by Jamie Davis
“Excellent shooting, Mr. Claridge. Now do it again!” Cari knew he didn’t need her encouragement. Judging from the scowl on Rodrigo’s face on the port side guns, the two of them had some new competition in play, and Stefan’s success was tilting the balance in his favor.
Helen noticed the look on the other lieutenant’s face, too. “You’re going to have to do something about the two of them eventually, ma’am.”
“I know. I keep hoping they’ll find something else to do other than continually compete against each other. I don’t understand what keeps them at it.”
“Nonsense, Cari,” Helen said in a quieter voice as she leaned close so the rest of the quarterdeck crew couldn’t hear her use the captain’s first name. “They are still at it because of you. They are trying to get your attention so you’ll pick one of them over the other. Until that is settled, the competitions they come up with will not stop.”
Cari shook her head. “I’m not doing anything to encourage them. I tell them to do their jobs, and that’s all.”
“Which those two see as a directive from you that it’s their actions with their crew responsibilities that will win your affections.”
Cari rolled her eyes. “This is why I want nothing to do with either of them. If they can’t stop fighting with each other over me, I’ll put them off the ship when we get back to Tandon.”
Helen chuckled. “You’ll try.”
Cari shot her first mate a glance and the wry smile on her face told her the woman wasn’t defying her, only making an observation, one that she thought humorous.
A return broadside from the other ship blossomed with a burst of smoke from the guns and Cari waited for the inevitable impact. At this range, it was hard to miss.
“Watch out, Cap’n!” Jordan, the young sailor who’d first spotted the ships called out to her. Assigned to the quarterdeck to help repel boarders, he rushed at her from behind and lowered his shoulder to push her out of the way.
Cari sprawled forward onto the deck, nearly falling over the ladder down to the main deck below. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a broken spar, nearly eight feet long, crash to the deck.
She got back to her feet and scanned the deck, looking for the sailor who’d saved her life.
Two other sailors lifted the spar and its tangle of lines and went to pitch it over the side, clearing the quarterdeck of the wreckage.
As soon as they did, Cari’s tears welled up, and her voice caught in her throat.
Jordan’s sightless eyes stared skyward, a bloody gash to the side of his head where the falling timber struck him as it crashed to the deck.
That could have been her.
Helen knelt to check the young man, who couldn’t be any older than Cari. The first mate reached over and gently brushed his eyes closed and shook her head at Cari.
“Damn,” Cari growled, struggling to replace her tears with anger. Her voice sounded again, surprising her with its clarity and strength. “Return fire, Mr. Claridge. Sink that bastard.”
“Aye, ma’am. I’m working on it.” Stefan ran down the line of guns, spurring his crews to load faster while the damage control teams cleared the wreckage from the last Sultanate volley.
Cari stared forward, blinking away the tears. A rogue swell ahead of the Vengeance caught her attention and distracted her from the sorrow she felt.
“Hold fire!” She called out above the noise of the sea and action on her ship.
Stefan had almost ordered his guns to shoot another broadside. He turned and stared at her, trying to understand why Cari had stopped him.
Cari stood staring at the swell that approached, gauging the superimposed vector lines only she could see. She raised a hand over her head, waiting until the ocean wave pitched the Vengeance to one side, dipping the starboard side toward their opponent.
As soon as they started to roll back to port, Cari brought her hand down.
“Now!”
Stefan turned back to his crews. “Fire!”
Cari jerked her head away from watching their course and tried to see if her plan worked.
The Vengeance’s cannons bellowed once more as the ship rolled back upright. The cannonballs shot outward, angling slightly downward.
They struck the other ship right at the waterline. While one of them might have bounced off the stout timbers of the big ship’s hull, the combination of all the missiles striking home did the trick. A pair of large holes appeared in the side of the Sultanate ship as the massed cannonballs hit home.
The effect was immediate as the sea rushed into the other ship’s lower decks. He began to list to port, causing more water to pour into the open holes in the side of the vessel.
A cheer went out from the entire crew on the Vengeance.
“Nice shooting, Mr. Claridge,” Cari called out.
“It was your call, ma’am,” Stefan replied, his eyes wide at what his captain had done.
Cari saw the expression on his face and grimaced. The awe and adoration she saw were only going to spur him on in his competition with Rodrigo. A glance to the side showed similar emotions playing across the other lieutenant’s face.
“Should I put on more sail and pull away, ma’am?” Helen asked, breaking into Cari’s thoughts. “Or did you want to stay and finish them off?”
Cari turned to scan the faltering Sultanate ship. They now listed so far to port, their guns could no longer fire at the Vengeance. She could break off contact now and they might manage to outrun the other pursuer.
“Yes, let’s get out of here. Hopefully, the other ship will stop and pick up their fellows. That ship is doomed.”
“Aye, ma’am,” Helen called out orders and more crew headed aloft to let out additional sail. Others, under the direction of Mr. Dawkins, cleared the rest of the wreckage caused by the other ship’s cannonballs.
