She tried to clear her mind and just focus on the task of shaving the different parts of her body, but thoughts of family and friends drifted across her mind. She hoped she could keep her promise of keeping them safe. She thought about Asserius…and Geoffrey, and a familiar feeling fluttered in her stomach.
It took her a while, but she finally finished shaving and any further thoughts along those lines was interrupted by the task of carefully cleaning the razor and putting it and the soap. She leaned back with a contented sigh and closed her eyes. Perhaps she’d take a brief nap while she soaked.
She heard a faint popping sound and opened her eyes, puzzled. The window above and behind her head suddenly exploded, ripping a curtain loose and sending glassy fragments showering down upon her. She heard another popping noise and something zipped passed her head, slamming into the far wall in front of her.
Esther froze in shock. More popping noises followed the first two, jolting her out of her stunned surprise. She covered her head with her arms and dove forward under the water. She heard bullets plank against the side of the tub, then felt a sharp burning sensation in her left side. Realizing that she still wasn’t safe, she heaved herself up out of the water and over the front edge of the tub, dropping to the ground with a thud. She reached up to grab her dagger and shifted into a low crouch. The bullets may be able to penetrate the copper, she thought, but they won’t be able to pass through the water filled tub and out the front side. Of course, that depended on how long the water stayed in the tub. Small streams of water were already leaking out through numerous holes at an alarming pace.
She heard two more popping noises that she now recognized as muted gunfire. Their corresponding bullets hit the tub, and then the firing ceased. She looked down at her side where the bullet had struck her. The wound was high—just below her ribs—and was bleeding pretty well. She pressed her left hand against the wound to try and staunch the flow of blood. She gripped the dagger firmly in her other hand. She heard shouts and then additional popping noises and she ducked her head reflexively as more bullets came smashing into the room. A cannon boomed on the deck above her and the door to her bath crashed open. Esther shifted the grip on her dagger, prepared to leap upon whoever came through the door, but it was Oluchi that stepped into the small bathing area. His eyes were fixed upon the bullet riddled tub and the blood tinged water. Esther’s relief was palpable as she let out a breath of air she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
Pain flared in her side as she quickly stood. “Oluchi!” she said, stepping forward and throwing her arms around him. She felt a flush rise in her cheeks at her nakedness, but then the world began to spin and she felt suddenly weak.
The room seemed to grow darker. She thought she felt herself being lifted up and a towel placed over her suddenly chill body, but she couldn’t be sure because everything went suddenly dark.
Chapter 19
A Traitor and…more than one?
Sunlight filtered in through the window of her bedchamber as Esther opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to try to clear the blurriness from them, but her mind was foggy and her mouth felt like cotton. She was dressed in her nightgown and lay in her bedchamber aboard the Retribution.
“Esther! You’re awake!” she heard Marigold’s voice say. Esther turned her head and saw her friend sitting in a chair next to her bed. Geoffrey sat on another chair next to Marigold, his head lolling forward. He jerked awake at the sound of Marigold’s voice.
“Yes,” Esther said hoarsely, trying to work up some saliva in order to speak. “Wh…what happened?”
“You were attacked,” a voice belonging to Mr. Najafi spoke as he entered her bedchamber, closing the door behind him. “Several men in a longboat snuck in behind the Retribution. Somehow they knew you were in your quarter galley. They had quite a few Hadiqan manufactured longarm’s and they used them to shoot through your window, hoping to kill you.”
Suddenly, the memory of the events came flashing back into her mind—the glass from the window showering down on her as the first bullets came flying through it, more bullets impacting against the bathtub, and finally Oluchi bursting through the door. Her head began to hurt and she raised a hand to her forehead. A stinging pain in her side caused her to inhale sharply and sudden panic filled her mind as she remembered being wounded. Her hands went immediately to her stomach.
“Don’t worry,” Geoffrey said, leaning forward and taking her hand, “The babies appear to be fine.”
