Jules let out a sigh of relief when she reached the deck. Somehow being on the Sun Queen felt far safer than being anywhere else. “Where’s the captain?”
Her moment of calm vanished as her question was met with guilty silence.
“Where’s the captain?” Jules repeated, hearing the dangerous edge in her voice.
“They took him,” Gord said. “Imperials and Mechanics together.”
“You showed two lights!” Ang protested. “That meant it was safe!”
“The ship is safe,” Liv said. “But they took the captain while he was ashore.”
Jules inhaled slowly, trying to keep her mind working despite the red wave of rage threatening to swamp all else. “How?”
“Captain Mak was on the first boat to the pier,” Liv said, her eyes fixed on Jules. “He had to be, to confirm the deal. When he stepped onto the pier, they came out of hiding and took him. Didn’t touch anything else, like they didn’t care about the people and cargo heading for Dor’s.”
Jules felt that coldness filling her, blocking the heat that had threatened to overcome her. “Where did they take him?”
“We don’t-”
“Did they take him to the Mechanic ship?”
“No,” Gord said. “They headed into town.”
Jules pulled a cutlass out of the rack and checked the revolver at her hip. “Get the passengers and cargo aboard,” she told Liv and Ang. “Be ready to sail when Mak and I get back.”
“You can’t—” Liv began, as Ang and some others moved closer to Jules.
She raised the cutlass, her gaze on the others. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop me.” She thought her voice was level and composed, but the others instantly stopped moving, staring at her.
“Jules, they want you to do this!” Ang said, his voice and expression pleading.
“You heard me. I mean it,” Jules said, backing toward the ladder back down to the boat. She paused as a racked crossbow caught her eye. Keeping one eye on the sailors watching her, Jules pulled the crossbow free. “I’ll be back with Captain Mak. Make sure everything is ready.”
No one said anything else as Jules went over the side. She had to hastily sheath the cutlass, going down the ladder one-handed with the crossbow still tightly gripped. Dropping down the ladder perhaps a little faster than was safe, she landed in the small boat, quickly releasing the ropes that had been meant to haul it back aboard. Resting the crossbow beside her, she set the oars in the locks. She had only taken one stroke away from the ship when Liv called down, her voice despairing. “What of your line?”
Jules paused, looking upward at the faces staring down at her. “My line will be founded by a woman who stands by her friends. Be ready to go when I get back with the captain.”
She aimed her course away from both the Mechanic ship and the parts of the piers illuminated by storm lanterns. Pulling harder on one oar, she headed toward the dark area where a new pier was being constructed. She wondered why she wasn’t scared, why she didn’t feel angry. Just the cold and the certainty that she had to do this.
Just as she’d warned Mak, he’d fallen into danger because of her. And just as she’d done at Saraston, she was going to get him out of the danger caused by her presence. Her fault. Her responsibility.
Grounding the boat on a patch of gravel near the landward end of the new pier, Jules made sure it was tied off and wouldn’t float away when the tide came in. She paused in the dark near the water, gazing toward the lights and sounds of the town of Caer Lyn. Off to her right the bright lights of the Mechanic ship blazed, occasional figures in dark jackets passing near them. The errant winds teased and whipped at her hair, as if trying to provoke her.
Think. Make a plan.
They hadn’t taken Mak to the ship. One of the other ships tied up at the piers might be the one that had brought the Imperials, but the crew members of the Sun Queen would have seen if Mak had been taken to one of those as well. That meant he was somewhere inland.
There wasn’t any Imperial fort in Caer Lyn. The Mechanics were building a Guild Hall, though. It wasn’t even close to being finished, but that’s where they’d be. She felt sure of that, and also that the Mechanics would want to be able to keep a close eye on the Imperials so they could step in if Jules showed up.
She had the revolver, which she didn’t dare use except in the direst emergency since the noise of its shot would alert the entire town. Also the crossbow, the cutlass, and her dagger. As Jules studied the darker areas before her she frowned, thinking that her shirt was too light for hiding in the night.
She saw a man walking past, wearing a dark, short coat.
Perfect.
Jules came up behind the man in a rush, her dagger coming around to hover in front of his throat. “Not a sound,” Jules breathed softly in his ear.
The man stood silently, his body rigid with fear.
“I need a coat,” Jules added. “Take off yours.”
She stepped back, allowing him room to shed the garment and then stand again, waiting to learn his fate.
Jules dug in one pocket, pulling out a coin that should cover the cost of the coat, and shoved it into one of the man’s hands. “Thanks.”
He stared down at the coin, otherwise still not moving.
“Get out of here,” Jules added.
The man left, walking quickly and not looking back.
She put down the crossbow and donned the coat, which was too big for her. But that was good. It hung down far enough to hide the revolver in its holster, and had enough room under it for her to partly conceal the crossbow.
Taking a slow, deep breath to calm herself, Jules began walking in a hopefully-not-suspicious way through the lighted parts of town, trying to stay to the less well-lit areas. Not that Caer Lyn had much in the way of street lighting yet. Most of the outside lights were those belonging to businesses like waterfront taverns.