Cari turned and judged the seas behind them and the distant triangular sails of the second ship. If they stopped to lend aid for any time at all, Cari would be able to slip away. She’d put enough distance between them that she could lose them in the darkness of the coming night.
They would make it to Tandon safely after all. She glanced to her side as two crewmen came and carried young Jordan’s body from the quarterdeck. Cari shook her head and corrected herself. Most of them would make it to Tandon, but not all. That would have to be good enough.
* * *
Quest completed — Sink the first Sultanate ship
12,500 experience
Aimed cannon shot +1 level
Chapter 18
The second Sultanate ship continued the chase into the evening, but it must have turned about in the darkness of the moonless night. When morning arrived, there was no sign of them.
Repairs were made over the next few days along with the burial at sea of the few crew members who died in the engagement. Cari presided over the ceremony as the canvas wrapped bodies were raised and each, in turn, slid over the rail to drop into the sea and disappear beneath the waves as the ship continued onward.
She wondered which of them was Jordan’s body. She stared over the rail as the last of the dead dropped into the sea. Cari’s emotions warred within her, and she barely managed not to show them on her face. It wouldn’t do for the crew to see their captain show weakness. They relied on her to be strong in the face of adversity and death.
“Miss Doolan, you should get some rest.”
“You could use a break, too, ma’am. We can leave the running of the ship to Mr. Dawkins, here.”
“I’d be happy to take command while you refresh yourself below,” the bosun said.
“You’re right,” Cari admitted. “I’ll be in my cabin. Mr. Dawkins, continue on course to Tandon. We should arrive by the end of the day.”
“Yes, ma’am. Can I have the cook send you something to eat? You haven’t had a hot meal since the battle yesterday.”
“That would be nice, but only if Miss Doolan joins me.” Cari had made sure everyone in the crew
got a break to go below and eat something, but she had remained on deck, overseeing the damage repair crews with Helen all night.
Helen swiped a hand through her hair, wiping away sweat from her brow. “I’d like that. I think we both could use a good meal.”
The two women shared a smile and walked together down towards the cabins at the stern. It would be good to sit down.
Helen stopped by her cabin. “Let me slip into some fresh clothes, ma’am. I’ll be along to your cabin in a few minutes. It’ll take Cookie a little while to put a tray together for us.”
“Sounds good. That will give me a chance to change and freshen up as well. See you soon.”
Cari continued to her cabin, pulling the door closed behind her and letting her shoulders sag, feeling the weight of her exhaustion settle on them. Her thoughts turned to the mission that drove her to get to Tandon.
For what must be the hundredth time, Cari silently berated herself for missing the clues that might have told her who the little girl was when she was discovered aboard the raider ship. Part of her knew there was no way she could have known, but another side of her wished the Fantasma game notifications would have given her a hint as to the girl’s identity.
Luckily, she was in about the safest place she could be. Tandon was far from any assassins or threats to the Empress’s rule. No one but Cari and a few of her officers knew who Jane really was. Her foster family and everyone else in Tandon had no idea of who the girl was. Cari wanted to keep it that way as long as possible while she came up with a plan for what to do with the girl once she was retrieved.
Part of her wanted to return the girl to her great-grandmother, the Empress. The argument she had against that had to do with those arrayed against her ever taking her great-grandmother’s throne. Timron and the Duke of Charon would never allow it. Cari was sure both of them would stop at nothing to kill the child if they discovered who she was.
Helen arrived right after Cari had changed into a clean white blouse, followed soon after by Cookie with a tray of food including hot sandwiches with cured ham and cheese. Cari had introduced the grilled cheese sandwich to her crew and it had become a favorite in many variations.
The two women didn’t say much to each other during the meal, probably due to their exhaustion and what little they did talk about had to do with mundane day to day ship’s routine. Helen soon returned to her own cabin and a welcome and well-deserved rest.
After the first mate left, Cari climbed into her bunk. She lay down fully dressed, only taking her boots off first. It had been a long time since she’d slept. She wanted to be rested when she and Helen went into the city to retrieve the child.
* * *
———
* * *
Percy’s hand on her shoulder startled her, and she bolted upright in her bunk, taking a few seconds to get her bearings. She’d been dreaming of home again, sleeping in her own bed with her parents just down the hall.
“Sorry to wake you, ma’am. The first mate asked me to fetch you. There’s something strange going on in Tandon.”
“Strange how?”
“I think you should see for yourself, Cap’n.”
Cari swung her legs over the side of the bunk and pulled on her boots. Standing, she glanced at the mirror. Her braid needed redoing and she reached up to untie the leather thong wrapped around her hair to fix it.
“Tell Miss Doolan I’ll be right there, Percy.”
“Aye, ma’am.” The boy turned and left her cabin, pulling the door shut behind him.
Cari finished her hair and decided she’d change her clothes later. Curiosity got the best of her, and she headed for the door.
Up on deck, she noticed the ship had dropped anchor and sat just outside the entrance to the harbor of Tandon.
