Pirate of the Prophecy

by Jack Campbell

  “I can lead you there,” the centurion said. “We’ve been expecting new personnel to show up. I just collected this batch from the road.”

  Blast. She couldn’t possibly say no without generating a host of questions to which she might not have good answers. “Thank you, Centurion.” Jules fell in beside the centurion as they walked down the streets, trying to keep track of where they turned. A pair of tired legion couriers rode by on lathered horses, the sort of sight that screamed of an emergency. It gave Jules an opening to ask a question. “What’s going on?” she said to the centurion. “Something special?”

  “I don’t know, Lieutenant. Something’s up. Are you from the Fifth Legion at Sandurin?”

  “No,” Jules said, afraid that the centurion might know some detail of Sandurin that would trip her up. “I’m from Landfall. Second Legion. I was on my way to Umburan for a temporary assignment but got stopped and told to come here.”

  “The rest of us, too,” the centurion said. “On the way to somewhere else but told to come here. Colonel Yosef has been assigned as the garrison commander. All he’s saying is to be ready for trouble.”

  “Where could trouble be coming from in Saraston?” Jules asked.

  “That ship that came in this morning, I’m thinking. You ever have any dealings with Mages, Lieutenant?”

  Jules hoped her reaction hadn’t shown on her face. “Not if I can help it,” she said, her voice short.

  “You and me both, Lieutenant. I did hear something about Mages warning about trouble here. Supposedly a few of them are on their way.”

  Jules swallowed to ensure her voice sounded calmer than she felt. “Oh? When are they supposed to arrive?”

  “Coming on a galley, I hear. Up from Sandurin. Sometime today.”

  Mages. And an Imperial galley. And legionaries being diverted into this town. All she needed now was for some Mechanics to ride in.

  They reached a large manor that had been taken over by the incoming legionary forces, the broad open court in the front already trampled by many passing feet. The centurion led Jules and the soldiers to a side building. “Temporary quarters,” he apologized to Jules. “I’ll check-in with Colonel Yosef and see if he has an assignment for you, Lieutenant.”

  “Thank you,” Jules said, wondering how she could escape this place without everybody noticing. She couldn’t walk out now. The centurion would be right back and might find it suspicious that a lieutenant had wandered off while supposedly waiting for orders.

  “Sit down,” the centurion told the legionaries who’d come in with him, his voice no longer polite. “Wait for assignment!”

  Jules stood near the front of the room. It was some sort of storeroom, high-ceilinged, bare walls, cleared of goods, a large room with a few high windows that let in plenty of afternoon light. Legionaries slumped against the walls or sat next to them, others seated on the open floor. It felt like any other place where soldiers gathered, waiting for a long time to be told why they’d been brought there in a rush.

  She was the only officer present, which was a blessing since it meant no one tried to make small talk with her. But it also meant she was standing alone in the front of the room.

  Stars above. She was trying to sneak through this town and she was in a room full of the soldiers who were probably looking for her and Mages were on their way here and so was an Imperial galley. Way to mess up the assignment, Jules.

  Already nervous, Jules began to notice curious glances at her, the sort of furtive looks that spoke of trouble. Why? Was there something wrong with her uniform? But the centurion would have noticed that. Centurions were death on problems with uniforms. A legionary would have been chewed out, but since Jules was an officer the centurion would have found a way to mention anything wrong to her so she could fix it.

  More of the legionaries were glancing at her. And looking again. Talking softly among themselves. Why?

  Jules followed other looks, to the far wall, and saw a picture posted there.

  It wasn’t a great likeness. Someone had apparently copied from a copy of a picture made by an Imperial police artist. But it still looked like her, except for the hair. Jules had it styled differently now with the braid, and that helped disguise her a little. But not nearly enough.

  What could she do? At least some of the men and women in here had already spotted her resemblance to the woman on the poster. Trying to distract them from that, trying to make a hasty departure, would just attract further attention.

