by Stevie Woods
Even through two layers of clothes we were both hard and desperate. My hands were on his waist now and I was pulling him tight against me, making circular movements with my hips as our tongues stabbed in and out of each other's mouths, a dance our bodies couldn't yet perform.
We both froze, shaking with thwarted emotion as a loud voice yelled right outside the awning. Liander's eyes went wide as he broke the kiss and dropped his head on my chest. I held him close as I listened to the commotion outside.
The patrol had been coming this way, even closer than we'd expected and the noise was the commander issuing orders as he split up his patrol into four sections. It seemed even more likely now it was a city patrol and not one specifically for the docks. I waited a few more minutes, partly for the patrol to leave the area and partly for us to calm down.
My own erection had subsided when the voice had cut the air, and I suspect Liander's had, too, though it had taken longer for his breathing to settle. He looked up at me then, and I was pleased to see a rueful smile grace his features.
"Wasn't exactly the best timing, was it?" I said apologetically.
"No, but...damn, we've waited so long."
"So we wait a little longer; it'll be worth it."
A brilliant smile was my only answer, but it was more than enough.
Chapter 13
As soon as I was sure it was clear, we left the store and walked openly toward the docks. I was carrying a bag I had taken from the store, which, on closer inspection, had proved to be a bakery. I'd stuffed four loaves of bread into the bag. I felt a momentary guilt at stealing the food, but soon quashed it with the thought these people condoned the kidnapping and slavery that went on in their midst. They owed us.
The streets were even emptier now, and I was concerned in case there was some kind of curfew. I was hoping the patrol, which had passed while we were hiding, was the only one for a while.
I still found it hard to believe there was no hue and cry yet about our escape. It seemed probable they hadn't intended to feed me that evening, knowing I was already hurting from the torture and that leaving me alone and hungry would serve to lower my resistance. I could only assume Cor'lyn's whereabouts hadn't yet become a concern and likewise feeding Liander wasn't high on their list. I couldn't contain the smile at their surprise when they finally found Cor'lyn tied up in the cell.
I felt Liander close behind as I strode between the warehouses that led to the docks. I glanced over my shoulder at him and I prayed our luck would hold.
As we reached the corner leading directly to the quay, I moved forward slowly, eyes darting everywhere.
"Let me go first," Liander whispered.
I frowned, but before I could speak, he added, "I don't look as threatening as you." He grinned.
I wasn't entirely happy, but he did have a point. I shrugged, which proved to be a mistake as pain sheeted across my back, though I did my best to hide it from Liander. Considering the look he gave me, I don't think I succeeded, but he said nothing. I fought the pain down before stepping right behind him.
Our plans were rather vague, but there was nothing we could do about that. Our knowledge of the docks was very limited and we had no choice but to trust to luck. Damn, what a thought!
I saw Liander's back tighten with tension and, looking ahead, I saw why. A group of about half a dozen men was coming toward us, talking excitedly among themselves. I guessed they were sailors going on shore leave from one of the half-dozen ships tied up in the harbor, but our attire wasn't that of sailors, and I didn't want to have to answer any questions.
"Where did you say you left my box, man?" Liander suddenly said in a sharp voice. As he spoke, he moved off the main path in between the piles of waiting cargo.
I was quick to follow Liander's lead and replied, "Here, sir," as I hurried after him. "I know exactly where it is."
We were deep in the shadows when the sailors walked past, still bantering among themselves. They never even looked in our direction.
I grabbed Liander and hugged him. "Quick thinking as ever," I murmured.
"Well, someone has to," he teased. "Now to find that boat."
* * * *
I wish I felt as calm as Hollis believed me to be. I was doing my best to project that for Hollis, but I was terrified we'd be caught. I dreaded what Briahm would do to Hollis if he got his hands on him again. I had to leave the choice of boat to Hollis because I knew little about them other to enjoy the view when the village fishermen took them out. I wished now I'd taken the opportunity to go out with Hollis when he accompanied the fishermen, but I had been too busy talking with the village headman. Too busy! I needed to get my priorities sorted out. How could I have sat talking over dusty history with Antell when I could've been spending time with Hollis?
We continued our progress among the cargo stacks to avoid being seen as we made our way to the far end of the quay. We had to pass where some of the larger vessels were tied up. There were lights and crewmembers visible on the ships, but things got calmer as we moved farther on. It seemed Hollis was right in his assumption of where the fishing fleet and other smaller craft would be moored. It was quieter here, too, with no one visible.
"This one," Hollis suddenly said. I was surprised he had chosen one of the smallest types of vessels; it hardly looked large enough to be safe out in the swells of the ocean. He must have guessed my thinking as he added, "I'm not sure I can handle anything larger on my own."
"You know I'll help."
"I know, my love, but you've never handled a boat before."
I stared at Hollis. My love. To hear those words spoken so casually warmed my heart. I wondered if he knew what he had said. Then Hollis smiled. Oh, he knew!
Hollis climbed into the boat, and I clambered in after him, unsteadily.
"What luck," Hollis said quietly. "There's water stored here. They must've been planning to go out early in the morning."
