Except, of course, for the Smollic Dar. The Black Star had also been damaged by the storm. Saeliko had watched them through her harker’s glass when a break in the storm allowed enough visibility to see all the way to the horizon. The Lavic frigate had been a long way off, but it had been obvious that the storm had taken a toll on her as well. Long wooden spars and tattered reams of cloth had been draped over her sides. Nevertheless, she was in front of the Epoch.
That was the last Saeliko had seen of her. The storm had resumed, hiding the Black Star from sight. She was out there somewhere though. Saeliko could feel the boat’s presence. Now, as the Skag rolled into sight, the Black Star was a shadow viper hiding in the grass that the Epoch was wading into. There were countless little coves and inlets along the Skag’s crooked coast where the Lavic ship might have dropped anchor. It was possible that Harker Mikka might try to sail out and meet the Epoch in open combat, but Saeliko guessed that the Lavic harker had already taken her women ashore to search for Radovan Mozik.
That the Epoch had made it to the Skag undetected was lucky, but that that had been the extent of Saeliko’s good fortune. Life aboard her ship had deteriorated ever since the storm. There was now a foul odor of discontent wafting through the ship.
The instant the Black Star had disappeared from sight, Saeliko had gone straight back to work on the four miscreants in her cabin. It hadn’t taken long. She eventually stuck a knife in Soup’s left shoulder, right in the same spot she had stabbed him in their very first encounter upon leaving Butterfly Island all those weeks ago.
Dallas had confessed immediately, with Haley as translator, pleading to leave Soup alone. Apparently Dallas had been getting close to Shen, the Epoch’s plotter. She had taken him to bed in Myffa’s Cove, a violation of the Epoch’s no-fuck rule. That was a trivial matter in comparison with her next crime. Dallas had somehow told her the three magic little words, an impressive feat given the language barrier. Shen then went to Harker Mikka to cut a deal.
This had surprised Saeliko. She had always held Shen in high esteem, and she knew that the rest of the crew felt much the same. Why Shen had decided to betray them all was a mystery, and it was going to remain a mystery. Saeliko had ordered the crew to slash her up a few times to draw blood, and then they dragged her behind the Epoch on a long length of rope. It had taken the sharks a while to show up on the scene, but when they did, the end came quickly and brutally.
She put Dallas in the brig. The other three were allowed to continue as before.
The death of Shen bothered the crew more than Saeliko had hoped. Too many well-respected, high-ranking skilled members of the crew were now gone. Sammaraeli, Lakkari, Deshi and now Shen. There were mumblings that the goddesses were frowning upon Saeliko. Some of the pirates felt that she wasn’t communing with the goddesses properly.
Saeliko marveled at how quickly her standing with the crew had changed. It hadn’t been that long ago that she had led them to an impressive victory over the Triumph. They had looked at her with admiration and hope. Now more than a few of them were avoiding eye contact. Superstitious, shortsighted, ungrateful wretches, she thought. At least there were some that she could trust. Brenna, Ollan and Jren came to mind.
“Brenna, call the women on deck,” she ordered. It was time to let the women know what they were here for.
The qarlden walked over to a hefty bell that hung next to the base of the mainmast. She rang it a handful of times and yelled out in her deep voice. “All right, you puke chunks! Get your ugly faces up here. Harker needs a word!”
Within a few minutes, the exterior decks were packed with sailors. Saeliko stood in the middle in a tight circle of open space in the midst of her crew. She waited until she was certain they were all present, and then she began.
“Sistren! Brethren! When we first raised the red on Butterfly Island, I promised you that we would vote on decisions of importance together. I told you we would choose our fates together. Over the past couple of week, I’ve robbed you of that liberty, and you have my apologies. I’ve dragged you across the Sollian without telling you why.
“But now it’s time you knew the truth. It’s time I told you what’s waiting for us out there on the Skag. It’s time you knew why I pushed us through the storm. And then you’ll understand the depth of Shen’s betrayal.
“Now tell me. Who among you remembers the name Radovan Mozik?”
