by Джеффри Лорд
There was something else in Durouman’s words, something Blade didn’t understand. An Imperial fleet and army going against the pirates? This was something new. Here was no place to talk of it, either.
Princess Tarassa was playing the gracious hostess now. «Prince Durouman, Prince Blade. He has traveled here from a distant land called England. On the way he has seen and heard much that will be of great interest to you.»
«Indeed?» said Prince Durouman. Blade half-expected him to add, «There is no such land as England.» That seemed to be a popular answer in this Dimension.
Instead, Prince Durouman bowed deeply and gracefully, hand over his heart. «It is a pleasure to meet a man who has traveled far and seen much, and whom I see to be in the favor of Princess Tarassa. She is a woman of good judgment and high wisdom.»
«Indeed she is,» said Blade.
The princess had the grace to blush slightly at this spray of compliments. She put one hand on the shoulder of each man and smiled. «It is time we sought another place, to dine and speak more of what I think concerns all three of us.»
They were able to talk freely during a lavish dinner in the keep because the regular servants were replaced by Prince Durouman’s guards. After the last plates were cleared away and the last wine jugs brought in, even they were sent away.
«You spoke of a fleet and army that Kul-Nam sends against the pirates,» said Blade.
«I did, and he does,» said Durouman, grimacing and setting his wine cup down. «He has assembled nearly two hundred ships, armed sailing ships, war galleys, and merchant vessels. As for the army, no one knows how many soldiers he has put aboard the ships. Many thousands, certainly, including most of the Corps of Eunuchs.»
«He means to grind the pirates like a miller grinding grain, then,» said the princess. «Where does he get the sailors to man all the ships?»
«He does his best,» said Durouman. «He has even pardoned the men of the other galley that escaped from Admiral Sukar’s little disaster.»
Blade shook his head. «I imagine that grieves His Magnificence terribly. A perfect excuse to dip his hands in blood, and he cannot afford to indulge himself!» He sat up and his voice and face both turned sober. He sensed the time was at hand to spring his proposal. «What are the pirates saying and doing against this menace hanging over them?»
«No one seems to know,» said the prince. «The alliance with the Steppemen can only help them if the Steppeman launch an attack on the borders of Saram. The Steppemen have no ships, and horses cannot swim that well.» He sipped more wine. «If the pirates have any sense, they are frightened.»
Blade’s face split apart in a broad smile. Now was his moment. «I quite agree. They are probably terrified. In that terror lies a great opportunity for us.» Both Tarassa and Durouman looked at him. «Yes. We can approach the pirates and sign an alliance with them.»
Prince Durouman’s mouth fell open. «You’re mad!»
Blade shook his head. «Perhaps. But not as mad as I’d be if I proposed we just sit here and let the pirates and the Steppemen work out their alliance.»
«I-«the prince began, then sighed. «Very well. I may be as mad as you are, but I shall listen.»
Blade outlined his proposal quickly, reducing it to a series of points:
The pirates faced a deadly threat from Kul-Nam’s fleet and army.
They would be afraid and perhaps willing to ally themselves with anyone who could help them against the Empire.
The Steppemen could not help them.
Prince Durouman could help them. The Five Sea Kingdoms could help them even more.
Prince Durouman exploded indignantly at the idea. «You are mad, Blade,» he growled. «The king would never support any plan that might involve him in war with Saram. He would break off my marriage to Princess Varra, dismiss me from his service, and perhaps take my fortune and even my head.»
Princess Tarassa was looking skeptical. «That may be true of the King of Nullar, Durouman. We all know that he is weak. But what of the other four kingdoms? Can you be sure that all of them will hold back?»
«No.»
«And if one joins you and the pirates, will not the others hasten to join, in order not to be left out?»
«I suppose so.»
«Then Blade is making sense and you are not. Let him go on. «
Blade grinned. «The princess has said half of what I had yet to say. Consider. You sail to the islands of Nongai and propose an alliance to the pirates. With even one or two of the Five Kingdoms on their side, they will have enough men and ships to make a strong defense. With four or five, they may very well win.»
