By the sound of things, a tremendous party was being held on board. It may have been customary to drink and eat the night before setting sail, but, by the sound of it, those above us were going well beyond what custom decreed. It was hardly surprising, since the princes and their retinue were on board. The young men would hardly settle for a few quiet glasses of wine.
“How do we get up?” Marcus asked.
I looked about with a scowl. No convenient ropes or ladders were to be seen. The side of the ship was covered in decorations and embellishments, many carved into the wood. The surface felt rough as I ran my hands over it. I wrapped my fingers into the groove of one of the carvings, placed a foot to the side, and lifted myself from the small boat. When I didn’t fall, which surprised me, I reached up and found another handhold, and made my way up slowly to the sound of chattering royals and the playing of a flute. I was not used to climbing up a moving structure, and the rocking ship came close to dislodging me on several occasions. My arms ached by the end of it, but I made it to the top, and slowly peered over the rail.
Overdressed men and woman, boys and girls, were talking and frolicking in loose groups at the fore deck. A second group encircled the first, all facing inward. These tended to be either scrawny or brutish, with few in between these extremes. The servants, I presumed, and some hired muscle. Bodyguards. There were many tables stacked with food, drink, and a large number of lanterns. Probably more than was wise on a ship. I guessed that candle lanterns were safe enough, but I noticed several oil lanterns among them. That had to be foolishness. To the side stood the musician playing a pleasant melody on his flute. He was very good, but his talent was wasted on that lot. Two scantily clad dancers weaved to the tune, and a man on a barrel was juggling various fruits and a single dagger.
I was about to climb over when a scuffle broke out. A tubby young man was shoved off his feet and fell hard to the deck. I heard the wind getting knocked out of him. Another walked to stand over the wheezing one. He laughed, and a few of the nobles joined him. I recognized him then. One of the arsehole princes, though I hadn’t a clue which one. Renard? “Remember your place, cousin,” the arsehole prince said. “You’re lucky even to be on this ship. If my father didn’t insist, we’d be free of you. But do not presume you are one of us. Next time you’ll find yourself in the drink. I’ll have to think of a task for you… something to keep you out of our hair.” He laughed again and walked back to his entourage. The tubby young man stood, and sat on a crate some distance away from the others.
I watched until my arms threatened to quit, then I climbed over the rail. The stern was empty and in shadow. A number of crates and barrels were stacked on deck. I assumed they would find their way into the hold before the ship set sail, but in the meantime, I ducked behind them and made my way along the rail to a coiled rope fixed to the side. As I crept, I watched my betters at play. They were dressed for the ballroom, not for sailing, and while I may not have known them from a bar of soap, I felt a deep loathing for the spoiled brats nonetheless.
With one end of the rope tied to the rail, I lowered it to Marcus below. He tied it to our boat in turn and was on board a short time later, making the trip in a fraction of the time it had taken me.
“Now what?” he whispered.
I pointed down at the deck. We found a hatch and climbed down it to a dimly lit space filled with crates and barrels. Lifting the lids on a few of the crates, we found them filled with food. I doubted most ships carried the quality or quantity of food displayed. One crate was stocked with wheels of cheese. It looked like good cheese, and one of the small wheels found its way into my satchel. I was about to add another when Marcus grabbed my arm and shook his head. I shrugged and added it anyway. I loved cheese. The door to the storage hold was open a crack, and I peeked through to find a long corridor with doors along both sides. Two sets of stairs were on the far end of the corridor—one that led up to the deck, and another going deeper down.
Behind the first of the doors we found an empty cabin and after a quick search, I left with two gold necklaces added to my satchel. This time I took care to make sure Marcus did not see me swipe them. We continued along and searched most of the cabins. All but one were empty. By the sound of things, it was occupied by two or more men. I did not care to see their bare arses, so we went downstairs. We found two more doors, one barred, before the short corridor widened to a large open area. It appeared to be the main hold and was filled with sailors.
