Author’s note: This is a story that is part of an ongoing world building/storytelling effort. There are many stories going on, building a plot from the perspectives of several different characters in different countries in a land called Cypheria. I plan to publish several interrelated parts of the story here, if the response is favorable!
I also DM a PbeM game set it the AD&D Planesapes campaign. My players occasionally get a bit raunchy. Some offerings from there are possible, too. Anyway, look forward to seeing you in the Broken Axe Tavern!Contact the author at arafel@uswest.net
Teldrine stood on the beach watching the sun set on the ocean. Seagulls cried and flew over head, as the waves crashed on the beach. The sea breeze was warm and soft. He breathed in deeply, closed his eyes and his mind began to wander. It wandered back to the corridors of the imperial palace in Arbigahl where he lived the life of a slave. He escaped on a ship and the smell of the ocean was the sweet smell of freedom. He opened his eyes just in time to see the last of the sun dip below the water.
All along the beach, bonfires could be seen. Crews from the ships anchored in the bay were starting to cook dinner and continued the drinking that had begun at noon. A cantina started to play and the men broke out in song.
"Captain?" A voice said from behind him. He recognized the voice as that of Barak, his first mate but did not answer.
"They're waiting on you in the shack." He said, but received no response. Barak turned to leave.
"Has the ship been re-supplied?" Teldrine inquired still facing the ocean.
"We'll be finished by noon tomorrow captain." Barak answered.
Teldrine just nodded his head. He turned and started toward the shack as Barak watched him disappear into the jungle.
After walking on the trail for a while he reached the shack. The shack was made from lumber cut from the jungle. It had obviously been done some time ago as the wood had turned gray from water damage and all the boards were either cracked, warped or both. It had two windows on either side of the front door, which with the shutters closed gave it an abandoned look. As he approached the door, he heard voices conversing from within. He reached down and grasped the door handle and pulled open the door. The talking inside ceased as he did so.
Seated in the room were some of the most notorious pirate captains to sail the ocean. Harrod, captain of the Sea Wrack, sat at the end of a table in the center of the room. Dorning, captain of the Blue Mist, sat opposite the door on Harrod's left. The remaining seven who sat around the table were captains of lesser renown. He went and sat at the table opposite Dorning and to Harrods right.
"Now that were all here, we might as well get started." Harrod said in his graveled voice. He spoke with a pirate's brogue. "As ye all know, we live the life of plunderin' and killin'. We sails the ocean lookin' fer profit and adventure."
"Argh!" The other pirates growled in agreement.
"There be's only one thing that stands in our way, and that be's the imperial fleet. Those sea hounds can come swoopin' down on ya outa nowheres and sends ya straight to Davie Jones for sure."
"Argh." The others said in a foul tone.
"Well I says we joins together and go straight for em. Sink a few of em and there'll be less of em to chase us." He finished with a loud laugh. "What say ya mateys?"
"Argh!" The others yelled and raised their mugs in the air to salute Harrod as they stood.
"That's not good enough." Teldrine said. He was the sole person remaining seated.
"Uh?" Harrod snorted as he looked in surprise at Teldrine. The others quieted down as the sat.
"I said, it won't be enough." Teldrine replied in a calm and cool tone. "If you attack as one fleet, you will have them thinking we are a threat and they will devote the entire fleet to finding and sinking us. Is that what you had in mind?" Everyone in the room was silent. "As for decreasing their numbers." He continued. "They have shipyards, they will just build another ship. I'm not saying we shouldn't attack them. I think it's a great idea, but there are ways of doing things and then there are ways of doing things." He stood up. "Once we attack the fleet as a fleet, we had better stick together. They'll put squadrons of two to three ships each to hunt us down and individually we won't have a chance. I propose we find the location of any and all imperial warships when they are in harbor and sink them. I also say we burn and destroy their shipyards. They would never anticipate such a bold combined attack."
"We can't do that all ourselves matey." Harrod said with a sound of bewilderment in his voice.
"Who said we would be alone?" Teldrine retorted. "Slavery is rampant in Arbigahl. The slaves that are used to work in the imperial palace and the homes of the greater families know a great deal. We can get all the info we need with the right system." Teldrine continued.
"What system would that be?" Dorning asked with a hint of building curiosity in his voice.
"We take the merchant vessels we capture and use them to start a legitimate trading company. We set up offices and warehouses in all the major ports. This not only lets us sell the goods we steal and operate out in the open, but we can use these offices to send and receive information. Information such as ship locations, numbers, status, routes and cargo whether they be merchantman or warship." He paused. He looked at the faces of all present one by one with a stone cold face showing no emotion. The room was silent. "We need to engage in a war for control of the shipping lanes." He said in a slow deliberate manner. "If we attack the imperial fleet together, that is exactly what the empire will consider it. A WAR!" He shouted. "We will need to fight it like one. I suggest you all think long and hard about this. If you go and attack the fleet, all pirate ships will be blamed whether they participated or not. What are the profit potentials you might ask? If we succeed, we will have absolute control of the seas. We can raid the sea-lanes as we please. We can make the empire and shipping companies pay to sail safely through our seas. The plan I have just laid out is the only one I and my crew will take part in. Anything less and you can count us out." He finished in an emphatic tone.
The assembled captains just looked at each other in complete silence and disbelief. Teldrine turned and headed towards the door. "You know where to find me when you have come to a decision. Let me know what you plan." He said as he reached to open the door.
It wasn't until sundown the following day that Teldrine was asked to return to the shack. The re-supply effort had been completed around noon and the men were just returning to the ship when Teldrine stepped ashore. When he entered the shack, he was motioned by Harrod to sit at the head of the table. "We likes to hear the details of yer plan, matey. If'n we likes it we'll go for it." Harrod said.
Teldrine sat down, leaned forward and placed his arms on the table. "Very well. This is not going to be a short out campaign. We will need to have a base to operate from. We will need to have ship repair capabilities. The spy ring we set up on the mainland can provide us with details of shipping schedules and shipyard production. We can make plans to sink or take ships at specific times and places, to weaken the economy and make the Navy look bad, lose them their support among the noble houses that loose money. We will attack ships in the harbor to make them suspect each other. We can burn the Imperial shipyards at the best time to take newly finished warships away from them. I have an idea for a weapon to use against the Imperial fleet should we need to engage them at sea. All of this hinges on forming a legitimate trading company to coordinate plans and information." He leaned back in his chair.
Captain Dorning from the Blue Mist looked up from his drink and met Teldrine's eyes. He looked around at the others. "I'll run your trading company. I've done it before. I may have some connections that will be of use. We'll need start up funds." The brogue was gone from his voice, and his eyes never left Teldrine's. Teldrine nodded to him, once. They both knew they would talk later. There was silence as the others looked at each other thinking it over. Slowly, one by one they nodded, the old man last and grudgingly.
"Well matey, it looks as if we're with ya!" Harrod shouted out as the others responded with a resounding "AYE!"
"I gots somethin' as might be worth a fair chunk fer settin' up 'is comp'ny yers talkin' aboot. Thet captive 'o mine is rightly a Prince. The Crown Prince 'o Marapal hisself!" Harrod grinned widely, showing black teeth to advantage. "Is he now? We'll have to discuss how best to use him. For now, I suggest we rejoin our crews. Dorning, Harrod and I will discuss getting this thing started, and we'll let you know as communications are set up in different ports. You should be hearing from us before the spring shipping begins. "Late that night Teldrine sat at the small desk in his stern cabin, working on lists, shipping schedules, and plans. He heard a challenge form the watch on the deck above, and Dorning's voice asking to come aboard. He smiled, and replaced some of the papers in his desk, as the watch allowed the visitors aboard, as he'd been ordered earlier. The following morning saw the crew of the Empress' Woe getting ready to set sail. She was a three-masted vessel that was two hundred and four feet long and displaced two thousand two hundred tons. She was a ship of the line stolen from Arbigahl when they escaped, and she was armed with 6 of the new guns, the 'cannon' that Arbigahl had developed. The only ship so armed outside the Imperial Navy. About three hours earlier the Blue Mist under Capt. Dorning set to sea, leaving himself and Harrod on the island. Dorning took with him the sword that Teldrine had given him. It was a ceremonial piece, designed for show, as nobody in Arbigahl would give a pleasure slave a usable weapon. But appearance was vital, and the gems that crusted the useless thing were very real, and worth a small fortune. He had, after all, been a personal slave of the Empress.
He walked up the beach to take a look at Prince Byock. The Prince presented several interesting opportunities, and he hadn't yet decided how to use him. What he found made the point moot. The two crew men guarding Byock had their throats cut, and Byock along with a ship's dinghy was gone.
She stalked into the room, unmindful of the priceless silks that trailed the floor behind her. She shed them negligently as she strode across the room to stare out the arches leading to her private garden. The slave caught the delicate fabric as it drifted, light as down across his strong arms. He placed them aside for the clothing maid to tend later, and stood stiffly nearby to await her pleasure. She left the arches and reclined on the huge bed, scattering pillows like bright flowers in jewel tones around her perfect form, cared for and carefully toned since birth. She was thinking furiously as she waved a negligent hand for chilled wine. She watched him absently as he poured from the chilled decanter that was kept for her in snow, packed from the distant mountain peaks that towered over the city. Moisture traced a path down his forearm, following the lines of muscle, as carefully toned as her own, and kept so for her pleasure. He brought her the goblet, eyes carefully downcast. He was well trained, for anything less would have been an insult to the Empress, and the ruin of his family.
She sipped from the goblet, a fresh fruity wine, not too sweet, it cleared the palate well in the tropic heat. Her other hand lightly stroked her inner thigh as the last details of her current plot slipped into place in her mind. Her eyes sharpened on him, as her mood became satisfied and her thoughts joined her eyes in appreciating the light following the curves of his flanks, standing aware of her gaze on him. He trembled slightly, and she smiled a slow, sultry smile. She gestured for him to come to her, the motions of her indolent fingers sending him to his knees on the cool stone floor beside her bed. She took another sip from the goblet, then handed it to him to set aside. Her hand drifted further up her thigh, one finger lightly parting the hair of her labia, as carefully trimmed and cared for as the rest of her.
She gestured again at him, her fingers held slightly differently this time, and the slave untied the knot holding the loincloth that was his only clothing. He took himself in his right hand, and caressed his skin in the way that he had learned she liked to see, and brought himself to an erection. For this he had not only been trained, but bred and selected from childhood. Inability to form and sustain an erection from an early age resulted in castration, and training in other kinds of service. His hand slid firmly and smoothly along the shaft of his organ while she watched and teased herself. Her fingers moved again. He leaned forward as she commanded, with that single gesture, and used his lips and tongue to give her pleasure, each motion trained precisely to her preferences.
She moved under his mouth, and he followed her, tongue moving in flat circles over the small area that was the current center of her thoughts. He was very good at his work, and soon she was wet, and the tongue was no longer enough. She brought him over her, and he slid his solid length inside her, moving slowly and sensually, careful to keep his weight off of her until she pulled him down, moving with him as his strokes took the sensations deep inside her, shaking her control in this one, small area. The pleasure rose, and she rose with it, arching into him and taking him with her, hands gripping his buttocks and demanding that he move deeper, and harder, her legs around his ribs now, warm and holding him fast. She arched back, gasping and moaning as she reached her peak, and he burst inside her.
He barely got a full breath back in his longs before she flung him off of her, livid in her anger. "How dare you to do such a thing! How dare you spill your seed in me! Go! Get cleansing materials immediately, and then you shall pay for your temerity!" She watched him scuttle to the adjoining chamber, where the chambermaid did not dare even glance at him. He returned, shaking but spilling no drop of the warm water and soft clothes he brought to her side. He bathed and dried her gently, flushing her with clean warm water to remove the error that could well mean his life. She stared silently as worked with shaking hands, making not the slightest error for her to strike out at.
When he finished, and disposed of the used items, she sent him to the far side of the room, where loops of rope protruded from the wall. He placed his wrists in the ropes, shaking everywhere now. The maid pulled the ropes tight from the other side, and fastened them down. The Empress took up a quirt from the nearby table. She began whipping him, about the thighs, belly, and flanks, working methodically to make a ring of pain around the offending part of him. He shook harder, jerking with each blow. The whip continued in a steady rhythm, she was using it as an exercise, working each arm in turn, working from different angles to increase the workout. She continued until he was raw and bleeding in places, from his waist to his knees, except his groin. That she left untouched. He gripped the handles placed near the wrist ropes to keep him upright, eyes rolling in his head, sweat running down to join the blood.
She oiled her hand and began to work on his penis, massaging him gently. The contrast between the burning pain and the sensitive touch brought him to full arousal, as it had in all the years of training, as beyond his control as breathing. But beyond control or not, he felt it. She watched as he lost more and more control, unable to keep silent in spite of his fear. He groaned in pain and need, thrusting into her hand, and she stopped. She picked up the whip.
He woke gasping, rolling with the movement of the ship to get away as he realized that she had reached him again, if only through his memories. His groin ached, though not the slightest swell was present. He hadn't become aroused while awake since his escape. The white rage woke in him again as he worked loose of the sheets and dressed. He went to visit his guest.
Teldrine looked into the small room. He paused when he noticed his guest was awake. He finished entering the room and closed the door behind him. "Awake at last your highness," He said flatly. "Hungry?"
Byock nodded his head slowly. "Wh-Who are you?" he asked wearily.
Teldrine grabbed the chair in front of the desk and slid it over next to the bed. "My name is not important right now. Know however, that you may be among friends. I have a few questions to ask you. After you have answered them, I will call for our dinner. The first is, what were you doing on the sea for Harrod to capture you? The second is, what was Harrod doing when he captured you? The third is, did you hear anything from his crew to find out what he was up to? The fourth is, what can you tell me about the ships that his crew saw on the horizon? It was in the same area that he captured you."
Byock put his hands over his eyes and let out a sigh.
"I tell you what. I will arrange dinner. You can think over the answers, and tell me over dinner. How does that sound?" He stood up from the chair and looked down at Byock.
"Ye-Ya, that sounds great." Byock answered weakly.
Teldrine returned to his cabin, and sent the cabin boy after food from the galley and some clothes and wash water for the prince. After spending time as a prisoner of Harrod, then the fight on the beach and most of a day drifting senseless in the dinghy after managing his escape, Byock didn't look much like a prince. Still, he was a survivor, and could be very valuable to Teldrine's plans. He needed to know more about the boy. Rupp, the cabin boy, brought Byock in, looking much better for a wash and clean clothes. The sunburns, old and new, were painful looking, but they'd heal. The prince look with almost desperation at the food and drink on the table, and Teldrine gestured him to go ahead. "Take it slow, or you'll lose it all again, but eat as much as you like. The water is clean, but again, take it slow." He smiled as Byock ate and drank. The drug was subtle, and would make him slightly tired, which he had reason to be anyway. It would also loosen his tongue, and dull his suspicions. The captain ate slowly, watching as Byock paced himself, stopping well before he would have liked, to judge from the regretful glances he continued to cast toward the food. "You can continue to nibble as we talk, a little at a time will stay down and do you good. The fruit will aid your recovery and help replace the water you've lost, as well." The wasted man nodded at him in appreciation, and sectioned one of the orange fruits from Arbigahl, a taste Teldrine had kept since his independence. "Have you considered my questions?"
"I don't see that the answers would betray anything. I was hunting on the Ozmaroc-Khalzistan border, nearer the sea than I realized, when the pirates happened on me apart from my men. They always warned me about the risks I was taking. Guess they were right!" He grinned weakly at Teldrine. "Harrod was anchored in a cove with another ship, far from any town. He must have been smuggling or something. Probably up to no good with the Ozmaroccans. They're always up to no good. He killed the captain of the other ship, just as we got to the island. Killed him in cold blood, right out in the open!" He reached out and took another gulp of wine, eyes focused inward. Had he never seen a killing before? Harrod or another of his ilk, made not much difference. Teldrine had little respect for most of them, but they were available to his use. He nodded encouragingly at the prince. "I heard the sailors talking about the strange ships. They saw them far to the north. I wonder what they were doing so far north? There's nothing up there but cliffs and trees. The trappers all come south to trade. Anyway, they just saw sails on the horizon. They talked about them being a strange shape or something. Marapal is landlocked, you know. I don't know much about sailing."
"We found you adrift in a small boat, out of your mind and like to die by noon. Couldn't let Harrod's captive Prince die, now could we?"
Byock startled, looking wildly up him.
Teldrine smiled. "Aah, then your wits are still about you! Good! I will not give you back to Harrod. No man deserves slavery!" He realized that he had put a bit more vehemence into that statement than was needed. "What I do with you depends on you. We have much to discuss, you and I, when you are stronger, Prince Byock. You are free of the ship, none will touch you unless you try to leave somehow. We have left the islands and are on the open sea, so there is really nowhere to go!"
That evening the prince appeared on deck. He made his way to the stern to take care of necessary business, then make his way forward to sit in the bow. Teldrine approached, his bare feet silent on the smoothly polished boards of the deck. "It's a ramtoe."
Byock startled, turning to look at him. "They are found in my native jungles, trained for great labor, and for war. It was thought a fitting mascot for the greatest warship of the Empress' fleet." He turned and braced his back on the rail, facing Byock. "I am called Teldrine. I am from..."
