“It’s them,” the House Agent confirmed with a growl. I leaned against the railing and peered north, just able to make out what looked like two shimmering masts on the horizon. Malo glanced up at the limp sail, then the sky. “Not that it’s going to do us much good without the wind at our backs.”
“How long have we been sitting like this?” I asked.
“Since before dawn,” Malo replied sourly. He gestured to Putt with a thumb. “This one says the wind will return eventually, which is an easy prediction to make. He just won’t commit to when. It could be in an hour, two hours, or two days for all we know.”
“Soon,” Putt said confidently. He sniffed the air and looked at me. “I can smell it, my lord.”
“You said that a while ago,” Malo grunted.
“And I’m still not wrong,” Putt insisted. “It’s coming any time now. You’ll see.”
Putt had Sea-Dragon running about a mile off the coast. The red-haired outlaw had wisely kept us close enough to keep land in sight, but far enough out that we were safe from running aground on any hidden reefs or shoals that might be lurking closer in. I studied the unfamiliar coastline made up of craggy cliffs, dense forests, and sloping hills of rock and grass.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Putt shrugged. “Near as I can figure, about three days from Calban, my lord.”
“Three days with a good wind behind us, you mean,” I muttered.
“True,” Putt agreed. He gestured ahead. “The only good news is, if we’re not moving, then neither are they.”
“Maybe,” I grunted, not convinced as I focused on our quarry.
I thought back to the grooves that I’d seen on the beach where the Cardians had landed beside Sea-Dragon. Those ruts had been much shallower than the one Sea-Dragon had made. I suspected they had been left behind by the sleeker and smaller Cardian longboats that I was more familiar with, rather than by cogs. If that was the case, then I knew those ships had banks of oars, which meant our quarry would be able to keep going, even without the wind. I leaned my back against the railing and explained my worries to Malo and Putt.
“If that’s true, then we will never catch them,” Malo said when I finished.
The House Agent flexed his hands open and closed impotently, looking frustrated as he stared north. I knew how he felt. Every moment that we sat stranded where we were increased Rorian’s lead on us and brought him that much closer to Calban. I felt a lurch in my stomach when I thought about what that might mean. I doubted the Cardians had forgotten the humiliation of being run out of Calban a year ago. I also knew that they would gladly take revenge on Shana and her people if they had the chance. I wasn’t sure how they expected to get into the castle, considering Shana’s hostility toward them. But one thing I had learned about the scholar so far was that it would be a mistake to underestimate him.
A long, frustrating hour went by, followed by another, while we waited helplessly for Putt’s promised wind that would not come. Malo and I took to pacing past each other across the deck in mutual impatience. Every so often, the House Agent would pause in his strides to glare at Putt accusingly. The red-haired outlaw could do nothing but shrug and look away, which did little to mollify Malo.
Finally, at midday, with most of the crew dozing in the shade against the sidewalls along the lower deck, the limp sail began to flutter lazily as a faint breeze sniffed at it curiously. I braced my hands on the railing, praying to The Mother to not let it falter as I felt the gentle caress of the wind across the back of my neck. The sky had been clear all day, but now I could see a wall of white clouds rolling toward us far to the south, with small puffs of advance scouts moving quickly ahead of them. The sail suddenly snapped loudly like the crack of a whip and then began to fill as the wind strengthened. My men rose and cheered as Sea-Dragon finally came to life beneath our feet. I cheered right along with them.
“I told you so, my lord! I told you so!” Putt cried out over and over again as he danced a jig beside me.
The red-haired outlaw finally gained control of himself and he began barking orders with renewed vigor like a man who had just escaped the gallows. I glanced at Malo, who actually allowed a momentary smile to crack through his usually dour features, thinking perhaps that Putt just may have. My men ran to obey Putt’s commands, while Baine dashed for the rudder. I glanced to the north, but the masts we’d seen there earlier had long since disappeared. Would we see them again before Calban? I wondered, feeling that familiar thud of dread in my stomach.
