Raven Rebellion

by K Hanson

  “Alone? You think you can do this without my help?”

  “Of course. We know how to steal things and I don’t need you holding my hand to do it. There’s a port just north of here, right?” She brushed past him.

  “There is. But this isn’t a good idea, Nereyda.” He caught her arm. “And we need you in this fight.”

  “This fight isn’t ours.” Nereyda shook out of his grasp and strode out of the room, ignoring Devrim’s yells for her to come back.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As she rode back down the hill to the guard station, Limbani shook her head. She didn’t know how her lord could ally himself with someone as unreliable as a pirate. Nereyda was amusing enough to chat with during their ride up to the estate, but someone without any respect for authority could become a liability rather than an asset. The pirate’s purple eyes and perky button nose had worked together to mock Limbani with every smirk. Still, Limbani had faith that Lord Devrim knew what he was doing. He had not let her down before and always seemed to pick the right people for the job at hand, even if they were unorthodox. The guard captain herself was not the most conventional choice for her position. She would keep an eye on the pirate captain, though. If Nereyda turned against her lord, Limbani wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, though she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  She brought her horse to a trot. The bridge where she was stationed stood at the edge of Lord Devrim’s land. Normally, lords would not militarize their borders, but Devrim hadn’t wanted to take any chances after the disaster at the mines had thrown the western reaches of the Cambisian Empire into chaos. They were on the lookout for any stray Stalstan troops, escaped prisoners, or even Imperial troops who had deserted. Limbani suspected though that the biggest reason Devrim stationed them at the bridge was to watch for Captain Nereyda and her crew. Limbani didn’t know how he knew to expect them, but he apparently had.

  The stable stood outside the abandoned tavern that they had converted into a barracks. As she dismounted and handed the reins to the stable master, he said, “You’d better get inside. The pirates aren’t exactly the most reasonable of guests.”

  “I never would have guessed. Nobody’s died yet, I hope?”

  “Not that I know of, but I wouldn’t wait.”

  Limbani walked at a quick pace toward the tavern door. Even as she approached it, she could hear yelling and singing inside.

  She opened the door and found a chaotic scene of pirates with drinking mugs in their hands shouting and singing a rather unflattering song about the Empire. Several pirates flung insults at the guards, and some even threw food at them. To their credit, her own soldiers did not retaliate, and merely brandished their weapons while her lieutenant tried to order their guests to settle down. The pirates were either oblivious or intentionally ignoring any efforts to settle them down. Meanwhile, the Islanders who had accompanied the pirates, recognizable by the strand of beads they each had in their hair, sat at some tables in the corner, keeping themselves as far away as possible and casting nervous glances at the two groups.

  As she shoved her way into the fray, Limbani whistled above the noise. Her troops came to attention, but the pirates kept up their frivolity. Adnan, her lieutenant, hurried over to her.

  “What’s going on here?” Limbani asked. “How did things get so out of hand?”

  “Captain, as soon as we showed our . . . guests into the barracks, they immediately broke into the old tavern storage area in the basement and found an old stash of liquor. Ever since, they’ve been drinking and getting increasingly loud and belligerent.”

  “Have they threatened or attacked you at all?”

  “No, Captain, that’s why we haven’t made any effort to remove them. They haven’t done anything to provoke violence. They’ve just been singing and yelling at us. I ordered the men to be ready in case anything wild happened.”

  “And what of these other people? The Islanders in the corner?”

  “They’ve been sitting quietly. None of them have bothered to help themselves to any drink. One of them seems to be in charge, though. He keeps telling them to keep out of it, and they listen.”

  “I’ll start with him.”

  Limbani pushed her way through the crowd, dodging an apple on the way, to the quiet group in the corner, where the Islanders talked among themselves while keeping an eye on the crazy proceedings around them. As she got closer, she saw that their strands of beads had a variety of colors. Most common were red, blue, and yellow, with a smattering of green and white. A couple had black beads.

