by John Booth
“I think that Slarn would flood.”
So the palace gate control system is also a method of controlling the city,” Jalia said admiringly. “You have to admire the cleverness of the bastard who designed it.”
The Steam Dragon passed underneath a palace leg into afternoon sunlight as they had traversed the loop. They were now heading down the River Slarn.
“Look at the fire,” Hala shouted. She pointed down the river and to the left where black smoke rose in plumes above the city’s buildings.
“That would be the work of Maximus,” Jalia said grimly. “He has carried out his plan and torched the dock in Tallis.”
Daniel could sense the uncertainty of the man steering the Steam Dragon. The engines slowed and the boat began to drift down river as they approached the harbor entrance.
A set of strangely marked flags were held by men on the riverbank next to the harbor entrance. The engines of the boat quickened again and the Steam Dragon began to turn.
“What are we doing?” Hala asked. She had deduced that Jalia and Daniel knew this was going to happen. She suspected as much when Daniel had told her they were expecting to see a fire raging. It was clear they had been keeping information from her.
“Do you see those massive stone posts in the river, just beyond the harbor,” Jalia asked Hala.
“Yes, there were some of them at the Dalk harbor; they were downstream of its entrance as well.”
“They are tying posts for boats. For when there was so much traffic on the river that boats had to wait before they could get in. The Steam Dragon is going to tie up to one of those.”
“But why don’t we go to the river bank and tie up there?” Hala asked.
“Because the camber of the stone river bed is too shallow and we would hit the bottom of the river long before we reached the wall,” Daniel explained.
“The designers of this city did it deliberately,” Daniel opined. “They wanted the harbors to have all the river trade, so they made it impossible for anyone to dock anything sizable anywhere but in a harbor. The Magician Kings were ruthlessly efficient.”
“Their blood must have thinned considerably through the centuries,” Jalia said with a vicious grin aimed at Daniel. “I am, however, significantly impressed by them.”
“What do we do now?” Hala asked.
“We are going to disappear for a while, Hala. Don’t come looking for us, we will find you when the time is right,” Jalia said. “Go and find Cara and Don and stay close to them.”
“And don’t stick your neck out whatever happens,” Daniel said more urgently. “Promise me that.”
“All right, I promise,” Hala said reluctantly as she saw the look in Daniel’s eyes and saw he was afraid for her. “I thought I was part of your team.”
“You are, Hala,” Jalia said, bending down so she could look Hala in the eyes. “We will explain everything later, including why we didn’t tell you everything.”
The three descended the steps to the deck. Jalia and Daniel gave Hala a quick hug and walked quickly down the corridor and out of her sight. Hala sniffed to hold back tears as she felt more than a little betrayed.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Nin said from behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. Nin saw the look on her face and wondered what he had done now.
“What do you want?” Hala asked angrily. Her anger served to hide how close to tears she was.
“I have an offer for you.”
“What kind of an offer?”
“I have talked to the officers onboard and they are willing to offer you training as an apprentice officer in the Boat Company.”
“I suppose you thought of that all by yourself?”
“Of course I did, Hala. I really care about you.”
Hala sniffed and put her arm around him. “Well that’s all right then, provided you are certain it was your idea.”
“Seb Halder thinks that you are officer material and they want you to join the Company’s training school. You would have to leave the Dragon for a year or two, but we could meet up whenever the Dragon is in port,” Nin explained.
“I don’t have the money to pay for any schooling,” Hala said.
“You won’t need it, only money for clothes and things and I could help with that,” Nin offered. “It’s considered a great honor to be selected for the school.”
“I’ll think about it,” Hala said, giving Nin a quick hug. “There’s no point in worrying about it until we get into port. Do you know what the Captain is going to do?”
“Those flags were a message from the Board to tie up here for the night. I expect that we will be able to go into one of the harbors tomorrow morning. It is a bit late to make our way up to Jenver because it is far too dangerous for a boat this size to go around the palace at night.”