"Arbigahl." Byock dared to interrupted him. "But how is it that a man commands the greatest warship of the Empress' fleet, and consorts with pirate scum like Harrod?"
"It is no longer part of the Empress' fleet, and I too am 'pirate scum,' although I hope not such as Harrod. I was a slave. The Empress' own concubine. I stole the ship, the night after its inauguration ceremony, and took my freedom. Now I intend to bring the Empire down!" Teldrine grinned at Byock's expression. "As they say, if you must dream, dream big!" He turned back to the darkening sea. "You will help me in this dream."
"So you will ransom me after all, as any other pirate would do. I suppose I must thank you at least for treating me as valuable merchandise!" The young prince turned back to the sea.
Teldrine looked at his back, amused at his pride, even after all he'd been through. Hopefully, he would earn such pride, if Teldrine could handle him adroitly enough. "Your ransom would buy many men and more ships, but hardly enough to bring down an Empire!" He laughed. "I will ransom you, if you leave me no other choice. At least I will ransom you to your own kin, rather than selling you to Ozmaroc, as Harrod sought to do!"
"No!" Byock started back in horrified surprise. "It never occurred to me...the effects of such a thing. If Ozmaroc was to gain power over Marapal and the Maresium mines!" The prince met his eyes squarely. "That must not happen. The effects could be disastrous, not just for Marapal, but for Kahlzistan, Arbigahl, the entire trading economy could change!"
Teldrine grinned in satisfaction. At last, the reactions of a prince! "That is what I want from you! No, not your value to Ozmaroc," he waved away Byock's horrified expression. "Your knowledge. Your princely education in politics, economics, business. I need your mind, and I hope to win it willingly. As I said, I will ransom you if I must, for I cannot afford to waste any resource, but you could be far more valuable to me than that. I want you as an ally!"
"So I will be used here just as I was as a slave! What the hell is the difference if I spread my legs on your orders, or on the command of that bitch that used to own me?"
Teldrine found himself thinking of how aroused he once would have been by the view of cleavage he had. Lida leaned over his desk aggressively, knuckles braced on the dark wood as she glared at him. He wondered if she realized how big a change in her condition was evidenced by her behavior, facing him down. He didn't realize the lingering reflection of slavery found in both of their voices, low and intense to protect themselves from being overheard. Such caution was engraved in their minds by the slave holds they were raised in.
"The difference is that I don't order, I suggest. IF you find him attractive, IF the two of you get along, IF you want to, then I believe that a romantic attachment wouldn't hurt our chances with him. This man could be the key to all our plans, but only if he joins us willingly. I don't want him deceived or coerced. There will be a place for such things in this business, but not with those we want as our friends. He could bring us the support of not only Marapal, but possibly even Kahlzistan herself!" Teldrine stared into her eyes, looking for understanding. She turned away, looking out the stern windows at the ocean flowing away. She said nothing. Nothing at all.
Teldrine approached Byock from behind, coming up to where he sat in the shade, back propped against the main mast. "You're looking better!" Byock turned and looked up over his shoulder. "I feel like a lizard, all my scales peeling off. But I feel much better. Thank you for your care of this lowly hostage!" He grinned at his captor, more secure now in the knowledge that whatever happened, he wasn't likely to be abused at this late date. "Where do we sail?"
Teldrine looked appraisingly at him, studying the lines of his face, the set of his eyes. "I'm a pirate. We go to take a ship." He waited for the expected reaction, and was not disappointed. Byock's face closed up, expression stiff and cold. "How could I have forgotten. You talk of freedom, then you use it to kill and steal. You hardly need my skills and knowledge for this. I almost believed you actually wouldn't sell me to the highest bidder. More fool me. Tell me, what price do you expect to get? Will you fence me along with your other stolen goods?"
Teldrine smiled, a predatory expression. "We go after a slaver. I want you to see what I fight against, what I want you to fight against. You need not join the fight, but you will see what we find at the end of it." He rose and swiftly stepped away, striding toward the sterncastle and the helm. His eyes caught Lida hanging in the rigging, staring toward Byock with a speculative look on her face. He managed not to smile as he checked their heading and position. The man was, after all, a handsome prince.
He spent the rest of the day with the crew in preparations. Huge barrels were placed on deck and filled with sea water. Bags were ferried to shore and filled with sand and reloaded in piles on deck. Arrows were stacked. Weapons were checked and rechecked. Various pieces of armor appeared on some individuals. Nothing that weighed much. They were all quiet, a subdued murmur of working chatter. The skies clouded over, smooth high clouds that presaged a dark night.
Nobody suggested turning around, although they all knew as well as he did that they risked their lives for no profit and a continuing life of hardship for the slaves. They could not be just let off at the next port. That would send them right back to slavery. These were bred slaves, they had no families to return to, few skills beyond common labor, no knowledge of how to manage their own lives. They would be taken to an island and left with what supplies the ship could spare, some tools and hunting weapons. The ship and any others they could send would stop by with what supplies could be found. They could not afford to do this often, yet. But it was a start. Those slaves that survived and showed some independence and ability might be useful for placement in the cities where Teldrine hoped to build his web of information, influence, and business. The ship quieted for the night, sails reefed, breeze smelling of green things from the island. The cool smell of the sea came out of the darkness of the cloudy night.
Byock came on deck in the morning light, not sure what he would find. Nothing, it seemed. The sailors were lounging about the deck, and although perhaps a few more than usual were attending to the keenness of their blades, there wasn't much else going on. He caught sight of the woman who had spoken to him last night, but she swung up into the rigging on some task. Teldrine was still at the helm, writing in some kind of book. Byock supposed it was the ship's log. He took his tea over to the rail and leaned, staring out at sea. The broken teeth of the islands scattered across the waves. Green jungle in places, desolate rock in others, they suited his mood. He used to wander too far in his hunts to assuage the restlessness that ate at him when he was home in Rustic Marapal. Now he had trouble even seeing it in his mind, and yet it ached in his heart.
He noticed he was receiving more harsh glances than usual as the morning wore on. Wandering restlessly through the ship, he found himself back to the same spot on the rail when the others showed their distaste for his company. He left Teldrine alone. He kept his mind carefully away from the battle ahead, forcing himself to review old lessons from his father's advisors. He thought if he could apply some of their logic to the situation, he might find a way to guide himself through this bizarre position he found himself in. He wasn't having much luck.
Ship's biscuits and tea were passed out for noon meal, with a couple strips of dried meat and cold tea. No fire since early morning. Byock supposed there was a coal pot somewhere, they would need hot fire rapidly to treat some of the injuries after...Byock dragged his mind firmly back to theory, away from rapidly approaching real events. Like his first real battle, a slave ship, and a decision with possible consequences that made him realize for the first time just what a Prince really was. And the recurring thought that he had no weapon.
He was stunned to realize he had been drowsing when the ship came to life around him in the late afternoon. Then he realized he was stunned because it was happening. The ship was already in motion, the lounging sailors each no more than a step or two from their appointed tasks when they moved suddenly to work. He must have missed the signal from shore when the slave ship was sighted. The mainsail luffed into taughtness before the wind, and the ship seemed to shudder into full motion.
He turned forward, watching over the bowsprit for his first sight of the slaver. It was a merchant's cargo ship, slow and ungainly against the great warship of Teldrine's escape. He could see no large weapons, like the small catapults the pirates had assembled yesterday. From this distance he could see nothing of the people on board, and he thought sardonically he would soon wish he had seen no more of them. The rushing sound of the ship cutting through the waves and the movement of the ships were deceptively peaceful.
They had come out ahead of the slaver, and tacked to an intercepting course, forcing the slaver to turn off the wind and slow even more while the pirates matched course. A sailor grabbed Byock's arm and told him to come. "Captain wants you to stay put here until you are sent for." He positioned Byock near the aft door to below decks, out of the direct path to anywhere, but close enough to a defensible position if things went wrong. Byock stayed, scowling in resentment and excitement, and a dozen other sensations he couldn't think to identify.
Bows were taken up and arrows knocked. "Loose!" was called, and then echoed from the other ship and the thum of arrows leaving the string filled the air, to be followed with the hiss of them falling. They were fewer than what Byock thought they had sent, and it seemed more cries came across the water than went up from this side. But the arrows sent by the other side were burning. Men stationed at water tubs and sand bags ran to put out the fires. The sails were furled on commands shouted from the stern deck. The ship had enough headway and was close enough to come along side in moments. Byock saw all this with sort of a filtered awareness, as if on the other side of a glass window.
But the archers were shooting again, and the hissing rain fell again, and the cries came again, and there was an arrow quivering near his right toe. Then a second, a hand span from the first. He looked back up and the grapplers were preparing to cast their lines across the gap, and he could see the faces on the other side. Many of the were women.
It was an Arbigahlan slave ship. He didn't know why that had never occurred to him. It would be owned, managed, Captained, officered, and at least partly crewed by women. There were women among the pirates, but he hadn't thought about the other ship. He stared at them.
They were dressed as most aboard ship were, the officers slightly better than the crew. They had the weathered faces common to the sea, and hair cut short or bound out of the breeze. Some were scarred, all were muscular and hard. Their weapons looked serviceable enough. There were not enough of them, he thought and the grapples flew. The opposing crew tried to block them and toss them back, and were successful with many, but one caught a woman by the thigh and pinned her screaming to the rail as the pirates slapped tension to it to keep the other side from releasing it. Enough hooks bit that the ships drifted closer together inexorably.
The slavers held long spears now, to try and fend off boarders. The pirates went back to arrows, point blank now, able to target instead of just arching them randomly onto the ship. It was devastating.
Byock watched as crew members on both sides fell to the decks with arrows through them, screams flying over the water and fading. Then the ships touched, wooden sides groaning together as they found a tentative equilibrium. Pirate crew members, men and women, dodged the spears or grabbed them and pulled as they were stabbed forward. One found a mark in the press of bodies, and a sailor Byock had been used to seeing in the kitchen clutched at his belly. The spearhead yanked a ribbon of pink out of it, cutting itself free as the man fell to the deck, agony on his face but no breath to scream.
It was a kaleidoscope now, images everywhere, moving so fast, shifting in position and angle as the two ships rode the swells in their own ways. Screams and bellows of rage echoed in his ears above the deep groan of burdened timbers ground together. A woman ran past him to a gap forming in the slaver's line near by. She positioned herself to hold the gap open, and another member of her team took position opposite her. The other members of the group began leaping across the gap and turning to either side to widen the gap in the defenses. The woman sailor moved closer and closer to Byock. A slaver crew member stabbed at her with a spear, and she knocked it aside, clamping it under her arm as it slid by her. Another enemy took the chance to swing at her. While she fended him off, the one with the spear let go and leapt past her drawing his sword and turning to take her from behind as she fought to hold the gap on the other ship.
Byock stepped forward and swept his feet from behind. He fell backwards and Byock leapt on his sword hand, feeling bones crunch under his foot as he snatched up the cutlass and turned the grab into a backswing across the surprised man's neck. The pirate was aware of what happened and kept trying to keep an eye on him without getting herself killed. He wasn't sure himself what he was going to do, his body had moved without his thoughts to consciously propel it. It did so again as her distraction cost her a block and she had to throw herself backward away from the slaver's latest slash.
She landed at his feet, looking up as the breath wooshed out of her. The woman attacking threw herself into the air behind, aiming to stomp the downed pirate and slash at Byock on her way down. Byock parried the descending strike and brought his new sword to slice her ear and down into her chest as she straightened from her landing. Her blood sprayed out as her backhand stroke at him lost its smooth trajectory and he blocked it easily. He saw her eyes go even wider as the pirate's sword entered her from below. She fell, and he had the odd thought that it was no different from killing a man, when the swords were flying.
"Well, come on!" The pirate grabbed him by the arm and yanked him toward the rail, where pirate crew members were now flooding over to the slave ship, the last pockets of resistance dying quickly. Byock leapt the gap easily, but met no further resistance. It occurred to Byock again that there weren't as many sailors or guards on the slaver ship as he would expect. Not enough for a proper defense of a merchant ship. As the battled ground to a halt, he noticed the smell. It seemed to emanate from the ship, with a palpable presence.
Teldrine strode toward him, looking him up and down. He realized that he still held his captured sword, and was covered in blood like all the rest, a broad spray up his trouser leg and splashed across his chest and face, dripping from his fist around the hilt of the sword. He said nothing to the pirate Captain. "Come with me." Teldrine turned away toward the cargo hold doors.
Two sailors where opening the barred hatch doors, lifting them to fall back on the deck. The stench floated up from below. Humanity, pressed too close together, with too little air, too little movement. He followed Teldrine slowly down into the depths of a murky hell. There were rows of bunks stretching the length of the ship, several tiers high, packed tightly together along narrow aisles. They were built wide enough for one, long enough for most to stretch out on. Each had enough space for a human to roll over, but no room to sit up. Below each was sluice running below holes in the bunks where slaves were expected to aim their waste products. The sluices were angled slightly from the center of the ship to the sides where they joined and ran down to a collection tub. It was equipped to be pumped out periodically. A pump up top could run sea water through the sluices to flush things down the system. It didn't seem to be done nearly often enough. And clearly nobody cleaned the bunks or the slaves themselves. The slaves lay chained to their bunks by collars. They were all naked, bodies thin but not emaciated. They stared at the pirates, some with fear, most blankly, waiting for the next event in their lives. They all had bruises in various places from the hard bunks. No hygiene had been provided them other than the rude sanitation. No light.
Teldrine was not unlocking them. Byock turned to stare at him. The hate in his eyes, and the despair made him step back. Teldrine moved forward and spoke in a strong voice that echoed through the hold. "I am Teldrine. I escaped from the Empress and claimed my freedom from the slavery of Arbigahl. Now I have claimed your freedom, too. You will be released shortly, and more will be said then. Water and food will be brought soon. Nobody will be hurt." There was a sort of whimpering sigh from around the hold, but nobody said a word. Pirates spread out through the aisles. Still, nobody moved to release the slaves. Teldrine turned to leave.
"Why aren't you letting them go!" Byock ran after Teldrine, back up the steep stairs from the hold, glad to be emerging from that hold even as his outrage spilled over. "You can't leave them like that! I thought you were going to free the slaves, what is this, some kind of bargaining chip?" He stopped as Teldrine turned on him, rage glittering from his eyes. "They will not be in those chains one minute more than necessary. But if I release them now, where will they go? How many do you think would fit on this deck? On my deck? How many do you think would willingly stay below? How many would I have to kill just to keep the ships afloat to get somewhere safe? How long do you think we can sit in the middle of the shipping lanes comforting slaves? Save your outrage, we can use it. But never make the mistake of thinking that you care more about this than I do. Prince!"
Byock stopped as Teldrine stalked away. He swallowed hard. "You'll learn, boy." The woman Byock had fought alongside stood there now. The crew was sorting through the wounded, killing any slavers that remained alive. Carrying those of their own wounded that had a chance back to their own ship for attention. Those too far gone were given the mercy stroke and sent across on ropes to be placed out of the way for later attention. The slavers were unceremoniously tossed overboard. Byock did not look at the water. There were to many splashes to be accounted for by each body that dropped. He went to look at the rest of the ship.
Crew quarters were cramped, as in most ships. The galley had access to a delegated storage area of the hold to stock the food needed to keep the cargo alive. They were kept weak with hunger, and lightly drugged for the trip, but each loss meant a poorer return on somebody's investment, so every effort was made to keep them alive. "Slaves are taken on deck in shifts, chained together by their collars. They are fed and watered, walked three times around the deck, and put back below twice a day." The woman who named herself Lida seemed to have appointed herself to him since the battle. She seemed to know a lot about the routine on board a slave ship.
They began doling out buckets of biscuits and strips of meat to those feeding and watering the slaves below. Quiet talk told Byock that the holds were no longer as quiet, as a few of the slaves began to believe what they had been told and either went hysterical or began begging to be released. Most still just watched silently, unable to comprehend the change in their lives, or too drugged or stunned to react.
Byock felt it as the ships separated and got underway again. He continued through the passageway after the feeding was done. He didn't know just what he was looking for, but it seemed the thing to do. The captain's cabin in the stern sat ahead of him, heavy door closed. He opened it. Nobody had had time to look at it yet, as the pirates hurried to get the ships out of the way of any regular shipping traffic that might show over the horizon at any time.
Nobody had found her yet. The woman was tied to the bed, ankles and wrists pulled as far apart as possible, tension in the ropes to keep her almost completely immobile. Apparently the Captain had had unusual tastes for an Arbigahlan, although Byock thought he remembered that the nobles were pretty much allowed any desire they might have. The slave woman showed bruises scattered over most of her body. They were uniform in size, and of many different colors. The blackjack she had been beaten with lay on a shelf near by. Byock stared appalled between her legs, where the handle of something protruded. The woman stared at him, terror in her eyes. A strap covered her mouth, something stretching it wide. Small, awful sounds came from her throat.
Lida pushed past him with an oath and pulled the thing from the slave's crotch. It was a carved wooden stick, with small protrusions knobbing its end. Another strangled sound as it was removed, then Lida unbuckled the gag. A large wooden ball was attached to the underside, where it had been filling the woman's mouth. Lida cut the ropes loose and Byock finally moved, finding a rag and pitcher of water on the washstand. He soaked the rag and took it to Lida. The woman was struggling in her arms and she impatiently waved him over to take her. "She doesn't want another woman right now. Help her!" The woman clung to him and he lifted her to get her out of this room. They went up the stairs to the deck, Lida staying behind and searching the room.
