by John Booth
Jalia ran her end of the rope through the pulley and fastened it to the handles of a sword bag. She then undid her work and took out four of the swords from the bag before tying the rope to its handles again.
Before she could signal to the team below, she heard the sound of the hold door being opened. She blew out the lantern and pulled her knife.
“Jalia? Are you in here?” Hala called from the door and Jalia cursed.
“Come in and close the door before somebody sees you,” she spat out and then took out her tinderbox to relight the lantern.
“What are you doing in here?” Hala asked as she looked around the hold and saw the sword bags.
“That was going to be my question and I think you should answer it first.”
“It was obvious you were keeping something from me at the evening meal. So when you suggested I go to bed, I pretended to, but followed you instead. I lost the other three when you split up and I followed you here.”
“We didn’t want you to know we were stealing the swords,” Jalia said, using the half-truth to disguise the real reason.
“You’re stealing the swords?” Hala asked excitedly. “How can you possibly do that?”
“Help me pick up this bag and I’ll show you.”
The two girls picked up the bag with the rope attached and moved it to the hole in the wall. Jalia leaned out into the shaft and whispered, “First load coming down.”
The rope went taut as Don and Daniel took the strain on the other end. Jalia maneuvered the bag through the hole and the men began to lower the bag to the bottom of the shaft.
Hala went to the hole and stuck her head out into the shaft.
“Hello everybody,” she whispered and waved. Daniel grinned, but couldn’t afford to wave back as he and Don were lowering the bag. As soon as it reached the bottom, Cara undid the rope and held it, waiting for Jalia to grab hold of it at her end.
“Grab that rope and pull it into here,” Jalia ordered Hala.
“Do we tie another bag to the rope?” Hala asked eagerly as she pulled the rope through the hole
“Yes, but we have to remove four of the swords from it,” Jalia explained.
“Why?”
“You’ll see why when we get the bag from the first set of swords back up,” Jalia said enigmatically. “You mustn’t tell Nin about this. He is a member of the crew and would have to report it to the Captain.”
“He wouldn’t ever betray us,” Hala said indignantly. “And anyway, I’m not speaking to him at the moment.”
“I mean it, Hala. You must promise you will not tell him.”
“Very well, I promise. I won’t tell him about it,” Hala said reluctantly. She felt Jalia should trust Nin the way she did.
“Good, then help me get this bag over to the hole.”
The girls dragged the next bag over to the hole and Jalia tied the end of the rope to it. She gave a strong jerk on the rope to tell the men down below it was ready to transport.
While Jalia was setting up the next load, Cara went into the hold with the ballast in and started lifting the bricks up to Don, who passed them to Daniel. Daniel had wrapped the end of the pulley rope around his left leg, and promptly fell over when Jalia pulled on the other end of it.
Daniel transferred the swords in the bag into an empty sack. He put four of the large ballast stones into the sword bag and lifted it and the sack in separate hands. The weight was about the same, as he suspected it would be. Daniel handed the sack to Don who passed it over to Cara, who stacked it at the back of the ballast hold.
“Help me with the next bag.”
“Coming right up,” Don replied as he climbed out of the hold to help Daniel.
When they had lowered the second bag, Daniel tied the bag with the ballast stones to the rope and he and Don painstakingly hauled it up to Jalia. She and Hala pulled the heavy bag into the hold.
“They’ve put some bricks in it,” Hala said as she opened it up. The ballast bricks fitted neatly into the bottom of the bag in two’s, fitting neatly end to end. Two bricks added up to about the same length as a sword.
“Put these swords on top,” Jalia commanded giving Hala the four she had taken out of the bag. By the light of the lantern, the bag appeared to be full of swords again.
“You will never get away with this in daylight,” Hala pointed out. “Anybody looking would see the stones.”
“Leave me to worry about that,” Jalia replied curtly.
“There must be hundreds of these bags.” Hala looked across the hold. “This job will take forever to complete.”
“There are three thousand six hundred and sixty swords in here,” Jalia told Hala. “Each bag contains twenty five swords except for that one over in the corner which contains ten. That’s one hundred and forty seven bags in total. We are going to fill each bag with ballast stones with four swords on top, except for the bag of ten swords, which we shall leave alone. There will be five hundred and ninety four swords left in the hold when we finish.”
“That’s an enormous amount of work,” Hala said, awed at the prospect. “And the bags are so heavy.”
“We plan to do forty bags tonight and the same number tomorrow. The last of them we shall finish on the morning of the day after that. That’s the day the Steam Dragon is due to dock in Tallis.”
Hala nodded. Forty bags a night might be possible, though Daniel and Don were likely to be aching all over before the job was finished.
“What are you going to do with the swords after you’ve moved them?” Hala asked.
“I expect we will find something to do with them. Right now, we had better get back to work.”
The night air was unusually chilly and Lady Rotiln was far from pleased when she found herself outside, standing by the railings, at Halad’s request.
“I am not at my best in the cold,” she complained as the wind blew her fussy silk dress tightly around her legs. The dress offered little in the way of protection from the wind.
