

  It was still morning twilight, the sun not yet risen above the horizon, when the nature of the mysterious light became clear as the dark of night gave way.

  “Imperial sloop,” Liv said, shaking her head. The Imperial warship was more than a thousand lances south of them, the Sun Queen having sailed unseen past it to the north last night. “He was planning on ambushing us come morning. Instead, we’ve got the advantage of the wind. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Let’s do that,” Jules agreed. Resting one hand on the rail to support herself against weakness brought on by her injury, she looked up at the sails, studying how well they were drawing. The wind was still coming from just north of east, and while not as strong as yesterday had plenty enough push to let them outrun the Imperial ship.

  “He’s flying the parley flag!” the lookout called down from high above the deck.

  “What?” Jules stared at the other ship, seeing the flag herself as the light of day brightened, the breeze brisk enough to cause it to flap open and provide an unmistakable look at the white field surrounded by a blue border that meant the Imperials wanted to talk.

  “It’s a trick,” Ang said. “They just want us to let them get close enough for their ballista to knock down one of our masts. Liv’s right. Let’s go.”

  “Hold on,” Jules said. She looked up again. “Are there any more masts in sight?” she yelled to the lookout.

  After a pause as the lookout scanned the horizon again, the answer came back. “Just one a ways to the north that has been tracking east since I first spotted it. It hasn’t come any closer, just heading east. Looks like a ship from the Sharr Isles on its way to Landfall.”

  “All right.” Jules nodded to Ang. “Last night you reminded me that sometimes there are other choices rather than run or fight. Let’s wait and see what this guy does. If he really wants to talk, I want to hear it so I’ll know what the Emperor is planning.”

  “Fair enough,” Ang said. “You don’t think the Emperor is going to change his mind about you, do you?”

  “No.” She looked toward the Imperial sloop. “But the more I know about his exact plans, the better I can try to keep the Mages, the Mechanics, and the Imperials busy working against each other. Let’s raise our own parley flag in reply and see what they do.”

  “What if they put on more sail and come this way?”

  “Then we put on a lot more sail. They wouldn’t be able to catch us before nightfall, and then we could easily lose them in the dark.”

  “It’s still a risk,” Ang said. “If the winds shift…”

  “We’ll out-sail them anyway.” Hopefully this decision would be wiser than some of the ones she’d made yesterday.

  Chapter Three

  As if responding to Ang’s concerns, the wind almost immediately dropped a bit and swung slightly more toward the east, causing Jules to fret that she’d made the wrong call. The Imperial ship didn’t try to use that opportunity to get closer to the Sun Queen, though, and didn’t put on more sail. Instead, after sighting the Queen’s own parley flag, it put a longboat in the water. The sailors raised a single mast, set the sail, and came coasting over the waves toward Jules’ ship. An Imperial officer could be seen in the stern of the boat, resplendent in a dark red uniform and gold insignia that flashed in the light of the sun now peeking over the horizon. Jules couldn’t help pausing at the sight. Not long ago she’d worn such a uniform.

  “How many of the crew should we arm and have standing by?” Ang asked, jarring her out of a cascade of memories.

  Jules looked over the Imperial boat, which held a half dozen sailors in addition to the officer, knowing why Ang felt the need to be alert for treachery. The legionary code of honor took second place to loyalty to the Emperor, meaning they’d do whatever the Emperor ordered them to do. Still, she felt fairly confident making this decision because of her experience as both an Imperial officer and leading these pirates. She knew what both could do. “Ten. Five with crossbows and five with cutlasses. Keep them back unless the sailors on that boat try anything.”

  “Marta! Gord!” Ang called. “Each of you get four to help you. Marta, your group arm yourselves with crossbows. Gord, your group draw cutlasses. I want you all at the mainmast before that Imperial boat comes alongside.”

  Liv had come up onto the quarterdeck as well, gazing toward the oncoming boat with a sour expression. “Do
you want these goons knowing you’re alive?” she asked Jules.

  “Maybe,” Jules said. “I’m going to wait inside the cabin. When the Imperial representative comes aboard, I’ll size him or her up before I decide whether to call out for you to send them in.”

  “What if you don’t want to meet?” Ang asked.