He placed her on the planks near the doors, where some sun had finally broken through the clouds. She hung on to him, so he sat down with her. He began to reassure her, saying anything he could think of in a low steady voice. Slowly her shaking started to ease, but she clutched him tighter whenever he stopped speaking, so he kept on. They were sailing west by north, threading between islands in the wake of the Empress Woe. Lida came above again and gave him an unreadable look as he sat there with the slave woman, now sleeping on his arm. She walked away and swung up into the rigging, and he watched her climb. Her nimble legs flashed in sun as she swung with practiced ease onto a spar to adjust a line. She looked back down at him. He couldn't tell shat her expression was, but he kept watching. She moved on about the work of sailing the ship.
Late that afternoon they rounded yet another island and sailed into a sheltered bay. There was no sign of habitation. A stream ran into the sea to one side. The island was large enough to have a good sized forest ringing it. Byock guessed game would be likely in it. The thought of hunting flashed through his brain. He quashed it as irrelevant, then reconsidered. Fresh meat might be a very good thing for slaves and sailors alike. And it was something he could surely do. They dropped anchor and lowered the boats from both ships. Then they began bringing up cargo. Not the slaves, yet, but food stores, the bales of smocks that would have been put on the slaves at arrival in port. Tools, sailcloth, anything the pirates could find that the ships could sail without. It was ferried to shore and piled on the beach, well above the high tide mark.
Last, the slaves were brought up. It was done in shifts, a boatload at a time so there were never too many to handle if they panicked or balked. The woman was added to one of the loads, leaving Byock free to watch. They were ferried ashore as well. Teldrine caught a boat on the return trip and crossed to the slaver. Byock approached him, seeing the wary look in his eyes as he waited for the prince's reaction. There was a glint of surprise as Byock asked only about the hunting trip. The thought of fresh meat was enough to swing the scale and he was allowed ashore with a bow and quiver added to the cutlass he had claimed as battle spoils.
He was exhausted as he stepped ashore, but didn't think he'd have to go too far. He had gauged the terrain from the ship and thought he could cross the first low ridge and have a chance of finding a water source in the small valley behind, and maybe some grazing, if anything large enough to graze inhabited this place. Teldrine had assured him that deer populated many of the larger islands, along with stranger southern creatures. Byock wasn't sure he believed the descriptions of some of them. He hiked up the slope at an angle, to enter the next valley at the uphill end. The sun was slanting down to the west, just the time for watering and grazing for his prey.
The small valley was just as he had hoped, shaped like an arrow head, widening out toward the shore with a stream running down the center. No beaches on this side, though. The land ended at low bluffs, falling off into the sea. A meadow opened up from the stream side about half way down, and spread atop the bluffs. He could see something moving down there, but was too high to make them out clearly. They didn't seem be deer. He plunged back into the thick forest, heading down slope now. He angled for the beginning of the meadow at the stream.
The forest was tall, clean-limbed trees. Large variegated leaves shadowed the ground, and lots of brush grew up in the dappled light below. Fallen branches and layers of leaves made moving quietly a challenge. Byock matched his movements to the sounds of the forest, moving irregularly, with the wind. He seemed to make less noise than he actually did. When he came to the tree line, he turned and followed it until he came in sight of the creatures he had seen from further off.
They sat on their hind legs and peered around, in between bending down to graze on the rich grass. A heavy tail balanced them on the ground like a third hind leg, and small front legs were held close to the chest. Long necks rose to small pointed heads with tall swiveling ears. Then he saw a young one pop its head out of another's stomach. The stories were true! They did have pockets in front! Byock grinned to himself and knocked an arrow.
He returned to the cove along the coast line, maneuvering a long branch with hides stuffed full of meat balancing each end over his shoulder. He found slaves crowding the beach, most sitting, faces blank, stunned. Several, though, were standing with Teldrine and Lida near where huge fires had been built. Large pots from the galleys had been brought ashore and hung on tripods over smaller fires. Byock headed for them with his load of fresh meat. The cooks welcomed him with the first actual approval he had felt in weeks. Then he went and found a patch of beach still warm in the last of the sun and laid down on the unmoving sand.
He started awake in the darkness when somebody sat down next to him. "I brought you some food, oh mighty hunter." Lida's tone was dry in the darkness. He wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or just teasing. He sat up and took the soup. "Thank you. I'm glad you recognize the depth of my skills." He tried to match her tone with a deadpan delivery. He heard a snort and realized she was laughing. He grinned in the darkness and tried the stew. It was spicy, highly seasoned as the pirate food was likely to be. They claimed that it kept them from getting sick. The meat was good, strong flavored and rich. He savored it as they ate in silence.
She set aside her bowl about the same time he finished. She reached for his hand and said, Come. Walk with me." He looked back and saw that he had slept at the edge of the light from the bonfires that string out down the shore. The slaves seemed to be more or less organized around the fires. He saw a few sitting up and facing out, and a group sitting near a smaller fire to the side, talking. Teldrine was there with them. Lida tugged on his hand and drew him off down the beach away from the camp. He noticed she was carrying a blanket over her other arm.
He slipped an arm around her and she moved closer to his side. He stopped and used her momentum to swing her around in front of him, right up against him, almost a dance. She grinned and reached up and grabbed his head. She kissed him, demanding and fierce. His tensions and fears boiled over and he returned her demands, pulling her hard against him. She smelled of the sea. Then she broke away and was pulling him further down the beach. They ran, the surf a thin ribbon of reflection in the starshine to guide them.
The sand ended at a rock wall and a line of underbrush leading back down the beach. She spread the blanket on the sand and turned to begin tugging on his clothes. He ignored her hands and pulled her tight for another kiss. She reached around him and drew her nails down his back through the shirt, then began tugging it up. They parted, pulling clothes off hastily. He finally felt her skin pressed up against his and nearly threw her down on the blanket, except that she was falling already, pulling him down with her. He landed on top of her and propped himself on one elbow as their mouths joined again, trying to devour each other. His other hand followed her arm down from around his neck to her ribs and his thumb traveled up the side of her breast, brushing the nipple before moving on down to her waste. She moved under him, lifting her body to meet his touch, match his movements. Her arms pulled him closer, nails touching here and there as her hands wandered his back and neck. They broke the kiss to breathe and he shifted over a bit to bring his lips down to her breast. He took the aureole in his mouth and sucked hard, his hand coming back up to hold it to him. Her knee came up around him and lifted her hips up to press against his erection, pulling him down to her. He heard her moan as he sucked again and then lifted his head to look down at her. Her head was arched back, then she brought her eyes down and stared into his. He saw the need in her eyes match what he felt burn in his own. Her hand moved down his chest and belly and gripped him firmly, bringing a gasp from him. The she guided him inside.
He stopped just inside her, and she moved her hand up around to grab his ass and pull him to her. He resisted. He could feel how wet she was already, and he thrust into her in one slow steady move, stopping when he was tight against her. He could feel the pressure on the tip of his cock that meant he was filling her well, and she moaned against his neck. Her thighs gripped his hips, her nails ran up his back with a firm pressure, encouraging him to move again. He waited another instant, enjoying the poised tension of being buried in her. Then he began deep even thrusts, pulling her hard against him
She matched every motion, moving with him and holding him close, a hand wrapped in his hair and another moving from gripping his arm to trail down his back and pull his hips hard into her again. The sensations rocked through him as he moved in her. Her soft cries and whispers of "Yes, aah, yes! Harder!" drove him on and they moved faster. Her hands went to his shoulders and gripped him tightly as she pulled herself hard to meet his thrusts, grinding her self into him. She turned her face to his and their mouths locked together for another moment before she broke away and buried her face on his shoulder. An instant later she was biting him as she smothered her cries
She went wild in his arms, knees coming up around his ribs and he felt himself move even deeper into her. Her nails raked his back and he felt her clamp down around him, pulling him in with each thrust, milking him as he pulled out to slam into her again. She met him each time, driving herself onto him. He felt himself losing control. She felt it too and began encouraging him. "Yes, now, I want it all now." Her cries escalated again as he sank into her, feeling her walls stretch to accommodate him. They pulsed and he was over the edge, pumping heat into her. He thrust again, moving with the sensations as he came, his own mouth on her neck now, quieting his own deep groans as he seemed to spend the last of his energy into her.
They finally lay together, not moving, still joined, gasping for breath. He held part of his weight off of her so she could breath, but she still held him tight against her, unwilling to let him move just yet. Byock smiled as he felt the little aftershocks run through her. Finally she opened her eyes and grinned at him. "Wanna do it again?" Her eyes twinkled, only half in jest. He laughed back at her and rolled to the side before she could stop him. He heard her gasp as he slipped out of her, then she was rolling with him, staying curled against his side, one let draped over his. "Maybe in a few minutes," he told her, as his eyelids began to sag. She yawned and accused him. "Spoil sport." She reached behind her and pulled the blanket over them. Then they slept.
Back at the fire, Teldrine glanced down the beach in their direction, and smiled.
The forested island shore drifted by with an illusion of peace. Byock stared out at it, lost in his thoughts. Slowly he realized they were rounding the headland, steering between this island and the next. Another one appeared ahead through the passage. A sailor came up to the bow beside him and began calling back course adjustments as the ship made her way between shallow reefs through a maze of small islands. Finally they made one last turn and came into a protected bay. A village sat above the beach, a few fields cleared behind it. He could see pastures up the slope of the mountain's peak, white dots of grazing livestock. The place appeared to be thriving.
Soon there were small boats flocking out to greet them, and the Empress' Woe lost way as the sails dropped. The thunder of the anchor chain dropping startled him from his observance of the other three ships in the bay. He made out 'Wave Glow' painted on one stern. 'Blue Mist' was another. The third was turned away from him, but seemed a prosperous merchantman.
Teldrine came up behind him. "Gather whatever you want to take with you, if you have anything. We're changing ships for a bit." The man's eyes were on the merchant ship. "We'll go ashore for the night first. There is business I must take tend. Captain Alez of the Wave Glow didn't come to the meeting." He shook himself a bit, and turned to Byock. "The merchant ship will take us into a port in Kahlzistan. We will need to discuss what messages you will wish to send." The intense blue eyes strayed past the prince's shoulder. "But there will be time for that on board the ship. For tonight, enjoy land under you again!" He laughed and strolled toward the side, disappearing down the ropes.
Lida came up beside him. She had stayed clear of him for the most part since that night on the slave's beach. There was no place on shipboard for dallying, and bad feelings had nowhere to go. He caught her eye occasionally, and knew she wasn't snubbing him. She grinned at him now. "Coming ashore? There's an inn here that caters to us piratical types, with rooms to rent, fresh sheets, and no critters!" With a wink she was past him, swinging into the ropes and scrambling down to one of the boats ferrying people to shore. He smiled to himself and went to gather the few items he had managed to win from the sailors playing cards. A duffel, some spare clothes, a belt, an eating knife. A comb. He wondered if this inn sported hot baths?
He opened the door of his room, toweling his hair dry. Suddenly the door closed behind him and he felt hands tugging at his trousers. He tossed the towel aside and met Lida in a deep, hungry kiss. A scent intruded on his awareness, and he realized she had arranged dinner for them, smelled like a rich stew and fresh bread. As long as it wasn't fish! She pulled back from him, feeling his distraction. "Abandoned for a bowl of soup! How terribly you treat me, sir!" She grinned at him, then let go of his half-unbuckled belt and moved to the table. "I must say, I can't blame you much there. The cook here is awesome! We'll eat, and then desert!"
"You are such an understanding lass, Lida! I believe I've found a piece of heaven! A bath, good food, and you! What more could a captive Prince want?" He showed her his teeth in a grin as he sat at the table, and dove into the stew spoon first. She poured them each a tankard of ale from the pitcher, then joined him. They were quiet for a while, except the spoons clicking on the pottery bowls. "Don't you want to go down to the common room for a bit? Mix it up with the other sailors in port?"
"Nah. I know them all. None of them interest me. Some of them might be quite interested in you, though. They won't recognize you dressed as one of us, but you go down there and open your mouth and they'll know soon enough. Teldrine isn't ready for Harrod to know he has you yet."
"So. He sent you up here to occupy me, did he. Well, I'll be a good little boy and stay in my room. You don't have to guard me." He stared past her at a spot on the wall. How could he have been so blind? He had actually thought she wanted to be with him. He should have known nothing happened with this crew that Teldrine didn't order.
"Don't be insulting." The anger in her voice snapped his attention back to her. "I don't sleep with anybody I don't want to. Captain or not, Teldrine would have my knife in his belly quick enough if he decided to whore me out." She stared at him her eyes flat. "I'm here because I wanted to be. If we didn't trust you to be discreet, Teldrine would have just kept you on board ship."
He looked at her. "I'm sorry. I should have known better. It is an odd position I'm in, you know. Captive, hostage, coconspirator. I sometimes have trouble remembering which role I'm supposed to play. I'd like to forget, with you, for a while."
"Do you princes have to take classes to talk like that? Just be you, and do what the moment requires of you. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. Now finish gobbling up that stew and come eat something more interesting!" He rinsed down the last spoonful with a swig of ale and followed her to the bed.
Teldrine sat with Alez at a table apart from the general noise of the inn. "They was strange, Teldrine, and they did something with us. I'm telling you, I woke up and found my whole crew laid out on the deck, sound asleep! We was leagues from where I last took a reading, too. You may think I've lost it with this last, but my men'll tell you the same. The jellyfish sent us to them!"
"Oh, come now. You sure it wasn't just some bad rations or something? The giant jellyfish are legends, tales to tell net weavers on the shore!" Teldrine leaned back and looked at the man. Alez was one of the few pirates he trusted, for the most part. The man was actually honest, in his way, and more involved in smuggling than actual piracy, although he was known to take the occasional ship. He was far from the murdering slime that Harrod associated with. But the strange ships had been sighted, up north, by that same Harrod, too.
"It's true, I tell ya! The fish took Henny right off the ship! Then they kept herding us, like, until we turned off from the meeting. They disappeared, and I went to my cabin. Next morning, like I told you, the men was all sleeping on deck, and them strange ships were sailing away on the horizon."
"What did these ships look like?" Teldrine decided to focus on the thing he could deal with.
"Couldn't tell you for sure. Only caught a glimpse of them on the horizon, like I said. Big square sails, seemed like they was white, then blue. Something different about the shape of the hull, but they was too far away to see clearly. All I know is they weren't anything I've ever seen before." Alez drained his mug and motioned for a refill, obviously on his way to an alcoholic oblivion. "Never been scared to sail before, but I think me I'll stick to the coast for a bit." He took another drink, staring into his mug.
Dorning came in, looked around and spotted them. He pulled a chair up and looked at Alez. "He tell you his story? That's the second time we've heard of those ships. What do you think of them?"
"I once saw a fabric in a market in Arbigahl. Story was that it came from Khalnowai. It shifted color as the light moved on it, now white, now blue. Incredibly strong stuff, it was being made into pavilions and such." He looked up and met Dorning's eyes.
"Khalnowai. The traders have been around for a while now, nothing strange about their ships. They do keep to themselves, though. Now wouldn't that just make things interesting?" He paused while the bar maid brought him a tankard. "Anyway, the plans are moving forward. We own a majority of the dock front dives in most of the coastal cities. Some sniffers have come looking around, wondering about everything changing hands, but they couldn't find anything. None of the lucky new business owners know anything except their own good fortune." He watched Alez's head slowly drop to the table. "We're getting a great deal of information from the net already."
"How's the fencing system working? Haven't had a chance to talk to Captain Evert yet, but he doesn't look any too upset." Teldrine sat back, and Dorning told him about the businesses they had started before even arranging the meeting. The legitimate merchants they had managed to recruit found it profitable. They made their usual runs, looking for small shipments of the same items the pirates had available for sale. Then they stopped here and the small shipments became large ones. Anybody checking on them would find that they'd been were they said they were, and bought the exact cargoes they said they did. Any more detail than that would be difficult for a stranger to obtain, as such information was considered private. The pirates could sell for a price approaching normal market value, and the merchants could get good cargoes with minimal work, at a reduced price.
"Did you hear that Harrod's pet prince got away? Killed his two guards and put to sea in a dinghy. Probably dead now, but Harrod nearly killed himself with ranting and raging around the island." Dorning took a close look at Teldrine's bland expression. "You wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?"
"Nothing much, Dorning. Nothing much. How far do you think we can push this thing? Raiding all the Arbigahlan ships pleases me, but the shift will become obvious in time. The trade will become dependent on Kahlzistani merchants, which takes a chunk of profit out of the hands of the Arbigahlan bitches. Won't be too long before they do a sweep of the islands, though. We have to be ready when they do."
"That's why I'm worried about this Prince thing. It could make Marapal and Kahlzistan throw in with Arbigahl in that sweep. We can't stand under all of them." Dorning's eyes were sharp, and Teldrine had a feeling the man guessed a lot more than he knew.
