The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4

by Spencer Pierson

  “Well, well, looks like you lot are up and about?” he said, peering into their cell at the two of them like they were animals at the market, judging and weighing their worth. “Hope our accommodations are to your liking? It’s the best we have, and better than some of the crew so don’t knock it too hard.”

  The man slid one of the platters under the bars where space had been left for just that purpose. Some of the food was scraped off, mixing with the rust and filth, but strangely not looking overly out of place. “Eat your fill. You’ll be getting fed only once a day so make it count. That bucket-” he said, nodding toward the bucket that had been filled with stale water, “-will be filled a bit later. I only have two hands here, and being the first mate I’m busy so it won’t be me most likely.”

  Aiden and Ashrak watched him as he moved out of site, rattling the bars of the other cell loudly and calling out to Chari and Gavin. “Here now! Wake up you lazy fools. Food’s here and it's well past noon to where even prisoners shouldn’t sleep, eh?”

  Aiden could hear Chari and Gavin stirring, giving out startled cries. He was sorry to hear the fatigue and fear in Chari’s voice and wished he could do something about it. Aiden’s anger simmered and sparked at the old pirate, wishing the man had just let his friends have some more peace. They watched as he bent, sliding the plate of food into their cell and then took a step back, his eyes glinting dangerously.

  “Ah, well now, isn’t this a surprise. Not a child at all but a nearly-grown woman. Strange that Stitch and his boys didn’t mention that on our long voyage, eh? Probably wanted to save you for themselves. Greedy lot. Not right to keep the fun to themselves, not when we’re gone for a time at sea and no port in sight.”

  Ashrak surprised Aiden, gripping the bars and shaking them furiously. The sound made the pirate clutch at his belt dagger and actually take a step away. “Don’t you look at her like that, you filth!” Ashrak hissed, gritting his teeth.

  The man’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he moved back towards them, his own teeth bared through his ratty beard. “What’s that, boy? You’re not to be talking like that to the first mate, eh? Not if you don’t want a foot of iron sunk into your gut. I don’t care what Stitch is paying, I’ll not be spokeen to like that by a too-pretty noble brat.” He paused in thought, speaking slowly as the idea formed in his head. “Maybe it’ll keep the rest of you quiet if I show you what it will mean if you get too rowdy.”

  The first mate pulled his dagger all the way out. It was a rusty, toothed thing made of dirty steel that glinted in the wan light of the hallway even as angry man fumbled for the keys at his belt. Aiden and Ashrak pushed back against the ship’s hull and away from the door. Aiden could tell that Ashrak was getting ready to lunge in hopes of catching the man off guard but he suspected the pirate was too experienced for that. Still, he didn’t know about the dagger and Aiden wrapped his hands around the hilt, getting ready to pull it out of the floorboard and into the pirate before he killed Ashrak.

  The man had the cell half-open and was just taking his first step inside when they watched a black-bladed dagger slide out of the darkness and rest itself against the side of the pirate’s suddenly-frozen expression. Stitch’s face emerged slowly behind it, his teeth bared next to the man’s ear as he whispered to him.

  “Ah, ah, ah, not so fast Pienteen,” Stitch hissed. “I’m thinking that if you don’t pull your foot back, you’ll be losing a lot more than fingers or toes if you try to touch my prizes. What are you doing down here, anyway? The captain told you lot to leave the feeding and care to my men, not you or your squids.”

  Pienteen stopped, his eyes turned towards Stitch’s voice as he slowly withdrew, letting his dagger fall back into its sheath and his hands moved away from it, or anything else that might appear like he wasn’t willing to do what Stitch wanted. “Ah, Master Stitch, Let’s not be too hasty now with that dagger. I was just bringing them their food since it’s been over a day since the little doves have eaten. Maybe I missed what the captain said…” He jerked up as the blade tightened against his throat. Aiden watched a few strands from his ratty beard fall, gliding down his form and settling onto the deck.

  “You were standing next to him as I recall, Pienteen.” Stitch snarled, his lip pulling up even more. “Get this through your tiny brain. Don’t come close to them, don’t have anyone else come close to them, and don’t…” he said, jerking the knife even closer and making a small bit of blood join the hair that had already fallen, “even think about them. Is that clear? If not, your captain won’t be able to find you. Not even on this ship, small as it is.”

  Pienteen nodded quickly though he didn’t dare make any large movements. It was clear if he’d moved his head any more, the blade might have cut even further into his skin. Stitch followed him with the blade, letting the first mate back out of the cell, then turn away and slide down the hall before he moved the dagger from his neck.

  The blade finally away, Pienteen took a few steps away before turning, glaring at Stitch as he rubbed his neck. Stitch just stared back, his dagger held in a throwing grip now which was not lost on the first mate. Finally turning away, he left without further argument.

  Stitch watched him leave, fingering his dagger for several moments after he’d disappeared with a concerned look on his face. Turning back towards their cell, he deftly pulled the door closed, letting it latch before moving down to check on the other two.

  Aiden and Ashrak could hear him speaking to Chari, an unusual note of concern in his voice. “You okay, girl? Did he do anything to you?”

