by Noah Layton
‘I’ll figure it out,’ I said, looking between the bodies and then glancing up at the stowaway. ‘More importantly,’ I continued, locking with her bright green eyes, ‘what do we do with you?’
‘Please do not turn me into the slavers,’ she pleaded, ‘I have no tribe, and I have been running from them for weeks. I cannot survive on my own.’
‘We’re not going to sell you to anybody. I don’t do that. And besides, what are you afraid of? We already killed them.’
‘These are not the only ones who came looking for me.’
‘… What do you mean?’ I asked slowly, my confidence suddenly faltering.
‘I mean that the Hand of Chains is not simply a trio of mercenaries. They possess many men, and these men you have slain were not the only ones to follow me to the cove.’
‘How many came after you?’
‘Not all of the mercenaries that make up the Hand of Chains are after me. But… Perhaps 15 or 20 are searching for me. Maybe more.’
Shit.
A sneak attack on a small party I could pull off, but a group that large? I didn’t have the numbers to face off with a group like that.
‘Why the hell did they send so many after you?’ I asked her. ‘Who are you?’
‘Does that really matter at the moment?’ She said to me, clutching the sleeves of her ragged outfit. ‘Our real priority should be to get out of here.’
‘We?’ I repeated. ‘Where the hell is the we in this? You were the one who stowed away aboard my ship then attacked me.’
‘Because I was being hunted. If you had dealt with these men before you would feel the same. Either way I need to leave the cove now if I wish for a chance of survival. If you are not going to help, then please let me go so I can have a chance at saving my own life.’
I readjusted my grip on my sword. There was only one answer.
‘Of course I’m not going to leave you out there to fend for yourself. I’ve got an apartment hidden nearby. We can hold up there until these jerks give up and leave. I’ll get my imp to bring our horses and cart around and you can hide in there while we transport you.’
‘We’ll hide the bodies,’ Lara said, nodding to Elera.
I moved to head up the stairs, but a notion struck me that stopped me in my tracks.
If these guys came in a group their buddies will be wondering where they are.
I rushed up the steps and pushed the trapdoor open. Emerging onto the deck, I crossed to the edge and looked down to the dock that circled the cove.
Members of the Hand of Chains were now scattered about nearby, at least a dozen of them. They had been moving as a loosely-fitted group, and were now coming in close proximity to my ship, close enough to hear.
‘You seen Otis and his two guys?’ A voice among them shouted.
‘Checking merchant ships. Get on board all of them. They might have her cornered on one right now.’
‘What if they won’t permit us entry?’
‘Then you make them.’
The closest group had two more ships to check, and then they would be on us.
We were trapped.
I needed to think fast.
I could hide our stowaway and the bodies of the mercs, but I couldn’t hide the bloodstains in the hold.
A plan quickly formed, and I ran with it.
I closed the trapdoor and hopped down from the ship onto the dock. A ladder was situated right at the edge of the cove, giving passage to the level above, right where the horses and carts were parked.
‘Jack!’ Alorion shouted. ‘Any luck?’
‘About the shittiest we could have gotten, buddy,’ I replied. ‘No time to explain. Take this…’ I traded 200GP with him. ‘… And take the horses and the cart and get yourself back to the land.’
‘You are not coming with me?’
‘I’ve got something else to deal with. Tell Ariadne and Santana that I won’t be long.’
‘And what if I am attacked?’
‘That’s what the gold’s for,’ I said. ‘Hire some security. Just get yourself back safely.’
Alorion nodded obediently and began to prepare the horses. He was adept at dealings and strategy, but defending himself wasn’t a strongpoint, and while the road back from the cove was usually safe during the daytime, having these jerks around had set me on edge.
A little extra security would keep him safe.
I dashed back to the lower level and kept low as I headed back to The Bastion. The Hand of Chains’ goons were aboard the first of the two ships next to me, searching about the deck as the sailors stood aside.
They weren’t offered respect by the sailors; they commanded it. These guys didn’t mess around.
I climbed back up to the ship and pulled the trapdoor open. The bodies had been moved into the shadows by the girls but the bloodstains remained.
Lara and Elera had just finished moving them and looked up at me, while the catgirl still held back a little in cautious fear.
‘Any of you know how to sail a ship?’
Lara and my nymph shared a look and shook their heads. We all turned our attention to our new friend.
‘Can you sail?’ I asked.
‘No. I hate the rivers.’
From my crouched position by the trapdoor I looked up to the ship’s wheel and the sails attached to a multitude of ropes.
‘Why are we in such a rush?’ Elera asked.
‘Because these dickheads are getting closer to us, and we have no other way out.’
‘No other way out than…?’
‘The river. We’re sailing this thing out of here.’
I had never sailed before in my life, but I knew it wasn’t just something that you could learn off the cuff. It took years of training and experience, and a whole crew of people to do it properly.
I also knew that the water could kill you if you didn’t recognise its true power.
We weren’t exactly heading out onto the open ocean, but the rivers of Agraria and the embankments that flanked them held plenty of things that could kill all of us with ease.
