by Jamie Davis
A glowing golden message appeared in her visual field overtop the stats menu.
* * *
Unable to increase Master Duelist skill at this time. Next automatic increase to 55% occurs at level 12.
* * *
The notification disappointed her, but at least she knew it would increase as she continued to level up. Since that didn’t work, Cari decided to add an additional level to her Prescience ability. It always helped to sense hidden attacks, plus it made her feel a little like Spider-Man.
Satisfied with the progress of everything except her current HP, Cari headed to the quarterdeck where she could oversee the repairs and training of her crew while staying out of the way. They never knew when the next engagement might catch up with them.
Chapter 4
The journey south took five days. Cari stood next to her cabin’s chart table and studied the maps retrieved from the raider ship. She chuckled at the marking on the chart. An actual “X” marked the location of the rendezvous on the main map. She’d transferred the location to her more accurate charts and laid in the course to get them there.
According to her navigational calculations, they had to be close to the location on the map.
The time of travel had not been wasted. Their crew was back to full strength, thanks to the new recruits brought over by Darla, but they needed some work to integrate with the rest of the folk on the Vengeance.
Most of the new crew members were young, like Darla, and had little training in anything resembling martial arts. Even so, they were all accomplished fishermen and had the skills and the work ethic to make them capable seamen and women with only a little education on the ways of sailing a ship as large as this one.
A few showed promise with a cutlass or boarding axe, and Rodrigo had taken them into his portion of the crew to train them on boarding actions. Stefan picked up enough to fill out the losses in his gun crews. The remainder worked with Mr. Dawkins, the bosun, on learning seamanship and the ways of the Vengeance.
Now that they were almost to the rendezvous, she’d see if the new crew members were up to the rigors of battle and close combat.
A knock at the door interrupted her musings.
“Come.”
Percy opened the door and poked his head into her cabin.
“Sail spotted to the southeast, ma’am. Mr. Dawkins sent me to fetch you and Mr. Bowcott.”
“Tell the bosun I’m on my way and sound the bell for general quarters. Let’s prepare for another sea battle. Hopefully, they fall for our ruse and we are able to take the ship without firing any shots or taking any casualties.”
“Aye, Cap’n. It would be nice to trick them into thinking we’re the ship they’ve been waiting for.”
Percy left and soon the general quarter's bell rang from the main deck, summoning the crew to prepare the ship for battle.
Cari grabbed her cloak and winced as the stitches in her back pulled against each other while she wrapped it around her shoulders. Her health had improved with rest and food, but she was still not at a hundred percent.
Sliding her sword baldric over her head and settling it diagonally across her chest, Cari gripped the hilt of her sword with her hand to steady it and left for the main deck.
Mr. Bowcott was already standing next to the helmsman, along with the bosun, Stefan, and Rodrigo.
Ahead of their ship, just coming over the horizon, Cari checked out the distant ship with her naked eye. She gauged the wind speed and the water current vectors to get a rough estimate of their travel time. They would arrive in a half hour or so.
“Gentlemen, from everything I was able to glean from the raider captain’s log book, this ship is a large one but mostly outfitted for transport and not for war. Based on that I have a plan to use in an effort to avoid killing any of the prisoners with an errant cannonball striking below decks.”
“Trickery rather than force, Cap’n?” the first mate asked.
“Yes, Mr. Bowcott. Sometimes when you have a nail, you don’t need a hammer. What you really need is a pair of pliers to pull out the nail and remove the problem entirely. I plan on posing as a raider captain with slaves to sell. If I’m successful in my bluff, we can bring part of our boarding party over to guard the captives during transfer. We’ll have the rest of the boarding party disguised as slaves. Once everyone is there, we’ll reveal our true purpose and take the ship without firing a shot.”
* * *
Quest accepted — take slave ship without firing a shot
* * *
Cari knew there was a risk involved in her plan, but she masked her concerns behind an expression of determination. The crew needed to be behind this plan a hundred percent for it to work. Everyone had a part to play.
“Mr. Dawkins, run up the signal flag we got from the raider ship. Let’s start our little deception by telling them we have a cargo of slaves to transfer. Mr. Bowcott, can you tie a knot that looks secure but is easy to release in an instant?”
“I can indeed, Cap’n.”
“Let’s select our slaves from our boarding party and then secure each of their hands together with one of those knots. When the time comes, they’ll slip their hands free and move with the rest of us to secure the slaver’s ship.”
“Mr. Dumont, fill two large crates with cutlasses and boarding axes.”
“Aye, ma’am. May I ask why?”
“It’s all part of my clever plan, you’ll see. Get moving, everyone. All our preparations need to be finished before we get anywhere near them so nothing looks out of place.”
She stepped to the rail to watch over the crew as they hustled about the business of making themselves ready to play the part of a normal raider crew. It wasn’t hard. They all knew the roles to play, and they’d taken plenty of raiders prisoner to let them know how to act.