Putt set Malo and me to tinkering with the sail, pulling out every trick that he could remember from his youth to gain us more speed. He ordered Niko and Tyris to go down to the hold and throw some of the heavier cargo overboard. Poor Niko had tears rolling down his cheeks as he and the blond archer tipped several barrels full of wine over the gunwale.
Sea-Dragon began to move even faster once we had lightened her, running with the wind as she rejoiced in her sudden freedom. We were all in a jubilant mood—though Niko still pouted somewhat—as we lined the fore and stern castles, studying the skyline in anticipation. Finally, after more than an hour, Tyris cried out the words we’d all been hoping to hear.
“I see the bastards!” the blond archer shouted from above. He pounded his fist against the mast in excitement. “We’re gaining on them! By The Mother, we’re gaining!”
And so we were.
Minute by minute, the masts of Rorian’s ships grew larger, until finally we could make out the misty forms of the vessels themselves. I nodded as we drew ever closer, my guess confirmed. The Cardians had longboats.
The coast to our right—what Putt referred to as starboard—was jagged and rocky, with knife-like ridges of rock dotting the waters that could easily tear the hull from a ship. I was doubly glad Putt had kept us so far from the shoreline, though surprised to see that Rorian was running his boats much closer to land than we were. I assumed his pilots knew the waters here as well as whatever dangers might lurk beneath them.
“They are using the oars and the sails in tandem, my lord,” Putt said, pointing to the rhythmic flashes of light near the water where the sun glinted off the Cardian blades. “They have seen our sails and are trying to outrun us.” He glanced at me. “Though how they know we’re not fellow Cardians is a mystery to me.”
“Burel was supposed to head back to Cardia from the cove,” I said. “Rorian knows that.” I stared ahead at the fleeing ships, picturing the scar-faced man looking back at us. The scholar was resilient, cautious, and smart, I thought with grudging respect. “He must have figured out something is wrong.”
“That explains it, then,” Putt said. “But what they are doing shows the bastards are desperate.”
“How so?” I asked.
“We’re faster than they are, my lord, and they know that. They are trying to draw us closer to the coast, hoping with our bigger hull that we’ll get holed.” Putt grinned yellow teeth at me. “Luckily, I’m not stupid enough to do that.” Putt’s grin faded. “What exactly is the plan once we catch up to them, by the way?”
“Get us close enough to board one of them,” I said, “and our swords will take care of the rest. Once we’ve taken one, we can chase down the other.” Putt had begun making a clucking sound of disapproval between his teeth before I had even finished talking. “What?” I asked in annoyance.
“Well, my lord,” Putt said, hesitating as he glanced at me sideways. “No disrespect to you, but you are not a seaman. You don’t understand what you are asking. Boarding a ship on an open sea is risky, even for an experienced crew, which we clearly are not. Baine only has a few hours on the rudder, while those Cardians out there have probably been piloting ships since they were boys. Not to mention those longboats are far lighter and more maneuverable than we are.”
“You could pilot us,” I suggested. “That would free up Baine’s bow.”
Putt shook his head. “I can’t be the hands and the eyes, my lord. The sail will need adjusting con
stantly. I can’t pilot and worry about what the rest of you are doing at the same time. Besides, I’ve never actually steered a ship before. Of the two of us, I’d say Baine has the steadier hand.”
I sighed. “So, are you telling me that it can’t be done?”
“No, my lord,” Putt said. “It can be done, we just have to be smart about it.” He glanced at me appraisingly. “Suppose we manage to board one of them. Then what happens?”
“Then we kill the bastards,” I said immediately.
“Maybe,” Putt said doubtfully. “But we are few and they are many.”
“They’re Cardians,” I said contemptuously. “Each of us is easily worth ten of them.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you on that, my lord,” Putt said. He gestured to the water. “But out here, we won’t have surprise on our side, nor solid ground beneath our feet. We are talking about a narrow deck that will be rocking and bucking beneath us like an enthusiastic whore. Anything can happen in that situation. The Cardians may be inferior warriors, my lord, but they are the ones familiar with this kind of fighting, not us. That second ship won’t sit idly by, either. The moment they see us trying to board the first one, they will come to their aid.”