  The last thing she needed was more attention on her.

  Unless…

  What was the last thing anyone would expect the woman on that poster to do? Take notice of it. Draw attention to that resemblance.

  Jules set her expression into annoyance just short of rage, glaring around the room. “That again?” she growled in her best imitation of a centurion she’d trained under, pointing at the picture. “If one more fool tells me that looks like me, I’m going to put them on work detail until their fingers are worn to the bone and the bones are worn to sticks! You!” Jules cried, pointing to one legionary who’d seemed particularly interested in the resemblance. “Do you think that looks like me?”

  “No, Lieutenant! It doesn’t look anything like you!”

  “What about you?” Jules snarled at another legionary. “You seem interested in my looks!”

  “No, Lieutenant!” the legionary denied. “Not me. I wasn’t looking at anything!”

  No one was looking at her now. Every legionary had found something else to fix their eyes on, trying to avoid her attention. Jules gave a final glower around the room as the centurion returned, casting a curious glance about at the tense legionaries and clearly deciding that whatever had happened the lieutenant must have dealt with it. “Lieutenant, Colonel Yosef doesn’t have time to meet with you. He wants you to take ten soldiers to search the south end of the town. All structures. All rooms in those structures.”

  “What are we looking for?” Jules asked, glad that she knew exactly what questions to ask.

  “Anyone who isn’t supposed to be in Saraston, Lieutenant.”

  “Where’s the south end begin?”

  “South side of the town square,” the centurion said.

  “Are you going to assign ten or am I going to pick them?”

  “I have just the ten for you, Lieutenant.” The centurion indicated a group of men and women sitting together on one side of the room. “All of you. Get up. I’d better not hear this officer had any problems with any of you.”

  Jules led her newly-assigned group back out into the courtyard. She’d managed to not only attract a lot of attention to herself but had also acquired ten legionaries who’d be following her around. Even for a lieutenant that was an impressive amount of screwing up in a short time.

  Unable to think of anything else she could do, Jules led her patrol south, the sidewalks clearing before her as citizens made way for the group of soldiers. The town square resembled those in countless other Imperial towns laid out using the same plans, the same central government building with the same bell tower topping the building making it easy to identify. Wracking her brains for some way to ditch her faithful patrol of soldiers, Jules led them to a house fronting on the south side of the square. “Start here.”

  One of the soldiers knocked heavily on the door, shoving his way inside when it was cracked open. Jules followed, waving the remaining soldiers inside. “Search the place. Check everyone’s papers.”

  A nervous woman holding the hand of a young child stood by the door. “Is there any problem?” she asked. “We’re loyal citizens of the Empire. We haven’t done anything. There’s no contraband here. We have tax stamps on every item in this house.”

  Jules gave her the cold look an officious Imperial officer would show. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

  “If you tell me what you’re looking for-”

  A mother with her child. The sort of thing Jules had lost at the age of five. And if Jule
s ever had a child of her own, when she had that child, he or she would be in constant danger of death. Neither this mother nor this child knew how fortunate they were. She gave the woman an angry glance. “I didn’t ask you to speak.”

  The mother fell silent, giving Jules a chance to feel guilty for being jealous of her and time to think about what to do next. If only she knew where Xan lived.

  Oh, blazes. Use your head, Jules. “Is there someone named Xan who lives nearby?” Jules snapped at the woman.

  “Three houses down this street,” the woman said. “I only know him as Xan. I don’t know where he’s from.”

  “Thank you,” Jules said as her legionaries returned one by one to report having found nothing untoward.

  She had to search the next two houses as well, not seeing any way to skip them without arousing too much suspicion. Every moment seemed a moment too long, wondering when the Mages and the galley would get here.

  Jules had far too much time to think and worry while her legionaries searched the homes. How had the Mages known that she’d be here today? Could the Mages really predict that she would be in Saraston before Jules herself had known, before she’d decided to come into the town to get Mak? How could she avoid being killed by men and women with those kinds of abilities?