“But it is so romantic,” Halad protested. “Look, the stars are shining in the sky. Blade is displayed in all it magnificence.” He pointed over to where the massive red tinted moon hung in the sky. “While Anvil is just lifting from the river.” He pointed due east where the much smaller bright white moon was rising from below the horizon.
Lady Rotiln warmed a little at Halad’s words. She had never regarded him as a romantic man, and she felt she needed to encourage him whenever he tried, even though the cold wind was biting at her legs.
“Another two days and the Steam Dragon will be tied up in Tallis,” Lady Rotiln said softly. “I have so missed court and the refined entertainment of gentlefolk. It will be good to dance again on the ballroom floor.”
“You are such a beautiful dancer.”
Lady Rotiln was astonished, as the man seemed to be near to tears. He had never seemed all that interested in dancing in the past.
“We shall have the first dance together.” Lady Rotiln turned to face him, her bottom resting lightly against the safety railings. “Would you like that?”
“More than anything I can think of,” Halad said quietly. In the red light of Blade, Lady Rotiln saw tears rolling down Halad’s face. “But I am afraid it is not to be.”
Before she could react, Halad put his hands around Lady Rotiln’s neck and squeezed as hard as he could. For the first few moments, she was too stunned to counter his attack and by then it was too late. Halad’s fingers crushed her windpipe and she could not breathe. Lady Rotiln struggled futilely as Halad held her. Then her body slumped as a dead weight.
“I am so sorry, my beautiful Sala,” Halad told Lady Rotiln’s corpse breathlessly. “It was your life or mine and I am much too scared to die.” He kissed Lady Rotiln’s cheek and pushed her body over the side and into the swirling water below.
Halad turned away from the rail, taking his handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his eyes dry before loudly blowing his nose.
On the deck above, Mal
watched Halad with some interest. Killers rarely wept when they killed someone. He returned to his cabin, as he was sure that Dor and Jant would be equally fascinated by the news.
Two o’clock in the morning found a weary Jalia entering Gally Sorn’s suite through an open window. Jalia was weary from her exertions earlier in the night, but she and Daniel felt this task was necessary.
Gally was busy pleasuring the Captain. She would return to her cabin at around four in the morning and sleep until the early afternoon, so now was Jalia’s best opportunity. She walked into Gally’s bedroom and lit its bedside lamp. Found the pillow with the puzzle box in and undid the seam. A few moments later, she opened the puzzle box and placed the four sheets of paper back inside, exactly as she had found them.
It took her twenty minutes to stitch the pillow using Hala’s needle, which she had borrowed from her earlier in the night.
Jalia blew out the lamp and made her way back to the window and her rope. Her arms ached from all the lifting as she made ready to climb up to the deck. She sighed as she started the climb. Sometimes being a thief was far too much like hard work.
17. Revelations
Seb Halder knocked on Captain Toren’s door just after the break of dawn. Seb was working the night shift while Toren worked the day and this was one of their few chances to brief each other. If Gally Sorn was inside Toren’s room, Seb would tell him he was going off shift and leave. The game they played was dangerous and they knew they must not give Gally the slightest reason to be suspicious.
“Come in Seb, its safe,” Captain Toren told his second in command. He wore a dressing gown and looked exhausted. Seb grinned as he thought about the things the Captain was required to do as part of his job.
“I trust you are proving to be the hard man that Gally desires?” Seb asked his Captain straight-faced.
“I never thought it was possible to have too much sex, Seb. But that damned woman is insatiable. When this is over, I am swearing off women for a decade,” Toren said with an unusual amount of vehemence.
“I shall warn the cabin boys, sir,” Seb replied as he sat down.
Toren gave Seb a warning look. They were old friends, but Toren was in no mood for that kind of joke. He poured Seb a cup of tea and offered it to him.
“We will be in Tallis harbor tomorrow night and I still haven’t found a way of stopping Gally’s plans. I am certain she will find a way to get the swords to Maximus even though I have not the faintest idea how she plans to do it.”
“I take it that all your pumping of her has resulted in nothing?” Seb asked innocently as he took the cup from his Captain. Toren wondered what had got into Seb this morning as he was usually much more serious about the task in hand.
“If an aggravated back-ache and a sore tipped weapon is something, then I can honestly say I have made significant progress. The woman is incredibly tight lipped…” Toren noticed the smirk that appeared on Seb’s face. “Yes, she is tight lipped in every area,” he admitted.
“Well then, sir. You will be pleased by the news I bring.” Seb sat back and savored his tea.
“Well Seb?” Toren asked as Seb sipped innocently. Toren was in no mood for the game Seb was playing.
“Dare and Degar are on the move. I have to admit it, Gil, those two are geniuses. You will not believe what they are doing.” Seb paused and waited for his Captain to ask.
“Well come on, man. Tell me before I die of curiosity.”
“They are stealing the swords from the hold,” Seb said dramatically.
“What? Why? No, never mind those questions. The how, Seb, that’s what I want to know.”
“It’s brilliant, Gil. They are exchanging swords for ballast bricks and storing the stolen swords in the ballast pit using our own emergency sacks. I went in and checked the hold this morning. The bags weigh the same and they have put enough swords in the top of each bag to meet casual inspection.”
