Flintlock (Cutlass Series)

by Ashley Nixon

  Here, survival was a daily struggle. It could be argued that the Corsairs of Avalon were the main commanders of the sea, but there were others to worry about, too. Runners were the names given to sailors who delivered illegal goods for the Underground. They were a vicious sort and killed without mercy. It was said that many of them appeared rabid at sea, as if their minds had been lost to a drug. There were also Cutters, notorious for their hatred of the Orient, and their ships were designed with large metal blades protruding from the hull. One good ram from their ship and the enemy was sunk.

  Barren was familiar with Runners. He had personal experience with them. Luckily, he had not encountered Cutters and he hoped he never did. What probably concerned him more was the fact that they did not know how far the weapons had spread. If Aethea had managed to purchase them from Sabine, others probably had too, and he wondered if the Runners were using them to defend their ships and supplies. It was definitely a technique that would leave them unopposed.

  “Look to the horizon. The ship is there,” said Leaf. He pointed and Barren looked, but his vision was not as sharp. He saw nothing. Moments passed, and Barren held his breath. The sound of the ship cutting through the ocean was loud in his ears.

  “It’s an Elfin ship,” said Leaf at last, and his tone suddenly changed. “It has been destroyed.”

  “Destroyed? But there is no smoke, and it has not yet sunk, so it cannot be very old.”

  Leaf did not respond. He just kept staring. A great unease spread across the ship. It wasn’t uncommon for humans, pirates or otherwise, to sail Elfin ships, but it was uncommon for them to be so close to the boarder of the Octent.

  Barren recalled Aethea’s words. Tetherion and Lord Alder were working together. Lord Alder would need to provide something in order to satisfy the agreement in the Elfin Treaty. Perhaps it extended beyond offering up a piece of the King’s Gold.

  Barren kept his eyes on the horizon. It wasn’t long before he could make out the outline of what was once a ship. The mast had toppled over and the sails ballooned above the water. The debris slowly floated away from the scene. Barren smelled the air, but there was still no sign of smoke or ash. If the ship hadn’t been destroyed by cannon fire, why exactly was it in pieces?

  They neared the ruins of the ship, and without warning, Leaf dove into the water and swam to the wreckage.

  “Leaf!” Barren called after him, but the Elf had already made it to the thick of the flotsam. He pulled himself from the water onto the main part of the wreckage and crawled to an area where the sails of the ship still billowed from the water. It was then Barren saw the yellow hair of a person in the midst of the ruin.

  “Get as close to the remains as possible and weigh anchor,” Barren instructed before jumping into the water himself. He emerged surrounded by debris. Chunks of wood and pieces of rope from the sails floated around him. He pulled himself onto the wreckage to find Leaf bent over the body of an Elf.

  Leaf patted the side of the Elf’s face, trying to get him to respond. “Aryes! Aryes, I am going to need you to open your eyes.”

  The young Elf groaned but did not open his eyes.

  Leaf put his ear to Aryes’s chest. “He has a heartbeat, but it is faint.”

  Barren couldn't tell if Leaf was talking to him or not. Then Leaf turned, and Barren's eyes followed. The Elf's legs were pinned under the fallen mast. Leaf crawled toward the mast and tried frantically to push it off Aryes’s legs.

  “Albatross!” Barren called. “Help us!”

  Barren hurried to Leaf’s side to get a better look at the fallen mast. It was situated over broken and buckled pieces of the ship, making in nearly impossible to lift.

  Leaf, you have to stop. His legs are crushed.”

  Leaf looked directly at Barren, and his sea-green eyes were a storm of emotion. "You can't ask me to leave him."

  No, he couldn’t. He knew that. It was just that even if the boy survived, he would never walk again. There was no Elfin magic to cure crushed bones. The wreckage shifted as Cove joined them. Leaf positioned himself above Aryes’s head, and lifted him up so that his hands were anchored underneath Aryes’s arms. Barren and Cove lifted the wooden mast enough for Leaf to pull Aryes out. Cove was the first to drop the mast. It crashed into the remains, and caused the debris to shift beneath them. He gave out a cry, and his hands went quickly to where he’d been wounded at his side. He seemed to realize it would draw attention and straightened. Barren managed to keep his footing and lowered the mast carefully, but his eyes were on Cove, questioning.