  Fortunately, the Mages apparently hadn’t learned she’d be here in time to reach Saraston before her. But she had no idea how much longer it would be before they did arrive.

  Finally they reached the third house down, Jules shoving her way inside. “Who are you?” she demanded of the man at the door as her soldiers followed.

  “Xan of Pandin,” the man said, showing just the right amount of concern and curiosity and innocence at the presence of Jules and the legionaries.

  “I saw someone else enter here,” Jules said. “Where is he?”

  “Yes,” Xan said, not quite hiding his surprise this time. “In there. Come out!” he called.

  Mak came into the room, his hands slightly spread and open to show he carried no weapons. As his eyes lit on Jules she saw the shock in them, but otherwise Mak revealed no sign of knowing her.

  “Search the house,” Jules ordered her soldiers. “I’ll handle these two. Papers!”

  She barely glanced at Xan’s before handing them back and taking the identity documents that Mak offered.

  Jules scowled as she studied Mak’s false papers. “You didn’t come off that ship, did you?”

  “Ship?” Mak asked, his voice wary.

  “The ship that’s tied up at the pier! It came in just before noon! You know nothing about it?”

  “No,” Mak said. “Why would a ship visit Saraston?”

  “They must have had a reason,” Jules said, her eyes on his. Wait. This didn’t sound right if anyone else was listening. Jules let impatience show. “Why are you asking me questions, citizen?”

  “I’m sorry,” Mak said, displaying a convincing amount of worry. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

  “Then watch your step! You’re already on shaky ground!” How much more blatantly could she warn Mak that there was trouble brewing? Oh, blazes, why not spill it all to let him know how bad it was? “There’s an Imperial galley on the way here from Sandurin with Mages aboard, and legionaries being diverted into town to deal with that ship. I don’t need any more trouble!”

  Mak stared at her. “No,” he said. “That sounds like plenty of trouble.”

  Xan was doing a worse job of concealing his nervousness. Jules frowned at him as her soldiers returned from searching the house. “You don’t know this one? He just ducked in here when he saw us coming, like I saw?”

  “That’s right,” Xan said, picking up on the leading questions.

  “There’s something wrong about this,” Jules announced. “I’m taking this one back for questioning. You,” she told her legionaries, “start searching the next building and go on from there. I’ll meet you back on this street.”

  “Lieutenant? But-”

  “Is somebody questioning my orders?” Jules almost shouted. Having always regretted the poor officers she’d been exposed to during her training, and ill-qualified workers at the legion orphan home with little patience for the children they were supposed to care for, she now felt grateful that they’d given her models for poor leadership and poor decision-making. She’d already been abrupt with her soldiers and everyone else they’d encountered. This latest display of ill-tempered authority was perfectly in keeping with her role as a pompous and touchy junior officer.

  The legionaries had obviously seen their share of such officers. They stiffened to attention, saluted, and headed for the next building as Jules shoved Mak ahead of her in the other direction. “Get going. I need to get back here quickly,” she announced loudly for the benefit of her still-within-earshot legionaries.

  They walked down the street, moving as fast as they could without looking as if they were running. “What the blazes are you doing, Jeri?” Mak asked in a low voice.

  “Saving your life,” she replied.

  “You shouldn’t have risked this.”

  “It’s my fault. They’re looking for me.”

  “You don’t know-”

  “Yes, sir, I do know! There’s a poster up with my picture on it. And that’s why the Mages are on their way. Somehow they knew I’d be here.”

  “Blazes. Where are we really going?” Mak asked.

  “To the pier.”

  “Then we need to turn left here.” Mak waited as they took the corner, then spoke again. “The legionaries are probably waiting for that galley to arrive so the ship can’t get away when they rush it from the land side. Why’d the crew bring her in to port?”

