The Hellhound Consortium

by B A Simmons

  “Amazing! So, you have her taking it every night?”

  “Well, yes. Then she took more than the two ounces . . . and didn’t wake up for nearly four days.”

  “I see. How much have you made?”

  “I used up all the toadstool you brought me, which came to just over thirty-eight liters. Minus what I used in experimentation and my grandmother, and you’ve got thirteen-hundred one-ounce doses.”

  Edwin’s jaw dropped. “Thirteen hundred. Even at . . . yes, yes Kenneth. We’ll be wealthy men.”

  “It is somewhat habit-forming. Less than some of the hookah smokers I’ve dealt with. Yet, there it is.”

  “That’s just fine. I’ll send up some of my crew to pick up what you’ve got and deliver your payment. I should be able to return here within the month with more, much more of the toadstool for you.”

  “I await with eagerness.”

  A familiar face greeted Edwin when he returned to the docks. Malcolm, his beard trimmed down and better dressed than when they left him, was chatting with Eugene and James.

  “You’re looking well,” Edwin said in greeting.

  “Edwin! Good to see you too. How was the return trip up north?”

  “Oh, it was eventful. We’ve brought along a few more of your countrymen to join the fight and killed a few pirates who got in the way. Rob and Morris had their own little adventure, but I’ll let them tell you about it. Are you ready to rejoin the ranks? How’s that arm?”

  Malcolm smiled sheepishly and averted his eyes.

  “My arm’s fine,” he said, “but I don’t think I’ll be rejoining just yet.”

  “What? You haven’t grown soft here in that cushy palace, have you?”

  “No, but we’ve got much to discuss. Why isn’t Mark here?”

  “He’s waiting for Pete at Port Edward. Haven’t seen him, have you?”

  “Yes and no. The Alphina and the new ship, the Old Man came in a few days ago, chasing a Falcon merchant. The merchant literally crashed his ship into the docks trying to evade them in the harbor. Pete never came ashore, but sent a shore party for water and delivered the death payment for a crewmate to his family.”

  “That’s Pete for you,” Eugene said.

  Edwin shook his head, “Still, that doesn’t explain why you’re not rejoining us. What else is there?”

  “Oh, well you see, I’m getting married,” Malcolm confessed.

  “What? To who?”

  “To Laura Reese, daughter of Henry Reese.”

  “By Ayday!” Edwin said.

  “Henry Reese, isn’t he the fellow that’s supporting us here?” James asked.

  “Yes, and he’s also the next baron of this island. You’re going to be his son-in-law? And he’s okay with that?” Edwin said.

  “Hey!” Malcolm protested. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

  “I don’t mean that! It’s that she’s local royalty, and you’re a hunter from Fallen Dome.”

  “You can’t help who you fall in love with, can you? Besides, Henry and I get along quite well. They’ve got their own private island to the west. It’s used exclusively for royal hunting excursions. No better way to impress your future father-in-law than to outhunt him.”

  “Well congratulations, Malcolm!” Eugene said.

  “Here, here!” James chimed in.

  “Well, I suppose we’ll have to promote you to some high rank within our little army. That way, she’ll be marrying into entitlement,” Edwin said, and they all laughed.

  “Thank you. I hope Mark will be okay with it.”

  Edwin shook his head, “He’ll have to be, it’s his fault for leaving you here.”

  They laughed again. Because Edwin couldn’t say when Mark would be visiting Isle de James again, Malcolm wrote out a report of his work on the island.

  He’d trained with Henry’s personal guard. These fifty men were all raring to go to Alimia to fight the Falcons. Malcolm helped them hone their skills in hit-and-run tactics while also developing contacts among them for new recruits. Rather than hiring those who had no better options, he felt they needed to create a sense of patriotic duty among the James Islanders. Henry supported this effort by ensuring it was allowed to spread. His uncle, the baron, wasn’t keen on it but thankfully was also easily distracted by hunting, which Malcolm helped with.