Sailors were not generally held in high esteem, but these men seemed right civilized compared to those above. They thrust themselves into the business of drinking with the look of men who had seen tough times. It was the type of atmosphere that could be found in seedy taverns throughout the empire. The quiet, contemplative drinking of those who drank to forget. None were watching our dark corridor, so I picked the lock, unbarred the door, and closed it behind us.
I had it—the room was filled with chests and treasures of all kinds, and all we had to do was find the crown and ring. I tingled with excitement as we went about searching through the vast store of wealth. My satchel was heavy by the end of it, but I’d failed to find my treasure. I searched every box and chest, but they simply weren’t there. When I saw the treasures the room contained, I’d been so certain they would be there.
In frustration, I pounded my fist on one of the shelves. It was one of my more stupid moments, and one that I came to regret. A bracket that held the shelf tore from the wall, and the shelf, along with its contents, fell to the floor. Two expensive-looking vases were smashed, a bust of the emperor rolled to the far wall with a thump, and the rest clinked, broke, or thudded. We stood dead still, as if any noise we made then would decide our fate.
The beat of footsteps warned us that we were in fact in the shit, giving Marcus time to pull his blade. The door opened, and three red-faced sailors stared at us, wide-eyed. Marcus fell into a fighting stance, but it did not matter. They simply closed the door, and barred it from the outside.
We pounded, we kicked, and we ran our shoulders into the door. The latter I regretted deeply. The wound on my shoulder hurt like hell, but the door remained closed.
“You stupid bastard.” Marcus said, and shoved me to the ground.
We found ourselves in the brig not long after. It was the first time I’d ever seen a brig, but one cell looked much the same as the next, and being on a ship made little difference by the look of it. Our identities and true goal remained a secret. However, the loot I gathered in my satchel was enough to doom us and labeled us as thieves. Thieves with the nerve to steal aboard the emperor’s vessel in the dead of night and take his treasure from under his princes’ feet. Which was true enough.
Marcus sat in the corner with his face in his hands. He was less than happy with me. I was surprised he laid down his weapons, and a bit disappointed to be frank. There were no legionnaires on board the ship. True, the nobles were all well-trained with the sword, and their bodyguards no doubt knew their way in a fight, but I thought there was at least a chance we could have gotten away.
Their raucous laughter drifted down, and it grated on me, as I suspected they were laughing at my stupidity. They were back on deck, but one young man remained to guard us. It was the one who’d been shoved to the deck earlier, and it looked like the arsehole prince had found a task to put him at. His face literally drooped, though that might have just been due to its pudginess. The suit of clothes he wore consisted largely of frills and collars, the fabric just there to give them form. He looked like a wilted flower.
An hour passed, and not much changed apart from my arse being sore from sitting on the hard floor and our guard becoming increasingly restless. I knew we were in serious trouble, but I was bored shitless. So, I looked up at our guard.
“What’s your name?” He stared at me for a long moment. The man looked disgusted that I dared to speak to him and did not answer. He was ruining my attempt to quell my boredom. “Is it a secret?” No response. I si
ghed. “Fine, I’ll call you Podge, then. Tell me, Podge, why did you get left down here?”
“Watch your mouth, you codpiece!” Podge said.
“Come now, Podge, there is no need—”
“My name is Darcy. Now shut your damn mouth.”
I tilted my head in thought. “Darcy… Darcy… Not a name I’ve heard. Are you a royal servant?” The young man’s face flushed with anger.
“He is Darcy DeMonza, nephew to the emperor,” Marcus mumbled through his hands.
I thought about it for a moment. “I like Podge better. I’ll keep using that instead.” Podge did not respond to further questions after that, which I found quite rude.
Another hour or two passed, and I managed to drift off to sleep for a short while. I woke up when the floor tilted beneath me and sat up too quickly. I felt light-headed.
