Whisper of Blood

by James Dale

  As the afternoon wore on, Jack began to grow concerned, though he took care not to let it show in front of the young woman. Tarsus and Dorad had been gone much longer than they had planned and he had received no reply from Kaiddra. He began to think something had gone terribly wrong. When a knock came at the cabin door later and it was Belizet and not Tarsus, Dorad, or Kaiddra, he sensed his fears had been justified.

  "What is it Belizet?" he asked the small, black man warily. "Any word from the captain or Dorad?"

  "We may have a problem sir," the pirate answered hesitantly. "Marc is here with a squad of council guards."

  "Stay here," Jack instructed Thessa and left with Belizet to investigate.

  He found the Council of Admiral’s lieutenant waiting at the top of the walkway leading to the dock. He had left his squad of troops on the dock at the insistence of the two pirates guarding the walkway.

  "Lieutenant Marc," Jack smiled, extending his hand.

  Marc hesitated for a second, then took it in his own. "Lieutenant Braedan."

  "Is there something I can do for you?" Jack asked.

  "You have the Countess Thessa Arthol of Brythond on the Seawolf." It was not a question.

  "Yes." He saw no point in denying it.

  "You will bring her immediately to the Council Hall."

  "I don't think so."

  "But...it is an order from the Council of Admirals," said Marc, surprised he had refused so quickly.

  "Still, I must respectfully decline."

  "The choice is not yours to make," Marc argued, growing more agitated. He was not used to having orders from the Council of Admirals so cavalierly refused.

  "Are you prepared to take her from the Seawolf?" Braedan asked calmly, showing no outward sign of the tension he felt building in himself and the members of the crew gathered around him.

  "No..." Marc replied hesitantly. "That was not part of my instructions."

  "Then we are just wasting time," Braedan shrugged. "Because she’s not leaving the ship."

  "But..."

  "I know," Jack sighed. "It's an order from the council. Let's go speak with them, shall we? If we still don't agree, you can come back and try and take her off the Seawolf."

  "You are playing a dangerous game Jack Braedan," Marc growled.

  "This is not a game, I assure you." Braedan replied. "Shall we go?"

  Lieutenant Marc hesitated for a second then turned and walked back down to the dock. "No one, and I mean no one," Jack told Belizet, "comes on this ship without my leave or the captain's or Dorad's. Understood?"

  "Aye sir," smiled the pirate. "Don't worry about the lass. She'll be safe while you are gone."

  Braedan gave Belizet a quick smile and a pat on the back, then joined Lieutenant Marc on the docks. "The squad will stay here," Marc announced. "To insure no one leaves your ship."

  "Fine by me," Jack nodded. "As long as they don't try to board, everyone will be happy."

  Lieutenant Marc glanced quickly to the deck of the Seawolf. Belizet was standing at the top of the walkway with his arms folded and a smug smile on his lips. His short sword was plainly visible at his side. With him were two of the ship's burly crewmen, casually leaning on bared swords.

  "No one will try to board," he replied, directing his words at the sergeant of the troops he had brought with him. The man acknowledged the order with a curt nod.

  "So long as we understand each other," Jack smiled.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Decree of Bloody Max

  Marc led the way to the Great Council Hall. The crowds which had met them earlier had disappeared to continue the celebration at the tavern or inn of their choice. The streets were virtually empty of life, except for the occasional reveler already passed out in a quiet doorway or alley, and they reached the hall quickly. They were ushered in immediately and directed to the raised platform where Jack could see Tarsus and Dorad seated with the Council of Admirals. Admiral Kailmax rose as they approached.

  "There seems to be someone missing," he said, directing his statement at Marc. The lieutenant cleared his throat and looked at his boots. "No matter," Kailmax continued with a quick smile. "Dorad said he would refuse to bring her. Well, Jack Braedan, once again you stir the pot in Brimcohn."

  "So, it would seem sir," Jack replied, glancing at his friends, trying to gauge what they had already revealed and what the mood of the admirals might be. "Though I don't understand what all the fuss is about?"