"Don't worry. Arbigahl will be alone in this. I'll handle it." Dorning stared hard at him, then nodded, drinking on it and asking no more questions. They spent the rest of the evening being available to their men, picking up the latest gossip and with it, the mood of the population. Many of these people were ex-slaves, victims of persecution in all its myriad forms, or plain victims of bad luck. Many more were criminals in all their myriad forms. It was a rough society, but it had its own rules. Its people saw the world in a very different light than most, and held surprising opinions. It was sitting in an inn like this one that Teldrine had started seeing the possibilities he worked on as plans now.
This evening, he thought he heard a change. People here seldom spoke in terms of more than a few days, except the few who actually owned the local businesses or the ships' officers visiting. He heard plans speaking of next month, next year even. The businesses he had used the Empress' gold to buy into were becoming widespread enough to offer some of these people hope of a possible future. They brought in trade, too. Money was trickling in a steadily increasing flow into a town that had existed on sparse barter for its whole existence, and goods were following, so that the money could actually be spent!
More than profit, though, he heard self respect. People felt they were doing things for themselves, and he smiled. This was exactly what he wanted. When the time came, these people would fight for these changes, and work to keep them. These people were the ones who would turn the individual pirates into a fleet. These people with their husbands and daughters and brothers among the sailors. Teldrine sat back and enjoyed the evening.
The big merchant ship wallowed through the waves. The motion was entirely different from the Empress' Woe, built for speed and maneuverability despite her size. This one was built for cargo space and stability, and she plowed her way forward. Teldrine hated it, so he distracted himself by driving Byock to distraction. He drilled him for all he knew, and things he didn't know he knew.
They discussed the best way to approach the various rulers regarding Byock's choice to participate in Teldrine's war against the matriarchy of Arbigahl. There was no timely way to reach Marapal with the news without going through the King of Kahlzistan, and Teldrine had picked up word of a planned sweep of the pirates, looking for Byock. Byock had to announce himself there, but if at all possible it should be kept quiet. His missing status was very helpful, and could continue to be so.
"But King Kahl' Terres is like my uncle! He'll have been concerned, and it is not right for me not to present myself to him!" Byock paced the small cabin, about three short steps back and forth. Teldrine was about ready to take his legs from under him to make him stop.
"Perhaps a meeting can be arranged. Once he knows you're safe and want to remain hidden, arrangements can be made for you to enter the palace without displaying your princely self to all and sundry. Think, Prince! If the word is that you are still missing, it provides an excuse for Kahlzistan to build their navy and to send ships out to sweep for us. It's the perfect cover for communicating with us. They will not be ready to support us openly for some time yet. We've already agreed on that. This is an excuse to send ships to us. You have to stay missing!"
"All right! I'll stay missing. Get me a pen and paper and I'll write a message. I can code it for the King's eyes only. He'll know it's me, but the flunkies it filters through will only recognize a royal priority. It will be sent up through the ranks to the King right away." Byock finally dropped onto the edge of the far bunk. "How long until we reach Azistahn?"
"Tomorrow, if the winds hold. Will all those flunkies know the message has a royal origin?" Teldrine looked at the young man, and was glad to see a flash of irritation. The boy had caught it, then.
"Well that would kind of ruin the purpose, wouldn't it? No, it is registered in their logs as one among many codes that simply tell them to pass the item up the line. None of them know how far up the line it goes, or whether the source is a businessman, spy, family, or mistress." He stared at the table, wishing the weather would clear so they could at least go on deck. "I better wait until we reach port, or nobody would be able to read the code anyway. So, what do I say? 'Dear Uncle King, I'm safe but I'm running away with the pirates! Please send money and ships. By the way, we plan to abolish slavery along the way. Sincerely, your nephew, Prince Byock.' Oh, yeah, that should do it!"
Teldrine grinned at him. "That would get the royal guards down here to arrest us all, with the King your uncle waiting to give you a spanking like the brat you are!" He leaned forward. "How about something like 'Dear Uncle King. I'm alive and well, but it would be wise for me to remain missing for now. We should meet. We have much to discuss and there is somebody I would have you meet. We will come as petitioners tomorrow to the open court, and present ourselves as complainants on a matter of indentured servitude. There will be only two of us. Sincerely, your nephew, Prince Byock.' Of course, all this depends on the King being resident in Azistahn. Dorning said he went there after the Crown Prince's wedding, but that information is two weeks old."
"He'll be there. He spends two months in Azistahn before moving on to one of the country palaces for the fall hunting. Yes, that sounds like it should work. You've thought this out pretty well, haven't you?" Byock stared at him, a measuring look on his face.
"I've had little else to do, but think, Prince. That's my job in all of this. I think. You Prince, will speak. You speak to the right people at the right times with the right words, and we can actually do this thing." He met Byock's stare measure for measure until they each saw a glint of satisfaction from the other.
The ship wallowed on, and Byock and Teldrine drove each other to distraction. They drilled each other on deck, practicing their various fighting skills on each other and whatever sailors wanted to join in. They took to the rigging, Byock learning the ways of a sailing ship. His hands bled from the salt water and constant friction of the ropes, then they began callusing just as the ship hove into port at Azistahn. Teldrine learned the finer points of swordsmanship, and his wrists felt as if they would splinter with one more twist, but he knew he could become very good at this, by the time they were warped to the wharf.
Byock looked like nothing but a sailor now, skin brown and hair sun bleached and ragged. He strolled with Teldrine down the street, gait rolling as he tried to find his land legs again. He nodded at a merchant on his way to the docks and got a scowl in return. It made him grin. A half dressed woman who'd seen a bit too much of life stepped out of a doorway and smiled at them. He let his grin include her, then frowned a bit, looking thoughtful. Teldrine wondered what he was pondering.
He shook his head, turning his mind to the message. They approached the royal administration offices in a building down the street from the actual residence. This was the beginning of the filtering system such a kingdom required. He handed the sealed packet to the first of many flunkies, who checked the label and put it in his urgent pile. Byock assured him that it would be in the King's hands by late afternoon, with nobody the wiser. "Well, come on, boy, let's find some comforts!" The pirate led the prince back down toward the docks, by a different route. They went by the market, bought some clothes for each of them for the morrow, and some needed items for Byock, "So you won't look like a half drowned rat all the time!"
Finally they reached an inn two blocks back from the wharves. It was run down, but showed signs of recent repairs. Stepping in they found a surprisingly clean place, warm with scents of good food drifting from the kitchen. A fat man came hustling up to them. "Telly! Welcome! How good to see you! The boys said you were on the way, you and your young friend. The rooms are ready, and your duffel stowed. Baths or food first? We have fresh mutton roast, a veal pie, Mondie's potato casserole, some greens. A bread pudding for dessert." The man talked along, herding them past all the tables and good smells to a long hall down the back and a steamy room at the end. He stopped just short and pointed out two other rooms, then headed back to the common room, still talking. Teldrine walked into his and deposited his packages and dug out clean duds for the evening, then headed for the baths.
Ardie was an ex-slave, a clerk that happened to be on board the Empress' Woe when Teldrine took her, checking off a manifest. He met Mondie on one of the pirate isles, the widowed aunt of a sailor who had nowhere else to go. They were one of the first businesses that Teldrine set up, using gold from ship's stores. Most of them didn't know exactly where the money came from. They found it under the floorboards in the house of their dead mothers, or found a valuable item in their nets. They all knew. And they all helped when they could. There were many now, and more all the time. He was even sending some inland now. Small businesses, small merchants, servants in big houses. A network of grateful people with seemingly no common thread.
He found Byock already in the baths, soaking contentedly in a brass tub. Teldrine wondered for a moment if Byock would stay the course, or go back to the luxuries he was used to. The boy sighed. "I never realized, before, how very precious such a simple thing is!" His bright eyes turned to Teldrine. "Even with all my long hunting trips, what I thought was roughing it, I had comfort only a few days away. Truth be told, I didn't miss too many comforts in camp, with the equipment and retainers and what not. Life seems more real this way, some how." He slipped further into the water. "Problem is, it makes me think too much. I need some food! Maybe some companionship!"
Teldrine grinned. "Better not let Lida hear you say that! She's liable to part you from more valuables than you want to pay for that companionship!" He hoped thoughts of Lida would be enough to remind Byock of the good things he'd found with the pirates. Not that it was too late to change his plans, he worried. It was his only shot, though. There was simply no way to accomplish his goals in his lifetime without royal support from Kahlzistan and her allies. And no other way to get it. The things he'd done so far where a start, but it would take years to inflame public opinion against slavery from such a beginning. The pirates could never hand together for long enough. He'd though he was fighting a losing battle until Byock fell into his lap. It was still a long shot. The young prince could only have so much influence on his uncle the King.
"Lida has made it very clear that we have a casual relationship. That's fine by me." Something in his voice made Teldrine suspect it wasn't all that fine. "She doesn't want to be tied down while I'm off being a prince she said."
Teldrine snorted. "And you believed her? Byock, women play games. They don't mean too, it's a self defense kind of thing. Lida doesn't figure you'll come back to her, and it's easier for her to think that she let you go, then that she lost you. But if you screw around, and then go back, she'll have your hide for a porthole cover!"
Byock frowned, toweling his hair dry. "Whores are a lot easier to understand. Even the noble ones. They're just more expensive when they have titles, and the bargain is for life."
"A woman like Lida is a more expensive proposition still, for she will bargain for your heart and soul! And she won't even know she's doing it. But she will give you hers, as well." Teldrine ducked under the water to rinse his hair, and when he surfaced, the young man was gone. He climbed out and dried, dressing and pulling a comb through his long hair, tying it back out of the way. He made his way out, joining Byock at a table.
"Damn it, you had to go and say all that about Lida, didn't you. I was looking forward to partying a little!" Byock flashed him a lop-sided grin and attacked his roast. The meal was excellent, as always. A minstrel played in the corner, on a small platform. She really was pretty good, and her honey blond hair captured the firelight. Teldrine asked Ardie who she was. "That's Trina! She came in a few weeks ago, and liked Mordie's cooking, and has been back a few times since She's bringing some good customers with her, too! She plays the crowd real well, keeping the sailors happy and the merchants amused. She's even played the palace, from what I've heard!"
Byock glanced up at that, studied the musician quickly, then glanced at Teldrine and shrugged. The woman did seem to watch their table a bit, but seemed more interested in Teldrine than in Byock. The song ended and she announced a break to the loud protests of the audience. She strolled over to their table, smiling at Teldrine. "Buy a thirsty minstrel a drink, sailor?" Teldrine raised an eyebrow and nodded across the bar and Ardie to bring her one. She sat close to him, giving Byock no more than a nod. Teldrine saw him grinning across at him and scowled back.
"Such an angry face! Do you always react so when a pretty girl sits down with you?" She pouted a little, although Teldrine could see the glimmer of amusement in her eyes. It was a flirtatious little act the woman was putting on! He wondered what she was really up to.
"My apologies, my Lady. My frown was only for my inability to offer you treasure suitable to your talents! Wine is but a taste of what you should be indulged in!" He smiled ingratiatingly at her, nodding his head in a formal movement that could almost be a bow. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, lingering over the knuckles, letting his breath caress her. There were things he had learned well in his time as the Empress favorite courtesan. The thought disgusted him, but the glint in this woman's eyes fascinated him. He found himself exerting all his skill with her as the evening wore on. Byock grew disgusted with the play and went to bed. Alone. Grumbling about it.
Teldrine found himself in his room with Trina, unsure what he was doing since he knew he couldn't follow through on his seduction. She stepped up to him and kissed him. Again, he found himself responding, his tongue gliding over her sweet lips and tasting her mouth, sharing the space with her own as she boldly kissed him back. It was an equal sharing as she gave and took along with him, and he found himself reveling in it. There was still no reaction in his groin, though, and he reluctantly pulled back from her. "Trina, stop, I'm sorry. I can't."
She drew back and looked at him. "Why not? You certainly seemed to be enjoying it. You're not married, are you?" Her hand drifted down his chest, warm and comfortable somehow.
"I am enjoying your companionship, and your touch, and your taste." He bent forward to kiss her again, then stopped himself. "But I can't. I mean it doesn't work. I haven't been able to for a long time. I'm sorry." He pulled away and sat down on the bed, head in his hands, waiting for her to leave. Then he felt her hands on his shoulders.
"There are other ways to get satisfaction, you know. And I have nowhere else to go tonight. Why don't we see what happens. If nothing else, I would enjoy sleeping in these strong arms." She climbed up on the bed behind him and began massaging his shoulders. It felt good. It had been so long since anybody had touched him with kindness. He wasn't sure anybody ever had. They must have, perhaps when he was young? It seemed so familiar, so comforting, so strange. He knew he didn't want it to stop.
He had tried sex since he gained his freedom, trysts full of passion and frustration. This was different. He felt no demands. Her hands worked on his shoulders, loosening things he wasn't aware of being tight until her touch found them and worked them into submission. She reached around to remove his shirt and he thought he should stop this, but he didn't. She loosened his belt and drew it off and he almost stopped her, but he didn't. She drew him back on the bed until he lay on his stomach and somehow her hands were full of warm oil and her knees came around his hips.
Trina looked down on Teldrine as he snored. She wasn't quite sure who this man was, or what he was doing with the missing Prince of Marapal, but the prince didn't seem to be under coercion. Whatever was up, she was determined now to find out. She smiled as she thought just how grateful Patrick would be for such information. Besides, this man was beautiful! She finished the massage, wiped her hands on a towel, stripped, and climbed in bed beside him, pulling the covers over them both. She woke once in the night, to find herself pulled tight against him, his body curved around hers, his arm pulling her close. She smiled and went back to sleep.
The unfamiliar sounds of the rousing city woke Teldrine slowly. He drifted up from slumber, enjoying the smooth warm flesh against his, and the rich scent of her hair. Trina. His eyes opened as his mind tried to replay the previous night. He remembered telling her no. He remembered her hands rubbing his shoulders. He remembered... No, he didn't. He hadn't been drunk. He must have fallen asleep on her! He smiled gently. Well, she was still here, and he felt too good to move. He wasn't sure why. Something about holding her was so relaxing.
She made a soft sound and moved a little in her sleep. He suddenly realized just how much of them was touching as her skin smoothed over his under the sheet. Her hand grasped his, fingers lacing, and pulled it to her lower breast, then settled there, still sleeping. He could feel her nipple in his palm. He suddenly wanted to taste her, and moved his head forward to lightly kiss her neck. She tasted slightly of sweat, more of healthy woman. He kissed her again, allowing his lips to trail down her neck and up her shoulder, slowly, tongue probing and caressing. He shifted against her just a bit to feel her skin move on his. He shifted his hand a bit, her nipple sliding along the line of his palm and he felt her breathing catch a bit, knew she was awake. He froze, wondering what he was doing. He knew what she would demand of him now, and knew he couldn't provide it. But she didn't move, just relaxed again and cuddled against him.
He tried to think about it, but found he honestly didn't know what to think. Lying here felt so good, like it filled some desperate need he didn't know he had until she began filling it. He didn't know this woman at all, and so much was riding on him! How could he risk it? He couldn't be with a woman that way. He'd proven it by this time. She felt so good, and she had asked nothing of him, yet. Nothing! So, what did she want? Everybody wanted something, that he knew beyond doubt. What did this woman want? Ardie said she had played the palace. She must have recognized Byock. She must have! She was here to spy on him. She had to be. Well, he would give her something to think about.
He began kissing her again, this time using all the knowledge of a trained courtesan. He trailed his kisses down the curve of her side, then gently rolled her to her back, bending over her. She smiled sleepily up at him though that sun-trapped golden hair. He bent to her, gently touching her lips with his, tracing their edges with his tongue, exploring them slowly, deftly avoiding her own attempts. His hand began gently massaging her breast, letting the nipple slip between two fingers to gently squeeze and roll it. She gasped a little and rolled toward him, her knee coming up over his leg, foot trailing down his calf.
He caught her arm as she lifted it to hold him and he brought it back down, elbow bent, holding her wrist near her head. She relaxed back on the bed, and he leaned further over her, his knee parting her legs. He kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She tasted good, and kissed him back, responding to his every touch. He moved from her lips, trying to catch his own breath. He tucked his near arm under her head and gripped her wrist on the other side, freeing his other hand. He ran it slowly down her side, cupping her hip, then tracing her round buttock and the smooth thigh. He drew her knee up around him and let his hand run back down the back of her thigh. She moaned, and lifted her hips, trying to reach him. Yes, he knew what she wanted, and he would make her want it so much more! But she wouldn't get it. He would give her satisfaction, but not what she wanted!
His lips lowered to her breast and he teased it with his tongue, fingers tracing her flesh as she trembled against him. He drew it into his mouth, licking it gently and letting it go again, teasing her expertly. He breathed on her, watching her soft pink aureole contract, then teasing it with his teeth and lips. Her wrist pulled in his hand, and he tightened his grip a little. He drew her breast into his mouth again and suckled on it, sucking hard. He lifted her to him, hand under her hips. Suddenly she froze. He eased up on her breast, thinking maybe his anger made him suck a little too hard, but she pulled away, sitting up and staring at him.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked him. "If you don't want this, why are you doing it?"
"You didn't seem like you were too disappointed!" he snapped at her. "Isn't that what you wanted? Or were you after something else?"
"Bastard!" She snarled at him, rising to pull her clothes on. "I enjoyed your company. I thought you enjoyed mine. Why'd you have to turn it into some kind of 'I use you and you use me' thing that not even you wanted? I have better things to do then assuage your anger at somebody else!" The door slammed as she stormed out of his room.
