The Fifth Empire of Man

by Rob J. Hayes

  Elaina hadn’t been expecting the news that Pollick came running with. She’d hoped that someone they knew might turn up, but never had she imagined it would be Keelin. The prospect of sailing after Starry Dawn and that gut-rotted weird Rovel with Keelin at her side set a fire in her blood. It would seem fitting, somehow, chasing down the bastard who had stolen her ship with the help of another bastard who had once stolen another of her ships.

  She found Keelin’s quartermaster, Smithe, in charge of the boat and taking every opportunity to remind the crew of his position of authority. Smithe was a dangerous man; Elaina had known that from the very start. He’d once served aboard Icy Dream, one of her father’s ships, and Elaina had requested him when Tanner gave her The Phoenix. Smithe was a brutal demon in a fight and had not a drop of pity in him, and that made him an excellent tool. Elaina had planned to use Smithe to strike fear into the hearts of her prey and her brethren alike, but the bastard had fallen under Keelin’s charm – or possibly his promise of better wages. Of course, Elaina knew that Smithe’s relationship with his captain had long since soured.

  Elaina swaggered up the gangplank with her three remaining crew members in tow, and stepped onto the deck of The Phoenix without any resistance. Smithe was grinning at her from the railing, and there were a number of the morning shift she didn’t recognise taking the opportunity to lounge around with little to do. The morning light revealed that the ship had a few new knocks and scrapes, but she was, for the most part, in excellent condition.

  “Morning, Cap’n Black,” Smithe said with a nod. “Can’t say I expected ta see you here.”

  “Just thought I’d stop by and see how my ship is doing, Smithe,” Elaina replied easily.

  “I meant in Larkos,” Smithe said. “Don’t see the Dawn anywhere round here.”

  “She’s away on…” Elaina paused with a grin. “Business. Where’s your crotch mould of a captain hiding?”

  Smithe narrowed his eyes. “Went to see the slavers. Odd crew ya got with ya there.”

  Elaina glanced behind her at Pavel, Alfer, and Pollick, and shrugged as if it meant nothing.

  “I think I’ll wait for him here,” she said. “What shit is your galley serving for breakfast?”

  It was mid-morning by the time Keelin arrived, and the first Elaina knew of it was her old friend and lover barging through the door to the galley with a face like thunder and lightning mixing with fire. Elaina and her three crewmen had been happily exchanging stories with a few hands from The Phoenix, but the galley fell silent the moment the ship’s captain arrived.

  “Get the fuck off my ship, Elaina,” Keelin said in a quiet voice that held back a sea of rage.

  All eyes in the room turned to look at her, and Elaina responded by shooting Keelin the sweetest smile she could.

  “Is that any way to treat an old lover?”

  “You betrayed me. You tried to have me killed.”

  “No, I tried to save you and have Drake killed,” Elaina countered. “Turns out it didn’t work. What the fuck happened on Ash? How did Drake convince my da to sail for him?”

  “Drake didn’t,” Keelin said, his face still an angry mask. “I did.”

  “Well, shit. Looks like all us Blacks still got a bit of a soft spot for ya,” she said with a wink.

  “You’re still on my ship, Elaina.”

  “Aye, I am. Not planning to leave just yet. Figured we should have ourselves a little chat, captain to captain. Just like the old days, but with less of the fucking. Unless you’ve got rid of that squinty little waif yet…” Elaina let the suggestion hang; Keelin did not look amused.

  “My cabin,” he growled, and pointed towards the galley door before turning his glare on Elaina’s crew. “You three can stay here.”

  Keelin waited for Elaina to pass him and then followed along behind her. She could almost feel the anger flowing off him, and it sent chills down her spine to leave a person that angry with her at her back, but she knew Keelin would do her no harm. No matter how furious he might be, the worst he would ever do would be to leave her in Larkos.

  She quickly scaled the ladder up to the main deck, squinting at the sudden sunlight, and waited for Keelin to follow her. There were a great many folk on the deck, including a good few Clerics, but Elaina resisted the urge to take command of the situation. She doubted Keelin would take it too well.