Hollis stored the bread next to the water. I hoped we had enough of each to last for our voyage. I expected him to unfurl the sail and do whatever was necessary to get the thing set, but he sat on a bench in the centre. Then I saw the oars lying along one side of the boat and watched as he manhandled one of them into the rowlock. I moved to take the other oar.
Hollis put a hand out to stop me. "It's not as easy as it looks," Hollis said. "Let me take us out of the harbor. You can help me when we're safely out."
Part of me wanted to argue: really, I was not so useless. The other part knew he was right. "Yes, my love," I replied as I sat.
Hollis grinned and began to edge us past the other boats and out into open water in the centre of the harbor. I didn't need Hollis to tell me to be silent. My eyes were darting everywhere, looking for anything and everything, praying we weren't being observed. As we neared the larger vessels, there was an underlying susurration of noise, and I glanced at Hollis to find he was gazing at the other ships, too. He angled the small boat to move away from the ships, but he couldn't maneuver too far from them because of their location in relation to the harbor entrance.
Just then I heard a shout coming from one of the ships, and my heart pounded in my chest, until I realized it was a member of the crew berating one of his fellows. Another voice yelled for them both to be quiet. I sagged in relief, glancing at Hollis to see him take a deep breath. He was not as sanguine as he appeared. We were almost at the harbor mouth now, and I hardly dared believe we were going to escape. I looked over my shoulder at the town. It looked so innocuous. From here, I couldn't see either the citadel or the so-called training school. I turned back to face the way we were going, to the unknown future and whatever it held. As long as I was facing it with Hollis, I could cope. Neither of us had voiced it, but we both knew it was possible we would die out there on that vast sea.
* * * *
I could sense how tense Liander was, but I was impressed by how calm he appeared on the surface. I knew I could rely on him. I prayed I wouldn't let him down. My knowledge of sa
iling was rudimentary at best, but I did have some experience going out time and again with the Seven Villages fishing fleet. The fishermen had been rather amused at the idea of a Guardian to the royal house wanting to try his hand at fishing, but they had taken pride in showing me their trade. I hoped I'd learned enough about sailing to put it into practice now.
We moved steadily through the harbor mouth and all I could see now were the swirling, bucking waves beyond.
"Let me help you row now?" Liander asked.
I almost refused, but I knew how much he wanted to do his share. "Very well. Here, sit beside me. Take this oar." I showed him how to work the oar and how important it was we worked in tandem. He was nervous, but also very determined, and I was pleased at how quickly he picked it up, and it wasn't long before we had a good rhythm going. We were pulling away strongly from the harbor and soon we were in the open sea. It was time to put up the sail. We shipped the oars, and I went to work.
"What can I do to help?" Liander asked.
I hesitated for a moment before saying, "Help me pull this rope taut and when I say so, hold it steady while I anchor it."
Liander didn't say anything, just grabbed the rope and put his back into helping me raise the sail. Now came the hard part.
"Sit in the center of the boat." I pointed as I moved to the rear and took hold of the rudder.
"You're sure of the direction?" Liander asked.
"I know landfall anywhere due west is a lot safer than here and I can navigate well enough by the stars and the sun for that."
"Right. It would be better if we happened to come ashore in Shuin. At least there I could request assistance."
Liander was right. Shuin had a peace treaty with Tesla and a request from a prince of the Teslan Royal House would be treated with great respect. Shuin would be ideal, but I didn't know where we were in relation to that state. There were two other states directly west of Diolis and south of Tesla and Shuin: Haflor and Prayalin, neither of which were enemies of Tesla, but they weren't friends either. I doubted announcing himself as a prince of Tesla would result in a welcome parade; it was possible in Prayalin it could even result in Liander being held for ransom. Not for money, but for political gain at the cost of Tesla's security. It was rather like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Liander's father would no more negotiate with Prayalin than he would have with Dioland.
"I can't promise Shuin. I have no certain idea where in Dioland we are, so navigation is going to be something of a lottery. Wherever we make landfall, we'll have to be very careful until we know for sure where we are."
"Yes."
"I appreciate your faith in my sailing ability," I said.
Liander laughed. "Oh I have faith in all your...abilities."
As ever, he could make me smile. I was grateful for his trust and I hoped I could do it justice. I also trusted we could avoid any Diolis ships or boats whose captain might question who we were and where we were going. I could only hope it would be assumed we were what we looked to be, fishermen.
* * * *
Dawn was approaching, as far as the eye could see, all that was visible was water. Dioland was long gone behind us, but not surprisingly neither was there any land visible on the western horizon.
"How long do you think it might be before we see land?"
"I wish I knew," Hollis replied. "Two or three days probably. If only I'd had some insight into where in Dioland we were taken, but the truth is the country has a long coastline, part of which extends outward toward Shuin at Lowan Point, but a fair portion also curves away from the west."
I sighed. "Knowing how our luck has been running, we were probably imprisoned at the farthest point from home."
"Keep the faith, my prince," Hollis said, and I sucked in a breath. He rarely referred to me by title and it seemed odd to hear him address me so.
"Hollis?"
"I am first and foremost your Guardian, and we both need to remember that."
