“He’s won again,” Brayden said with a sigh as Domadred climbed out of the water. “The key is to time your jump just as the ship crests an upward swell. It’s hard to do, but you can get added lift. Dad does it the best . . .”
“Well, I’ve had a good many more years of practice,” Domadred said, hoisting his dripping body over the gunwale. “Brayden, soon you will get four flips. And eventually, I bet you will even be able to get five. Your grand’da could, and I have a feeling you will be able to as well.”
Brayden’s eyes lit up. Suddenly, he looked at Kefta, as if expecting a rebuke; however, Kefta only smiled at the boy. Although the dark bruises under the young man’s eyes had grown worse, his expression was kind and genuine.
Domadred once again hopped atop the barrel and addressed the crowd. “I’m not the most talented with numbers, but I’m pretty sure I have won my own contest. Which means”—Domadred hit the heel of his foot against the barrel in sharp succession for emphasis—“we all drink tonight!”
The crew gave a raucous roar of appreciation. After the cheers died down, Domadred spoke again. “As many of you know, over dinner last night, the officers and I were given an offer. It is an offer you have no doubt already heard and have been pondering diligently. Well, I have another gift to aid you in your contemplative process. However, like all great prizes, it must be earned.”
The crew looked on with growing interest.
“So, I propose a deep-diving contest. Any man brave enough to go deeper than my last dive will win the crew another barrel of whiskey! I went so far that upon looking up, the Diamond’s hull was no longer than my thumb, should anyone think to do better.”
Many men called out saying they could easily beat the captain’s dive. As the chorus of sailors died down, however, another voice spoke up from the crowd. “I nominate Aleksi.” A hush came over the crew and all eyes turned to Luka. The seamen parted as the nobleman made his way forward. “Kefta would have undoubtedly taken your challenge, Domadred,” Luka continued. “But along with his dignity, Aleksi has also stripped away your young quartermaster’s strength. So for honor’s sake, I nominate Aleksi as his replacement.”
“I refuse,” Aleksi answered firmly.
“Are you scared, boy?”
All eyes looked at Aleksi. But before he could speak, Kefta stepped forward. “I dueled and was defeated. There is no lost dignity in that—only wounded pride. However, it seems that I have an overabundance of that, so I do believe Aleksi actually did us all a favor!”
The crew chuckled but Luka cut them off. “Well, you may not have lost your dignity, but Aleksi clearly showed us your incompetence as a leader. I wonder—”
“Enough, Nobleman!” Domadred interrupted. “The boy refuses and you are beginning to annoy me.”
“Then I will raise the stakes,” Luka answered. “We all know you will be giving the crew this barrel of whiskey regardless of who wins. Likewise, I merely want to see if our young swordsman has what it takes to jump from the spars. Therefore, I will offer a black pearl to every man aboard if this boy simply dives over. Sailors, think of it as a taste of things to come if you accept Asura’s offer.”
Using his thumb and forefinger, Luka flicked a single pearl into the sky. It seemed to hang suspended in midair as the Zeniths’ rays glittered on its iridescent surface. As the spinning orb came back down to the deck, a sailor snatched it out of the air and pocketed it quickly.
Once again cheers rose up from the crowd and men shouted encouragement to Aleksi. “Go on, Aleksi,” Brayden said. “No need to compete, just dive in! That’s easy pearls for all of us!”
“Behind his eyes I see deception,” Aleksi whispered so only Brayden could hear. “I’m sorry, but I will not do this.” As the shouts died down, Aleksi raised his voice. “Nobleman, you are generous indeed. However, I must confess I am a poor swimmer and could never hope to compare with the captain. Sadly, I must decline your offer.”
Everyone looked at Aleksi incredulously. “Just jump in,” one man bellowed. “Who cares if you can’t swim? For a pearl each, all of us will gladly jump over and pull you back up.”
“I’m sorry,” Aleksi said, with eyes still locked on Luka. “I will not jump.”
Angry protests rose from the crew but Domadred’s voice silenced them. “The youth has made his answer. Regardless, I will bring up another two barrels for the crew. It’s not filled with black pearls, but pearls can’t get you drunk. So, let us all get on with today’s work so that we may enjoy tonight’s revelries! Crew dismissed!”
