Cold Iron

by Stina Leicht

  Oh, Goddess above, I miss you. At night, the sky is so deep and bright with stars. Sometimes, I grant myself the luxury of imagining what it’d be like with you at my side, counting them. I must go now. There is so much to do tomorrow, and I must walk this letter to the gate for pickup before I retire.

  Love,

  Ilta

  SUVI

  ONE

  Suvi gazed down upon the foul stains on the stone floor that were all that remained of the four people killed by the soulbane during its attempt at freedom. They’d buried the creature with several Eledorean silver falcons in its ribcage. Without water steel, it was the best way to assure the thing wouldn’t rise again.

  The dungeon room still stank of death. She gritted her teeth against the slimy lump in the back of her throat. The chilly cell was otherwise the same but for the now-empty cage and a haunted atmosphere. Kask and a number of other Waterborne represen­tatives waited at a short distance, acting as witnesses. Suvi felt tired, weak, and sick. She wanted to go home, but it’d only been a few days since the attack, and she was still recovering. This was the first time she’d been strong enough to stand since the incident. The journey down the stairs to the dungeon had been difficult and painful. Moira had recommended against it, but Suvi felt it was important to see the cell for herself. She had to salvage what she could of the situation, after all. So far, she hadn’t heard anything from Kask that sounded like blame. However, that didn’t mean this would remain the case forever, given what Jami had told her.

  Leaning heavily on the crutch Moira had provided, Suvi winced for reasons outside of the pain in her leg. She whispered, “You’re certain it was one of ours that was responsible?”

  “Private Grahn came down here while everyone else was attending the duel. He killed the guards and stole the key,” Jami said. Her lips made a tight line of anger. “He’s lucky that thing got to him before I did.”

  “Why would he do this?” Suvi asked. “He was a royal marine.”

  “Not a marine,” Jami whispered. “Lieutenant Ketola says Grahn was new to the platoon. A replacement for a private who’d died before we set off. Grahn was a korva. One of your uncle’s.”

  “How do you know?” Suvi asked, keeping her voice low.

  “I had my suspicions after examining the body. He had an Ytlainen tattoo in his armpit. It’s the sigil of a Ytlainen family known to deal in illegal trade. Your uncle has ties with them. I returned to the Otter the instant I recognized it.”

  Suvi didn’t ask why Jami would know such a thing. She didn’t need to. It was one of the reasons she’d employed Jami in the first place.

  Jami continued. “Unfortunately, I was too late. The Otter’s birdmaster was poisoned along with all our message birds. Same with the Indomitable. We have Grahn’s bunkmate in hand. After some questioning, he admitted that Grahn was reporting to a member of the royal house. And he’d been promised a reward for seeing to the message birds. The birdmaster’s log shows Grahn sent and received regular messages to and from the palace in Jalokivi. More so than a mere private could afford, particularly a private from Gardemeister. I searched Grahn’s bunk both here and on the ship. I didn’t find anything. He was careful.”

  What am I to do? I can’t send any messages home, Suvi thought. She glanced at Kask. Great Goddess, this is a mess. “Let’s get back upstairs. I need to sit down.”

  Kask and his retinue followed as Jami helped her back up the stairs. Suvi tried to use the time it took to think about what should be done. One of her marines was responsible for the deaths of six of Kask’s people. Reparations were necessary. Upon reaching her private guest rooms, she invited Kask to remain so that they might discuss the situation, and sent for Dylan. She thought it wouldn’t hurt to have his support. It took some time to get settled in the borrowed drawing room. Her leg was agony by the time all was done. She wanted a dose of the medicine Moira had left but knew that a clear head would be required. Suvi waited to speak until after Piritta served the tea.

  “I must formally apologize to you, Sea Lord Kask, both as a representative of Eledore’s royal family and personally,” Suvi said. “It seems one of the men I brought to Treaty Island is respon­sible for the soulbane’s escape. The matter is an internal one. And I am sorry that my problems have so negatively affected you and yours.”

  Sea Lord Kask nodded but his expression was difficult to read.