  “No… no, but…” Chari didn’t finish. Aiden could hear the note of fear in her voice. Stitch just grunted, and then reached behind him and pulled out a small dagger. Aiden’s eyes began to widen, wondering what he was going to do but the man just reversed the grip and pushed his hand in between the bars.

  “Listen, if worse comes to worse, and with this lot there’s a chance we won’t be able to protect you, I’d use this before they get their hands on you.”

  Chari didn’t answer, but when the man’s hand came back the knife was no longer in it. Aiden could tell Stitch’s mind was far away, remembering different things than what was before him until he finally turned, passing by their cell before disappearing back into the darkness.

  “Chari, why’d he give you a knife?” Aiden asked.

  “Aiden,” Gavin said quietly around the soft sounds of Chari crying. “It’s so she…so she can kill herself before the crew can do things to her. He doesn’t think he can protect us. He wouldn’t have given us a weapon otherwise.”

  Aiden gasped, shaking his head. Would they? Of course they would. These weren’t happy pirates that were always shown in puppet shows at the market. These were real pirates, men who would and had done very horrible things. There was a very good reason that the navy of Terek would sink a pirate ship on sight, Aiden realized.

  “We really have to think of something now,” Aiden whispered, looking up at the grim face of Ashrak, who nodded in agreement. “And would you please stop asking if I can change us into birds or fish. I don’t think that’s possible.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Gavin called.

  Ashrak and Aiden exchanged a glance and knew they couldn’t answer. It would be too loud. Suddenly, Ashrak perked up. “I’ve got an idea.” He went towards the back of the cell and pulled out the dark blade with a wry grin.

  Aiden watched him carefully. Ashrak had already poked several holes into the hull, so he didn’t quite trust him. “Hold on, Gavin. Ashrak’s got an idea.”

  Carefully Ashrak kneeled next to the adjoining wall between their cells and carefully cut out a hole in the wall as close to the corner as he could. When his hand came away, he was holding a fourteen-centimeter length of wood and the dagger, gesturing to the hole grandly. “Voila! We can talk now and when we are not, we just slip this back into the hole and it’s the wall again.”

  Aiden slipped over and peered through the hole at
Gavin who was just on the other side, looking through inquisitively.

  “How did you manage this?” Gavin whispered, feeling around the opening with one of his fingers. “It’s totally smooth.”

  Ashrak waved the dagger at Gavin. “Yes! Our little wizard Aiden made it. It’s sharp enough to cut through the wood as if it’s not there. I bet it would make short work of our bars too. I haven’t tried it out on the metal yet. Aiden got a bit peeved at me when I cut through the hull.”

  “The hull?” Chari whispered, wiping her tears from her face as she settled next to Gavin. “That’s impossible. This ship has planking on both sides of the ribs. That’s almost as thick as the blade is long.”

  Aiden had to move fast to keep Ashrak from stabbing it through the hull again, giving him a dirty look as he did so before peeking in at Chari. “I can’t explain it, but yes, it seems to be that sharp. When I was… repairing the holes Ashrak made, it was cutting through the wood almost like it wasn’t there. I’d hate to see what happened if you dropped it on your foot.”

  “Neat, can I see it?” Gavin asked, smiling boyishly. Ashrak handed it over, grinning back at him. Once he had the knife, Gavin disappeared from the hole while Chari rolled her eyes.

  “Boys…” She said, then turned back to Aiden and Ashrak. “How did you make it?”

  “Ah,” Aiden shrugged, stumped for words. “That’s hard to explain... I guess the best way to say it is I pulled some stuff from the dream realm, and then forced it into the shape of that blade. There was more to it than that, though. Like how sharp it is, and how dark it is. Those were thoughts I had while making it, but I don’t know how they became part of the blade. Maybe it was just a matter of thinking it while I did it?”

  Ashrak nodded, “And it took a few hours. He was just sitting there with nothing going on. I thought he was asleep but suddenly this knife pops out of the air and then bam, he’s on his side and moaning like a rolled drunk. I was a teeny bit worried, I can tell you.”

  “Did it hurt, Aiden?” Chari asked, concern etched in her voice.

  “Just a headache and I almost passed out. I don’t know if that’s normal, though. I did pass out after the fire too, but not after I made the plate. Maybe it has to do with size and how complicated it is? The plate was small and pretty simple. What I made in the fire was large, but there was no real form to it, and I think the smoke had gotten to me too.”

  Chari nodded, “Yes, you were pretty bad off. Professor Reivus gave you something that I think helped with your lungs.”

  “Right, “Aiden nodded, “and the blade is small but very complicated. Something to remember, suppose.”

  Gavin's head moved back into sight with a huge grin on his face. “Boy, does it cut through metal!”

  “Did you cut through the bars?” Chari asked, alarmed, “They’ll notice if they see holes in the bars.”

  Gavin shook his head, passing the blade back through the hole to Aiden. “No, I thought of that and only shaved a bit off of a hidden portion of the metal on our side, then scuffed it back up with some of the dirt off of the floor.” He paused, looking at Aiden intently. “Aiden, that blade is sharper than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s even sharper than Father’s sword, and that’s an ancient construct.”