“I’ve got to go to the dining room and find Cara and Don,” Hala said. “Thank you for finding a way for me to stay with the Boat Company, Nin. I will consider your offer.”
“I can come with you for dinner,” Nin said unexpectedly. “I just saw the Bosun and he told me I could.”
Hala looked at Nin who was covered from head to toe in ash from working in the boiler room.
“You’ll have to wash some of that grime off first.”
“Will you come with me to my cabin while I wash and change?” Nin asked.
“Yes I would love to,” Hala said smiling. “We could spend a few minutes beforehand to do something else, if you wanted?”
Nin grinned in delight and they began running towards his cabin.
21. Maximus
Gally Sorn sat alone in her cabin, breathing deeply to try and calm herself for the mission to come. Maximus would be onboard the Steam Dragon within the hour and the men who Maximus had promised would help had not yet revealed themselves. It looked as though she was going to have to take the bridge on her own.
The knock on her door was so loud that Gally jumped. She found a scared looking Halad al’Faran and a bandaged jawed Yan Berin waiting there for her.
“Let us in woman,” Berin growled through teeth that stayed firmly clenched together. “The last thing we need right now is to be spotted by the crew.” He pushed past her into the room.
“You are Maximus’s men?” Gally asked in disbelief as she shut the door behind them.
“We are all you are getting,” Berin replied. “The Captain has had a guard on my room since al’Degar broke my jaw. Halad had to knock him out. That’s why we’re late.”
Halad had not said a word and his hands were trembling. His eyes darted around the room like a frightened rabbit, as though looking for a hole to dive into.
“I take it you know what is expected of you?” Gally asked.
Halad nodded and Berin tried to laugh, which caused him considerable pain, or so Gally judged from the grimace that appeared on his face.
“The bridge will be deserted except for the officer standing watch,” Berin pointed out. “After all, the Dragon is tied up in the river and no one will be expecting trouble.”
“I see you are carrying a sword. Are you any good with it?” Gally asked him.
“Good enough to take on an unarmed man,” Berin replied grimly.
Cara and Don took their usual table in the dining room a little nervously. Cara kept testing that her sword would leave its scabbard without sticking.
“We are supposed to be unsuspecting, Cara. The way you are acting even the crew would work out something was up,” Don said severely. “Just relax and eat your meal.”
“I can’t,” Cara complained. “I know we are supposed to act like innocents who don’t have a clue, but knowing that a bunch of armed men are coming to take over the boat makes me more than a little nervous.”
“You’ll frighten Hala.” Don was surprised to see the girl in question walking towards them with Nin at her side. “And it looks like our young lovers have made up their differences.”
“Nin has been
told he can sit with us tonight,” Hala said cheerfully. Both Hala and Nin had a flushed look about them.
“Have you just been running or have you been up to something you shouldn’t?” Cara asked innocently. The deep flush that instantly suffused their faces gave her an answer.
“Where are Jalia and Daniel?” Nin asked in an attempt to change the subject.
“I expect they will turn up eventually,” Don replied nonchalantly. Cara nodded her head and the children joined them at the table. The conversation died as everybody concentrated on eating their food.
Hal Patin, the office on watch in the bridge, wondered what a large barge was doing on the river this late in the evening. It was getting far too close to the Dragon for his comfort. Hal reached for the rope that would sound the Steam Dragon’s horn.
Berin appeared at the bridge door with a sword in his hand. “Don’t touch that rope.”
“What are you doing, Yan?” Hal’s hand was still inches from the rope.
“If you do as you are told, nobody will get hurt. If you sound that horn I will be forced to kill you.”
Halad entered the Bridge behind Berin with a vicious looking knife in his hand. Hal mentally surrendered as he worked out there was no way he could fight both of them unarmed. He took his hand away from the rope and leaned back against the ship’s wheel.