  “Captan,” said Morley as soon as Keelin’s head poked out of the hatch. “We have an issue.”

  Keelin leapt up the last few rungs of the ladder and stood quickly, giving Elaina a fleeting glare. She returned his aggression with a playful smile.

  “What’s going on here?” Keelin said.

  A number of his crew were kneeling on the deck of The Phoenix with their hands tied behind their backs. Among the bound pirates was Keelin’s waif. The sight of the woman humbled and restrained put a grin on Elaina’s face.

  “Are these people members of your crew?” said one of the Clerics, a tall, broad man with a shaved head and a braided beard. Keelin rested his hands on the hilts of his twin cutlasses. Elaina had seen him do it a hundred times before, and it always made her smile. Tanner had taught him to do it as a way of intimidating folk.

  “Aye,” Keelin growled. “What have they done?”

  “They started a tavern brawl.”

  “We didn’t start…”

  With a rough smack to the back of the head, one of the Clerics silenced the lad who had protested his innocence. Keelin looked ready to intervene on behalf of his crew, but Elaina wagered he knew better than to anger the Clerics while his ship was docked in their district.

  “What’s their punishment?” Keelin said.

  “One moon’s community service,” said the bald Cleric. “We brought them to you first in case you would like to… lighten their sentence.”

  “Captan,” Morley said, stepping close to Keelin and whispering in his ear. Elaina couldn’t hear what the first mate said, but she caught a definite shake of his head.

  “We cannot afford to wait here for a month,” Keelin growled at the Cleric. “Nor will we pay your bribe.”

  The Cleric straightened his back, his expression hardening. There were ten brothers aboard the ship, and they were all armed with heavy maces and bucklers. Elaina didn’t doubt Keelin’s crew could take them, but they would sustain injuries, and if any of the Clerics got away they would come back with numbers the pirates of The Phoenix couldn’t withstand. Worse still were the repercussions a brawl here might have in her meeting with the Council of Thirteen. It dawned on Elaina that she might be able to stop a pointless altercation and get back into Keelin’s good books all at once, and she needed to be in his good graces for what she was going to ask of him.

  “Brother,” she said, stepping forward.

  “Captain Black,” said the bald Cleric.

  “What are you doing, Elaina?” Keelin hissed.

  “You recognise me then,” she said to the Cleric. “This will make things easier. I would like you to release them without punishment this once. They will, of course, be confined to the ship for the remainder of The Phoenix’s stay in Larkos, and you can tell Brother Hernhold that I will count it as a personal favour to me.”

  The bald Cleric seemed to consider the proposition for a few moments before a wide smile spread over his face.

  “As you wish, Captain Black. They will remain on the ship.”

  “Of course,” said Elaina. “We’ll give them some shitty jobs too, eh?”

  Keelin stepped up beside Elaina, and she could sense his impatience. She did her best to ignore her fellow captain as the Clerics untied the pirates and walked down the gangplank and away.

  “What the fuck was that?” Keelin said as soon as they were out of earshot.

  Elaina glanced at him, smiled, and said nothing.

  “Thanks, Cap’n,” said Jojo, the sentiment echoed by a few of the crew members that Elaina didn’t recognise.

  Keelin’s little waif walked towards
them. Her face was about as carefully expressionless as Elaina had ever seen, but there was a deep anger in the little bitch’s eyes.

  “Aimi…” Keelin started.

  “I’ll be in my cabin,” she said, and then sent a glare in Elaina’s direction. “As ordered.”

  “You mean my cabin?” Keelin said.

  The little waif stopped for a moment and stared at Keelin. “No,” she said, and then continued on her way to the captain’s cabin. She opened the door, walked through, and closed it behind her. Elaina liked to think she’d heard the click of the lock afterwards.

  Keelin turned to face Elaina and sighed. “What the fuck just happened?” The anger had turned to exasperation.

  Elaina shrugged. While she wouldn’t admit it, she enjoyed seeing Keelin struggle with the little bitch he’d chosen over her. If she could convince him to help her, there may be a chance to get between the two of them even further.

  “Still need to have that chat, Keelin,” she said. “Sooner would be better than later.”

