by K Hanson
“Done,” said Devrim with a definite nod. “Those all seem perfectly reasonable. More than reasonable, really, considering that they’re already proving themselves to be good allies.”
“We haven’t seen them fight yet,” said Limbani. “Their numbers won’t mean much if they scatter at the sight of a Cambisian ship of the line.”
“I don’t know how they are in open combat, but they weren’t shy about chasing us down. And the Islanders who have been on my crew since the mines have performed more than admirably.”
“If you vouch for them, that’s good enough for me,” said Limbani.
“How should we celebrate?” asked Devrim.
“I’ll talk to the assembled captains of the ships, and we’ll find some way of welcoming them to our cause,” said Nereyda. “They aren’t the sort of party animals my crew generally are, but I’m sure we can find something they’d enjoy.”
“If the weather is clear, we can do something in the square,” suggested Devrim. “There are new pubs opening there since we took the city, and I’m sure they’d love to have the business.”
“Did you take down the rest of the gallows?” asked Nereyda. “They would cast a bit of a shadow over any party.”
Devrim gave a short chuckle. “Yes, those have been taken down. It’s become a much more pleasant public space. The people have started painting murals on the walls and ground. You should see some of them when you get a chance.”
“If we have our celebration there, I’ll check it out.”
“Not to end the discussion of our fun,” said Limbani, “but we should start discussing next steps. With Nereyda’s fleet and the ships our allies sent, we can now move against the eastern fleet at the main Imperial shipyard. That is the last big piece before we can take the capital. If we destroy the fleet there, it will be easy to finish the war, but we haven’t dared take it without a fleet to support us.”
“You’re right, Limbani,” said Devrim. “How about the three of us talk about what we need to do? Let’s go to the administration building, and we can think things through in my office.”
Nereyda gave some final instructions to Photios to relay to the Islanders, then followed Devrim and Limbani, her excitement reaching her feet. Soon, the Empire would be defeated and good people like Devrim and Limbani would take over.
Nereyda was nursing a mug of ale after discussing battle plans with Devrim and Limbani when a guard rushed into the tavern and whispered in Limbani’s ear. Nereyda narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, but couldn’t make out what the guard said. When Limbani dismissed the guard, she leaned toward Nereyda and said, “Our guards captured someone on shore. She is asking for you. Do you know a woman named Brynja?”
Nereyda nearly choked when she heard the name. Her face hardened as she remembered her old friend. “Yes, I know Brynja.”
“That’s the name of your first mate, isn’t it?” asked Limbani.
“Who lured me into a trap at the mines. Yes, that’s her.” Nereyda kept her voice icy as she sparred with the thought of seeing Brynja again.
“Why would she be here? Didn’t you say she was pressed into the service of the Empire?”
“Yes, as a privateer, I think. But I might as well go see what she has to say.”
“Are you sure? If she’s working for the Empire now, what if it’s part of a trap?”
“It might be. I’m not sure about her anymore. But I still need to see her.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Nereyda shrugged. “Fine with me. You can show me where they’re keeping her.”
“Do you know what she wants?”
“No idea.”
Following Limbani through the streets, Nereyda trudged a bit outside of town along the beach, toward a spot where the lamps from the city barely cast any light on the sand. The silhouettes of six people stood outlined against the night sky. One person had their hands raised above their head, while the other five had guns aimed at them. A rowboat had its prow in the sand, while the rear bobbed in the water as waves crashed against the shore.
Limbani carried her torch toward the people. As the light was cast over their faces, Nereyda spotted the angular face and straw-colored hair of Brynja.
“Nereyda,” said Brynja, a tremor in her voice.
“Quiet, until spoken to,” said one of the guards.
“No, it’s okay,” said Nereyda. “You all can stand down. Limbani and I will talk to her. Head back to your original posts.”
The guards hesitated, looking to Limbani, who waved them away. They lowered their weapons and marched back up the beach. When they were a distance away, Nereyda turned to Brynja.
“Why are you here?” she asked as she crossed her arms.
Brynja’s face and shoulders fell. “I know you don’t want much to do with me. But I want to make up for what I did to you at the mines.”
“How do you want to do that?” Nereyda snapped. “Are you here to ask for a place on my crew again? Because my ship is full. I have a new first mate, and he’s doing pretty well so far. Hasn’t sailed much, but he’s learning.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Reyda.”
“Don’t call me Reyda. That’s for my friends.”
Tears filled Brynja’s eyes. Nereyda tried to ignore them, but couldn’t help but notice her eyes had become a bit sunken.
“I’m here to offer help, not join your crew,” said Brynja. “The western Imperial fleet is here. They’re just off the coast, and they plan on launching a full assault on Antalia tomorrow at dawn. They want to take out your fleet.”
“This seems like quite a coincidence. How did they even know we got a fleet?” Nereyda asked.
“I’m not sure. Someone saw you and reported it. It might have been a fishing boat or a merchant. Something like that. But based on how many ships it seems you have, is it really that hard to believe you didn’t go unnoticed?”
“Fine, let’s say I believe you. What would you have us do? Is this some sort of ruse to get us to come out and face you in open battle?”
