by K Hanson
With that, the mood picked back up, and the crew enjoyed their drinks and jokes.
Drink in hand, Nereyda spotted Jax sitting across the tavern in a corner with the rest of the Islanders, where they were quietly drinking their own drinks. It reminded her of how the Islanders had walked a short distance from the pirates as they hiked north from the mines. She swaggered over and took a seat right next to Jax. “Why so glum?” she asked. “We’re out of the mines and finally in a place where we can relax.”
“It’s how we are. If it was just us, it’d be different. But it’s tough for us to get used to non-Islanders. It takes time, that’s all.”
“I hope you do become comfortable with us. I’m surprised that fighting our way out of the mines didn’t break the ice enough for you.”
Jax shrugged and cracked a broad genuine smile.
Nereyda found it refreshing how Jax and the rest of the Islanders were so quick to wear their emotions. It gave them an authentic honesty that was rare.
“It’s hard to shake old habits, I suppose,” said Jax. “Looks like we’re together for the long haul, so we’ll have time to become friends.”
“Listen, you helped us in the mines when you didn’t need to. You don’t have to stay with us. You can go off and find a way home or do whatever you want.”
“You helped us at least as much as we helped you. We wouldn’t have even started trying to escape without you. We want to stick with you. Just promise me that if you get a ship, you’ll take us home to the Shattered Sea.”
Nereyda nodded. “I can do that. It’s a long way, but I suppose what’s one more detour after everything we’ve gone through?” She paused to take a sip. “So that’s your goal, then? Get home?”
“I can’t speak for everyone. Some of them may wish to stick with you. I’m thinking of that myself, after seeing all of you in action. But I know some of the others have families in the islands, and they want to go back to them.”
“Why join us? Don’t you like it quiet?”
“Not all the time, and we’re born to love the sea, just as you all do. I could see that kind of life growing on me.”
“How did you end up in the mines in the first place? We got captured in a raid gone bad, but I don’t see you and your people as the marauder type.”
“We’re not. We were settlers on one of the islands in the Shattered Sea. We were trying to expand our reach toward the south, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the Cambisians. They landed two ships of marines on the island and rounded us up. We—” His voice broke and he averted his gaze.
Nereyda put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “What happened?”
He tensed at her touch, but didn’t pull away. “We were lucky that we could help the children escape in one of our small and fast ships, but there wasn’t room for everyone. The rest of us tried to slow the Imperials down.” He bit his lip and stared down at the table. “We—we lost some people. Eventually, when we were sure the young ones had gotten away, we surrendered, and then the rest you know. Not much to tell between that and the mines.”
“Did you have a child among those that escaped?”
“I have no children, no.” His voice caught as a tear slid down his cheek. “But some of my friends who have been killed, either in the battle on the island or in the mines, did. I may adopt one or two of the children if I return home, if they haven’t been already. If they arrived at our capital safely, I know they will be well taken care of while we’re all gone. Still, I think I owe it to my friends who died.”
“That’s why you all stood and fought with us at the mines.”
Jax nodded.
“Thank you for sharing your story with me, Jax. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
“No; but it feels good to open up to someone new.”
“I’m glad you chose me. You can always talk to me, if you need someone to listen.” She gestured toward the strand of beads in his hair. “Can you tell me about those?”
“Oh, these?” Jax toyed with the beads for a moment. “They’re a way of marking our individual achievements.” His fingers traced along each bead. “Blue for leading a fishing expedition, red for helping to build a ship, and white for volunteering to colonize another island.”
“You’ve got quite a few of them.”
Jax gave her a humble smile. “Not as many as some.”
“What about the yellow and green others have?”
“Yellow is for serving aboard a patrol ship and green is for leading a scouting expedition on another island.”
“Maybe I should start handing out beads. You all have earned more than a few.” She glanced around at the other Islanders and said in a raised voice, “In the meantime, if you’re going to be part of our crew, I insist that all of you join us and get to know us tonight. Grab your drinks, stand up, and meet the rest of your crew. And it is your crew, because tonight you join it until we can return you to your home.”
The Islanders glanced around at each other, hesitating.
Nereyda grabbed Jax by the elbow and pulled him up. “Up, I said. Come with me. There is booze to drink, and it goes down much better when you’re not sulking in a corner.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Nereyda and her crew crept through the darkness toward the docks of Fethia. The lights of lanterns sparkled in the single Imperial frigate docked there. A few silhouettes stood or walked around the ship. The waves splashing against the hull and the creak of the ship swaying were the only sounds from that direction. A large number of voices shouted, chattered, and sang from the lone tavern in town. Two sailors stumbled out, leaning against the wall.
Good. That meant that there would only be a token skeleton crew on the ship to deal with.
“Okay, you all stay on shore. I’m going to swim to the ship and deal with any sentries,” Nereyda said.
“Are you sure you want to go alone?” Elvar asked from over her left shoulder. “I remember the last time you went onto an enemy ship alone. You got surrounded and almost couldn’t fight your way out.”
