Privateer

by Margaret Weis

  “I can’t,” said Kate, trying to free herself from his grasp. “I know you mean well, but you don’t understand—”

  “Listen to me, Kate!” Thomas gave her a little shake to force her to look at him. “When the guards find out you’ve escaped, they will turn out the entire garrison. They will search every house until they find you.”

  “I can fend for myself—” Kate began.

  “I know you can. You held me at gunpoint, remember? But give Pip and me a little credit for planning a good escape,” Thomas said. “Would we bring you this far and then abandon you? We hired griffins—”

  “Griffins!” Kate exclaimed. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

  She broke free of his hold and hurried back into the alley, where Phillip was waiting.

  “Where are the griffins?” Kate demanded. “Are they close?”

  “I hired them from a friend who lives on the outskirts of the city. We’ll take you there,” said Phillip.

  “We should get rid of these first.” Thomas removed the scapular and then dragged the priest’s robe off over his head. “They’ll be searching for two monks.”

  “Good thought,” said Phillip, doing the same. He made a bundle of the robes and tucked them under his arm.

  “Just dump them,” said Kate, fidgeting with impatience.

  “I have a better use for them,” Phillip said.

  The alley was narrow and crooked, dark and filthy. Phillip switched on the bull’s-eye lantern he had been wearing under his robes.

  “Watch where you walk, Kate,” he cautioned, shining the light on broken glass.

  Kate shrugged off the warning. She was more interested in escape. “Where did you tell the griffins to take us?”

  “We were thinking of flying to Wellinsport,” Thomas explained. “From there, you can catch a boat to Freya.”

  Kate shook her head. “I’m not going to Freya. I have to go to Freeport to save my crew.”

  Thomas and Phillip exchanged troubled glances.

  “We heard the Rosians sank your ship, Kate,” said Phillip gently. “I hate to say this, but you have to face facts. Your ship and your crew are lost.”

  “The Rosians thought they sank her,” Kate said. “I know Victorie survived. The Deep Breath is filled with countless small islands. I heard the sound of wood snapping right after Victorie sank. My ship came down on one of those islands. I begged that bloody captain to send a rescue boat, but he refused. Now my crew is marooned. I have to go back to Freeport!”

  Phillip continued to argue. “The Rosians know that was your home, Kate. They know that you still have friends there. That’s the first place they will look for you.”

  “Kate, you need to be realistic,” Thomas added. “Two days have passed. The cold can kill a man in one and it will be another day or two before you can reach them. Your crew could not survive—”

  “Yes they can. Akiel’s magic will keep them alive,” said Kate.

  She faced Phillip and Thomas, her hands on her hips. Her jaw set. Her face was drawn and gray with fatigue and exhaustion. But her voice was firm with resolve.

  “They are my crew. I am their captain. I am responsible. I will not abandon them.”

  Thomas regarded her with admiration. He had known many beautiful, charming women in his life and Kate—with her shaved head, bruised face, swollen eyes, and prison stench—was certainly not one of them. But she was the only one he had ever met who touched his heart.

  “We will go to Freeport with you,” he said.

  “We will?” Phillip asked, startled. “Thomas, think about what you are saying. Your absence will be noticed. The Rosian navy will institute a search for you—”

  Thomas flashed his friend a warning glance, but it was too late.

  “Rosian navy!” Kate demanded, rounding on them. She regarded Thomas with suspicion. “What do you have to do with the Rosian navy? Maybe you’re planning to collect the bounty on me yourself!”

  “Kate, you’re not thinking,” said Phillip. “You know Alan would skin me alive if I let anything happen—”

  A cannon fired. The echoes bounced off the buildings and rolled through the alley, sounding like thunder in the still night.

  “They’ve discovered that Kate is gone,” Phillip stated. “The fort fires a cannon to warn the citizens that a prisoner has escaped. This place will soon be swarming with soldiers.”

  “You can trust us, Kate,” Thomas assured her. “We’ve brought you this far, haven’t we?”