He lay back in the bed. Perhaps he had miscalculated a bit. Shit. The bed was suddenly nowhere near as comfortable as it had been a short time ago. He got up and got dressed in the clothes he and Byock had bought the day before, to look like middle income merchants or crafters for the 'audience' with the King. He hoped he didn't just blow the last chance of his life to enjoy a woman's company. At least he had slept well. Better than he had in many years, he thought.
Byock was already downstairs. He smirked up at him. "Have a way with the ladies, do you?" Teldrine snarled wordlessly at him. He laughed. "That minstrel came storming through her a short time ago, and the fire tried to freeze it go so cold! Whatever you did, I hope I never do it!"
Teldrine poured a mug of strong kaff and grabbed a bowl of porridge out of the big pot hanging near the fire.
The shabby prince went back to teasing the tavern wench and let Teldrine eat in peace. Just as well, the pirate thought. I'm in a foul mood. She certainly didn't act like a spy. She wouldn't have left so easily if she had been. But how can I risk it with so much depending on what I do? I almost thought, though... He angrily pushed the thoughts from his head, calling Byock to go. It was close enough. No telling how long they would have to wait in the court to get their audience. If they weren't arrested immediately. Byock was almost unbearable cheery, and Teldrine wanted to take his face off. Oh, yeah, that would put him in a positive light with the puppy's uncle. What happened to my nephew? Why, I was going to give him back, but he smiled too much. Right.
Teldrine was too busy growling to himself and Byock too happy with a touch of familiarity in the air to notice Trina step out of the alley across the way and follow them. They didn't see her expression of amazement when they approached the palace gates with the other petitioners to the days court, either. What kind of game was the young Marapallan prince playing?
The courtyard was thick with petitioners come to see the King. He held open court three days a week, a custom incredible to Teldrine. He looked around at those waiting for their audience. Not everybody could be seen. Clerks and lesser judges were available, and there was a system for prioritizing the requests, or the King would drown in petitions. Still, it was more access than would even occur to anybody in Arbigahl!
There was a line to a desk set up near the doors to the Hall. They joined it, to check in and find their place on the list for today's audience. Byock had exuded total confidence that they would indeed be on it. The stout farmer in front of them finally agreed that he would rather have a late hearing than none, and Byock stepped up to the desk, giving the clerk the name they had filed under. The clerk checked his list, glanced up at him, and Teldrine was sure he was about to be thrown in chains after all when the man motioned to the guards arrayed behind him. One stepped forward. Teldrine took half a step back, hand reaching to his hip where no sword hung. "These men have an appointment in the green room. Please escort them there." He nodded for them to accompany the guard and looked past them to the next group.
Byock breathed again as he followed the guard's incurious "This way," into the Hall and turned left before reaching the inner doors. They went down a hall, then turned down another. Teldrine kept his mind on where exactly they were as they moved toward the back of the throne room. The palace was elegant, in an ornate, stolid kind of way. Very different from the silken draped sensual palace of Isadora. He liked it. They were shown into a sitting room, primarily done in forest green. Polished dark wood reflected gleaming gold from the lamps and a chandelier. Lighter colors worked into the fabrics of the padded chairs and the precious art pieces saved it from being too dark. It was a room for comfortable but serious talk. Teldrine allowed himself to think he might actually live through this, with a vague possibility of his personal freedom still being intact at the end of the day. A lot of faith to put in the decor of a room. He glanced at Byock, speculatively.
The prince was pouring drinks from the sideboard. He took a quick drink, then smiled, eyes closed as he savored whatever it was. Then he topped of his glass and brought one to Teldrine. "You should try this! You sailors do your best, and I've enjoyed a time or two of swilling my share of ale, but I have missed fine drink!" He pushed the drink into Teldrine's hand, and for once the pirate thought it might not be that bad an idea. He took a quick drink just as the far door began to open, then realized that it wasn't wine, but some kind of distilled spirit. His first view of the King of Kahlzistan was through a blur of tears as the potent and unfamiliar liquor hit him. He gasped as he tried to manage a respectable bow, then he managed to fight some air back into his lungs and look up.
Byock was grinning, while the King looked closely at the Prince, obviously looking for signs of deception. He glanced over at Teldrine, who tried manfully to suppress the gasping his body seemed to want him to do. He could feel the heat in his face from the alcohol and embarrassment under the King's gaze. Finally, Byock spoke up. "King Ramone Kahl'Terres, may I present Teldrine, Captain of the Empress Woe, my rescuer and friend. Captain Teldrine, you are presented to the King of Kahlzistan." Teldrine bowed even lower, but did not kneel, as he was not one of this man's subjects. Byock had instructed him in the strange intricacies of Kahlzistani etiquette.
"Rise, Captain. You have my thanks for the saving of my nephew. We had heard that he was taken by pirates." There was a slight emphasis on the word taken. "I must confess my curiosity regarding your method of returning to us, Byock." The King strode to a comfortable appearing arm chair and seated himself, motioning permission for them to do the same.
"Sir, the news that I was taken by pirates was correct. It was a man named Harrod and his crew. They were, are harsh men with no care for any but themselves. I managed to escape them partially, but found myself in a small boat at sea in islands unknown to me, with no supplies, and in very poor condition. In truth, I went from brutal captivity to almost certain death. I awoke on board the Empress' Woe, in the care of Captain Teldrine." Byock smiled over at him, reassuringly as the King stared at him speculatively. "He has treated me very well, and taught me much. We have much to discuss. There is, we feel, reason for me to remain 'missing' although I want my family to know, to ease their worry." His face showed his anxiety. "How is mother?"
"They are well, although they will be much better for knowing you are well. I take it then that you do not intend to return to Marapal right away?" The man did not wait for an answer but turned to Teldrine. "Your reputation has preceded you. You were once known as Branford, were you not?"
Teldrine's face went blank, the red going pale. "Bransford, actually, your Highness." He wasn't at all sure how this was going. The canny old man kept his own thoughts well hidden while bringing out reactions skillfully in them. "Yes, I was the concubine of the Empress. Yes, I stole her ship, the crown jewel of her armada. Yes, I am a pirate. I have much bigger plans, however."
The King considered him carefully, the graying hair at his temples giving his face a keen look. "Was there a great deal of gold on board that ship when you took her?" He leaned back in his chair, and gestured at Byock and the sideboard. "Pour me a brandy, please, nephew. There've been a lot of properties changing hands along the waterfronts recently. Not just here, but in most of the coastal cities here and in Arbigahl. It's been an improvement, for the most part. The knew owners are hard workers who got lucky, somehow. A lot of luck running around the real estate market recently."
This King was sharp. Teldrine had wondered if anybody would put that together. "There are a lot of deserving people out there, who just need a start. I'm glad somebody was able to assist them." He leaned back in his chair as well. "They are a start. My intention," he paused, gathering himself to say it out loud, to a stranger, the words that could lose him his life, right here and now. "My intention is the overthrow of the Empress Isabel of Arbigahl, and the abolishment of slavery."
The room was silent. Byock froze with his uncles snifter in hand, waiting the King's reaction to this bald statement. Ramone just stared at the pirate for a moment. Then he reached up and took the crystal from Byock's stunned grasp and poured a healthy swallow down his throat. "You don't think small, do you boy?" He turned his attention back to Byock. "I suppose you have determined to help him in this mad plot?"
Byock grinned at him. "Of course, uncle! Is it not right in character?" Then his face sobered. "I saw a lot, highness, during my capture and since. I've seen a slave ship, and the faces of slaves who no longer know how to act without somebody to instruct them. Slavery not only takes a person's freedom, it takes their soul. It has to end." King Kahl'Terres looked deep into the young princes eyes, considering what he saw there for long moments.
His sharp eyes turned back to Teldrine. "You've done well as far as the Prince goes. You've also made interesting use of your resources. What are your plans?" He traded Teldrine's bluntness for his own.
Teldrine knew he saw his manipulation of the young prince, but thought that he also saw a spark of interest. The man was so hard to read! "They are general as yet. I intended a long term campaign, before Byock came onto my ship. Influence public opinion here and slowly in Arbigahl. Work from the bottom up. Starve Arbigahlan shipping and attack the slave trade however I can. Provoke Arbigahl into rash acts that will bring condemnation down on them from even their own people. Use business to force changes by manipulating the markets. Make slavery unprofitable and the Empress hated."
His eyes drifted to the Prince. "Byock has offered opportunities to expand on those plans. Move them quicker into the higher circles that could have a real effect. He's given me hope that I might actually see it happen in my lifetime. Because he's made me hope that your assistance might be a possibility. However covert that assistance must be, it makes this whole thing possible."
"Why would I wish to provoke a war with Arbigahl? I need not list the negative aspects of such a thing, I'm sure." The king sipped at his brandy, waiting.
Byock stepped in. "You need to not go to war, at least not anytime soon, if at all, Uncle. That's why I must remain lost, at least publicly. It gives you a reason to build your fleet, to go against the menace of the pirates. Teldrine can control the pirates. He has most of them with him now. The others will be soon. He can focus their depredations on Arbigahlan ships. Soon, only Kahlzistani ships will be able to transport goods safely. Occasional merchant ships can be 'lost' as well to keep up appearances, while in reality the ships can bring supplies to the pirates, and return with a new paint job and a different name. Arbigahl will call on you for assistance in wiping out the pirate threat, and we can slowly wipe out their navy."
"In the meantime, public opinion is guided by what folks hear in their local wineshop. The folk we have settled in businesses, as you noticed, are a huge informal network of information, safe houses, and communication. They are spreading inland. Most don't even know what they are involved in, only that somebody once helped them and may ask a favor in return, some day." Teldrine took over Byock's enthusiastic spew of ideas. "The pirates follow me because I offer them profit. Many are not bad men, just hard, with little opportunity to do any better for themselves. I give them something more. They will follow."
"Did you hear that Estaldo married?" The King suddenly changed subjects. Byock startled, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"You finally pinned him down, did you? What homely little pigeon did you tie him to?" Byock grinned in appreciation of his cousin's supposed straits.
"A young Arbigahlan noblewoman. She's actually quite a pleasant girl, and he seems most happy with her. The kingdom celebrated closer ties with Arbigahl, the increase in trade that may be possible."
Ah. The canny old man's mind worked in interesting ways. "I think an increase in trade would be a good thing." Teldrine waited for sharp eyes to fasten on his again. "I want Kahlzistan to value Arbigahl and her products. I want them to have a vested interest in her condition. Then, when her condition worsens due to slavery and the rage of her Empress, your merchants and their counterparts across the border will support a change."
"Exactly what change did you have in mind? Emperor Teldrine has a ring to it." Teldrine recoiled. The man went for the jugular, all right. Byock was looking at him too, as if the thought had never occurred to him. Well, maybe it hadn't. It was easy to get wrapped up in the doing, forget to look toward the end of the road.
"No. I have no wish to rule, and Arbigahl will be a long time before it will accept a male ruler. I am hoping that one of the current royal family will be suitable. Perhaps even one of the Empress' daughters." The King looked skeptical. Of course, he had his own reports on the daughters of Empress Isadora. Those reports would be unlikely to encourage this idea. There were things those reports couldn't know, however. "When I was the Empress' favorite concubine, I had opportunity to know the family very well. I prefer not to talk about the possibility I have in mind, until my plans are a little further along, but I do believe that it is truly a possibility."
"Nadora could be molded into a possible figurehead, but I don't think a figurehead will be able to lead the country through the kind of profound changes you are dreaming of." The King waited, tacitly demanding more.
"No. A figurehead won't do." Teldrine let it go at that. This King must understand that there was only so much he could expect to know. It was still Teldrine's plan, and would be Teldrine in the thick of it while the old man sat in his palaces and reaped the rewards. He could be an invaluable ally, but it was Teldrine's show and he intended to keep it that way.
The King gazed at him a bit longer, then rose. Teldrine rose with him, feeling much more confident now, although he still couldn't discern the King's opinions. "I will have to give this considerable thought. Byock, write a message and I will have it sent to your family immediately. I must go to the main audience hall now, and put in an appearance. You will be shown back out the way you came in. I'll send word to your inn tomorrow." He turned and strode from the room, leaving them to bow toward his retreating back.
Byock grinned a 'told you so' smirk at Teldrine and they headed back to the inn. Both were feeling a bit high, Byock at feeling like a real prince, Teldrine at being alive, free, and with possible real help in the works! They bought some meat pastries from a man with a cart near the palace, and Byock thought he caught a glimpse of the minstrel from last night. She was quickly gone from sight if it was her, and he wasn't sure Teldrine wanted a reminder of last night anyway, so he didn't say anything. The two men continued down the street, deftly sidestepping the assorted effluvium of the city. The neighborhoods got darker as they moved toward the sea. That was really the only way to describe it. Paint was renewed less often, then not at all. Streets were swept the same way. The block the was on, though showed a few signs of recent repairs. The Wayward Gull itself showed bright new wood in a few places, and new paint at least on the trim. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
They went in and took a table, ordering some light ale to celebrate. A sailor Byock didn't know but obviously Teldrine did joined them at the table. He still smelled of the sea, obviously hadn't been ashore long. Long brown hair was pulled back neatly, though, and he looked relatively respectable, for a sailor. "Captain, Captain sends word." The man deliberately turned amazingly bright blue eyes on Byock and waited.
"You can talk, Brice. He's part of it." Teldrine took another drink and waited. "Harrod's negotiating with somebody in Ozmaroc. Got the impression whoever it is wasn't happy about something, deal fell through or something. He needs something big to make up for it. Maybe us."
Teldrine was suddenly serious again. Very serious. "You're right. I know what fell through." His gaze fell on Byock. The prince's eyes widened, but he said nothing. Good boy. "We need to go hunting, I think."
"If the word comes soon enough, we could leave on the evening tide." Byock thought a moment. "Likely we'll hear around five bells." He didn't offer any further explanation, but Teldrine was satisfied he was probably right. He had been so far. He may have been a spoiled prince, but there was strength underneath, when you scraped some of the shine off. He didn't think the boy would be stupid enough to tell him off on his own ship again!
"Good job, Brine, tell your captain. There's good things on the way. A hard fight, but we'll have some help!" He grinned at the sailor. "Tell your captain that! And that I'll be going hunting. And use this for your shore leave, if you try not to break anything!" He slid a coin across the table, and it disappeared with barely a flicker of gold to mark its passing. Brine disappeared, too, out the door.
The two men finished their drinks and went up to ready their gear to leave quickly. Teldrine sent a message to the docks, their ship out had been pre-arranged and would be ready to sail at his word. Another merchant ship, headed deep south. The Empress Woe would meet them. Teldrine went out for a short while in the afternoon for some last minute purchases. Spices for the cook, small gifts. He visited a number of people just long enough to give friendly greetings. He enjoyed his trips here, as his face was not widely known and he was not wanted. He could move freely here as he'd never been able to in his life, and he did so at every opportunity. He had helped many people here, and tried to keep up with all of them as chance allowed, although it was frequently many months between each visit.
He returned late in the afternoon and went up to his room. He found Byock reading a book. "What are you studying, Prince?"
"Actually, it's a book on the thoughts of Madrid Omartin. He's a philosopher who wrote about the ways in which perception alters what is perceived. It is interesting stuff, although I don't know that I agree with all of it." He went back to reading.
Teldrine just stared at him. Reading about other men's thoughts, for pleasure. It had never occurred to him that such things might exist. "Where did you find this book?"
"Ardie loaned it to me. He said somebody had left it here." Byock looked up, the tone of Teldrine's voice registering. He just looked for a moment, then asked, "Would you like me to find a selection of books for us to read on the next voyage?" Yes, the boy was definitely growing up.
"You can't go out. This morning was necessary, but somebody is bound to recognize you." Teldrine sighed. "Would be a good way to while away the hours on board, though."
"I can send a list, by messenger, to a book seller I know, along with some coins. He doesn't need to know who he's selling to, but I know he's honest and carries a good selection. I want a selection of books on board, whether you do or not!" Byock headed out the door, and the sound of Trina's voice filtered in from below. Here to eat and be ready to play for the dinner crowd, he was sure. He found himself wanting very badly to go to her. His suspicions were obviously ridiculous. He owed her an apology. He was just surprised at how badly he wanted her to accept it. He went downstairs.
She was sitting with her back to the stairs, watching the guests as they came in. Her hair hung down her back like golden silk, tracing the curves of her waist. He wanted to touch it. Instead he froze on the stairs. He actually wanted this woman. He had thought he would never want a woman again, but he wanted her. He still didn't know if he could do anything about it. It would be humiliating, after the apology he must give her, to have that happen. Well, this evening he would be gone, anyway, so not much chance of that. He felt a little safer. He went on down, enjoying the sight of her.
Byock was scribbling on some paper at the bar. Trina looked up as he came around her table, then frowned and looked back at her plate. Teldrine stared down at her. "I'm sorry. May I sit?"
Her eyes came back up to his, staring hard at him. "You can sit." Her face was nicely shaped, the skin lightly tanned, lips full. Her eyes were like emeralds. An eyebrow arched and her lips twitched, and he remembered he was supposed to sit. What was wrong with him? He'd been surrounded by beautiful women all his life! This woman was a witch! But by the sea, it was fun!
