Shadow Trapped

by D. K. Holmberg

  And then she pressed her head above the water.

  She took a deep breath, sucking in a mouthful of air, and scanned the area around her while keeping one hand on the side of the ship, letting it drag her forward. From here, she could see the other ship, but not the third. Above the surface of the water, Carth was aware of the strange bitter stink of the wood, as if whatever paint they used gave off an awful odor. There was a whistling to the air, and spray splashed into her face.

  Something grabbed her.

  Carth tried to jerk free, but couldn’t. Whatever had snagged her had a strong grip. It yanked her to the deck of the ship and sent her sprawling across it.

  15

  Carth pulled on her connection to shadow and flame, concerned that whoever had captured her might attempt to separate her from it. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anything that did separate her from it. An older man with what had once been broad shoulders and a thick chest leaned over her, glaring down at her. His eyes were a sparkling blue that reminded her of the depths of the sea, and his brown hair was cut short. He wore no shirt, only tightfitting breeches.

  “Who are you?”

  Carth looked around her. Of the dozen or so men on the deck, most had weapons aimed at her. She counted five bows and an equal number of crossbows. There were men with unsheathed swords, and one casually twisted a pair of knives in his hands. Of them, she suspected he was the one she would need to watch out for.

  She hadn’t lost her connection to the shadows or the flame, which gave her some reassurance. If she was able to reach for them, she thought that she might be able to jump, and once she reached the water, she knew that she could get to safety.

  “How did you know I was there?”

  The captain—at least the man she presumed was the captain—snorted. “A splash like that? There had to have been something. I wasn’t expecting a person, let alone a girl, but…” He shrugged.

  Carth stood and wiped her hands on her pants. What was the best way to play this? Did she play up the angle that she was stranded in the sea? That would be unlikely to be effective, especially as she had shown no sign of fear already, probably a mistake that she’d already made. Had she wanted to play that angle, she should have been more fearful when they’d pulled her out of the water.

  That left her with a choice of telling the truth, or at least a part of the truth, or creating something else. Fabricating any sort of story on the fly like this would be difficult, and might leave them doubting what she said.

  “I’m not a girl. I’m the Collector.”

  Carth watched his face. Would he have heard the term? She knew enough about Linsay and her operation that she hoped she could parlay that into pretending that she was Linsay.

  “The Collector?” He stared at her, as if disbelieving. “I thought the Collector was a man.”

  Carth shrugged. “That was the intent.”

  The man smiled and looked around him. “And I suppose you think to take my ship? Is that why you swam here from your ship?”

  Carth glanced past him and looked into the distance. She couldn’t see her ship, which she took as a good sign. Hopefully they were far enough away they couldn’t be overtaken by this man and his sailors.

  “I don’t need another ship. I came for information.”

  The man grunted. “Information is valuable.”

  “Which is why I came myself. Had I felt otherwise, I would have sent one of my crew.”

  “What kind of information do you think to gather?”

  “Why are you chasing us?”

  “You’re in my waters.”

  “Your waters? This is the sea. These aren’t your waters any more than they are mine.”

  He chuckled. “If you believe that they aren’t mine, then perhaps you aren’t a Collector of information. You should know that no one gets past here without me knowing.”

  Carth hesitated, holding on to her connection to the shadows, wondering for a moment if perhaps she had made a mistake. Could it be possible that the captain had some connection to magic that she didn’t know about? Was he able to detect her passing through here? If Linsay’s story about ships getting caught was accurate—and Carth had no reason to believe that it wasn’t—then there would have to be some way for him to detect them.

  “Is that how you knew that I was in the water?” she asked.

  He smiled. “We all have our secrets, Collector.”

  “Mine aren’t quite as secret as it seems yours are. Tell me, Captain, how is it that you knew I was here?”

  “I told you. You made too much noise when you splashed in the water.”

  “And how is it that you think I splashed into the water?”

  “Considering the fact that two of my men saw you flying, I would say that you came from that direction,” he said, pointing toward where her ship would have sailed.

  They had seen her. That didn’t trouble her nearly as much as it once would have, but it meant that any advantage she’d thought she might have was lost.

  Her mind raced, thinking through the various moves. Since learning that Linsay was the Collector, she had felt even more that everything was a game, though one with incredible significance.

  What moves had been intended now?

  Could Linsay have intended for her to have come this way? Could she have known that Carth would have risked jumping over to the ship and trying to find information about who they were and where they were sailing?

  No. Linsay had wanted her to destroy the ship, which meant that she was afraid of them.

  That fit with what Carth had already determined. If they were able to see her, that meant they had either enhanced eyesight, or some other way of noticing her presence.

  Maybe it wasn’t magical at all. Maybe there was something more technological involved. She had seen men with spy glasses who were able to see great distances, though such things were difficult to make and were typically reserved for the universities.

