by B A Simmons
Deep inside the caverns, Tom was led into a long room where a couple dozen Duarve sat on stone benches. The blue lights on the walls showed him a figure standing at the head of the room. This Duarve wore a headdress and held a long and ornate brass scepter. On the wall behind it, a mural depicting a large eye focused the attention of the congregation at its center where an amber-colored stone reflected the light.
The Duarve who had led Tom from the river to where they now stood, interrupted the ceremonial figure at the far end of the room. After a few moments of Duarvish chatter, the guide pointed a finger at Tom and said, “Engle-man”.
The Duarve placed its headdress and scepter aside and walked between the aisles of attendees toward Tom. It paused for a moment and placed the tips of its fingers against those of the guide. This guide and all those who had escorted Tom through the caves knelt on the floor as Poulustus Sahko approached the human.
“You are not Rob Engleman,” It said to Tom.
“No sir. I am Tom Engleman, his cousin and companion. I regret to tell you that Rob is dead.”
“You are certain of this?”
Tom frowned with the memory. “Fairly certain, yes. There was a car-dun and while I didn’t actually see him die… the likelihood, I mean. I survived, barely, so I suppose…”
“Rob Engleman was a good man, like his teacher Geoffrey Morris.”
“Doctor, er, Geoffrey Morris is also dead. I am certain of this. I helped bury him.”
“You bring sadness to us Tom Engleman. Two men who I hoped would help me bring human and Duarve together are dead. Is this why you are here, to bring us this sadness?”
“Actually sir, I’m here to find Baron Eric. I need his help to repair my ship so I can sail back to my countrymen.”
Poulustus Sahko blinked and lifted its chin up higher, as if to see above Tom’s head. “How did you come to Aruth if not by the sea? Do you still have the machine of my ancient predecessors?”
“The machine?” Tom shook his head. He paused to think of what the Duarve leader could mean.
“I allowed Rob Engleman and Geoffrey Morris to keep an ancient machine made by our ancestors. This machine sailed through the skies, not the seas.”
Tom remembered the Duarve flying machine that Rob crashed into the sea near Forgotten Isle. “Oh, I know what you’re talking about. No, I didn’t come by that. That machine was also lost. No, I came by actel.”
Poulustus repeated the head gesture again. “Actel?”
“Yeah, it’s a flying creature used by the Ferlie. Big beak… long wings… eats fish.”
Poulustus said. “The olentosiivaka. You came to Aruth on an olentosiivaka?”
“I had help from its owner.”
Several of the Duarve listening in repeated the word olentosiivaka as it was the only word of the conversation they understood. Tom wasn’t sure if they were in awe of him or frightened by the mention of the beast. However, Poulustus began talking with the guide again. They rattled on for a minute before Poulustus addressed Tom once again.
“I will take you to Edinburgh, to see Eric.”
Tom smiled, “Thank you, sir.”
Poulustus’s chin went up again. “What is this word you say: sir?”
* * *
“May I help you sir?” Eugene said to the stranger who stood on the dock, looking at the Anna Louisa.
“I wish to have a few words with your captain. May I come aboard?”
Eugene was joined by James whose eyes went wide as he recognized the well-dressed man.
“Eugene, this is the man!” James said.
“What man? What are you talking about?” Eugene responded.
“My name is Nicholas Pavana. Please let Captain Johnson know I am here.”
A moment passed before Eugene looked at his younger brother. “Well, go tell him!”
James glared at Eugene before making his way to Edwin’s cabin where he sat speaking to Patrizia.
“Cap’n, um, Edwin. You remember that fellow who asked us all those questions about Doctor Morris? He’s here.”
Edwin’s eyes went wide and both he and Patrizia came out from the cabin. He recognized Pavana from his interview three months before but could not fathom why the Chancellor of Alien Affairs for the Falcon Empire was now coming to him. His surprise deepened when, after giving a quick curtsey, Patrizia began speaking to Pavana.
