by K Hanson
“Are you forgetting something?” He gestured toward her sword belt.
Nereyda unclasped it and, as he reached out to grab it, she tossed it at his feet.
“Now, kneel,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
She just spat on the deck near his boots.
“Kneel, I said.”
“I think there are people you can pay to do that kind of thing if you can’t get a woman in your life who’s willing to do that.”
Erhan lashed out and slapped Nereyda across the face. She felt the sting and warmth spread from where his hand had struck. Despite the pain, she just chuckled. “How’d you know I like it rough?”
“We’ll see how funny you find things when you and your crew are shipped to the mines. You run your mouth off there, and you’ll be whipped within an inch of your life.”
“If I’m already going to the mines, why would I shut up now?”
Commander Erhan turned to the marines closest to him. “Take her to the darkest, deepest part of the hold and chain her up. And keep her separate from her crew. She’ll only start trouble if she has help.”
“Oh, I don’t think I need help for that. But it’s cute that you think you can stop me from causing trouble.”
Erhan just waved to two guards to take her away. They each took an arm and shoved her toward a stairway leading below deck. As they escorted her deeper into the vessel, the air became damp and heavy. Her marine guards took her to a small room in the stern of the ship. It was unoccupied except for a couple of barrels that smelled like fish.
The marines pressed her back against a vertical support beam and forced her to sit. They fastened her arms behind her back with heavy iron handcuffs. One of the marines pulled out a second set of irons and bound her ankles together. With their prisoner secured, they left Nereyda in her makeshift cell.
She heard the sounds of footsteps crisscrossing the decks above her, as the marines found places to stash their prisoners. Her crew. Nereyda wondered how she could have gotten her crew into this mess. She should have known the target was too good to be true. The odds of attacking a merchant vessel when marines happened to use it as a trap had to be incredibly small.
How could they know we were here? The only people who knew where we had been going were on the Raven. And none of them would betray my crew and me. Maybe someone somehow overheard us in the tavern.
Nereyda resolved to look for Jovan as soon as she got out of here. If she got out of here. This Commander Erhan seemed to have everything planned out. From what she could overhear, her crew would be split between the Storm Raven and the warship, while she would be confined to the hold in the merchant's vessel. In her isolated cell, she would have no help from any of her crew in attempting to fight back or turn the situation around. Escaping would be next to impossible unless they caught a major break.
For the moment, Nereyda could only wait. She hated waiting. Whether it was waiting for their next ship to attack or waiting to arrive at their next destination, it always made her feel restless. And now, she didn’t know where they were going. Probably to some city for a trial, or at least the appearance of one, then they’d be shipped to the mines to rot deep underground.
Nereyda felt the barge lurch as her sails were unfurled. Finally, they were on their way.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As the barge sailed on, Nereyda couldn’t keep track of time from her cell deep in the bowels of the hold. It had been long enough that her back was killing her from being propped up against the support beam that she had been handcuffed to. She could keep her legs somewhat loose by alternating between straightening them and pulling them to her chest. Her arms, she could do nothing about. They remained chained behind her. Eventually, a couple of marines brought a piece of stale bread for her to eat. They didn’t even unclasp her hands for that. Instead, one of them crouched and held the bread in front of her face as she ate it. The other guard leaned against the wall next to the door. Nereyda decided to see if she could get them to take her handcuffs off. Then, she could maybe make a move to escape.
After chewing and swallowing the first couple of bites of her bread, she said, “Hey, my arms are killing me. Would you mind taking these cuffs off for a minute? Then you wouldn’t have to feed me like I’m a baby.”
Neither of the guards responded.
“Come on, you can’t really be enjoying this. What am I going to do? My legs are still going to be chained.”
Still nothing.
“If you unlock me for five minutes, I’ll tell you where I’ve hidden some of my treasure.”
The guard by the door responded, “We don’t want any of your dirty treasure that you stole.”
“Don’t be like that. If the previous owners had really wanted to keep it, they would have done a better job of protecting it. I’m just providing a public service, ridding them of unnecessary financial burdens.”
The marine just glowered back while Nereyda ate another bite of bread.
“Fine, if that treasure doesn’t do it for you, is there something else I can do for you?” She gave the guard a sultry smile as she stretched out her long legs and arched her back to push her chest forward. “Take these off,” she said as she shook the cuffs, “and you can take everything else off and have your way with me.”
“I’m a married man, whore.”
“Aw, don’t be like that. Then your friend here can have some fun, and you can watch. Or join in. I’m not picky.”
The marine feeding her, who had been silent until now, said, “Pirates aren’t my type.”
“Then what is your type? Do you marines keep each other company at night? Is that why you don’t long for the touch of a lover? I mean, you do seem used to having sticks up your asses.”
“Come on,” said the guard by the door, “I think she’s had enough to eat for today.”
Despite still holding half a piece of bread, the other marine stood and followed his friend from the cell.
