The Perils of Archipelago

by B A Simmons

  Yet they did not see any more Y-shaped sails on their return voyage. Sea serpents, sharks, and a couple of wayward nessies gave them their only challenge aside from sailing against the wind. Such zig-zagging became monotonous during long voyages, given that every sailor among them knew it only lengthened the voyage.

  They passed well north of the volcano, avoiding any of the deadly gases in the surrounding cloud. Isle de Canine also passed on the southern horizon as nothing but a dark line between sea and sky. However, it was the mark by which Pete navigated their course change. Turning a few extra degrees to port, he made for Engle Isle with determined persistence.

  A cheer went out from the crew when they sighted their home island, even though most of them weren’t originally from there. More cheers were had as the Alphina sailed up John’s Bay, with the islanders lining the shores and tagging along in their fishing boats.

  Pete was especially pleased to see the Old Man sitting dignified at the docks. A tall, slender young woman leaned over the aft gunwale. While she offered no wave or cheer for their return, Pete didn’t doubt she was smiling at him.

  John and Charlie waited for Pete at the docks. Their countenances expressed contradiction, for while they were pleased to see the Alphina return safe, they did not yet know how successful they had been in their mission.

  After being rowed ashore, Pete met their trepidation with a characteristic smile.

  “Well, did you get it?” Charlie asked after a moment.

  “Get what?” Pete said.

  “Don’t be a meecher, Pete. You know what we’re asking about,” John said.

  “Right, the powder. Yes, we got some.”

  Another long pause ensued while John and Charlie almost burst from their skins.

  “How much?” Roger asked, walking up to greet Pete.

  “Enough, I hope, to last the rest of this war, because I am not going back for more.”

  “How much?” they all chimed together.

  “Eleven tons.”

  Three mouths dropped open, their tongues hanging half out.

  “Indeed. Seems Falcon credit goes further inside the empire than out. Should have figured they were shortchanging us. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, there’s a young lady whose attention I’ve neglected for far too long.”

  Pete left them in their bewilderment and climbed aboard the Old Man. He walked right up to Trina and kissed her in full view of everyone in Port John. After the long kiss, he leaned back over the side and shouted down to the three.

  “Oh, we’ll need to switch this ship’s place with the Alphina. It’ll be faster unloading if we’re at the dock. Last thing we need is some clumsy meecher dropping a barrel into the bay.”

  The switch was made that same hour and the unloading commenced. After a brief council among themselves, it was decided that four of the eleven tons would remain aboard the Alphina to be delivered to Henry and Malcolm on Isle de James at a later date. Three tons were taken to Mister Claythorne’s boathouse, which was the only real warehouse space in Port John. Three tons were carted off to Harrisville and stored in the courthouse. The remaining ton was distributed out to the necessary defenses. Some to both ships currently at Engle Isle, with the rest being put to use as Roger and Edward determined. Several rock walls were constructed along the road between Port John and Harrisville using Edward’s basket technique. Some powder was placed in these with fuses leading back into the hacklebushes. Several of Port John’s houses and shops, whose corners were strategically placed, had barrels placed next to them. To a casual observer, or even a Falcon infantryman walking by, they would seem nothing more than water storage or refuse barrels. Yet, they were filled with a mix of powder, small rocks, and scraps of tin or copper.

  Edward had been busy with the Punishers in the time of Pete’s absence. They drilled daily, usually with the Engle Isle militia. The militia’s discipline and unit cohesion were much improved. Edward, Charlie, and Roger took long hikes around the island identifying ambush locations. They set traps, such as Roger’s pun-jaye pits, along several trails leading from the mostly uninhabited north and east areas of the island in toward Harrisville. These were marked for the time being, with the intent to remove any markings the moment a Falcon invasion became imminent.