  “Because we knew you needed us.”

  “It was a stupid thing to do, Jeri.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Mak said. “If there is a later.”

  The sentry post at the end of the pier came into sight. Jules kept walking toward it, keeping her confident stride, Mak staying with her.

  “I’m guessing you know how to get past those soldiers?” Mak muttered.

  “I have a plan,” Jules said, hoping that this particular plan worked better than her other plans so far today.

  The five legionaries at the sentry post came to attention at her approach. Jules returned their salutes with casual precision. “At ease. I’m to take this healer to the ship to check the fever cases.”

  The legionaries exchanged glances. “Lieutenant,” the corporal in charge said, “our orders are not to allow anyone onto that pier.”

  “My orders are from Colonel Yosef!” Jules said, trying to sound like a jerk junior officer again.

  “So are our orders, Lieutenant!”

  The corporal clearly wasn’t going to give in to pressure. Fortunately, she’d thought of a way to use persuasion. Jules leaned closer and lowered her voice. “We’re going to rush that ship later, right? You’ve heard that, haven’t you? Don’t you think Colonel Yosef is smart enough to send a spy aboard before we attack to see how many enemies of the Emperor are aboard?”

  “Oh.” The legionaries saluted again. “Forgive us, Lieutenant.”

  “That’s all right. You’re following orders, just as you should. Now keep quiet. We don’t want to alarm anyone or make them think anything unusual is happening. Understand?”

  “Yes, Lieutenant!”

  As Jules led Mak down the pier she heard him laugh very softly. “Jeri, you’re even more dangerous, and even more crazy, than I thought you were.”

  “I’m actually really scared at the moment,” Jules whispered in reply. “Actually, I’ve been really scared since I came ashore.” She could see Ang on the deck of the Sun Queen, looking down the pier at her and Mak approaching. Hopefully the rest of the crew was poised to get underway as quickly as they could.

  They reached the gangway, Mak holding out one hand to pause Jules. “Those legionaries watching us won’t expect you to go aboard
with me. That wouldn’t happen if we were supposedly worried about fever. Wait here.”

  “Yes, sir.” Mak was in charge again. Someone she trusted. Jules felt relief dampening the fear that had been riding her most of the day.

  Mak went aboard, speaking to Ang and others who gathered about. Jules waited, her hands clasped behind her as sailors ran about on the deck of the Sun Queen, staying low beneath the rail so they wouldn’t be seen by the legionary sentries. Trying to look confident and calm, Jules couldn’t help casting occasional glances down the pier to the legionaries still watching alertly.

  During one such check, Jules saw a much larger group of legionaries, maybe thirty or forty total, at least one officer among them, run up to the sentry post from the land side. Words were shouted, slightly too faint for her to make out at this distance, arms gestured angrily, and the officer suddenly led the entire batch of legionaries charging down the pier. “Captain Mak!”

  “Get aboard, you fool!” Mak shouted from the quarterdeck.

  Jules ran up the gangway, sailors hauling it in along with her. Other sailors were racing up the rigging to unfurl the sails. She heard the thud of axes as the lines tying the ship to the pier were cut, the shouts of the legionaries running this way, the twang of crossbows releasing their bolts.

  The Sun Queen moved away from the pier as the sails unfurled above, but slowly. She was still only a few lances from the pier. The legionaries were lining up on the pier, reloading their crossbows, aiming at the figures on the ship’s quarterdeck.

  Jules hesitated for only a moment before racing up the ladder to the quarterdeck, standing at the rail facing the crossbows, her body between the legionaries and Mak and the woman at the helm. She stood as tall as she could in her dark red Imperial uniform, letting her face be clearly seen. Here I am. The one you’re looking for.

  The legionaries on the pier stared at her.

  The officer shouted orders.

  The legionaries raised their crossbows.

  Chapter Five

  “What the blazes are you doing, Jeri?” Mak shouted angrily behind her.