  Suvi pressed on. “Please understand that there are those in Eledore who wish to prevent a lasting agreement between Eledore and your clan. It is clear that this was an attempt to destroy our progress. And I’ve no doubt that a successful attempt upon my life would’ve been blamed upon you and the Waterborne Nations as a whole.” She didn’t wish to mention her uncle’s name. So, she changed course. “I’m so terribly sorry for your losses. Understand that I will do everything in my power to assure that those responsible will be punished.”

  She didn’t believe her father would ever punish her uncle. However, once she was on the throne, she fully intended to make good upon her word. “I wish to make reparations in addition to the agreements already on the table.”

  “And what would that be?” Kask asked.

  “I understand Isak Whitewave was attempting to finance a takeover of your clan.”

  “It is of no consequence. Isak Whitewave is dead.”

  “We both know the situation isn’t resolved. Kester Whitewave and whomever his brother Isak was working with are most certainly alive,” Suvi said. “Therefore, I propose that Eledore outlaw trade in bloodflower. This will prevent legal transport of bloodflower through the Chain Lakes. Ultimately, it will cut off the continental trade route to Acrasia.”

  Kask said, “You can do this?”

  “I can,” Suvi said with full confidence. “My father has no stake in such trade. More importantly, neither does my uncle.”

  “And the water steel I requested?”

  “On that, I must confer with my father. I don’t know how many such weapons might be available. We are at war with Acrasia. However, I do agree that it is in both our countries’ best interests to provide what assistance we can. I’ve a possible solution in mind, but I’m afraid the best I can do for now is to promise that the request will be given serious consideration.”

  “Then that is enough. I accept.”

  They drank the tea while Piritta put the finishing touches on the agreement. Kask accepted the leather folio with its newly corrected agreement and signed the first treaty between Eledore and a Waterborne clan in over thirty years. Suvi couldn’t help smiling.

  “With that, I’m afraid I must make preparations to leave as soon as possible,” Suvi said.

  “Are you certain it’s wise?” Kask asked. “Moira says that you need more time to recover. Your wound is serious. You can’t afford to relapse.”

  “The situation at home isn’t good,” Suvi said. “I need to get back to my father with the signed agreements. Unfortunately, all our message birds were killed. There has been no word of our progress sent for some time. My father is no doubt concerned.”

  “You have my permission to use one of our couriers. That may buy you some time to heal. None of this will do any good if you die on the journey home.”

  Suvi blinked and swallowed. The pain was getting bad enough that she was finding it difficult to think. “All right.”

  TWO

  Eleven days after the soulbane attack, HKEL Otter departed Treaty Island for the Eledorean port of Rehn. Suvi was anxious to return home. In spite of repeated messages sent both before and after the attack, there hadn’t been any news from her father in weeks. She was worried. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she could do with her anxiety. Because of her injured leg, a sea journey meant a lot of time reading. After three days of being confined to her cabin, she’d grown snappish. Piritta had been driven to tears twice. Suvi began to feel like her father. She’d apologized multiple times, and Piritta had accepted, but Suvi still felt awful. Venturing out on deck for much ne
eded air, she hobbled to the quarterdeck’s rail. It was early in the evening, and the sky was cluttered with stars. The Otter shifted beneath her, and she scrambled to catch herself with the railing. The crutch clattered to the deck. Cursing, she bent and hopped in place until she could retrieve it. She hated the crutch. It annoyed her. In spite of repeated treatments by the ship’s healer prior to departing, her leg still ached something ­terrible. What scared her the most was the idea that it would never heal. In truth, that was the largest part of her impatience.

  Once the crutch was retrieved, she settled back into place and closed her eyes. She breathed in sea air laced with heating tar, and reassured herself.

  There came a shout from above, and the alarm bell rang the signal for a ship sighting. Suvi searched the horizon, but didn’t see anything from her side of the ship.

  “Two frigates, sir! Acrasian!”

  Suvi’s heart froze. One frigate and a corvette against two frigates?

  “Action stations!”

