by K Hanson
“Why did you bring me here? Just wanted to show off your toys?”
“No, I wanted to ask where you think we should go next. If you’re going to help me wage this rebellion, I want to know what your thoughts are.”
“I’m not a general. I’ve never run a campaign like this.”
“I don’t want a general. I want someone who thinks differently. Just take a look and see what you come up with.”
Nereyda scanned the map and studied the cities with green markers. She didn’t know much about most of them. The only one she was familiar with was Trabizan, where she had blackmailed an Imperial captain to get a message to Brynja in the mines. Her eyes flicked toward the western coast, where she saw Antalia.
“Have you thought about trying to take Antalia?” Nereyda asked.
“Antalia?” He let out a short incredulous laugh. “Are you joking? Maybe once it would have been easy, but not anymore. It’s surrounded by some of the strongest walls in the Empire and has a permanent squadron of frigates guarding the harbor. To have any chance of taking the city, we’d need to destroy those ships, and we don’t have a fleet yet. And it’s under martial law, so I can’t just try to become friends with the noble in charge like I would with most places. That’s why it has a red marker. Our support is growing, but we only have maybe a thousand fighters ready to go and close enough to help right now. Not nearly enough to take a city like that.”
She tilted her head and focused on the map as a plan started to form in her mind. “What if we could take it from the inside?”
“What do you mean? How would we do that?”
“I have some friends still inside Antalia. Many people there resent the iron grip that the Empire has them in. With the right nudge, we can probably get them to rise up.” She nodded with excitement. “Yes, this could work.”
“Maybe, but they’d need weapons, and civilians in Antalia aren’t allowed to own them.”
Nereyda looked up and smiled at Devrim. “Then we give them weapons.”
“You still haven’t told me how you plan to get into what might be the most heavily fortified city in the Empire.”
“Can you get us some fishing boats? Enough to carry all of my pirates and the Islanders.”
“What are you going to do with fishing boats?”
“We’re going to bring fish to Antalia. And under the fish, we’ll bring enough weapons to arm the city.”
“So you need fishing boats, weapons, and . . . fish? This plan seems a bit crazy.”
She shrugged. “You said you wanted someone who thinks differently, right? And what better way of continuing your rebellion than taking a city that can’t be captured?”
He grimaced. “True, but it’s incredibly risky. What if you’re caught? What if the wrong people hear what you’re up to?”
“I’ll deal with that if it happens. But we’re just pirates and they don’t know we’re with you. If we’re caught, we’ll be tried as smugglers, but we won’t rat you out. We bear all the risk.”
“And you’re willing to take that chance?”
Nereyda nodded. “For my friends in Antalia, yes.”
Devrim glanced back down at the map for a minute, considering the plan. “Fine, let’s do it your way. If this works, it could be a great start. And it would give us one of the best harbors on the continent. Is there anything else you need?”
“You have a blue marker not far from Antalia. What’s there?”
“That’s the estate of one of the other nobles friendly to us.”
“Good. Bring as many of your troops there as you can and keep an eye on the city while we’re there. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell when the fighting begins. When it does, we’ll try to get the gates open, and you can walk right in to help.”
“I hope this works.” Devrim furrowed his brow as he gazed at the map. “If it doesn’t, this rebellion is going to be awfully short.”
“Trust me. It’ll work.”
Devrim chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m trusting someone who tried to rob me.”
Nereyda smiled and winked at him. “That’s all in the past. I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends from now on.”
“At least until you get a ship again?”
“Are you implying that I’m using you until I get what I want? How dare you!” Nereyda put a hand over her chest in mock insult. “I would never do such a thing. Anyway, aren’t you using me until you win your little rebellion?”
“I guess that’s one way to put it. So we’re using each other, then?” He grinned. “As long as we’re open about it, that’s not a problem.”
“Good. I should go tell my crew to start getting ready to leave. Come find me once you have the fishing boats.” Nereyda turned and left the war room without waiting to be dismissed and found her way out of the house. As she made her way back to the tavern, she thought about how she could turn her crazy half plan into an even more ridiculous full plan that just might work.
CHAPTER NINE
The harbor of Antalia was noticeably emptier by the time Brynja reported to the docks the next morning. She found an Imperial frigate with Tavara printed on the side. A number of people moved about the deck, preparing it for departure. A man with dark hair waited for her next to the helm, a gray jacket wrapped around his lanky form.
“Hello,” he said, fixing her with piercing green eyes. “You must be Brynja.”
“That’s right. Who are you?”
“I’m Ilker, and the good admiral has decided that I should be his representative aboard your vessel.” He tapped a golden ring with the shape of an eye inscribed onto it. “That means that you’d better keep me happy and healthy,” he said with a predatory grin, “whatever it takes.”
“We’ll try not to disappoint you.”
“Good. I should hope so. We can set sail as soon as you give your crew the orders. Supplies were stocked overnight, and some additional crew members are here already, so we’re fully staffed.”
“Where did the other ships go? This harbor was full yesterday.”