“We’ve pulled anchor,” Marcus said. He did not look to have moved at all. His face was still buried in his hands, and our guard too looked to be in much the same position as before.
“Are you kidnapping us, Podge?”
Podge only looked up briefly.
“Marcus,” I whispered. “Tell me about Podge. Everything you know.”
Marcus knew quite a lot about Podge, also called Darcy. As much as I was teasing the man, we truly were in a pretty dire situation. I decided to try something I had only succeeded at once before. I took everything Marcus told me of the man and fashioned a true name, folding the knowledge I had gained around his name with magic, ready to uncoil within his mind.
I bit down hard on my tongue, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. It hurt badly, but that was the point. “Darcy,” I said, channeling the pain I felt into the name. “Darcy, open the cell.” A chill went down my spine as I spoke the words, and I smiled broadly. It worked. Darcy stood to his feet, picked up the key, and walked to the door. He looked horrified, as though he could not believe what he was doing.
“Darcy, you will remain here until I tell you to leave, and you will not scream or cause a commotion. You will not try to cause harm to us in any way.” Marcus looked up to see what I was about, and his eyes widened when the door to the cell swung open. “Darcy, some treasures were confiscated during the forging of the empire and recently shipped from Qash to Sagemont. Tell me about them.”
Podge’s face was flushed with anger. I could see him strain against his bonds, but he could not break them. “I don’t know the details. Just that they were delivered a week ago in a different ship.”
I responded with every profanity I knew, which was a lot. Marcus put a hand on my shoulder. “We need to get off the ship before the sails are up.”
“Darcy, lead us off this ship in a manner that avoids our recapture.”
We gathered our belongings from a chest against the wall. Unfortunately, most of my ill-gotten loot had been confiscated, though I was pleased to see the cheese was still in my satchel. Podge—I really did like the name more—led us through a series of passages that we had yet to visit. They appeared to act as a conduit for servants. Those of the higher classes hated seeing servants going about their jobs, even while depending on them. We arrived at an intersection of sorts, perhaps a landing, with three sets of steps leading down and two going up. Podge led us up. A cold wind blew down at us when he opened the door at the top.
Three surprised nobles stood on the other side. A young man held a lantern in one hand and had his other hand raised to open the door himself. The men were swaying more than the ship itself, clearly intoxicated.
“Darcy? What is the meaning of this?” one asked, looking at Marcus and me. Podge had no response. He just stood there, unable to speak. The one with the lantern drew his rapier with his right hand and stepped toward us.
“Explain yourself,” he said, his voice fluctuating from low to high and back again in the manner of most teenage boys. A bit old for that, I thought. I guessed him to be about sixteen. He took another step forward. I reached past Podge, slammed the door in the young man’s face, and ran back down the steps to the landing. “Come, Podge,” I yelled over my shoulder. “Follow.” There was a lot of screaming going on behind the door I’d slammed, and I wondered if his face had gotten in the way of the door. I hoped it did.
We ran up the second set of steps and onto the deck. A group of people ran past without paying us any attention. My eyes followed them to the side, where the young man ran around in a circle, screaming. He was on fire. When I’d slammed the door it must have smashed the lantern he was carrying. I wondered at the type of idiot who would bring an oil lantern aboard a ship. The deck, too, was on fire, and those who ran past us joined some sailors who were busy trying to put it out. The new arrivals took off their expensive jackets and beat the fire. It was small, and I was sure they would have the flames under control soon. We needed to be off the ship before that.
We ran to the stern, and I slid down the rope to our small boat. The ship was moving, though slowly, and our boat was being tugged behind it. As soon as Marcus was on board, I cut the rope, and we drifted away from the ship. Marcus had just put oar to water when a huge splash erupted beside us, covering me in frigid water. A moment later, Podge emerged. “By Svyn’s balls!” I swore. I’d forgotten to break his bond. My last order to him was to follow, and follow he did.
“Leave him,” I said.
