The Captain coughed; clearly bored as he was no longer the centre of the show and with that, the ship’s boy came to stand at Seth’s side, ready to show him out.
The lady stood from her chair slowly and regarded the Captain. ‘Captain, as a part of my berth I do have a spare room joined to mine for a second attendant,’ she said sweetly.
The Captain laughed out loud. ‘It’s true, Your Ladyship, you do have a room for another attendant and free passage for one as well,’ he said.
‘Master Seth,’ she said, regarding him. ‘I’d gladly take you on as an armed companion for the voyage. It makes an old lady feel safer to have a strong arm to lean on.’
Seth nodded to her formally. ‘I’d be grateful for the opportunity, my Lady.’ He was leaving Cravoss and leaving this very morning.
The Captain smiled broadly, as if he’d enacted a great drama. ‘Grand, grand,’ he said loudly. ‘I’m glad we didn’t have to turn you away, young Master Seth. Now, come join us for a quick repast before we set off on our voyage.’
They made room at the table and Seth sat in a chair on Her Ladyship’s right hand. She turned and whispered in his ear, so only he could hear, ‘Don’t worry; she hasn’t even found the tavern yet.’
Chapter 8
‘It might have been him.’ The tall guardsman was speaking with Dirst, Seraphina’s cousin and also member of the Dark Guild.
‘If it was him, why didn’t you arrest him and hold him for us?’ he said, grabbing the thick dark fabric of the guardsman’s red cloak and twisting it tight enough to start to choke him.
‘He was dressed wrong and there were off-duty men there who said he was a scribe, not a slave. What slave have you met who can read and write?’ he said, slowly going red in the face.
‘How do you know it’s him at all then?’ Dirst asked the guard, releasing his cloak a fraction.
‘The girl at the tavern; she claims he was northern for sure and acting strangely. She wants to talk to you both,’ he said.
Leaving the guard slightly panting for breath, Dirst turned on his black booted heels and crossed from the alleyway where they had met and into the street; a footman opened a door in the side of the waiting carriage. It was black and ornate with a golden crest on the door. As he entered smoothly, the four horse team leapt to life and started his trip back to the manor house. Seraphina would not be happy that they had missed another chance at him, better to leave the part of the guardsmen out and simply visit the girl to find out all she knew about their tall northern friend.
The Opulent had set sail and left the calm blue harbour waters of Cravoss while they were still sitting at the Captain’s breakfast table. The time had been spent listening to the Captain tell various stories of great trades and bargains he had made. Seth had never heard someone delight so much in telling others of how little he had bought something for and then how much he had sold it for later. It was not an appealing trait.
Her Ladyship, seated next to him, had not said much more to him and instead sat quietly conversing with the lady serving her. The attendant was a matronly woman in her forties—or in the sunset years, as they said in the north. She had a firm mouth that looked disapproving but spoke to Her Ladyship in a soft gentle voice. Seth wasn’t off put by Her Ladyship’s knowledge of his situation; if anything, it made him feel like he’d made the right choice in his path to Pelloss. In the north, there were lots of wise women who claimed to have the second sight. She was clearly one who actually did. How much she really knew, he’d have to try find out, but maybe she’d just seen flashes of those who followed him. It was a safe bet for anyone leaving in such a hurry as he that someone was chasing him.
The Captain stood from the table after his plate had been cleared by a server. ‘Well, back to work. This ship won’t sail itself,’ he said as a form of goodbye, slightly chuckling to himself. The ship had done a fairly good job of setting sail itself, with the help of some unnamed and unknown sailors. The Captain was followed out of the room by his son, the tutors and the rest of the guests in short order.
Her Ladyship turned to address Seth. ‘Seth, why don’t you find your room and come back to me around lunchtime, once you’ve had a good wander around the ship. Have a look at the figurehead; it is quite interesting.’
He inclined his head towards her. ‘Yes, Milady.’ It was easy being noble, he thought.