  “Flying? I think you give me more credit than I deserve.”

  The captain considered her for a moment. “Do I? I do wonder how it’s possible that you were able to fly as high as you were. You moved so quickly that they lost sight of you.”

  Carth nodded to the nearest man’s bow. “Nothing more than an arrow,” she said.

  He stared at her for a while before laughing. “An arrow? An interesting technique. And risky, especially if you got here all alone. Unarmed, meeting three ships full of men able to destroy you in little more than the blink of an eye.”

  “If you destroyed me, then you wouldn’t have any answers.”

  “And why would I need answers? I thought you were the one who came for information.”

  “Information has value,” she said with a smile. A wave crashed into the side of the ship and Carth rolled with it, keeping her feet. A few of the men staggered slightly. If she was going to escape, now would be a good time to attempt it.

  He chuckled. “It does, Collector. Have you come to tell me the secrets of Keyall and the way that they have managed to keep me from their shores?”

  That was information that Carth didn’t know. Was that why Linsay had wanted her to counter these men? Did she worry that they might be able to attack Keyall otherwise?

  “Ah, that kind of information is much more valuable than anything I suspect you have to offer.”

  “Is it? I think that information is the very reason you risked yourself coming here. Now, Collector, should we go and speak?”

  Carth looked around her. The men holding the bows remained ready, as if to fire at a moment’s notice. Those holding the crossbows were equally alert, aiming their bolts in her direction. She didn’t doubt that they would be able to catch her with a bolt were they to fire, and she didn’t know whether she could direct enough of her magic at each of the possible attackers on this ship—as well as those on any of the nearby ships—that she would be able to keep safe. The better answer was that she would jump were it necessary, but if she wen
t with the captain, she wasn’t sure it would be possible, even if it were necessary.

  “We should,” she answered.

  This had been a risky move regardless, so what was one riskier move? Whatever she did placed her in danger, and she didn’t know whether she would be able to power her way out of this. And maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe she didn’t need power to escape. It meant outplaying the captain, but that was a game she was willing to play.

  He led her down the stairs and into a brightly lit hall. Lanterns glowed without flame, though she didn’t know whether it was anything magical. She didn’t detect anything strange from it, though would she? If it was magical, Carth wasn’t certain that she would pick up on anything. At the end of the hall, he stopped and guided her into a massive cabin. A table occupied much of one wall, and there was a high-backed chair behind it that reminded Carth of the one that Linsay had in Waconia. He took a seat in it and motioned for her to sit on a seat across from him.

  He rested his elbows on the table and leaned toward her. “Why are you here, Collector?” he asked.

  “I told you why.”

  “You told me what you thought I would want to hear. What my men would want to hear. Why are you really here?”

  “Where is your home port?”

  “Where is yours?”

  “You know that my home port is Keyall.”

  He snorted. “I know that you tell me your home port is Keyall, but is it? How do I know that is where home is for you? It could be that home is Gharash or Pyn or Esso or Waconia.”

  He said the last with a smile playing across his mouth.

  Carth smiled back. “You are well traveled. Or well read.”

  “Sometimes well read is better than being well traveled. With travel, you run the risk of encountering others who can place you in danger. At least being well read allows me to know what you know without putting myself in any danger.”

  “Live through the pages,” Carth said.

  “A thousand lives.”

  “You are an interesting man, Captain.”

  He watched Carth, and he leaned forward even more, the hint of a smile spreading. “Tell me, Collector, why have you risked yourself today? Everything that I have heard about you has told me that you are cautious—often to a fault. I doubt that you would openly risk yourself for no reason, and it would have to be about more than information.”

  Carth tried placing herself into Linsay’s mindset. It hadn’t worked when playing the other woman, but maybe it would when she was trying to be the other woman. For now, she needed to find a way to be her, at least enough so that she could convince the captain. If she could, then she might understand why Linsay had wanted her to destroy the ships. She feared this man—or others like him.

  “Wouldn’t it? You yourself have said that information is valuable, especially the kind of information that we seek to trade in. I only wished to understand more about you, and as I was having a hard time gaining that information by any sort of traditional means, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

  “A dangerous tact. I would think that you’d have others you could have used who would have been a better option. You would rather risk yourself than them?”

  Carth shifted on the chair, trying to get comfortable. She watched him, gauging his expression as she did. With this question, she knew how Linsay would answer, and even knew how she would answer when she was trying to play a different part.

  “I would rather ensure that I have accurate information. There are times when it’s necessary to sacrifice those who work on my behalf, but there are times when others can’t be trusted to do what must be done.”

  “It’s unfortunate that you don’t have others you trust to complete your tasks.”

  “It is unfortunate,” Carth agreed.

  “Tell me what information you were hoping to gain.”

  “I was curious how you would react to a strange woman in the water.”

