Pirate's Promise

by Chris A. Jackson

"I hope my absence didn't leave you suffering for want of attention." She filled their glasses from the carafe and returned to the bath. She stepped into the water, balancing the two glasses easily. "Did you miss me very much?"

  "Oh, there were distractions enough to keep me occupied, but I must admit that I did miss ..." He guided her descent into the tub. "...this very much."

  Vreva settled into his lap and dribbled chilled wine into his upturned mouth. "Oh, so you strayed while I was away?" She writhed expertly in his grasp, teasing him with every move. "I suppose your friend the governor entertained at his mansion."

  "He did." Urfin laughed at her false petulance. "Don't tell me you're jealous!"

  "Well, perhaps a little," she lied.

  "You have nothing to be jealous about, my dear. Slaves are one thing." He grasped her hard. "This is something else entirely."

  "Is it?" She bit her lip against the pain of his grip. She would have bruises again.

  "It is." Water sloshed over the side of the tub. "Besides, I'm the one who should be jealous."

  "And what could you possibly be jealous of? None of my other clients hold a candle to you." It never ceased to astound her that they all believed that ridiculous lie.

  "It's not your clients I'm jealous of, my dear, but that inquisitor you've taken up with."

  "What?" She laughed, hiding her interest with feigned indignation. Rumors had to be flying all around Okeno about her and Zarina, but she had not yet heard one firsthand. "Why would you possibly be jealous of Inquisitor Capoli?"

  "Don't dissemble, my dear. Everyone knows she's spent night after night in your company, and hasn't paid a single scarab for your services."

  "Everyone knows?" She had no doubt that they did. Quopek had the biggest mouth in Okeno.

  "Well, everyone who cares about you anyway." His features clouded, and she wondered if his mind was as addled as she thought. "There are rumors spreading around the Fleshfairs that you've fallen in love with the woman, Vreva."

  "In love?" She laughed again. Was he was telling her the truth, or simply upset that Zarina got her attentions for free, while he had to pay? "Come now, Urfin. You know me better than that."

  "Do I?" Urfin released his grip and took his wineglass from her. He gulped the pale vintage and scowled. "Some say you're going to leave with her when she returns from Katapesh."

  "Leave all this?" Vreva swept an arm in a grandiose gesture. "Why would I even consider such a thing?"

  "Love can do strange things to people, Vreva. You can't tell me you're not fond of the woman." He frowned, his eyes sharpening. "Late-night strolls, moonlit gondola rides, candlelight dinners ..."

  People have been talking, and he's certainly not as intoxicated as I thought. Perhaps he had built up a resistance to her drugs. She would have to resort to other means. She wanted him to spread rumors, but the right rumors.

  "Oh, Urfin, you're so sweet." Vreva took his glass and leaned past him to put both his and her own on the tubside table, using the distraction to cast a silent charm spell. His mind now firmly in her grasp, she slid back into position.

  "I am fond of Inquisitor Capoli, but you have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of leaving Okeno. She's simply taking advantage of my acquaintance with that vile Captain Templeton to pursue her investigation. You could say that we've bonded in our mutual abhorrence of the man."

  "Well, yes. Captain Nekhtal told me you visited Templeton before Capoli took him apart." His eyes drooped as her caresses and the soothing balm of her spell eased his concerns. "He said you slapped him around yourself."

  So, the guards did talk. "Templeton betrayed my trust, and I want to help Zarina find out who was helping him." This was what she needed him to tell his friends and Governor Midasi.

  "Zarina? You are friends with her, then." Though Urfin's tone was teasing, his eyes glinted with lazy cunning. "She seemed very ...cold to me."

  What the hell is he getting at?

  "Yes, we're friends. I help her ..." She intensified her caresses to make her point. "...relax, to show my gratitude for her efforts."

  "Really?" His brows arched, and he slid down into the water until it lapped at his chin. "If you ever yearn for some masculine company while the two of you ...relax, I'd be willing to lend my expertise."

  So that's what he wants. Vreva smiled and suppressed a surge of nausea. A sweet remembrance of Zarina filled her, so pure and real ...not this parody of passion at all. That thought startled her. The relationship with Zarina had somehow changed for her. Vreva didn't know what she felt, except to concede that she both missed Zarina and dreaded her return. A sharp squeeze from Urfin reminded her of where she was.