  Their eyes locked when he turned his gaze back to the admiral and to Braedan it seemed like they stared at each other for hours. Finally, Kailmax broke off their duel by erupting in laughter. "Gods help me, but I like you," he finally smiled. "You devise a plan for the Brotherhood to destroy the Norgarthan Navy, which actually works. And in the process of carrying it out you kill Kreel Ess, and capture a countess betrothed to the prince of Brydium. While barely able to stand, you defeat a man'o'war and a kill a Sorcerer of the Sa'tan, by magic so Tarsus says. Then, then you return to Brimcohn planning to break your oath with the Brotherhood, and return the Lady Arthol to her father without asking for a single copper Th'raken in ransom. You do all that and you cannot see what all the fuss is about?"

  "Is there anything you didn't tell them?" Jack asked his friends wearily.

  "Oh, don't be cross with them," Kailmax laughed. "I can be very persuasive when I want information. Please have a seat," he finished, resuming his own.

  Braedan took the chair beside Tarsus. The huge Amarian shrugged his shoulders as if none of this really mattered to him, but Dorad stared at his hands with a look on his face as if the whole world had come crashing down.

  "How are your ribs?" the admiral asked. "Healing quickly, I hear."

  "Yes sir," Braedan nodded. "Thank you for asking." In fact, he had barely given his recent injury a thought all morning. Except for the rapidly fading bruise and a little tightness in his chest, his ribs seemed to be completely healed. It was nothing short of miraculous really, considering it had happened but a week ago.

  "Would you care to explain why you left countess on the Seawolf?" Kailmax asked, finally getting to the point. "I thought my instructions were clear? I am sure Lieutenant Marc conveyed them word for word."

  "Yes, he did sir," Braedan admitted. "I thought it best to leave her behind. She has seen nothing of Brimcohn. I assure you. I did not want that to sway your decision."

  "Even so, you just decided to ignore the council's wishes?" asked Yanis Kuldur, speaking for the first time.

  "Ummm...I guess you could look at it that way," Jack nodded.

  "Amazing," Admiral Civin observed. "I've been on the Council of Admirals for thirty-seven years and I can't recall our orders every being so flippantly refused."

  "I was not trying to be rude Admiral Civin," Jack smiled nervously. This was not at all what he had expected.

  "I'm sure you weren't," Kailmax grinned. "If I thought that, you wouldn't be sitting here. You'd be locked beneath the Council Hall in our dungeon awaiting trial."

  "I wasn't aware there was a dungeon beneath this hall," Jack said quietly.

  "That is obvious," Kailmax laughed. "Jack Braedan, you have presented the Council of Admirals with something of a dilemma. By all reports we have received from the other captains, and from your two companions, you are a hero. Yet you have returned to Brimcohn, ready to throw it all away for one young, slip of a girl. Countess or not, it is hard for the Council to understand."

  "I imagine it is sir," Jack admitted.

  "Would it change your position if you knew it is my opinion, you could perhaps be an admiral yourself within the next five or ten years?" Kailmax asked.

  "I am flattered sir," Jack replied. "But no."

  "She must be an amazing young lady."

  "That she is sir," he agreed.

  "I think I must meet the countess before the council decides on this matter," Kailmax said looking at him thoughtfully. "Bring her to my estate tonight Lieutenant Braedan and we three will hav
e dinner. I imagine the young lady could use a bath, some decent food and a change of clothing. I will send an escort to the Seawolf after sundown."

  "Yes sir," Braedan yielded. He had defied the council enough for one day.

  "You three are free to go," instructed Admiral Larkin. "We have much to discuss. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what will happen should you attempt to leave the harbor, or in any way further try the patience of the council."

  "No sir," Tarsus said quickly. "You do not."

  "Good," Admiral Kailmax smiled. "I will be expecting you and the countess in a few hours Lieutenant Braedan."

  The three officers of the Seawolf stood and left the Council Hall without looking back. They were well down the Street of Wares on their way back to their ship before anyone even dared speak.

  "That wasn't so bad," Tarsus said.

  "It could have been much worse," Dorad admitted.

  "They were...calmer than I expected," Jack observed.

  "You should have been here earlier," Tarsus grinned. "I thought old Civin was going to have a heart attack when Dorad announced you two wanted to be released from your oaths, and take Thessa back to Brythond."