“What is it you wanted me to see, Helen?”
“That, Cap’n.”
Helen pointed at the harbor mouth and Cari stared at it for a long time before she realized what it was she saw. A thick iron chain stretched across the harbor’s opening. Each link in the massive chain must be three or four feet across.
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s the harbor chain,” Helen replied.
“I can see that. I mean why is it blocking our way into the harbor?”
“We’re not sure,” Helen said, gesturing to the bosun who also shrugged. “I have to confess I didn’t know the old harbor chain even existed anymore. The last time it was used was over a century ago when Kang the Usurper besieged the city. I’d always assumed it had been dropped then and left to rust on the floor of the harbor.”
“Clearly that was not the case. Lower a boat, let’s row closer. I see a group of people on the battlements of that small fortification on the headland at the harbor mouth.”
“Aye, ma’am,” the bosun said. He headed off shouting orders at the crew. They had all gathered at the rail, gawking at the strange barrier across the harbor entrance.
“Perhaps I should go,” Helen said. “If there’s some sort of trouble, you’ll be exposed out there in the small boat.”
“We’ll both go. You know the city better than I do, maybe you can help me reason with the guards in that fort to lower the chain and let us in.”
Once the longboat was lowered into the water and the crew selected to man the oars, Cari and Helen climbed over the side and settled onto the bench at the stern where the bosun himself manned the tiller. It didn’t pass her notice that all the men and women on the oars were armed not just with cutlasses but also with pistols shoved into their belts.
“Expecting trouble Mr. Dawkins?” Cari asked the bosun.
“This is mighty strange, ma’am. Better to be ready for trouble than getting caught by surprise.”
“True. Very well, let’s get underway.”
“Shove off,” the bosun called out to the boat’s crew and a few of the oarsmen used their oars to push the small craft away from the Vengeance.
Once they were clear, the oars were lowered into the water and the crew began to pull on them, propelling them towards the harbor.
Cari put the spyglass to her eye and scanned the group of people on the low battlements. Most were in the uniforms of the Duke’s guard, though a few appeared to be civilians, perhaps noblemen acting as officers. She’d learn soon enough. They were making good time. The longboat cut smoothly through the water.
They were about a hundred yards away from the headland and the small harbor fort when a crackle of musket fire sounded from the battlements. Cari looked up in alarm, then breathed a sigh of relief. All the soldiers on the battlements pointed their weapons at the sky.
“I think they’re trying to warn us off, ma’am,” Helen said.
“Why? We aren’t a threat. Keep going, Mr. Dawkins. Let’s get close enough to talk over the sound of the wind and waves. I want an answer to what is going on here. We have to get into that city.”
“Aye, ma’am. You heard her. Bend those oars. Put your backs into it.”
Cari stood, steadying herself against the swells of the sea with a hand on Helen’s shoulder. They’d almost reached the small wooden dock at the base of the fort’s walls when she heard a voice from above call down to her.
“Turn about. We cannot let you land or step ashore.”
A man in a black cloak and tricorn hat leaned over the battlements to shout down at them.
“What is going on?” Cari asked. “We have pressing business in the city.”
“The Duke has ordered the city closed. No one is allowed to enter or leave.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Plague.”
The man’s words set the crew to murmuring back and forth until a sharp word from the bosun quieted them.
Cari’s mind spun with questions. She didn’t know anything about medicine, but she’d studied enough history to know what that meant to a city like Tandon without modern public health resources. It could wipe out a third of the population or more. It could also be cur
ed and future illness prevented if the source of the infection could be discovered.
“What is being done to find the source of the disease?” Cari asked the man in black.
“At first we thought it was caused by rats or other vermin. Now we aren’t sure. I am one of the city’s physicians set here to warn off travelers. I believe it is something to do with the city’s wells. The mysterious illness shows signs similar to what happens when someone drinks contaminated water and the water levels in the wells have dropped to a point lower than ever seen before.”
“Have you tried boiling it?”
“The Duke is trying to implement a plan to clean the cisterns and central wells. I’m not sure it will work.”
Helen laid her hand on Cari’s arm. “I think he’s right, ma’am. I don’t think you can clean the wells here. The problem has to be treated at the source. I had an uncle once who said an underground river flowing from the east fed the wells and springs in Tandon. He worked in the eastern mines as a child. I remember he once said he’d seen the river for himself.”
“Where? Which mines?” Cari asked.
“I think there’s an old silver mine along the coast to the east of here. It’s been closed for longer than I’ve been alive but that is where I think he used to work. It borders a section of the mountains governed by a tribe of hill trolls. He told us the mine fell to an attack by the trolls a few years after he left to work elsewhere.”
Cari turned her attention back to the physician on the battlements above.
“Doctor, can you get word to the Duke?”
“I can. Why?”
“Tell the Duke that I will look into the source of the city’s water supply.”
“And you are?”
“I’m Captain Cari Dix of the Vengeance. Tell him I will try to find out what is causing the problems with the water. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”