  "Oh, come now, Urfin." She guided his hands up her slick torso. "We really don't need anyone else with us, do we? I'd much rather keep you all to myself."

  "I suppose not, my dear."

  "I didn't think so."

  Vreva swallowed her revulsion, and forced herself into the lie. When she was finished with Urfin, he would be ready to tell Governor Midasi exactly what she wanted.

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  Broad avenues dotted with golden statues and glittering domes framed the wide bay in gleaming Andoren majesty.

  "Gilded like a godsdamned brothel."

  Torius couldn't deny Grogul's assessment of Almas, at least the gilded part. He just hoped that none of the survivors from Gold Wing had heard the bosun's comment. They'd been through enough. The thought drew his eye to Gold Wing's single surviving officer, Lieutenant Gosling, who had so cheerfully welcomed him. His cheer had died with his ship and captain.

  It's a wonder he's sane. Sinking into the deep blue sea, hopelessly tangled in fallen rigging, thinking that your last breath would be the last you'd ever taste ...Torius shivered.

  "Furl tops'ls, Grogul! Let's take her in nice and slow."

  "Aye, sir!"

  Torius scanned the imposing array of siege weaponry lining the shore. Though Augustana boasted the bulk of Andoran's fleet, the capital city was not defenseless, and warships nearly outnumbered merchantmen. Spyglasses glinted from ship and shore alike. A slave galley escorted by an unfamiliar, battle-scarred brigantine was bound to draw attention. Torius would have been even more nervous if Lieutenant Gosling hadn't suggested they fly Gold Wing's private signal to avoid misunderstandings. The flags and a few other items had been recovered by the two former slave gillmen, Kalli and Nectus.

  "By the deep, eight fathom!" the crewman with the lead line called from forward.

  "Luff her up, Windy. Grogul, furl as she luffs and drop anchor as she loses way. Fenric, signal Thillion to raft up alongside."

  The bower splashed into the sea, and the sails were furled in short order. Thillion brought the captured galley alongside, her fire-scarred decks crowded with ebullient former slaves pointing toward the city and speaking excitedly. Torius grinned. He could get used to that sight.

  "Boats on the way!"

  At the lookout's call, Torius brought his spyglass back up. Six longboats, all packed with armed sailors and uniformed officers, approached from several angles. "That's quite a welcoming committee, Lieutenant."

  "They're Gray Corsairs, Captain." Gosling tugged at his neck cloth as if it choked him. "I'll need to give them my report."

  "Grogul, send word for Thillion to come over, and rig boarding ladders for our guests." Torius analyzed the stern-faced officers in the boats. Never had he imagined sailing into Almas and standing calmly by while Gray Corsairs approached Stargazer. He scratched at the stitches that ran from his temple to his jaw. The damned things itched abominably. "Why so many, Lieutenant?"

  "A quorum of captains to determine if a tribunal will be necessary."

  "A tribunal?"

  The lieutenant nodded up at the signal flags. "When one ship flies another's private signal, it tells other Corsairs that the vessel was lost. They'll want to know how that happened. If necessary, a tribunal will be convened to determine who was at fault, and pass judgment."

/>   "What do you mean determine who was at fault? The slavers were at fault."

  "Yes, sir, but there are always questions when a ship is lost. You're not a Gray Corsair, not even a privateer yet. Your involvement in the sinking of a—"

  "My involvement?"

  "You took part in the battle, Captain. You'll have to answer their questions."

  Torius gritted his teeth. He didn't like the idea of facing an inquisition without a letter of marque legitimizing his position, but he had no choice. "Well, we might as well make them welcome. Windy, tell Soursop to rouse out some refreshments for our guests." As she dashed off, Torius waved Thillion over. "Let's go meet our new friends."

  "Aye, sir."

  The launches came alongside, and grim-faced marines preceded the officers up the boarding ladders. They didn't draw weapons, but stood alert and watchful. The Stargazers went about their business, but unlike a true merchantman's crew, the pirates kept their weapons at hand. Grogul leveled a glare that would have daunted a cavalry charge.

  Six captains boarded Stargazer, their hard eyes raking the deck from stem to stern before coming to rest on the young lieutenant at Torius's side. Gosling snapped a salute and stared straight ahead.

