by T L Ford
"It was your daughter's idea, Sir," Kent offered.
"I won't ever be my mother," Angela apologized softly.
"But you are my daughter. You do what's necessary. And one thing we're both good at is defending ourselves. I've killed, too. So, here's my fatherly advice, what I wish someone had been able to tell me after my first combat. Sometimes you have to do things you'd rather not do. The best you can hope for is that you do them for the right reasons. If you ever want to talk about it, you can come to me."
Angela nodded, her eyes pooling with tears.
Robbie gritted his teeth and interrupted, "Hey, Kent, maybe you should go get that whore you left below deck. Fightin's good for sex."
Captain Thomas glared at him. Robbie lifted one corner of his mouth in a half-smile and raised his eyebrows in innocent inquiry.
"She's probably more than a little scared." Kent bowed to Angela. "Milady." He departed.
Angela took off her dagger sashes and her belt. Pointedly, she handed these to Robbie and commanded, "Clean up and stow these." She emphasized the first two words so he'd not miss the implication. "Take care of Kent's gear, too."
"Certainly, Milady." He bowed and departed. He smiled as he ducked below deck. That was more like his Dauphin.
"So did you choose them or did your Guildmaster?" her father asked.
"We decided together. They're reliable and as you saw, capable."
"Would they be loyal without the geas?"
"I think so. They're Guild men. Neither wants my position and theirs is secure."
"But are they friends?" he asked.
She didn't get a chance to answer. Jamil stormed up and shouted at her, "What have you done? How could you!"
Her father stepped between them. "Here, now, what's going on, Jamil?"
Jamil pointed. Off in the distance, the pirate ship floundered, its masts leaning so far to the side that the sails hung in the water. "She scuttled it," Jamil accused.
"No," her father breathed, his eyes filling with horror.
"Ask her! Go ahead, ask her!" Jamil yelled.
In an instant, Angela knew Kent had somehow sabotaged the ship so it would sink. Kent would have made certain of it, due to some misguided thought that his Dauphin's reputation would suffer if she let someone live who attacked her official transport. Angela felt like the deck dropped out from under her. If she hadn't already been holding the railing, she would have fallen. Senseless, useless death. Why?!
Jamil continued, "She went below deck while we were over there and deliberately set it to sink!"
Jason looked at Angela, his face a mask of anguish, and said, "Maybe we can save them." He ran back toward the steering wheel, roaring, "Turn the ship around!"
Jamil moved to shove her over the side of the ship, but she was too fast and dodged easily. "He'd be better off without you," he stated disgustedly.
She shook her head and ran off to her cabin. She surprised Kent and Robyn kissing. "The pirate ship is sinking," she announced, interrupting.
"Already?" Kent replied calmly. "Damn rotted wood must have broken off. That thing was a floating death trap."
"My father is turning his ship around to rescue them."
Kent sighed. "I'll take care of it."
"No," she said, pronouncing each word very slowly and very clearly, "You will not 'take care of it'." She unclenched her fists. "Just go away." Her father was never going to forgive her.
"Milady?" Robyn inquired quietly.
"Both of you! Get out of here!" She pushed past them and went into her cabin, slamming the door. She grabbed her pillow and mashed it over her face and screamed silently. Then she sobbed. Later, she learned that the pirate ship sunk before they even managed to come about. Her father had still searched the area. No one was found.
* * * * *
Angela didn't come out of her room for three days. Kent brought her meals and she refused to speak to him. When she did finally come out, the crew avoided looking at her and her father avoided her entirely. She saw Jayden looking at her once and she saw disappointment before he turned away. Kent and Robbie seemed neither concerned nor contrite. It was all just part of the job. Angela stopped "lady lessons" and ignored Robyn, to whom no one had seen fit to explain what had happened, and who remained confused.