“I don’t see how they could do it without everybody noticing… Oh, they are using the access to the ballast shaft. How did they manage to get the cover off?”
“No idea, but they have,” Seb continued enthusiastically. “They are using a pulley to get the swords down and the ballast up. The Marins are helping, along with the girl. At the rate they are going they will have finished the job before we dock.”
“When I first saw Jalia al’Dare I wanted to keep her off the boat because she was pure trouble. I am now so glad she came onboard,” Toren said, equally enthusiastically. “Daniel al’Degar sorted out our problem with Yan Berin, not to mention saving Nin’s life. He gave me an excuse to confine the man to his cabin and out of our hair. I only wish the Board had let me get rid of him when we found out he was working for Maximus, or alternatively that al’Degar had broken his neck rather than his jaw.”
“Do you think Jalia and Daniel want the swords for themselves?”
“That’s not their style,” Toren replied. “They’d have gone for the money if they were looking for wealth. This is almost certainly revenge on Gally Sorn. Some of her men tried to kill them in the Greenhouse.”
“You never mentioned that, sir,” Seb said reproachfully.
“I haven’t had the time between trying to keep the Jenver and Dalk spies happy and servicing the area between Gally’s legs,” Toren said apologetically. “I take it Jalia and Daniel are unaware the whole crew but Nin is watching their every move?”
“We are being very discrete about it. No one follows them, ever. But we know most of what they are up to. We think Jalia visited Gally’s suite last night while you were… ah-hem, giving her something else to think about.”
“I think those two have found out Gally’s plan. Moving the swords to the ballast where they will certainly be found in dock doesn’t make any sense. They must have a way of getting rid of them and it’s probably connected to Maximus’s and Gally’s plan.”
“What should we do next?”
“Make sure that they succeed and divert attention away from them if anybody gets even slightly suspicious about what they are up to. The Boat Company wants those swords either evenly split between the Triums or gone forever. Those two offer our best hope of achieving it without the Boat Company taking the blame. It is worth remembering that any one of the Triums could destroy us.”
Seb considered their options. “We have Jant Pinder and Jak Venjer on the verge of killing you. If Gally discovers what we are doing, she will probably poison you, as she has with so many others. We are getting near to Slarn. Perhaps you should back off and let me take some of the risk.”
Toren shook his head. “You are the Boat Company’s ace in the hole. Not one of the spies thinks you are anything but a simple sailor. Let’s keep it that way. If anything happens to me, I want you to keep track of Jalia and Daniel and assist them where necessary. Slarn’s future is more important than either of us, Seb, remember that.”
Sila Klint sat at breakfast with her back to the wall so she could watch the people who came in. Alin Bredan sat in front of her, giving her an excuse to look around.
“Things are coming to a head onboard, Alin. Mark my words.”
“It’s nothing to do with us, Sila. We neither own the swords, nor do we have a buyer for them,” Bredan scowled at the unending breakfast fare of bread and cheese. He was certain the Boat Company was trying to annoy its passengers by providing nothing else.
“That’s what makes it so irritating. The most exciting purchase taking place anywhere in the world, and we are right on top of it and can find no way to join in. It makes me want to spit.”
“You have always been a brilliant negotiator. Perhaps you can cut us in on a percentage?”
Sila’s eyes gleamed at the prospect of such fun. “You’re right, Alin and judging by the way Prince Doran is looking over at Tonas’s table; I know just which negotiations to take a hand in.”
“I think my back has seized up,” Don said as he sat down at the breakfast table giving out a sound close to a moan.
/> “Typical of a man,” Jalia said grinning, “Always complaining about doing honest work.”
“You consider what we have been doing is honest?” Daniel queried, keeping his voice low. Unusually, the breakfast room was packed. The only passenger missing was Lady Rotiln. Halad was dining at a table on his own as was Jak Venjer who was standing up to leave.
“As near honest as you two will ever get to it,” Jalia said in a haughty tone. “Hala, Cara and I worked just as hard as you two, and are we complaining?”
“I’m not complaining, because it hurts when I speak,” Cara said with a pained smile.
“I’ve had worse pains than this,” Hala said sweetly. “Jalia caused them those times as well.”
“It’s nice to see you no longer fretting over Nin,” Cara told Hala. She was still feeling guilty about having talked to Hala about the relationship.
“I have a plan,” Hala said smugly and in a manner that implied she was not going to divulge it to anyone sitting at the table.
“We have visitors,” Daniel said quietly as he saw the Captain and the First Mate coming towards them.
Captain Toren and Seb Halder came over and bowed to each of the ladies in turn, including Hala, which caused a fit of the giggles on her part.
“I trust you are enjoying your journey?” Toren enquired.
“There has never been a dull moment, Captain,” Daniel replied.
“I never did properly thank you for your actions at Wegnar,” Toren continued, “Or for your valiant defense of Nin earlier in the voyage.”
“It was our pleasure,” Jalia said courteously.
“I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for traveling with us. It has been an education to have you with us,” Toren concluded. The two men bowed again and walked towards the table where Gally Sorn was eating.