  The bosun’s whistle signaled three times. The crew leapt to their assigned places in a flurry of motion. Marine drummers took over the call to action, and the royal marines rushed to the masts and to man the cannons. The explosion of activity vibrated the decks as below partitions were pulled down and stored, ammunition and cannon were readied, and loose objects were secured.

  Shit. Shit. Shit, Suvi thought. We’ve only the Indomitable to protect us. Sea Lord Kask had sent the Sea Dragon, a frigate, as an escort for HKEL Otter and HKEL Indomitable, but their orders were to see them safely to harbor and assist in case of bad weather. They weren’t to participate in a war. “We’re nowhere near Acrasian waters. What are they doing here?” she asked, heading for the poop deck as quickly as she could. She paused at the ladder. Stupid leg.

  “You should get below,” Jami said.

  Steeling herself for pain, Suvi gripped the rail and began the awkward journey up the ladder. “I’m a sea marshal, damn it! I’m not cowering belowdecks!” She met Captain Hansen at her station near the mizzenmast.

  “Two ships of the line. First-class frigates. They were hunting for us,” Captain Hansen said, lowering her glass. Her expression was set in grim determination. The scar that bisected her left eyebrow made her look more like a buccaneer and less an Eledorean officer. Her red hair was bound in a tight queue with a black ribbon matching her uniform.

  If they’re the newer ships, they’ve one hundred guns each. HREM Indomitable has ninety, and the HREM Otter only has ten. Suvi asked, “Why are they here?” She looked to their escort, the Sea Dragon, off their port bow. Regardless, she knew they were on their own. It wouldn’t be long before they separated themselves from the convoy. “What do the Acrasians want?”

  “I have my suspicions,” Hansen said. Her eyes darted to Suvi with a meaningful squint.

  Hansen tended toward the taciturn. However, Suvi read her meaning at once. You’re the heir designate, damn you. Do you think this is an accident?

  “They won’t risk sinking us,” Suvi said. “They’ll want us for a prize.”

  “They’ve the weather gage,” Hansen said. There was an unspoken question under the statement.

  Suvi turned to smile at Dylan’s back. “They think they have the advantage over us.” He was standing at attention next to Darius. “But we have a weathermaster.”

  Hansen’s right eyebrow arched an instant before she replaced the spyglass to her eye. “We might outrun them. Avoid the entire encounter.”

  “Do you think they’ll meet us with even more strength later?” Suvi asked. She motioned to a lieutenant, and he handed over his spyglass. She peered through the lens. “If they are hunting us, they’re certainly not alone.”

  “My mother had a favorite saying,” Hansen said. “It was ‘We’ll climb that mountain when we get to it.’ We must get home as soon as we can. Get back on fresh water.”

  The sea puts us on the same level as the humans, doesn’t it? Suvi thought. With the exception of Dylan and Darius.

  The Eledorean fleet had one standing order—When possible, run. Altercations were considered wasteful and unnecessary. Since magic was unreliable on water, the Eledorean navy wasn’t used for war. They were merchant, intelligence, and transport vessels for the most part. Running was the smart thing to do. Thus, speed was prized in an Eledorean ship. The guns were a new addition—Suvi’s acknowledgment of her father’s concerns before she’d left. It’d taken extra time, but it’d proven wise. However, Suvi had made one more change.

  Eledorean ships communicated with one another with birds or signal flags. If the weather was bad, communication between ships was next to impossible without birds. The Waterborne didn’t use birds. Therefore, there were none to be had. That meant substantive communication between ships while at sea was going to be a problem. She’d learned Waterborne representatives along the coast communicated with ships using signal lamps. The lamps had been easy enough to acquire. The code system was not. The code was a secret Sea Lord Kask wasn’t willing to teach her. Fortunately, devising her own had given her something on which to focus while convalescing.

  Time to give the new signal system its first serious test, she thought. “Weathermaster Kask!”

  Dylan abandoned his station and saluted. “Yes, sir!”

  “We need speed. How much help can you give us?” Suvi asked.

  Staring into the night sky, Dylan shrugged. “No clouds. A storm would take too long. Wind is all I can do right now.”

