Explorer of the Endless Sea

by Jack Campbell

“Throw it in the sea,” she said, remembering the Mages who’d killed Mak.

  Jules looked to the other cabin door, still closed, trying to get herself fully back under control. “I need to talk to the Mechanics.”

  “Do you mean to kill them, too?” It was hard to tell which answer the captain wanted to hear.

  “Not today,” Jules said. “Hopefully they won’t kill me. But I need to find out what their Guild is up to.”

  “Don’t they want to kill you?”

  “They did. Probably still do. But I don’t know. Mechanics aren’t Mages. There’s only one way to find out.”

  Chapter Five

  She walked to the closed door, realized she was still holding the weapon in her hand, and placed it back in the holster. Reaching up, she knocked firmly but politely on the door.

  “You may enter.”

  The port cabin was the mirror image of the starboard cabin the Mage had occupied, but where that room now held only death, this one was full of life. The windows were open, letting in light and air. A man and woman sat inside, facing the door, their Mechanics’ dark jackets a somber reminder of their status. Behind them stood two children, one a girl who looked to be in her early teens, and the other a boy a few years younger. The children were staring at her with ill-concealed hostility and some fear, while the adults regarded Jules with bland expressions.

  “Are you here to try to kill us?” the man asked, as if the question were a normal one.

  “No, Sir Mechanic,” Jules said, determined to use this meeting to her best advantage. “I wanted to inform you that you need no longer be concerned about the Mage who was aboard.”

  The woman Mechanic raised her eyebrows at Jules. “You killed him? That’s the shots we heard?”

  “Yes, Lady Mechanic.”

  “How many Mages does that make for you?”

  “At least four, Lady Mechanic.” Jules said it in a flat voice to remove any hint of a boast to the statement.

  The woman, though, nodded as if impressed. “What are your intentions regarding this ship?”

  “Once my crew is done removing the valuables and cargo that we want, we’ll leave and the ship will be allowed to continue on to the Sharr Isles.”

  The male Mechanic gave her a searching look. “I thought you wanted all Mechanics to die. That was you who said that, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, Sir Mechanic.” At Jacksport, during her last meeting with Mechanics, when her patience had snapped and she’d spoken her mind to them. It had very nearly gotten her killed instead.

  “Why not start here with us?”

  Jules studied the Mechanic, trying to judge the intent behind his question. “I’m not a fool, Sir Mechanic. I already have one of the Great Guilds doing all it can to kill me, and the Empire trying to capture me. I don’t need any more enemies bending every effort against me. If I killed even one Mechanic, your Guild would be relentless in its pursuit of me, and those around me would suffer. And, to be clear, your Guild and I have the same opponents.”

  “The ‘Great Guilds,’” the female Mechanic said with a sigh. “Why did we allow that term to come into use among the commons? As if the Mages were our equals?”

  “We can’t control everything,” the male Mechanic replied before turning his attention back to Jules. “I saw you look at our children.”

  “I don’t harm children,” Jules said. “Never.”

  “I’m not a child. Neither is my wife here.”

  “I will never willingly make an orphan of any child.”

  “Ah. You can display self-control.”

  Jules nodded. “Contrary to what your Guild believes, common people are not animals.”

  Instead of taking offense at her words, the man replied in a serious tone. “Not all Mechanics see the commons as animals. There are plenty of us who see them as people. Clearly our inferiors, in need of guidance and control, but still people. And then there’s you. We’d wondered if you’d declared war on the Mechanics Guild.” He made the idea sound too absurd to be taken seriously.

  “I’m not a fool,” Jules repeated. “And that’s not my destiny.”

  “Oh, right,” the female Mechanic said. “Your daughter will do that.”

  “A daughter of my line, Lady Mechanic,” Jules said.

  “A daughter of your line.” She gave Jules another close look before speaking to her husband. “Regardless, any sons or daughters of this girl should be tested.”

  “Yes,” the man agreed. “They could well be Guild material.”