Jules went through increasingly night-shadowed streets as she left the waterfront, heading inland. The buildings were mostly still raw and new, one or two stories thrown up using local lumber, but increasingly sturdier and more permanent structures either stood or were being constructed. The number of people on the streets fell off rapidly as she walked. Here away from the water, most of the businesses were the sort that operated during the day, and the houses were those of families or workers who were already settled for the night. Almost every light she saw now as she paced down the darkened streets was inside.
Until she reached the area she’d been heading for. Jules stopped in the lee of a building fronting on what would be a large, open plaza when finished. In the center, a massive structure was being built of stone and masonry, with piles of construction materials and loose earth scattered all about it.
In front of where the Mechanics Guild Hall was being built, large tents marked the temporary accommodations of the Mechanics sent to oversee the work and do those parts of the construction that required secrets of the Mechanic arts. Apparently lacking whatever fed their bright, steady lights, those tents were illuminated by lanterns both inside and out. Jules could see several Mechanics standing outside, gazing toward a nearby open area.
That area was also illuminated by lanterns set on the ground. One set of lanterns marked a perimeter with legionaries posted around it next to the lanterns, looking outward with weapons at the ready. Another set formed a much smaller circle, just large enough to surround a chair with someone tied to it. A few other legionaries stood near the chair. Jules, peering through the night, felt certain that the prisoner was Mak.
He couldn’t have been more openly displayed. Couldn’t have been more obviously bait for a trap.
What were the Imperials thinking? Probably that she’d put on the pretense of being an officer, hoping to bluff her way to Mak and then out again. She wasn’t stupid enough to try that a third time. But there was no way to sneak through that lighted area to reach him, and any attempt to fight her way through the legionaries would also be doomed. E
ven the revolver couldn’t help.Instead it would make things worse by immediately alerting all of the Mechanics.
The only good part, if it was truly good, was the small number of Imperials on the scene. Perhaps to keep the Emperor from thinking he could set up a permanent camp here, the Mechanics had allowed only about twenty legionaries into Caer Lyn.
But she couldn’t handle twenty alone. And any force big enough to handle twenty, assuming she could assemble it, would also alert the Mechanics. No force of commons could stand against several Mechanics with their revolvers and rifles.
Despite her urge to rush to Mak’s rescue, Jules forced herself to stand still and study the area, thinking. Twenty legionaries. How could she handle that many?
She watched the two legionary officers speaking together, a major and a lieutenant, and realized that maybe she wouldn’t need to take out all of them.
Checking the pouch attached to the crossbow, Jules found eight bolts in it, each like a short, steel arrow with stubby fins on the back to help it fly straight and a nasty point on the front end.
Eight might be enough.
She moved cautiously, heading for the piles of construction materials, keeping them between her and sight of the legionaries and Mechanics as best she could, glad that she’d been wise enough to acquire the dark coat to help conceal her in the night. I’m planning, Mak. Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of there.
As she got closer to the legionary perimeter, Jules moved more slowly, trying to ensure that she made no noise. Reaching a sloping stack of bricks, she cautiously peered over it, seeing the prisoner in the chair. It was definitely Mak. One of the officers, a major, was standing not far from Mak, now talking to a centurion.
In the lights of all the lanterns, set to ensure that Jules would be seen if she approached, the legionaries themselves were easily seen, and well within accurate range for the crossbow. And the legionaries weren’t moving around, making them stationary targets.
Get the centurion first, Jules decided. She slowly worked the lever on the crossbow, tensioned the cord, and set a bolt in place. Resting the crossbow on the bricks, she aimed carefully, waiting for the erratic winds to abate.
An instant of nearly calm wind, her finger tightening on the trigger of the crossbow, the bolt being released with a spang as the cord slapped the front of the bow, the centurion and the major beginning to turn at the sound, the bolt lodging in the throat of the centurion, the centurion falling back and down in a rattle of armor to lie still.
Jules was already moving, her steps masked by the sound from the legionaries as they reacted to her attack. Reaching a pile of dirt, Jules leaned on top of it, the crossbow once more ready, aiming at the major who was yelling orders at the legionaries and pointing toward where Jules’ first shot had come from.
Jules launched another bolt. If the major had dropped at the sound, he might have escaped the shot, but instead the officer paused to look in the new direction.
The bolt took him in the chest.
The major fell, crying out with pain, as several legionaries knelt by him in a vain attempt to save him. The others stared fearfully or angrily into the dark, looking for their attacker. The surviving officer, a lieutenant, yelled orders in a nervous voice as she went to stand right by Mak, using his body to partially protect herself.
Jules had moved again, perilously close to where the Mechanics might see her, but she need a clear shot at the lieutenant. The Mechanics were watching the events with clear worry, but as of yet had done nothing.
Jules aimed carefully, once more steadying the crossbow, this time on a large squared stone.
Jules realized as soon as she shot that she’d over-compensated to avoid hitting Mak’s seated figure, the bolt going high. But it was low enough to clip the side of the lieutenant’s head with a crack that could be clearly heard. The lieutenant fell, maybe not dead but definitely unconscious for the foreseeable future.