Instead, Angela turned her full attention to practicing for Siedes, and confined herself to the solitude of the ship's hold where her gear was stored, leaving Kent with Robyn - he could explain if he dared. Angela spent a great deal of time mindlessly throwing daggers at her target boards until they became unusable. Using the hints and notes from the artifact, she exercised until sweat drenched her so thoroughly that she became chilled. She picked locks until she couldn't possibly pick them any faster. She spent hours sitting perfectly still, listening and observing. She took a collection of bottles from the galley and practiced seeing the reflections on those and every shiny (and dull) object she owned.
After she felt she could go no farther with those skills, she turned to the scrolls her Master had given her to practice with. These were minor spells. Rodent eradication, wood repair (more dagger targets!), weapon polishing, metal repair. She left the important scroll in the bottom of its crate and tried to ignore what it was for. Soon, she'd have to speak with her father about going to Red Cliff, and all the practice in the world wouldn't help her with that.
One night several weeks after the attack, when the wind was particularly calm and the ship gently rocked, Angela was sitting on the floor of the hold, with her palms on the deck, feeling the vibrations of people walking, and straining to hear conversations when the hatch opened suddenly. Robbie stuck his head in. She'd not sensed him moving at all, though she had figured it was about time for his shift.
"You all right, Milady?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Need anything?"
"No."
Rather than close the hatch and take up post outside like usual, he dropped into the room, still not making any noise at all, despite the distance. Angela at least felt the vibration caused by his landing.
"So what is it you are doing down here all day?" he asked.
She shrugged. "They hardly want me above on deck."
"I think they're getting used to the idea that you are a Guild's Dauphin, not some common girl."
"I still have to talk to my father about going to Red Cliff and he's avoiding me."
"Oh? Would you like to speak to him?"
"I need to."
"Ah! I can arrange that!" He skipped across the room, still silent, and opened one of their crates. She watched him curiously as he pulled out a pair of short swords. He tossed one to her. "Defend yourself, Milady!" He leapt toward her, swinging his sword downward.
She knocked the blade aside, rolled backward and to her feet, blocking the next blow. His intent was obviously just fun, a bit of practice, not to harm. She matched him, noting how the artifact's swordplay suggestions actually worked very well. Metal echoed as the swords crashed into each other. She retreated around the crates. He jumped over them and chased her across the room.
"Here now! What's this?!" her father yanked the hatch door open and let it slam open on the deck. Both he and Jayden had swords drawn as they looked into the hold.
Robbie lowered his sword and gestured to Angela.
"Sword practice?" she offered tentatively, setting her sword on one of the crates, with a side glare at Robbie.
"It's the middle of the night! The men are trying to sleep!"
"Oh," she said in a quiet voice. "I forget what time it is."
"As you're up anyway, Sir," Robbie spoke up, "Milady has something she needs to discuss with you." He crossed to the ladder and peered upward. "Will you speak with her?"
Jayden grunted. "I'm going to go back to bed. I'll let the men know there's nothing to worry about."
Jason clenched his teeth. "Go ahead," he said to Jayden. He stepped back to let Robbie exit and he climbed down the ladder himself. Robbie closed the hat
ch. "Well? What is it?" her father said, obviously tired and grumpy.
"I'm sorry you're stuck with me. I know you don't want me on the ship."
"I never said I don't want you on my ship. I just don't understand you. You don't need to be in the Guild."
She didn't answer that, but instead said, "I need you to take me to Red Cliff."
"No."
"It's part of my tour. You promised Lord Merryweather you'd let me do what I need to for the Guild."
"Absolutely not. No one sails there without a death wish. There's no trading to be done there."
"Fly the Guild flag and they'll let you approach."
"I'm not flying a Guild flag. I'm a merchant."
"This is the official transport of the Dauphin de Merryweather, fully recognized by Lord Merryweather."
"No, this is my ship, and I am transporting my daughter, who is making me crazy."
"I can go there on this ship, with your help, or I can go on another ship leaving from the next port. I'd prefer your ship because at least I know you won't stay any longer than necessary. I won't know that about another ship willing to take me there. I might have to find another ship to take me away again and all I need to do is deliver something and then I can leave."