Grumbling, the sailors dispersed. Many gave Aleksi dark looks as they walked away. Ignoring their ire, Aleksi watched Luka move to the stern of the ship. The nobleman turned and flashed Aleksi a smile before he disappeared belowdecks.
Despite the departure of the seamen, Brayden, Domadred, and his officers still remained on the foredeck.
“All you had to do was jump in,” Kairn said, coming up to Aleksi. “What was your hesitation? Can you truly not swim?”
“Honestly,” Levain interjected, “I’m relieved to learn there is something this boy cannot do.”
“I can swim fine,” Aleksi said. “I just don’t trust that man.”
“What was he going to do?” Levain said, laughing. “Cast some sorcery to drown you? Come now, don’t be silly.”
“It’s just that I—”
“He comes offering peace from the North,” Valen interrupted, looking into Aleksi’s green eyes. “What ire could you possibly hold against him?”
Aleksi didn’t answer and walked away. As he approached the stairwell that led under the quarterdeck, Aleksi saw the helmsman look at him disdainfully. Shaking his head, Aleksi went below to his cabin.
Darkness came early over the Illusive Diamond. Aleksi watched the last whispering glow of the Eastern Zenith fade through his porthole window and be swallowed by the horizon. After the sail diving, the youth had stayed in his quarters doing little but pace his room and ponder his situation.
Luka had proven himself to be profoundly distressing. Aleksi quieted his mind and tried to reach out and contact the young woman again, but all he found was an empty longing in his chest. Letting out a sigh, Aleksi looked down at his Rune-laden arm.
There are too many mysteries. I need more information . . .
When his food arrived, Aleksi ate lost in thought. After he finished, one of Terra’s moons began to rise in the starry sky. Soon after it broke the horizon, Aleksi heard the sounds of drunken merriment drift about the ship. The sailors had begun to enjoy Domadred’s whiskey.
Eventually, Aleksi heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Levain standing with a mug in his hand.
“What are you doing here all alone?” the bearded man asked, leaning one hand against the door frame. “You should be drinking with us. Everyone else is, even that bastard Luka.”
“I think I would rather just stay here.”
“Naw, son. You’re coming with me.” Levain then reached over and playfully grabbed Aleksi by the arm. “I wanna find out who you are at the bottom of a keg of whiskey. Besides, you look like you need it!”
Despite his protests, Levain pulled Aleksi down the hallway and up the stairs. As they walked, Levain rambled on about who could outdrink who and what sailor was best known for starting drunken brawls. Crossing the main deck and entering a hatch down into the gun deck, Levain told a story about a deckhand who was prone to weepy tears and bouts of hysteria whenever he had too much to drink. Aleksi tried to follow what the man was saying, but Levain seemed to be talking more for the joy of making noise than actual conversation.
As they stepped down the stairs to the gun deck, Aleksi saw that the seamen had set up rows of tables and benches in between the Diamond’s mighty cannons. The tables were crowded with sailors rowdily regaling each other with tales that undoubtedly possessed much more fiction than fact. Surrounded by warm lantern light, the men each had a mug in hand, and all seemed to have thoroughly begun their night of d
rinking.
As Aleksi moved deeper into the room, the sharp scent of man sweat, firepower, and alcohol stung his nose. On his left, he overheard one raucous table boasting about what they would do when they had shore leave in Vai’kel. Boisterous laughter rose up from the group as one man shook his head at his comrade’s statement while simultaneously making an obscene gesture with his moving fist.
Levain put his hand on Aleksi’s back and gave the youth a shove toward a table of drunken sailors. Approaching the group, Aleksi saw what must be one of the captain’s whiskey barrels with several of the more dedicated drinkers seated around it. Passing Aleksi and coming up to the table, Levain slapped one of the men on the shoulder. In response, the sailor cried out in agony. Aleksi recognized the man as the same sailor who had disastrously flipped from the spar and landed on his back.
“Looks like you haven’t had enough to drink yet, Fynn!” Levain exclaimed, laughing.
“Damn it, Levain,” Fynn said, turning on the bench. “We were talking about Luka’s offer and you startled me, is all. I swear if you weren’t an officer, I would wipe that smile off your face myself.”