Their leaders all gone, the remaining legionaries gazed around, seeking guidance and finding none. Looking for their attacker and seeing nothing in the darkness beyond the light of their own lanterns.
Jules, crouched in the shelter of another pile of bricks, tensioned the crossbow again and loaded another bolt. This time she aimed at one of the legionaries in the outer perimeter, standing next to a lantern.
The bolt took the legionary in the belly, punching through his armor to inflict a painful wound.
As that legionary flailed about, Jules shot another standing near a lantern.
She only had three bolts left.
But as she’d hoped, the leaderless legionaries finally did the obvious thing.
“Put out the lights!” one yelled, followed by others agreeing.
“But we need to watch!” another protested.
“We’re sitting ducks with these lanterns beside us! Put ’em out! We’ll cluster around the prisoner, and still see her if she comes for him!”
The lanterns were extinguished rapidly, putting the legionary area into the same darkness as the rest of the plaza. Looking over at the Mechanics, Jules saw that they were doing the same, realizing their own lanterns could make them targets for whoever was firing from the shelter of the night.
Dark fell, but quiet did not, the groans of the wounded legionaries and loud calls from the Mechanic tents filling the night.
Jules breathed in and out slowly, trying to think out her next step. Could she panic the remaining legionaries? Pose as an officer again? No. They’d have been warned about that. And sounds of a fight would draw the Mechanics in. Think. Think.
She looked down at her dark coat, wishing it were a magical cloak to make her invisible.
Wait.
Jules set down the crossbow and drew her revolver.
She stood up, moving carefully through the construction piles until she could approach the legionaries from the general direction of the Mechanic tents. Taking another slow breath, she stepped out and began walking toward to the legionaries, trying to swagger at the same time as she moved like someone worried about a sniper with a crossbow.
The faces of the legionaries, vague shapes in the dark, turned toward her as Jules strode up to them. She displayed the revolver, waving it about not in a threatening way but in a commanding fashion. “Release the prisoner. I’m taking him back to the tents. We’ll watch him,” she said, trying to sound as arrogant as the Mechanics who’d spoken to her, trying to match the way they talked. A dark coat, a revolver, and an arrogant air of command, combined with the cloak of the night. Would it all be good enough to fool the already rattled legionaries?
For a long, heart-stopping moment, the legionaries stared silently at Jules.
“But, Lady, our orders—” one finally began.
“Lady Mechanic,” Jules snapped in a low voice.
“Lady Mechanic, our orders-”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Jules demanded, waving the revolver again. “Do I have to make an example of you? Do as I say, common!”
It took all of her will power to hold still rather than flinch back into a defensive posture as the legionaries moved. She heard daggers sawing through rope, and saw another figure stand, staggering as he tried to balance after the time spent tied immobile.
Mak was shoved toward her. She took his arm, brandishing the revolver. “Come on, common,” she snarled, trying to put Gin’s contempt into the words.
They walked toward the tents, through the dark between the legionaries and the Mechanics, bearing to the right, until Jules could yank Mak into the area masked by the piles of construction materials. She pushed him onward, moving faster now, pausing just before they cleared the materials to holster her revolver, pull out her dagger, and saw through the bonds still holding Mak’s wrists together.
It wasn’t until they left the plaza, heading down streets toward the waterfront, that Jules spoke again. “It’s too dark for the legionaries or the Mechanics to see what’s happening to the others. Hopefully they won’t dare light lanterns ag
ain tonight, so until dawn the legionaries will think the Mechanics have you and the Mechanics will think the legionaries have you. We should be well out of the harbor by then.”
Mak’s voice sounded rough. “Jules, of all the reckless, foolish things you’ve done-”
“You know what’d be nice, sir?” Jules interrupted. “If one of the times I rescue you I got a thank you instead of being chewed out. That’d be nice, sir, if it ever happened.”
“I’m not worth the risk you ran to do this!”
“You’re worth it to me, Captain,” Jules said. “And you were only in this trouble because of me, which I warned you would happen.”
He didn’t answer for a moment as they hastened through the dark streets toward the water. “Jules,” Mak finally said, his voice softer, “how do you think I’d feel if you got badly hurt, or killed, or captured, because of me?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I have to do this.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Jules scowled into the night, trying to sort out her own motivations and emotions.
Mak sighed. “You did a great job. The Imperials expected you to do the sort of thing you’d done before, based their trap on you trying the same sort of thing, and instead you turned their own preparations against them. That was good planning.”
She felt her mood lighten despite her worries. “I did it right?”
“You thought things through. Yes, you did a great job.” Mak paused a third time. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Captain,” Jules said, grinning.
“Have you planned what to do if we run into any Mages? They might hear of what the Imperials and Mechanics were doing, and why.”
“I’m hoping they don’t hear in time to do anything,” Jules said. “If worse comes to worse, I’ve got the revolver.”
She shed the dark coat once they reached the rowboat. Untying the boat, Jules and Mak pushed it out into the water and Jules took the oars again. The water was still choppy and the winds still teased at her and the boat, but the night felt far less threatening.
Pirate of the Prophecy Page 35