"I'm afraid I'm not very trusting. I decided the only reason you'd be doing that was because you wanted something from me. Unfair to you, and founded only on my own fears. I'm sorry." Now she was staring at him, eyes wide in amazement. What did he keep doing to cause these reactions in this woman?
"Are you sure you're a man?" she asked. He felt anger rise in him. She didn't have to ridicule him, but she went on. "I've never heard a man apologize so beautifully and honestly before! Did some woman tell you what to say? Because I know you're a man, but..." she let her voice trail off, and he found himself grinning. This woman was like riding the waves of a storm!
"I was a slave, once." He found himself saying, wanting to be honest with her. "It was taught to me to examine and admit such things to my trainers, if to nobody else. A pleasure slave must understand human reactions very well to be as good as he must be to keep an acceptable owner." Now she stared in truth.
"A pleasure slave? You were a pleasure slave? I knew you were too good last night! Damn, I turned down a night with a pleasure slave. Do you know what legends you guys are up here in north?" She grinned at him, to take the sting out of her words. "If you only enjoyed it, you could work your way through most of the bedrooms in the city! You come to mine, or, well, I to yours, and I turn you down. Well if that just isn't my luck. I don't suppose you'd consider a rematch? But I warn you, I might decide to kill you if you go working your way through most of the bedrooms in the city after me!" Her eyes glinted with humor as her tongue touched her lips.
He didn't know whether to be offended, amused, or terrified at this woman. But he still wanted her. "Unfortunately, I have to sail tonight. I would like to explore some things with you."
She just looked at him. Then she stood and grabbed his hand and dragged him to the stairs. He caught Byock's good natured leer as he went. He smiled back and shrugged.
He let them into his room and she turned into his arms and kissed him, her arms around his neck and body pressed close. It was passionate, but not demanding. Exploring. Her lips traced his, her tongue explored him, and he pulled her tighter against him. Ah, she felt so good in his arms. He wanted to please this wonderful woman. He picked her up and carried her to his bed, then set her on her feet to undress her. She helped, and worked on him as well, her lips trailing down his chest. Her skirt dropped around her ankles and she sat down on the bed, reaching to loosen his trousers. She kicked her boots off, and his pants fell. He tried to move but she grabbed his hips and held him there.
She licked the insides of his thighs, her hands moving to cup his buttocks. He buried his fingers in her tawny golden hair and closed his eyes, trying to just relax and feel whatever she did. He didn't have much experience of oral sex from the receiving end. Not many women really enjoyed doing it, when they had all the control. No, he didn't want to think about that. He bent over her a little to run his hands down her sides and let his fingers trace the sides of her breasts, to remind himself that he could.
She drew him into her mouth, tongue bringing the tip in and then gentle suction pulling the rest of him in. Her tongue explored him, savoring him it felt like. It felt good. She massaged his soft cock in her mouth, and then began drawing it back out, against gentle suction again. She went only a little way before drawing him back in, tongue massaging him. Oh, it felt good! He brought his hands back up and pulled the hair away from her face so he could see her. Her eyes were closed, but he could see her chest rise as she breathed deeply and her hands squeezed his ass as she drew him out of her beautiful lips again. And he grew as if her gentle suction drew him into erection. A deep moan escaped him as this woman gave him pleasure he thought lost forever.
One hand came around and steadied him in her mouth as she continued. Her eyes opened as he tongue laved his helmet, and she smiled up at him, her lips eagerly wrapping around him again. He could feel her pleasure in what she was doing, and relaxed into it. Her mouth sent waves of pleasure through him until he thought the floor rocked like the deck of a ship.
He drew away from her, wanting to be inside her. She let him push her back on the bed, reaching to kiss him and draw him with her, deftly deflecting him from putting his lips to her thighs in turn. He thought she would need wetting, though she obviously enjoyed what she was doing to him, he didn't expect it to arouse her...
Her hand wrapped around him and guided him straight into her very wet tunnel as her lips fastened on his. She was like fire, molten around him! She was truly aroused without his doing a thing! She actually wanted him. Then her hand lightly slapped his cheek. He blinked down at her, startled. "Are you going to stay in your trance up there, or join me down here? Because I'd really like it if you'd fuck me now!" She grinned at him, reaching to snap her teeth at his nose. At the same time, her hips rocked forward and her hands pulled his hips down, driving him deeper inside her.
He actually laughed a little, grinning during sex for the first time in his life. He never knew it could feel like this, for all his training and experience, he never knew. "I'm with you, woman. I'm with you." He began thrusting into her, moving slowly and steadily, deep strokes. He rocked his hips to move against her clit and get that extra touch of depth, and allowed himself to feel how that added to his own pleasure. She cried out and her nails dug into his ass. She arched her back and he bent around to take her breast in his mouth, pausing a second to wait for punishment for his presumption then felt her twisting to lift it further, offering it to him and his own pleasure washed back over him.
There was no pain. That thought actually stilled him for a moment. She stilled under him, then her hands drew his eyes to hers. She smiled at him and gently drew him down to her lips, kissing him softly, their bodies still locked together, unmoving. He kissed her back, tracing the shape of her lips with his, barely touching, then turning to fasten his mouth to hers, gently, then firmly, then the need burst through them again and they thrust together. His arms wrapped around and under her and he pulled her to him, lifting her the space of his arms off the bed and thrusting deep into her. She cried out and he moaned with her, moving still in long, smooth strokes, savoring every inch, taking as much as she gave. And she told him with every inch of her that she wanted it, wanted him. Her hands left marks on his back and buttocks as she pulled him harder to her. Her mouth moved from his lips to his shoulder, breath gasping as she whispered to him. "Yes, ah, yes," over and over. Then her teeth found him and her legs came up over him as he felt her first shudder of climax rock through her, tightening around his cock and he drove himself into her, deeper than before. He felt her walls tighten and he thrust again, enjoying the tightness and letting her excitement draw him. His body kept waiting for the change in tension, the signal to stop, but it didn't come, and he realized the waiting and drove past it.
She exploded in his arms, every movement drawing him to her, encouraging him, clinging to him. Her cries were went through his head until she buried her mouth on his shoulder again and her teeth echoed the wave that rolled through him as he buried himself in her again, and again. Then he felt it begin to lift from deep inside him, the feeling rising and growing. She felt it to and called to him, begging him to come for her! He cried out with her and exploded, his cock pushing deep, and even deeper inside her, her walls locked down around him, pulsing as she came again, her legs locking them together. Then she moved, rocking her hips hard, drawing another pulse from him, tight, so tight, and he answered driving into her again, once again, muscles slowly remembering to move, then demanding to move, and again, until suddenly they were moving smoothly again, aftershocks running through them both, slowing, not wanting to stop, the feelings exquisite as they slid gently now together.
He kissed her again, gently caressing her swollen lips, licking lightly at them. "Come with me." He closed his eyes, thinking he'd gone crazy.
She stopped. "What?"
"Come with me." Scales, he'd said it again. Well, why not? She was a minstrel. What better way to reach public opinion than with song? She could be of great value to them. To him. "We sail tonight. I promise you great adventure!" He kissed her. "And great sex!" Please let her come. He suddenly needed her with him. The thought of going back to see without her sickened him. He was more scared than he'd ever been. He buried his face on her shoulder, waiting. She was quiet. Her hands drifted softly up and down his spine.
He resisted her first efforts to get him to raise his head and look at her. Then she said, "Teldrine." He froze, his heart still within him. He slowly raised his head, staring down at her. She flinched. "No, I've spoken to nobody about you. I didn't know until you told me you'd been a pleasure slave. There are a few stories floating around of an escaped pleasure slave turned pirate. I'm a minstrel, it's my job to know all such stories. I've no wish to hurt you, Teldrine. Nor Byock. Yes, him I recognized right away. But he wasn't being forced, and it isn't my place to interfere with a prince. I haven't pried, have I? Teldrine, I wanted you before I knew who you were. I wanted you. But if you want me with you, you had to know that now. Because I'll go. Oh, yes, I'll go. For as long as you want me."
Her green eyes stared into his. She made no move to look away, and laid relaxed under him. Her hands stilled on his back, and that was all. His mind was frozen, unable to decide where to turn. His cock twitched inside of her, and involuntarily he smiled a little. Why not. He could have something he simply wanted, couldn't he? If she wanted it to? The thought crossed his mind that it was now safer to have her on shipboard anyway, with what she knew. He pushed it away, and kissed her. "Then we shall sail together, for a while." He put his face in the curve of her neck and hugged her closer again.
"Then I need to pack my stuff. What time do you, I mean we, sail?" She laughed a little.
"With the tide, at nine bells. If a certain message comes in time. I must get back downstairs." He regretfully pulled away from her. She pulled him back for one more kiss, then followed him up and out of the bed. She poured some water in the basin and took a cloth to begin cleaning herself up. She looked at him and laughed. "You'd better not take your shirt off for a few days! I'll try to be more gentle next time! But you do make it hard!"
"You don't worry about it." He turned to her, fastening his trousers. He reached out to cup her face. "I like it when you show you want me. Don't stop." She stepped up to him and kissed him again, deeply. He lost himself in it, and dropped his shirt, forgotten to the floor. Until a knock came at the door. He startled back from her, and she let him go just a little before stopping him at arms length and grinning at him. She stepped forward again, eyes looking deeply at him. "Do you want me here?" The question went deep, he knew. They couldn't hide their relationship on board, nor did he want to. Too many old reactions.
"I want you. Sorry." He held her against his side as Byock knocked again and called out.
"Captain, there's somebody here you really need to talk to, if you to are done and all." They heard him clear his throat.
"We're on our way!" he called, and listened to the pause before the footsteps went away. That would have worried him.
"Explain to him that it's safer to have me on board, since I know who you are." She smiled at him, and bent to pick up her clothes.
He swatted her ass and grinned at her yelp. "Thought never crossed my mind," he lied. He tossed her a boot and turned at the door. "Where's your stuff?"
"Just down the hall, of course. I'll pack and be down in a bit." She smiled at him. "Sailing has got to be a lot better in the Captain's cabin!"
He bit back a groan and headed down the stairs. He would never hear the end of this from Lida! He tromped down the stairs, finding himself in good spirits. Better than he'd been in some time! Byock sat stood near the bar with a man in a plain cloak and droopy hat. Nobody he would have looked twice at, normally. He strolled over, and Byock gave him a nervous smile. "This is the man your message is for." The prince let his gaze point out Teldrine.
The man turned to him and looked at him carefully. Then he held out a sealed letter. "I am to await a yes or no answer, and to watch you burn the message before returning, sir." His dark eyes met Teldrine's for only a moment before drifting downwards, returning to his nondescript pose. But Teldrine knew from that one look that this was not a man to be trifled with. He was glad the King was taking him seriously.
He stepped apart and opened the letter. On it were only some numbers, coordinates and a time. He thought about them for a moment, picturing the place, and the time needed to get to it. Yes, it would do. He crumpled the paper and looked at the man. "Yes." He tossed the wad into the fireplace, under the perpetual stew pot. Ah, stew, now there was an idea! There was just time for a good meal before boarding ship to ready for the tide. He grinned at Byock. "Come, soon we're back to fish and salt pork. Let's eat while we may, then we sail!"
"Who, exactly, is 'we' I wonder? Wouldn't include that toothsome minstrel, now would it? Wanting somebody to sing your praises, oh great Captain, future savior of all the downtrodden?" Byock's eyes glinted wickedly, a leer on his face. "You're not actually thinking of taking her along, are you? Do you really think ship board is the place for her?"
"Is it the place for you, prince? I seem to remember somebody cussing while I untangled him from the rigging, not so long ago?" He sat as a beaming Ardie ladled stew into bread bowls and set them in front of them.
"That's hardly what I meant, and you know it! But she has chosen the life of a songstress, what does she know of fighting? Does she know what's ahead?"
"Oh, yes, Byock, I know what's ahead." Trina tossed her pack to the side and sat at the table with them, setting several instrument cases down more carefully.
Ardie brought a bowl of stew for her as well, grinning as he saw her packs. "Now we'll get some stories about what you're doing out there! Trina, you'll come back and sing it for us, won't you?" He looked hopefully at her. "Of course! You'll be the first to hear the ballad of the Prince and the Pirate!"
She smiled at the prince's startled look. "When one plays the palace, one doesn't forget the faces of visiting royalty, my lord," she said in a low voice as she took a bite of stew. She smiled at him as she chewed and swallowed. "When one travels the roads as a young woman minstrel, one learns to protect oneself, as well. I handle myself in battle, no fear. I have other advantages as well, as you will learn in time!"
Teldrine smiled at her, enjoying this woman with the mind that twisted the same mazes his did. "I do believe she'll do just fine, Byock."
Byock bared his teeth in a wide grin. "Can I watch while you explain this to Lida?"
Teldrine growled at him, and concentrated on his stew. Trina paused. "Who's Lida?" Teldrine just kept eating.
"Lida's first mate on the Empress' Woe. You'll meet her soon enough!" He smirked a little at Teldrine in anticipation.
He couldn't let the kid get away with that. "I wonder what she'll think of that sweet little redhead I saw making her way out of your room this morning?"
Byock looked startled, and Trina giggled. "There was not any redhead coming out of my room!" Trina laughed out loud.
"Really? I could have sworn I saw...but if you say so." Teldrine smiled as he saw it sink in to the boy's brain.
"I look forward to meeting this Lida!" She smiled brightly at them. The men suddenly looked worried.
The deck rolled under his feet and Byock was suddenly aware of how happy he was to be back on board ship. The warm salt laden wind ruffled the sun through his hair and his body film. Alive and ready. Ready for what, now there was the question, and he really had no idea of the answer.
They sailed the long the far side of the islands, open sea to the right, water bound mountains to the left. It was too far out for most merchants, added too much to their travel time to be profitable. They didn't know the routes back between the half submerged mountains and would not be allowed through if they did.
The Empress' Woe sailed now to rendezvous with the Navy of Kahlzistan. The possible results of that meeting left Byock wanting to stare wide-eyed at the horizon. He felt caught up in matters much too big for him. Why have his uncle even agreed to this? The cause was just, of course, but why, now, was the King suddenly willing to risk war with Arbigahl? It made no sense.
But events would proceed as they would, and for now it was a beautiful day to be on board ship. The sun glinted off the swells, and even seemed to glow in some places. Actually, just that one area off to starboard. What was that?
The wave shown with a cold light some distance off the seaward side of the ship, and as he stared, Byock realized the patch of ocean was pacing them! A sailor in the crows nest called out, apparently with a better view and with amazement in his voice. "Jelly fish to starboard! Giant jelly fish to starboard!"
They were coming in closer now, and Byock could see the iridescent in their skins when the waves rolled them up. Teldrine, Lida, and Trina joined him at the rail, and more sailors crowded the rail and rigging to get a look.
The giant creatures were definitely moving toward them now, individuals becoming clear, moving up the surface of the deep green water. Teldrine suddenly turned away from them. "Helmsman, hard a port! Take us in, the first channel that won't hole us! Crew to the lines! Don't watch them! For your lives don't watch them!" He grabbed Byock and yanked him into motion toward the bow. Then he moved down the rail, cursing sailors and getting them into the rigging. The ship pitched slowly to port as the helmsman spun the wheel and the great ship answered to her rudder.
Slowly they turned toward the islands and a narrow passage there. Byock could see breakers foaming around reefs. They would have only a narrow margin if they made it. He moved to his station, ready to haul on the one particular line he had been assigned to. He had no idea what did amongst the web required to operate the Empress' Woe, but he had asked for something useful to do, and if this was it, then he would do it well! Hands on the line ready to pull, he waited for the command. His eyes strayed back to the iridescent skin the sea. It was much closer, and he could make out the shapes of individual behemoths now, just below the surface.
The great ship turned further taking them from his line of sight and he realized that he was standing at the rail actually leaning out over it! He jumped back and a chill ran over his skin.
The voice yelling at him penetrated finally and he leapt to haul on his line. he noted that absently that a luffing sound diminished and then disappeared over head as he pulled. Somebody yelled again and he tied it off to the cleat as they'd shown him. Then he dared to look around again.
The ship was passing between two islands close along side. It seemed to be moving much more quickly than was safe, but a sailor was on the bowsprit, calling back course adjustments. He could see Teldrine at the stern glancing occasionally over his shoulder. After a bit the captain called another command and the sailors in the rigging lowered some canvas. The ship slowed gradually. Byock adjusted his line once more, and the men were drifting down to the deck, small groups gathering and waiting. It was an odd feeling, as the men waited.
Suddenly Byock remembered sitting with that other captain in the tavern. What was his name, Alez? Yeah, that was it. He said something about jellyfish. Teldrine had seemed to laugh it off, and Byock hadn't paid much attention. He remembered himself leaning out over the rail to watch the monsters, and a sweat broke out down his spine. Teldrine may have just saved them all! Then again, Alez said he only lost one of his crew. Something about strange ships. Goosebumps rolled down his arms at the thought. Maybe the monsters weren't all Teldrine had saved them from!
There was tension on the ship, still. The sailors were quiet allowing the man in the bow to be heard. He kept his attention on his post, but couldn't help but notice just how close they came to the island, and another one, and a third. They were threading a needle here, a crooked one. The shores rose steep and rocky from the water. Waves were broken but currents through the underwater canyons were wild. Rock lightly scratched its way down their sides once, twice, and again, like great claws stroking their hull making the ship shiver.