“Have you become a pirate then?” Hal asked. “You will certainly never work for the Boat Company again after this.”
“When Prince Maximus becomes King of Slarn I shall be the Captain of the Dragon so be careful what you say to me Hal Patin. I will have no use for a Bosun I cannot trust.”
“Not even the Kings of Slarn decide who the Boat Company employs,” Hal said with contempt in his voice. “You were never any good as Chief Stoker and I, for one, will be glad to see the back of you.”
Berin swung his sword as though he was going to strike, but Hal didn’t move and the blade stopped before it reached him.
“I have my orders from Maximus that there must be no unnecessary killing,” he told Hal. “Don’t give me any excuse to think that in your case it is necessary.”
“We should take him to the dining room. The others will be onboard by now,” Halad said nervously.
While Berin had been talking to Hal, the barge had pulled alongside the Steam Dragon on its starboard side. Men on the barge threw grappling irons up onto the safety railings and swarmed up the attached ropes. They were all armed with swords.
Hal was harried out of the bridge with his hands held high while the men from the barge took up positions in the bridge and on strategic corridors. He was pushed along the deck until he found himself staring at Gally Sorn. She was arm-in-arm with a man much shorter than her. The man was broad in the shoulder, with his hair cut as though a pudding bowl had been used. He had on the leather clothing of a soldier and wore a fine sword at his belt.
“This is the officer of the watch, Hal Patin,” Berin said to the man and bowed to him.
“Well done, Yan. I shall have you promoted to Captain, rely on it,” Maximus Tallis replied jovially. He wore the kind of a smile that a child has when they get the present they wanted. Gally leaned over so that Maximus could kiss her on the cheek.
“I am most sorry to put you out like this,” Maximus told Hal. “You see, there is rather a lot of my property on this boat and I really can’t be bothered to wait until the Steam Dragon gets into port to collect it.”
“I thought the swords belonged to Tonas Mallow?”
“A mere technicality,” Maximus said, waving his arm dismissively. “We are going into the dining room to complete the transaction; if you would care to lead the way?”
It wasn’t really a question and Hal found himself being pushed down the corridor by Berin while Maximus and Gally strolled behind them, arm in arm, as though out for a walk to take in the evening air.
When Hal stumbled into the dining room, the room hushed as people turned to watch them. Berin followed Hal into the room with Maximus and Gally following close behind. Twenty armed men entered behind them. They spread out around the room taking up defensive positions. Halad came in last and stood hesitantly behind Maximus and Gally, wringing his hands together.
Gally whispered to Maximus and pointed at the table where Tonas and the Denger brothers sat.
“A thousand pardons for the interruption to your meal,” Maximus announced to the room. “My men and I are here to complete a business deal and to take our property from the hold. Once that is done, we will leave and no one will be hurt.”
“What is the meaning of this outrage?” Seb Halder shouted from the other side of the room. He had just been pushed into the room by two of Maximus’s men.
“Aha, the new captain of the Steam Dragon. How good to meet you.” Maximus had a broad smile on his face. “You should be thanking Lady Sorn, as she located and dealt with the murderer of the late Captain Toren for you.”
“I should?” Seb asked as he looked towards the table where Dor, Mal and Jant sat.
Maximus followed his gaze and laughed merrily.
“Oh, not any of the good men of Dalk, they are all far too honorable and loyal to Gilan to carry out such a dirty deed. No, it was the disreputable Jak Venjer working for Queen Kalenda who off’ed the late lamented Captain. What did you do with the nasty man, my darling?”
“He had to leave the Dragon some time ago,” Gally said with a pout on her lips. “It was a great shame that he was in no condition to swim.”
Maximus laughed again, delighted with Gally’s macabre sense of humor.
“So you can see that we are honorable people simply picking up the goods we have had brought here. No one on the Steam Dragon has been hurt by us. We are just here to conduct a little business.”
“Then why did you order Halad to kill Lady Rotiln?” Dor asked as he stood up.