Well, shit. Nereyda hadn’t really expected that to work, but she had still hoped that they’d be stupid enough to let her out of her chains. She would only need a moment of opportunity to take out the guards and start her escape. Even though she likely would have been killed long before she could accomplish much.
For her next couple of meals, Nereyda tried to convince, bribe, seduce, and threaten the guards to get them to release her arms just for a minute, but they ignored her. After a few tries, she got tired of wasting her time and bit the marine that held her bread. It had been a stupid move. Now, the bread had stopped coming entirely, and her stomach roared at the empty space inside of it.
Her captivity had also deprived her of sleep. Sitting up against the beam was too uncomfortable to allow much rest. She only slept when her eyes truly couldn’t stay open any longer, and she passed out. Then, she would only sleep until she had gathered just enough energy to be awakened by the wood digging into her back.
The trip didn’t feel like it lasted more than a few days. Nereyda overheard orders being shouted on the decks above that suggested that the ship was pulling into the dock. She hadn’t heard where they were landing, but it didn’t really matter at this point.
Two guards came to her cell. One stood in the doorway as the other knelt behind her to unlock her handcuffs.
As the clasps fell from her wrists, Nereyda jumped to her feet and launched herself at the guard in the doorway, attempting to grab his sword.
The act of standing up so suddenly left her dizzy and lightheaded. As she lost her balance, the guard caught her and spun her around. He held her arms behind her until his partner could secure the cuffs once again. Her opportunity squandered, Nereyda trudged along with the guards as they led her upstairs from the hold.
As she stepped out onto the deck, daylight blinded her. Her eyes adjusted from the gloom of the hold and she realized that it was morning, the sun gliding upward from the horizon into a cloudless blue sky. The fresh salty smell of the sea filled her nostrils, replacing the
odor of fish and sweat that permeated the hold. Next to the merchant ship, the Raven and the large Cambisian warship also sat docked. Marines slowly escorted her crew off of the ships and onto the dock. Nereyda only enjoyed the atmosphere for a moment before her escorts shoved her forward and down the gangway to at last rejoin her with her crew. They all looked as hungry and tired as she felt.
“How are you guys doing?” she asked.
“Silence!” commanded one of the marines.
She shot him a dirty look but held her tongue.
Looking away from the harbor, she saw the distinctive red clay buildings of Manisa, the capital city of the Empire. Nereyda had never been to the city herself but had heard stories about its grandeur. Towering buildings and domes dominated the skyline. In the distance, sitting on a hill, she saw one large golden dome in the middle of several smaller structures. Spear-like guard towers lined the massive walls surrounding the complex.
The royal palace.
The emperor of the mighty Cambisian nation lived there with his wife and family, along with his many consorts. It also served as the center of government and housed the offices of the ponderous bureaucracy that it took to run an empire of such size. Nereyda had a hunch that she and her crew would soon get a much closer look at the place when they went there for their trial. A marine knelt beneath her and removed the chains around her ankles, presumably so that they could make better time through the city toward their destination.
Once all of the pirates had been gathered on the deck of the merchant ship, Commander Erhan stepped onto a barrel to overlook the small crowd. “From here on out, you do what we say. If you attempt to run away, try to fight, or even speak without being addressed, punishment will be swift. Now, follow the marines as we head out and stay in line as we walk through the city.”
Erhan walked in front as the marines led them in a single file line off of the docks and onto the harbor streets. As she trudged along in the line through this part of the city, Nereyda looked around and observed a dismal place. Beggars sat at nearly every corner. Women in tattered and stained dresses stood outside brothels, offering cheap company for the night. The gutters at the side of the street overflowed with waste. She peeked into the windows of factories as they passed and saw workers hunched over strange machines. Nereyda heard them rumbling even outside and imagined that they must be deafening inside the workshops. Between the gutters and the factories, as they moved farther from the docks, the fresh smell of the sea gave way to a stink of smoke and shit.
One beggar, who looked like just a mass of rags with hands and feet, threw himself in front of the commander, his arms outstretched. “Please, sir. Can you spare anything?”
“I can spare my boot.” Erhan kicked the man’s face.
The beggar gave a cry and clutched his face as he retreated back to the edge of the street. He huddled next to a building as blood dripped from his nose. Other beggars and bystanders pulled away and gasped, but made no move to help the man. They soon turned and walked away as if nothing had happened at all.
---
As Nereyda staggered with her crew through the city streets, she found herself watching the guards. There were only twenty or so spread along the whole column of pirates. It would be pretty easy to slip away from them in the gap between them. The real challenge would be to keep going, then find some way of getting rid of the chains around her wrists. But, if she could get free momentarily, she could get her crew out of this mess.
Of course, the commander had assigned a guard to walk next to her the whole way. First, she would have to distract or get rid of him. She didn’t really have a way to directly distract him by herself. Since they were moving through a busy city, she had no doubt some sort of commotion or another would attract his attention for long enough to make her move.