“Let me know if you ever wanna try,” Levain said, slapping the man again. “Just don’t start anything with this one, eh?” Levain then pointed his thumb at Aleksi. Fynn looked at the youth and grumbled something under his breath before going back to his whiskey.
“Someone get Aleksi a mug,” Levain continued, refilling his own from the barrel’s spigot. From somewhere in the crowd a mugful of the dark liquor found its way into Aleksi’s hand. “Alright, boys, hold ’em up!”
Liquor splashed across the wooden table as all mugs were raised.
“To Aleksi!” Levain shouted. “A young man who can beat our quartermaster bloody but can’t stand the thought of a little water!” The crew laughed and smashed their mugs together. Aleksi then brought his cup to his lips. All it took was one sip to know that he did not want any more.
“Is that silver tongue how you lay your women, Levain?” The voice belonged to a bald man whose tanned head shone under the lamplight.
“At least I know something of women, Jesse,” Levain rebuked, refilling his mug from the barrel. “With a face like yours, I’m surprised that your own mother didn’t run faster than a stray cat the first time she saw you!”
“What are you talking about?” Jesse said, laughing. “She did! How do you think I came to be on this damn ship with the likes of you?”
The crowd laughed again. As the two men continued shouting, Aleksi saw Nara and Fa’ell across the room. Catching his eye, Fa’ell raised her mug to Aleksi in toast.
Slipping away from the crowded table, Aleksi made his way over to them. As he weaved through the men, he overheard two sailors speaking. “It just doesn’t make sense,” one man said to the other as they hunched over their mugs. “The way those Council Guards boarded us during the chaos in Mindra’s Haven. It was like they were looking for specific people. They were singling out the officers and those from the old days. I just don’t—”
Before Aleksi could hear any more, two men from another table stood up abruptly, nearly knocking Aleksi over.
“Ouut the waay,” one of the muscular men slurred drunkenly. Once he saw it was Aleksi, however, the man eyed the youth’s sword keenly. “Youu best waatch yourself, Grreen Eyyess, or you will be see’n how you faar against all of uus.”
Aleksi quickly stepped away from the men and continued toward Fa’ell and Nara.
“Good evening, Aleksi,” Fa’ell said, once again raising her cup as the youth approached. “It looks like you’re making some new friends tonight.”
Aleksi shook his head. Looking up at Nara, Aleksi noticed the man’s face seemed much paler than usual. He sat hunched over the table, and he did not have a mug of whiskey. Aleksi opened his mouth, but Valen came over from another table and spoke first.
“Lionman, you’re not drinking tonight?”
“Not tonight,” Nara answered slowly. “I’m feeling a bit . . . seasick.”
“Ha! Usually people say that after they have had the whiskey. What about you, Aleksi? Enjoying the captain’s dregs?”
“Sadly, I don’t have much of a taste for it.”
“You and Brayden both. Just give it a few years, though; it will grow on you.” Valen turned his eyes to Fa’ell and eyed her intricate tattoos. “M’lady Fa’ell, you deserve much better than this swill. The captain should be ashamed to give it to someone as beautiful as you. I, however, have some fine single barrel in my bunk if you’re interested.” Valen then flashed Fa’ell his best smile.
“Luka seems to be enjoying himself,” Fa’ell said, ignoring Valen’s words and gesturing to a far table. Aleksi followed her gaze and saw that the nobleman’s face was flush with whiskey and he looked almost jovial.
“Once you get a few drinks in him,” Valen answered, “he’s not half bad. He’s even losing over there and doesn’t seem angry about it.”
“Losing?” Aleksi asked, watching Luka keenly. “What do you mean?”
“They’re playing al’ath. Luka has already lost a fair number of pearls, and the night is still young. Apparently he has never played before. I guess it’s not common in the North. I’m surprised he’s taking it so well, though.” Valen then turned his smile back to Fa’ell. “My dear, have you ever . . .”
Aleksi stopped listening to Valen’s words and continued to glare at Luka. Suddenly, the nobleman looked up from the table and caught Aleksi’s gaze. Luka’s eyes reflected the lamplight and he smiled, showing a row of perfect teeth. A shiver ran down Aleksi’s spine.
