by B A Simmons
The Falcons were again outwitted, and it seemed that none of their officers or sergeants had survived the first engagement. They endured five barrages of bolts and lost four more men, including their last archer, who had joined their defense at the huts along with the south tower’s gunnery crew. Those still alive began a painful withdrawal down the road toward Port Alma as Jacob led his force forward. The skeleton crew left aboard the Occhio d’Aquila had run out a pair of oars and rowed themselves out to the relative safety of the inlet. Jacob knew that Pete would be sore about not destroying the yacht, but he hoped to assuage his captain with the gift of powder.
Minutes later, Jacob stood on the firing platform of the south tower, grinning like a meecher at the five kegs in front of him. Using the net and pulley rigged to transport the kegs up and down the tower, they lowered each as carefully as possible. He loaded the second cannon with powder, followed by a hefty packing of dirt and rocks. He used an uncut fuse to allow him time to lower himself away from the spiked weapon before it destroyed itself.
It was a slow march back up the bluff, weighed down by their precious cargo, yet Jacob knew it made the raid well worth the risk. Before the night was done, they met up again with the Alphina and Old Man where Jacob reported the results of the raid.
“Doubtless the cannon is lost to them as well as, how many soldiers did you say?”
Jacob’s grin widened as he repeated, “I counted ten dead and half that many wounded.”
“And only three wounded on our side,” Pete’s grin matched Jacob’s.
“Minor wounds at that. Yusef is the worst off with two, but he’ll be as right as summer rain soon enough.”
“I agree. He’s a strong one. I’m glad he did well,” Pete turned to Harland. “Signal Tim. We’re setting sail.”
“North? To Copper Isle is it?” Harland asked.
“East until we’re clear of Alimia, then south. I’m feeling a little homesick and it’s time we reported our successes to the Council of Elders.”
As Jacob collapsed into his bunk that night, he thought to himself about how right Tim had been about Pete. Just before disembarking for the raid, Tim pulled Jacob aside to whisper his concerns.
“You need to be careful. I think Pete’s starting to go a little ative on us. Becoming reckless and savage.”
“Savage?” Jacob snorted. “What about Pete strikes you as savage?”
“How about this meecher raid he’s sending you on.”
“We’re taking out one of those towers that near killed us today. Besides, fighting well requires a bit of savagery.”
“It’s not about strategy for Pete. I saw his eyes when he was planning it. It’s about revenge for him. He feels like a meecher for getting caught in that inlet. He just wants to satisfy his pride. He’s gone crazy, I tell you.”
Pride, Jacob thought to himself, compared to Pete, Tim’s ego was greater by far. He was just worried about getting his new ship hurt. By Ayday, most people thought Trina was prouder than Pete. Just look at how she reacted when Rob rejected her affection.
In any case, the raid was a success. Pete’s planning was sound. Pride or no pride, if this was Pete’s crazy . . . then let him be as loony as a wolchix.
12 – Return to the Dome
The winds blew in their favor and gave the Entdecker and Anna Louisa speed across the waves. They avoided Isle de Joc and watched in silent sadness as the island passed from their view, first to the east of them, then southeast where it faded into the horizon. Mark especially wished to see their friend Seth, but they knew it was too dangerous to take the Entdecker there.
The sea of rocks became their guide. Keeping it a safe distance on their starboard, they sailed four days north by northeast. As the sun set on the fourth day, Tom signaled Edwin to maintain that course during the night. Meanwhile, the Entdecker adjusted its heading to veer slightly more northward.
They almost missed it, in the dark of night and having been so long without seeing it. Hellhound Isle passed quietly by on the west. As Tom brought his beloved boat around the northern face of the island, he thought for a moment he caught sight of an enormous dark shadow passing in the depths beneath them. He held his tongue and the steering oar still for several tense moments, waiting for the shadow to return. It did not.
The surreal feeling that accompanied their entrance into the Hellhound lagoon and arrival on the beach was felt by all except Alistair. For him, this was an anticipated moment, though only because of how the other three on board had spoken of it. Mark and Anna had regaled him often during the past few days with their adventures of finding the island, their fight with the hellhound, their discovery of the secret smugglers’ vault and, of course, the Duarve House.
For Tom, the feeling was one he had not voiced to anyone. As the Entdecker’s bow slid to a halt against the sand, he felt he had returned home.
There was some trepidation felt as they walked with lit lanterns up the trail toward their summer home (as Mark had taken to calling it). The idea that another hellhound had taken up residence on the island, or perhaps something even more sinister, scared them. Yet, with wills stronger than fear, they traded the relative safety of their small ship for that of the even smaller hut. There, they passed the rest of the night in peaceful slumber.
Anna awoke just as the sun rose. She began to build the cook fire but was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea and found herself doubled over near the stream staring at yesterday’s supper on the ground. She had not felt this ill since her childhood. With an odd sense of shame, she pulled a clump of grass up by its roots and used the dirt underneath to cover her mess. She chalked it up to having slept on land for the first time in over a month. The nausea subsided but did not completely leave her. She washed in the stream and returned to her breakfast duties.
Tom appeared from behind the hut, startling her.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I didn’t see that you were gone,” she responded breathily.