  "Are you alright, Albatross?"

  "Yes," he said quickly, his breath sounded short and his body seemed to slump, his hands pressed to the area where he had been shot. Barren knew it was the vacair poison, but he was carrying the burden silently.

  Leaf scooped the young Elf into his arms, cradling Aryes against his chest as if the boy were his child. Seamus and Sam laid a boarding plank out to connect the ship and the ruins, and Leaf moved carefully along it.

  Barren and Cove were left to observe the remnants of the deck a moment longer.

  “This couldn’t have been destroyed with gunfire,” said Cove.

  “Then what do you suppose did this?” asked Barren.

  The ambassador looked around. “It looks like…well, it looks like it was crushed.”

  There were no other Elves among the wreckage, and Barren wondered where they’d gone. The ship Aryes had been on was too large to be captained by one person.

  Barren moved forward, kicking at some of the debris when he spotted shining bullets on part the deck not covered by water. He stopped to pick one up, noticing they were similar in color to the ones used to kill his brethren and the one pulled from Cove.

  “Where did you come from?" he muttered. He turned and held the bullets up to Cove, whose eyes grew dark. Then Barren took off, scrambling toward their ship.

  Aryes lay motionless on the deck, and Leaf scrambled beside him, trying to evoke some sign of life from the boy even as he worked to mix one of his Elvish concoctions. Barren fell to his knees with a loud thud beside the two.

  “Aryes, I need you to tell me why this was on your ship.” Barren demanded desperately. He patted the boy’s face. “Who attacked you?”

  Cove pulled the pirate away from the unconscious Elf. “You’re not going to get an answer out of him, Barren.” “Not yet.”

  Barren twisted towards him. “That ship was carrying the same bullets that harmed you and killed our brothers!” He shoved the bullet into Cove’s hand and turned to look at Leaf, as if he had the answer.

  “We’re not going to discuss this right now,” Leaf said evenly. He looked at Cove. “Will you help me get him into Barren’s cabin?”

  Albatross gave Barren the bullet and did as Leaf had asked. Barren watched them as they entered his cabin. He hoped the Elf made it because the bullets spilled all over the deck of that ship needed an explanation. Not only that, where was Aryes heading? Had he come from the Elfin kingdom of Aurum? Why was he near the border of the Octent? Worse, who had attacked the ship, and did they know exactly what they had in their possession?

  ***

  Barren didn’t see Leaf until the sun set. Cove had come out of the cabin soon after they’d gone in, but Leaf couldn’t bring himself to leave the boy’s side. When he emerged hours later, Barren knew what he was going to say.

  “He is dead,” Leaf said. His voice was low and raw, and a sadness hung around him unlike anything Barren had seen before.

  Sometimes it was easy to forget that Leaf was the prince of the Elves, but when things like this happened, Barren always remembered, and no matter how much Leaf despised his royal blood and dreaded the day he might take the crown, he cared for his people. He cared deeply.

  Barren hesitated and then managed to say, “I’m sorry, Leaf.”

  Though he had nothing to do with the boy’s death, he felt guilty for hesitating to free Aryes from the mast in the first place. He was sure whatever
happened to the boy had been horrific.

  Leaf sat down on one of the barrels and silence stretched between them. Barren wanted to ask questions. Needed to ask them, because even though the young Elf had died, there was something greater at work here. He needed to know if the Elf had awoken long enough to reveal his attackers.

  “We have only two possibilities,” Leaf said very quietly. “Either Aryes brought the weapons from Aurum or he picked them up somewhere. Perhaps the Underground. We are close to the border.”

  Barren was silent for a long moment.

  “Perhaps that piece of King’s Gold and a promise for more was not good enough,” said Barren. “Perhaps your father has offered the weapons to meet the treaty and to ensure Tetherion wins the Ore Mines for good.”

  “We have no proof,” said Leaf. “And my father does not condone the use of magic.”