  Malcolm rented a warehouse in Port James as the official headquarters of the consortium, to use the term that Doctor Morris had suggested. Here, they stockpiled weapons and armor as well as holding occasional rallies. However, it was in the northern town of Port Jim that the real work was being done. Henry saw to the purchase of some land just outside the small fishing community, and there they made plans to build a hostel specifically for the consortiums sailors and warriors. They could rest and recuperate there without having to spend money at an inn. It would be complete with servants and medics to tend to their needs. A large parade field would be at the center to provide them a training area.

  Edwin took the report and promised Malcolm he would get Mark to come as soon as possible, certainly for the wedding. Once again, Malcolm bid his farewell to his friends and climbed into the baronial carriage that had brought him down to the docks. The Anna Louisa set sail as soon as the elixir arrived from Kenneth. Each wooden crate contained twenty small vials of elixir, protected from the woes of shipping and handling by wood shavings. Edwin kept the boxes unmarked and secured in the cargo hold.

  As tempted as he was to try some of it himself, he remembered the effects the fungus had on Eugene as well as Kenneth’s warning about its habit-forming quality. He would just have to wait until a more appropriate test subject could be found. As he thought of his destination, an idea formed. Perhaps there was someone on Copper Isle who could serve in that capacity.

  25 – Shifting the Balance

  After a week of sitting at Port Edward, Mark was visibly restless, and the recruits from Fallen Dome were visibly bored. Three Falcon ships came and went without as much as a move from either force. No Falcon soldier or sailor came near the Silver Swan, however, the exclusivity meant that their rival, the Port Edward Lounge, took in almost all visiting Falcons.

  Without any comfortable accommodations at the Isle de Joc fortress, Falcon military personnel were itching for land by the time they reached Copper Isle. No one wanted to stay onboard unless they absolutely had to. This also meant they often kept only one or two men on watch duty at night. After all, Port Edward was considered neutral territory, despite some of the more obvious attempts by the Falcons to exert their influence. That very day, a Falcon supply ship arrived for copper, but would only buy on credit. Only after being threatened with sanctions from the Falcon Empire did the Refiners Guild accept. The people on Port Edward had grown fond of having some of the luxuries the Falcons brought in.

  Mark desperately wanted to change all of this, but he needed another ship. Leaving Anna to look after the mercenaries, Mark went out to find Pete with Tom, Alistair, Gus, and Piers. They were only out for half a day before spotting two Falcon-style ships sailing together toward Copper Isle. Pete was returning from making the rounds.

  Aboard the Alphina, Mark and Tim met with Pete, Jacob, and Trina. Pete began by reporting on their latest voyage from Copper Isle. He told of the ship they had chased into the harbor at Port James and of the Falcon war galley, as he had come to call it.

  “According to the ship captains I spoke to at Port Edward, galleys like these are a common sight in the lagoons around the Falcon home islands. They’re designed to keep enemies away, and this one is doing just that.”

  “Did you see it on your latest run past Alimia?” Mark asked.

  “No, but we only sailed along the northern edge of the island. It’s likely kept at the deep port on the east or patrolling the lagoon,” Tim answered.

  “With three ships now, we could take it on, don’t you think?” Jacob said.

  “It has two forward-mounted cannons, plus swivel guns on all four quarters. And you can bet e
very one of the oarsmen is a trained fighter,” Trina said.

  “A ship like that shifts the balance of naval power into their hands,” Tim said.

  Mark shook his head, “No. We don’t take it head on. Even with all our new recruits, we must be careful. Each of our fighters is as valuable to me as my own kin. That’s what separates us from the Falcon leaders.”

  “We stick to our hit-and-run tactics. It’s a matter of finding how to hit this ship before we run,” Pete said.

  “You’ll have to leave that to me and Tom,” Mark said. “I’ve got another job for your two ships.”

  Mark told them of his adventure at Southport, of Edward the Toad and his Punishers. Tim was clearly disappointed at being relegated to troop transport, though Pete took the news with interest.

  “How many does this toad have under him?”

  “He said to have enough room for fifty men plus equipment. This is why we need both of your ships.”