I frowned as I studied the fleeing ships, picturing the scenario Putt was laying out for me. I realized the red-haired outlaw was right. It wasn’t going to work. “So, what do you suggest we do?” I finally asked.
Putt smiled. “We lessen the odds, my lord.” He stroked the railing affectionately. “The prow on this beauty has a thick, reinforced apron around it—ideal for ramming. I suggest we sink one of the Cardian ships first. If we hit them amidships just right, we’ll smash right through their thin hull. Then we can try to board the second one. Or sink it too if you prefer.”
I looked at the wooden prow of the ship that jutted out at an angle ahead of us. I had my doubts about what Putt was suggesting. “Are you sure that will even work?”
“Don’t worry, my lord,” Putt said. “Sea-Dragon is clinker-built, which means the planks of her hull are strong and overlap, like this.” He held his hands up, one over the other. “This ship is a beast, my lord. She’ll get the job done as sure as I’m standing here. I swear it.”
“But you just told me Baine is too inexperienced to attempt to board them,” I pointed out. “What makes you think he can manage something like this, but not the other?”
“We will lull them to sleep first,” Putt explained. He held up his hands again, this time side by side. “We stay a length or two ahead of the lead ship off their port side bow, like this, and pace them. Then, when we’ve got favorable sea and wind, we cut hard to starboard.” Putt smashed one hand against the other with a resounding smack. “They won’t be expecting that and won’t have time to evade us.”
“What happens if the second ship decides to ram us?” I asked. “Won’t we be vulnerable in that situation?”
“They can try,” Putt said dismissively. “But after seeing the first ship go down the way I know it will, I think they’ll choose to avoid us and try to flee instead.”
I took a deep breath, considering Putt’s words carefully. I played the scene out in my mind, knowing many things had to go right for this to work. “What if the Cardians decide they don’t want to be paced?” I asked.
Putt shrugged. “What can they do? We’re bigger and faster than they are.”
If I were Rorian in that situation, what would I do? I wondered, knowing even as I thought it what the answer was. “What is to stop them from coming after us and trying to board us instead?” I asked, unable to hide a smile at the welcome thought of action.
Putt chuckled. “Let them. Those longboats of theirs sit low in the water. The bastards will have to climb our walls with ropes if they want to get to us.” The red-haired outlaw’s eyes gleamed. “There is nothing easier than skewering a man coming up a rope, my lord.”
I put my hand on Putt’s shoulder and squeezed in thanks. “It’s a good plan, Putt. I’ll talk to Malo and see what he thinks.”
Malo had climbed the mast earlier to get a better look at the Cardian ships. I could see him starting to pick his way back down to the lower deck and I decided to wait where I was for him. Putt was right about one thing. Boarding one of those longboats would be difficult with the few men I had, especially if we had to fight both crews at once. Defending Sea-Dragon would be difficult as well if it came to that, but at least we would have control of the battleground and room to maneuver. But if the Cardians chose not to attack us and allowed us to pace them, we might still get damaged in the coming collision. Enough damage, perhaps, that it might prevent us from going after the second ship. Each option had its risks, I knew, but I’d never been in a battle yet where risk wasn’t involved. I didn’t expect I ever would.
The House Agent climbed back up to the platform and I filled him in on what Putt and I had discussed. I had expected instant hostility to the idea of sinking one of the Cardian ships, but Malo seemed surprisingly receptive as I talked.
“I don’t agree with Putt very often,” Malo said when I finished. “But this time, I think he’s right.”
“Rorian might die if we pick the wrong ship,” I warned.
“We’ll have to make sure of that first,” Malo said. “If Putt can get us close enough, do you think you can identify him?”
I thought of the big man with the scarred face I had seen in the woods near Springlight. “I’ll recognize him,” I promised.
“Then I think we know what we have to do,” Malo said.