Marcus started rowing again, but when Podge insisted on swimming after us, he stopped and looked at me. “He helped us, and I will return the favor.”
The three of us were halfway to shore when Marcus stopped. He stared past me, and I turned myself around in my puddle. The imperial ship was ablaze with fire, the flames licking high. I knew what my big friend was thinking. “We can’t help them, Marcus.”
He looked at me accusingly. “We have to try.”
“No, we don’t. This small boat is sitting low enough, thanks to Podge’s fat arse. They have their own lifeboats. If we go back there, those overboard will swamp this little boat and sink us. Besides, how long do you think those dandies will stay afloat in their state of dress? Not long, I imagine, and it took us long enough to get this far.” We watched the ship burn in the predawn light, the bright orange flames reflecting on the surface of the lake. I thought I heard screaming, but it might just have been my conscience trying to be heard.
“Darcy, why was there a room filled with treasure on the ship?” I asked.
“For the princes to use when they arrive in the provinces they will be ruling.”
We continued to watch the flames for a long moment. “Many for the one who waits,” I whispered, looking up at the Eye of Svyn. It was unfortunate for the nobles, but part of me enjoyed my revenge, as accidental as it was. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. One burning family for another. A pity Solas wasn’t there to see it.
We beached our boat a kilometer to the east of Sagemont. The ship was no longer visible. Either the flames had gone out or the ship had gone under. I felt more than a little depressed. Not about the ship or its passengers, which I suppose was bad, but about the complete and utter failure of our two separate attempts to retrieve the crown and ring of my people. What a disaster of a night. I had no idea what to do next. Well, I had to kill Podge, but after that...
We walked west along the beach to Sagemont. The beach was dark. Dawn had barely broken, and we were in the shadow of the mountain. Marcus led the way, Podge walked in the middle, and I took up the rear. When we were close to town, I drew my dagger, closed the distance to Podge, and held the blade to his throat. A gasp escaped from him, and Marcus spun around.
“Saul, stop!”
“We can’t let Podge go.”
“So, what, you’re just going to kill him?” Marcus asked.
“Pretty much, yes. Perhaps you’re confused about the situation, so allow me to clarify.” Podge squirmed and I pressed the blade a little closer. “If that ship sunk, and we both know it did, it sunk with all three princes on board, not to mention a shipload of nobles, and a whole
lot of treasure. Perhaps they made it onto their lifeboats, perhaps not. There is a good chance that Podge here is the sole survivor. What do you suppose will happen to us when he tells the Dark Legion, or his uncle for that matter, about what happened?”
Marcus’s face was tense, but he did not answer.
“I’ll tell you, then. The most horrible death imaginable, that’s what.”
Marcus did not reply, but I could read his face well enough. He realized our situation, but his honor would not permit Podge to be killed in this manner. I wasn’t sure how far I could push the man before he abandoned me. The past few days were already taking their toll on him. We stared at each other for a long moment. The multitude of birds that chirped and flapped about the forest were incredibly loud and managed to add to the tension of our standoff.
I sighed, bit down on my already painful tongue, and brought my lips close to Podge’s ear. “Darcy,” I whispered. Blood from my tongue spattered into his ear. “You will forget everything that happened from yesterday at sunset until the next moment you emerge from the lake. You will remember nothing of this time, no matter what.” I put away my dagger, and shoved him into the water.
“What in the hells, Saul?” Marcus asked. He had not heard my whispered words, and even if he had, he knew nothing of my ability.
Podge came up for air and coughed up water as he stumbled ashore. “What happened… where am I?”
I rushed to him and held an arm around his shoulder. “You’re alright! Gods, we heard someone screaming out in the water and rushed over. But you’re alive! How did you manage to swim all the way here from the burning ship?”
“The… what?” Podge asked.
“That big ship. We saw it burning on the horizon. I did not think anyone would survive… truly, it was engulfed in flames. But here you are.”
Dark Legion Page 10