«Perhaps,» said Durouman. «Then what?»
«Isn’t it obvious?» said Blade, his smile broadening. «Then you become Emperor of Saram.»
Prince Durouman’s mouth fell open again and stayed open. He seemed to have completely lost all powers of speech. His hands clutched at the tablecloth. Blade went on.
«Again, consider. If Kul-Nam’s fleet and army are destroyed in battle, he will lose much of his reputation. So many of his people will be looking for a ruler to take his place, that no amount of terror will keep all of them quiet. If you come forward then, it may be the best chance you’ll ever have to take the throne of Saram without a civil war.
«In fact, you may have to step forward. If Kul-Nam loses a good part of his army, he may not have enough left to hold the borders against the Steppemen. Then you’ll not only have to move, but move fast.»
That was the end of Blade’s case, but it was not the end of the argument. That began as soon as Prince Durouman regained control of his voice, and it went on all night, fueled at intervals by more food and wine. It went back and forth, both men speaking with equal determination, both speaking from a great deal of experience, and both speaking with growing respect for each other.
There were times during the night when Blade felt like a door-to-door salesman trying to sell a vacuum cleaner to a particularly stubborn customer. But it wasn’t a vacuum cleaner he was trying to sell. It was a plan that could bring a new and just Emperor to Saram, peace to this whole Dimension, and life to thousands and thousands of people who would otherwise die unpleasantly. That thought kept Blade going, as hoarse as he became and as stubborn as Prince Durouman remained.
Dawn was breaking when the prince finally threw up his hands in a gesture of resignation. Blade noted that those hands were shaking slightly with fatigue or excitement.
«Very well, Prince Blade. You seem to have thought of everything. You have great wisdom and you have used all of it in making your plans.»
«Thank you.»
«That does not mean that we will succeed, of course. It only means that you are not simply trying to get me to join you in committing suicide. Anything is better than sitting and waiting for our doom to come to us. That way gives no hope of either honor or victory.» He picked up the last wine jug, discovered that it was empty, and set it back down on the table.
«So. Are you willing to take my men and me north in your galley?»
«I am. This is a mission that some aboard Kukon may not enjoy. They have no great love for the pirates.»
«Do you doubt the loyalty of your crew, Blade?»
«No. They have even less love for Kul-Nam. Overthrowing him is the only hope most of them have of seeing their homes again.»
«Indeed. Well, then I shall accept your judgment on your crew. We must all stand together as we sail north.»
That, Blade reflected, was much too true. They would all have to stand very solidly together as they sailed north to thrust their heads into the jaws of the lion and hope that the beast wasn’t hungry!
Chapter 20
Kukon sailed north three days later with nearly three hundred men aboard her, all capable of rowing or fighting.
The commandant of the main fort of Parine, his two aides, and a dozen of the best musketeers among Parine’s soldiers were also on board. They had volunteered to accompany the mission in orde
r to strengthen it and to observe the events on behalf of Princess Tarassa.
The princess herself would gladly have accompanied them. Blade turned her down politely but as firmly as he could. «There are no proper accommodations for a lady aboard a war galley as crowded as ours.» Before she could bristle or flare up at that, he went on. «Also, Parine must be placed in a proper state of defense. Can you be sure the job will be done as well as it must be without you here to oversee it?»
Tarassa sighed. «As usual, Blade, you have the right of it.» She clenched her fists and waved them in front of his nose in mock rage. «Damn you, you are so often right!» Then she kissed him on the lips and said more softly, «Very well. Go to the pirates, but come back safely to me.»
After two days’ sail to the north, the commandant made a suggestion that intrigued everyone. Blade was not only intrigued by it; he was worried.
«The pirates may not believe in our good faith unless we give them proof,» said the commandant. «If they do not believe in our good faith, they may open fire on us the moment we sail within range, flag of truce or no.»
«Perhaps,» said Dzhai. «But I doubt it. The pirates are very proud of their honor. Even now it would take much to make them fire on a truce flag.»