Byock shivered too, and pulled on his rope once more as they swung hard right. The rock seemed to pass by his face, so close, and then they were out, the water opened into a channel stretching ahead through more islands. Byock thought of a mountain pass, a gap between tall peaks. Suddenly everybody was breathing again, although the lookouts stayed vigilant. Jelly fish weren't the only danger, and there had been reason for them to use the outer route. The less their presence was noticed in this part of the islands the better, until they were ready to make use of this alliance, and certainly until they knew just what it would entail!
They sailed on, Byock figured to one of the routes they'd discussed earlier. All were winding and slower than they would have preferred, but they would get there. Byock tied off his line and headed for his bunk. He passed Teldrine apparently on his way the same direction. He hoped the man would sleep. He was wound way too tight, even with Trina's attentions. He had plenty of reason for it, but didn't need it. He had a feeling that Trina would have better luck in that department than he would, so Byock didn't wait for him. The two of them had been up most of the last 4 nights, and he just headed for his bunk while he could.
Teldrine stared off to the stern long after they were out of sight of the open ocean. Had he really seen a sail out there, just at the horizon? He shook his head and stored it away for another time. And he would certainly talk to Alez more carefully the next time they met. Finally he turned away and determined to head for his bunk. He doubted he could sleep, but his body would be better for it, he knew. So would his mind. "Harkner, you know where we're going. All due caution. You have her."
"Aye, sir." The man was one of the best, since the first days. Almost absurdly loyal in Teldrine's eyes. He never questioned a single thing Teldrine said, refused all chances to leave or serve elsewhere. The man was simply always at his back, his self appointed shadow. Teldrine gave up asking about it a long time ago. Now it just felt good. He wished he could feel as secure about Trina.
He entered the hatch, and made his way back to the stern and the Captain's cabin. Trina was already in bed, asleep. One bare leg long on top of the sheets, shadowed skin beautiful in the shifting light from the stern windows. Teldrine shed his clothes without taking his eyes from her. He sat carefully at the foot of the bed, staring at her, and his hand went to his already half erect cock. He stretched his long legs out along side her. What magic did this woman have that none of the others had possessed all these years? He didn't care, it worked.
His eyes drifted over her smooth curves, the gently rising chest as his hand smoothed up his cock. He relaxed into the moment, his hand firm and soft on himself, . He moved a little more quickly, lips parted as he looked at this beautiful woman who had given him back his manhood! The thought brought a surge to his cock and he let the whisper of a moan escape as he shifted his grip a little. He tightened his fingers, massaging a little more now. He thought of waking her, of climbing up behind her where her leg was bent forward, and just slipping inside her as she woke to him. The thought fascinated, and he visualized himself sinking into her while his hand moved.
In his mind his hand moved up her smooth skin to her soft, so soft breast. His eyes followed his vision, tracing the curve of her hip and side, just where he'd place his hand. The hand that was stroking himself firmly and quickly now, as his mouth reached to kiss her neck in his mind, his eyes traveled up to meet hers, watching him. He blushed, his hand stopping as he tried to decide whether to even try to cover up! She smiled and shook her head slightly, then let her eyes deliberately slide south to watch him.
He blushed even darker and told himself it was the heat of the sun falling through the window beside them. He was partially soft again after being startled and he worried for just a moment, until he saw her parted lips, and the moisture there. Her breaths were short and sharp, she was aroused! His hand moved without his conscious permission as his eyes stayed on those lips. She licked them as his stroke reached his helmet and he caught his breath. Trina moved toward him, slowly turning on the bed. She moved until her face was just near his fist, she flicked it with her tongue as he moved it over his shaft. He felt her breath drift over the skin. Her touch flared from the base of his cock, caressing his scrotum with her knuckles.
He slowed and she lifted her mouth over him, taking the head in her mouth. Her hand pushed his into motion again and he began milking it, her mouth distracting him terribly, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't stop her for anything. Then she caught his rhythm and the soft pop of her lips over his helmet was perfect counterpoint to his own motion. He tangled his fingers through her hair to be holding something as his calves tightened and his breath quickened. It was way too soon when he felt the familiar rushing tingle run up from somewhere inside as his body considered orgasm. "Trina, soon. Trina..." he whispered to her, his voice deep and hoarse and then gone. He closed his eyes as his legs locked tight and the burning rushed through him, unstoppable now, and Trina suddenly sucked him hard and deep into her mouth so he jetted far back in her throat and felt that his mind exploded right out of his body as well. Her tongue worked with each spasm, drawing everything from him.
Finally she pulled back against him, and he realized he was still holding her in place, hands wrapped around her head. He let go instantly and reached to steady her as she sat up, finding in the process that he could move again. "Trina, my sweet Trina, I'm sorry. That was incredible! I didn't mean to..."
She shut him up with a kiss, pulling him back so he had to kneel up and move with her. She lay down, pulling him over her, her tongue insistent on his, her lips succulent. "If you think we're done, you better think again, lover! I only got an appetizer, and it whet my appetite very properly! Now, I'm sure you can find something to do until your other parts are operational again!" She kissed him again, and he found some things to do. There was so much of her to explore, so he went exploring. He found the lovely groove at the back of her neck and the muscles that led down from it to her delectable shoulders. Shoulders were fascinating subjects, he found. So many small curves and hollows, shadows and softness. Elbows were rather nice, too. Hands and breasts were something he had a great deal of experience with. He gave them their due, especially her lovely breasts, but today he was finding himself enjoying the casual touch and wandering that had never occurred to him as a separate pleasure when he last had sex, as a slave.
He wandered, following his nose and his tongue, finding his way down her body, rolling her back and forth naked in the sheets as the whim took him. She twisted and rolled with him, her body caressing him, legs bending and lifting to slide down his side as he turned, back arching to lay back over his knee as he traced the curve of her stomach. This woman was breathtaking in her sheer wantonness when she looked up and purred at him, his breath moistening her thigh. He saw pure lust in her eyes, and absolutely no trace of demand. Yet she didn't hesitate to make her own desires known. No callousness, she was looking at him, reacting to him, the person. It rocked his world. Suddenly his perceptions shifted, like a card house shuffled down in his head. He froze, staring at her. She froze back, waiting for whatever he needed.
So, this is what love is, he thought, dazedly, as he realized suddenly how much he needed this woman. He lowered his head slowly, needing to do a great deal of thinking. Teldrine contemplatively slipped his tongue between the folds of her soft wet skin, drawing her taste into his mouth and nose and out again before exploring there as thoroughly as he had the rest of her. He needed to think, he knew, but nothing was coming, so he went on with his new favorite activity. She tasted salty, musky, and wonderful. The smooth wet ridges felt interesting under his tongue and he traced them with the tip and then the flat of his tongue before navigating them up to their joining.
Trina had settled down with her knees over his shoulders and her hands wandering over herself and whatever of him she could reach. He wrapped his arms under her thighs and around and held her lips open so he could lightly tease the outer tight folds of her clit. He brushed it lightly with his tongue, feeling her shudder. He flattened his tongue out below it and circled, moving so slowly up until she was centered under him and he heard her moans coming with more frequency. Then he brought one of his arms back around slowly worked a finger into her heat, moving it around and around, the walls feeling smooth and slippery warm.
Trina's hands came down on his head, pulling him up to see her sitting, pulling away from his hand. "No, I want you inside," she said and drew him back over her. He was more than ready for her and moved to cover her with eagerness. She pulled herself up to meet him, kissing her own flavor from his lips, hungry. Teldrine almost fell into her, rocking forward without hesitation to enter her to her depths. Her thighs were around him as her whole body pulled him in and she cried out under him, their mouths devouring each other. He pulled out and plunged into her again and suddenly a rhythm was set as she rose to meet him. He felt the pressure on his cock shift as she rocked her hips, squeezing down differently with each stroke, the pressure circling slowly, always drawing him out.
Her mouth left his and drifted down to his shoulder and he drew back a little, looking down at her. He could see she was about to come, and he thought it would be hard, too, and still she worked for his pleasure as well. He could do no less. Perhaps his slavery might be good for something, after all. He shook away the thought and changed the angle of his own strokes, shifting his hips a bit farther down and rocking them to get the last bit of depth. The rocking motion would press on her clit as he reached the dwelling of desire, as his trainers had called it, that spot secretly deep inside a woman.
He felt the change in her tension after only a couple strokes and he slowed his pace in spite of her encouragement. He made each stroke slow and deliberate, building her and building her without giving her that extra touch of release. It was much harder than it used to be to lock his own feelings off, to maintain enough concentration to focus on her. Still, it wasn't long at all before he could see her time coming, beyond which the feelings would fade again. He began speeding up, finally acceding to her desires. He rapidly now brought her up and she climbed higher than before.
Her legs locked around Teldrine and pulled him in, working with him right up to the point of screaming and then she was locked around him in truth, her legs and arms as well as her pussy spasmed tight for a heartbeat, two, three and she throbbed around him, then loosened back into a sort of rhythm that he could pick up and lead her back into. She clawed at him, her head rocked back and then forward to bury her screams in his neck, her teeth sinking in as he kept pushing her at the edge, letting his own return now. He felt the change when his arousal overcame hers descending and now he was driving into her savoring the tightness pulling as he drew out and the shock as he thrust home.
She worked with him again, milking him, her legs back down around his thighs where she did wondrous things with her hips. Her hands tightened on his ass, pulling him into her harder and harder and he complied. The flare burned through him and he wrapped his arms hard around her, lifting her from the bed as he buried himself in her. He groaned deep in his chest as he lost himself in her for this moment, these moments. He plunged into her again, and again and he swore she came again too as she clenched her body around him and her mouth and tongue burned on his neck.
Finally they relaxed, bodies warm and soft and wrung out. She dragged the blanket over them and he knew no more.
Teldrine woke with the vague thought that at least that unholy racket wasn't the sound of wood rending on rock. Trina's voice shrieked, "Yeah, alright he's on his way, quit breaking the damn door down!" and he realized the noise was the cabin master hammering on the door and for once he was spared answering him. He lazily thought that it was nice to wake up and let somebody else yell. He pulled an eye open and saw Trina brushing out her long hair, seated in a wooden chair and letting it hang forward in a glistening stream of purest gold. "Come back to bed."
She looked up and smiled at him. "We're an hour away from the rendezvous, and the men need to hear from you before then. Get your lazy ass out of that bed or I'll go send Fencher back. It's his job, not mine!" She grinned at him and walked out the door. He climbed up, groaning. She was right, and she wouldn't have to say anything though. Fencher would be down here as soon as he saw her up there anyway. Teldrine scrambled into his pants and dragged a comb and some water through his hair quickly. Even managed to get his shirt swung on if not fastened before he heard the boots coming and sat casually at the table looking over the maps as if he'd been there for some time.
The irascible sound of Fencher clearing his throat in the open doorway was his cue to look up and wait. He thought he did well keeping the grin from showing as he read the old sailor's disappointment. A good story was worth gold on shipboard, and the man been hoping for a least a small bit of gossip! Fencher knew everything that happened on ship board. There was a surprising amount that could be hidden in odd nooks and crannies by men desperate for privacy. Teldrine counted on Fencher to know it all and to know what to gossip, what to hold tight, and what to report. The old man was both smarter and wiser than he looked.
"Well, get yerself cleaned up now. If it ain't past time fer yer arse to be on deck, I ain't the best sailor on this tub, and you know I am. So move it!" The old man stopped and looked him in the eye. "You sure this mixin' up with the Kahlzi's is a good idea?" The moment was still, demanding the truth.
"I think it's our only real chance. I think we have a shot at it working. Good?" Teldrine shrugged. "I hope Rupp's grandchildren decide that one."
"You hope in vain then, sir! I ain't never gettin' stuck with no female, not me, sir!" The cabin boy came in the door with a bucket and a broom. "Nothin' but trouble! I seen it again and again! Not me, no sir!"
Teldrine laughed as he buttoned his shirt and drew his vest over it. He took a look at Rupp. The boy had just had a growing spurt and his arms and legs stuck out of his clothes by several inches. "Fencher, surely we have some rags somewhere that will still cover this boy? Boy, you won't be a boy much longer, and then we'll see what you say about women!"
He was laughing as he left the cabin and climbed to the hatch. The smile still sat on his lips as he climbed to the bridge and turned to face the rest of the ship. He watched as they slowly realized he was there and came to listen. He saw Trina off to one side on a coil of rope, smiling up at him while she gnawed on a ship's biscuit. Fencher's biscuits had more flavor to them than most other ships he'd served on, but they weren't any softer.
Byock say near her, back to the rail. Lida sat legs through some rigging just above and beside him. The rest of the crew, men and women, stood around or sat in various small groups. They were defined despite the crowded deck space, and he noted that with a slight dimming of his smile. There was a lot of controversy about this meeting. He was proud that nobody hesitated to obey, and even more proud that this batch of ex-slaves had no fear of discussing the matter, or expressing their views in something as first hand as body language. If a slave expressed himself at all, he made very sure it was anonymous.
So. "I'm proud of you. I look around, and I see people who have, one and all, broken free from the patterns of thought that you were raised in, and learned to look and see for yourselves. Do you realize how rare that is? If you don't, some day you will, and I want you to look back on this moment and remember. This is a formidable crew, on a unique vessel, with that rarest and most terrifying of things, a destiny."
He looked around and saw them enjoying the show more than buying into it and he grinned back at them. "Most of you have been with us since we took the ship, 2 years ago. Those of you who haven't are aware of where we came from, and what we swore we'd do. We've sailed a lot of waters since then. We've pirated, we've killed, we've shared the spoils, we've drank a town or two dry!" He grinned as the expected laughter rocked around the ship. A sail luffed and the sailors nearest it's lines leapt to pull it taught.
"We've taken slave ships, when we could. Not as many as we wanted to." It was like a cloud hitting the sun. The smiles were gone and solemn eyes looked up at him. He stared into a few of them at random and saw the same slow, deep rage burning there that he felt himself. It was time to begin waking it. "All of that, all of it, was with one goal in mind. To end slavery." He paused, and the slap of the water on the hull was loud.
"We have laid the ground work. We have learned to be people again, and not slaves. We have made ourselves a place that we know well, and made many a friend along the way. There is much more in place than many of you know. So much more. But this was never going to be easy. This was nearly impossible at the outset. It is no longer so."
There was a slow awakening as the old fires glowed a little hotter again, and they awoke from the daily lives they had all settled into. "Now we must remember who we are and what we are doing. We are not pirates. We are not outlaws. We are those who have pledged our lives to change this horror in our world. We will work with any and all allies who have the ability to assist us in our mission. We have gathered pirates to our side. We have gathered merchants, shopkeepers, innkeepers, and princes. Now we have gathered a King. Is this a good idea? Can there be any doubt?" He watched the pride and anger mix. They were awake now. Good. He wanted the men he was soon to meet to see this fire. They knew what pirates looked like. Pirates were what they were expecting. They would not get it.
"Now! Harkner, drop anchor at the next cove for an hour or so. I want everybody in good repair and the ship spotless before we sail in to meet these men. It won't be hard, we do a damn good job everyday!" He let the scattered calls die back, then went on. "But hear me! We are a serious crew with deadly intentions. We will not look like a bunch of gaudy clowns. We do not need a uniform, yet, but we will be in working good repair. Do you all understand?" He let his eyes stray to a couple of the more enthusiastic collectors of finery from their pirating. They all solemnly nodded. "It is time for us to truly go to work. We will shut down the slave trade."
There was no cheering. This was not a happy occasion. He simply looked them over one more time, then ended it. "Let's do it." He turned to Harkner. "I have preparations to make, as well. Then I will be focused on the good Admirals. You will maintain ship command until I relieve you again. You've no need of my direction to do it. I'll keep you informed." Teldrine headed below decks again. He pulled out the portfolio he had ready and went over it again, adding a few pages from the small file drawer he kept, and removing a few again. He pulled out a slate and chalk and began making lists and crossing them out.
Trina found him there and he smiled briefly at her, staring at the current incarnation of his agenda with the Admiral. He found that seeing his thoughts helped him to organize them. It would give him a mental visual anchor point to remember his basic goals through what could be very tense negotiations. She came over and stood behind him, wrapping smooth warm arms across his chest. "Are they about ready up there?"
He felt her smile. "All spiffy and ready to impress. Smart of you to have Fencher stock those new trousers and shirts, and then let them do it because they wanted to. They all see through it now, of course, but they appreciate it anyway!" It wasn't really a uniform, just white trousers and plain colored shirts, loose and easy for climbing the rigging and staying cool, heavy cloth to last. But they were all the same make and design, and all new. The ship herself shone. The crew hadn't been idle while he and Byock had been away. Everything that could be polished was polished, everything that could be painted had a fresh coat. They couldn't be more ready for this. "Then let's do it."
He went up on deck and was greeted by cheers and found himself flushing. He hoped this wouldn't become a habit. "Harkner? Are we ready to sail?" His voice carried as easily above the sailors' as it did above the wind and waves.
"Aye, aye, sir!" came back.
"Then take us into Dragontooth Bay, please." The mates voice rang out and the anchor chain began climbing, sails began flapping over head as they were hauled into place, and the ship shuddered into life under them. He loved that feeling. The memory of the King's jest of Emperor Teldrine made him grin. He wouldn't give up that feeling to be Emperor of the World! He moved to the bow, looking ahead as they neared the next headland. Beyond it was a large bay circled by three islands. They left open water in the shape of a huge tooth, with three sailable passages and plenty of deep water.