  Edward found the hacklebushes especially wicked and designed some traps to employ a long branch or two springing out at eye level along the trails. He agreed, as did everyone at this point, with Mark’s original plan to fall back to Harrisville should the Falcons succeed in creating a foothold on the island. The defense wall around the town was near completion. The keep at the south end remained the only weak point in the construction. Yet, even if the Falcons invaded that day, they could set two dozen men to creating a barricade with the stone quarried from the south pinnacle and have it done in an hour.

  The south pinnacle itself created a type of defense for the town, as it was impossible to climb. They felt safe that any attack from the Falcons would have to come from another direction. The north pinnacle remained their watch station, and the Punishers found in violation of any of Edward’s strict regulations were punished with a twenty-four-hour turn watching the sea. They were not the type to fall asleep on duty as this would lead to further punishment.

  In all aspects, with Pete’s delivery of the powder from Kymberlite Isle, Engle Isle now stood ready to repel an invasion. When Rob returned with Aruth weapons, they’d be even more prepared. The people had not felt so united in a cause since the days of the first settlers. Each of them knew his or her duty and gave that duty all due diligence.

  All of them save one. A woman who had spent the last six weeks inside a strange cave, reading strange texts from her ancestors.

  ***

  Anna sat in her chair in the Birthing Cave, a heavy book on her lap and another in her hands. The texts cross-referenced each other, causing Anna to switch between them in pursuit of answers. She’d been doing this for hours each day, three days in a row. The subject that so stimulated her curiosity: Power Systems of the NovaTech Mark 8 MedEvac Shuttle. Anna remembered something her father had said, years before, in passing. Something about the Birthing Cave being a sacred sanctuary for the original settlers—before they tamed the island. Now she understood why it was their shelter. It was not a natural cave but a vehicle that traveled through space. While Anna still wasn’t sure what “space” meant, she figured the shuttle must have sailed through the air, like the ancient Duarve craft that Rob had piloted from Kudo Isle.

  Discovering that her ancestors flew to Engle Isle created no small shock for Anna. Yet, its ability to fly became a side note. What Anna studied with such intensity was the power source that still functioned . . . nearly four centuries later. She wanted to discover how to harness that power. The sisters of the Matriarch’s Circle didn’t know, nor had any of those living ever tried to use it beyond the limits of weighing children on an antique scale and using an ultraviolet light to save those who came into the world early.

  The complexity of the texts was beginning to give her a headache.

  Sarah entered the room from the outer door. “They’re coming. Put those books away, quickly.”

  Anna jumped from the chair and into the second room where Little Mark lay sleeping under the ultraviolet lamp. Setting the books back into the cupboard they came from, she bounded back into the first room to resume her sitting. When Missus McClain entered with her counselors, Anna sat attempting to knit a romper for her son. She hadn’t made any real progress on it for weeks.

  They greeted her and Sarah with their usual joviality but then immediately set themselves to work examining the baby. After several minutes of this, they returned to speak with Anna.

  “We have good news, Anna. Young Mark has improved enough for you to take him outside. Mind you, he’ll still need to stay here for feeding and sleeping, but you can take him for short walks around the Birthing Cave.”

  “I can’t take him home yet?” Anna asked.

  �
�I’m afraid there’s still too much danger in that. Should he turn ill, we want him close to the safety of the cave.”

  “When will we get to go home? Can you tell me that?”

  “Not with any certainty. While he’s done better than any child born so early, we can’t say that he’ll survive infancy. We hope so, please believe us when we tell you, the entire island wants this boy to grow into manhood.”

  Anna sighed and nodded. What more could she do?

  Missus Massoud brought Mark to her, no longer wrapped in the shiny metal blanket, but in soft clean linen. Anna rose and cradled him in her arms. Holding him nearly brought her to tears each time, which seemed irrational, but Sarah assured her it was natural.

  Standing in sunlight for the first time in weeks felt cruel. Anna’s skin crawled, and she could not open her eyes for several minutes. Mark cried the entire time, but the older women assured Anna he was fine. Just as he began to calm, Missus McClain called for them to return inside. Anna fought the urge to run down the road with Mark. Instead, she returned to the cave, fed him, and handed him off to Sarah.