The commandant ignored Dzhai, as he almost always did. He consistently refused to be more than minimally polite to those of «lower rank.» When he was not flaunting his lineage, he was still a good soldier, but his manner was beginning to grate on Blade.
«The pirates will not trust us if we simply approach them as we are. But suppose we approach them in company with a ship we have taken from the fleet of the Emperor? They will know that we have committed ourselves to their side. Also, we may have a valuable batch of prisoners, who can be useful in many ways.»
Blade merely looked polite. Prince Durouman seemed openly delighted. «That’s a marvelous idea, Commandant. But where do we find such a ship?»
The commandant looked around the little cabin. «This is knowledge we have received in Parine, but which does not seem to have reached the mainland. The Emperor is sending out armed sailing ships toward the eastern part of the Silver Sea, to watch the coasts of the Five Kingdoms.»
«And land spies and assassins?» put in the prince.
«Probably,» said the commandant. «The ships will be sailing alone, many miles apart. Our fighting men would easily outnumber the crew. Once we boarded, it would be all over.»
«Yes,» said Dzhai, «but-«He hesitated.
«But what?» said the commandant severely. Blade fought down an urge to kick the man in the shins under the cabin table. «What is your objection, Captain Dzhai?»
«It is not easy for a galley to attack a sailing ship if the ship has good guns and brave men behind them.»
«It is not easy to sink it, no,» said Prince Durouman, obviously sharing the commandant’s annoyance. He was only trying to be polite to Dzhai out of respect for Blade. «But we wish to capture it. That is a matter of boarding and hand-to-hand fighting.»
Dzhai shrugged. Blade said nothing. He had some thoughts of his own about how galleys might sink sailing ships, but he didn’t want to say a single word about them in front of the commandant.
Blade did not care very much for this idea of an attack on one of the Empire’s scouting vessels. It meant an unnecessary battle and therefore an unnecessary risk. Blade had fought in more battles than any ten ordinary men, but he had never liked unnecessary ones and always avoided them when he could.
Besides, what was this about the scout ships? He hadn’t heard anything of it until just now. If it had been known in Parine, as the commandant said, why hadn’t he been told?
Blade firmly reined in his suspicions. It was quite possible that he was looking for sinister implications that weren’t there. There was no good reason why he should have been told everything that Princess Tarassa learned. Besides, Prince Durouman was obviously falling in with the commandant’s idea. That was the best argument of all for Blade’s keeping his mouth shut. If he didn’t, it could lead to an open quarrel between him and Prince Durouman. That would be a much greater danger to their success than anything that might come of this attack on the Imperial scout ship.
So Blade kept silent as Kukon made her way steadily toward the north.
They sighted the Imperial ship at sunrise on the morning of the seventh day out. At the lookout’s wild cry, Blade started scrambling up the foremast shrouds to the crow’s nest.
He saw the two masts and highcastled hull of a large sailing ship rising slowly above the horizon. There was only the faintest of breezes. If the calm held, Kukon would be able to run rings around the enemy. Perhaps she could even take a position off her bow or stern that would be safe from the enemy’s heavier guns. Perhaps the commandant’s idea would turn out to be a good one after all. Perhaps
Never mind the «perhaps.» There was a battle to fight. Blade leaned over the railing of the crow’s nest and shouted down to the deck.
«Dzhai! Luun! All hands to battle stations!»
Dzhai nodded. Luun cupped his hands and shouted back, «Tek doon t’ sails?»
«No time!» That wasn’t strictly true, but Blade wanted to make absolutely sure that Kukon had something beside her oars to rely on if something-anything-went wrong. He swung himself back into the shrouds and slid down to the deck.
Two hundred of Kukon’s men were now scrambling to their places on the rowing benches. Each man had a sword, bow, axe, spear, or musket ready under his bench. The rest of the men not needed for handling the ship were manning the guns or lining up, ready to board. Blade saw Prince Durouman take his place on the foc’sle, surrounded by his thirty green-clad guardsmen. The prince’s face seemed one great smile.
