Marcus and Calis said nothing, but Harry said, ‘Our captain is looking for an island to build a house on.’
Brisa stopped walking backward and stood directly in Marcus’s path. ‘Right,’ she said derisively.
Marcus was forced to stop as the others passed to her right. He looked down at her and said, ‘Yes, that’s right.’
She grinned, and Marcus was startled to notice she had dimples. Showing his irritation, he repeated, ‘Yes, that’s right,’ and tried to step around her.
She moved with him, cutting him off.
‘I have no time for these silly games,’ he said, and tried to move the other way.
She stepped back a half-step and caught her heel on a coil of rope. Falling backward, she landed hard on her bottom. Marcus smiled and Harry laughed, while Calis remained impassive. Brisa made a disgusted noise as Marcus walked past her, and shouted, ‘Fine! When you’re tired of sailing in circles, come see me!’
Marcus turned back toward her and, in an atypical display of amusement, saluted her. Even Calis smiled, while Harry continued to laugh.
Late that night, Harry, Calis, and Marcus climbed up a ladder where their sailboat was tied and found Brisa sitting on a bale of cloth, eating an apple. ‘Tired?’ she asked.
They glanced at one another and moved past her, but she jumped down and was at their side, walking with her hands behind her back. Like a child at play, she sang, ‘I know what you’re looking for.’
Marcus said, ‘We told you –’
‘No you’re not,’ she said in a singsong voice.
‘Not what?’
‘Looking for an island for your captain.’ She took a last bite from her apple and threw the core over her shoulder into the sea. Gulls squawked and dove for it.
‘Then what are we looking for?’ asked Harry, impatient from a day spent sailing through a half-dozen deserted islands.
Brisa crossed her arms and said, ‘What’s it worth to you to find what you’re looking for?’
Marcus shook his head. ‘We have no time for clever games, girl.’
The three began to walk faster, Brisa said, ‘I know where the Durbin slavers went.’
They stopped. They exchanged glances and turned around. Calis walked back to where the girl waited and firmly grabbed her arm. Marcus said, ‘What do you know?’
‘Ow!’ she cried, trying to twist away, but Calis held fast. ‘Let me go or I’m not saying anything!’ she demanded.
Marcus put his hand upon Calis’s arm. ‘Let her go.’
Calis did so, and the girl stepped away. Rubbing her sore arm, she pouted. ‘Didn’t your mother tell you there are better ways to get a girl’s attention?’ Turning an angry eye upon Marcus, she said, ‘You’re not half-bad-looking for a scruffy brigand, though you’d look better without the beard, I think. I was going to be nice, but now my price has gone up.’
Harry said, ‘Look, what do you know and what do you want?’
‘I know that a month ago some strange men came through town; a lot of them. Many more gathered in the nearby islands, doing their best to avoid being seen by those who live here in Freeport. They spoke Keshian, mostly, but with a strange accent, one I’ve not heard before. Others came to town and bought supplies. Not all at once, but enough that I got curious. Nothing happens around here out of the ordinary that I don’t notice. So I decided to snoop around.’ She smiled. ‘I’m good at finding things out.’
Harry couldn’t help smiling. ‘I expect you are.’
‘Now, do we have a deal?’ she demanded.
‘What’s your price?’ asked Marcus.
‘Fifty golden royals.’
Marcus said, ‘I don’t carry that kind of gold around.’
Harry said, ‘What about this?’
He held out a ring, a faceted ruby set in a gold band.
‘Where did you get that?’ asked Marcus.
Harry shook his head slightly, ‘I forget.’ To the girl he said, ‘It’s worth twice what you ask.’
The girl said, ‘Very well. I followed one group, marked their course, and sailed a boat out after sunset. I found where they mustered. There was the biggest ship I’d ever seen, anchored off the point. It was black and looked like a Quegan galley, with high fore – and aftercastles, large mainsails, and a hell of a lot of beam. It rode high, so I figure it was empty, but men were moving back and forth to that island constantly. They couldn’t sail the big ship in, so they had to spend days moving men and supplies by small boat. From what they had on the beach, it looked like they were heading out for a long trip, maybe down to the far end of Kesh. They also had patrols out, and I had to get out of there.
