Plundered Chronicles_Skyblade's Gambit

by Robert Dahlen

  “I should be mad at you,” Annabel said to Victorie, her eyes fixed on the repair work.

  “Perhaps you should be,” Victorie said. “I may have had good reason, but I did speak out of turn on your ship.”

  Annabel nodded. “Major?” she said.

  “Yes?” Victorie glanced at the captain.

  “Thank you.” Annabel looked at Victorie and smiled.

  “You're welcome,” Victorie said, returning Annabel's smile. You keep finding ways to surprise me, she thought. I know I should be worried, but I'm actually quite pleased.

  “They should have those ropes replaced quickly,” Annabel said. “Once that's done...would you care to join me in my cabin for lunch?”

  Annabel's cabin caught Victorie off guard. She had been in captain's quarters before, but most of them were elaborately decorated, showing off the captain's prestige and lack of good taste. For the most part, Annabel's cabin was sparsely outfitted; the table and the cabinets were plain, the tablecloth simple white linen, the shelf that held her charts and record books chipped and scratched. “I must say that I was expecting something fancier,” Victorie said as she sat down at the table.

  “And why is that?” Annabel said.

  “Your outfit. It is quite flashy.”

  “I do allow myself a little extravagance there.” Annabel opened the door for a glashtyn, who was carrying a tray loaded with bread, sliced meat and cheese, and two oranges. He ducked back out, brought in a pitcher of water which he set on the table, and withdrew.

  “And I noticed your other indulgence,” Victorie said as Annabel thanked the crewman and closed the cabin door.

  “Which?” Annabel asked as she returned to the table.

  “Your chair.” Victorie poured two glasses of water. “The seat is rather padded.”

  Annabel sat down and took a glass from Victorie. “What does that matter?”

  “Does one's bum really need that much coddling?”

  “Mine does. You should see my privy.” Annabel smiled and winked.

  Victorie started to speak, but fell silent as she saw Annabel's face, backlit by the midday sun. She saw the pirate's red hair, her smooth dusky skin, the twinkle in her green eyes. It was a side of the brave, brash Captain Skyblade the major suspected few people had ever seen, and for a moment, Victorie held her breath. Ye gods, she thought. Annabel is...quite a lovely woman.

  Annabel's smile vanished as she cocked her head. “What are you staring at, Major?” she asked.

  “The view,” Victorie said quickly. “I always enjoy seeing the sky around me when I set sail.”

  “During the day?” Annabel shook her head. “It's much prettier at night. When the stars surround you, the moon is bright, the island realms glow with their own light...could there not be a more lovely sight?”

  Victorie smiled inwardly at Annabel's words. “But not the dawn?” she said. “When all is lit with the glory and promise of a new day?”

  “Spoken like someone who's never slept through a sunrise.” Annabel grinned again.

  “There is that. A toast?”

  “It's better with something stronger, but...” Annabel raised her glass. “To unexpected meetings.”

  “And to unlikely partnerships,” Victorie said. They touched glasses.

  They ate quickly, in silence, as the Peregrine sailed on, both knowing that they could catch up to the man in the golden mask at any moment. Victorie saw that Annabel was saving her orange for last, so she did the same.

  Annabel finally wiped the cheese crumbs from her mouth with a napkin. “It's good to have fresh food,” she said. “One can only eat so much jerky and hardtack. Sometimes, an orange is a luxury.”

  “Absolutely,” Victorie said idly. She watched Annabel as the pirate picked up an orange and ran her slender fingers across the peel.

  Annabel glanced up at Victorie. “Are you not eating your orange, then?” she said. “Do you not fear scurvy?”

  “It's not that.”

  “What, then?”

  “Well, this will sound odd...” Victorie tried to stifle a blush. “I've never eaten an orange before.”

  Annabel threw her head back and laughed. “And here I thought you were a worldly woman!” she said. “To be so scared of a little orange...”

  Victorie gave up on trying not to blush. “I'm not scared,” she murmured, looking down at her orange. “I'm just not sure what to expect.”

  She looked up and saw Annabel eying her again. “You are an odd one,” the pirate said. She tore open the peel of the orange she held.

  Victorie's eyes widened as the aroma filled the cabin. “It smells luscious,” she said.