Relief washed through her and tears came to her eyes. It took another full minute for Geoffrey’s’ words to fully register in her mind.
“Babies?” she asked.
“Yes.” He smiled. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe I heard two distinct sets of heart beats. I’ll be able to tell you for sure after we get to Valsgärd and pick up some materials we need. You see, Ms. Graves, was helping me treat you. I was using a new medical instrument that I had picked up in Lancaster to try and listen to your baby’s heartbeat. The device looks like an ear horn…for those who are hard of hearing. We call it a stethoscope. Anyway, since we have women aboard, I thought it might be good to have one so that I don’t have to lean my ear against their chests to listen to their heart and lungs.” Esther felt a familiar flush rush into her cheeks and she blushed deeply, remembering Dr. Scott doing just that not too long ago.
“Well,” he continued, not seeming to notice her embarrassment, “Ms. Graves was watching me use it, which then led to a discussion regarding improvements. Ms. Graves thinks that she can make a much better one using a glass-epoxy resin diaphragm something or other…” Geoffrey shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t really understand all that she was saying, only that it will improve the acoustics. After we arrive in Valsgärd and get the materials we need, she thinks she will be able to build it for me. Anyway,” he said with a wave of his hand, “I didn’t mean to get off on a tangent. Even though the bullet didn’t penetrate any organs or the uteran cavity, given the shock and loss of blood that you’re body experienced, it’s a miracle that they survived, but their heartbeats are strong. Someone was looking out for them.”
Esther nodded, then regretted the motion as her head began to throb. “I have a headache,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “and I could really use some water. Were there any other casualties?”
“No, Your Majesty,” said Najafi as Mac stepped forward and offered Esther a cup of water. She drank it all and handed it back to Mac for more.
“Alright,” said Esther, feeling a bit shaken by how close she had come to losing her babies, but trying to portray confidence to her officers and others who relied upon her to be their Queen. “What’s our status, Mr. Najafi?”
“We’re currently still at anchor at the Lancaster Naval Station, Your Majesty,” said Najafi with a slight bow. “All ships have taken on provisions and are ready for immediate departure, although the Ardmorran authorities are still conducting their investigation and talking to the crews of all ships.”
“Have they found anything so far?”
“Nothing definitive, Your Majesty. I have to wonder how the assassins knew precisely where you were though,” Najafi said heavily.
“Yes, that is a good question, isn’t it?” said Esther absently rubbing her stomach. “However, we can’t wait for them to interview everyone aboard all three ships. They’ll have to work it on their end and we’ll have Lieutenant Ben-Ezra work it on ours. We’re already behind as it is. Signal the fleet for immediate departure if you would Mr. Najafi. And signal for the escort captains to join me for lunch. Tell them to bring a couple of guests. I want them to see that I’m alright and that this attempt on my life is not going to deter or intimidate me. And have one of the Retribution’s crew and one of her junior officers there as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Najafi said. He bowed slightly again, then turned and left.
Esther was about to push herself up out of the bed when Geoffrey spoke up. “Don’t you dare try to get
out of bed!” he said sternly. “That wound is going to take a few weeks to heal properly and moving about will only prolong that process.”
Esther looked up at her physician and friend with a surprised smile. “I don’t think anyone but my mother has ever taken such a stern tone with me.”
Geoffrey’s face turned a bit red as he realized how familiar he had addressed her, but he cleared his throat and continued in a firm voice. “Well, Your Majesty, it’s my job.”
Esther smiled again and sighed, pulling her legs back up into the bed and sitting back against the cushioned pillows. “If my physician insists that I stay in bed and rest, then that’s what I’ll do,” she said. Geoffrey nodded, satisfied. “But,” Esther continued, “I will need to get out of bed for the luncheon.” She raised a questioning eyebrow at Geoffrey and he nodded reluctantly.