  Determined to diffuse the tension, Torius doffed his hat and stepped forward with his hand extended. "Welcome aboard Stargazer. I'm Captain Vin, and this is my first mate, Thillion." The woman in the fore glanced from Gosling to Torius's hand, then up to his face. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she accepted his handshake.

  "I'm Captain Wilshire." She had the grip of a sailor. Releasing his hand, she nodded toward her fellow captains. "These are Captains Yancy, Rollins, Meriwether, Otta, and Vance."

  Torius shook their hands each in turn, two women and four men in all. Captain Otta, the only non-human among the six, bore prominently pointed ears and two short, curving horns at his temples. His skin glistened like burnished copper in the sun.

  "You fly Gold Wing's private signal, and I see one of her officers here, but no Gold Wing." Wilshire's tone grated, and her hands clenched at her sides. "An explanation is in order."

  "Gold Wing was lost, Captain. Lieutenant Gosling here is her sole surviving officer, though we managed to pull a few of her crew out of the sea as well." Torius jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the captured slave galley. "Those responsible have been punished."

  "Punished?" Captain Yancy's deep voice sounded accusative rather than questioning. A large man, he looked more like a lumberjack than a sea captain, right down to the double-bitted axe at his hip.

  "We boarded the galley and slaughtered every last slaver aboard." Their eyebrows arched at that, but Torius just stepped back and gestured toward Stargazer's sterncastle. "I'm sure you have more questions, but we can at least be comfortable while we talk."

  The six captains exchanged glances and nodded. Wilshire doffed her gold-brimmed tricorne, revealing a head of short-cropped gray hair. "Very well, Captain Vin. I'm interested to hear the details."

  "Grogul, you've got the deck." Torius gave his disgruntled bosun a significant glance before leading the captains aft. "I'm afraid my cabin isn't large enough to accommodate everyone. I hope you'll be comfortable in the officers' mess." Torius waved them into the mess, where Soursop had bottles of wine, rum, and grog set out on the table, along with a platter of thin-sliced bread toasted with crispy cheese. Torius sat and poured a measure of grog into his cup, and Thillion followed suit, pouring wine and cutting a wedge of lime for himself. Wilshire surprised him by pouring measures of rum into the other seven glasses, pressing one into Gosling's hand, then passing the rest to the other captains. All the Gray Corsairs remained standing.

  Wilshire raised her glass. "A toast to Captain Blaine and the crew of Gold Wing, who died in the course of their duty to Andoran. May they remain forever free!"

  Torius and Thillion stood and raised their cups.

  "May they remain forever free!" repeated the captains and Gosling before knocking back their drinks. They then sat, and the captains pushed their empty cups away.

  Wilshire rapped twice on the table. "This hearing is in session. Captain Vin, you're not in the Andoren Navy, so I'll assume that you're not familiar with our ways. When a Gray Corsair is lost, a committee of senior officers convenes to hear the details, and determine if the situation warrants a formal tribunal. If a tribunal is deemed necessary, and anyone is found negligent," she paused and cleared her throat, "or culpable, they will face judgment."

  Torius choked back his response. Angering these captains would do him no good. "I understand, Captain."

  "Very well. We'll hear Lieutenant Gosling's account first."

  "Yes, sir!" Gosling cleared his throat and recounted the engagement with the slave galley. Partway through his recitation, the lieutenant glanced at Torius with a rueful expression.

  "Though Captain Blaine was satisfied by her interview with Captain Vin, and intended to escort Stargazer to Almas, when the slave galley sailed into view, she suspected he might have betrayed us. She decided to first disable the galley, then confront Stargazer. We gave chase with all due speed, and attempted to disable her with our catapult. When the galley changed course to impede our shots, we prepared to ram their transom. As we closed with the galley,"—Gosling's voice caught before he continued—"a wizard aboard the slaver cast a spell that flashed green, and Gold Wing just ...went down."

  "What?" Wilshire's eyes widened, and the other captains voiced their own disbelief. She cracked her knuckles on the table, and they fell silent. "What kind of spell, Lieutenant? And what do you mean by ‘just went down'?"

  "Gold Wing plunged by the head, but I don't remember much after that. We were tangled in fallen rigging. Captain Blaine saved my life, and several others as well. She cut one of the boats loose, then freed as many as she could before ...before I lost sight of her." Gosling stared bleakly at his superiors. "As for the rest of the battle, you'll have to rely on Captain Vin's account. I could see nothing from the water."