‘A few weeks later there were some boats moving through the islands, but staying away from Freeport.’ With a bright grin, she said, ‘I got curious and went back to the island, and saw that most of the men were being ferried to the big ship. But a dozen smaller boats deposited a lot of captives on the island. There was six Durbin slavers in charge.’
‘How do you know that’s what we’re interested in?’ asked Harry, hanging on to the ring.
‘You’re on a Kingdom ship and all the captives spoke the King’s Tongue. Some famous captain shows up after thirty years – it’s all too coincidental for me. Your captain’s the real thing, but the rest of you are too damn clean and polite; you’re Kingdom Navy. You’ve come looking for those captives, right?’
Harry flipped the ring in the air and Brisa caught it. ‘Where did they take the captives?’ Harry asked.
‘Two islands to the west, on the lee side,’ she said. She was off and running, and called over her shoulder, ‘And when you get back, I can tell you more.’
Harry shouted, ‘How will we find you?’
‘Just ask for Brisa anywhere!’ came the answer as the girl vanished between two buildings.
That night, several of the Raptor’s crew had spotted the tattooed captain in the town, and had passed word. Nicholas and Ghuda put in an unexpected appearance at an inn Render favored.
They took seats near enough to hear normal conversation, and Render and his men instantly fell silent. After a moment, Nicholas said, ‘It’s just a matter of time, isn’t it?’ He spoke loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room.
Ghuda said, ‘Sooner or later.’ He had no idea what Nicholas was talking about, but he played along.
One of these days a ship’s going to come in from the Far Coast, carrying word of the raids; no commerce and no plunder for years to come. Then every merchant in the city will be mobbing Governor’s House to have the culprit’s head on a pole.’ Glancing at Render, who glared back, Nicholas clearly said, ‘And I’ll be pleased to hand it to them.’
Render whispered furiously to two of the men who sat there, then rose and departed. The two men kept their eyes on Nicholas and Ghuda as if daring them to follow their captain.
Nicholas sat back and waited.
Anthony, Nakor, and Amos left at first light the next day with Marcus to investigate the island. In three hours they reached it. The island was similar to dozens in the area, formed ages ago in volcanic upheaval. Eroded by wind and water, covered in brush and tough grasses carried over the water by seabirds, it was an inhospitable place of a high cliff with no beaches on the lee side. After an hour spent circling the island, they came to a shallow inlet on the windward side. A huge building squatted near the high-water line on the beach, sheltered by high rocks that hid it from the view of anyone approaching from any direction except directly into the inlet. There was no sign of anyone on the island.
They beached their sailboat and looked around. Amos said, ‘A lot of boats have been in and out of there recently.’ He pointed to marks on the sand above the high-tide line. A wide path of footprints led to the building. ‘Good wind or rain and we’d not see those. They’ve been made within the last few days.’
They walked up to the crudely fashioned building. They pushed open large doors and went inside. The stench of recent human waste and somethi
ng even more foul filled the place. A cloud of flies rose high into the air, and on the ground they saw what they had been feasting upon.
Amos swore. He quickly counted and said, ‘There are more than a dozen of them.’ Littered across the floor were corpses.
Choking back his bile, Marcus forced himself to examine the closest body. A boy lay close enough to the door so that the light made it easy to examine him. Marcus said, ‘He died in pain.’
Amos shook his head. ‘I’ve seen that look before.’
Nakor looked at another. ‘They’ve been dead maybe three, four days. Skin is all puffy and the flies have blown maggots.’
Amos glanced around the room and said, ‘It’s no picnic in here, Marcus. If you want to wait outside …’
Marcus knew Amos was trying to spare him the possibility that his sister or Abigail might be among the dead. ‘No,’ he said shortly.
They picked their way through the grisly scene, and at the center of the room, Amos found something that made him swear. ‘Bannath’s boils!’ he said, invoking the god of thieves and pirates.