  “Hello there, I’m Captain Limbani. Is any of you in charge here?”

  One of the Islanders let out a hearty laugh. “I don’t think anybody is in charge here, including you, Captain. But I can speak for my friends.”

  “Good. What’s your name, friend?”

  The Islander with wild black hair stood up and strode over to her. One strand of hair featured a set of beads. A few blue, some red, and a single white one at the end. “I’m Jax,” he said with a smile across his broad face as he held out his hand and greeted her with friendly dark eyes.

  Limbani took his hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Jax. So how did you end up with these pirates?”

  “They were with us in the mines. They put Nereyda with us because they thought she’d lead her crew to rebel and escape. Instead, she got us to do it, so their plan didn’t work out too well. When the Stalstans attacked, we fought together and kind of stuck with each other afterward. We didn’t have anywhere else to go and this lot seemed fine.”

  “They’re making a mess and making my men nervous. We’re on the edge of something triggering a fight.”

  “I don’t think the pirates want a fight. Most of them have been locked up for months and they only want the chance to unwind. You can’t really blame them for wanting to let loose.”

  “I suppose not. And what about all of you?”

  Jax shrugged. “We’re not exactly the rowdy type. And we’ve just finished a long journey, so we just appreciate the chance to sit down.”

  “Aside from Nereyda, do you know whom I could talk to to help get them settled down?”

  “I don’t know most of them, but there is one named Elvar who seems close to Nereyda. He might be the closest thing to a leader without her around.”

  “Can you point this Elvar out?”

  “Of course. You see the older man sitting at a table across the tavern?” Jax pointed.

  Limbani followed his gesture and spotted the man, who was sipping his drink and singing along with a smile, though far less boisterously than his crew mates.

  “Care to come along and introduce me?”

  Jax shrugged. “I suppose. I don’t know him very well, but I’ve got nothing better to do.”

  Jax and Limbani made their way around the crowd of singing pirates and stood above the older pirate.

  “Hey Elvar,” said Jax.

  “Why hello, did you decide you wanted a drink, Jax? Take a seat right here and I’ll get you a drink.” Elvar slapped the bench next to him.

  “No, I’m good for now, thank you. Our host, Captain Limbani, wanted to speak with you.”

  Elvar eyed Limbani with suspicion. Lines crinkled across his forehead, his face showing the wear of years at sea. “This Imperial? I’ve seen enough of you to last a lifetime.”

  Limbani clenched her teeth, but kept her face passive.

  “I can understand that,” said Jax. “But they haven’t shot you yet. And they’ve let you drink their alcohol. They can’t all be bad, can they?”

  “Fine, I’ll give this one a chance. Sit down and we’ll see if you’re different.”

  Limbani sat next to Elvar, and Jax took a spot on her other side.

  “So,” said Elvar, still giving Limbani a hard look, though the wrinkles near his eyes carried a slight smile, “what can I do for you?”

  Limbani met his gaze and said, “You and your crew are our guests, and we’re happy that your crew seems to be getting
comfortable, but perhaps they’re a bit too comfortable.”

  “And who are you to tell us that we’re too comfortable? That’s easy for you to say when you get a bed to sleep in, decent food, and get to see the sun. I bet even you have a drink or two on your days off. Us, though—we’ve been stuck underground. Pirates are used to doing whatever they want, whenever they want. You try living in a hole without the kiss of fresh air on your face, drink to warm your soul, or even the freedom to take a piss without asking permission, and see if you don’t get a bit thirsty when you come out. It was Imperials who put us in that hole to begin with. I don’t particularly feel like telling my people to settle down on the word of another Imperial dog, even one who speaks with words rather than the whip.”

  “Mister Elvar—”

  “Elvar is fine.”

  “Elvar then,” Limbani said, maintaining a gentle, respectful tone. “Perhaps my uniform has led you to make some assumptions about me, but I can assure you I am quite different, if my appearance didn’t already hint at that.”