“I went to pick some of those strawberries. Remember, down by the Ka grove in the marshy area. The Ka trees are full of beans, by the way.”
“Thank you. That’ll go well with our oat cakes.”
Anna noted that Tom was smiling broadly. She couldn’t recall how long it had been since she’d seen him so cheerful. It wasn’t that he was normally melancholic, but just . . . something between happy and sad.
After breakfast, the four of them pulled the false wall away to reveal the trove of hidden treasure. Mostly, they took boxes of gold, silver, and copper jewelry, dinnerware, and gem-encrusted knives and daggers. Tom spent some time examining charts and maps, selecting a few to take with him. As part of his payment, but also as a gift, Mark presented Alistair with a silver amulet that carried a fine-cut ruby in its center.
“Wear it yourself or save it as a wedding gift to the lucky lady who wins your heart.”
“What lucky lady?” Alistair joked. “That’s why I came on this voyage with you. Yet so far the only available girls are those who will only stand by me in a fight.”
“And what’s wrong with a fighting woman?” Anna asked with equal sarcasm.
“Nothing. So long as she loses some of that fighting spirit when I woo her.”
“I’ll be sure to mention that to Lizzy when we see her next.”
Alistair blushed, “Well . . . um.”
They laughed and set themselves to carrying their new cargo down to the Entdecker’s hold. Five chests of jewelry for Bartholomew, and by special request from Tom, three bushels of Ka beans were loaded.
Eight days on the sea brought them to Forgotten Isle and their rendezvous with the Anna Louisa. Edwin and some of his crew had taken some of the extra time afforded them to hike up the steep trail leading to the summit of the island. At almost two thousand feet above the sea, it was a perfect vantage point to view all the traffic passing from Big Nose Isle to points south. And by the looks of it, someone had employed it for just that purpose. Edwin spotte
d ash and charcoal from a small fire along with matted grass where a human-sized figure had lain.
After refreshing their water supplies, both ships continued on their way. Whether from luck or because such rogues were occupied elsewhere, they encountered no pirates on their way past Big Nose Isle.
As the ships passed by Kudo Isle, Doctor Morris brought Rob out to the Anna Louisa’s stern. He pointed at the mountainous island and spoke in a low voice, seemingly wary of the others on deck.
“There was once a large population of Duarves on this island. It is said that a few still roam the hills and mountains, keeping watch over their ancient relics. It’s a place I wish we had the time to explore.”
“Why don’t we have Edwin take us there now? It wouldn’t really delay them at all.”
“For two reasons. First, we need to help Mark on Fallen Dome. It’s important that he knows you’re still engaged in this fight alongside him, at least in spirit. Second, we need to enlist help of another sort.”
“What sort of help?”
“On the island of Aruth, there is someone who, I’m hoping, can read the ancient Duarve writing we saw on the tablet, but I fear this will not be an easy task—conflicts of interest.”
“Then we go to the Dome,” Rob said resolutely, “show our support, then find transport to Aruth and convince your acquaintance to help us.”
“Yes. And I pray Mark takes this separation well. I fear the stress of leadership is getting to him.”
“It’s only a temporary separation. Mark will be fine. He’s got Anna.”
Rob spoke these last words with a fair amount of hostility. It made Doctor Morris study his face for a few moments.
“Rob, I would never think to interfere in your personal life, however as it seems to affect your relationship with Mark, may I offer some advice?”
Rob sighed before stating dully, “Yes, of course.”
“Thou shalt not covet thy brother’s wife.”
“What’s that from?”
“The source is less important than the message. Did you understand it?”
Rob’s patience began to wear thin. “Yes, I understand. You don’t seem to understand. I loved Anna before she was Mark’s. I can’t just deny my feelings. They are what they are.”
“How can you think that?” Morris replied sternly. “You are a student, are you not? You quest for knowledge as much as adventure, do you not?”
“Well, yes . . .”
“What is all this knowledge for, if not to improve your own life and the lives of those you love?”
Rob understood the question to be rhetorical, though Morris’s expression begged a response.
Morris spoke again, though with a softer tone. “Learning to control your own feelings is perhaps the most important skill you can ever hope to master. Most men never fully accomplish it, while those who do are usually old men before coming to this accomplishment. You’d be the greatest meecher alive to insist that your feelings for Anna are out of your control. You chose to fall in love with her and you can choose to fall out of love.”
“I don’t know how,” Rob said as the tears welled up in his eyes.
“In my experience, the best way to fall out of love with one person is to fall in love with another.”
Doctor Morris left Rob to ponder over this, which he did for the next four days. The teacher and his student didn’t speak again until after their arrival at Safe Harbor.
After mooring their vessels in the harbor, they were met again by the harbormaster. Starkly different from the first disinterested tone he took with them on their first visit, his eyes widened and a grin flashed across his mouth as he read the name Entdecker.
“You survived and made it back!” he said to Tom.
“You sound surprised,” Tom smiled back.
“Word is you all were fighting the Falcon Empire, just a handful of you and an entire regiment of them. How many of you lived?”
Mark happily joined the conversation. “All of us.”
