by Duncan Lay
“You can rely on us, Ana,” Asil promised, Orhan nodding emphatically.
She reached out and hugged them to her. “You are my world and I will do anything to keep you safe,” she whispered. “Some of the things you might hear and see may seem strange but trust me and we shall all get through this.”
“My lady, the guards have drunk the powders and prayers will be called any moment,” Ely said gently.
“Good. Now, do you have the papers I signed, freeing you, your mother and sister?”
“Yes, my lady. Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” Feray said. “I will be sorry to see you go but I wish you well. Go far from here and I hope you can make something of a life for yourself. For what it is worth, I am sorry my husband used you as his spy and threatened your family. I only hope taking away your slavery can go some way to make up for that.”
Ely nodded her thanks, her eyes shining, and Feray squeezed her shoulder, then beckoned to her sons. “Go with God. And pray for us, for now is the time to go.”
*
Feray accepted a cup of water with a nod of thanks. Ely had helped them climb down their makeshift rope to the street, while the comatose guards lolled in the doorway, oblivious to everything. She had made her way to the docks easily enough but finding Gemici’s house had been much harder. She had to keep a tight rein on her instinct to order people to help her, instead of asking politely. Luckily the sailor was a well-known man around the docks and she had only taken a few wrong turns before finding his house. But she was conscious that her guards could be found asleep at any moment and then who knew what would happen? Without the Emperor or Durzu, there was no real authority in the city, but she suspected there would still be orders somewhere to have her killed if she caused trouble. Finding Gokmen at Gemici’s house was a welcome stroke of luck.
“We have to get back to Gaelland. The Zorva-worshippers have cast a spell over Durzu and the Emperor. Unless we can free Kemal and stop them, we are all dead and the Empire will fall into darkness,” she told them.
The two men exchanged glances. “We tried to get a ship ready, just in case, but then the harbor has been so busy with the Emperor’s orders …” Gokmen’s voice trailed off. “We have been waiting here, thinking orders would arrive for our death at any moment.”
“But we are ready now. Better to go down doing something you love, rather than wait here like a lamb before market day,” Gemici agreed. “But how will we free the Prince and stop the Emperor?”
“Leave that to me,” Feray said with a confidence she did not feel.
Gokmen stood tall. “I shall defend you with my life,” he told her.
“But we need to hurry,” Gemici said. “I’ll get the crew together, you need to find us some supplies if we are not to starve on the way.”
Gokmen grinned. “I’ll get them for you. Let me grab a few things.” He disappeared into the back of the house and Feray relaxed, a little. There were still so many obstacles in front of her but she could not afford to think of them now. One task at a time.
“Highness,” Gemici said softly. “You do know that the only ship left in the harbor is ours? After all she suffered on the trip home, she will not stand up to another storm like the one we survived.”
Feray had suspected that might be the case but there was no other choice. “Are you saying you are afraid to do this?” she asked.
The old sailor’s weather-beaten face creased further in a smile. “I merely spoke because you might want to leave your sons somewhere safer.”
“Nowhere is safe for them. Or for any of us, if the Zorva-worshippers win.”
CHAPTER 53
“Are you comfortable, brother?” Durzu asked with mock-kindness.
Kemal looked up wearily, squinting as daylight poured into the small cabin that served as his prison. Durzu had a pair of the Emperor’s guards at his shoulder but, even if he was alone, the chain that locked him to the wall meant there was no chance he could exact any revenge on his brother. Yet.
“What do you want? If you plan to gloat, I have better things to do.”
Durzu chuckled. “Yes, your new duties. I hear you are quite the worker and can even scrub floors like a servant. Who knew? We just had to find the right motivation. Keep it up and I won’t let my allies sacrifice the other servants to Zorva. But surely you would like to take a break and talk?”
Kemal smiled through his hatred. “Actually, there is a louse in my armpit that needs catching.”
Durzu laughed. “A thrilling task, to be sure! But surely you want to know your fate? You liked to know everything, I recall.”
“How about I tell you your fate, instead?” Kemal offered.
“Oh please. This should be entertaining,” Durzu said with a smile.
“Your new allies will use you and then kill you. They will seem to be right behind you, but only so they can better stab you in the back. Do not trust the woman, particularly. She is the real power behind Swane. He is but a puppet.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Durzu mocked.
“Kill them now. I would rather see you on the throne than either of them. Do not let these Zorva-worshippers live. They will drown the world in blood.”
Durzu cocked his head on one side. “You know, I do believe you are serious.” He clapped his hands gently. “Finally, we are able to find something on which we agree. You know, I was going to have you sacrificed tomorrow to ensure a good voyage, but now I think I shall keep you alive a little longer. Besides, I want to see what my allies will do to you when I tell them I have decided to keep you alive.”
*
“We have to kill Kemal. As long as he lives, there is a chance things could go wrong,” Dina said firmly. “The Emperor’s mind is ours but Kemal is a man around which the Kotterman nobility could rally.”