  “What about your appearance?”

  “Well, I’m a woman and my skin doesn’t exactly blend in.”

  “That doesn’t mean much to me. My captain is a woman and we have people of all colors in the crew.”

  “It may not mean much to a pirate, but it means something in the Empire.”

  “Is that right? And what does it mean?”

  “It means that I’m not just a trained Imperial dog, as you put it. I know that the Empire isn’t perfect. I don’t think I could serve anywhere other than in Lord Devrim’s guard. I’d never serve in a place like the mines.”

  “If you’re in uniform, I’m not sure you get much of a choice, do you? You have to follow orders, right?”

  “Within reason. Some are more willing to follow unsavory orders than others. I’d sooner desert than do some of the things I’ve heard about.”

  “So you’d be willing to break the rules if the situation called for it?”

  Limbani shrugged. “I suppose.”

  “In that case,” Elvar said as he slid his mug toward her, “finish this.”

  “I’m on duty.”

  “I know.” Elvar smirked, his eyes full of mischief. “That’s the point. I want to see if you’re telling the truth.”

  “I said I’d disobey orders if the situation called for it. How does that relate to this case?”

  “If you drink that, I’ll get the crew to settle down.” He winked at her.

  Jax chuckled as he watched from the other side of Limbani.

  Limbani stared down at the mug, filled almost to the brim with amber ale. Drinking on duty went against everything she’d learned as a member of a lord’s household guard. While it wasn’t a major offense, if one broke the rules once, it became easier to do it again. She’d seen it in some of the less successful guard candidates. And as captain, she needed to set an example for her unit. Still, she also needed to do her job, and that meant preventing a riot in the barracks. And if this helped earn the respect of their guests, that might be helpful long-term, as well.

  She glanced around the room at her troops. When she felt confident that none of them were watching her, she lifted the mug and drained the liquid in it. She winced as she repressed the urge to burp.

  “Wow,” said Elvar. He gave her an impressed nod. “I just wanted you to finish it. You didn’t need to chug the whole thing.”

  “I know. I wanted to get it done before I changed my mind.”

  “Well, I’m proud of you.” Elvar clapped her on the back. “Maybe you’re not just another hopeless Imperial after all.”

  “I’ve done my part. Now it’s your turn to hold up your end of the deal.”

  “Indeed it is, lass.” Elvar climbed off the bench onto the table itself, standing above the crowd, then whistled. “Hey, all of you.”

  At the sound of their quartermaster’s voice, the pirates quieted down and looked at him.

  “After our wonderful host here,” he said as he waved toward Limbani, “had a bit of a drink with me, I’ve decided that these guards aren’t as bad as the other Imperials we’ve gotten to know.”

  Lieutenant Adnan looked at Limbani curiously, which she returned by flicking her gaze away and straightening her posture.

  “We’ve had some good fun,” continued Elvar, “but I think maybe we should take a rest and let our hosts relax.”

  “We’re still thirsty!” cried someone from the crowd.

  “I am too, and we can still drink. Let’s just try to keep it down, at least for a while. Besides, we don’t want to wear ourselves out before our own captain comes back. You all know that Nereyda would feel left out if we drank ourselves into the ground before she had a chance to join the fun.”

  The pirates all laughed and nodded their heads.

  “Very well, it seems you all agree. Then let’s all sit down and play nice until she gets back. After that, I’m sure she’ll let us loose again.”

  The pirates all raised their mugs to that and let out a final cheer before quieting down to merely a dull roar. Elvar climbed back down and smiled at the guard captain. “How was that?”

  “I wish you hadn’t called me out for drinking on the job in front of my soldiers. And I’m not excited about letting them loose again when Nereyda gets back. That said, I thank you for buying us some time of peace and quiet.”

  “I’m afraid that’s all I can get for you, even if I was inclined to ask for more from them. If I push too hard, they’ll just ignore me.”