“‘Almost’ is the key word in that sentence.”
“Fine, we’ll stay here,” agreed Elvar. “But as soon as you are clear or if you’re in trouble, let us know and we’ll run out to the ship.”
“Sounds good. We won’t have much time to get the ship up and sailing before that garrison in the tavern figures out something is wrong. While they might be drunk, there will still be more of them than us, and if they board the ship before we can sail, we’ll be trapped in a fight.”
“We’ll have to be fast then.”
Nereyda crept to the edge of the water. She took off her black boots and squeezed them under her belt to keep them secure for the swim to the ship. She waded out until it was deep enough to swim. Silently, she slipped through the dark water toward the ship. In her dark clothing, she blended in with the nighttime waves.
One or two soldiers stood nearby on the dock, while a few others roamed the deck, casually glancing out over the water. Their gazes kept returning to the tavern, where their comrades enjoyed the night off. They didn’t seem too concerned with the prospect of being attacked at a quiet village, especially when no enemies had made their presence known.
Nereyda and her crew, which now included the newly joined Islanders, would change that very soon.
She reached the side of the ship and slipped around the hull to the side opposite the dock, then climbed up using the ropes and portholes that she could reach. At the top of the hull, she peeked through a gap in the railing supports. A breeze chilled her through her drenched clothing, and she fought to suppress a shiver. The deck creaked as a guard sauntered past her. Nereyda ducked her head down. When his steps began to get quieter, she reached to the top of the railing and pulled herself over, landing lightly on her feet in a crouch.
She padded over the deck and crept up behind the guard. She dared not even breathe as she got within arm’s reach.
A board groaned under her foot and the guard starte
d to turn around. Nereyda struck him on the back of the head with the hilt of her cutlass, then supported him as she lowered his unconscious body to the deck.
Now, there was only a guard at the aft of the ship, one at the bow, and the two on the dock. She crouch-walked up the stairway to the aftercastle, where the helm wheel was. The single guard stared out over the ocean and leaned against the railing with his back to Nereyda.
She slowly strode up to him, pulled her cutlass back to ready a thrust, and then he whirled around.
A familiar face. Erhan.
His face had become gaunter and his brown hair had grown a couple of inches longer than his standard military cut, but his strong shoulders and jaw still projected resolve.
“Hello pirate,” he said, venom in his voice.
Nereyda took a step back as her mouth hung open and her sword arm faltered for a moment. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard a rumor that some pirates were in the area, looking for a ship. So I guessed and hoped that I’d find you and your crew here.”
“Well, my crew isn’t here right now. It’s just me.”
“You’re even more talented than I thought if you plan on sailing this ship all by yourself. Then you won’t mind if we capture and execute the people hiding in the bushes on the beach.”
Nereyda needed to stall as she searched for an escape route. “What do you want, Erhan? We just want to leave, and then you never have to worry about us again.”
“Because of you, I lost my commission. You destroyed my life, so it’s only fair that I do likewise to you.” He gave Nereyda a smug smile.
“Then how the hell are you here? Who are these soldiers and sailors if they’re not under your command?”
“An old navy friend owed me a favor, so I called it in. And after I told him about everything you’ve done, he was eager to help out.”
Nereyda heard footsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder. Another guard crept up behind her, with his sword pointed at her back. The tip dug into her skin, making her wince.
“Now, drop your sword before I have him run you through.”
“Fine, fine,” she said. She made a show of holding her sword out before letting it fall from her grasp. She held her hands up in surrender. After a moment, she pulled her back away from the sword tip, spun to her right, and dropped her elbow straight into the gut of the man who had captured her. With her other hand, she wrenched his sword from his hand, then knelt and picked hers up. A sword in each hand, she kicked the doubled-over guard onto the deck and faced Erhan.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a whistle and blew into it, letting out a shrill note.
Nereyda winced at the loud, high-pitched noise, but set her discomfort aside when she heard the sounds of battle from the beach. Forgetting Erhan, she vaulted off the aftercastle and sprinted across the gangway to the dock. The two guards grabbed at her, but she held her swords to either side and cut them down as she ran past. She didn’t have time to play with her food right now.
Dashing down the length of the dock, she found her crew facing off against a large number of soldiers. The Imperials used their numbers to their advantage. When the front rank slowed from exertion, an officer blew a whistle and a fresh rank pressed forward and gave their comrades a chance to rest. This constant cycle of fresh troops pushed the pirates and Islanders to the edge of the water.
A group of three Imperials ran over to her and blocked her path. One came forward to face her while the other two watched.
The wet sand squished between Nereyda’s bare toes as she lunged with a quick thrust toward his stomach. With a flick of his wrist, he swept her blade to the side. She feinted to her left, and he took the bait. Seizing the opening, she surged forward and drove her elbow into his gut.
He clutched his belly and staggered back, while the next soldier charged, his sword raised overhead. Almost too late, Nereyda blocked the blow. Pain jolted through her arm at the impact. She counterattacked, but struck his unwavering shield.