Not as easily as the assholes who were getting steadily closer by the minute, though.
I rushed about the deck searching for a solution. As the seconds ticked by and nothing appeared, I began to search for the worst alternatives – taking the emergency boat and rowing out of here, but leaving the bodies here wasn’t an option.
If the mercs found them I would never see my ship again. Artrix definitely wouldn’t be happy with me.
I hurried around the edge of the deck, looking to the other ships – I don’t know why I did it. My mind was panicking for an answer.
And then, two little words faded into earshot, beginning as a whisper, then growing louder as they were repeated.
Never did I think that those two words would be my saving grace.
‘Fuck you.’
‘Fuck you
‘Fuck you.’
‘No, fuck you.’
‘No, fuck you, sir. This is my vessel, my fishing deed, and I have just as much a right to be in the cove as you do.’
‘You fucking kidding me? That’s a tugboat.’
‘How dare you? It is a fine ship, and it does the job.’
‘Get the fuck out of here before I drop a rock down there and sink that thing with you in it.’
I rushed to the starboard side and leaned over the edge to look down at the source of the gravelly, familiar voice.
‘Captain Archie?’
The lanky, purple-skinned half-elf was standing at the helm of his tiny boat the River Gulp.
‘Fuck y- Oh, it’s you, tribe master!’ He called up. ‘I see you acquired yourself a vessel, and what a mighty one it is! I, of course, will take some of the credit for giving you such excellent advice.’
‘You bet,’ I said quickly. ‘Do you know how to sail one of these things?’
‘Why, of course! I have had my eyes on one just like it for years.’
‘Then get you
rself up here, because I need you to sail our asses out of the cove.’
‘Right now?’
‘Yep, right now.’
‘What should I do about my boat?’
‘Tie it to the back and we’ll tow it out of here.’
‘That… Should actually work just fine. But why are you in such a hurry to leave?’
‘Angry mercenaries, wanted stowaway, you know, the usual stuff.’
‘That sounds incredibly dangerous.’
‘So what? You took us into the freaking Black Patch for 15 gold pieces.’
‘But this is different. We could be pursued.’
‘What do you want?’ I asked hurriedly, glancing over my shoulder to the dock. ‘I’ll give you anything.’
‘Anything?’
‘Well, anything within reason.’
‘I want that ship of yours.’
‘Are you fucking kidding me? How is that within reason?’
‘I don’t know where the line is.’
I looked over my shoulder to the dock. The mercenaries had left the first ship and were now moving to the second – the one right next to The Bastion.
‘How about I make you captain of my fleet?’ I shouted down. ‘You can be a member of my tribe.’
‘Mmm…’ Captain Archie dwelled on the matter while tapping his chin. ‘I really don’t feel like working for a tribe… Not after leaving my own…’
And then Santana’s voice rang out in my head.
Talk in terms of his interests. What does he really want?
Coria. The elf from his tribe that he had been longing for, the reason that he was seeking to build a fortune in the first place.
‘That’s a pity. Having a ship like this sure would impress Coria.’
The Captain’s face lit up. I had him.
‘You really think so?’
‘You said it yourself. You want to prove that you’re better than her husband. What better way than to run the fleet of a whole tribe?’
Archie’s mouth squirmed about.
‘Deal.’
‘Good, now get the hell up here!’
From there we moved like clockwork. I knew the Captain liked a drink – the first time we met he had been a little hungover – but with the thought of Coria on his mind he moved like a machine.
He reached into the cabin of his tiny boat and retrieved a rope, then hurled it up to me. I caught the end and wrapped it quickly around a nearby post, tying it in a tough knot. I might not have been a sailor but that was one thing that I knew how to do.
With the boat connected and pulled into proximity, Archie climbed onto the cabin and jumped for the rope, his long, lanky limbs scrambling madly until he reached the deck.
‘Pleasure to be aboard, captain,’ Archie said, saluting me awkwardly as he almost tripped onto his face after catching his foot on the rope.
‘No, no, no,’ I replied quickly. ‘You’re the captain. I might be the tribe master, but you’re the guy who’s going to get us out of here. What do you need?’
‘Ditch the cleats and we can cast off as soon as possible.’
‘The what?’
‘The rope tying us to the dock. Are you alone?’
‘Two of my wives are in the hold, and another guest who needs to stay in the hold.’
‘Then get your wives up here. All hands on deck, tribe master.’
I kicked the trapdoor open and ushered Lara and Elera up. Captain Archie began commanding them to check ropes while I hopped off the ship and untied the cleat from the dock.
One second looking at my rapidly moving hands, one second looking up at the mercenaries as they spoke to the captain of the ship next to mine.
‘You’ll be letting us aboard to investigate your cargo.’
‘On what grounds?’
‘On the grounds that I’ll beat you to death if you don’t step aside. Now, we can do this in a nice, calm fashion, or I can come up there and cause trouble. You wouldn’t want that, would you?’
These guys weren’t fucking around, and security at the cove weren’t stopping them.
The cleat finally came loose. I threw the coiled length over my shoulder and climbed back up to the ship.