  “How do you keep order with these kinds of people?” She gave an incredulous wave toward the crowd. “How does your captain get anything done?”

  “They don’t listen to us because we have a certain position. They listen to us because they respect us. Anyone on the crew can leave at any time. We only stay together because we can all pull together around a common cause. The good news for me is that I’m not the one who has to come up with that common cause. Captain Nereyda does a mighty fine job of that, then getting the crew to agree to go along with the method.”

  “Sounds like your captain has it all figured out.”

  “Most of the time, yes. And when she makes mistakes, she fixes them.”

  “I’ll have to talk more with her when she gets back from speaking with Lord Devrim.”

  “That you will. Despite your positions, or maybe because of them, I think you two have more in common than you might think.”

  “I’d better get back to my job, but now that you’ve gotten your people to calm down, I can do that with more peace of mind. I thank you again.”

  “You’re most welcome.” Elvar nodded at Limbani as she stood up.

  Jax eyed her with a last look of amusement before he slid over to Elvar and began a conversation.

  Limbani shoved through the throng of people to her lieutenant. “That seems to have settled them, for the time being.”

  He looked at her with worry etched across his forehead. He leaned in and whispered, “Can I speak to you outside, ma’am?”

  She gave Adnan a quizzical look. “Yes, we can slip out for a moment. Lead the way.”

  After they left the barracks, Adnan paced back and forth for a moment.

  “What did you want to speak to me about, Lieutenant?”

  He stopped pacing and looked at her with a frown. “You do know I should report you for that drink, right? I don’t want to do it, but if I don’t, then I’m on the line for an infraction as well. If I were the only one who knew, then maybe I could hide it, but . . .”

  “Absolutely report it,” she said in a firm voice. “Even if you were the only one who knew, that’s the right thing to do. Don’t put yourself in trouble on my account. I chose to take that drink. I could have refused and thought of a different way to approach the problem. I’ll bear the consequences.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain.” He still gave her a remorseful look, but his face relaxed.

  “Don’t be sorry. Go, write the report and hav
e it delivered to Lord Devrim. I’ll keep an eye on things here.”

  “Very well. Just don’t have a second drink while I’m not here to stop you,” he said with a slight smile.

  Limbani shot him an amused look. “Don’t be impertinent.”

  He gave a small bow and left. Limbani went back inside and returned her attention to the band of pirates and the group of Islanders. While she wasn’t too concerned about what her punishment might be for her infraction, she wondered what else might happen if they had to spend much more time with these people. Soon though, the wagons would take them into Ascaya to stay at the tavern, where they would be someone else’s problem.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Commander Erhan of Boscada sat in a dark corner of the Harbinger Tavern, a run-down tavern in a tiny village on the western coast of the Empire. He glanced back down at the note in his hand. I know you’re looking for a certain pirate. Meet me at the Harbinger Tavern. Erhan knew nothing about who had sent it or how they had known where to send the courier. The messenger wouldn’t answer any of his questions. Still, Erhan needed any information he could find, so he had to take this opportunity. If it went badly, he trusted in his ability with a blade.

  As he waited, he watched the shady patrons around him. The Imperial officer in him wanted to investigate them. The former Imperial officer, perhaps, he reminded himself. Erhan was not sure of his current status in the Cambisian Empire.

  After being captured at the battle of the mines, Erhan was likely marked as missing in action. While he could report to any Imperial military outpost to begin the process of being reinstated, that would also mean explaining where he had been. He doubted that his superiors would look kindly upon his agreement to work with Foreign Minister Audo of the Stalsta Federation. Apprehending the pirate and witch Nereyda would be for the greater good of the Empire, even if it meant delivering her to an enemy nation. Still, Erhan didn’t think his superiors would agree with that.

  However, it would mean defeating the person most responsible for destroying Erhan’s life and career. His back ached at the memory of how she had tossed him against a wall with a blast of wind. She had inhuman abilities that nobody should be allowed to possess, and he aimed to stop her before she could cause more damage.