  “Wind it is, Weathermaster,” Suvi said, and turned to Hansen. “It’s time for a race. Tell Indomitable. And signal Sea Dragon. Thank her for her services, but I believe we can take it from here.”

  “Yes, sir.” Hansen turned. “Lieutenant! I want a message to Indomitable!”

  Suvi passed the spyglass back to its owner. I hope the Acrasians are as slow in the water as they’re reported to be. She laid a hand on Otter’s rail. All right, my love. It’s time to show everyone how well you dance.

  THREE

  “Marshal Hännenen?” The question was accompanied with a knock on the cabin door. “It’s Underlieutenant Rosberg, Marshal Hännenen?”

  Piritta groaned. “Again? What the hell does it take to get any sleep?”

  A muffled all-hands call filtered through the cabin walls for the fourth time that night.

  What time is it? Suvi reminded herself it was pointless to ask. Like kainen magic, clocks weren’t reliable on extended voyages. How many bells—not the time. I’ve spent far too much time on dry land. The interior of the cabin had been blacker than pitch. Now, warm light from the lieutenant’s lantern leaked through the crack under the door. Suvi sat up in her hammock and pushed both hands through her hair once she had her balance. She hadn’t taken the time to braid it before retiring. Piritta would be an hour brushing out the tangles once things calmed down.

  “Orders were to wake you if the Acrasians are spotted, sir.” Rosberg’s voice was apologetic.

  “It’s all right, Lieutenant. You’re doing your job,” Suvi said. “What’s happening?”

  “The Acrasians have reappeared on our starboard side.”

  They won’t give up, Suvi thought. That’s not a good sign.

  In an attempt to light the oil lamp, Piritta knocked something onto the floor—a teacup, by the sound of shattering porcelain.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Suvi said, coiling her unruly hair into a knot on top of her head and then feeling for her breeches. There’d be no need for full uniform or even shoes. Chances were this was just another trip onto the deck for another gaze through the glass only to see nothing. “I’m on my way.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Light flooded the cabin. Suvi closed her eyes against it and waited for her sight to adjust before hopping out of her hammock. She bit her lip against the pain in her sore leg and hopped on one foot. “Stay put. No sense in both of us being miserable. I’ll be right back.”

  “Acrasians are evil,” Piritta said, collapsing bac
k onto the bunk. “Don’t they know enough to pay their calls at a more civilized hour?”

  “Perhaps this is a more civilized hour for Acrasia,” Suvi said. She pulled on her breeches, tucked in her nightshirt, grabbed the crutch, and limped to the door. “Go back to sleep. One of us should be rested.”

  A heavy fog had descended sometime since the last alarm. The mist was thick enough to shroud the deck. Otter’s boards were damp and chilly on her bare toes. She couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of her.

  “Where is Weathermaster Kask?” Suvi asked, shrugging into her sea marshal’s coat.

  “I sent him to his hammock. We don’t want to exhaust him,” Captain Hansen said. “Not with the Acrasians on our tails.”

  Suvi nodded and glanced up at the sheets even though she couldn’t see a thing. There was enough wind to keep the ship moving, but that was about it. “Glass?”

  “Nothing to see. In and out like before.” Hansen gave her the spyglass. “I’ve some bad news.”

  “What is it?”

  “Wasn’t one of the original ships,” Hansen said. “Name painted on her side was EIMN Maria Fortuna.”

  “She passed close enough to read her name in this?”

  Hansen nodded.

  “And no one fired?” Suvi asked.

  “Too risky,” Hansen said. “Might hit one of our own. I assume the Acrasians felt the same.”

  “Three frigates.”

  “All of them ships of the line,” Hansen said. Her voice was matter-of-fact. “There could be more than three. No way of telling yet.”

  “Shit.” Suvi’s leg pained her even more in the clammy air.

  “Recommendations?”

  “Get us out of here. And wake up Kask,” Suvi said. “I want to consult him.”

  Dylan took the ladder’s steps two at a time. He looked gray, worried, and tired. He wasn’t alone. Darius remained a respectful distance while Dylan reported to her.