  Keelin glanced back towards his cabin. “Let’s find a tavern, eh?”

  As they walked, Elaina asked what had happened in the isles during her absence. Having spent so long at sea, she could have missed the birth of a new god and not known anything about it. Keelin seemed happy to talk about how he’d convinced Tanner to join Drake, and about the recent battle at New Sev’relain. She wondered if he’d picked up a couple of injuries himself. He was trying to hide it, but Elaina knew him well enough to know when he was in pain and the limp was a dead giveaway.

  Once they were well and truly settled at a table with drinks in hand, Elaina sat back and wondered how to broach the subject of the favour she needed to ask.

  “What are you doing here, Elaina?” Keelin said. “And how do you have so much pull with the Clerics?”

  “Tanner sent me,” she said with a grimace. “First to Chade, then to Larkos. Didn’t want me coming to Ash to confuse matters between you and him – and Drake.”

  “Tanner was looking for allies in the free cities,” Keelin said with a sigh. “Did he get them?”

  “In a way.” Elaina grinned. “Tanner sent me to Chade, but he didn’t get shit out of it. I did.”

  “Huh?”

  “Lord and Lady Chade are sending ships, men, and supplies to the isles. Thing is, they’re only there to sail for me. I’ve got a meeting with the Council of Thirteen in a few days to get the same deal from them, and the Queen of Blades is backing me for it.”

  “Sailing for you,” Keelin said. “Why?”

  “Pirates are on the verge of calling themselves a kingdom, yeah?” Elaina’s grin widened. “I’m throwing my name in for the throne, and I reckon I’m bringing more to the table than anyone else.”

  “How many ships?”

  “Ten from Chade. Gotta negotiate just that with the Council here.”

  “I’ve just purchased three hundred slaves, Elaina,” Keelin said, his voice hushed.

  “Eh? Why the fuck are you dealing with those buggering slavers?”

  Keelin winced and knocked back the last of his ale, then called for another one.

  “We need folk to sail, folk to fight, folk to live on the isles. I figured I’d bring them in by buying and freeing a bunch of slaves.”

  “That’s a dumb fucking idea,” Elaina said with a shake of her head. “How are you gonna get ’em to the isles?”

  Keelin took two mugs from the serving boy and pushed one towards Elaina. “With the ships you’re about to convince the Council to give to you.”

  She smiled. “Favour, is it?”

  “Aye.”

  “One that I’ll get to call in soon then?”

  Keelin narrowed his eyes at her. “Within reason.”

  “It’s a deal then.” Elaina held up her mug, and after only a brief hesitation Keelin tapped it with his own.

  “How did you convince the Queen of Blades to help you?” Keelin said.

  Elaina waved away the question and took a gulp of ale. “Hey, Keelin,” she said cheerfully. “Do you remember that deal we struck in that tavern in Larkos? The one where I carry your slaves to the isles with my ships as a favour and you owe me one?”

  Keelin’s face fell as he realised he wasn’t going to like what was coming.

  “Well, it just so happens I’m calling it in now.” She smiled.

  “Within reason, Elaina.”

  “Oh, it’s perfectly reasonable, Keelin,” she said sweetly. “I doubt it will cost you a thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need passage home.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Remember my first mate, Rovel? Well, that cock-fucking, mouldy crap-licker went and stole my ship. Leaves me a little stranded here.”

  “You let the Dawn get taken from beneath ya?” Keelin said, incredulous.

  “Weren’t exactly so much with the letting,” Elaina growled as she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Bastard sailed off while I was ashore. Fucking coward. Anyway, I want passage on The Phoenix.”

  “What about the ships you’re getting from the Council?” Keelin sounded hopeful.

  “Could be weeks before they’re ready, and I ain’t got that much time to lose. I don’t reckon you’ll be hanging around for that long either.”

  Keelin winced and shook his head. “Elaina, we ain’t going straight back to the isles. We’re stopping off a bit south first.”

  “How far south?” Elaina said, suspicious.

  “The Forgotten Empire.”

