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Authors: Sherwood Smith
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wishing I had more answers. One
thing seemed certain, on land I had more freedom of movement. On a ship, I’d be
stuck.
We rounded the last hill and there, anchored fore and aft in
the middle of the river, lay a pirate ship.
I had the haziest memory of ships from childhood, due to
nighttime smugglings on and off, and being hidden in holds. Since then, I
hadn’t learned much more beyond what I’d read in the novels of Patrick O’Brian,
but when I saw that graceful, wickedly lean schooner with its tall, raked-back
masts, the long gaff mainsails and the reefed topsail, the narrow hull with the
half-deck forecastle and aftcastle, I knew instantly it could be nothing but a
pirate ship.
And I longed to be on it.
“Like my Hurricane ?”
Reluctantly I shifted my gaze, to find Zathdar riding beside
me, smiling. I asked, “What chance would you give for me sneaking back into the
tower?”
“Why?” he countered, his smile fading, his eyes watchful.
“Because at the very least I need to send a message to warn
my mother. I vanished without leaving any word. I know she’ll be after me,
soon’s she figures it out.”
He stared down at his ship, brow furrowed. “If you go back
to that tower and transfer between worlds, I’d say your chances of leading the
king’s mages straight to her would be high.”
“Oh.” I didn’t bother telling him I couldn’t even do a
transfer.
He moved forward again, a kind of nonverbal coercion, and to
test it I said, “Aren’t you in a bit of a hurry to get us aboard that ship? I
mean, I don’t see any danger on the road back up on the hill.”
Elva’s head turned sharply, her mist-washed face wary.
“Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Zathdar lifted a hand, indicating the forest-covered mountain we’d just ridden
out of. “The search will be going out in rings. With the king there himself,
instead of War Commander Randart, they will be even more determined to be the
ones to nail you down. Then there’s the fact that they will have heard from the
defeated warriors that I was there.”
“And?” I winced, realizing the implications at last. “Oh, I
didn’t think of that. What, a blockade?”
“I expect the king’s messengers are riding belly flat to the
ground to all the signal points right this moment, yes. And while I don’t mind
running a blockade, I prefer to choose the time, and the place, if I can.”
“So what you are proposing,” I said, “is that we all take
ship, and you’ll let us off somewhere out of the range of the search?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds fair to me.” I was relieved at having made a
decision. “Lead on.”
Elva sighed in disgust. Devlaen did not hide his relief.
We soon reached the pirate ship, which the crew had edged
downstream while we were closing the distance. The lee rail had been anchored
fairly close to an outcropping. A gangplank had been extended to a broad,
mostly flat granite rock. A young boy ran over experimentally as Zathdar rode
ahead of us.
Zathdar dismounted and handed his reins to the boy. He
hefted his travel pack from the horse and slung it over the opposite shoulder
from his sword as he waited for us to dismount.
The boy, maybe twelve, grinned as he collected my reins. The
other two left their horses with him and retrieved their packs. I tucked my
gear bag tightly under my armpit.
Devli trod first over the gangway. One by one we jumped onto
the deck, Zathdar last. Behind us, the boy mounted a horse and led the other
animals back up the trail, where they were soon swallowed by the woods.
“That kid going to be okay?” I asked.
“Okay?” Zathdar repeated the English word.
“Safe. Fine. Good.”
“Ah. Yes. He’s my local eyes. His uncle runs an inn, so the
horses will become part of his lending stock before we clear the estuary.”
As he spoke the sailors divided into work parties, some
pulling in the gangplank, others going to the sail ropes. Zathdar indicated
thing seemed certain, on land I had more freedom of movement. On a ship, I’d be
stuck.
We rounded the last hill and there, anchored fore and aft in
the middle of the river, lay a pirate ship.
I had the haziest memory of ships from childhood, due to
nighttime smugglings on and off, and being hidden in holds. Since then, I
hadn’t learned much more beyond what I’d read in the novels of Patrick O’Brian,
but when I saw that graceful, wickedly lean schooner with its tall, raked-back
masts, the long gaff mainsails and the reefed topsail, the narrow hull with the
half-deck forecastle and aftcastle, I knew instantly it could be nothing but a
pirate ship.
And I longed to be on it.
“Like my Hurricane ?”
Reluctantly I shifted my gaze, to find Zathdar riding beside
me, smiling. I asked, “What chance would you give for me sneaking back into the
tower?”
“Why?” he countered, his smile fading, his eyes watchful.
“Because at the very least I need to send a message to warn
my mother. I vanished without leaving any word. I know she’ll be after me,
soon’s she figures it out.”
He stared down at his ship, brow furrowed. “If you go back
to that tower and transfer between worlds, I’d say your chances of leading the
king’s mages straight to her would be high.”
“Oh.” I didn’t bother telling him I couldn’t even do a
transfer.
He moved forward again, a kind of nonverbal coercion, and to
test it I said, “Aren’t you in a bit of a hurry to get us aboard that ship? I
mean, I don’t see any danger on the road back up on the hill.”
Elva’s head turned sharply, her mist-washed face wary.
“Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Zathdar lifted a hand, indicating the forest-covered mountain we’d just ridden
out of. “The search will be going out in rings. With the king there himself,
instead of War Commander Randart, they will be even more determined to be the
ones to nail you down. Then there’s the fact that they will have heard from the
defeated warriors that I was there.”
“And?” I winced, realizing the implications at last. “Oh, I
didn’t think of that. What, a blockade?”
“I expect the king’s messengers are riding belly flat to the
ground to all the signal points right this moment, yes. And while I don’t mind
running a blockade, I prefer to choose the time, and the place, if I can.”
“So what you are proposing,” I said, “is that we all take
ship, and you’ll let us off somewhere out of the range of the search?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds fair to me.” I was relieved at having made a
decision. “Lead on.”
Elva sighed in disgust. Devlaen did not hide his relief.
We soon reached the pirate ship, which the crew had edged
downstream while we were closing the distance. The lee rail had been anchored
fairly close to an outcropping. A gangplank had been extended to a broad,
mostly flat granite rock. A young boy ran over experimentally as Zathdar rode
ahead of us.
Zathdar dismounted and handed his reins to the boy. He
hefted his travel pack from the horse and slung it over the opposite shoulder
from his sword as he waited for us to dismount.
The boy, maybe twelve, grinned as he collected my reins. The
other two left their horses with him and retrieved their packs. I tucked my
gear bag tightly under my armpit.
Devli trod first over the gangway. One by one we jumped onto
the deck, Zathdar last. Behind us, the boy mounted a horse and led the other
animals back up the trail, where they were soon swallowed by the woods.
“That kid going to be okay?” I asked.
“Okay?” Zathdar repeated the English word.
“Safe. Fine. Good.”
“Ah. Yes. He’s my local eyes. His uncle runs an inn, so the
horses will become part of his lending stock before we clear the estuary.”
As he spoke the sailors divided into work parties, some
pulling in the gangplank, others going to the sail ropes. Zathdar indicated
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