“No, I just thought you should know.”
“What made you come tell us this?” Nereyda tilted her head, looking at Brynja sideways.
“I never wanted to be a slave to the Empire. They made us attack civilian ships to lure out the Stalstan navy. Now they’re turning us against you. I’m sick of it.” Her face contorted with disgust. “Maybe my ship could slip away and join your fleet?” She lurched toward Nereyda, her hands held out in a plea.
Nereyda scoffed. “So you can sell us out again? No, thank you. Head back to your Imperial masters, and let us win this war without you. Limbani, have your guards watch her to see that she really goes back out to sea.”
As Nereyda whirled around to leave, Brynja called out, “One thousand lashes.”
Nereyda pivoted and marched up to Brynja’s face. “What did you say?”
“One thousand lashes. That’s how serious I am.”
“You don’t get to say that. Not anymore.” Nereyda turned her back and stormed away from Brynja, not bothering to leave a farewell.
“Whether you believe me or not, I’ll do what I can to stop them. Whatever it takes.”
Brynja’s words blew past Nereyda’s ears.
Limbani addressed the guards at their station, then caught up with Nereyda.
“That seemed a bit harsh,” remarked Limbani.
“How would you feel about seeing the person responsible for getting you tossed into a pit of hell like the mines?”
“Fair point. But what about what she told us? What are we going to do about it?”
“I’m not sure. Does the gate tower have anything to drink?” She needed something to calm the swirling storm of thoughts that raged in her head. What’s more dangerous? Trusting Brynja or not?
“It might,” said Limbani.
They trailed along the beach toward the closest harbor guard tower, which stood on one of the peninsulas that hugged the harbor.
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nbsp; As she shoved through the door, Nereyda was relieved that nobody was on the lower level. She rummaged through a cabinet on the wall and found half a bottle of rum. A large swig later, she held it out toward Limbani. “Want any?”
“No.” She stayed in the doorway. “What was that about one thousand lashes?”
Nereyda let out a dark chuckle as she leaned against the cabinet. “It’s sort of a promise. It started before I was even captain. When one of us said it, it meant we were so confident in something that we would take one thousand lashes if we were wrong.”
“That seems rather extreme. I thought you didn’t use lashes.”
Nereyda gave a dismissive wave. “It wasn’t meant to be literal. It means ‘trust me, I know what I’m talking about.’”
“So do you trust Brynja?”
“No, I don’t.” Nereyda stared at the bottle in her hand. “But if she is telling the truth, and the Empire traps us in here, we’re screwed.” She shoved the bottle back into the cabinet. “We might as well check if we can see anything from the top of this tower.”
Nereyda took the steps two at a time to reach the top.
The guard at the top turned with a start, his hand on the hilt of his sword. As he saw Nereyda and Limbani mount the top of the stairs, his shoulders relaxed. “You two gave me a fright,” he said.
“Sorry about that. Do you have your spyglass?” Nereyda asked.
“Sure.” He fished it out of his pocket and passed it to Nereyda. She took it and scanned it across the horizon.
At first, she didn’t see anything other than rising and falling waves. Then, at the edge of the horizon, near the coast to the south, the moonlight caught a few lines that stuck up from the water, appearing and disappearing as the water rolled. She fixed the spyglass on the water around the area. The wind died down for a minute, allowing the waves to settle, and more masts and sails appeared.
“Brynja was right,” Nereyda said. “Here, take a look.” Nereyda handed the glass to Limbani and guided her to the location where she had spotted the threatening fleet.
“How many ships do you think are there?” asked Limbani.
“Hard to say from this distance, not to mention how many might be lurking farther away.”
“What do we do? If they’re going to attack at dawn, they’re going to start moving toward us soon, aren’t they?”
The carnage of the Imperial bombardment of Antalia replayed in Nereyda’s mind. And that was just five ships, she thought. A full fleet would level the city within a day. We need to escape and lead them away. “We head for the shipyard tonight.”
“Guard,” said Limbani, “light the warning fire.”
“No,” said Nereyda. “Don’t do that. They’ll see it from where they are, and then they’ll know that we’ve been alerted.”
“Are our ships ready?”
Nereyda shrugged. “No idea. But they’ll have to be. Let’s go. Soldier, don’t light the fire now, but keep your attention in that direction.” She pointed at where the Imperial fleet was anchored. “If you see movement, especially if they start moving toward us, light that signal fire and get the hell out of this tower.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Nereyda clapped him on the shoulder, then ran down the staircase, nearly falling as she let gravity accelerate her as fast as she could go. She and Limbani dashed back into town and panted as they crashed through the door of the tavern where Devrim was. Nereyda slid up next to him.
“Why are you two out of breath?” he asked.
Nereyda took a couple of deep breaths until she could talk. “The Imperial fleet is here.”
Devrim froze as his eyes sprang wide.
Nereyda didn’t wait for instructions before she and Limbani dashed from tavern to tavern, rallying all of the crews and captains. The sailors poured into the square, staggering under the effects of their drinks. Soon, adrenaline took over and they sprinted through the streets toward the docks.