"What has brought this on? Last evening we almost-- "
"I know," Hollis said softly, "and, Lords, but I wish we hadn't been interrupted." He looked up at me. "We don't know where we'll make landfall and whereas Shuin is as ambivalent as the Teslan in the right to love whom one will, the same can't be said of Haflor or Prayalin. I think it safer to...to-- "
"Bide our time?" I knew Hollis was right, but it was so frustrating. How long would we have to wait to validate our love?
We were silent for a while then, until I saw just how tired Hollis appeared.
"Oh Lords, Hollis, I never even thought to ask how you're feeling. Your back must be agony. You need to rest."
"You know it's not that simple."
"Can we anchor the boat here for a while?"
Hollis shrugged. "I have no idea how deep the seabed is here, so I don't know if it's possible or not, but even so, I want to put more space between us and Dioland."
"It won't do any good if you exhaust yourself and we get into trouble in the middle of the ocean. Please rest." I could see Hollis was going to argue with me. I could stand on my princely laurels and order him to obey me, but I didn't want to do that. The truth was I wasn't sure he would obey me if he considered it was in my interest not to. I moved closer to him and knelt in the bottom of the boat beside him. "Hollis, let me help. I've been watching carefully. From your seat at the rudder you're keeping the sun"--I paused and glanced up at the sail--"about forty-five degrees to the masthead so we navigate west. Correct?"
Hollis stared at me, and I knew he was wondering if I could do it. "Very well," he said. "Take the rudder."
I sighed with relief. I hurried to take Hollis' place and gripped the rudder. Hollis checked the sail lines were tight. "I'll rest for an hour, but no more, Liander." His tone was very solemn, and I could tell how important this was to him. I nodded agreement. "The wind is steady, but if it changes direction, you'll need to wake me right away. Make sure you track the sun precisely."
"I'll be careful." I understood enough to know he would need to tack if the wind changed direction.
He lay in the bottom of the boat. I knew he wouldn't be very comfortable, but it would have to do.
"Wake me in an hour." The look he gave me told me to obey him.
It wasn't long enough, but I would keep to our agreement. I knew he would have to recalculate his bearings as the sun rose higher.
* * * *
"Hollis, Hollis!"
Hollis woke groggily as I called to him, and he looked confused for a moment. I could see the moment he remembered where we were and he struggled to a sitting position.
"You didn't let me sleep too long?" Hollis asked.
"It's been an hour as you asked. The sea is getting rougher, too."
Hollis glanced around. I sat exactly where he had told me. He nodded and his eyes flicked to check the sun and then the choppy sea around us.
"The sea is decidedly rougher," Hollis said, "and have you noticed those storm clouds forming on the eastern horizon?"
I followed his gaze and watched as the dark clouds slowly rolled west. Damn, that was the last thing we needed.
He took over control from me, re-setting the sail to take advantage of the wind.
"I hope the storm's movement will be slow enough to allow us to make landfall before it strikes," Hollis said. Though there was still no sign of any land.
"How will you navigate if we lose the sun?" I asked, and he merely looked at me. I sighed; all I could do was trust Hollis. "Surely I can do something to help other than to sit here," I said. I hated feeling so useless.
"See if you can find something to use to bail out the boat. The odds are we'll need it soon," Hollis said. "I wish we could've managed a larger boat," he added, probably not intending me to hear the comment.
"I'm sorry," I said.
Hollis frowned. "The fault is not yours, Liander. Merely circumstance."
Yes, the circumstance that I had always been too interested in learning than in more worldly pursuits.
Well, now I was going to do something useful. I began to bail out the small amount of water sloshing about in the bottom of the boat.
"Stop blaming yourself, Liander," Hollis said. I should have remembered how well he could read me. "The only fault here is that of the Diolis who kidnapped and enslaved us."
"I know you're right logically, but I can't help feeling inadequate."
Hollis opened his mouth to say something, but no words were forthcoming. Hollis was now staring over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and saw a ship on the horizon. From where had it come? Was it a ship from Dioland?
"What are we going to do?" I asked. I couldn't keep the panic from my voice. We couldn't let them take us again. Especially now they knew who we really were. Now they understood what Hollis might know.
"Don't panic. Don't assume they're looking for us. Dioland has ships out all the time."
"But it could be looking for us," I insisted.
"It could, but that doesn't mean we should panic. It's a big ocean and they have no idea where we are. This is one time being in a small boat is to our advantage. They'll be hard-pressed to see us."
He sounded so confident, but I knew Hollis as well as he knew me. He was doing his best to keep me calm. I took a breath. "True," I said, "but if they are looking for us, it wouldn't be difficult to guess our best route. It could be a search ship."
Hollis regarded me steadily. "And what do you expect me to do?"
"Nothing other than what you are," I said. Hollis frowned. "I wanted you to know I understand and I've got myself under control. No more panicking, just lots of bailing."
"I do love you," Hollis murmured, and I smiled.
Thankfully, the storm didn't seem to be coming any nearer, at least not yet. The wind had risen and was pushing our boat faster toward the west. Was it possible we could do this, could reach safety? Don't say it aloud; don't tempt fate. I bailed.