Six men in the guild dress of Durbin slavers lay on the floor, their bodies riddled with arrows. Amos forced himself to kneel and examine one of the men. He removed the black mask and saw a guild tattoo upon the corpse’s face. ‘These are true Durbin slavers,’ he whispered in awe. ‘Who would face the wrath of their guild?’
But he knew who would: the same merciless enemy that had seized control of the Assassins’ Guild in Krondor, subverting it to their own ends, and who had perpetrated the greatest fraud in the history of Midkemia in raising the standard of the legendary Murmandamus to cause the nations of the north – the dark elves, or moredhel, and goblins – to invade the Kingdom. Only they would kill six masters of the Durbin Slavers’ Guild, and Amos knew why. No living man knew where the Pantathian serpent priests lived, only that they dwelt in some distant land across the sea.
Anthony paced around inside, his face impassive despite the carnage. The dead prisoners had been too weak to continue on and had had their throats cut.
Nakor said, ‘There is only one girl, see, over here.’
They hurried to look and Anthony said, ‘This is Willa. She served in the kitchen.
Nakor pointed to another corpse, a man who had died with his pants down around his ankles. ‘This was a bad man. He tried to take this sick girl before he killed her,’ he said as if he could read the past, ‘and someone else killed him for trying.’ The little man shook his head. Glancing around the large room, he said, ‘To herd children in here as if they were cattle is cruel; to leave them here for days with the dead and dying is inhuman.’
Amos said softly, ‘No one said those behind this were human, Isalani.’
Anthony kept pacing around the building as if looking for something. As Amos was about to order their departure, Anthony found a few scraps of clothing, torn from a tunic or dress. He picked them up and inspected them. Suddenly his eyes widened as he held one that had been used as a bandage, from the blood upon it, and he said, ‘Margaret!’
Amos said, ‘How do you know?’
The magician said, ‘I just know. She wore this.’
Marcus examined it. ‘Is she hurt? Look at the blood.’
Anthony shook his head. ‘I think … she used this as a bandage on someone else.’
‘How do you know?’ asked her brother.
‘I … just know,’ he repeated.
Amos glanced around. ‘This raid was planned well in advance and every contingency planned for. Most of the raiders may have come from Kesh or somewhere else, but there must have been at least a hundred people from Freeport in on it.’ Leaving the building and returning to the boat, he said, ‘The problem’s going to be finding one who was involved, and who will talk. Whoever ran this caper probably paid well, and’ – he pointed to the half-naked man who’d had his throat cut –’ we saw how quickly they dispense punishment. Few will be willing to betray these masters.’ To Marcus he said, ‘You’ve got to find that girl again and see what else she knows.’
They were silent all the way back to Freeport harbor.
They returned to the Red Dolphin at sundown. Reaching the room in the back, Amos found Harry waiting for them. ‘What’s happened?’ Amos asked.
‘Render almost challenged Nick today,’ said Harry with a grin. ‘He decided to sup at noon at a different tavern. One of our men spotted him, so Nick showed up and sat nearby. So he left, and we found him at a third tavern, so Nick showed up there. Render started yelling at him. He’s not doing well. Our people have started a lot of gossip about the raids, and the townspeople are starting to wonder if something has gone on; enough people around here knew something was up for the last few months that more and more they’re inclined to believe us and doubt Render.’ Harry shook his head. ‘Given the right circumstances, say if we have a particular hot Sixthday night and someone were to start buying lots of drinks for those inclined to listen to how Render ruined everyone’s business for the next five years, I can imagine they’d riot and haul Render out and hang him without benefit of proof.’ Harry’s gleeful expression turned more serious. ‘I think Render’s had about enough of us. Word on the street is he’ll be sailing tomorrow or the day after to raid along the Keshian shore and he’s looking for extra crewmen.’
Amos scratched his chin. ‘Extra crewmen? Then he’ll come after Nicholas tonight if he’s a mind to.’ Amos considered, ‘There’s a couple of ways Render can play this: the smart way would be to sail out late tonight and never return to Freeport. But Render’s never been known for being especially smart; clever and cunning, yes, but not smart.’