The procession entered a large square with a temple situated in the middle where various religious scenes had been carved into the stone walls. The most prominent carving depicted the gods turning their backs on several humans who knelt and wept as they begged for help. Nereyda wasn’t religious, but she had heard the stories. Many years ago, the gods had gifted humanity with the power to shape their world in all kinds of miraculous ways. They could create fire as hot as any forge, bring water from the earth in a drought, and command the wind itself. Eventually, humanity became too greedy and drew too much power for themselves, turning on each other in a great war. Seeing what humanity had become, the gods had destroyed part of the world and stripped humans of their powers. Now, people prayed to gods that refused to listen in the hope that they may decide to be merciful. Nereyda didn’t have time for any of that. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t need any gods to make her way through life.
When they approached an intersection, a group of courtesans had gathered on the corner to seduce potential clients. They waved and winked at the guards as the column passed by their corner. The guard on her left who had been assigned to Nereyda gave them a long gaze, obviously examining more than just their faces.
---
Sensing that the guard was distracted, Nereyda seized the opportunity and jabbed her elbow into his rib cage. As he staggered and grunted in pain, she ran past him, her shackles ringing as she dashed away from the line of prisoners.
She glanced back to see other guards peeling away from the group of pirates that they were escorting to the palace and the dungeon that it contained. Nereyda had never been to the capital city of the Empire before so she would have to just guess at which way to go. She zigzagged into random alleys, praying that she wouldn’t run into a dead end.
Emerging from one side street, she came upon a large open air market, filled with people going about their daily business. She couldn’t force her way through them, so she slowed and attempted to blend in with the crowd as well as she could. Shaking her head, her black hair fell around her face in a curtain that she used to obscure her features. As she caught her breath, she tried to keep her gait casual. She held her hands down near her waist. If anyone saw the chain binding her wrists, they would recognize her as a prisoner.
Nereyda resisted the temptation to turn around to look for the guards.
Forward.
She had to keep walking forward. Even though she didn’t know where forward would take her.
Shouts from behind her announced the arrival of the guards pursuing her. The crowd scattered from the square, and Nereyda tried to stay with the people who had been close to her. In the chaos, she tripped on a loose rock and tumbled to the ground, her chains jingling on the stone surface.
“There she is!” shouted a nearby soldier.
The guard ran over and pointed his sword down at her. From her prone position, she kicked out a foot at his knee. The man collapsed to the ground as his leg buckled, dropping his sword.
Nereyda crawled over to grab the hilt, then hauled herself to her feet.
Another guard dashed over to assist his friend. He raised his sword and slashed at her, but she caught the blow with her own blade and stepped inside her opponent's stance. Before he could recover, she threw an elbow at his face.
His nose crunched, and blood ran down over his mouth.
Moving behind him, she pulled her shackled wrists over his head and pulled the chain against his neck.
“Drop your sword, or I’ll strangle you,” she commanded.
He hesitated.
As she pulled the chain tight against his throat to choke him, he finally relented and let his blade fall from his hand.
Nereyda let his neck go and kicked him onto the ground, next to his friend.
Hearing a stampede of more footsteps near her, Nereyda whirled around to see at least ten guards surrounding her.
“Surrender the weapon, or we will kill you,” ordered one of the men.
She looked around, pointing the blade at each of them in turn.
“I won’t ask again,” said the guard.
Slumping her shoulders in defeat, Nereyda lowered her arm and let the s
word fall from her hand, the cold metal of the hilt slipping from her fingers.
“Fine. Take me back,” she relented.
Two guards grabbed her by the arms to hold her steady, while another knelt in front of her with shackles for her ankles. They weren’t going to risk another escape attempt. As the clasps closed, the icy metal bit into the skin around her ankles.
The group of marines began their march back to the main group of prisoners. As the guards at her arms shoved her forward, she had to shuffle her feet to keep up. The chain for her irons prevented her from taking long strides. Nereyda winced as her ankles slammed into the metal at the limit of the chain’s reach. She’d have some nasty bruises by the time they came off. If they ever came off, that is.
As her escorts brought her through the city streets, townsfolk yelled and jeered at her, even though they probably had no idea why she was even in custody. Just seeing her being arrested by the guards was enough for them to feel justified in mocking her. One man ran up close enough to spit in her face.
Nereyda slammed her head forward, smashing his nose with her forehead. This earned her a blow to the back from one of her guards. She stumbled but stayed on her feet as they pushed her ever forward. She didn’t try to pay attention to where they were going. When she had been running, she had randomly chosen which direction to go whenever she hit an intersection. As a result, the route that they were taking didn’t mean much to her.
When they returned to the main group, she saw that they had stopped not long after she had made her escape attempt. Commander Erhan strode up to her with a slim smile on his face.
“Welcome back. I hope you had a refreshing jog through the city.” He turned to the guards around her. “Thank you, gentlemen. You may return to your normal stations, except for you two,” he said while glancing at the guards that held her arms.
She watched as they marched off to take positions around the prisoner column.