Esther turned to her Chief of Staff. “Marigold, I’ll need you to stay so we can go over a few things. Mac, if you’d send for Lt. Ben-Ezra, he and I need to discuss starting our own investigation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mac said, bowing and walking out the door. Geoffrey looked at Esther again—concern plain on his face—then turned and followed Mac out of the bedchamber.
- - -
Nkiru swept the last pieces of glass into her dustpan with the little hand broom and stood, looking about the quarter galley. The little room was empty, the tub having been hauled away last night. Now that the glass was out of the way, she could scrub the dried blood—Esther’s blood—from the floorboards. And there was enough of it to make her nervous. Her brother Oluchi had said that Esther was being cared for by the doctor and Ms. Marigold, but he hadn’t seen her since the attack.
She looked back at the large window where the bullet rounds had smashed it to pieces. What remained of the curtains had been pulled down, leaving only the frames of the window panes. Crewmen were scheduled to come in after she finished cleaning to fix the window. Already she could hear them in the great cabin replacing the curtains with thick, wooden shutters. They were determined not to allow such a thing to happen again.
She pulled her jacket tighter as a gust of wind blew through the shattered window opening—her hands were going to freeze when she scrubbed the blood from the floor. Better to get it over with. She knelt down, grabbed the scrub brush out of the wooden bucket full of water, and began scrubbing.
- - -
Esther leaned her head back against the pillows propping her up and let out a long sigh. She was tired, but also felt invigorated. Perhaps the close brush with death caused her to view things a little differently—she wasn’t sure. But now everything was fine. Her babes were fine, her friends and family were alright, and except for a little cleanup and repair in her bathing quarter galley, her beloved ship was fine. She could move ahead and focus on the tasks that lay before her. The bright morning sun that shone through the great cabin’s windows and filtered in through the open doorway to her bedchamber helped as well, and she felt warm and at peace despite the chill December air.
“You look surprisingly content for someone who just got shot,” Marigold said, walking in wearing a quirky smile and interrupting Esther’s internal reverie.
“Yes, well, being given your life back to you has a tendency to put things in perspective. Right now, all I can see are the many things that I have to be grateful for.”
“Well, I’m just glad you and the babes are alright. You had me worried there.”
Esther suddenly realized how her death could have impacted her friend’s mental state and remembered how much Marigold relied upon Esther as a mental anchor. She looked at Marigold more closely, peering into her eyes. “Are you alright?” she asked, gently.
Marigold must have noticed the way Esther was looking at her and caught the underlying meaning of her question. She looked down briefly and nodded, swallowing hard.
“Yea,” she said quietly. “Yeah, I think so.”
Esther waited, giving her friend time to think and voice any thoughts she wanted to share.
“When Oluchi first brought you in and I saw you covered with blood, the fear was…” Marigold swallowed hard again, “…well, I almost lost it. But then Geoffrey grabbed my shoulder and started shaking me and telling me that he needed my help to save you. It brought me back.” Marigold looked down again. “I knew I had to be there for you and it brought me back.”
Esther reached out and took Marigold’s hand, brushing her thumb gently across her troubled friends ebony skin to try and comfort her. “If you need some time to cope with things, you don’t have to be there for the luncheon.”
“No,” Marigold replied firmly, “It’s better if I’m busy. And I am your Chief of Staff. When I’m needed, I do better.”
A knock sounded on the great cabin door.
“And right now,” continued Marigold, taking a deep breath, “I’m needed as a chaperone. It would be unseemly for you to meet alone with a man in your bedchamber, and in your night clothes no less! It’s scandalous!” Some of Marigold’s normal cheer returned to her eyes and she gave Esther a mocking smile, then turned and sat down in the rocking chair.
Esther smiled back at her friend, then turned her head toward the door. “Come,” she said. They heard the door open Oluchi came into the bedchamber followed by Lt. Ben-Ezra. “Oluchi!” Esther said with a big smile, extending her arms out in invitation to hug the stoic young man. He stepped over to her bedside with a huge matching smile of his own, his white teeth flashing in contrast with his dark skin, and let her wrap her arms around him in a big hug, patting her gently on the back.