It wasn't frequently used because all of those entrances led to narrow twisting routes out to any easy sailing water, and that not convenient to shipping. A perfect place for a clandestine meeting of ships with more need for secrecy than speed. Two of their boats were lowered, and a pair of men went out to each island as they passed through the eastern channel. They would climb to the heights and signal any problems they saw coming.
Then the prow cleared the passage, and Teldrine got his first look at the bay. Three ships floated there. No flags flew, but they were Kahlzistani Navy, sure enough. He looked around quickly. No sign of any boats ashore. They sailed past the other three ships to the far island and sent out a third boat with lookouts before returning to anchor near the other three. It gave them all time to assess each other a bit. He knew they had to be curious about the true capabilities of the cannon the Empress' Woe mounted. They had still never been used in battle. The earlier ones had been likely to explode themselves, and had a short range, although the damage they could do was impressive. These were much improved.
Still, Teldrine had no wish to take on three KRN battleships. The canons were locked back on the deck. The ship flew a new flag, as well. Red, with a pair of broken manacles on it. Fencher had produced it proudly as they set sail. The design was from a drunken conversation in a tavern not so far from here but long ago, and it was time for a symbol, he thought. It was time.
His face broke into a huge grin when he saw the other ships, even the huge flag ship, lowering boats. They were coming to him! The king truly wanted this for his own reasons. Teldrine wished he knew what those reasons were. "Fencher! Wine, ale and food in the chart room. Make sure somebody makes nice with the sailors while we talk."
Three ladders were dropped as the boats came along side. They emptied rapidly as their passengers, lifelong sailors all, tied off and swung themselves up and onboard. Teldrine watched as their eyes roamed his deck. Admiral Nerilon was a hard, wave turned and water etched piece of driftwood. The core of some great tree that had washed up in every shore of the world. His eyes seemed to see a horizon slightly farther out than most men. He wore his blue uniform with a quiet unquestioned authority.
The two other officers were more readable. One was perhaps a little young for his position, and he held himself stiffly, dark eyes watching everything. His brown hair was cut short to his skull. He looked very efficient. The other was a seasoned officer, standing at easy attention, methodically cataloging all that he saw and withholding judgment. Salt and pepper hair and mustache were neatly trimmed and his uniform was crisp, as of course were they all. His green eyes were direct as he met Teldrine's gaze.
There was a forth man stepping up with the officers. He was in a naval uniform, but without insignia of any kind. His black hair was longer than any of the navy men, though not overly so. He moved as if comfortable on board ship. Yet he was separate from the other three, somehow. Dark eyes caught Teldrine's and Nerilon noticed. "This is Ensidor. The King thought he might be handy to us. This is Ordren, captain of the Arten, and Captain Fimbern of the Lobella."
"Welcome aboard gentlemen. Refreshments await us in the chart room, this way." He led them through the forward hatch and down to the core of his huge ship. Built as the pride of a vain country, the intended flagship of the Arbigahlan navy was impressive, and Teldrine had made sure it was cared for. The scarlet and gold was a little overdone to his tastes, but it was impressive. The chart room was large and roomy, meant to double as a conference room for fleet business. The cubbies on one wall were full of rolled maps, and he saw every captain's eyes go to them, if only briefly.
Goblets and pitchers stood on the table, condensation showing that they were actually chilled. The ship had an ingenious evaporative cooler set up for small amount of cool foods. They poured themselves what they chose and all settled at the table. Then the door opened and all looked up as Byock joined them. Teldrine watched Nerilon sit up in his chair, and was interested to note that Ensidor showed a glint of surprised recognition as well. The other two looked at the young prince in puzzlement. Then Nerilon rose and bowed. The others scrambled to their feet, still puzzled, until he said, "Prince Byock. I'm glad to see you well, your highness."
Ensidor bowed with the others, not giving away his recognition. Teldrine stored it away. Ordren's eyes were strangely intent for a moment, then he sat back as Byock took his seat and gestured them to theirs. "Thank you, Admiral. Please, I consider myself junior here. I will contribute what I may, but I'm am functioning merely as an advisor to Captain Teldrine. Of course, my presence here is to be kept in the utmost secrecy."
"Of course, your highness." Nerilon turned back to Teldrine. "I believe, if you agree, that the first order of business should be for you to know exactly what orders I have from King Kahl'Terres." The admiral had poured a goblet of wine, but had yet to touch it.
"A reasonable suggestion. Please proceed." Teldrine sipped of his own goblet, one of those left when each had chosen their own. He swallowed enough to put their minds at ease and set it back down in the carved holder at his place. Byock did the same with the ale he had poured into the final goblet. Ordren immediately took a drink, as if wetting a dry mouth.
"I am to cooperate with such ships and such crews and people as you designate by a method to be agreed upon here, to as much extent as possible without compromising the security of this alliance." The word alliance almost stood on its own on the polished wood of the table. "This support is to be primarily logistical at this time, including supplies, transport, intelligence, and repairs as needed and available. We are also to consider active military support in situations where secrecy can be maintained and the serious furthering of our goals is possible. This conflict with Arbigahl is expected to escalate, and decisions are directed to be made with that in mind, however resources should be conserved where possible toward use when open conflict occurs. The stated goal of this mission is to assist the free movement to abolish slavery by covert support and the establishment of a covert naval fleet in the Pirate Isles."
Teldrine was silent for a moment running it through his mind carefully. "So, if I'm reading this right, the King will support me as long as he doesn't get caught and as long as he gets to put a navy in the islands in exchange." He caught Byock's flash of a smile and then surprised a glint in the Admiral's eye as well as he kept his own face impassive. He hoped. "That will do, for now. We'll see if those expectations you mentioned come to pass."
He took another small drink, before going on. "I've been building this for some time. There is a lot going on aside from the naval aspects. I have a very extensive information and assistance network in Arbigahl and even to an extent in Kahlzistan. I have a huge network of slave resistance within all the great houses of Kahlzistan, and most of the minor ones. Not enough to win a revolt, but enough to take out key targets at key times. And I have a way to put huge drains on their economy while seriously weakening their navy. The standing army has become much less than it once was, and most of it is concentrated in the south. There has been some kind of trouble down there of late."
"I intend to hit the slave trade. I intend to make it impossible to ship slaves by sea, and then impossible to ship them by land. I intend to hit not only those ships that are slavers themselves, but those that employ slaves as rowers."
"Many merchants use slaves as rowers. You will not help your popularity hitting them. Prices will go up in the markets, the people will complain." Ordren spoke up. "This seems like a fool's dream! How much of the fleet are we going to invest in this, Admiral?"
"We will invest, Captain Ordren, exactly as much as the King tells us." Nerilon turned back to Teldrine. "He has a point, though, captain. Cutting into the merchants' purse strings won't help your cause."
"This is where my agreement with your King comes in. We will attack no ship registered in Kahlzistan without proof of direct action on behalf of Arbigahl. Slavery must be eradicated there, too, but we will work on that from a less direct angle. We'll make it less profitable to do things that way, by driving up the price of slaves." Teldrine didn't bother to mention the propagandizing that was already two years into effect and spreading through out the lands. Public opinion could be a very valuable commodity.
"What I need from you most, right now, is threefold." He watched their eyes sharpen at that. Ordren sure was he would be vindicated now with excessive demands, the other two were silently waiting. First, a pirate ship survives on the profits from its raids. Raiding pirate ships is not profitable. We need a constant source of provisions and ship's supplies.
"Second, slaves come off of those ships with nothing. No clothes, no supplies, no idea of how to live without directions. They will need places to go, supplies and people to assist them in making new lives. And they will need it quietly." The sailors looked perturbed over that. Supplies, they understood, the mass relocation of people they had problems with. That was the army.
Ensidor finally spoke up. "I believe I may see the role his majesty envisioned for me." A small smile graced his lips and he lifted his goblet to Teldrine briefly.
"Third is of course financing. We bring in a substantial amount from the merchant ships that we take, but it will be nowhere near enough. We will be turning many of the captured ships into fighting vessels. They will need outfitting. Men will need training."
He sat forward and looked at them. "Gentlemen, you don't know me. You know stories about me that aren't too flattering, and you wonder why the King supports me and what Prince Byock is doing here. As to the King and the Prince, that is for them to answer. Regarding myself, the basics that you have heard are correct. I was born the first son of a rich and noble family, and raised a pleasure slave as are all such. I honored my family and came to the attention of the Empress. I became her favored courtesan. I hated it. A group among the slaves contacted me. They work slowly and carefully to place key people, influence key things. They arranged my escape with the pride of the Arbigahlan fleet.
"I am not, nor have I ever been, acting alone in this. I am not a one man, or one ship crusade. I am the figurehead for a huge organization that has every chance of achieving this goal, with the outside support we will provide. I have proven my ability to learn and to lead in the past two years. I have a fleet of 12 ships under my direct command. I have a dozen more at my call. All are armed and crewed for combat. The last of the independent pirates are being hunted as we speak, on their way to a meeting with Ozmaroc. If they make the meeting, they still know little, but they should be stopped long before then. The islands are ours, so long as we keep the Arbigahlan fleet from having it."
He looked around the room. "So, gentlemen, what exactly can you offer me?"
Ensidor sat forward. "I propose we get my component out of the way first, as I believe the rest will lead into long discussions of strategy and tactics and such, and I truly would rather enjoy the sea air." He smiled at Teldrine then turned to Byock. "Your highness may be familiar with a long held and only poorly successful program held in joint by our two countries. It is the policy of both to promote the settling and population of the borders with Ozmaroc. They are remote, and rocky, and full of bandits. The program has lapsed for lack of a large enough population to make any given area viable and defensible. Supplies have been stockpiled, land has been mapped and surveyed. We have a list of volunteers waiting for sufficient people to sign up to put up another township."
Byock's eyes lit up. "Yes, I remember! A friend of mine's sister went to one of those settlements. They keep working their way along the border, one every year or two. Some make it. Some give up. It's a rough life." He frowned. "I'm not sure you understand how vulnerable these people will be. They will need a lot of help."
"We can provide quite a bit. We will split the current volunteers up and send a few with each group of slaves. A military unit will go with them to assist in setting up the initial township. They will build a stockade, a townhall, and a barn. They will give them supplies and continue to deliver supplies and will patrol the area until the town is making progress, gradually reducing their presence to patrols as the next township starts up and the local militias advance in their training.
"The planning for this is already in place, as are most of the supplies. The influx of people the instigators expected didn't show up, but they managed to push through the program year after year, and just stockpiled. Bureaucratic intelligence at its so useful best!" He smiled. "You see, I am his majesty's expert at covert logistics. I keep track of all such useful programs that branch on obscure branches of the government. We can send considerable funding your way, as well. I will have to communicate exact figures to you at a later date."
Fimbern looked slightly stunned. "I never believed those stories." He muttered, then looked around a bit and raised a self deprecating eyebrow. "Such a program does sound tailor made for such a use. Getting the people from the shore to the settlements may yet be problematical. Such a migration will be difficult to disguise, and settling near the ocean might make things just a little obvious." He glanced at the large scale map on one wall. "You have the choice of taking them through settled areas, or along the Ozmaroccan border. I wouldn't recommend that."
"Barge them upriver from Verraindher up the north fork of the Stohlin. It's bargeable all the way and freight moves that way a lot. Send teachers with them to use the time. They can be caravaned cross country from there. There is a small town a little way south of the usual freight terminus. It's just a farming town, they do some fishing on the side. They have docks, and they don't like the merchants up stream much. They'd keep quiet about such a thing, with some incentive." Ensidor looked around the table. "Gentlemen, can I assume that settling the rescued slaves is my department?" He waited as they all nodded.
Teldrine felt both a new worry settle in and a weight lift from his shoulders as he nodded too, surrendering a portion of this whole thing to somebody else. He just had to trust that this stranger was as trustworthy and capable as the King believed. Ah, scales, he was trusting the King himself, wasn't he? They would either trust each other, or not.
"In that case, gentlemen, I have no need to know the particulars of your military plans, so I will absent myself to the deck and enjoy the fresh air and sun in these beautiful surroundings." He smiled and nodded and stepped out the door.
Fimbern looked to the Admiral for permission, then cleared his throat. "My role here is to be commander of the naval fleet and yard that will accumulate here. With your agreement, we intend to build a shipyard here, with a full naval facility. It will be supplied and manned by your own 'piracy' at least at first. Its job will be central supply, training, and refitting the ships you bring in. The facility will be built with fast work in mind, and I believe we will be able to turn most ships around in three days when we are up and running, merchant to warrior to merchant."
"That is a most welcome suggestion, but I believe I can bring you to a better location. This is much too well known." Teldrine noted the quirk that briefly pulled Fimbern's lip down. "Well, that leaves you, Captain Ordren. What is your portion to be in this alliance?"
Ordren looked at him, his face flat. "I am to act as liaison between the fleet and you. We can occasionally assist you with a strategic target, and will trade information regarding fleet movements. We will avoid catching sight of you at inconvenient times. However, we cannot bring the whole fleet in on this, so we will have to coordinate closely to bring this off. I hope you can assure accurate timing and navigation from your ships."
There was no tone behind his words, but never the less, Teldrine was certain the man sincerely doubted it. Again, the Admiral spoke up before he could. "They've sailed circles around us for long enough, Ordren. Now it seems to me," Nerilon went on, "that the biggest issue in this whole monstrosity of a program is going to be communication."
"I've considered that. I suggest a weekly drop by the Captain Ordren of expected ship locations for the following week. We are able to be much more flexible in our movements than the navy, and will work around you. Those special operations that come up can be planned in advance at the Naval Yard, when it's built." He glanced at Ordren, who reluctantly nodded. "However, as you have said, you cannot bring the entire Navy into it. I suggest a signal be placed in your flag books that can be used to wave a Navy ship off. There need be no reason for it. Let it be whispered that it is something covert. There's always whispers of something covert, and it should be used only in extreme emergency."
"I don't believe that will be necessary, and it might jeopardize the whole operation. If your sailors can navigate as well as you claim, there won't be any problem." Captain Ordren leveled his gaze at Teldrine, sure at last that he'd found something to get a hold of.
"Captain," Teldrine began along with the Admiral. Teldrine glanced at him then continued at the weathered man's nod. "You have been on the seas too long to try to tell other experienced sailors that navigation is always perfect, and the best sailor doesn't occasionally turn up an hour south of where he thought. And that doesn't include storms or the course of a running battle." Teldrine say back and took a long level look at the officer.
"Captain, your King has chosen to commit his forces to this goal. You, as a leader of those forces, are a major factor in their success. You do not seem to be giving it your full support. If you do not, I will pass on using your portion of our plans. If I cannot depend on you to be actively working with us, I will not depend on you at all." Teldrine fell silent and waited.
Ordren stared back, a surprised look on his face. "How dare you question me, you upstart pirate? I am a commander of His Majesty's Navy, and it is my job to protect that fleet from undo loss and unscrupulous use. You come as a beggar for your little cause, and you will show respect to a Naval Officer!" He stood at his place, bent forward and looking down at Teldrine.
Teldrine surged to his feet but again Nerilon was there before him. "You are a fop whose only qualification for office is his father," the old man stated calmly. "I have had such reports of you for a long time, but didn't want to believe my good friend had raised such a fool. Then again, perhaps that's the problem. He didn't raise you, he was at sea. Well, done is done, and I doubt there's a solution for it now. Consider yourself reassigned effective immediately. There is an experimental program beginning out of Azistahn, looking into deep sea navigation. Something about an accurate portable clock. You will command the security fleet assigned to all such experimental programs. For now, you are dismissed."
Ordren stared at the seated general in shock. He tried to speak once or twice, and then just walked out the door. Teldrine resumed his seat and looked to the Admiral. "My apologies for that. It was not a good way to handle the situation. I had intended to observe his performance with this program over the next few months. I did not expect to find it so intolerable after so brief an exposure. He could not be allowed to go any further with this. I will hand select his successor and bring him to you. I will also have a word with the officers who promoted that shark." Nerilon finally picked up his wine goblet and took a long swallow. "Your suggestions all have merit. I suggest that we send Ordren, with Ensidor to accompany him, back to Azistahn aboard Ordren's ship. It shames me to leave the ship named for our new princess under his command. I may have to look at that when I get back to port."
Byock smiled at this reminder of his friend and cousin's supposed marital bliss. Nerilon continued. "When they are safely gone, let's proceed to this better location of yours. On the way, we can have fun playing with code books and stuff!" He took another drink of the wine. "This isn't bad, Teldrine, but I have a very nice brandy in my cabin. Shall we have out next meeting over there, say after the tide turns, tomorrow?" He reclined in his chair, suddenly an old sailor on leave instead of the Commander in Chief of one of the two most powerful navies in the known lands.
Teldrine realized that with the alliance of his two dozen ships, this man just gained influence, if not command, over the largest navy ever known. But then, so had Teldrine. He met Admiral Nerilon's eyes and took a drink as well. "I believe I would like that very much, Admiral." Byock looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment, and then grinned and knocked back his own drink. Fimbern sighed and suddenly looked tired, obviously looking at the work ahead. He lifted his glass as well, saluting the rest of them and swallowing.