  “Aye?” Annabel grinned. She spread the peeled orange open and took off a slice. “It tastes better. Mind the seeds, though.” She slipped the slice into her mouth and chewed, her eyes half-closed.

  “I...” Victorie felt her heart start to pound. Over an orange? she thought, pushing away the part of her that wondered if it might be more than that.

  Annabel spit the seed into her hand and dropped it on the tray. “Your turn, Victorie,” she said as she pulled another slice from the orange.

  “Captain—” Victorie started to say, disconcerted by the pirate's familiarity.

  “Major,” Annabel said with a mocking grin, “this is my ship. You will follow my orders while you're on board. Now open that mouth of yours.”

  “How dare—” Victorie stopped when Annabel placed the orange slice to her lips. She slid it in to her mouth, and Victorie tasted the bland rind. The major bit down, and the juice sprayed across her tongue, the sweet and tangy citrus flavor.

  Annabel sat back and bit into another slice. She chewed with her mouth slightly open, and juice trickled down her chin. “Care for more, Victorie?” she said.

  Victorie's thoughts were jumbled, scattered to the four winds. She had never known someone this forward, this playful, before. What game are you playing, pirate? she thought. Do you even know what the rules are? “I suppose, Captain,” she said.

  “No formalities in my cabin,” the pirate said. “My name is Annabel. Now, did you want me to—”

  The loud knock on the cabin door startled Annabel and snapped Victorie out of her reverie. “Cap'n?” a rumbling voice said through the door.

  “Aye, Tom?” Annabel said.

  “You should come up on deck for a moment. There's something you'll want to see.”

  “We've caught our quarry?”

  “Not yet,” Tom said, “but it's still important.”

  “I'll be up in a moment.” Annabel glanced back at Victorie and grinned. “We'll finish the oranges later.”

  “So why did you call for me, Big Tom?” Annabel said as she followed Victorie onto the deck.

  “That, Cap'n.” The troll pointed to starboard. Annabel looked over and smiled.

  No one quite knew how to interpret the migratory patterns of the Mezaran crane, the largest bird on Aldarre; ornithologists theorized that the Great Scarlet Swarm had disrupted those patterns when it overtook the native wetlands of the cranes. The flocks of birds, which had been named for their red and white coloring, flew from sky realm to sky realm. They traveled together for protection from the predatory star drakes, in groups that numbered in the dozens.

  The Peregrine was approaching one flock. At a glance, Annabel thought there might be a hundred or more cranes, their great wings taking them across the sky, a splash of crimson and cream in the vast blue. She had always loved watching the cranes, and she moved over to the rail, her gaze fixed on the majestic sight.

  After a minute, Annabel looked to her right. She saw Victorie there, watching the cranes intently, with a delighted smile on her face. So there is more to you than just your duty, Victorie, the pirate thought. You keep surprising me.

  Victorie glanced over at Annabel. “It's been a while since I've seen Mezaran cranes in flight,” she said. “It's quite wonderful, isn't it?”

  “Aye,” Annabel said softly.

/>   “It makes me think that I spend too much time on the ground.” There was a light in Victorie's eyes. “Sometimes, I envy airship crew. They get to see the things I miss when I'm landbound.”

  Annabel nodded as the blush started to spread across her cheeks. She hoped Victorie wouldn't see her red face as she fixed her stare on the cranes. Gods and devils, Annabel thought. She's such a pretty woman. If only she weren't so prim and proper…

  The pirate's eyes widened as she studied the birds. She pulled her spyglass from her coat pocket and took a long look through it. “You clever bastard,” Annabel said to herself as she spun towards the helm. “Hardwicke!” she shouted. “Ten degrees starboard, and full power to the propellers!”

  “Aye, Cap'n.” Hardwicke turned the ship's wheel to the left.

  As he did, Annabel dashed towards her cabin. “Captain?” Victorie asked.

  Annabel ran out a moment later, carrying Victorie's sword and pistolere. “Arm yourself, Major,” she said.

  “What's going on?” Victorie asked as she donned her weapons.

  “I spotted the Svendaran.” Annabel grinned. “He's trying to hide behind the cranes.”

  “How do we catch him?” Victorie said. “This may be a fast ship, but cutters are more maneuverable.”