“My Lord Pavana, what brings you here?” she asked.
Pavana responded “My dear, I had no idea you were aboard. I have some business to discuss with Captain Johnson if you will excuse us.”
Patrizia looked at Edwin who was too confused to notice the pleading in her eyes. The poor merchant felt caught between winds with no idea where either would take him.
“Mister Pavana, you are welcome to come aboard, but whatever you have to say to me must be said in the presence of Miss d’Benicia.”
Pavana raised his eyebrows and sighed, “As you wish.”
He climbed aboard the Anna Louisa and looked over his shoulder at the wharf, as though he expected to see someone there. Edwin led the two Falcon visitors to his cabin and gave Pavana the only chair, while he and Patrizia sat in awkward proximity to each other in his hammock.
“Captain, I have come to ask you not to sell your elixir anymore; at least not in the Falcon Empire.”
“Oh? And why would you ask such a thing?”
Pavana paused a moment, his eyes on Patrizia, before answering. “Perhaps you don’t realize the damage you are causing.”
His gaze shifted to Edwin and in that moment, they understood each other. Edwin realized that Pavana knew his intentions with the elixir. Part of him understood Pavana’s concern. Patrizia and her family were dear to Edwin and yet, he was using them to disrupt the government of their nation. At the same time, Edwin remembered the damage done to his people and the people of Alimia. The faces of those he cared about; Tom, Pete, Anna… and Rob, floated in his vision as specters meant to haunt him.
“What damage?” Patrizia asked.
“Shall I tell her, Edwin? Or would you rather?”
Edwin’s eyes flashed in defiance. “I don’t know what you mean, sir?”
“Your elixir is highly addictive.”
“A warning I have given those to whom it is sold,” Edwin said, his voice sounding agitated.
“Yes, but nonetheless, it has caused some of our people to need constant medications. These are not just common people. They include some in high offices of our government. People with connections to his Imperial Majesty.”
“Is this what has been causing the riots?” Patrizia said.
“Indirectly, yes,” Pavana said.
“How could my elixir be the cause of your government instability?” Edwin said. He made himself sound incredulous, though he believed every word Pavana said.
“There are two factions in our government. One who supports Emperor Octavo and seeks to expand the empire through trade and humanitarian efforts. This is what the emperor has sought all his life. He is no warmonger.”
“How can you say that when Falcon troops have invaded or conquered three islands in the past year?”
Pavana let out another sigh. “These were attempts to appease the second faction. This faction pretends to support the emperor while secretly seeking to subvert him and his allies so that they may gain more power. Almost two years ago they roused the people’s sense of national pride and convinced many that Octavo was weak, not just physically but politically. They preyed on our people’s fear of being overrun by aliens— foreigners, like yourself— and thus goaded the emperor into ordering the invasions. Alimia and Joc were to be easy conquests. The people on Isle de Joc are left to themselves, it’s really just the fortress isle that’s of any value. Alimia’s people were being suppressed by a heavy-handed tyrant.”
“Sheriff Tyler,” Edwin said. He hadn’t meant to, but the name forced itself from his mouth as his memory of the man forced its way into his mind.
“Y
es, I think that was his name,” Pavana continued. “And as we learned afterward, he had been using the refuse from the mine to poison the Alimians, making them easier to control.”
“What do you mean?” Edwin said.
“There is an element often found in the tailings discarded from mines. Lead, the same element used to make the weights used with market scales. It is toxic to humans, causing damage to our brains.”
“You’re telling me that Tyler had them eating lead?”
“No, they were drinking it. The stream that flowed from the spring into the town passed by the old smelter. There it picked up the lead contamination and carried it to Port Alma. Tyler always got his water at the spring itself, but almost everyone else drank the poison.”
Edwin’s eyes went wide with understanding, then narrowed again. “How do you know this?”
“I have connections in the military. Those who captured Tyler on Alimia extracted a confession from him. This is one of the ways I first learned about you and the Entdecker.”