There was a general murmuring that rippled out like waves after a pebble is dropped in a puddle. At the back of the crowd, she could see Haley and Kettle look at each other in surprise. However, Saeliko could tell that not many of her pirates knew the name. This was understandable; they were mostly Maelian. Radovan had wrought destruction in Lavic territory a quarter-century ago. A few of the older women knew the name. They were the ones who started talking excitedly. Saeliko waited with satisfaction as the ripples of voices echoed back toward her. She heard the words ‘Big Bang’ and ‘disappeared’. They talked about the power of the explosion and the poison air it left behind. They talked about the mushroom-shaped cloud that soared into the air, and the sickness of the people that survived the blast.
“That’s right!” she yelled. “Radovan Mozik. The madman from Laventhene. The inventor of the Big Bang. The man who disappeared. They never did find him. But now the Five have put fate in our hands. They’ve given us . . . Us! . . . a stalwart band of misfits and castoffs, the chance to take control of the most important invention in human history.
“When Haley and Kettle fell out of the sky over Butterfly Island, we didn’t know what to do with them. Some of you argued that perhaps the goddesses had a purpose in giving them to us. Well, you were right. The Five told Haley and Kettle where to find Radovan Mozik.
“He’s out there,” she said, pointing toward the island in the distance. “He’s waiting for us in the village of Maglipan. All we have to do is find him and make him give us the secrets of the Big Bang. And once we have the Big Bang, we go from a bunch of pirates in the Sollian to the most powerful women in all the lands and seas put together.
“So tell me, my sistren. How does that sound?”
The reaction was mild at first, which gave Saeliko some concern. But soon enough the rumble of laughter and cheers began erupting all over the ship. They understood. They could see why she had been so secretive. They could see a future for themselves. They were her crew again.
“Wait!” she called out. “Quiet yourselves!” The laughing and slapping each other on the backs slowly gave way, and Saeliko had the floor again. “It won’t be easy. It never is for our kind.” There were nods at that. “We’re going to have to fight for our prize. Before we left Myffa’s Cove, Shen found out what we were looking for. And then she betrayed us. She betrayed all of you here on the Epoch. She betrayed her family. Shen was selfish and decided to make a deal. She sold the information to the Black Star.”
Angry shouts and curses ensued. Saeliko nodded in solidarity with her crew. When they finished their cathartic release, she called for quiet again and continued.
“The Black Star was ahead of us after the storm, but she was hurting. If she’s made it to the Skag, she can’t have been here long. We can catch her crew in Maglipan and show them what Epoch lead and steel are made of.
“Now I’ve never been to Maglipan, but from what I gather, it’s a small farming town a couple miles inland from the coast. There’s nothing for it; we’ll have to drop anchor off the coast, leave a skeleton crew with the ship and take the bulk of our forces to the town. We’ll be leaving the Epoch vulnerable, but we don’t have time to do it any other way. We have to get to the town and take control of Radovan before Harker Mikka’s crew can find him. It’s a risk, but let me assure you, there’s no second place in this race.”
She let her words sink in. She could see that she had them. They were nodding their heads and touching the hilts of their weapons. They’d been cooped up on the ship long enough, and as always, the lure of riches always had a strong pull. Th
ese were simple women. They would expose themselves to tremendous danger if they could see gold at the finish line.
“All right then. You all know what to do. Get ready. We’re about to invade Maglipan!”
Her crew jumped into action. A good portion of them headed below decks to get the needed supplies for a land excursion. Brenna directed some of the remaining women on deck to get the dinghies ready to start ferrying women to the shore once the Epoch found an anchorage. Amba ordered the riggers to get into position to prepare the (mostly) repaired rigging for the approach to land.
Saeliko went to the bow of the ship and watched the rocky outcroppings of the Skag get closer. The island looked rugged. There were tall karst formations with narrow, wind-bent trees clinging to the sides. She could see large numbers of white gulls playing in the light breeze and diving down toward the water below.