Swane nodded enthusiastically. “Besides, he has royal blood. It is a greater sacrifice and Zorva will reward us greatly for offering his soul.”
“I want him around until the end. Kill my other two brothers instead. They bore me endlessly, while Kemal is entertaining at least,” Durzu said casually.
“This is a mistake. You don’t want to leave even the slightest opening for things to go wrong,” Dina said. “Believe me, we have been guilty of being merciful. I had Fallon in my power and let him go, thinking he could still be useful to me. And he almost killed us in return.”
“Still, this is what I want. And I shall not be denied in this,” Durzu warned.
Dina reached under the table to squeeze Swane’s thigh. She could hide her anger easily but he had never learned the trick. He did what she wanted almost all the time but she did not want this to be one of those times when flashes of Aidan burst to the surface. On a Kottermani ship, surrounded by the Kottermani army, things would not end well for them. And she needed these Kottermanis as well. Fallon would not die easily. The last thing they needed was to get to Gaelland and then not have enough men to finish the job.
“Then you shall get your wish. Your other brothers have to die anyway,” she said casually. “We are only offering advice; you are the one who makes the final decisions.”
She did not add: For now. But it was a pleasure saying it to herself, anyway.
CHAPTER 54
“We are ready to sail, Highness,” Gemici said.
Packing the ship had been a nervous time but she had given the orders and the slave overseers had obeyed without question. Luckily there was nobody left to question them and there had been plenty of extra supplies left on the docks and even more slaves who could be turned into porters.
The sailors, meanwhile, had been delighted to go to work, making sure frayed ropes were replaced and several new sails packed aboard. They saluted whenever Feray or her sons came close and she smiled at the way they were willing to risk their lives for her.
“How seaworthy is she?” Feray asked Gemici. She knew they had to sail anyway but she could not keep the fear entirely buried.
The mast
er mariner grimaced. “I have not had the time to check everything,” he admitted. “There has been some work done below decks to strengthen the hull but unless we sent down men with lobster masks to look, we would not know for sure.”
Feray nodded as if she had expected that. “That will stay between us,” she said softly and Gemici bowed his head.
“My lady, we could use more crewmen,” he said. “Not just to sail the ship but to make it appear as if we are just like the rest of the fleet, with many men on board.”
“But we can’t trust anyone else,” Feray said. “Cast off. We need to catch up to the rest of the fleet and try and hide among them. There will be so many ships there that we shall just be one more in the crowd.”
Gemici hurried away and Feray strode back to order the last of the slaves off the ship when a disturbance on the dock attracted her attention. It took a few moments to see what was happening, even with the height advantage the ship gave her, and then she grasped the rail in shock to see Ely hurrying down the dock, a group of what looked like Gaelish in tow. Most of them were obviously terrified, many dressed in rags, and the dock guards were instinctively moving to stop them.
“Let them through! They are with me,” Feray ordered loudly, her tone leaving no choice but to obey.
The group was ushered on board, and the two standing closest to Ely were obviously her mother and younger sister. But she had no idea as to who the rest of them were.
“Who are they?” she asked the servant girl. She looked different somehow, as if she was now in control.
“They were the crew that Swane brought from Gaelland. They were kept prisoner and forced to watch as he sacrificed some of their children to Zorva. They will do anything to stop Swane and to get back to Gaelland,” Ely replied. “They had been locked up with my family, ready to be sold off as slaves, but I told their guards your papers applied to them as well. I shouted at them until they believed me and let these people go. They are sailors and can help us.”
Feray was impressed at the girl’s quick thinking and waved Gokmen over. “Find space for the families and then get the men ready to serve. Gemici can find duties for them.”
The slave master saluted and urged the group of Gaelish away, offering them rough reassurances in his gravelly Gaelish, leaving Ely, her mother and sister with Feray.
“I thought you would use your freedom to find safety, not to risk your lives,” Feray said. “You know that we may not even make it to Gaelland and, even if we do, we face even more danger. And how will you be greeted in Gaelland? Will your old Gaelish friends be happy to see you?”
Ely was breathing hard, her face flushed, but she held her head up. “Anything is better than slavery,” she said. “Even death. And if we die, we die free. It is worth any risk.”
That gave Feray pause for thought. She had not thought deeply about slaves before. You gave them orders and then forgot about it. Kottermani society depended on them but paid no attention to the pain slavery caused. She berated herself for not considering it more carefully. After all, her ancestral home had supplied thousands of slaves for the Empire over the years.
“Find yourself a cabin below and I would be grateful if you kept an eye on Asil and Orhan for me,” she said.
Ely’s family bowed their heads and hurried past, disappearing below as the sailors threw off the last of the ropes and launched the small rowboats that would tow them out of the harbor and out to the sea.
“Here we go, my lady. A prayer to Aroaril would not go astray, I think,” Gokmen said, his face split by a wide grin.
Feray nodded absently but then thought again. Asking for Aroaril’s help was all very well but they had done enough of that in the past, with little to show for it. Maybe she needed to offer something in return.