  "Yes," Dorad smiled. "He was terribly...distressed."

  "And the others?" Jack asked.

  "Yanis was also fit to be tied," remarked the captain of the Seawolf. "But the others were...subdued. Wouldn't you say?"

  "Indeed," Dorad nodded. "Kailmax most of all. I may be wrong, but it seemed to me he wasn't in the least bit surprised by any of this."

  "I was thinking the same thing," Tarsus admitted. “Peculiar."

  "What do you make of his invitation to dinner?" Braedan inquired.

  "Who can say?" the Amarian shrugged. "Kailmax has always done what was least expected of him. Perhaps if Thessa makes a good impression he will actually let you and Dorad go. I suppose stranger things have happened."

  "It is up to you and Thessa now," Dorad said. "I think tonight, while you are at his estate, I will stay in our cabin and get blindly and blissfully drunk."

  "I'll join you," Tarsus grinned. "I plan to be miserably hungover when the council announces their decision tomorrow."

  "I wish I could make it unanimous," Jack sighed.

  When the trio reached the ship, they found the squad Marc had left there still waiting patiently. The two groups scarcely looked at each other. Tarsus followed Dorad to his cabin, the two apparently deciding not to wait one minute before commencing with their drinking, while Jack went to inform Thessa of the invitation to dinner at Admiral Kailmax's estate. He thought she would be apprehensive but the young woman actually seemed to relish the idea.

  "It is true I am in desperate need of a bath and a new dress," she said, examined the make shift clothing the crew of the Seawolf had found for her. "Some decent food would also be welcome change. Don't you dare tell Rhonn I said that!"

  "I wouldn't dream of it," Jack smiled.

  Thessa immediately announced she needed to start preparing for dinner and insisted Jack do the same. To humor the countess, he returned to the cabin he shared with Dorad to search for some clothing better suited for an evening at Admiral Kailmax' estate.

  Tarsus and Dorad glanced up briefly at his entrance, but continued with their drinking without saying a word. Most of Jack's clothing was at Kaiddra's villa, and his OD jungle cammies were his only clothes on the ship. Though they had been washed and mended since the fight at the temple, they were still rather thread bare. Instead, he began to rummage through Dorad's sea chest. He found a pair of light blue cotton trousers in good repair and a white silk shirt.

  "May I?"

  "Be my guest," his friend nodded.

  Jack found a pitcher of water, a basin and a small mirror of polished silver. Placing them on the table, he poured half the water over his head, scrubbing furiously at his hair and beard. He then took his double-bladed dagger and began to carefully trim his beard. The knife was as sharp as any straight razor, but it was still a painful and tedious task. He managed to finish the job without cutting himself and nodded with satisfaction at his reflection.

  "Very pretty," Tarsus grinned. "Though you might want shave it off completely. You wouldn't want to scratch Bloody Max' ass while your kissing it tonight."

  "Up yours captain," Jack replied without looking at the Amarian, then poured the rest of the water into the basin and proceeded to give himself a wipe down with a wet cloth. Breadan dried himself off with a soft towel, and dressed in Dorad's borrowed clothes. The only items he wore of his own were his canvas boots and his Rolex watch, useless now except as ornamental jewelry. He tossed his old clothes on his bunk, then after a second’s hesitation, wondering if it would be prudent to go armed, belted on his double bladed dagger. Tarsus lifted an eyebrow when he saw this, but said nothing.

  Dorad filled a cup for Jack from the bottle he and Tarsus were sharing and handed it to him, then refilled Tarsus' glass and his own. "It’s part of the lot we captured in Norgarth. Perhaps the Brydianic wine will bring you luck." The three men touched glasses in a silent toast and drank the red wine.

  "Excellent," Jack remarked, setting the cup aside. "Don't drink it all tonight. Maybe I can use a couple of barrels to bribe the admirals." His joke, intended to lighten the somber mood only deepened the foreboding feeling which had suddenly fallen upon them. "Well. I guess I'll go see if Thessa is ready."

  "Try not to piss off Bloody Max," Tarsus advised him.