After nearly an hour, the Epoch sat still in the gentle water close to the outlet of a broad stream. The calm water glistened in the sunshine. The Epoch’s anchor was down and rows of women lined the decks. There was energy flowing amongst them; Saeliko could feel it. They would follow her unconditionally. Perhaps her run of bad luck was over.
Ollan had chosen the anchorage. He had been to the Skag years prior to joining the Epoch, and he was certain that they could follow the stream up to Maglipan.
The anchorage also served as a hideout for the Epoch. The karst formations rose up on either side of the stream to heights taller than the ship’s remaining masts. With luck, the vessel would be safe from prying eyes while the crew went in and ransacked the town looking for their prize.
The harker was in the first dinghy to hit the water. Ollan and Brenna flanked her. Jren was there, and Lofi, the ship’s surgeon, had joined them, too. Lofi wasn’t supposed to go on excursions like this. Surgeons were too valuable to risk. However, she always complained about being left behind and missing out on all the adventure, so Saeliko had conceded this time. There were sixteen of them in total.
The little harbor was scenic. Two Bazer’s dolphins swam playfully near the approaching dinghy. Overhead a hawk of some sort hovered on a waft of warm air. Smaller birds chirped and darted in and out of the coconut trees along the coast. It was all very pretty, but Saeliko wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. She was willing their little craft to speed up. She imagined Harker Mikka and her crew tearing up Maglipan at this very moment. They would be torturing the villagers, pressing them to spit out everything they knew about the community’s residents until she could identify the long lost inventor of the Big Bang.
They were just reaching the shore and getting out of the dinghy when Saeliko heard the worst possible two words imaginable.
“Sail ho!”
Brenna cursed out loud. Saeliko looked out to the water to see the bowsprit of the Black Star appearing from behind one of the Karst formations to the north of the Epoch. The Lavic ship was coming in slowly, lacking the wind to fully fill out its big sails. It wouldn’t matter though. It had caught the Epoch motionless. It was the equivalent of being caught at the beginning of a swordfight with your pants around your ankles.
“How in Deshala’s tits did they know where we would drop anchor?” Brenna asked. Saeliko looked around at the others standing on the rocky strip of beach next to the dinghy, but none of them answered. They were all looking at the oncoming disaster.
“They’re done for,” Jren said quietly. They saw sailors aboard the Epoch scrambling in panicked haste to get the ship in motion again. The anchor was being slowly winched back up and the sails were being unfurled.
“Can we make it back in time?” Brenna wondered and took a step toward the dinghy she had just climbed out of.
“No,” Saeliko said. “They’re on their own.” And likely shark food, she added to herself. The stupidity of her mistake was just now dawning on her. She had been so worried that the enemy would get to Radovan Mozik before she could that she had blinded herself to the most probable series of events.
Damn the Five.
“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s go.” Saeliko turned her back on the Epoch, knowing that it might be the last time she ever saw it. She imagined the faces of the sailors by the railing when they saw their harker heading inland. They would feel betrayed. Abandoned.
If they had any sense, they would jump into the sea. It was a long swim, to shore, but most of them could probably do it. Better to live and fight another day than to die defending a ship in a battle that couldn’t be won.
Saeliko and her band of fifteen were wading up the shallow stream when they heard the first barrage of cannon fire. An instant later, the sounds of iron round shot slamming into the Epoch reached their ears. Everyone turned to look except for Saeliko. The Saffisheen harker continued wading upstream. The distant screams spoke of the drama unfolding in the harbor, but Saeliko kept her eyes on the way ahead. Soon she could hear the others following her, even as the cannon fire continued unabated.
They kept to the stream to avoid the tangle of mangroves that ran along the coast. Eventually they passed through to higher ground where the mangrove was absent, and they were able to climb onto dry land and start making good headway.
Still the sound of cannons rang out.
Saeliko found herself deeply troubled by Brenna’s question. How in Deshala’s tits did they know where we would drop anchor? That was an excellent question.