  Elaina had no idea what to say. Shocked began to explain how she felt, but it was a long way off finishing the job. No one sailed into the waters of the Forgotten Empire, and even fewer folk sailed out again.

  “Uh… Why?” It wasn’t the most elegant of responses, but her tone left Keelin under no confusion that she thought him mad.

  “That’s between me and my crew,” he said.

  “They know where you’re headed and they ain’t mutinied yet? Must mean there’s something big in it for them. Must mean they think you’ve got a way to keep them alive.” Elaina mulled it over. In all the time she’d known Keelin, he’d never once talked of the Forgotten Empire; whatever he thought he could find there, he’d kept it secret from her.

  “So you see,” Keelin said, “you really don’t want to come with me.”

  “I still do though,” Elaina said quickly. “Calling in a favour, remember?”

  “Elaina…”

  “Whatever the fuck you’re about to say, Keelin, save it. I’m coming. At the very least you’re gonna need someone to watch your back. I don’t give a fuck what you’re after. I’ve got my eyes set on my own prize.”

  “The throne?”

  “Aye.”

  Keelin sipped at his ale. “And what if the only way to get it is to share it with Drake?”

  Elaina grinned. “Then I guess I’ll finally know the truth to all those rumours Drake spreads about the size of his cock.”

  Keelin dropped his eyes to his mug. Elaina wasn’t sure what she was seeing on his face, but it looked an awful lot like her old lover was struggling with some jealousy. She hoped he’d struggle with it for a good long time.

  Chapter 27 - Starry Dawn

  “Do you know what you are going to say to them?” Pavel said with the tone of calm he used with his patients. If anything, it only put Elaina more on edge.

  “I was gonna walk in and threaten the rich bastards with a good old stabbing unless they agree to give me both ships and the folk to sail them,” she said.

  Pavel sighed. “I’m not sure that would be the wisest tactic.”

  “Don’t worry. I got a plan.”

  “More importantly, you have the backing of the Queen of Blades.”

  “Hopefully the Scarred Man too,” Elaina said with a grin that only reached her lips. “Haven’t had a chance to ask ya yet – what do ya think about crewing up with Stillwater for the trip home?”

  Pavel made a face. Elaina
couldn’t be quite certain, but it looked a lot like the face of a man who didn’t approve and was trying to approach the conversation with caution.

  “I worry how it will look to your father if you sail back into the isles aboard Captain Stillwater’s ship and without one of your own.”

  Elaina leaned forwards and poured herself a glass of iced wine. The antechamber they’d been instructed to wait in was lavish, with comfortable seating, large windows to allow a lot of light in, and a table full of refreshments. There were two other groups waiting to see the Council, but they kept their distance from Elaina and her priest.

  “I do not want to see you hurt again, Elaina,” Pavel continued.

  She snorted. “I’ll be bringing more ships and men to the isles than any other captain. My da wouldn’t dare…”

  “I meant with Captain Stillwater.”

  Elaina turned a dark glare on the priest, but decided to change the subject rather than berate him. “You been to your temple yet? They got one dedicated to Pelsing, don’t they?”

  “Yes, they do,” Pavel said with a nod. “It appears the guilds of Larkos pay tribute to all of the gods. I have been, and I have prayed for the support of Pelsing.”

  Elaina laughed. “Fortune and gold, eh?”

  “Fortune and gold,” Pavel repeated the prayer.

  The door opened, revealing a Blade dressed in a blue-and-white robe, her four swords dangling from her belt. Only the guards and the Council members were allowed arms inside the great guild hall, and all of the guards belonged to the Blades. Being in control of the central district was a grand position indeed, and Elaina could only hope it was grand enough for the Queen of Blades to exert that power in her favour.

  “Captain Black,” the Blade said. “The Council will see you now.”

  Elaina stood and gave Pavel a wink. Her stomach felt like it was dancing a drunken jig, but Elaina refused to show any discomfort. Her father had always said that no matter how bad the situation, a Black should always appear in complete control. They were words Elaina wanted to live by. They were also words she rarely found herself able to follow. She was too passionate and prone to rash actions. Planning was for folk like Drake Morrass. Elaina preferred to act before the other person had a chance to.