“You still haven’t told us how the elixir is causing the riots!” Patrizia said.
“You’re right, my dear, but I need Edwin to trust me. I’m telling you all of this in good faith, trusting you to do the right thing with this knowledge. This faction subverting the emperor, seeks to claim the throne after he dies, which may be very soon.”
Patrizia gasped, “The rumors are true?”
“Yes, I’m afraid they are. If Duca Cesare Aquila ascends to the throne of the empire, it will mean more invasions, more war. He believes that economic influence is too slow a process in converting our neighbors to our way of life. He wants to conquer every island under the sun in the name of the empire. Yet, those who might become emperor instead of Cesare are weakened politically as they are accused of allowing foreign merchants to peddle addictive drugs to Falcon citizens. The emperor needs his allies now more than ever.”
“So, I am to stop selling my elixir, stop making a living for myself and my crew so that your empire doesn’t descend into chaos. I’m sorry, but I don’t see the incentive here. Do you know how much harm the empire has done? Tyler wasn’t a good man, but that doesn’t mean your people are any better! I watched the Alimians being hauled away from their island in chains!”
Edwin saw the frown on Patrizia’s face and stopped. He looked to her with a mix of fierce indignation and sorrow. Realizing he had insulted her people; he lowered his head and mumbled an apology.
Pavana stood. “If your relationship with this young lady hasn’t taught you that we’re not all bad, Edwin, then perhaps I made a mistake in coming here. The Falcon Empire has abused its power, yes. However, we have also done much good in the world. Even those Alimians you saw in chains have, for the most part, benefited from our interference. We share our knowledge of architecture, our agriculture, economics and even ship-building with the world.”
“But only if we bend the knee to your emperor!” Edwin shot back. “Can’t you understand that we also want freedom. We want to choose our own lives, our own destinies. What good is your benevolence if it means we are subject to the whim of someone else. Your young men go off to die on backward islands like Alimia and Longbeard because some royal asino tells them it’s for the benefit of the empire. What good does that do?”
“I understand your position on this. I’m trying to help you understand mine. I know that the empire isn’t perfect— that’s what we’re working towards. But we need your help.”
Edwin stared hard at Pavana. The man was asking him to give up everything he’d been working for during the past year. His visions for wealth, prosperity and freedom; not just for him but for everyone he knew and loved, slipped away in his mind’s eye.
“I must go home,” Patrizia said. She stood and rushed from the cabin. Edwin did not have the heart to pursue her. Pavana bowed in respect to the Engle Islander and took his leave in silence.
Eugene, James and Duncan entered the cabin and stood before their sulking captain. Edwin did not look at them but spoke in a clear voice.
“As soon as the cargo is unloaded, we will sail for Isle de James.”
“What about Rob? We can’t just leave him,” Duncan said.
“This isn’t like rescuing James or Paul and Pamela. Rob is deep within the empire’s capital; a slave, not a hostage. There’s nothing we can do for him now.”
“What did Pavana say?” James asked.
Edwin looked up at his crew. “He said our work here is done.”
“It is?” Eugene said.
“What do you want from me!? I’ve just learned that the elixir is doing exactly what we hoped for and that one of my closest friends is a slave to our enemy. Pavana and Patrizia know what we’re doing here. It’s only a matter of time before soldiers show up to arrest us and impound our ship.”
“What? Why did you tell them!?” they said.
Edwin did not answer. He laid back in his hammock, facing the wall of the cabin until he heard them leave. A few hours later he heard Eugene call out for the mooring to be cast off. The Anna Louisa moved away from the alien docks at Deep Port as depressed in spirit as her captain. Even Ches’s usual mirth was quelled by the idea of a mission left unfulfilled.
Edwin emerged from his cabin at nightfall, as the dark form of King’s Isle passed on their starboard side. He took over the helm from Duncan and stood in silent contemplation. He would return to Deep Port; that much was certain. The real question that plagued his mind was: would he return as merchant or as avenging angel?