  Jules barely fought down a shudder at the idea of her young children being seized and raised as Mechanics. A memory of Mak’s daughter, taken from him as a young girl and turned against him, rose in her mind. She didn’t reply to the man’s statement, not trusting herself to speak in reply.

  If he noticed, the male Mechanic didn’t show any sign of it, instead talking in a straightforward way. “It’s no secret that there are some changes occurring in this world. Commons escaping the Empire and setting up new towns outside its boundaries. Trying to stop those changes would entail potential major costs, so the Guild is trying to manage them to its benefit. But then we have you. A wild card. What’s your name?”

  “Jules of Landfall, Sir Mechanic.”

  “Jules of Landfall.” He nodded. “Suppose you had sitting before you some leaders of the Mechanics Guild, and they expressed their concerns to you about your potential to cause problems. What would you say to them?”

  She paused to carefully consider her words before speaking. If the free common folk were to survive and grow, they needed the strength of the Mechanics Guild on their side, or at least for it to remain neutral in the fight. “You called me a wild card, Sir Mechanic. I would say that a wise player, no matter the game, knows that a well-played wild card can mean the difference between winning and losing.”

  The male Mechanic looked impressed, glancing at his wife before addressing Jules again. “That’s well argued. Of course, there’s no question of whether or not the Guild wins. It’s a matter of what winning might cost. You’ve helped the Guild in two ways prior to this. The Mages have devoted a lot of effort to chasing you, efforts that might have hindered the Mechanics Guild’s own work. And the Empire has had its attention diverted from pushing against the rules the Mechanics Guild have laid down for commons to follow. Those Imperial schemes would certainly be fruitless, but potentially expensive for our Guild to put an end to. You were a valuable tool before. Would you be valuable again?”

  “It depends on what I’m asked to do, Sir Mechanic.”

  The woman shook her head at Jules like a teacher reproving a recalcitrant student. “Don’t try to bargain.”

  “I’m not bargaining, Lady Mechanic,” Jules said. “I’m being honest that there are things I will not do.”

  “Such as killing children?”

  “Yes, Lady Mechanic.”

  “A tool with a moral compass of its own isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” the man observed. “What about countering moves by the Emperor, Jules of Landfall? What about keeping him off-balance?”

  “I’ve been known to do such things,” Jules said.

  He smiled. “So we’ve heard. The Guild has an order out for you to be killed if seen, but that might constitute a serious waste. It’d be a shame to destroy a tool that could do some useful work and spare Mechanics from having to get directly involved. All right. Get on with your pillaging and looting of the ship so we can continue on our way to Caer Lyn. We don’t want to get there late.”

  “With the winds as they are, this ship will have no trouble making up the time,” Jules said. Not expecting any polite farewell, she backed from the cabin and closed the door. Facing forward along the deck again, she once more saw everyone standing still, watching her. “Is there no task that needs doing?” she yelled. “Get your arms and legs to work! We’ve spent enough time here already!”

  Her crew hastened to transfer some crates, while Liv came up to Jules, eyeing her. “We’r
e bringing off two crates of wine, a crate of vinegar, and some bales of clothing. The ship’s strongbox yielded a fair sum and the passengers have contributed a portion of their own wealth. The owner of the ship is a prince, so this will make another friend for you in the Imperial court.”

  “Good. Let’s get it done.”

  “Is everything all right, Captain?”

  “I’m fine,” Jules said, feeling emotionally drained and wishing this day was done.

  “Why’d you let them live? The Mechanics?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “This is the perfect chance to get a few,” Liv pressed. “Use the Mage’s long knife. Everyone can say the Mage killed the Mechanics before you could step in to kill the Mage. The world has a few less Mechanics, it’ll make more bad blood between the Great Guilds, and no one can blame you. The Mechanics would probably thank you!”

  Jules knew why Liv was urging that action. Every common had experienced bad treatment from Mechanics. Even the captain of this ship would probably be happy with Jules for killing her other passengers as long as the Mage could be blamed. But it went against everything Jules felt. “No.”