“Why I do declare, if it isn’t Prince Doran Dalk,” Maximus said clapping his hands together. “Do pass on my greetings to your father and tell him we will be meeting soon. As for killing Lady Rotiln, I would never consider such a thing. Has she disappeared?”
“I saw your man strangle her and push her over the side,” Mal said standing up alongside Dor. Maximus’s men raised their swords as they readied to fight.
“Really? You saw Halad do that?” Maximus asked in disbelief. He turned to Halad and put arm around the man’s shoulders. “Did you actually kill Lady Rotiln, Halad?” he asked in a kindly manner.
“Yes, my Lord. As you…”
Maximus’s dagger struck deep into Halad’s guts and the man looked down at it in stupefaction before looking back up into Maximus’s eyes.
“We can’t have you killing people, Halad. It just isn’t nice,” Maximus said as Halad sank to the floor and died.
“Well, that takes care of that,” Maximus said as if commenting on a good meal. “Now, let us get on with our business and be on our way.”
“They are not here,” Gally shouted as she looked around the room.
“Yes they are, my dear,” Maximus said as he looked at Tonas. “I recognize this one; he looks so similar to his father.”
“Not the traders!” Gally screamed. “Jalia al’Dare and Daniel al’Degar are not here.”
“Nor are they anywhere,” Maximus said in exasperation. “They are just stories people tell each other to feel better about the world. They don’t exist.”
“They do exist, you idiot,” Gally snapped back, bringing a deep frown to Maximus’s face. “They came onboard at Boathaven and caused havoc in Wegnar. I was going to take them on the barge, halfway at least.”
“Calm down,” Maximus said, steel suddenly sounding in his voice. “We do not kill legitimate passengers of the Boat Company. We are breaking no laws tonight.”
“But you don’t understand.”
“Enough!”
Gally ran to the table where Hala sat. “You know where they are, you little cow. Tell me now or I will kill your boyfriend.” Gally dragged Nin fr
om his chair putting her dagger to his throat.
“I don’t know.” Hala said desperately. Blood was already flowing down Nin’s neck as the dagger sliced into him.
“Is this how you break no laws on my ship?” Seb shouted. “By threatening to kill an innocent member of my crew; and Nin is only a child at that.”
“Let him go,” Maximus ordered Gally, who ignored him and continued to stare at Hala.
“You little bitch,” Gally screamed. “Tell me where those bastards are or I swear he dies right now.”
“I don’t know,” Hala pleaded between sobs. “I really don’t know.”
22. Sunk
Daniel and Jalia stood in Storage Locker 17, which just happened to be next to the hold with the swords in. They were in darkness except for the thin line of light coming in at the bottom of the door from the corridor.
“Are you sure Hala will be all right?” Jalia asked for the fourth time. Daniel sighed as he gave the same answer yet again.
“Gally Sorn would have turned it into a fight if we had been in the dining room. After what we did to her men in Bratin and, after stealing back our things she would have no choice. A lot of people would have got killed,” he continued wearily. “At least you put the letters back. If she knew that we had seen them she would be searching the boat with Maximus’s men right now.”
“We could have told Hala to stay in our cabin.”
“Where she might have put up a fight if she was cornered. She’s much safer with Cara and Don in the dining room.”
“I know you’re right,” Jalia admitted, giving a sigh. “I think the problem is that I hate running away and hiding. What if Sorn attacks Hala to try and find us?”
“Not a chance,” Daniel said dismissively. “She knows how loyal Hala is to you, so she won’t even try. Gally has no leverage over Hala and she knows it.”
“Shush, I think they are coming down,” Daniel cautioned as the muffled thump of heavy boots tramping on steel deck came to them.
Nin felt his bladder go as Gally knife pressed against his throat. He was going to die for nothing, murdered by a mad woman for information Hala didn’t have. The warm stream of urine ran down his leg and onto the floor.