Most of the other men on the deck were smiling as well. Some of them might not have gone out of their way to fight against the Emperor Kul-Nam, but none of them seemed to regret the chance to do so, now that it had come to them.
The drummers were beating out the cruising stroke. They would approach slowly, saving the rowers’ strength for the final dash across the last three miles when they would be in range of the enemy’s guns. Blade looked toward the Imperial ship. She was now hull-up, even from Kukon’s deck. Her sails still hung as limply as wet wash from the yards.
Blade strode up and down Kukon’s deck as she crept across the sea toward the enemy. He talked briefly with Dzhai, more briefly with Luun, still more briefly with Prince Durouman. The prince wore a full mail hauberk and a plate helmet and breastplate over that. In spite of the damp coolness and the breeze, he was sweating heavily and his dark beard was as limp as the enemy’s sails.
The commandant was also sweating as he stood by the heavy gun forward. He wore no armor and carried no weapons except a sword and a dagger. Doubtless he was planning to rely on speed rather than protection. He was a first-class swordsman. He was also a man who’d been a soldier for twenty years without ever seeing a real battle. No doubt that was why he was sweating. The first taste of the real thing was always a nerve-wracking moment for any man in any Dimension.
Now the enemy was showing signs of alarm and alertness. Blade could see sails being hastily furled and hear a faint roll of drums as the enemy’s crew scrambled to their battle stations. Kukon swung more sharply to starboard to cut across the enemy’s bow.
A puff of white smoke came from the sailing ship’s side. There was a long moment’s wait, then a fountain of spray three hundred yards short of Kukon.
«Not shooting very well, are they?» said the commandant. His voice was brittle.
«They’ll be doing better before long,» said Blade.
The galley continued her crawl across the sea toward the sailing ship. The enemy continued to fire single shots, testing the range. Six fell short. The seventh landed just astern. The eighth sailed over Kukon, with the familiar ripping-canvas sound, and splashed into the water on the other side.
Blade looked back along the swaying ranks of the rowers. All were sweatin
g heavily, but most still smiled and none showed signs of strain. Some were eyeing their weapons. There was plenty of strength left in them.
Blade sprang up onto the breech of the heavy gun, drew his sword, and flourished it over his head. The pale sunlight glowed along it.
«Men of Kukon-forward! Drummers-the attack stroke!»
The roar of the drums was almost instantly drowned out by the furious clatter of the oars. Kukon seemed to dig in her stern like a speedboat as she shot forward. Water fountained up over the ram and spray doused Blade and the commandant. The gunners turned their backs to shield their lighted matches with their bodies.
The enemy ship grew steadily larger. Now Kukon’s bow gunners spun around, holding their matches. They shouted, and Blade and the commandant sprang clear. Then four gunners pressed four matches into the touchholes of four cannon. All four went off together with an eruption of sound, flame, and swirling smoke. By the time Blade’s eyes stopped watering, all four balls were nearing their target. Two struck home. Blade saw splinters fly and a chunk of the enemy’s bulwark suddenly vanish.
«Good shooting!» he shouted. The gunners acknowledged the praise with brief smiles, white teeth showing in powder-blackened faces, then bent to their work again.
The commandant licked his lips and clamped a white-knuckled hand on the gold-chased hilt of his sword.
Blade ordered the boarding party to lie down on the deck. Prince Durouman’s guards grumbled, but a dark look from the prince sent them down on their bellies with the rest. The prince himself continued to stand beside Blade.
Blade no longer kept track of the firing of Kukon’s guns or the answering shots from the enemy. His attention was concentrated on judging the angle between the two ships. As soon as the enemy’s broadside could no longer bear on Kukon, he would close straight in as fast as the rowers could move the ship.
The moment arrived. At a sharp order from Blade Kukon began a turn so fast and so tight that she heeled far over to one side. Blade and the commandant had to hold onto the railing to keep from losing their footing. Only Prince Durouman stood by himself, feet braced wide apart, helmet shoved back on his head, hair and beard blowing. He was a magnificent sight, and Blade only hoped he wouldn’t also be a magnificent target.