  “Fifty!” Jacob said. “And professionals, too! At this rate, the Falcons had better run from Alimia or we’ll have them by the bit.”

  “Remember, they’ve got the castle now,” Tim said.

  “You’ve got to hurry now Pete, Tim,” Mark said. “Summer is going to be ending soon, and we can’t risk losing you or those men in storms. I’ve got another mission for you when you get back. Yet before all of that, I want to show the Falcons they don’t control Copper Isle.”

  The sun had set behind the peak of the island when the Alphina came cruising into the harbor at Port Edward. She was going far too fast to safely dock, yet no one seemed to notice. She was headed straight for the berth occupied by the Maid of the North, a freighter out of Breamore.

  Aboard the Alphina, Pete took hold of the tiller after gauging the distance between his ship and the target. There was little room to maneuver in this harbor, so his adjustments to their course had to be precise.

  Standing at the starboard railing were Trevor, Lizzy, and Jacob, masked so as to conceal their faces. The first two held crossbows slung across their backs, while Jacob stood ready with his falchion in hand. On the quarterdeck, Trina, Harland, and Oliver were ready with ropes, at the end of each was a hook.

  With less than twenty yards between the Alphina’s bowsprit and the stern of the Maid of the North, Pete wrenched the tiller. The ship answered well to the helm and turned to port. They passed by the Maid of the North and came up to the end of the stone jetty between that ship and the Gabbiano, the Falcon supply ship that had arrived earlier that day.

  In the fading light of day, Jacob leapt onto the jetty, followed by Lizzy and Trevor. They had just moments before being spotted by the night watch on the Gabbiano. Lizzy and Trevor unslung and loaded their crossbows in record time while Jacob took to the mooring lines with his falchion. He had just severed the second and was moving to the third when a voice called out in alarm. However, it was not the voice of the lone Falcon sailor left aboard the supply ship. It came from the street beyond the docks. Port Edward had their own volunteer night watch service. It was one of these who raised the alarm.

  He was a bit late though, for Jacob cut through the third mooring line with two swipes of his steel blade. The sentry aboard the Gabbiano raised his crossbow but was forced to duck as Lizzy and Trevor loosed their bolts at him. Both missed, but the sailor dared not lift his head above the gunwale.

  The Alphina’s stern was passing that of the Gabbiano; three ropes were tossed out and three hooks took hold of the ship. Trina called down to Pete who made the final maneuver for the Alphina, turning her back out to sea.

  However, the sentry aboard the Falcon ship was not outdone yet. He cautiously scampered to the quarterdeck and began to cut through the towropes. Meanwhile, the town watchman continued shouting as Jacob, Lizzy, and Trevor scrambled aboard the Gabbiano as she slowly pulled out from her berth.

  “Pirate attack! Pirate attack! They’re taking that ship!” the watchman screamed.

  The commotion was enough to bring several unwanted onlookers and someone ran toward the Port Edward Lounge to awaken the rest of the Gabbiano’s crew.

  The Alphina had lost much of her momentum making her maneuvers, and the wind was not enough to take her back out while towing another vessel. It was here that Tom brought in the Entdecker. While smaller than the others, she had oars. With two men at each and two towropes of their own stretching out to the Alphina, she began to tug both ships away from the docks.

  The Falcon sentry cut two of the towropes that held the Gabbiano to her would-be captors. Unable to keep hold on its own, the third hook tore through the railing and splashed into the water. At the same time, the town watchman had taken it upon himself to stop the theft by throwing his own rope aboard with a hook.

  Mark felt the lurch that came when their prize ship came loose from their grasp. He swore under his breath, but then called back to the Alphina.

  “Abort! Abort!”

  The message was passed on to Jacob who also swore, much louder than Mark had. Yet, he was not about to let the operation fail completely. With Lizzy’s and Trevor’s help, he quickly found the Gabbiano’s box of tar ropes and their supply of lantern oil. After a few strikes with his flint, the blaze was set. The three of them dove into the water and were pulled back aboard the Alphina.