"I'm not taking you. Furthermore, it is entirely clear to me that you need to be removed from the Guild entirely. If I have to kill your bodyguards to do it, I will. Jamil says you aren't geased anymore."
"I'm not leaving the Guild."
"You don't get it. You can't just kill an entire ship's crew without the act taking a part of your soul down with them. Those men were acting under their Captain's orders, not attacking us."
"Not attacking? How do you figure? That those swords were for picking rotten meat out from between their teeth? They would have had a share of our plunder."
"They were following orders."
"Anyway, I didn't kill them."
"You sink their ship and they die. That means you killed them."
She paused. She was responsible for her men and their actions. Responding in pain and anger, she grated out, "I do what I have to do and that means I'm going to Red Cliff."
"You don't have to go there. That's what I'm saying. You don't have to be part of the Guild. You can choose differently."
"I'm not going to fight with you. I'm going to bed."
"You should stay up," he goaded, "Guildmembers don't sleep at night."
She went over to the ladder and climbed out of the hatch, careful not to let the door fall open and make noise. Robbie was squatting nearby. No doubt he heard the entire conversation, even the part where her father threatened to kill him. She whispered to Robbie, for his ears alone, "You are not to harm anyone on this ship. Nor is Kent."
"If you order me to slice my own throat, I have no choice but to obey," he replied calmly.
She had no doubt that Robbie could tell Kent, and Kent could "take care of it", where "it" would be her father, before she had a chance to order his geas not to. Kent, however, was in the crew's sleeping quarters and she'd been told not to go in there. She hesitated a fraction of a second, and then commanded, "Go fetch Kent. Bring him directly to me at my cabin. No detours."
"Milady." He bowed and jogged off. Silently.
Angela felt the vibrations of his footfalls and moved to wait near the railing, looking out over the water. She heard a thump behind her and turned to see one of her crates up on deck near the hatch. Her father pulled himself up.
"What are you doing with my stuff?" she demanded, crossing back over to him.
"I'm throwing it over the side. I've had it with this whole Guild business. I looked inside this. Daggers, swords. A garrote. A garrote! All ways to kill people. I'm throwing it all over the side. Let it sink with those men."
As he moved to pick it up, she rushed forward and shoved it back into the hatch, thankful it was just the crate with weapons, and not the one with the scroll and poisons. It fell with a loud crash of breaking wood and clanging metal. The vibration would be felt throughout the entire ship. The crate obviously shattered.
Kent and Robbie arrived, running, daggers drawn. Kent was only half-dressed. Angela quickly ordered, "Put those away. It's fine. We're just having a discussion. He's not going to throw me overboard as much as he might wish."
Kent, still with dagger drawn, inquired, "Milady?" His geas to the Guildmaster to protect her eclipsed that to obey her. Robbie, however, sheathed his dagger.
Crew members were stumbling onto the deck. Jayden appeared, looking even less awake than the last time. "Now what?" he complained.
"It's my fault this time," Angela's father stated. "Everyone go back to bed. A crate fell; that's all. The ship's fine. Everything is fine. Go back to bed."
The crew began turning around and telling those behind them that were just coming out the same thing. Eventually they dispersed. Jayden stayed. Kent twitched and put his dagger away.
Angela snarled to her father, "I'll get off at the next port. You'll never have to see me again."
Jayden tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at her father, as if to say, "Stop her."
Her father frowned at Jayden and then sighed. "Ok, fine. I'll take you to Red Cliff. I'll even take you to Siedes. You're still my daughter. As Jayden pointed out, I can't very well rescue you from the Guild if you leave."
"She doesn't need to be rescued," Robbie stated firmly.
Turning on Robbie, Angela's father declared, "You, however, I have no problem whatsoever in throwing over the side."
"I need him," Angela spoke quickly. "I'll need them both at Red Cliff. I can't go in there without bodyguards. Besides, he's only doing what he's been ordered to do. You can't kill someone for that."