Amos thought a long moment, then went on, ‘He’ll probably try to take my ship on the way out, if I know that cannibal – that’s why he needs the extra men.’ Almost to himself he said, ‘He’ll kill Nick, put the blame on me, demand I be hung, and get the best warship in the islands all in one night.’
Marcus said, ‘So what do we do?’
Amos said, ‘Why, we let him try.’ He told Harry, ‘Go find Ghuda, Nick, and as many of the men as you can and have them come by here.’
Harry was off. Amos said to Anthony, ‘Start looking for those who might know something about that building where the captives were held; they might have brought their own carpenters from wherever they hail from, but they probably didn’t lug all the lumber along. And don’t get yourself into trouble.’
Anthony and Marcus left, and Amos said, ‘I wonder how the magician knew that cloth was Margaret’s?’
Nakor grinned. ‘He’s a magician. Besides, he’s in love with her.’
Amos said, ‘Really? I took him for something of a bloodless sort.’
Nakor shook his head. ‘He’s shy. But he loves her. It’s why he can find her at the right time.’
Amos narrowed his gaze. ‘You being mysterious again, Isalani?’
Nakor shrugged. ‘I’m going to take a nap. It will get very noisy around here later.’ He tipped back his chair until he leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. A moment later he was snoring softly.
Amos glanced at the sleeping little man and said, ‘How does he do that?’
The ship groaned and Margaret said, ‘Listen!’
Abigail looked over with faint interest. ‘What is it?’
Margaret said, ‘We’ve changed course. Don’t you feel the difference in the way the ship is handling?’
‘No. So what?’ asked Abigail in flat tones. Even with the larger accommodation, a cabin of their own because of their rank, and good food, the girl couldn’t shake her dark moods. She still wept uncontrollably at times.
Margaret said, ‘We were on a southerly heading, and I expected we should turn toward the east, to run the Straits of Darkness. But we’re turning to starboard’ – Abigail looked blank – ‘to the right! We’re heading southwest!’
Abigail shook her head in confusion. Then a spark of interest fanned in her eyes. ‘What’s that mean?’
&nb
sp; Feeling fear without any leavening of hope, Margaret whispered, ‘We’re not going to Kesh.’
The whores laughed loudly as men shouted across the room in greeting or friendly insult. Nicholas drained his seventh or eighth glass of wine. Across the room, Render sat with five of his men, whispering. Nicholas and the pirate captain had been glaring across the room at each other for almost an hour, and Ghuda and Harry had urged Nicholas loudly to stop drinking. He’d ignored them. An hour earlier he had begun to utter threats against Render. At first they had been barely heard by those not standing next to him, but for the last five minutes, everyone close by could clearly hear him.
Suddenly Nicholas lurched to his feet and staggered across the room toward Render’s table. Ghuda and Harry were slow to react and reached him only as three of the five men with Render stood, their hands on their sword hilts.
‘I’m going to cut your heart out, you murderous swine!’ shouted Nicholas, and the room fell silent. ‘Before the gods, I swear you’ll pay for what you did.’
Render glared at the young man as Ghuda and Harry pulled him back. One of Render’s companions shouted, ‘Take that drunk away before we put him out of his misery.’
Ghuda said evenly, ‘You could try. It might prove amusing.’ His calm expression and the array of weapons clearly displayed upon his person prevented further threats.
Render stood and pointed an accusing finger. ‘Everyone has heard. This man has threatened me repeatedly. If any trouble begins, it’s his doing and Captain Trenchard is responsible! I vow before everyone here that I will only raise my hand in self-defense!’
Nicholas began to struggle, trying to get at Render, but Ghuda and Harry restrained him. They half dragged, half carried Nicholas out of the tavern. Aiding their friend down the boulevard, they reached the Red Dolphin and went inside. Carrying Nicholas up the stairs, they entered the room at the far end of the hall.
Inside, Nicholas pulled himself upright and Harry said, ‘How are you?’
‘I’ve never drunk so much water so fast. Where’s the night pot?’
Harry pointed to the pot, and Nicholas relieved himself. ‘Do you think we can trust the barman?’
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