Now that The Opulent was underway, he felt a pressure and weight lifting from his heart and mind. In the city he had felt that they had been closing in on him quickly, much quicker than he’d thought they could, but now he had bought himself at least two months reprieve from worry. They wouldn’t know he was headed for Pelloss, but even if they managed to find out, it was a country with more than three major cities, any of them vast enough to hide in for a lifetime.
Taking Her Ladyship’s advice, he approached the ship’s boy, who still stood at the doorway, waiting for the idling guests like himself to depart. ‘So, lad, where am I to spend the next two months of my life?’ he said, letting his speech relax a little.
The boy smiled at him. ‘I’ll show you directly, Master.’ Seth knew they were calling him Master because that was the honour given to all people of learning. Still, it sat strangely upon him.
The boy led him through the door, up the corridor and past the doors to other cabins and indeed other entire hallways. They came out onto the rear deck with the sun shining down and most of the passengers looking at the view of Cravoss as it shrank smaller and smaller behind them. The boy turned to Seth and stopped. ‘Now we have a bit of a problem,’ he said, looking a little fearful. ‘The room you’ll be taking adjoins Her Ladyship’s, and it’s quite small, not really meant for a Master like yourself but a server, you see,’ the boy said.
Seth almost laughed, thinking of the months he’d spent sleeping on the hard ground when out-riding at Bloodcrest, or the roughly made cots in the barracks, built badly enough to let the Northern wind come howling in. He smiled at the boy. ‘Never fear, I’m made of stronger stuff than most of your passengers,’ he said.
The boy looked past relieved. ‘Oh, good, I’m sure you’ll make do with it.’
The smallish room was almost the same size as the room he’d paid for at the Fellow Traveller. It was large enough to hold a good sized bed and even had an ornate wooden wardrobe artfully attached to the wall. Leaving quietly, the boy slinked away before seeing Seth’s reaction.
Seth could easily spend a few months in these quarters. Currently, he had nothing to put in the wardrobe; he had no belongings at all except his weapons, summoning stones, some stolen coins and the dead man’s clothes he was currently wearing . Still, soldiers always travelled light.
Next to the wardrobe was a large dark wooden door with intricate carvings. Seth knocked loudly, then reached to turn the large brass handle and entered the room. Inside, Her Ladyship’s quarters were bathed in soft yellow lamplight. The room was beyond impressive. It was mind-blowing, like a scene he’d imagined as a child of a real room in a proper noble’s hall. The room held a canopied bed with the same dark wood twisted into arms, holding back thick drapes. In many places, Seth could see piles and piles of books, and there was even a desk with a chair and the tools for scribing.
Seth spent the better part of the morning wandering along the deck of the ship as the sun rose high above the masts, walking from one end of the long wooden deck to the other and looking with increasing satisfaction at the rapidly retreating view of Cravoss. It wasn’t long before a look in all directions yielded only the ocean and, with that, Seth felt truly free, truly that he’d escaped from that debt prison and the people chasing him.
Remembering Her Ladyship’s words about the figurehead, he walked to the front of the ship to look. He hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it when the ship was docked and couldn’t recall it.
In front of the figurehead was a large space of empty deck. In this space, he was greeted by the sharp metal clanging of swordplay. He sat on a wooden bench t
hat was one of many built for the express purpose of watching the men at practise. At the moment, only two men were occupying the space, but Seth was interested to see them sparring with the rapier and dagger. He had the same set of blades now at his side but had never practised with them or even drawn them. He been trained always with the broadsword and, in its use, he considered himself accomplished. But he knew the General had considered himself a master. He had memories of training, winning competitions but also blurred memories of more violent events. Seth couldn’t quite picture them, but he could feel the violence and death like the heat from a fire.
After watching for a time, it became clear to Seth that the men were sailors of The Opulent, but, as they carried rapiers on their belts, they must be Officers as well. They looked similar to each other in appearance, perhaps older and younger brothers. They both wore the rich white uniforms with the purple flower that was The Opulent’s crest, black hair tied back in horsetails. They spared with gusto, trying to score against each other but also allowing the other time to practise a thrust or a counter move. As he watched, Seth could see what was wrong in the younger one’s technique, how he didn’t lift his dagger high enough, how he didn’t attack with enough energy. The older was a very skilled swordsman, though. Seth could see his confidence and pride in every form and movement.