“Help us to stop the Zorva-worshippers and I swear I will end slavery in the Empire. It may not happen right away but I swear on my children’s lives that I will see the last chains cast off,” she murmured. As soon as she said it, she felt better. That was probably just foolishness but it did not hurt to think they had Aroaril on their side. After all, there were no other allies.
*
“The fleet is on the horizon, my lady,” Gemici said. “How far back should we stay?”
Feray shaded her eyes with her hands and looked out to the horizon, where a forest of masts and sails showed clearly. Her crew were veteran sailors who knew how to handle this ship, having sailed it from Gaelland already. They were obviously faster than the fleet because, although they had taken on a full load of food and water, they did not have a hold full of soldiers and their equipment.
“Take us right in there, then pull back on the sails so we match their speed,” she decreed.
“And if they challenge us?”
“We shall worry about that then. My guess is they have more than enough to worry about already,” she said.
They slowed gradually as they got closer, which gave her more chance to study the pattern of the fleet. Except there was no pattern—they sailed without order, just a mass of ships.
“Whoever is in charge is an idiot. One storm will scatter everyone across the seas. And there is every chance they will run into each other each night,” Gemici snorted.
“We should give thanks to them, because they have made our job much easier. The trick will be slipping away from them when we get closer to Gaelland,” Feray said.
“If we last that long, it should be easy,” Gemici said. And he was not smiling.
CHAPTER 55
Fallon kicked in the door and stepped aside for three of his villagers to race in, crossbows at the ready. He followed them, his own loaded and ready, but it was not needed. The place was empty and, from the dust everywhere and the icy chill in the air, it had been abandoned for a while.
“All right, lads,” he said, slipping the quarrel out of his crossbow. “That’s the last for today. Back to the castle to dry out and get some hot food.”
They walked to the horses and Fallon caught sight of a man lurking at the end of an alley. He was hooded, which was not unusual for everyone was swathed in thick clothes to keep out the bitter chill. But he was different somehow. There was something about his shape that reminded Fallon of Munro. Fallon caught Brendan’s eye and gestured that way.
“Listen, lads,” he said softly, his voice only just carrying to those nearest. “When I give the order, follow me.”
Word spread down the line then Fallon clapped spurs to his horse and charged up the street, followed by the others an instant later, although it was a slow charge because they didn’t want the horses to slip on the icy cobbles.
The man vanished around the corner in an instant but Fallon was confident of catching him—until he rounded the corner and saw no running man but instead a cart rattling up the road at a terrific rate, the hooded man at the reins.
“Get him!” he roared, roweling back his spurs.
Yet, try as he might, they struggled to narrow the gap. They should have caught it quickly but the slippery cobbles slowed everything down. The cart turned left and right, the driver leaning from one side to the other to keep it upright. Some of Fallon’s men had no such luck. One of the horses slipped, bringing two more down with it in a screaming pile. Fallon only gave them a glance. They could come back for them later.
People flung themselves out of the way as the cart raced by and the horses thundered after it. Their passage was marked with screams and shouts and wails of people falling over and trying to protect their children.
One of Fallon’s men tried to avoid a woman and ended up crashing into a market stall, sending pots flying and causing another horse to fall over, where it slid into a group of people.
“Ignore them!” Fallon bellowed as some of his men slowed their horses to help sort out the chaos.
Slowly they closed the distance and the hooded man glanced over his shoulder. With a crack of the whip he turned the cart again, down another street—right into a crowd. The cart ploughed into th
em, the press of bodies stopping it, but not before men and women were flung in all directions.
The man jumped off the cart as Fallon and Brendan arrived and plunged into the crowd after him. But there were people running in all directions, shouting and screaming and he could not see his prey. Brendan pulled down a struggling man but it proved to be someone completely different. Hurriedly he organized his men to block off the area and go through the people but by the time they did that, scores had disappeared and there was no sign of Munro in those remaining—and then Fallon spotted a hooded cloak on the ground.
“Bastard has got away,” Brendan cursed, picking it up. “Now what do we do?”
Fallon looked at the wounded and sighed. “Clean this up,” he said. “I’m sure Bridgit will have something to say about this.”
The smith grunted. “You are going to have to do something about the women. I reckon they want to run the Ruling Council.”
“What? Bridgit would never agree to that!” Fallon scoffed.
“Really? She let everyone go that we spent so long capturing. And she got that Lunsterman Jason to do it for her, one of the men who is loyal to her before you. Do you think that is the mark of someone willing to let you stay in charge or is it someone who has their own plans?”
“Bridgit is with me, not against me,” Fallon said.
“That’s what I thought about Nola,” Brendan said remorselessly. “We have been through too much to lose everything now. Maybe you need to remove the Ruling Council and run things yourself.”
Fallon shook his head stubbornly. “It cannot come to that,” he said.
*
“What were you thinking?” Bridgit cried. “More than thirty men and women hurt and having to be healed by Rosaleen, to say nothing of four horses killed and hundreds complaining about us!”