“So, you all seem like you have made up your minds about this offer, then,” Fa’ell said, once again ignoring Valen’s question. “Are you sure that is wise?”
“Well, nothing’s done until it’s done,” Valen answered. “But the idea of being back in the Thalassocracy, and at its head, no less, is obviously very tempting.”
“And you think Asura will make good on his promises?”
“Either way, Lenhal will be dead, and with Sai—” Valen cut himself short. “What I mean to say is that either way we will be sitting pretty in the water.” Fa’ell eyed him carefully and Valen looked at Aleksi as he continued. “You know, Aleksi, all you had to do was jump in the ocean this morning. Luka wasn’t asking much. Some of the crew are actually pretty mad about it.”
“Well, I’m sorry to have disappointed you . . .” Aleksi set down his mug and walked away from the table. Aleksi heard Fa’ell shout after him as he left, but the youth did not look back as he made his way past the rowdy tables.
As he ascended the stairs and walked out onto the main deck, Aleksi deeply inhaled the fresh ocean air. It felt wonderful after the thick scent of the drunken gun deck. Looking above, Aleksi saw one of Terra’s moons high in the sky. It shone down on the deck, illuminating the Diamond and her billowed sails with a silvery-blue light. Looking out to sea, Aleksi felt a pang of sadness fill his chest.
Despite all of these people, I am still alone. Rudra, where are you?
Letting his eyes graze the deck, the youth saw Kefta standing at the starboard gunwale. Aleksi let out a sigh and approached him under the soft light of the moon. As Aleksi came closer, Kefta dropped something overboard. Coming to the ship’s edge, Aleksi watched the object cast a glimmering trail of light downward as it sank out of sight.
“Had your fill of the drinking?” Kefta asked, still looking out to sea.
“I don’t drink. You?”
“Not tonight. Although some whiskey might ease the pain my face is feeling right now.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“I had it coming.”
They both stood in silence, gazing out at the water. A nagging feeling grew in Aleksi’s chest. “Kefta, is Domadred really going to accept Luka’s offer?”
“I don’t know. The crew want him to.”
“I heard the men below talking about the boarding party back in Mindra’s Haven. They said
that the men who were killed seemed to be singled out, like there was some plan to the attack.”
“Those that fell,” Kefta answered slowly, “were some of Domadred’s most loyal crew.”
“What if . . .” Aleksi paused. “I don’t know. It all just seems a little too perfect. I don’t trust Luka. He’s hiding something—something important.”
“I already tried to talk to the captain about that. He does not want to listen to me and now neither does the crew. I may be the quartermaster, but with everything that’s happened recently, none treat me like it.”
There was a long silence as they both looked out to the dark horizon. “What did you just drop in the water?” Aleksi finally asked.
“Oh, that? Just some silly superstition.”
Aleksi tilted his head. “If it’s important to you, then it’s not silly.”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
Kefta let out a sigh. “Back before my father died, he was a Western captain. He wasn’t an admiral like Domadred, but he had his own ship and my brother, Rihat, was his apprenticing mate.” Kefta did not meet Aleksi’s eyes and continued to gaze out at the water as he spoke. “This was back during the Unification War. They were stationed near Vai’kel’s coastal city of Utarid, ordered to reconnoiter and patrol for enemy vessels. Well, when it came time for me to join him on his ship, my brother sailed back separately to pick me up. I was a young boy, no older than five or so, and was living back on Skadra with some family friends. I was very excited to finally meet my father again. I had not seen him or Rihat for years.”
Kefta paused and leaned his weight against the gunwale. “But, as Rihat and I sailed to rendezvous with my father’s ship, we heard that fighting had broken out off the coast of Utarid. When we arrived, much of the fleet stationed there was nothing more than driftwood, and only the Illusive Diamond and several others remained. With no home to go back to, my brother and I boarded the Diamond and joined the crew. But that’s another story entirely. Anyway, after that, Rihat told me that if I wrote a message to my father, put it in a bottle filled with water, and threw it in the ocean, the High Arkai of the West would make sure my father got it. I was young, so I believed him. It didn’t take long until we ran out of bottles . . .”
Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles) Page 34