  “We're not going to use the Peregrine.”

  “So shall we throw oranges at him, then?”

  “It would be a waste of food.” Annabel started down the deck, heading for the stern. “You're with us, Tom. We'll need help with the tarpaulin.”

  “How did you get this?” Victorie asked as she stared at the windjammer. It was a small, streamlined airship that sat three, the two passenger's seats lined up behind the pilot's, with a mast set between the middle and last seats. “The Farrasper Navy would rather burn this than let it fall into someone else's hands.”

  “You just get it off their battlecruiser before they get a chance to burn it,” Annabel said as she climbed into the pilot's seat. “You're with me, Major.”

  “Not me?” Tom said as he rolled up the tarpaulin.

  “I need you here if anything goes wrong,” Annabel said. “And I've seen Major Brassfeld. She's one Hell of a shot.”

  “You're far too kind,” Victorie said as she climbed into the front passenger's seat.

  “And too trusting,” Tom grumbled.

  “Belay that, Tom,” Annabel said softly. She touched the argent inlays in the windjammer's hull, and one by one they started to glow. “She's earned that trust. Hold on, Major.”

  The pirate switched the propellers on as the windjammer started to float above the deck. She nudged the small ship's wheel, which was shaped like a sideways 8, and the ship headed towards the rail, clearing it by inches.

  Victorie felt the rocking as the windjammer adjusted to having nothing but air and sky around it. “We'll circle under the Peregrine and swoop down on our robber,” Annabel said.

  “At this point,” Victorie said, “I suppose I should ask if we actually have some sort of plan.”

  “Shoot at any part of the robber that isn't armored?”

  Victorie drew her pistolere. “It'll do,” she said with a smile.

  Annabel steered the windjammer under the Peregrine's hull. The small airship picked up speed as it cruised towards the cutter and its masked pilot. “I don't think he's seen us yet,” Annabel said. “He's too concerned about the Peregrine.”

  “Tell me when it'll be a good time to get his attention,” Victorie said.

  Annabel's jaw dropped. “Get his attention?”

  “Correct.” The major sighted down the barrel of her pistolere. “I do have to do this by the book.”

  “Not on my ship!” Annabel snapped, looking back at Victorie. “You'll fire when I bloody well tell you!”

  “Captain...” Victorie met Annabel's stare. “You told Big Tom you trusted me. Do you?”

  “I...”

  “Do you, Annabel?” Victorie said.

  Annabel looked into Victorie's eyes. For a moment, as she quickly thought over the situation, she could hear her heart pounding. She nodded. "This had better work, Major. I think he sees us."

  The man in the golden mask was looking back over his shoulder at the windjammer. His lightning gun was in the passenger's seat next to him. He reached for it with a wordless growl.

  “Halt!” He looked back at Victorie as she stood in her seat, pointing her pistolere straight up towards the sky. “Major Brassfeld, Cerindel Navy. You are under arrest. Raise your arms above your head, or I fire at the count of five.”

  “Five?” Annabel muttered. “He'll shoot you before you get to three.”

  “One...” Victorie held her pose.

  The masked man snarled and reached for his thunder gun. “Oh, bloody—” Annabel said.

  Victorie dropped her arm and aimed. “Five,” she said as she fired her pistolere. The pellet grazed the masked man's hand. He yelped in pain, pulling his arm back. “Bring us in!” Victorie shouted.

  Annabel spun the ship's wheel. “I thought you were doing things by the book,” she said.

  “I might have skipped a chapter or two.” Victorie smiled wryly as they closed in on the cutter. “What's the plan now?”

  “I'll bring her alongside,” Annabel said. “You fend him off and—”

  Victorie glanced up. “I think we need a new plan,” she said, holstering her pistolere and drawing her sword.

  The man in the golden mask had steered back towards the windjammer. As his cutter shot overhead, he grabbed his thunder gun and vaulted off his airship. The windjammer shook as he landed in the rear passenger's seat, the cutter soaring out of sight.

  He raised his thunder gun. Victorie swung her sword at it, pushing it to one side. The masked man snarled and stabbed towards Victorie with the gun barrel. She parried it again, leaving herself open for a second. The robber reached past her sword, grabbed her collar and pushed her back into the mast. Victorie gasped in pain and slid back into her seat.