  The captain studied her for a long moment. “And are you satisfied with what you have seen?”

  “I am not surprised, if that’s what you were wondering.”

  “Not at all? I could have killed you the moment you were hauled above the water, yet I allowed you to live. Did that not surprise you?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “You allowed me to live because you were interested in what I might know. There is no surprise in that.”

  He smiled. “Perhaps not. You are an interesting woman, Collector, and not at all what I thought you might be.”

  “What did you think I might be?” Had she made a mistake? Had she not been nearly as much like Linsay as she had needed to be? She didn’t want to reveal that she wasn’t Linsay, not yet, and not until she knew whether she would get better information by doing so.

  “There are many rumors about the Collector. None have placed this person as having any significant abilities. None have made it seem as if this person had any interest in ensuring the safety of those they work with. As I said, you are an interesting woman.”

  “The rumors about me are what I want them to be.”

  “I suspect they are. That doesn’t make them any less intriguing.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over another. “What can I help you to understand?”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  “You haven’t said what’s home for you.”

  “I have not. And neither have you.”

  “I have many places that I call home.” It was an easy claim to make, especially as it was true.

  “You have spent considerable time on a ship, then.”

  Carth shrugged slightly. “Enough time that I understand how to sail.”

  “I would say more than that. You appeared as comfortable as any sailor when the waves were crashing into us.”

  He was observant. She needed to be careful with him. “It doesn’t take a sailor to have balance. When you train enough, you learn to have improved balance.”

  “What kind of training have you had, Collector?”

  “Many kinds of training. What kind of training have you had?”

  He smiled. “Many kinds.” He regarded her for a long moment and then tapped the surface of the table with his hand. “Should we move past this and speak openly, or would you prefer to continue having a conversation that is useless? You did come to me, I seem to recall.”

  “You haven’t answered any question that I’ve asked, so why would I presume to think that you would answer anything now?”

  “I’ve answered every question that you’ve answered. Just because you don’t agree with what I’ve said doesn’t mean that I have refused you the answer you think you need.”

  What had he said? Had there been anything in what he’d said that would help her?

  “Everything that you’ve said has been cryptic.”

  “I thought you, as the Collector, would appreciate such cryptic responses.”

  “I appreciate honesty.”

  “As do I. Now. Who are you?”

  Carth hesitated. Did his asking mean that he knew she wasn’t the Collector, or did he ask because he wanted to know who the Collector was?

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I doubt that, seeing as how you don’t know who I am, and were you the Collector, you wouldn’t have needed to ask. I have much experience with the Collector.”

  “When did you know?”

  “From the first.”

  “Have you met the Collector?” Carth wondered whether he would know that the Collector was Linsay or whether that was a mystery to him.

  “We have not had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face. I suspect the Collector would hesitate to parlay with me, especially after everything we have been through.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Let’s just say that there is a not insignificant debt owed to me by the Collector.”

  “And still you chose not to kill me.”

/>   “As I said, you are an interesting woman. Tell me, how were you able to survive the fall?”

  “I am not without abilities.”

  “I gathered that much. Were you without abilities, you wouldn’t have made it to my ship. You wouldn’t have tried reaching my ship.”

  “I am Carthenne Rel.” The slightest movement of his eyes told her that he had heard of her. “Good. So you have heard of me.”

  He started laughing. “You used the Collector’s identity when yours would have sufficed. Why hide from me the fact that you are the Rel?”

  The Rel? That was a new way to refer to her, one that she hadn’t heard. “There is advantage in hiding one’s presence when you don’t know what you might encounter.”

  He smiled at her again. “I suspect there might be.”

  Carth sat upright in the chair and met his eyes. She had thought him older and perhaps weathered, but that didn’t seem to be the case at all. “Who are you?”

  “There are many answers to that question, but the most accurate would be that I am the reason the Collector exists.”

  16

  Carth paced the room while waiting for the captain to return. He had disappeared, leaving her alone, and surprisingly had trusted her to be in his cabin by herself. She couldn’t shake from her mind the fact that he had realized immediately who she was but had not attempted to do anything.

  This was the man—and the reason—that Linsay had wanted Carth. She was quite certain of that fact. Why? The captain had not given her any indication as to why Linsay feared him, but that was the reason that Linsay had demanded that Carth help her. She wanted to get to him. More accurately, she wanted to get past him. Somehow, she thought that Carth had the means to do that.

  She glanced at his desk but saw nothing there that would help her understand what he might be after. The entire cabin was sparsely decorated, and there was nothing here that gave away his intentions. There was no way for Carth to know what he was after—other than asking him.

  And how much longer could she remain on board the ship? At some point, she would have to return to her ship or Linsay would know that she was missing. There was a limit to how long she could be gone before there were questions, and Carth wasn’t certain how to answer them.