The harbormaster’s grin turned wry. He registered the names of the ships and asked, “Are you here to conduct business in the city?”
“Yes, and we need a military courier to inform Lord Tremblay of our arrival.”
“We’ll send a man, but I suspect he’ll learn through the grapevine that you’re here before the courier reaches him.”
Indeed, it seemed that before they’d even made it into the tunnel beneath the city, word had spread. The number of fingers pointed at them, whispers and awed stares was enough to make the young farmers from Engle Isle blush. No sooner had they climbed the inner cliffs and entered Fallen Dome City then they were approached by three young men, late teens by the looks of them, who asked to join them.
“We’ll have a recruitment rally tomorrow morning at the docks. Be there an hour after sunrise,” Mark instructed them. The three boys promised their attendance and shook hands with each of them.
A few minutes later, they were knocking on Bartholomew’s door. He answered with a wide grin.
“I was just listening to a couple of customers chat about you,” he said as he ushered them inside.
“Nothing bad, I hope,” Edwin said.
“Apparently, I am in league with a group of pirates.”
“You mean us?” Rob snorted. “Pirates?”
“That’s what the Falcon Empire is calling you. You know they have a bounty out for your capture, yes?”
“We’ve heard,” Anna said.
“Just out of curiosity,” Edwin inquired. “How much are they offering?”
The others stared at him contemptuously. Bartholomew laughed boisterously. The sheer volume of the outburst startled them. The businessman had always seemed so solemn and quiet, like a well-practiced lawyer.
“Well, if a thousand gold florins isn’t enough to tempt betrayal, then I don’t know what is.”
“A thousand gold?” Edwin said. “That’s it?”
Doctor Morris joined Bartholomew in laughter. “It would appear that amount is insufficient for this lot.”
Bartholomew quieted suddenly as if Morris’s statement had killed the humor as quickly as it had been born. “That’s just for the capture of your boat. There’s a separate reward for each of you individually. Five hundred a piece, alive. Half that if dead.”
There was a tense moment. “Well, if they keep trying to pay people in Falcon credit, no wonder nobody’s after us,” Rob said and smiled.
Bartholomew laughed again and even slapped Rob on the back. They all joined in before setting themselves to business.
“I’ll take your antiques,” Bartholomew assured them. “I’ll just need a couple of hours to look them over before I give you an estimate of their value.”
“Wonderful, thank you,” Mark replied, then added, “we are . . . um, hoping . . . that you could help us acquire something too.”
“Oh, and what might I have that’s worthy of your interest?”
“We’ve been informed that you . . . have connections. Connections that could possibly get us some . . . black powder.”
Bartholomew’s smile faded slowly, but his expression was still soft. He thought over his words carefully as his eyes went from Mark to Anna to Rob and indeed fixed themselves momentarily upon each of their faces. He sipped from his wineglass and cleared his throat.
The jeweler lowered his eyes. “It’s illegal for anyone other than the baronial guard to possess black powder. As an upstanding citizen, I can’t provide you with anything like that. I’m sorry.”
After another tense moment, Mark stood up and said, “We understand. We can come back after our meeting with Lord Tremblay to get your estimate on the jewelry and dishware. As always, we appreciate your honesty.”
The rest of the group rose. Bartholomew took Mark’s arm when offered it, and as the two men shook he said, “If you absolutely must have powder, my recommendation would be to go to Southport on Big Nose Isle. The White Skull, it’s a tavern there, ask for Edward the Toad
. Use my name only if asked for.”
“Thank you,” Mark said.
Bartholomew looked intently at them all and said, with sincerity in his voice, “Understand that this is not a place you want to visit. It is an uncouth town full of evil people. That’s all I can tell you.”
Mark nodded and they bid their goodbyes. Out on the street, Mark addressed the group.
“I don’t know if anyone besides Rob and myself will be allowed to visit Tremblay. We can try, but these people are very keen on their security.”
“I think we should at least have Doctor Morris with us,” Rob suggested.
“Anna and I can see to reprovisioning the ships,” Edwin said. “You go and make your reports. I want to discover everything I can about Southport.”
“Don’t let on about any of us going there. We don’t want people getting suspicious, especially not here,” Mark warned.
“I’ll be casual,” Edwin assured him.
The group split and soon Mark, Rob, and Doctor Morris found themselves at the gate leading to the upper city. Here, they gave their names to the officer on duty and waited.
No fewer than five guards gathered around them. They stared awkwardly at the three foreigners for some time before one of them spoke.
“You’re the ones fighting the Falcons on Alamo?”
“It’s Alimia,” Rob corrected him. “And yes, we are.”
Smiles flashed across the guards’ faces. Another asked, “Well, how goes the fight? Are we winning?”
Rob glared and was about to ask “we?” in a most condescending tone when Mark answered.
“The fight goes on. We’re showing the Falcons that they can’t just march into a place and take over.”
“That’s well then, isn’t it?” the guard responded.
“How many have you killed?” another asked.
There was an awkward moment with Mark and Rob both staring at the guard in dismay. The guards sensed their reluctance in answering and gulped nervously.
“We killed more than we wanted to,” Rob answered.