  Anna stood again. “I’m going outside again, for a walk.”

  Missus McClain’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, are you sure that’s wise?”

  “Yes,” Anna retorted. “I’ll be back before his next feeding.”

  Her eyes took less time to adjust to the light than before. Once she could see again, she set off down the road toward Harrisville. She gasped at the completed wall around the town. The black stone made it look foreboding, yet exciting at the same time. In the converted corral just outside the wall, a few of the Punishers were sparing, cooking, and relaxing in their camp. She entered, looking for Edward, though it became apparent he wasn’t there.

  “Can I help you, miss?” a brawny soldier asked her.

  “Do you have sparring equipment?” Anna said.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I want to spar with you . . . you know, practice.”

  The soldier looked around him, perhaps thinking he was being led on in some practical joke. Looking back at Anna, he realized she was serious.

  He smiled. “Perhaps I can show you some techniques. What weapon are you wanting to learn?”

  “You choose for me, Mister . . .”

  “Sergeant, Sergeant Chris Holcomb.”

  After another moment of hesitation, Sergeant Holcomb picked up a shield and handed it to Anna.

  “Take this first,” he said. Then scrounging up an axe, he placed it in her free hand. “Now, let’s work on protecting yourself with that shield. The axe is just for you to hold, don’t swing at me . . .”

  He provided Anna a concise set of instructions for the use of the shield. Then, drawing a sword, he tested her in slow motion. Several of the Punishers in camp noticed the instruction. Some pointed in disbelief and others mocked the two. This went on for some time, after which Anna felt exhausted from the exercise and begged for a rest. A soldier brought her something to drink, and a third handed her a bit of bread with goat cheese.

  “You look familiar,” Holcomb said.

  Anna blushed. “I was at Southport when the pirate, Kelly, ambushed you. I’m Anna Engleman. My husband is the one that hired your company to fight for us.”

  The gathered men came to see the strange young woman, but now gave a gasp of realization. They knew her. She was not only Mark the Martyr’s woman but famous in the ranks for her actions at Southport. Mark may have been the one who hired them, but Anna Engleman was the woman who had convinced Edward to take the job.

  In a moment, the rough and mocking soldiers became gentlemen (or as close to it as possible), fawning at the feet of a goddess. Anna, who a few moments before had seemed a daft young camp follower, now appeared as one of the mythical Valk’rey.

  Still, they recognized her also for being the woman who had been rushed past them in a cart, about to give birth. They asked about her child, for some were less involved in the island gossip than others.

  “You going to train him up to be a Punisher?” one said.

  “He’ll learn to be a man, like his father,” she answered. “Then, if he wishes to be a Punisher, he’ll already be qualified.”

  Laughter erupted from them, and Anna chuckled along with them. Then Sergeant Holcomb rose and extended a hand toward her.

  “Are you ready for more instruction, m’lady?”

  She reached out to take hold of his large, calloused hand and found herself lifted to her feet by several others.

  “Let’s give it another go, sergeant.”

  The instruction continued with a few of the men who had derided her earlier, now offering advice on footwork, body angles, and shield placement. The experience gave Anna a bit of a high, which she rode all the way back to the cave once they were done. After such an outing, it was impossible for her to look at the cave as anything but a temporary prison, which she longed to escape. She knew she could now, and did, many times over the next week.

  Little Mark went from crying when taken out of the cave to crying when they brought him back in. Anna took him out for longer periods of time, but never without Missus McClain or some other member of the circle supervising them.

  Anna split her free time between reading the texts inside the cave and sparring with the Punishers. Her established routine caught the attention of Edward, who took a turn giving instruction. By the second week, she found herself devoting more time to the Punishers’ lessons and less to reading, or even to Mark.