‘You’ll need to start practising yourself,’ said a female voice next to him. Seth had been so absorbed watching the two men he hadn’t noticed that Her Ladyship was now seated next to him with her attendant at her side.
‘I said you should look at the figurehead, but I actually meant this little arena. You’ll need to practise to make your body learn what your mind now knows,’ she said.
‘So you do know something about me,’ he said.
‘I know Seth. I also knew Stephan when he was alive, the General you escaped from. Taking him was a much bigger act than you might have imagined. We’ll have to work together to see that what was taken isn’t lost. I will help you, though, as I wish someone had once helped me,’ she said.
‘I’d be happy for the help,’ Seth said, speaking it plain.
She smiled sweetly at him. ‘First lesson then: teaching the body what the mind knows.’
She turned to face the Officers and suddenly she and her attendant were covering their faces and giggling like little girls, rudely and very loudly. The men stopped their sparring and turned to look at the women in their laughter. Seth could see the accusing look on the face of the older Officer. He was shorter than Seth but carried himself with confidence and was clearly used to being shown some respect. Still, he was an Officer on the ship and she a valued passenger.
‘Something amuses your Ladyship?’ he asked politely, but with anger behind the softly spoken words. Seth had a very bad feeling about what was about to unfold.
‘Oh, no, it’s nothing. Our young Master here was just commenting on the swordplay, but never mind, really,’ she said, indicting Seth.
The man’s breathing had increased in pace and Seth could see the beginning of some real anger building in him. The man addressed Seth directly. ‘And what was said, young Sir, to make the ladies so amused?’
Her Ladyship answered, ‘Oh, only that the women of the North are better at swordplay than the women Officers of The Opulent,’ she answered with amusement in her voice.
By this time a gathering of passengers, a handful of sailors and the Captain’s son, flanked by his two tutors, had come to stand behind Her Ladyship and watched wide-eyed at the blatant insult from the young Master just fresh aboard the ship.
The Captain’s son cried out in a high-pitched voice, ‘That’s an insult to the ship as well, Officer Ramon. You’ll address it now.’
The Officer stood in front of Seth. ‘It’s forbidden to duel on the ship, but I’ll gladly spar with you, young Master, and show you the true skills of the Officers’ of The Opulent.’
Her Ladyship clapped excitedly, as did her attendant. No one else seemed to find it much fun either. Officer Ramon, as he was called, took a few large paces back and his younger companion quickly left the deck area with a curt nod to his brother and a whispered word. Ramon motioned with his hand from Seth to follow him onto the deck. Seth just sat and looked at the man. He’d never backed down from a fight and wouldn’t now, even if he had no idea whether he would embrace his new weapons and fighting style or end up with an ‘accidental’ blade through the chest.
Seth let his cloak drop off his shoulders, adjusted his belt and stood up from the bench. Her Ladyship stood up also and whispered in his ear, ‘Just relax and let you mind go free. Don’t think too much about what’s happening and please, please, try not to kill him.’
Seth stepped into the space in front of the Officer, still thinking of her words when a blade aimed straight and hard for his heart missed him by a fraction, making a small tear in his black shirt. Only instinct got him out of the way in time. Seth dodged clumsily to the side and drew out his rapier and dagger from opposite sides of his belt in two clumsy and separate movements.
He and Officer Ramon faced each other slowly circling. He could see that this man would kill him if given the chance. He had the look of a man who had seen a few duels in his time and clearly been the one to walk away from them. He thrust forward again and Seth flicked his blade to the side. Ramon counted by plunging the dagger at Seth’s face. Seth leapt back in time but felt the wind of the blade on the skin of his throat. Seth was thinking in a storm: hold the blades correctly. What’s his next move, how will I counter? He could imagine himself dead on the deck of the ship.