  “But—”

  Accumulating tension flared and her temper exploded, but Jules held herself partly in check. “I do not harm children!” She stomped away from Liv, everyone in her path hastily making way.

  Jules hopped back over the joined railings to the Sun Queen, making her way to the quarterdeck through the sailors working to bring aboard loot from the merchant ship. She found Ang standing by the ship’s wheel, his expression impassive. “What are you, a Mage?” she asked him, her tones sharp enough to cut through an anchor cable.

  “That’s not funny, Cap’n,” Ang said, a frown forming.

  It took her a moment to crawl out of her mood and realize why he was upset. He’d told her once that Mages had killed his mother. Jules felt her face get hot with shame. “I’m sorry, Ang. I’m truly sorry. I didn’t think.”

  “That’s all right,” Ang said, though his tone of voice still sounded distant.

  “It’s not all right. I promise you I will never make such a comment again.”

  He looked at her for a long moment before nodding to accept her apology. “All right,” he said, and this time his voice sounded normal.

  Angry at herself, Jules ran both hands through her hair. “I think we should head north once we’re done with that ship. The moment it reaches the Sharr Isles a whole lot of people will learn that we’re in this area.”

  “And we shouldn’t be anywhere nearby when that happens,” Ang said. “But I would advise steering in another direction until the other ship loses sight of us so they think we’re heading elsewhere.”

  “Right,” Jules said. “Maybe I can help that along.” Grateful to be able to do something to take her mind off of her words, Jules went back to the railing and called the captain of the other ship over. “You came from Landfall?” Jules asked her.

  “That’s so,” she replied.

  “Did you see many Imperial warships about?”

  “Not many,” the other captain said. “It’s no secret that the Empire’s ships of war are scattered across the sea searching for you.”

  “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Landfall,” Jules said, attempting to sound like someone who was wistful and trying not to show it.

  The sun was near setting when the transfer of useful cargo was done and the Sun Queen cast off. Jules watched the shape of the other ship dwindle in size as the Sun Queen headed east of southeast along a line towards Landfall. Hoping they weren’t being too obvious, Jules paced the quarterdeck, spotting Liv leaning against the railing, her back to anyone else. It felt wrong, since Liv usually faced inwards so she could talk to anyone else nearby. “Are you all right, Liv?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, keeping her gaze out over the water.

  “You just seem a bit moody,” Jules pressed.

  Liv, her brow lowered in a scowl, finally looked at Jules. “I’m a bit moody? That’s the sea calling the river wet, that is. I may be moody at times, but I don’t take it out on my friends!”

  Jules fought down an initial burst of anger that would only have worsened things. She had to admit that Liv had a point, but… “Liv, you don’t—”

  “And don’t give me that ‘I don’t know what it’s like to be you’ bilge! I’ve been around you enough in all of your moods that I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it’s like, I do!”

  Once again feeling defensive anger, Jules felt it fade as she remembered her unforgivable words to Ang. “You’ve got a point there. I’m sorry, Liv,” Jules said. “I’ve got a mouth on me and a bit of a temper.”

  “Really?” But Liv finally relaxed as she said it. “More than a bit of both, but that’s something we can both lay claim to. What happened to cause that blowup?”

  Jules leaned on the railing next to her, looking south. “I’m feeling my way along a dark path, Liv. I never know if the next step will be a wrong one and maybe my last. Did I say the right things to those Mechanics? The whole time I talked to them I had to wonder if they had weapons concealed on them and were just leading me along. If they killed me, what would they do to you guys after that? And I hate having to act subservient around them. Even the nicest Mechanics are arrogant asses. And I was still on edge from confronting and killing that Mage, and having to touch him and his clothes, and confused by his attitude as he was dying, and…” Jules blew out an angry breath. “It can be too much at times.”

  Liv didn’t reply for a moment, gazing up at the sky where the clouds were still lit by the sun. “I admit I can’t put myself in your shoes.”

  “I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.”