The group from the boarding party disguised as slaves assembled on the main deck, surrounded by the rest of the boarding party acting as the guards over the prisoners. Two large, rectangular crates that looked like coffins had been found and filled with weapons.
The crates would be carried over along with their cargo of slaves. When they slipped their bonds, the fake slaves would grab weapons from the crates and join the rest of the boarding party in taking the ship.
Everything was in place just in time. The two ships approached close enough for the slaver captain to hail them from the stern of his ship.
“You signaled you have cargo for us. How many slaves do you have? We are nearly full.”
Cari stepped up to the side rail and cupped her hands together to help her voice carry to the other ship about fifty yards away.
“We have forty slaves for you and a load of other cargo I was asked to transfer to you by Captain Sanchez.”
“Where is Sanchez and his ship? He was the one who was supposed to meet me at this rendezvous.”
“He took significant damage in a storm and had to offload his cargo to me for delivery. He lost half of the slaves he’d taken when they drowned in the hold. His ship took on a great deal of water during the storm. If it weren’t for that, I’d have even more to deliver.”
“Very well, we’ll find room for them. How would you like to do the transfer? We have several longboats we can send over.”
Cari smiled to herself before she replied.
“Excellent. Between your boats and ours, we can make the transfer in one trip. I’ll come over as well. I have a personal message to deliver in private.”
“Come along then. We can toast to our profit before you continue on.”
Cari waved to the captain in reply and turned to her first mate.
“Mr. Dawkins, you will accompany me, along with Lieutenant Claridge. Fetch Helen as well. Tell her to bring her satchel of herbs and bandages. The slaves on this ship are likely to need medical attention. The bosun has the ship until we return.”
“Aye, ma’am. I’ll pass along your orders and wait for you on the main deck with the rest of the boarding part
y.”
They lowered their two boats over the side and started filling them with the bound captives and guards. The slaver’s ship sent over three more boats. They arrived just as the Vengeance’s two boats were loaded. Cari and her command crew made up the last of the second boat’s passengers.
The remainder of the boarding party filled the three slaver longboats and brought along the two crates. Once loaded, they all headed back to the larger ship bobbing in the light ocean swells beside the Vengeance.
The slaver captain and his officers stood on the deck waiting for Cari to arrive as she climbed over the rail. She bowed and waited for the rest of her team to climb up to the main deck.
Cari noticed immediately the man wore an Imperial Navy uniform. She hadn’t been able to make out the insignia on his jacket from the deck of the Vengeance when they’d talked before. The uniform on him and his officers brought many questions to mind.
“Captain,” Cari said with a nod. “I’m Captain Crow. It is good to get these filthy slaves off my hands. They’re taking up space in the hold I could better use for more lucrative cargo.”
“I’m Captain Shales, Miss Crow. I have to say I’m surprised to see one so young in command of a ship like yours. You’re not that pirate Cari Dix, are you?”
Cari wasn’t ready for that, but she covered it well and laughed at the captain’s accusation. Her officers picked up on her cue and laughed along with her.
“I get that a lot, Captain Shales. Believe me, I’d like to run into her so I can rid the seas of her scourge once and for all. I’m getting tired of being mistaken for her.”
There was a pause. Cari kept her eyes locked on the slaver captain’s. After a few seconds, a soft chime sounded inside Cari’s head.
* * *
Charm bonus enabled — influence increase achieved
* * *
The slaver captain suddenly broke into laughter of his own.
“I suppose even she wouldn’t be as foolish as to deliver herself into my hands the way you have. If you do manage to capture or kill her, my employer will be happy to pay you quite the bounty for proof of her death or turning her over to him.”
“Your employer? I thought from your uniforms you were Imperial officers.”
“Let’s just say, it’s easy to freelance out here on the high seas. That is why I also work for the Duke of Charon, as do so many of your raider brethren.”
“We do at that. I didn’t know his influence spread as far as controlling naval vessels doubling as slave ships.”
“His influence extends even farther than that, if the rumors are to be believed.”
“Uh, you said something earlier about a toast with me and my officers?” Cari asked. She needed to keep him occupied so he couldn’t stop her men and women from taking control of the ship.
“Of course, come with me. We’ll retire to my cabin. It is quite spacious on a ship this size. We can all share some of the excellent wine I managed to procure from the Sultanate coast. There are extensive vineyards there and their wine is unmatched by any we produce in the Empire.”
Cari followed the captain towards his cabin at the stern of the ship. The final group of her fake slaves climbed over the rail now. She had to hurry to get the ship’s officers below before the takeover began.
“Aren’t you and the rest of the Empire technically at war with the Sultanate?”
“Technically, yes, but the Duke has negotiated his own peace with them, pending him getting control of the Crystal Throne. Once that happens, you and your raiders will be paid handsomely and get the hostages from your families back.”
“Uh, yes, getting them back would be something we’d all desire.” Cari had to work to hide her surprise.