  That was true. While they had been in Aurum months ago, Alder had refused the idea of using magic, citing how abusive dark magic was.

  “Someone among your people does,” said Barren. “Aryes died for it.”

  “You do not have to lecture me,” said Leaf, bitterness coloring his words. “I will not jump to conclusions about my father. He’s lost enough. I’ve lost enough!”

  Barren sat quietly. What Leaf had said wasn’t untrue. Lord Alder had lost. He’d lost his power, and, as he saw it, his dignity. Lord Alder had become bitter, and Barren believed that the Elfin king would do whatever he must to keep the power he still held, even if that meant using magic that might destroy the world. Leaf had spent a long time running from Lord Alder’s bitterness. Exploring the world beyond the borders of Aurum had led him to dislike his father’s policy of isolation and become more accepting of mortals, whom he found no different from his own race. It had also led him to experience discrimination and hate in the bitterest way, through the murder of his love, Fira.

  “My father…” Leaf paused, frustrated. Then he sighed. “All of my father’s actions, they’re all for one purpose. To protect his people.”

  Barren stood. Placing his hand on Leaf’s shoulder he said, “He is what every king ought to be. Come, let us send Ayres to the Otherworld.”

  Leaf nodded in agreement and the two settled the broken body into a dinghy. Barren watched Leaf as he smoothed the young Elf’s hair and arranged the boy’s hands atop his stomach.

  “He is only a child in our years. No more than fifty. His father serves in the Elfin Guard. Ayres would have been an apprentice at this point.”

  “It is not often your people sail,” said Barren.

  “It isn’t,” agreed Leaf, but he said nothing further.

  The rest of the crew gathered about as they lowered the small boat into the ocean. Leaf withdrew an arrow from his quiver and picked up his bow. He watched as the waves carried Aryes away. Leaf lifted an arrow to his bow. Barren lit the arrow and Leaf pulled the string taut and released. It came to land in the boat, flames springing to life from within and they watched the beacon until it died on the horizon.

  “Pirates send their dead to sea, believing that the sea will carry them to the Otherworld to rest,” said Leaf. “The Elves believe our souls go to a place called Nonlos to heal, to recognize the lessons they learned in this lifetime. After, they pass onto Elos.” He smiled a little, as if he’d touched on a memory of the place, and somehow Barren knew he was thinking of Fira. “There is no sadness there, no pain. Just understanding.”

  Barren had no words for Leaf, but he found himself hoping that his father had found a place like Elos in the Otherworld.

  “We are close to Iona,” said Cove. “We should stop there, gather news. It would be good for us to know the current state of the Orient before we are too far from her waters.”

  “It is out of our way,” said Barren.

  “Only by a few hours,” Cove argued. “Kerry may be able to give us some information on Aryes’s death. It is the only Network we’ll have access to before we enter the Octent.”

  It would be beneficial to have an update on the status of the Orient before they entered the Octent. Barren was curious to know if there had been any more attacks on their brethren and if Aethea Moore was missed. Cove would need to know how Arcarum had reacted to Sara’s absence so he could plan his return. He would have to leave them soon.

  “Sam, set course for Iona,” Barren called. The helmsman nodded and adjusted course.

  “Iona?” Larkin questioned.

  “It is an island of the Network,” said Leaf.

  “I have never heard of it.”

  “It is on no map you have seen,” said Cove. “None of the Network islands are.”

  “So how do you get to them if you have no map?”

  “Their coordinates are learned upon swearing to the code,” said Cove.

  “But most of the locations you’ve established yourself, is that not correct?”

  “It is correct,” said Cove. “And when I pledged to the code of Silver Crest, I also pledged the use of my Network.”

  “But at trial, you threatened to revoke use of the Network. How can you when all Silver Crest pirates know of their locations?”

  “If it comes to that, I will have them destroyed.”

  Barren didn’t like the conversation they were having. Destroying the Network locations at a time like this would likely mean doom for the Silver Crest pirates unless new ones were established quickly. Barren did not believe his exile was worth losing their best means of communication. On the other hand, if the locations were betrayed, they would have to be destroyed. He felt guilty, but part of him wondered if it was wise to even allow Larkin the privilege of seeing Iona. He had yet to determine who she’d spoken to in Arcarum. He had yet to broach the subject of Éire. And if he could get away with it, he never would.

