The only break in the surrounding dark was a light visible just to starboard. Ships, Mari had been told, were required to show lights at night in order to avoid collision. One lantern at the stern, one high up and forward, and two colored lanterns at the sides, red for port and green for starboard. The Pride of Longfalls was following that rule, but from this angle only the stern light could be seen. The Gray Lady was using it to spot the exact position of her prey.
The Lady herself wasn’t showing any lights, and everyone moved with great care in order to make no noise. Aside from a slight sigh of wind in the rigging and the murmur of water flowing along her hull, the Lady was both dark and silent as she swept down on the Pride.
Mari tightened her grip on the rope and looked over at Alli, who grasped a similar rope leading up to another spar. Alli had worked with the sailors to knot line into something she called slings, which were tied to the Mechanic rifles. One of those rifles now rested on Alli’s back, the sling across her chest.
“I feel ridiculous,” Mari whispered to Alli.
“Ridiculous?” Alli whispered back. “We’re doing the whole pirate thing, Mari. Black of night and swinging over the water and knives in our teeth. This is so great!”
“Well, yeah,” Mari admitted. She couldn’t help smiling. “It’s dangerous! Why does it feel like fun? I’m not Jules!”
“Every kid dreams of being Jules,” Alli said. “Then we grow up and realize Jules is long gone and we have to put on our jackets and be adults every day.” She grinned at Mari. “But not this day!”
Mari looked forward again, her smile fading. Everyone had been very nice to her. No one had berated her for making such a serious mistake in Julesport. She never should have spent time working on the Calculating device there, never should have let herself be separated from Alain. But she had wanted to be back inside that safe bubble again, that place where her training had led her, where she knew everything that needed to be done and exactly how to do it. She had wanted to be just Master Mechanic Mari again, so badly that she had wasted precious time, put Alain at serious risk, and forced the others, Asha and Alli and Dav and Bev, to risk themselves as well to rescue him.
Maybe they all understood that they didn’t have to say anything. Maybe they already knew how much Mari had disappointed herself.
Alain had been a little odd the last couple of days. Probably just an after-effect of the drug the Dark Mages had used. Surely he didn’t blame her for what had happened. He would have had every right to, though.
And his blasted foresight! As useful as that had been at times, Mari found herself wishing that it would disappear as mysteriously as it had manifested so that she and Alain could stumble through life not knowing what was coming, just like everybody else.
“Stand ready, Lady,” a crewmember whispered near her ear, jerking Mari out of her reverie. She nodded, then looked back to where the others waited. Those of the Gray Lady’s spars that angled out in the right direction could support sending only four over at a time, so the first group would be her, Alli, Mechanic Dav, and one of the crew. The second group would include Calu, Bev, Mechanic Rob, and another crewmember. Hopefully the third group including the other two new Mechanics and a couple more crewmembers would make it as well.
Alain stood slightly to one side, watching her. She knew how unhappy he was that she was leading this attack without him. But he had accepted that if the Mechanics on the Pride saw any Mages they would refuse to surrender. He would have to wait until the others had seized control of the ship.
Or do his best to help the others escape back to the Lady, if everything went to pieces.
“Coming up,” the sailor whispered.
Mari could see the Pride as a darker blot against the night sky, the only sure mark the lantern glowing on the stern. That lantern was growing closer with unnerving speed as the Lady cut silently across the stern of the Pride.
“Now!” the sailor said.
Mari nerved herself and leaped into space.
Chapter Seven
Hurtling into the darkness, Mari felt herself dropping and swinging forward as the rope tightened with a jerk that almost popped her arm. Her stomach insisted that she was doing a lot more falling than swinging, the sea’s surface just barely visible below. Mari fearfully wondered whether the sailors had accurately estimated the lowest swing of the rope. How far down was the bottom of the ocean here? If she fell into it and couldn’t resurface, how far would she sink before reaching the dark and silent mud far below?
The thoughts occupied barely an instant. A moment later, the rope reached the bottom of the swing and began yanking her upward as well as forward.