“Thank you for saving me,” she whispered in his ear. He stood upright, clasping her hands in his.
“You’re welcome.” He looked her up and down. “You are well?”
“Yes, thank you. Geoffrey and Marigold took great care of me.”
“And the baby?” he asked, his eyes drawn down to her abdomen.
“Dr. Scott said they are both doing fine.”
It took him a moment, but then his eyes widened and he looked back up into her eyes. “Both?”
Esther laughed. “Geoffrey says he can hear two heartbeats.”
“Congratulations!” Oluchi beamed back.
“Thanks, I think. I’m still trying to process the fact that I’m going to have twins.”
“Well I know you have much to do, so I will leave now, but I wanted to see you and I am happy dat you are well.”
“Thanks, Oluchi,” said Esther, noting to herself how much his use of the Hadiqan language had improved as he turned to leave. He still had a pretty heavy accent, but his vocabulary and sentence structures were drastically better than when they had first met. He had been working hard at it over the last several months.
Esther turned to look at Lt. Ben-Ezra after Oluchi had left. “Well Lieutenant any updates on the investigation?”
“No, Your Majesty. There were no survivors among the would-be assassins after the Retributions aft cannons blew their cutter out of the sky. Currently, the Ardmorran authorities have been unable to identify their bodies. Mr. Najafi has recalled all personnel and signaled the Piruz and Achaemenes for departure. I spoke with the lead Ardmorran investigator a few minutes ago, just before he left. He said he would forward any information they obtain to Valsgärd via courier.”
Esther nodded. “Mr. Najafi said something to me that I have been wondering about. How did the assassins know exactly where I was? How did they know I was in my bathing quarter galley?” Lt. Ben-Ezra nodded as she spoke.
“I see only one of two possibilities, Your Majesty,” he said. “Either they had the ship under close scrutiny and somehow glimpsed where you were through a window—which is unlikely given that all the curtains were pulled closed—or someone on the Retribution somehow tipped them off.”
“Which means we have a traitor onboard, Lieutenant,” Esther said and Ben-Ezra nodded. “It’s going to be your job to figure out who that is.” Ben-Ezra nodded again.
“I’ve alre
ady started going through the logs on the crew to try and narrow down which ones we think may be the most risky. After we do that, we’ll have to start questioning them. The first officers on the Piruz and Achaemenes will do the same, but I don’t think our traitor is aboard either of the escorts. They wouldn’t have had the necessary access to determine where you were going to be.”
“Questioning them is going to demoralize the crew,” said Esther resignedly.
“Not as much as you might think, Your Majesty,” said Ben-Ezra. “The crew are in a state of anger and frustration. Actually, that’s an understatement. Furious would be a better word. From their point of view, you were almost killed on what they see as ‘their watch’. They know how much you love the Retribution, what you’ve given up, and all that you have done for Hadiq and for them, and they love you for it. They see this as an attack in your own home and they are out for blood. They’ve figured out that it was likely one of their own who must have tipped the assassins off to your specific location and they are more than willing to submit to questioning to find out who it was.”
A feeling of alarm began to swell up inside of her as Ben-Ezra spoke. He must have seen it on her face, however, because he held up a hand and continued on swiftly. “Now don’t worry, Your Majesty, Najafi didn’t let things get out of hand or allow a witch hunt to get started—in fact, it was pretty amazing the way he was able to focus their anger and remind them that they are your crew. The Queen’s crew. On her ship—her home. That should keep their cohesiveness from degrading, but we have to find the traitor quickly.”
Esther nodded. “It sounds like you have it well in hand. In fact, your understanding of this matter leads me to pile even more work on you,” she said with a smile. “I feel that the crown is severely deficient in the area of information and intelligence. I want you to begin developing an intelligence network independent of any currently in existence, and it will report to only you, myself, Jeshua, and the King.”
Retribution Page 16