“Oh, the rest of the fleet is being redeployed to patrol the sea near the mines. You don’t need to concern yourself with that now, though. Now it’s time to get ready to leave. I’m eager to blow some Stalstans out of the water.” He grinned at her. “So get going, please.”
Brynja turned away from the man and addressed her crew members on the deck. “You all know what your jobs are. If you’re new and don’t recognize me, my name is Brynja. Once we’re at sea, we’ll have time to get to know each other better. Finish preparations, then we’ll be off.”
The crew muttered their obedience, which was much different than the usual exuberance they had shown on the Storm Raven before setting out on a raiding expedition. She shook her musings aside as she focused on observing the crew and issuing specific orders when necessary. Once the ship was ready, they cast off from the dock and drifted out into the harbor.
Brynja piloted them out through the narrow water passage that connected the harbor to the ocean. “Now that we’re at sea,” she said to Ilker, “do we have a particular place where we’re supposed to go?”
“You know where Stalsta is, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then head west. As we get closer, we’ll watch for any ships and attack them as the opportunity arises.”
“No specific target?”
He shook his head. “Not right now. Perhaps eventually we’ll get a narrower focus. For now, if we see an easy target, we take it out.”
“Okay, then we just sail for now, I suppose.” She angled the ship to head west. “Full sail,” she shouted. Once the sails were unfurled, and everything had been secured, they settled in to cruise toward Stalsta.
As they sailed, Brynja almost forgot that she was still a prisoner. The fresh sea air and wide-open sky felt like total freedom after the cramped confines of the mines. Energy returned to her and the weight of her sentence diminished. After several days of sailing west at full sp
eed, the first islands of the Stalsta Federation appeared on the horizon.
“Ah, good,” said Ilker. “We should start to find some prey soon.”
An hour later, they found their first potential target as a speck of a mast moved at the edge of Brynja’s vision. “I think I see a ship,” she said.
“Not surprising,” Ilker replied. “We’re coming up on a popular trading route that runs between Akureyri and Husavik. I bet this isn’t the last ship we find here today. Turn toward that one and chase it down. If we’re feeling bold, we can even sail closer to one of the ports and take out some fishing boats.”
“Fishing boats?” asked Brynja with surprise as she spun the helm wheel. “Why them? They aren’t exactly enemies of the Empire.”
“On this ship,” he said with an edge to his voice, “I decide who is and who isn’t an enemy of the Empire.” He looked away from her, showing that he considered the matter settled.
Before long, the distant mast grew into a gigantic barge. Crates and barrels covered the deck and it lay low in the water, weighted down by its cargo. It had no cannons, not even a deck gun. When the other crew spotted the Cambisian vessel, they panicked and scurried about their deck. Their helmsman frantically spun his wheel away from the Tavara.
The barge lumbered into a turn and Brynja adjusted her course with a slight turn.
“Fire a warning shot,” Brynja called to her crew as they closed within firing range.
“Cancel that,” Ilker shouted.
“We’re not going to give them a chance to surrender?” Brynja asked in disbelief.
“Of course not. I know you were a pirate, so you’re used to capturing what you can, but we don’t care about that. It doesn’t matter what it’s carrying or who’s on board. It could be a barge with a hold full of gold or a passenger ship of orphans, and it wouldn’t make a difference. If it’s something that can’t fight back, we’re going to sink it.”
Brynja swallowed her disgust and angled the Tavara so that its broadside faced the defenseless ship. “Prepare to fire,” she ordered.
People on the other ship scurried around their deck and took what little cover they could find. Not that it would make a difference.
The Tavara loomed parallel to its target. “Fire,” she yelled. A chill came over Brynja as she gave the command.
The trading ship stood no chance. As the cannons erupted, their shots tore straight through the hull. They had been aimed at the waterline, so their target started taking on water and slowing down with the added weight and drag.
“A good start,” said Ilker, “but they’re still floating. Finish them off.”
“Reload,” she ordered.
While her crew readied the guns for a second round, she ordered the sails trimmed. They slowed down, then turned around the front of their target as they passed it. By the time they maneuvered parallel to the other side of the vessel, the cannons had been loaded.
“Fire!”
Again, the cannons ruptured the hull. Their target became engulfed in rising water, and the crew scrambled off of the ship and grabbed whatever they could to stay afloat.
“Very well done,” said Ilker. “I think that’s good enough for now. We don’t need to bother with the survivors.” He spoke as if he gave them no more thought than he would a cockroach under his boot.
“You want to leave them here? We can at least take them and ransom them.”
“As far as I can tell, we don’t have the space to house any prisoners, so capturing them isn’t an option. And, while I have no problems just finishing them off right here and now, it would take a lot of time better spent finding another target. Besides, it can be useful to have some survivors to go home and talk about what happened here. We want Stalsta to find out about these attacks.”
Brynja hated the idea of leaving people to drown, especially people who had done nothing to deserve their fate. An ember of resistance started to glow within her, but it wasn’t enough to catch flame. “So where to now?”
Ilker shrugged. “That’s up to you. You saw where this ship was going and where it was coming from. Pick a direction, and we’ll encounter another ship sooner or later.”
A few hours later, they came upon a ship lazily sailing through the water. The hull featured intricate carvings, and each post that supported the railing was a unique wooden sculpture.