  “Except yourself?” Liv asked. “Before you answer and speaking of too much, I think we may be in for some bad weather.”

  Pausing to consider her words, Jules wet one finger and raised it. “The wind’s starting to change.”

  “Yeah. And look up there. Dark clouds moving in from different directions. The lower ones are piling up. The air’s not happy. Can you feel it?”

  “Now that you mention it, yes.” Jules turned to yell across the ship. “All hands prepare for some rough weather! Get everything tied down, check the lines, and check the cargo. Make it an early meal tonight. We may not be able to risk cooking fires later on.”

  “Do we hold course, Captain?” Kyle, who was on the helm, called to her.

  “No. We’ve opened enough distance from our last prize. Ang! Bring us about on a northern heading, and keep us steady on that as long as we can manage it.”

  Any hopes that the warning signs might indicate only a brief patch of bad weather were abandoned during the night as a gale came down from the north, whipping the seas to an angry maelstrom and relentlessly beating at the ship and her crew. All through the next day they tried tacking against the storm to continue heading north, but with what Jules thought was little success. The Sun Queen breasted each high wave in turn, foam and water breaking across the bow and running along the deck, followed by a plunge into the trough beyond before the bow rose to meet the next storm-driven wave. The wild day gave way to an angry night, followed by another day in which wind and wave battered the Sun Queen.

  Ang, his clothing dripping with cold water, came down to the cabin where Jules was moodily taking a break. Since the seas were still too rough to risk cooking fires, she tipped some cold coffee into a mug, followed by a slug of rum, and offered it to him. The coffee pitcher rattled in its holder as the Sun Queen tossed again under the force of the weather. “Are we making any headway at all?” Jules asked as Ang drank.

  He shrugged. “With the sun and stars blocked by the clouds, there’s no way to tell. But I’d be surprised if we’ve made much.”

  “We could turn and run south.”

  “There are too many ships looking for us to the south,” Ang said.

  Jules grimaced. “And heading east would pin us against the coast of t
he Empire. That leaves west.”

  “If we turn west, I think we’d be running toward the Sharr Isles, where they’ll be looking for us, or if we have made any progress north it might take us along the shipping routes heading to and from Altis,” Ang said. “We know the Empire is patrolling that route more lately, and so are the Mechanics.”

  “Which leaves north.” Jules got up wearily. Riding a ship in weather like this was like exercising non-stop the whole time, muscles constantly working even while sitting to maintain balance and avoid dangerous falls or tumbles. Even worse, with so much water breaking over the deck and leaking through the timbers, the crew had to constantly work at bailing out the bilges to keep the ship from slowly sinking. “I’ll take the quarterdeck for a while. You rest down here.”

  “Aye, Cap’n. This storm has to let up soon.”

  “I think I said that same thing this time yesterday.” She went out into the grayish day and the slashing rain, fighting her way up onto the quarterdeck where two sailors instead of the usual one struggled to hold onto the wheel. The sea formed an awesome and powerful sight under the lash of the storm, large swells, dark under the cloudy skies except for crowns of white foam, rolling past in endless ranks. The seas weren’t running as high as yesterday, but still an occasional larger wave broke across the main deck, racing along it and tugging at the legs of anyone who had to be on deck, sailors hanging on for their lives to the nearest tether they could grasp. Most of the sails had been taken in so the winds wouldn’t break the masts, those sails that were still set reefed to reduce their area. Sailing as close-hauled as she could, the Sun Queen struggled to make any way against the storm that seemed to mock the efforts of her and her crew.

  Jules looked up at the low clouds scudding past above, displaying an infinite variety of shades of gray, and wondered why the simplest tasks sometimes had to be so difficult.

  * * *

  With morning, the storm finally slackened. The crew’s relief changed to dismay, though, as the wind dropped to nothing and the seas went as flat as the plains around Umburan. The clouds disappeared, leaving a bright sun that fell upon the slack sails hanging from their spars, the waters of the sea forming a mirror. “Blazes,” Liv commented. “The sea’s angry at someone for sure.”