  "I'll do my best. Don't wait up for me," Jack grinned. "And if I'm not back by tomorrow night. Go to Plan B."

  "Plan B?" asked Dorad. "What is Plan B?"

  "How the hell should I know?" Braedan shrugged. "I can't think of everything."

  "Go," Tarsus smiled. "He will be expecting you soon and if I know women, especially women like Countess Thessa, she will need to be hurried along or she will take all night."

  Braedan flashed his friends his best 'Don't worry, everything will be fine' smile’ and left without another word. He gave a friendly wave to the squad council troops on the dock below as he walked to Thessa's cabin. One of the men actually waved back at him, then stopped when the squad sergeant gave him an evil look and a sharp word. Jack laughed to himself and continued on.

  When he reached the cabin, he knocked politely on the door. "It's Jack. May I come in?"

  "Yes," came the reply from within and Jack entered. Thessa was dressed in the gown she had been wearing when he started her journey from Brydium so many months ago. The purple satin gown was faded now, and the damage it had suffered during her struggle with Kreel Ess and his crewmen had been hastily repaired. On her however, it still retained its elegance. Like him she had also washed as best as she could, and had combed her midnight hair into a lustrous sheen.

  "Does my champion approve?" she asked, slowly pirouetting and finishing with a curtsy.

  "Absolutely breathtaking," Jack smiled. The young woman blushed at the compliment and curtsied again.

  "Thank you," she said, laying one of her delicate hands on his cheek. "You trimmed it."

  Jack rubbed his chin, still smarting from the treatment he had given it. "What do you think?" he asked.

  "Dashingly handsome," she replied. "Much less the wild pirate and more the gallant knight. You will fit in nicely in Brythond's court. If the council lets us leave."

  "One look at you and Admiral Kailmax will be wrapped around your little finger."

  Their light-hearted banter was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Lieutenant Marc has returned," Belizet announced.

  "My lady?" Braedan held out his arm for the young countess and she took it with a quick smile. They emerged onto the deck to discover the crew all gathered on deck to see her off, never expecting to see the charming young countess again. Belizet presented her a necklace of tiger teeth from his homeland of Zsolandar. Thessa accepted the gift with such humble grace you would have thought he’d given her a part of King T’golanis’ crown jewels. She insisted he place them around her neck and
after he’d secured the leather string in place, Thessa stood on her toes and kissed the wiry, pirate’s forehead. Belizet’s toothy grin would have frightened the most hardened sailors, but the countess laughed with delight.

  There were actual tears in Rhonn’s eyes as she hugged him in parting.

  “It’s been a pleasure havin’ you aboard m’Lady,” he said when she released him. “You remember how ta make that pain potion, right? Just in…well just in case? Mister Jack aint out of the woods yet with them ribs, despite how he’s comin’ along.”

  “I remember Rhonn,” she smiled, and hugged him again.

  “Go on now lass,” he tough old cook sighed. “Before I get all teared up.”

  “Thank you all,” Thessa curtsied to the crew on last time. “I will proclaim the generosity of the Seawolf throughout the kingdoms of the Whesguard.”

  “Come on,” Jack smiled. “Let’s be off before these cutthroats are weeping like little girls. They have a reputation to maintain, after all.”

  Braedan lead Thessa down the gangplank where Marc and his squad of guardsmen waited. He had brought another squad of troops to add to the number which had accompanied him earlier. Every one of them appeared to be in shock at what they had just witnessed. “Lieutenant Marc, I present her grace, Countess Thessa Arthol of Brythond.”

  Thessa presented her hand to him and Marc raised a wary eyebrow.

  “Oh, take it Marc,” Jack grinned. “She won’t bite.”

  “I am afraid she’ll cast a spell on me,” he finally said hesitantly. “She’s obviously bewitched your crew.”

  “Then I’d be polite and accept her hand,” Jack replied. “Before they think you are showing her a discourtesy.”

  Marc glanced up at the Seawolf, where the entire crew had gathered at the railiing. They glared at him with looks of such malice that the Master of Arms for the Council of Admirals actually paled. He accepted her small hand in his own and bowed slightly. “A pleasure…my Lady,” he said quietly.