  Kate sighed and wiped her hand across her face, smearing the sweat and the blood and the grime. She was exhausted. Adrenaline and fear had carried her along, but the adrenaline, at least, must be starting to seep away.

  “I’m sorry, Pip,” she said. “All I can think about is Olaf. He is waiting for me to find him. He knows I’ll come…”

  Thomas cast a puzzled glance at Phillip, asking if he knew what Kate was talking about.

  Phillip shook his head. “We should go. We’re not safe here. Or anywhere, for that matter.”

  They switched off the bull’s-eye lanterns and continued down the alley in the darkness until they reached the end. Phillip did not pause. He led them from one street to another, from one alley to another. Thomas was soon hopelessly turned around, but Phillip moved with unwavering confidence.

  “I begin to think you’ve dodged soldiers before,” Thomas said to his friend.

  “Once or twice,” Phillip admitted with a grin.

  The cannon woke the city. Lights flared. People clad in their nightclothes flung open their shutters or rushed into the street to find out what was going on, while others locked their doors and bolted their windows.

  Ducking into another alley, Phillip called a halt to let them catch their breath.

  “I think we’re safe so far,” Thomas ventured, hazarding a guess. “I don’t hear anything.”

  Phillip nodded. “If the colonel follows standard procedure, he will order a contingent of soldiers to head for the harbor to shut it down, prevent any ships from leaving. The rest will conduct a house-to-house search, starting at the center of town and spreading outward. My biggest fear is that we will be shot by some overzealous citizen.”

  He pointed to an elderly man, armed with an ancient blunderbuss, prowling about the end of the alley, and led them in the opposite direction.

  “Pip, wait!” Thomas said. “Kate is hurt. She’s limping.”

  “I’m fine,” Kate protested. “We need to keep going!”

  “We are not far from where my friend lives,” said Phillip, regarding her with concern. “Can you manage?”

  “I said I was fine,” Kate returned.

  “Then put weight on your foot,” said Thomas.

  She glared at him. “It’s just a bruise. I’ve had worse. Let’s go.”

  Kate walked on, clearly trying not to favor her injured foot. Thomas saw her wince, and he almost said something, but she flashed him an angry glance and he kept quiet.

  They kept to alleys as much as possible. When they had to resort to streets, they slipped from shadow to shadow, avoiding the pools of light cast by the street lamps. The cobblestones gave way to dirt roads and Thomas now recognized his surroundings. He knew they had arrived when he smelled the foul odor of the tannery and saw the silhouettes of stables and barns black against the starlight.

  Phillip went on ahead, motioning for Thomas and Kate to keep behind him. He was approaching the house when Little Dimitri stepped out of the shadows.

  “Who’s there?” he called.

  “Rose Hawks,” Phillip answered.

  Little Dimitri grunted. “Ah, I thought that might be you, Master Pip. I heard the cannon.”

  He lifted the cover from a dark lantern, flashed it around, cast a swift, curious glance at Kate, and turned back to Phillip.

  “The griffins are saddled and ready. I’ve brought peacoats and helms for the flight. Do you need anything else?”

  “You might want to put thes
e into the stolen boat,” Phillip suggested, handing over the monks’ robes.

  “Good idea,” Little Dimitri said, grinning.

  “Our friend hurt her foot. She needs shoes,” Thomas said.

  “I don’t need shoes,” Kate protested. “I’m used to going barefoot.”

  “You will need them for the flight,” said Little Dimitri. “My wife has some old shoes that might fit.”

  “We don’t have time—” Kate argued.

  “Actually we do,” said Phillip. “I’m going to have to explain to the griffins that there’s been a change of plans. We’re flying to Freeport instead of Wellinsport.”

  “They’ll grumble and probably demand more money,” said Little Dimitri. “But that shouldn’t be a problem. You wait with your friend, Master Tom. I’ll be back with shoes and something for that foot.”

  He aimed the beam of the dark lantern at Kate’s foot. She tried to avoid the light, but not before Thomas could see that her stockings were filthy and torn and one was dark with blood.