Jayden, getting the drift of the conversation, tried to diffuse the situation, "No one is getting thrown overboard. Why don't we all just go to bed and discuss this calmly in the morning?"
"There's nothing to discuss," Angela said. To Robbie and Kent, she ordered, "Come on." As they walked away, she heard Jayden ask her father if they were really going to Red Cliff.
Out of her father's hearing, she quietly repeated her command not to harm anyone on the ship to Kent, who merely yawned and replied, "I'll still stop anyone from hurting you. Mind if I go sleep now?"
* * * * *
The Guild flag snapped about in the wind, prominently displayed midway up on the bow's line. The merchant flag usually at the top of the aft mast was stashed below.
"This is a remarkably stupid idea," Jayden commented to Captain Thomas as the tall, red-tinged cliffs grew closer and towered over them. The red came from iron ore and was a gold mine for metalworks. Red Cliff weapons were the best to be had. According to rumor, however, Red Cliff didn't sell or trade. The people who lived here had taken the space from the Vrolt and raided inland for supplies and Verkam-Vrolt skirmishes were frequent in the area. The populace of Red Cliff were themselves a vile lot, temperamental and violent, all guildmembers. It wasn't a proper town.
"It was your idea," he replied. "I told her no, but you..."
"Hah. You aren't laying this one on me. All I did was suggest you listen to her and try to be understanding. Not give in to insanity. The crew's not happy at all."
"I'm not happy at all." Jason squinted at the rocky shoreline. They navigated their ship out around a jutting point in the shoreline.
"There it is." Jayden pointed far off to the left. Halfway up the cliff, a huge opening was carved into the cliff's wall. Inside, where the sunlight reached, they could see buildings. A series of ropes and ladders dangled from the ledge, connecting to a number of buildings below that were on stilts and connected by raised boardwalks. A floating dock was tethered to an elevated pier. A large ship and several small fishing boats were tied to the dock, and moved with both the dock and tide.
"We're not tying to that pier. We'll anchor off a distance and row in," Jason decided.
"I don't think we should row in at all. Keep everyone on the ship," Jayden rep
lied.
As they got closer, they saw that a walking path carved into the cliff's side zigzagging steeply from the water's edge to the town's opening above.
Robbie came up behind them. "I'll go ashore and find the guildhall. I'll come back tonight for Angela." At their disbelieving expressions, he added, "I only have to stay with her when she's on land. With any luck, we can leave by morning."
"Why don't you take whatever it is and deliver it instead?" Jason asked.
Robbie responded, "Angela has to make an appearance. Don't suggest things that will make her look afraid. It'll just become a hassle to deal with imbeciles who think they can hurt her." He nodded abruptly and went back below.
"I hate that man," Jason pronounced.
Jayden grunted in agreement. "He's probably right, though." They heard a drum in the distance. "Triple the watch. Arm everyone."
The Captain nodded.
* * * * *
Later that night, Angela stepped into the tunnel, following the signs that would lead to the den, recalling her Master's instructions. She was to speak to the Dauphin de Red Cliff in private, aboard her ship if possible, remove his geas with the scroll she'd brought and give him the class A poison. In other words, she was to assassinate the Guildmaster de Red Cliff, in his own lair, by proxy. She'd been warned that the Guildmaster was truly vile and would demand she do vile things. She was to obey all commands, instantly. To protect her as much as possible, these commands from her Master would be "forgotten" whenever in the Guildmaster de Red Cliff's presence due to hypnosis ("Might as well use our knowledge to our advantage, eh?" her Master had said). Robbie and Kent followed silently, watching to make sure she didn't miss any of the traps.
Even the air felt evil, twisted into some unholy hell. She avoided the traps, each more devious than the last. When she reached the den, she wished she hadn't. While the layout was not much different than others she'd been in - with the large skill area, game tables, and a shop off to the sides and the throne across the room - the people were different, tinged with a sharp tension, even the ones who seemed confident in their place.