  ***

  There was a strange feeling about the ship. After Ayres’s death, things had been quiet. Larkin imagined her feelings were much different than everyone else’s. She felt unease. A sick feeling had begun to fill her stomach. She knew Cove’s words were true. Her time with Barren, her time on this ship would soon be over.

  The wind was heavy as they approached Iona. Like Sanctuary, there was nothing spectacular about the island. In fact, there was nothing to Iona but sand.

  “You should not stand in this wind,” said Leaf, coming to stand beside her. “You may fall ill.”

  She smiled at Leaf. “I do not wish to be below deck,” she replied.

  “You can take refuge in Barren’s cabin,” he suggested, raising a brow. She felt her cheeks color with embarrassment.

  “I think not today,” she said, and there was silence between them. “I’m sorry about Ayres, Leaf.”

  A ghost of a smile touched the Elf’s lips. “Thank you.”

  The sound of the water rushing against the hull of the ship occupied the quiet. Larkin inhaled deeply, and for a moment the calm of the sea filled her. Then she heard the hatch door open and turned to see Barren lead Aethea from below. She was in chains and blindfolded, and though the assassin said nothing, the smirk on her face seemed to mock Larkin.

  “Should she not stay on the ship?” Larkin asked, her voice harsher than she intended, and it also sounded alarmed.

  “We have plans to make,” said Barren, and he seemed surprised. “We need her input. Besides, she has to be somewhere she can be guarded.”

  Barren lead Aethea to sit, and Larkin ground her teeth, turning back to look at the approaching island.

  “Jealousy is fickle, is it not?”

  “I’m not jealous!” Larkin seethed, and Leaf lifted a pale brow. She sighed, feeling the weight of the last few days fall heavy upon her. “Things are not the same between us.”

  “Barren does stupid things all the time because he doesn’t communicate. I need not give you examples, and, unfortunately, you’re not immune to his actions. Barren always communicates by fighting physically. He picks up a sword.”

  “Are you telling me to fight him?”

&nbs
p; Leaf shrugged a shoulder. “It would get his attention. And be amusing.”

  Larkin narrowed her gaze. “I never know if your advice is sincere.”

  Leaf tilted his head. “Just see how long you can deal with brooding Barren…you’ll want to fight him by the end of it!”

  ***

  Larkin and Sara moved through the water toward the shore. Larkin watched as Barren lifted Aethea and carried her through shallow water to the sandy beach. She was very conscious of the anger igniting her blood and heating her skin. Was her anger born from jealousy? Or the fact that Aethea gained so much pleasure from this act? The assassin kept her arms wrapped around Barren’s neck tightly. Larkin had held onto him the same way only this morning.

  When they reached shore, Barren let go of Aethea immediately and let her fall to the ground. She caught herself before she hit, and it made Larkin wonder if she’d said something to make him angry. He kept one hand on the assassin’s shoulder as they marched forward.

  “Will they kill her?” Sara asked quietly. Larkin turned to look at her, surprised. She hadn’t thought about that. Whether or not they’d kill her.

  “I do not know,” she said, pursing her lips. “But I do not think I would protest that execution.”

  Sara did not seem appalled, but she set her lips in a tight line.

  They were both surprised when children ran to them from across the island. They called out the names of members of Barren’s crew. Some ran for certain people. Barren took a small girl’s hand, and Sam reached down and picked up a little boy. The pirates smiled at them, and the children asked questions.

  “Children? There are children here?” Sara asked.

  “Yes,” Larkin said, though she was a little surprised they would live here on the isolated island of Iona, and a Network location at that. Wasn’t it dangerous? Especially if Cove chose to dissolve the Network? He had said that would require destroying these locations. If anything, it was another reminder that the pirates of Silver Crest were more than just a rogue lot of men and women. They had become more like a whole other people, governed by their own rules and their own beliefs, and they fought to protect them.