  “What do you mean?” Aiden asked, a bit of fear creeping into his voice.

  “I mean-” Gavin continued, “-Father used to take his sword out at parties and lop off bits of stone. He’d have to give it some muscle and sometimes it took more than a few whacks just to get through a brick, but that?” He pointed at the dagger, “That thing would probably fall through a boulder if you dropped it. It’s dangerous. Also, what are you going to sheath it with? I can’t think of anything. Maybe you should make one with glimmer steel?”

  Aiden watched the blade nestled once again in the floor board. He could see already where the casual movement of the boat had made the hole it was in wider. “I know. I can see that now but first, we have to think of a way to get out of here. I was thinking of putting us in a box to protect us, but then there would be no way to get off the ship.”

  “Why not make a small boat, Aiden,” Chari said, raising one of her eyebrows, “If you can make a dagger, couldn’t you make a simple boat? With that dagger, we can cut a hole in the hull and then get away in the dark. I’m pretty sure we could make paddles out of the planking too.”

  Ashrak and Aiden exchanged irritated glances while Gavin hugged Chari. Aiden shook his head. “Why didn’t we think of it earlier Ashrak?”

  Chari snorted, laughing softly. “Because you are boys. You only think of weapons or how to protect yourself from weapons.” She sniffed, looking haughty for a moment. “Fortunately, you have me around.”

  “That is true,” Ashrak said, nodding, “Girls are good for more than washing clothes.”

  Chari’s eyes narrowed, glinting through the hole. “Aiden,” she said sweetly, “Can I see that dagger for a second?”

  “Um… Screaming might ruin our chances for escaping, Chari.” Gavin said, “Can you hold off on that for later?”

  She nodded, still staring at Ashrak. “There doesn’t have to be screaming, but okay. Later...”

  Ashrak blinked. “What did I say? Did I say something bad?”

  Aiden just shrugged, then they all stopped to listen as footsteps came down the hallway towards them. “I’ll explain later, Ashrak.” Aiden whispered urgently, “For now, I’ll work on the boat idea. Someone’s coming.” He quickly fitted the board back into the hole, stopping their discussion and both boys turned around, sitting with their backs to the wall as one of Stitch’s men came into view.

  He had a bucket with a ladle and motioned for them to bring theirs closer so he could refill it. The man remained silent, watching them carefully but otherwise with no comment. Aiden and Ashrak didn’t bother trying to talk to him, figuring they wouldn’t get anything useful. After he had moved onto Gavin and Chari’s cell, he left them as silently as he had arrived.

  The one good thing about the holes that Ashrak had put into the hull was they could roughly tell what time of day it was by the light that came in when he removed the shims. Aiden had taken to peeking out every once in a while, and it looked like things were starting to get dark outside when the noise of the crew becoming more muffled and distant.

  “Do you think you can do it now?” Ashrak asked curiously after Aiden had checked the light for the umpteenth time.

  Aiden took a deep breath, contemplating the question. Glowby hadn’t come back which made him pensive. He felt how much Glowby had nudged and guided him when he’d made the dagger, and making a small boat was a lot larger though he wanted to go more carefully this time. It wouldn’t help if he passed out every time he made something, but it may be normal. He had no idea. He really needed to get into Professor Revius’s study and do some research, if he ever got the chance.

  “I don’t know. I suppose I should try soon since its getting dark. Hopefully, the crew will be asleep, and we won’t have to worry so much about being interrupted. I can’t imagine it would be good if Stitch or any of the ship’s crew caught us with a big boat inside of our cell.

  Ashrak nodded, biting his lip when suddenly Chari whispered from the other cell. “Aiden, Ashrak, something is wrong.”

  Both boys moved to where the plank had been cut from the wall and pulled it away. They could see Chari and Gavin on the other side. Gavin was confused, but Chari was worried.

  “What’s wrong, Chari?”

  “It’s too quiet. Listen.”

  All of them went still, listening and hearing only the slap and creak of the ship as it moved in the ocean. “I don’t understand,” Ashrak said, “What’s wrong with quiet? Did they all just go to sleep or something?”

  Chari shook her head, whispering urgently. “That doesn’t happen on a ship. There’s always someone moving about and people talking when they’re on watch. Something is wrong. I…”

  Chari didn’t get to finish as a loud, des
pair-filled yell permeated the stillness and froze them all. Aiden hadn’t heard anything like it before, but none of them failed to recognize the sound of a man screaming his dying breath. After a few more moments of quiet, there was more yelling, angry voices raised like the baying of predators accompanied by the distinct sound of metal on metal. As violent as it was, the sound of fighting didn’t last long and then they all heard several large objects being thrown into the water.

  The captives exchanged frightened glances, though Chari seemed the most terrified. She clutched her small dagger to her chest tightly.

  “Was that a mutiny that we just heard?” Ashrak asked quietly, his eyes watching Chari even as she began to panic.

  “I don’t know,” Gavin said, reaching out and pulling Chari to him. Aiden felt his heart twist with a momentary spark of jealously. “But we won’t let anything happen to you Chari. We won’t. I’ll die first!”