15
Brothers in Arms
P ete peered around the thick trunk of the tree behind which he hid. He saw three men in armor, carrying axes and shields. Shields bearing the double-headed falcon emblem of the enemy. Despite their armor and weapons, they did not appear ready for a fight. Rather, their heads were turned up as they walked. It was enough to make Pete look up into the trees also, fearing they saw something he hadn’t noticed.
“Questo sembra buono,” said one.
“Deve essere più dritto,” said another.
Their voices carried well in the quiet wood. Pete saw them pointing at the trees and realized what they were doing in the old growth forest. They intended to cut down a few trees to make ladders or whatever else they needed to get over the wall around Harrisville.
“Not in my forest,” Pete mumbled to himself and waited until they were all looking away from his position to dart across to another tree. He waited behind it to see if they had heard his movement. He peeked again and found them still selecting the straightest of the trees. He moved again, closing the distance between himself and them.
He drew his sword and placed it in his shield hand, ready to be retrieved once the harpoon had been used. He hefted the harpoon above his head and took several quick steps toward the men. One of them saw Pete coming but his face took on a puzzled expression which morphed into horror once he realized that Pete was not one of their own.
It was at this man Pete launched the harpoon. Perhaps it was the intense anger Pete held at these men for invading his island and threatening his family or perhaps it was because he was fighting on land for the first time in months. Whatever the reason, his aim was off and the harpoon flew low, sinking deep into the soldier’s right leg.
His companions turned to meet their attacker and yet were unprepared for Pete’s wild assault. He used his own shield to bash away the shield of one soldier, delivering a forceful kick to his stomach while at the same time swinging his sword at the other’s head. Each of them reacted as Pete hoped, one stumbling back while the other raised his shield to defend his head.
Pete swung his shield around to pin the second soldier’s shield against his own head while thrusting in with sword. He felt the point of his weapon bite into flesh between the armored plates on his front and back. This was a soft spot Joshua had taught Pete and his crew to look for with Falcon light infantry armor. Yet while the man cried out in pain, Pete knew it was a mere flesh wound. He had to
do more to finish the man off.
Pressing him with his shield, Pete pushed the sword deeper, feeling it slide past muscle and bone. The man’s screams grew louder at first, but then quieted as he collapsed to the forest floor. It was then that Pete felt the blade of the third man’s axe bite into his left shoulder from behind. He’d spent too long against the one opponent and allowed the other to take an advantage.
Pete’s armor absorbed some of the blow, but as he turned himself, swinging his shield again, the pain shot from his shoulder down his arm. There was no power in the swing and Pete was instead, thrown off balance.
Stumbling backwards, he tried lifting his shield up for protection, only to have it batted down again by the axe. Wood splinters flew into the air and Pete landed on his backside. The Falcon soldier pinned Pete’s leg to the ground with his own and wailed upon him with his axe. Two… three… four blows struck the shield, cracking the wood and gouging out chunks. All the while Pete’s shoulder screamed at him for relief. He would have to discard the shield and use his sword to parry the blows.
The blows stopped and the man’s weight came off Pete’s leg. He looked past his shield to see his opponent stumble back, a crossbow bolt lodged in his own shoulder. As the man’s stunned face looked from the bolt to its source, a second bolt flew into his eye and he crumpled to the ground.
Pete sat up with a painful grunt and turned to find his savior. Through the trees, he saw more black and white uniforms and shields approaching. However, these bore the white skulls of the Punishers. Edward stepped forward holding a crossbow along with seven of his men.
“Sorry that first shot didn’t take him out. I admit it’s been a while since I used one of these,” He said as he traded the crossbow back for the long spear one of his men held. Another crossbowman spoke in jest to his captain.
“I keep telling you, sir. One of these days it’ll be you I save with this baby.”
Pete’s smile returned to his face. “My thanks to you, I admit I was in need of saving. But how did you know I was here?”