  “If I say nothing, tell the Imperial representatives that I’m not aboard, and you know nothing of my whereabouts, and you’re all peaceful, loyal subjects of the Emperor, and you’re sorry they mistook this ship for Jules’ ship.”

  “And if they rush the deck?” Liv asked.

  “There are only seven in that boat. Between Marta’s crossbows and Gord’s cutlasses we can probably wipe out that boat crew faster than Gord can down a beer.”

  “And if there’s a Mage hidden among them?”

  “That’s not possible,” Jules said. “The Emperor wants me alive. Even if Mages got aboard that Imperial sloop, the crew would know that anything the Mages could do to them would be nothing compared to the Emperor’s wrath if they helped Mages harm me.”

  “That’s reassuring, I guess,” Liv grumbled.

  “Only if I don’t think about why the Emperor wants me alive,” Jules said. “Ang, if you see anything suspicious when they come alongside, don’t wait for me to order the crossbows into action.”

  Ang nodded with a somber expression. “I understand, Cap’n. You should get into the cabin now before they get close enough to identify you up here.”

  From that point on, the wait for the Imperial boat to reach them was more annoying than anything else. No one could relax or start other tasks while alert for any sudden move by the Imperial sloop, which might yet put on more sail and try to catch the Sun Queen while the pirate crew’s attention was on the approaching longboat.

  Jules found that waiting was much harder with the burn down her side hurting whether she moved or stayed still. She asked Healer Keli to put more salve on it, glowering at the strange fern pattern of the burn as he did so, then considered taking a slug of rum to help dull the pain but decided that wouldn’t be smart with the Imperial boat drawing closer. Alone once more, she sat down for the last period of waiting, trying to get halfway comfortable and wondering what an Imperial representative would think of the sparsely-furnished cabin. Certainly the cabin bore little resemblance to the almost opulent captain’s quarters aboard Imperial warships, where polished brass fittings shone in the light of numerous lamps and fine cloths covered both the captain’s table and the captain’s bunk.

  Hearing the calls and commotion that marked the boat coming alongside, Jules got up with a wince and limped to the door, opening it just enough that she could see a portion of the deck while remaining unseen.

  Ang stood by the place where the ladder had been dropped, displaying no sign of alarm as he gazed down at the Imperial boat. The sailors in that boat must be behaving themselves.

  An Imperial officer gradually came into view as he came up the ladder, his movements strangely familiar.

  Jules’ hand on the door tightened as she recognized the officer. “I wish to speak to Jules of Landfall,” Lieutenant Ian of Marandur told Ang. “Is she aboard this ship?”

  Ang didn’t reply, waiting to hear from Jules.

  She sighed, then called out. “Send in the officer.”

  Why did it have to be Ian, of all people?

  Retreating from the door, Jules took up a position near the stern windows, arms crossed, legs slightly spread as if prepared for a fight. Jules cocked one hip to ensure that the Mechanic weapon was easily visible, settling her expression into what hopefully looked like that of a stern pirate captain rather than that of an injured sailor having trouble keeping on her feet.

  Her once-friend and fellow officer in training stepped into the cabin, ducking a little because he was tall and the ceiling low, stopping as he saw her.

  Ian didn’t seem to have changed, but then it had been only about a year since they’d parted at Jacksport. In Imperial uniform, he looked familiar, the man from her memories, but also strange, because now everyone who wore that uniform served an emperor who sought Jules’ capture. The insignia that had marked him as an officer in training was gone, so he’d successfully achieved the status of a regular officer. But then that success had never been in doubt. Even if Ian hadn’t been a capable officer—and she knew he was—his family connections would have ensured his promotion.

  She noticed he carried a waterproof dispatch case. The sheaths for sword and dagger at his belt were both empty, as they should be for someone arriving under a parley flag.

  Jules couldn’t be certain of Ian’s expression, which seemed a mix of different emotions. Nor could she identify for certain her own feelings, a welter of contradictions that left her bewildered and unhappy. She hardened her face a little more to try to cover her inner turmoil.

  Ian looked at her for a long moment, as if waiting for her greeting, before averting his gaze. “You’re looking well,” he said in a low voice.