I sent Putt to inform the others of our plans, then took out my weathered whetstone as I leaned against the railing. I began to sharpen Wolf’s Head with an even, steady stroke as I waited for us to catch up to the Cardians. I could feel the weapon almost tingle in my hands in anticipation as the stone rang against the steel. Every few minutes, I glanced to the north, watching as we slowly gained on the fleeing ships.
Sabina climbed up to the sterncastle while I worked, and she came to stand beside me. We hadn’t said much to each other since I’d awoken that morning. I nodded to her in greeting, preparing myself as she glared at me in a way that had, unfortunately, become very familiar lately. It was always a toss-up which girl would appear—the angry one, or the happy one. I knew by her look which one this was and why as I kept my focus on the whetstone.
“Jebido just told me that you are thinking about sinking one of the ships,” Sabina said. I could hear the disbelief and anger in her voice. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” I confirmed as the whetstone rang down the sword edge like a musical instrument. I blew on the weapon’s blade, then thumbed it carefully. “Not sharp enough,” I said absently as I started again.
“That’s it?” Sabina demanded. She pointed ahead of us. “Have you forgotten that my father is on board one of those ships?”
I hesitated in mid-stroke and looked at her, then resumed my work. “I have not,” I said in a steady tone. “You don’t have to worry. We’re not going to sink Rorian’s ship. Your father will be fine.”
“What if he isn’t with Rorian?” Sabina demanded.
I looked at her blankly. I hadn’t considered that possibility, I realized. “He will be,” I said, trying to sound confident.
“How can you be sure of that?” Sabina asked.
I held Wolf’s Head out and peered down the blade, then reversed it to study the opposite side. Satisfied, I sheathed the sword as I faced the girl.
“I can’t,” I admitted.
“Then promise me if you see him on the other ship, you won’t sink it,” Sabina said. She put her hand on my arm and searched my eyes with hers. “Promise me you will find another way.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking away guiltily. “I wish I could, but I can’t promise that. I hope your father is with Rorian, but if not, then you have to realize there are bigger things at stake here than just one man’s life.”
“Maybe to you!” Sabina snapped. “You and your precious Sha
na!” I could see tears threatening in her eyes now. “But what about me? My father means everything to me!”
“I’m sorry,” I said as I put my hand on her shoulder.
Sabina pulled away from me. “Sorry!?” she spat. She shook her head. “I don’t think you are at all. To think that I—” She hesitated, looking at me searchingly as tears began to flow. “Forget about it!” she sobbed as she brushed past me and hurried down the ladder. I could hear her crying as she reached the lower deck and collapsed against the sidewall.
“A mystery, that one,” Malo said gravely as he came to stand beside me. He peered down at the sobbing girl with an expressionless face. “Hard as an oak board on one side, and soft as a feathered pillow on the other.”
“Maybe we should—”
“No, Hadrack,” Malo said with a shake of his head. “The choice is the right one. Despite what you probably think, I’m not without sympathy for the girl. But we didn’t force her father to go with the Cardians, and we can’t let his presence influence how we approach things. If he’s with Rorian, then he stands a chance to live. If not, then regrettably, he will die.”
“Uh, my lord,” Putt said from behind me in a strange tone. “We may have a problem.”
The red-haired outlaw was staring south and I turned to follow his gaze. The horizon behind us had transformed, now black and angry-looking, and I could hear distant thunder starting to rumble from somewhere within its threatening mass. The wind began to pick up, becoming colder as the sea started to slap soundly against Sea-Dragon’s hull with increasing strength. I noticed even the air I breathed had slowly changed, tasting coppery now, like blood. I felt a thud of dread in my chest as the brewing storm expanded before my eyes with alarming speed. Malo and I shared a look, and I knew the House Agent was thinking the same thing that I was. Not again! The bastard wasn’t going to get away again!
“Will it miss us?” I asked Putt hopefully. The outlaw didn’t answer, but I could see the worry on his face as the wind tugged at his red beard. I took his continued silence to mean no. “Can we outrun it or get around it, then?”
The Wolf On The Run (The Wolf of Corwick Castle Book 3) Page 14