  Sarah encouraged her to spend more time with the baby, but as much as she loved him, the appeal of fighting and the camaraderie she discovered with the mercenaries pulled her attention and her heart away. Mark became a chore—one that she dreaded though she knew she ought to delight in it. Training with Sergeant Holcomb, Joshua, and Edward was a welcome distraction.

  The day she and Mark were released from the cave for good, Anna took him first to the Punisher’s camp, despite the warnings the sisters of the circle gave her about keeping him away from crowds and letting others hold him.

  She stood on a cart and held him up for the entire company to see. They cheered his name and laughed when he began crying. Anna kept him in her arms, but allowed Edward and Holcomb to take a close look at him.

  “He looks like Mark,” Edward said. “Except for the ears, those are yours.”

  “Reminds me of my boy,” Holcomb said.

  Anna looked at him in shock. “You’re a father?”

  He smiled at her. “I was. My woman and child were killed in an Oric attack. It’s how I came to be with the Punishers. They came to fight off the infestation on my home island. With my family gone, I joined them.”

  In that moment, Anna’s heart felt what her mind had been trying to tell her. She could not find happiness on Engle Isle, or at least, not among its people. Mark had been her only love, and he was gone. Her life now belonged elsewhere.

  Two weeks after leaving the cave, Anna arrived at John and Lissette’s home in Harrisville. Lisette, answering the door to find her sister-in-law and nephew, stepped back in surprise.

  “Anna! What are you doing . . . is everything alright?”

  “May I come in?” Anna asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Lisette said and stood aside for her.

  The front door of the modest house led into the main room, which served to receive guests as well as to dine in. This, in turn, led into the kitchen, which had two more doors. One gave way to the only bedroom in the home and the second to a back garden. Here, John continued to practice being a farmer, tending to a vegetable patch and a lemon tree.

  Lisette invited Anna to sit in the main room.

  “I . . . I don’t know how else to say this. I am not a good mother.”

  Lisette couldn’t help but look disturbed at Anna’s proclamation. She shook her head at it as if to make it evaporate into the air.

  Anna continued, “No, hear me out. I don’t feel any joy in him. I look at him and I know I should love him, but I ca
n’t feel that love. It’s as if my heart has lost the ability to love. I thought it was the cave, being inside for so long . . . but even now that I’m out . . .”

  “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. You’re putting too much on yourself.”

  “No, Lisette. I’m here because I can’t be a mother.”

  The words hung in the air like a bad odor. Several minutes passed before Anna spoke again.

  “I heard your mother talking to Missus McClain before I left the Birthing Cave. I know you’re expecting a child. I . . . this is not easy for me, but Mark would be better off with you and John than with just me.”

  Lisette placed an unconscious hand on her belly as she squirmed in her chair. The disbelief of what she was hearing conflicted with the fact that she was hearing Anna Engleman, the woman she’d admired as a friend and loved as a sister, forsaking her motherly duties.

  “You would abandon your child?”

  Anna did not look hurt by these words, despite Lisette’s critical tone. She had already passed the point of shame. In her own mind, this is was the best course of action.

  “I would leave him with a woman who is better suited to love him as a mother should. I would have him get the chance to be as good a man as his father was. I can’t do that for him. You can.”

  “Anna, do you understand what will happen to you? What people here are going to think of you?”

  Anna’s dull eyes looked into Lisette’s. “I don’t care. I know things about this island and the people here that . . . oh, Lisette, please tell me you’ll take him. I know you will.”

  Lisette’s eyes filled with tears, which she shook loose and let tumble down her cheeks as she nodded to Anna’s request. Little Mark was handed over. Anna stood and left the house without so much as a goodbye.

  Lisette told no one but John of Anna’s visit and the responsibility she took. Yet, two days later, when Anna boarded the Alphina as it was about to leave for Isle de James, everyone knew what she had done. She offered no explanation to anyone. Most knew better than to ask.