Limbani left to gather the army as Nereyda ran for the ships, hoping they could get away soon enough. As she reached the docks to help oversee the rushed loading procedure, the light from the watchtower near the harbor entrance flickered to life.
The Imperial fleet was on its way.
Nereyda swore to herself. She sprinted to her own ship and found Jax there with the crew, getting it ready. The sailors all moved cargo and secured lines with a hurried focus.
“Glad you beat me here,” Nereyda said to Jax.
“We heard the news and came straight here.”
“Good. We sail as soon as we’re ready.”
Nereyda lit a flare as a signal that the ships should move out as soon as they were ready. All the captains would know to meet at the rendezvous point near the eastern Imperial naval base. Each crew scurried about the deck of their ship as they finished their preparations. A few times, sailors ran onto the docks to retrieve last-minute supplies.
The Morgiana was mostly loaded, and the crew was waiting for their chance to get out of the harbor. As one of the ships on the docks, theirs would be one of the last out of the bay.
The Islander ships in the open water of the harbor streamed out of the opening. She didn’t know how well supplied they were. They hadn’t fought anything on their way to Antalia, so they would at least have a full armament of ammunition and powder. Hopefully, they had enough food for the rest of the journey to their attack on the naval base.
Rebel Antalians and soldiers dashed out of the city, heading onto the ships. A squad came down Nereyda’s dock, with Limbani and Devrim leading them.
“I think we have most of the troops rallied,” said Limbani. “I told some to stay behind, in case the Imperials land troops on shore.”
“Hopefully, they’ll be too busy chasing us.”
“Are we ready to face their fleet?” asked Devrim. He kept glancing toward the harbor entrance, as if expecting the Imperials to suddenly appear and close it off.
“No, but we stand a better chance than this city does,” said Nereyda.
Most of the ships that had been anchored away from the docks had already escaped the harbor. The docked ships had untied their lines and now waited for their turns to leave.
“I want us to be the last ship out,” said Devrim. “Make sure everyone has a chance to get out ahead of us.”
“What if we get trapped here?” asked Nereyda.
“Then I have the best captain to help us get away,” he added with a shaky smile.
“Once we’re out, we push as hard as we can,” said Nereyda, “no matter how close they are.”
“Agreed,” said Limbani.
Fariha and Manu dashed down the dock and climbed onto the ship.
“What are you doing?” asked Nereyda. “You should stay safe here.”
“No, we’re going with you,” insisted Fariha. “We don’t want to cower without being useful.”
Nereyda didn’t have time to argue. “Fine, find something to do.”
As the last of the ships pulled away from the docks, Nereyda took the helm and they shoved off. They drifted away from the dock, then Nereyda turned them toward the opening.
“Full sail,” she ordered.
She kept her eyes alert for any debris or obstacles that might block their path. At this pace, any obstruction in the narrow and rocky harbor entrance would prove deadly. Fortunately, the opening remained clear.
A cannon blast ripped through the air, and the harbor guard tower erupted in a shower of stone and wood. A stray stone from the tower plunked into the water just off of their bow. The Imperials were a strong breeze away from being in range to strike the rebel ships.
Nereyda gripped the helm wheel as her ship surged through the opening between the peninsulas that embraced the harbor.
Off to their left, the first part of the Imperial fleet had closed within firing range. More ships plowed toward the harbor in formation. The darkness obscured their full numbers.
She dropped her right hand and took a hard turn awa
y from the enemy fleet.
“Can we coax any more wind from these sails?” she asked.
Her crew moved the sails, but they couldn’t catch any more wind.
Cannons boomed behind them and cannonballs struck the water just aft of their stern. A couple of droplets splashed Nereyda’s neck.
Adrenaline pulsed through her body. They needed to go faster and get out of range.
Reaching up with her hand, she summoned her power within and cast a gust of wind at their sails, propelling them forward with a renewed speed.
“How are we doing with our friends behind us?” she asked, gasping between words as her power drained her breath.
Jax looked behind them. “We’re losing them.”
“Keep an eye on them.”
Nereyda concentrated on keeping her breath as she held her hand up and propelled wind at the sail. Her lungs ached and a moment of dizziness struck her, as if she had held her breath for too long.
After several minutes, Jax said, “I think that’s enough for now. They aren’t following us.”
“What are they doing then? Why wouldn’t they follow us?”
“I don’t know why, but they’re forming up around the entrance to the harbor. I think their objective was to take us by surprise, perhaps.”
“It was. That’s what Brynja told me.”
Jax narrowed his eyes. “You saw Brynja?”
“Yes. I can tell you more about it later, but she’s the reason we knew to get out of here.”
“So she’s with their fleet?”
“Must be. She came in her rowboat to warn us.”
“Why would she do that?”
Nereyda shrugged. “I don’t know. For now, let’s get away from those bastards behind us. Let me know if anything changes.”
She relaxed and let herself settle in for a long morning of piloting along the coast.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
After eight days of hard sailing, Nereyda and the others reached the rendezvous point down the coast from where the eastern Imperial naval base sat on the northeastern edge of the continent, far enough that they were out of sight of any guard towers from which they might be spotted as they approached their objective.