  Wilshire turned hard eyes on Torius. "Captain Vin, tell me what you saw."

  "We were still about a half mile away, but had a perfect vantage. The wizard's spell flashed out in a beam of green light, and hit Gold Wing's bow right at the cutwater. A section about the size of a barn door just puffed into dust." He shrugged and shook his head. "She plunged down by the head, her stays parted, and her main and foremasts came down. She sank in less than a minute. It was a wonder anyone survived."

  "By the wings of Talmandor," Captain Otta mumbled. Captains Rollins and Vance paled, and Meriwether shook her head sadly.

  Captain Yancy, however, flushed with anger, and looked at Torius with narrowed eyes. "A wizard is one thing! We all get raked by a few spells now and then, but that! I've seen spells like that before, but never from anything less than a flagship's wizard. Slavers don't have spellcasters of that caliber aboard their ships."

  "It certainly doesn't make sense to me," Torius agreed. "But I'm no expert. When I see yellow sails, I usually run."

  "Fine privateer you'll make, if you cut and run when—"

  "Captain Yancy, that's enough!" Wilshire glared, and Yancy leaned back. "Damn it, this throws a bunyip in the bilge water! Word came down recently that the Pactmasters might be arming Okeno slavers, but we received no details. Putting powerful wizards aboard ships hunting Gray Corsairs sounds exactly like something they would do. We'll have to inform the admiralty immediately." She looked grave, fixing Torius once again in her sights. "Please tell me that the wizard didn't use magic to escape."

  Torius grinned—Finally, some good news!—and nodded toward Thillion. "My first mate convinced him to stick around."

  "You ..." Wilshire cocked an eyebrow at Thillion. "How did you manage that?"

  "I put five poisoned arrows in his chest, Captain." Thillion's matter-of-fact tone raised a few eyebrows. "I find that even wizards respond to that particular form of persuasion."

  The muscles around the Wilshire's eyes twitched, pro
bably the most mirth she ever showed. "Well done."

  "After that, we closed on the galley, raked her deck with ballista fire, grappled, and boarded over her transom, where their greater numbers couldn't help them." Torius hoped they wouldn't ask for details. He'd be damned if he would reveal Snick's secret weapons to them.

  "Your losses, Captain Vin?"

  "Five from a wizard's spell, and four more during the boarding action." He scratched his healing chin. "A number of wounded, but no one's in danger of dying on us."

  Yancy apparently hadn't run out of belligerence yet. "My question to you, Captain, is how slavers just happened along when you were meeting up with one of our corsairs?"

  Torius bristled, and sipped his grog while reining in his temper. "There's no way that galley could have followed us from Okeno. They couldn't match our speed with the seas we encountered off of Qadira. No one but your own people knew where we were going." Unless Vreva was found out. He tried not to dwell on that. "I can't rule out some kind of divination magic, but if they were alerted to our rendezvous with Gold Wing, it seems to me that they'd have sent more than one ship."

  Wilshire tapped the table thoughtfully. "It could have been coincidence. Another privateer, Devil's Dawn, was recently captured by an armada of slavers in that area. The slavers may be nosing arou—"

  "You set up a secret rendezvous right where another ship was caught, and suspect me when slavers show up?" Torius bit back his temper again and took a deep breath. "Pardon me, Captain, but—"

  "I didn't choose the time and place of the meeting, Captain Vin! If you want to rant at someone about that, feel free to voice your opinion to Admiral Weathers." Wilshire abruptly stood. "I think we've heard enough. If you would give us a moment of privacy, my colleagues and I must consult."

  Indignant at being ordered from his own mess, Torius motioned for Thillion to accompany him and left the room. They waited in silence for barely five minutes before Gosling opened the door and ushered them back inside.

  Captain Wilshire stood and addressed him formally. "Captain Vin, we, the assembled captains of the Gray Corsairs, believe that Lieutenant Gosling's account of events, your own testimony, and the presence of the galley and freed slaves, are sufficient evidence to clear you of any fault in the loss of Gold Wing. We deem that no tribunal is necessary." Her expression softened into a grim smile. "Congratulations on your victory, Captain. May it be the first of many. You've earned the gratitude of the Gray Corsairs by avenging one of our own."