Between moves, Nereyda reached toward some of her power.
A swing toward her right shoulder. She dodged with a sidestep, and her concentration broke.
She turned her focus inward and tried again.
Her opponent lunged toward her. Nereyda batted his sword away, but lost her focus once again.
The third soldier strode up to take his turn.
With their relentless attack, Nereyda would never have time to channel her power. She needed all of her energy and focus to keep up with the constant rotation of rested opponents.
Rather than wait for an attack from her new challenger, Nereyda unleashed a flurry of strikes against him. He kept his defenses up, but she forced him back several steps toward his two comrades.
Before he could recover his stance, she rolled to the side and thrust her sword into one of the waiting soldiers. While this cut down the number of enemies, the remaining ones fought even harder after seeing their friend fall. They stopped taking turns and instead attacked her at the same time.
In between blocks, Nereyda chanced a glance at the beach. Her pirates and the Islanders had been pressed far enough back to where they were wading in water up to their ankles and could no longer retreat.
Gunshots echoed from the forest at the upper edge of the beach. Nereyda expected some of her people to fall, but only saw Imperials collapse in the sand. Their comrades paused in confusion, and her crew pressed the attack.
As Nereyda’s people took advantage of the distraction, more troops in uniform surged out of the forest—except their uniforms featured the green of Devrim’s household guard.
Nereyda recognized Limbani leading the way as they charged into the Imperials. With renewed hope and energy, Nereyda finished off her opponents, then helped the others clean up the beach. Once the area was clear, Nereyda slipped her boots back on, then approached Limbani.
“What are you doing here?” Nereyda asked.
The officer looked at Nereyda with a focused, serious face. “Devrim thought you might do something crazy. Guess he was right.”
A horn sounded in the distance.
“Come on,” said Limbani. “Reinforcements are coming.”
Nereyda looked back longingly at the ship. They had come so close to having a way out.
“We need to leave,” said Limbani as she tugged on Nereyda’s shoulder.
“How long do we have?” asked Nereyda.
“Not sure. Minutes.”
“Too long to get that ship ready.” Nereyda sighed, then relented. As Nereyda and her people followed Limbani off of the beach, she resigned herself to a much longer fight for a ship.
CHAPTER SIX
Clutching the travel permit that Commander Erhan had given to her, Brynja approached the high, dark walls of Antalia with the Storm Raven crew. Well, her half of the crew. The half that had been released after Brynja turned Nereyda over to Erhan. Bringing Nereyda to Erhan was supposed to have bought freedom for the entire Storm Raven crew, but the commander had changed the deal at the last minute. Brynja hadn’t had any choice but to accept, unless she wanted to end up right back in the mines that had broken her.
Not that she truly had her freedom yet. Part of her terms with Erhan was that she and her crew enter the service of the Empire as privateers. Still, serving the rest of their sentence on a ship was far better than being stuck below ground.
A pair of guards kept watch next to the gate. “What’s your business in Antalia?” asked the one on the right.
“We’re reporting for duty.”
The guard studied her, then glanced over her crew. Their time on the road from the mines had left them haggard and dirty, but the Imperials had provided enough supplies and rations to stay healthy.
As the guard looked them over, Brynja fidgeted with a loose braid of straw-blonde hair that rested on her shoulder.
“You’re reporting for duty without uniforms?” the guard asked.
“We’re supposed to be privateers.
Do they have uniforms?”
He sneered at her. “Oh, so you’re not real soldiers, just criminals for hire.”
Brynja swallowed. “Commander Erhan gave us this pass.” She handed him her travel permit. “He told us that this was part of our sentence.”
He scanned her paperwork. “This all seems to be in order. I’ll let you in, but it doesn’t mean I think you deserve it. The naval station is down at the harbor. You can’t miss it. Go there and report to the admiral. He’ll decide where to put you.” The guard knocked on a smaller door built into the gate. “Oi, open up. These people are cleared.”
The door clicked open and swung out from the gate. Brynja stepped into the city and led her crew past the inner guards who glared at them without speaking. She turned her gaze away and focused on getting to the station at the harbor with as little trouble as possible. As they made their way through the once familiar city, they passed by the occasional subdued citizen and through the main square where a platform with three gallows stood in the middle. The nooses hung empty, ready for the next people that the Empire decided needed to be punished.
Once, Antalia had been a loosely governed port of the Cambisian Empire, and a haven for pirates, smugglers, and thieves who did business on or near the continent. Then, the Emperor had decided to crack down on those unsavory professions, and made Antalia an example by purging the criminal elements and their associates and bringing the city directly under military control.
As the vast harbor came into view, a forest of masts rose into the sky. Naval ships of all sizes stood docked, with more floating out in the middle of the water. A massive building with the Cambisian flag fluttering above it stood at the midpoint of the coast. Brynja recognized it as the old city administration building, but the large number of marines moving around, in, and out of it suggested that it had been taken over by the martial authority that had assumed control of Antalia.