A boy bounced an orange ball as he ran up and down the length of the ship. “There’s a child on board that ship,” Brynja noted. “It looks like a pleasure cruise vessel.”
“A child, you say?” Ilker asked. “As far as I can tell, it still has a Stalstan flag flying on the mast, so it doesn’t matter who you see on deck.”
She glared at him and said with a growl, “I can’t give the order to fire on a ship that’s carrying children. We never went that far when we were pirates.”
His gaze toward her contained the same natural hatred with which he observed the Stalstan ship. “You aren’t pirates now. Either you give the order, or I will. If I have to do it, be prepared to be punished. I packed a whip, so I can administer a flogging right here on deck. Or perhaps you can pick a crew member and do it yourself. The third choice is to sail straight back and report to the admiral that you have decided you’d rather serve your sentence somewhere else. Is that what you want for you and your friends?” He smiled as if inviting her to test him.
Ilker’s words brought back memories of when Brynja had been forced to whip members of her own crew in the mines. The echoes of their cries ringing in her mind, she hung her head. “No, I don’t want that.”
He loomed next to her and brought his lips right next to her ear. “Then give the order, pirate.”
She took a deep breath, then nodded and gave the command.
Their target exploded from the impact of the volley. Bodies flew into the water and floated lifelessly. Screams echoed from the wreckage as it slipped beneath the waves. As Brynja turned the wheel to leave, an orange ball bobbed up and down in the waves.
Ilker observed the scene with a pleased gleam in his eyes. “Very good, pirate. You’re learning. Now, if you’re feeling bold, let’s get a bit closer to shore and find some fishing boats.”
They sailed farther up the trading route and, a few hours later, saw land on the horizon. Soon afterward, the Tavara encountered a cluster of fishing boats trawling the water, drifting with the current and waiting for their nets to snag some fish.
“Don’t hesitate this time,” said Ilker, his voice razor sharp.
His threats still fresh in her mind, Brynja ordered her crew to attack. Their shoulders drooped as they aimed the guns and worked the sails.
The Tavara made quick work of the fishing fleet. The small vessels weren’t made to withstand cannon fire, so it only took one shot per boat to sink it or break it apart entirely.
In the chaos, one boat slipped out of their range, its tiny sail wide open. Frantic sailors paddled with wooden planks in pursuit of an extra touch of speed.
“Should we pursue that one?” Brynja asked.
“No, let it escape. They’ll go back and tell everyone about what happened.”
Brynja let out a sigh of relief. “In that case, I recommend that we pull away from the shore. A Stalstan patrol will be out soon to catch whoever did this, and we should be as far away as we can.”
“I agree. We’ve had a good first day, so I think we can end it here. I’ll leave it up to your judgment where to go and drift for the night.”
Brynja tightened her grip on the wheel as a floating orange ball haunted her thoughts.
CHAPTER TEN
Nereyda stood at the helm of her fishing boat as it glided through the water toward Antalia, her eyes on the Imperial frigates that floated just outside the harbor. Devrim had gotten her five fishing vessels. Nereyda piloted the one in the center, with two others on either side. Each fishing boat had a hold full of crates of weapons, with fish covering the contents of each crate in case they were inspected. They also had some
casks of wine to use as bribes if necessary.
Six frigates drifted on the water, with several more docked in the harbor. One of the patrol ships cut off the fishing vessels and ran up its colors. A yellow flag indicated that the fishing boats should stop and prepare for boarding. Nereyda and her crew brought their vessel to a halt, then waved to the other ships to do the same. A rowboat pushed off from the nearby frigate with a squad of armed Imperial marines.
They rowed up next to Nereyda’s boat, and a young man in an officer’s uniform gave her a crisp wave. “Hello, there. I’m Lieutenant Metine, and we request permission to board and inspect your vessel.”
“Request permission? Somehow, I don’t think this is something I can say no to,” Nereyda called over the water.
“You’re correct. I am merely being polite. If you refuse, there will be consequences.”
“I’d hate to break the rules and have to suffer any of those consequences. Come on aboard. Elvar,” she waved him over, “help secure their boat to ours and throw a ladder down so they can climb up.”
“Aye, Captain,” said Elvar.
Once the ships had been secured together, Nereyda waited at the ladder for the lieutenant and his men.
“I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman captain a fishing boat before,” he said as he climbed onto the deck and straightened his uniform.
“It runs in my family. My father taught me everything he knew, and I took over once he died. Allow me to show you around.” She kept her stride a humble saunter rather than her usual swagger as the officer followed her.
Metine’s eyes scanned the deck and he gave an impressed nod. “Well, you seem to be doing well for yourself. Are these other boats with you, as well?”
“Yes, I own the fleet.” She gave a casual wave toward the other boats. “It’s not much, but we do well enough. Will you need to inspect the other vessels, too?”
“I will, but it won’t take long if you’re cooperative. What brings you to Antalia?” He kicked a pile of rope aside, looking underneath it.
“We had a good haul not far up the coast and wanted to bring it to market as soon as we could. It’d be a shame if it spoiled in our holds.”