4.2 KETTLE
Kettle, Haley and Soup hit the deck just as the first round shot smashed into the Epoch. The volley had caught the ship mostly on the aft port corner, and it was immediately obvious that the damage was significant. Shrapnel flew everywhere. Splinters the size of limbs flew through the air with enough velocity to impale anyone unlucky enough to get in the way. As soon as the sounds of multiple impacts subsided, the screaming began.
The Epoch was gradually turning itself so that it could return fire, but that also meant that it was exposing the breadth of its hull to the Black Star. To make matters worse, it wasn’t entirely clear who was in charge. Amba was yelling orders. So was Dommel, the ship’s carpenter. Other voices yelled out with their own orders. With Saeliko and Brenna gone, confusion reigned. Sailors were being driven to action by an odd mixture of purpose and outright panic.
More cannon fire exploded into the Epoch. The entire mizzenmast disintegrated all at once. Lumps of wood and canvas fell around Kettle and the other two. What remained of Dommel also collapsed in a heap next to Haley, who squirmed backwards on her stomach to avoid the growing pool of blood emerging out of the carpenter’s corpse. The left side of his torso was completely missing.
Kettle felt oddly calm. His old self would have twisted up in revulsion and fear at the sight of the deceased carpenter’s mangled body. He probably would have thrown up, too. His new self was remarkably unruffled. Again, there was a sharp clarity in his thinking. His instincts urged him to evaluate the situation as quickly as possible and act accordingly.
“We have to get off this ship!” Soup yelled out.
More impacts hit the hull. Then there was an explosion from somewhere beneath them. The deck momentarily heaved upwards, the planks flexing and cracking from the strain. A burst of flames shot up the port stairwell. Kettle guessed that some of the Epoch’s ammunition stores had just taken a direct hit.
Soup yelled at them again. “But we need to get Dallas first!” The 18-year-old Marine from Chicago had hoisted himself up into a crouching position and was eyeing the starboard stairwell that led to the lower decks. He was still on all fours, but he was obviously keeping the weight off of his left arm. He had been stabbed by Saeliko twice in the same shoulder, and the wound was still causing him a lot of pain despite Lofi’s efforts.
Kettle nodded. They had been thinking the same thing. Dallas, bruised and battered from Saeliko’s beating, was trapped in the brig down below. There was a good chance that the Epoch was going to end up on the seabed, and they had to get Dallas out before that happened.
“You get off t
he ship,” Kettle told him. “Swim for shore. Haley and I will get Dallas, and we’ll catch up to you.”
“I’m a United States Marine! We don’t leave men behind.”
“Jesus, kid. I don’t think the Marine ethos applies when you’re not on Earth.” Kettle was now in a low crouch himself and edging toward the stairwell, which promisingly didn’t have any flames rising from it.
“It always applies.” Soup pushed Kettle forward toward the stairs and followed him with Haley in tow. Kettle didn’t bother arguing the point. They needed to move fast.
By the time they descended the stairs, the Epoch had finally started firing back with its own cannons. Kettle very much doubted that the response would be enough to change the outcome.
The fire was fortunately localized to a small section below decks, but that was no doubt temporary. The ship was made of wood. Either the fire would spread, or it would be doused as the ship sank beneath the waves. Nevertheless, the smoke was an immediate problem. Kettle, Haley and Soup pulled the tops of their tunics up over their faces as they navigated their way around debris. The lanterns were all but useless. They were aided, however, by some large holes that had been punched into the hull by the Black Star’s round shot. The holes let in light, and they also served to let out some of the smoke.
They went down another set of steep stairs. Kettle felt dampness on the left side of his neck and shoulder. He put his hand up to see what it was, only to discover blood. He must have been hit by something. He paid it no heed for now; there would be time to figure it out later. Hopefully.
The planks making up the floor of the bottom deck were already submerged under a good six or eight inches of water when they arrived. They could hear Dallas yelling from the aft section where the brig was located. He was bellowing at the top of his lungs for somebody to let him out.
Children of Zero Page 31