Part of her was exhilarated by the thrill of it. Part of her was terrified. She tried to ignore both and focus on trying to spot something to grab onto.
The black wall of the Pride’s stern suddenly gained detail as Mari neared the farthest edge of the rope’s swing. The stern rail of the other ship appeared before her and just above. Mari swung out her free hand to grab on, frantically fighting to maintain the hold as the weight of the rope began trying to drag her back. If she didn’t get rid of that rope very quickly, it would pull her off the Pride as the Gray Lady kept going.
She spun the rope off of her arm, unable to do anything for a moment but hang there, suspended by one hand from the stern rail, nothing beneath her feet but the wake of the Pride.
Mari finally thought to look over and saw Alli clinging nearby, also hanging from the rail, though by both hands.
“Did you hear something?”
Mari looked upwards as the low voice came clearly to her from the Pride’s quarterdeck.
“Like a thump?” someone answered. “Yeah. Do you think somebody fell overboard?”
“Nobody is supposed to be out on deck at night except the watch and the sentries. But I better check.”
Mari thrust her free hand into her jacket, scrabbling for her pistol. She got the weapon out and the safety off, raising the pistol just as someone looked over the rail directly above her.
“Not one sound,” she whispered as quietly as possible, her pistol almost touching the Mechanic’s nose. “Don’t move.”
From the corner of her eye Mari could see that Alli was using both hands to silently pull herself up high enough to get over the rail. Once on deck, Alli brought the sling over her head and grasped her rifle.
She surveyed the situation, then stepped over to place her rifle barrel against the head of the Mechanic being threatened by Mari. That allowed Mari to reholster the pistol, edge sideways a little, and employ both hands to get over the rail.
Two Apprentices were standing on the quarterdeck, one holding the big wheel that controlled the rudder of the Pride and the other beside her. Both were looking forward, oblivious to those boarding the ship behind them.
Mari looked to the side and saw Mechanic Dav, the crewmember from the Lady beside him, giving her a thumbs up as he also readied his rifle.
A swoosh of wind and rush of water noise heralded the return of the Lady. Mari leaned out to grab Calu’s hand as he swung over, helping him up.
“I heard something again,” said one of the Apprentices, beginning to turn. “Mechanic—?”
She stopped speaking as she saw Mechanic Dav pointing his rifle at her and raising one finger to his lips.
Mari made sure that Calu was up, saw that Bev, Mechanic Rob, and the other crewmember were making their way over the railing, and then took some swift steps to the helm, trying to walk without making noise. She had her pistol out again as she swung into the line of vision of the Apprentice at the wheel. “Shhh. Let’s keep it quiet and nobody gets hurt.”
The first crewmember from the Lady took over the wheel, and Mari hustled the two Apprentices back to where the captured Mechanic was glaring in silent bafflement. His expression suddenly cleared, though. “It’s a drill, isn’t it?” he whispered.
“Riiiiight,” Alli said, turning over guard duty on the three to Rob. “Surpris
Accustomed to following orders, the three did as they were told, except that one Apprentice excitedly whispered to the other, “Do you think they’ll be able to take out both sentries on the main deck?”
“Shut up!” the captured Mechanic growled. “You were told to be silent!”
“Two sentries on the main deck,” Mari commented to Alli as they walked to the front of the raised quarterdeck and looked down at the main deck before them. “There’s one. The group up here were all unarmed, but that sentry has a rifle. How do we sneak up on them?”
“By being obvious,” Alli said. “Hey, Calu, snuggle up.”
The last group of four was coming over the stern as Alli and Calu held each other in a one-armed hug, their rifles held in their free hands and concealed between their bodies. The dark shape of the Gray Lady faded back, having lost enough speed in her repeated course changes to be unable to keep up with the Pride for the moment.
Mari watched nervously as Alli and Calu sauntered across the deck, giggling softly to each other.
The nearest sentry reacted. “What the blazes are you two doing?” he demanded.
“We’re just looking for a little privacy,” Alli said in a lighthearted voice.