  “I’ve been getting a lot of fresh air while out at sea searching for ships to plunder,” Jules said. “Plus all the exercise I get running away from Mechanics and Mages who’re trying to kill me, and from Imperial servants who want to make me a slave.” Anger warred with her affection for Ian and sharpened her voice. “How did the Emperor know my ship would be around here?”

  “I was told to find you, and this seemed to be a good place to look.”

  He knew her that well? Worry about what that could mean if Ian led warships in search of her made Jules’ tone harden even more. “Why are you here?”

  He hesitated, then raised his eyes to meet her gaze. “I’ve been worried about you.”

  “It’s a purely personal visit?” Jules asked, letting sarcasm tint every word of her reply. “You’re not here with an Imperial warship at the behest of the Emperor?”

  Ian stood in the middle of the cabin as if unable to decide which direction to go. “I have a message for you from the Emperor,” he finally said, straightening to attention, his voice taking on official tones.

  “So it’s official business.”

  Instead of replying directly, Ian took a large envelope out of the waterproof dispatch case. Even from where she stood, Jules could see the heaviness and quality of the paper of the envelope. “This is for you, from the Emperor. I’m glad your captain allowed you use of this cabin. I’m supposed to give it to you in private.”

  “I am the captain of this ship, Ian.”

  “Oh.” Ian recovered from his surprise pretty quickly. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. So that’s a letter from the Emperor for me?”

  “Yes.” Ian held out the letter, waiting, but Jules didn’t move. “Don’t you want to look at it?”

  She didn’t want to limp across the cabin under Ian’s gaze. “Put it on the table. I may look at it later.”

  “Jules…” He made a face. “I’m required to ensure that you read the letter and gave your answer afterwards.”

  She shrugged, instantly regretting the movement as her burn protested, determined to ensure Ian didn’t enjoy a moment of this visit. Not when he’d only come at the behest of the Emperor. “You’d better read it to me, then.”

  “You’re going to make me do that?”

  “Blazes, yes, I’m going to make you do that.” Jules stayed standing by the stern windows, watching, as Ian, with an angry set to his mouth, ran a thumb under the envelope flap to break the heavy wax seal and drew out the paper inside.

  He unfolded the letter, inhaled slowly, then began reading in a formal voice. “To Jules of Landfall, honored by destiny.”

  Jules couldn’t help a scornful cough at that beginning, which caused Ian to pause for a moment.

  “Greetings to you, faithful servant of the Empire—”

  “Excuse me?” Jules interrupted again.

  “Faithful servant of the Empire,” Ian repeated stubbornly. “It is my most fervent wish that the future of our p
eople be safeguarded and brought to pass as the prophecy has proclaimed. The overthrow of the Great Guilds will be the greatest event in the history of this world. Even I am humbled to know that the woman whose line will be responsible for this wonder comes from among my subjects, and was protected and raised in the charity of one of the Imperial homes for orphans of the legions.”

  “He has the nerve to boast about that? Does the Emperor have any idea what conditions are like in those orphanages?”

  Ian paused, saying nothing, the light coming through the stern windows on his face shifting as the ship rolled.

  “Is that all?” Jules finally prompted.

  He began reading again. “The drawings of your…your beauty which have been shown to me surpass my wildest expectations—”

  “Drawings of me? Does he mean the ones on the Imperial wanted posters? Oh, stars above,” Jules said with a short laugh. “I can always tell when a man is either drunk or wants to get me into bed or both. That’s when he starts praising my so-called beauty.”

  “Those are the only times you’ve heard that?” Ian asked, his eyes fixed on the letter.

  She remembered then, words Ian had spoken. “No. There was another man. I believed he meant what he said.”

  “Thank you,” Ian said in a flat voice. “Should I continue?”

  “Yes.”

  “…your beauty which have been shown to me surpass my wildest expectations as does the fire in your eyes. I am certain you would be as fierce a partner and companion to me in—” Ian gritted his teeth. “In bed as you have proven to be in battle.”

  “Ian—” Jules began, regretting that she had pushed him into reciting those words. Of course a powerful man like the emperor would think a woman would be happy to hear such a thing.

  “You asked for this,” he replied, biting off the end of each word, before returning to his reading. “It is my understanding that in the course of seeking to protect your legacy you have been accused of violating a number of laws. Rest assured that should you agree to the terms of this proposal, a full pardon will be granted for each and every offense supposedly committed by you.”