Despite only four of us on deck, it felt like a whole crew was moving. Lara and Elera were dashing about as Archie commanded them from one of the ropes.
‘Where are we at?’
‘Winds are suitable and this is a faster vessel than most,’ Archie said, belching on the last word. ‘Let’s get this old girl moving.’
He jogged to the wheel, out of breath by the time he reached the top of the stairs to the upper deck.
‘Hey!’
I spun around to see the voice coming from a Hand of Chains goon. It wasn’t the boss who had been shouting at the captain of the ship next to ours, but he was loud and inquisitive enough to draw the attention of the rest our way.
‘What’s up, buddy?’ I called down.
‘We’re checking ships in search of a stowaway. Three of our men came around this way.’
‘Indeed they did. Checked the ship out, found nothing and left.’
‘Is that so? And where are they?’
‘Where are who?’
‘The men.’
‘They’re your men, it’s not my job to keep an eye on them. Hire a better babysitter.’
The goon shot me a grimace and held up his hand.
‘Wait there.’
He took off towards the ship next to mine, ready to rally his boss and more of the mercenaries.
I figured I had less than a minute before he brought them all back here.
‘How are we doing, Captain?’ I called over to Archie.
‘We’re moving, just… Very slowly. We should be pick up speed shortly, unless you want to cling onto the back and kick your legs, that is.’
God, I would’ve killed for a motor.
But Archie was right – we were moving.
The goon just happened to bring back his buddies faster than I would have liked.
Yard by yard we were pulling away from the dock and moving towards the river.
‘Hey, HEY!’ Another goon shouted, approaching the edge of the dock. ‘Get that vessel back here for inspection!’
‘Sure,’ I called over, ‘climb aboard.’
‘That supposed to be funny?’
‘Well, I do try occasionally…’
‘Enough of this. Cast a line and let us aboard.’
‘Make me.’
More of the Hand of Chains goons gathered around, numbering around twelve or thirteen – around about the number that our stowaway in the hold had claimed.
Looks like she hadn’t been lying about these assholes after all.
‘Fair thee well, gentlemen,’ I shouted down, moving to the upper deck by Captain Archie’s side and saluting them as we moved to the river. ‘You have a good day now.’
As we pulled away and their faces became blurred, I saw their boss move to meet the group. All they could do was pull disgruntled faces and huff among each other. They didn’t have a ship.
But we did.
Chapter Four
‘How’s she holding up, Captain Archie?’
‘Reasonably, tribe master, reasonably. The rivers are calm today, but the current and the wind in our sails should keep us on track. The wind’s on our side.’
We were well clear of Ichabod’s Cove now and sailing at a leisurely pace down the grand river of Agraria. It stretched for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles around this world, splitting off into hundreds of sub-rivers and estuaries along the way.
‘Where exactly are we headed?’ The elf at the wheel called over to me from the upper deck.
‘Give me a rain check on that one,’ I said back to him. ‘We’re going to need another round in the chamber before I answer that. Elera?’
‘Yes, husband?’
My beautiful nymph was at the stern of the ship, her hands clasped on the wooden railing as she looked out at the waters
ahead of us. She looked over her shoulder at me with a joyous expression, leaning further over as her pert behind pushed into the air in her loosely fitted outfit.
I crossed to her side and looked out over the river. It stretched to forty yards wide, with small embankments scattered with sand and rocks either side that gave onto thick, untamed jungle.
Radiant sunlight cast itself down on us, but the changing weather was already putting a steady breeze in our sails that pushed us away from the eyes of the mercenaries at the cove.
We were well clear now.
‘What do you think?’ I asked her.
‘It’s beautiful. I have longed to be back in the river for so long.’
‘I was talking about the boat.’
‘Oh! It sails wonderfully, but I would much rather be down there in the water.’
‘Well, now’s your chance. We’re miles from the land and I need you to get out there and find us the quickest, safest route back to the land. We don’t have any large subsections near to us, but there might be one a few miles off to the south of our land.’
‘You mean you really want me to help?’
‘Of course I do.’
Elera jumped up and wrapped her legs around me, smothering me with hard, passionate kisses as I held her up by her behind.
‘Oh, I have been wanting to help like this for so long.’
‘Get a room!’ Lara shouted over from the base of one of the sails.
Elera hopped down from me and seemingly ignored Lara’s nudge; my nymph began to undress messily, pulling off the clothes that she hated so much and stripping down unashamedly to nothing but her underwear.
Her tight blue body glistened in the sunlight, the act of having jumped me making her nipples hard as they poked through her bra.
I shot a look over at Captain Archie, wondering if he would be eyeing Elera’s body up, but he was one step ahead of me and met my gaze immediately.
‘Fear not, tribe master. I have no interest in your women. The only woman for me is the one whose love I will soon reclaim, especially with a ship like this.’
I looked back at Elera and she smiled giddily, wrapping a slender blue hand around my collar and pulling me close for a final kiss.
‘You sure you’re going to be okay out there?’
‘Of course I will, husband,’ she replied confidently, climbing up onto the stern of the ship. Another step and she would go falling into the waters below.