  Annabel looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she heard the masked man chuckle. He drew his sword as Victorie blinked and shook her head.

  "The Devil you will," Annabel muttered as the masked man thrust his sword towards the major. She jerked the ship's wheel. The windjammer tilted to one side, catching the masked man in mid-swing. He lost his balance, his sword just missing Victorie, gouging the mast.

  He drew his arm back. Annabel reached inside her coat and pulled out a small dagger. "Robber!" she shouted. "Do you have to wear that mask for being so ugly? Or just to keep us from smelling your bad breath?"

  The masked man turned as Annabel threw. Her dagger struck him in the shoulder, the very tip sticking out of his back. "Had enough?" Annabel chuckled. "Are you ready to hand over that amulet?"

  The robber froze for a moment. He grabbed the dagger's hilt and slowly pulled it from his shoulder, laughing as the blade came free. Annabel gasped when she saw that the dagger was clean, no blood. Damn, she thought. He's—he's not human—

  He casually tossed the dagger over the side of the airship. His laughter grew louder as he started to swing his sword at Annabel.

  "No!" Victorie wrapped her arms around the masked man. "Annabel!" she shouted as he struggled in her grasp. "Keep her steady!"

  "Major—" Annabel tried to say.

  "Do it!" Victorie snapped. "Now!" The masked man started to slip from her grasp, but Victorie slapped the top of his head; he reeled, and she drove her elbow into the back of his neck.

  The robber broke free of Victorie's grasp and looked towards the afternoon sun. He sighed and started to climb over the side of the windjammer. "What are you doing?" Victorie shouted as she grabbed his coat. "It's three thousand feet straight down!"

  The masked man turned his expressionless face towards Victorie. "I know," he said in a deep, raspy voice. He stretched out his arm and struck Annabel in the chest. The pirate shouted out as she reeled from the blow. The windjammer shifted, listing to one side, and the masked
man and Victorie tumbled overboard.

  "Nay!" Annabel screamed. She turned back in her seat, trying to look over the side but fearing what she might see. Oh, gods, she thought. I've killed her...

  She could barely hide her relief when she saw the hand desperately clutching the side of the windjammer. "Victorie!" she shouted as she craned her neck.

  "Annabel—" The major grimaced as the airship swayed. "Let me be. You need to catch our masked robber."

  "Nay!" Annabel grabbed the ship's wheel with one hand and stretched as far as she could. She hung over the pilot's seat and took hold of Victorie's arm. "Hold on, Victorie!" she shouted. "Grab my hand!"

  "Annabel—" Victorie's hand began to slip. "I can't let you risk your life for my sake."

  "Take my arm, Major!" Annabel said firmly. "That's an order!"

  Victorie nodded and grabbed Annabel's arm, squeezing it tight. The pirate pulled Victorie with one hand as she turned the ship's wheel with the other. The windjammer tilted, and the momentum carried Victorie up; she grabbed the back of the pilot's seat and pulled herself inside the airship. “Annabel?” she gasped as she sat down.

  “Aye?”

  Victorie laid her hand on Annabel's arm. “Thank you,” she said with a warm smile.

  Annabel blushed and looked away. “You're welcome.”

  “So what about the robber?”

  "He's probably hit the ground by now," Annabel said. “Dead and gone.”

  Victorie glanced over the side of the airship. “Not yet,” she said.

  Annabel looked down and gasped. She saw the robber, but instead of falling, he was gliding through the air on canvas wings that seemed to have sprouted from his back. "How the devil did he do that?" she said.

  "Catch him first," Victorie said. "Then we can figure out all his secrets."

  "Aye," Annabel said, reaching for the airship's controls. “I want to know why that dagger—”

  “Captain?” Victorie said slowly. “Our robber has another secret.”

  Annabel followed Victorie's gaze over the side. “Damn,” she said.

  The fog below them had concealed a galleon class airship, but unlike the Peregrine, the deck had a roof made of wood and canvas, with holes cut for the masts. The airship was painted black from stern to bow, with black sails and rigging. Annabel could barely make out the man in the golden mask as he glided through a hatch in the airship's roof and vanished. “Shall we give chase?” she asked.