Her Charm ability was still in play, though, and Captain Shales didn’t pick up on her reaction. In fact, the Charm effect had loosened his tongue quite a bit.
“I was the one who captured them, you know. While the captains met with the Duke in secret, I led the raid that took the families captive.”
“You must be quite proud the Duke placed such confidence in you for such an important mission. What did you do with them once you had them?”
“I put them in the one place where no one in the Empire, even the raiders, would think to look.”
Captain Shales leaned in with a conspiratorial wink.
“They’re in a secret compound on the northern coast of the Sultanate’s Reinar Province.”
Cari wasn’t sure where that was. Her charts of the Sultanate coast to the south were incomplete with only a few cities marked.
The small group reached the captain’s cabin and they filed in to stand around a long table there. A steward appeared and pulled the corks from several bottles before passing around crystal goblets with gold rims that must be worth a fortune.
Once the steward filled everyone’s goblet, Captain Shales raised his for the toast.
“To our common ventures, may they always be profitable.”
“Here, here,” the others replied. Everyone sipped at their wine and smiled.
The vintage was quite good, Cari decided. She’d developed a taste for good wine since she’d taken the Vengeance. It was safer to drink the bottled wine and beer at sea than the limited water stores they had.
Cari raised her goblet as she heard the pounding of feet running on the deck above. A few muffled shouts filtered down to them. Captain Shales opened his mouth to say something to one of his officers, but Cari interrupted him.
“To the Duke of Charon. May he get everything he deserves.”
“Here, here,” came the reply again as everyone once again drank from their goblets.
An anguished cry from the passage outside the cabin broke the hold of her Charm ability on the slaver captain.
“What the —”
Cari didn’t wait for him to finish his question. In one fluid motion, she pulled her dagger and plunged it into the Captain’s chest.
* * *
4,500 experience
* * *
As he fell over backward, the questions in his eyes left unanswered, Cari drew her sword and turned to face the other slaver officers.
She didn’t have to worry. The first mate, Stefan, and Helen had each taken out one of the naval officers before they had a chance to utter more than a groan.
Cari opened her mouth to issue orders but stopped when the door opened and Rodrigo stepped into the cabin, his bloody cutlass in hand.
“We’ve taken the ship, Cap’n. I came down to see if you needed any help.”
* * *
Quest completed — take slave ship without firing a shot
10% bonus for Charm attribute use
11,000 experience
* * *
“All good here, Lieutenant. Well done! Now, search the ship and make sure none of the crew is hiding out. Take them all into custody and free the slaves in the hold.”
“Are you headed back to the Vengeance, ma’am,” Mr. Bowcott asked.
“No, I think we need to search this cabin for any evidence we can use to link this ship to the Duke of Charon. I also need this ship’s charts and the captain’s logbook. I want to know what he planned on doing with these slaves once he’d filled his hold.”
The Vengeance’s officers raced off to attend to their duties, leaving Cari alone with the bodies, the souls of their former owners now joining the ever-growing list of the men and women Cari had killed.
She wondered if she would ever be rid of the ghosts that haunted her.
Chapter 5
Hal groaned and rolled over, his hand reached out and found the familiar form of his wife beside him. If felt like they were in a bed but he couldn’t remember going to sleep.
Then his last memory returned, and Hal’s eyes popped open.
There was a canopy over the bed, a familiar crest embroidered on the thick velvet fabric. The Imperial griffons rampant on either side of a shield bearing Kareena’s family crest.
Hal sat up,
the familiar surroundings setting his mind at ease.
“Mona, wake up. We’re here.”
“Wh-where are we?”
“In our old rooms at the palace. They’ve been left mostly as when we returned home all those years ago.”
The furniture all remained in place where they were when they opened the portal to go home fourteen years before. The only difference was someone had covered it all with white sheets to keep the dust off the fabric underneath, but it looked like everything was there.
Hal rolled over and put his feet down on the bare marble floor. His movement kicked up a great deal of dust and he fought back a sneeze.
“How long have we been gone?” Hal wondered aloud.
“I have no idea,” Mona answered. “The time differential is so chaotic. I could never nail down a conversion equation that worked. Fourteen years at home on Earth could be anywhere from fifty to several hundred years here.”
“Judging from the amount of dust, I’m worried it’s been more towards the long end of that scale. I wonder if anyone here even remembers us.”
She walked around the bed and to the desk by the wall. Reaching under the desk, she let her fingers roam by old muscle memory until she found the small lever she’d built into the underside. She pulled back and a panel popped open in the wall with a click.
“It doesn’t look like anyone found my workroom after we left,” Mona said as she glanced inside the secret room. “Everything appears to be right where I left it.”
Hal walked across the marble floor, careful not to shuffle his feet, trying to disturb as little dust as possible. He stopped, staring at the pristine layer of dust on the floor before him.
“Mona, based on your calculations, if Cari left as soon as she got home from school on Friday, how long has she been here?”