  Little Dimitri and Phillip hurried off, leaving Kate and Thomas alone in the stable yard. Thomas didn’t want to open the dark lantern, fearing it might draw unwanted attention. He could see well enough by the moonlight and he searched the yard until he found a crate. He dragged it over and tossed it down in front of Kate.

  “You should sit,” he told Kate. “Rest your foot.”

  “I keep telling you I’m fine,” she said, but she did sit down.

  The stable yard was blessedly quiet. The only sounds came from the barn and they were the usual sounds of the night: horses snuffling, and a couple of wyverns snapping at each other. Thomas paced restlessly back and forth, wondering what was keeping Pip.

  “So why are you serving with the Rosian navy?” Kate asked.

  Thomas stopped pacing and walked over to confront her. “And why are you so suspicious? Do you think I would risk my life to break you out of prison only to send you back again?”

  Kate shrugged. “You are a prince. God knows why your lot does anything. So why did you help me? Pip has been my friend for a long time, but you don’t even know me.”

  “I know you are the legendary Captain Kate, celebrated in story and song and the Haever Gazette,” said Thomas archly. He added more seriously, “And because ever since I met you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

  Kate was startled into silence. She stared at him, nonplussed, as a flush crept into her cheeks, visible even in the starlight.

  “Well, stop thinking about me,” she said. “You are engaged to be married to another woman, Your Highness. I read that in the Haever Gazette.”

  Now it was Thomas’s turn to flush. “I am not in love with her. I barely know her.”

  “But you are engaged to her,” said Kate.

  “Not by choice,” Thomas said.

  He fell grimly silent. Kate seemed about to say something, glanced at his face, and changed her mind. She, too, lapsed into silence. Both were relieved to see the hulking figure of Little Dimitri coming toward them at a jog trot.

  “Sorry I took so long,” he said, puffing from the exertion. “A couple of soldiers came to the door.”

  “Soldiers!” Kate gasped in alarm.

  Little Dimitri waved his hand in reassurance. “They just asked routine questions. Wanted to know if I’d seen anything or if I was missing any horses. I told them the night had been quiet and they went on their way.”

  He held out a pair of leather boots. “My wife sent these for you, along with clean stockings, bandages, and her own special ointment. There’s water in the horse trough and some rags. You tend to your hurt and I’ll go see what’s keeping Master Pip.”

  Little Dimitri handed Kate the boots and the stockings, gave Thomas the bandages, and hurried off before they could thank him. Kate pulled off the corporal’s stocking.

  “I’ll fetch water,” Thomas said.

  “It’s just a cut,” Kate said impatiently. “We need to leave. The soldiers are here.”

  She started to pull on one of the boots. Thomas snatched it out of her hand.

  “You have a cut on your foot. You’ve been walking about in muck and filth. If the cut turns grangrenous, I will have to cut off your foot and then how will you dance with me?”

  He smiled at her. Kate glowered at him, but then her lips twitched and she gave him a grudging smile.

  “Go ahead, if you must,” she told him.

  Thomas brought back a bucket of water. Kate made a scoop of her hands and dipped them in the water. She splashed the water over her face and head.

  Thomas was shining the light on a jagged gash on her instep.

  “You stepped on broken glass. There’s a piece imbedded in the wound. I need to dig it out.” Thomas looked up at her. “It’s going to hurt like hell.”

  “Just get it done,” said Kate, bracing herself.

  “Hold the lantern for me,” Thomas said.

  Kate shone the light on her foot while he probed the wound with his fingers. She winced and bit down on her lip.

  “What makes you think I would dance with you anyway?” she asked.

  “According to the rules of etiquette, a lady may not refuse a gentleman’s invitation to dance,” Thomas replied. “Hold the light steady.”

  “My mother was a lady. I know the rules of etiquette. I may refuse you if I previously agreed to dance with someone else,” Kate said, sucking in a breath. “Ouch! Bloody hell!”

  She jerked her foot out of his grasp.

  “I’m sorry,” Thomas said. “I almost had it.”

  Kate grimaced and allowed him take hold of her foot again.