Then he had a flash in his mind that actually made him buckle at the knees slightly. He held position and knocked another strong thrust aside. He saw and felt in his mind another duel that the General had fought and won. He’d been fifteen and he’d killed a man of eighteen who was a Squire. Seth replayed the moves and memories of the battle and felt a rush of unbidden deadly confidence. Seth leapt forward with a thrust and when the parry came he slashed with his dagger in a mirror of the move that had rattled him. Now his dagger blade barely missed the Officer’s throat.
They circled more, exchanging blows, each attacking and defending and then attacking again. Seth could feel that he would quickly run out of energy and could already feel the sweat running down his back as the sun shone down on him.
Seth let his mind go and thought of the person that was the General. He was a violent man, a proud man. He’d carved a life for himself with his sword from a young age. Seth felt a solid connection with a barrage of duels, killings, battlefield charges and defending the line. He felt the triumph and wicked pleasure in the destruction of an opponent that the General had felt; he felt the pride in the knowledge that he would always be the victor.
The Officer lunged again at Seth, and his blade was snapped away. He tried again, but every lunge Seth parried before it could even gather power. Seth pushed him backward with a lunge and then nicked him on the arm with his dagger, lightly drawing blood that stained his white shirt sleeve. Seth could feel all of the knowledge and skills of the General swirling in him. He forgot fear as he knew there was no way this man could beat him.
Seth unleashed a storm of thrusts and dagger slashes at the Officer, driving him backwards. The Officer did well to defend, but was giving ground fast. It soon became clear that Seth was avoiding scoring any winning blows but thrusting and slashing slightly clear. It had become a game. Their eyes met past their blades and Seth just smiled back.
Enraged, the Officer charged forward, yelling, his rapier forgotten and the dagger coming straight for Seth’s face. In another time, the General had met a similar charge with an easy sword point for the idiot to run onto, Seth fought against the instinct and dropping both sword and dagger, he stepped deftly to the side, catching the man’s dagger hand and, swinging behind him, grabbed him with a strong arm around the neck. Seth held him there for a long moment, slowly putting pressure on the man’s windpipe, stopping his breath. The crowd l
et out a quietly shocked murmur as Seth slowly lowered the struggling Officer to the floor as the man faded to black sleep.
Seth turned to look at Her Ladyship and the now-thick crowd of people. So many people were watching. All the passengers he’d admired when he strolled on board — well-dressed traders, families and lesser nobles. Her Ladyship had a beaming smile on her face, but the rest of the assembled audience were less than pleased. It was clear that Seth could have killed the man, but that kind of rough move just wasn’t allowed. Seth stood up from the deck as the Officer slowly roused himself. He reached out his hand and helped the man to his shaky feet. He looked again at Seth and, touching his chest, he seemed surprised he wasn’t dead, with a rapier blade through him. Feeling the empty silence of anticipation Seth spoke to the Officer, Ramon, but loudly enough so all could hear.
‘I have spoken out of turn. That was truly a worthy sparring match and I will now say to any that ask that the Officers and men of The Opulent fight with ferocity as well as skill. Oh, and sorry for the neck.’
It was clear that the audience of passengers and crew were waiting on Officer Ramon, for cues how to react. The Captain’s son still looked livid, but the Pellosina woman was staring at Seth with rapt attention. Officer Ramon looked Seth in the eyes, and Seth could feel the man gauging his sincerity. Even now he’d fight on if he didn’t feel Seth’s words were genuine. Seth knew the feeling well, prideful bastard.
The Officer grimaced at him and rubbed his neck. ‘I’d rather my neck than something more vital. I appreciate your words and am sure my dear wife at home and I will be glad if I say the matter is at rest.’ With that, he formally shook Seth’s hand. The passengers and assembled sailors gave a few claps and whistles and promptly went back to their own conversations. One small group of sailors were exchanging the money from side bets, Seth’s surprise victory making one a small fortune.
Take the body and give me the rest Page 5