  They watched the rest of the crew try in vain to put out the fire as the Entdecker pulled them out into the harbor. The wind picked up the further out they went, and soon they released the hawsers from the smaller ship. The Gabbiano burned and sank mere feet from where she had peacefully rested a few minutes previous.

  Pete did not wait. Within an hour, the Alphina rejoined the Old Man, which had stood guard outside the harbor. They took on supplies from the Entdecker. Mark also insisted they take the three-pound cannon given them by Henry.

  “After what happened to us at Southport, you need more protection than just those swivel guns,” he told Pete.

  Pete made no objections and soon both ships were sailing eastward into the night. The Entdecker waited until after dawn the next day before coming back to Port Edward. A large group of Falcon sailors and infantry loitered about the docks, mostly on the stone jetty next to their ruined ship. The forecastle stood out from the water like a headstone marking a grave. The Falcons cursed in Iyty and harassed sailors and dockworkers trying to do their jobs.

  Mark couldn’t help but smile at the scene. He had rather have taken the ship and added it to their fleet but this, he decided, was just as good. While upset by the destruction of their property, the Falcons had no one to punish for it. As a result, they were angry with everyone around them. As the Entdecker came into a berth further down from them, no one suspected they’d been a part of the attack. For the watchman was the only surviving witness, and he saw only the Alphina.

  Three days later, the Anna Louisa returned to Port Edward. Edwin gave Malcolm’s report to Mark who was astounded at the news of his friend’s engagement. Though slightly concerned that having a wife would keep Malcolm out of the fight, he relaxed after Anna reminded him that he also had a wife but was not quitting the field.

  Edwin hadn’t even made it to the Silver Swan before he was given two accounts of the burning of the Gabbiano, which after three days, was still a hot topic. Indeed, the Falcons were still salvaging the wreck and its cargo of copper from the water. After hearing Mark’s version of the event, Edwin was confused.

  “Haven’t you just given them a reason to post troops in this town? What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking of adding to our fleet. But think about it, Edwin, even if they do post a garrison here, that will only create more strain between them and the townspeople. It will win more of them to our side. And the more troops they deploy here, the greater the strain it places on their economy. They have to pay for these troops.”

  “Oh, and speaking of paying for troops. I’ve got the elixir I told you about. It works wonderfully, according to the apothecary. I haven’t had the nerve to try it mys
elf.”

  Anna cut in, “Wait, is this from the toadstool you took off Fishhook Isle?”

  Edwin grinned and nodded in the affirmative.

  “Edwin,” his sister continued, “that’s dangerous stuff. You saw what it does to the islanders there!”

  “Exactly why I plan to sell it to our enemies.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Mark asked.

  “On my way here, I hired a dock porter to run a letter up to the Falcon ambassador’s house. I’ve invited him to dinner aboard the Anna Louisa to discuss my getting a permit to merchant in the Falcon home islands.”

  “You want to sail to the Falcon Archipelago? Are you meecher?!” Anna said.

  “No more than your husband, sending Pete there next year.”

  “That’s because we need powder. More than we can get anywhere else,” Mark said.

  “You need funds to continue this war, to see it through to the end. Why not take that from our enemy while giving them something that will make them weaker?”

  “How are you going to sell it to the ambassador?” Anna said.

  “As a sleep aid. Which it is, of course; a good one.”

  Mark leaned back in his chair and stroked the stubble on his chin. Perhaps it was because Edwin had thought of it, but Mark didn’t like the idea. Still, he had elected to poison Falcon soldiers rather than face them in battle. He felt it was despicable, but necessary.

  “You’ll have to distance yourself from us publicly. You can’t afford to be associated with what the Falcon Empire sees as a gang of pirates. Yet at the same time, since our attempt at capturing another ship failed, I need the Anna Louisa before you go.”

  “What for?” Edwin said.

  “You’ve got to help us destroy the Falcon war galley at Alimia. We can’t launch a successful counter-invasion while that ship guards the island.”

  “How do you plan on accomplishing that?” Anna said. “We just sent our strongest ships up to Big Nose.”