  “My dance card is full. Does your princess dance well?” she asked.

  “She does,” said Thomas. “But that is all she and I have in common.”

  “Whereas you and I almost shot each other,” said Kate.

  Thomas smiled, plucked out the piece of bloody glass, and held it up to the light for Kate to see.

  “Your foot should feel better now.”

  He spread the ointment on the wound, then wrapped the bandage around her foot.

  “Try that,” he said, standing up.

  Kate pulled on the stockings, slid her feet into the boots and tied the leather laces. She stood up slowly, gingerly testing her foot.

  “I guess it does feel better,” she admitted.

  “Good,” said Thomas. “You wait here. I will go see what is taking Pip so long.”

  He was startled to feel her hand on his shoulder. He turned around.

  “I need to apologize,” said Kate. “You saved my life and I’ve been horrid—”

  A sudden crackle of gunfire made them both jump and move closer together, hands touching, but not clasping.

  “That was close,” Thomas said worriedly. “Where the devil is Pip—”

  “Here,” said Phillip, coming out of the darkness. “We have a problem.”

  Kate hurriedly backed away from Thomas and turned to Phillip. “What is wrong?”

  “The griffins refuse to fly us to Freeport. They claim a dragon lives there and they won’t go near the place. I was thinking, Kate, that they could be talking about your dragon friend, Dalgren. If that’s the case, you could explain to them that he won’t harm them.”

  “The griffins don’t have to worry,” Kate said. “Dalgren was in Freeport, but he’s not anymore. I’ll talk to the griffins. Where are they?”

  “In the yard by that large barn over there,” said Phillip, pointing.

  “You two wait here for your friend,” Kate said, and she limped off.

  “So Dalgren left Freeport,” Phillip remarked, frowning after Kate. “You know, I wondered why the dragon wasn’t with her when Favager attacked her ship. Dalgren would have made short work of that bastard. By the way, did I hear gunfire?”

  “You did,” said Thomas. “I hope the soldiers didn’t kill some poor devil, mistaking him for us.”

  “If their aim has not improved since
I was here, I think the public is safe,” said Phillip. “But we do need to leave. The griffins are saddled and ready to fly if only they can be convinced to do so.”

  “If they can’t?” Thomas asked.

  “Then we may need to steal Big Dimitri’s boat for real,” said Phillip.

  He and Thomas set out to find Little Dimitri, only to meet him coming to find them.

  “That was gunfire,” he said worriedly. “You should be gone by now. What is the problem?”

  Phillip explained about Freeport and the dragon. Little Dimitri shook his head in exasperation and set out to talk to the griffins himself. Thomas and Phillip followed him.

  Stars shone above them. A few thin, high clouds trailed across the sky. The moon was noticeably lower. The griffins were preening their feathers and talking in low croaks. One rubbed its beak with a talon.

  “The griffins have agreed to fly us to Freeport,” Kate reported. “They want to be paid extra, however.”

  “Give me your purse. I will settle matters with Little Dimitri,” said Phillip. “You two go on ahead.”

  Thomas handed over the scrip and Phillip and Little Dimitri discussed payment. Thomas and Kate put on the heavy peacoats they would need for the flight and prepared to mount the griffins. Thomas inspected the saddles on both beasts, tugging at straps, making certain they were secure. Kate watched with interest.

  “I have never flown on griffinback before. The saddle is different from a dragon saddle. How do you mount?”

  “I will show you,” said Thomas, and before she could say a word, he coolly put his hands around her waist, picked her up, and lifted her onto the griffin’s back.

  As he settled her into the saddle Kate gave a little gasp and glowered at him. She seemed about to say something sharp, but perhaps she thought of their earlier conversation.

  “Thank you,” she said grudgingly. “Now tell me how all the straps work.”

  “A dragon saddle is constructed with a high front and a back that is similar to a chair for the rider to lean against,” said Thomas. “A griffin saddle has a lower profile, closer to a horse saddle. The tall cantle prevents you from being blown off the back of the seat. The swell has deep undercuts that allow the thighs of the rider to grip under the pommel.”