“You idiots know that no one is allowed on deck at night except sentries and watch standers!”
The other sentry had come from a bit farther forward, wandering closer to see what was happening.
“Cut us a break,” Calu said.
“I’ll cut you something, you idiot! Is that you, Judi? I told you what I’d do if I saw you with another guy!”
The two guards were close enough by then for Calu to twist and raise his weapon to cover the second guard. Alli brought her rifle up too, but in a hard blow against the head of the sentry who had almost reached her. That Mechanic staggered back, Alli taking his rifle from a slack hand. “You are really lucky I’m not Judi,” Alli said. “Or I would have hit you a lot harder.”
Mari came down the stairs from the quarterdeck, looked at the stern cabin, and paused. Instead of one door leading to where the captain slept, there were two doors equally spaced. The stern cabin must have been subdivided. Which side did she want, and who was in the other side?
Bev and Mechanic Dav were coming down the stairs as well when Mari’s dilemma was resolved by one of the doors beginning to open. The man who stepped out was the second that night to find Mari’s pistol pointed straight at his nose.
He was an older Mechanic, with dark hair and a mustache both bearing enough grey that it could be seen even in the darkness. Age had given him enough wisdom that he said and did nothing.
“We’re taking this ship,” Mari said. “Hopefully without anyone getting hurt. That’s entirely up to you. Surrender it and no one gets hurt. Fight, and it could get ugly.”
The eyes of the older Mechanic went to one side, looking over Bev and Dav with their rifles and Alli and Calu standing over the two chastened sentries. He looked upwards enough to see Mechanic Amal from Julesport, rifle also in hand, standing by the front rail of the quarterdeck. “My surrender would seem to be a mere formality, but why am I surrendering to a fellow Mechanic? Who are you?”
“Master Mechanic Mari of Caer Lyn,” she said.
After a pause, the Mechanic nodded. “I see. We were warned that you might try something in port, but you do tend to exceed expectations, don’t you, Master Mechanic?”
“Who told you that?” Mari asked, thinking it sounded oddly like praise.
“One of my passengers on an earlier voyage. I have an obligation to the passengers’ safety, Master Mechanic. As well as to the safety of my crew. Do you swear you mean them no harm?”
“I swear,” Mari said. “I understand that your passengers are actually prisoners.”
“Your understanding is correct.” The Mechanic’s voice clearly conveyed his distaste for his role as a jailor.
“I’m going to set them free and give them the option of joining me. Anyone who doesn’t want to will be put off in your ship’s boats with enough food and water and guidance to reach shore.”
Another pause, longer this time, then the Mechanic nodded again. “I surrender my ship to you. I am Mechanic Captain Banda of Marida. At your service.”
Mari lowered her pistol, grateful since her arm was beginning to ache. “I would appreciate your assistance in assuring I take the rest captive without harming anyone,” she said.
“You need those two first,” Banda said, gesturing toward the other door to the stern cabin. “The two Senior Mechanics who are actually in charge of this work detail.”
“Are they armed?”
“Yes and no. The extra weapons are locked up in there, but those two don’t routinely carry them. Denz might have a pistol, since he liked parading around with one stuck in his belt. He’s the man. Gina’s the woman, and before you go in there I feel obligated to say that she has done her best by us during this voyage. I would not have been surprised if she had ended up among the so-called passengers on the next trip because of her insufficiently zealous attitude toward the Guild’s instructions.”
“Bev, Dav, you heard him. Go in there. If the guy twitches wrong, don’t take any chances. Club him.”
Bev’s smile held no humor. “I can’t shoot him?”
“No. I promised no one hurt, Bev.”
“Yes, Lady Master Mechanic.” Bev tried the door handle, found it locked, and knocked gently. Waited. Knocked again. Waited. Began knocking lightly but continuously.
Mari heard the lock being unlatched, then a very angry man stuck his head out. “Who dares to—?”
The question ended when Bev stuck the barrel of her rifle under his chin. “I do. I’m Mechanic Bev of Emdin. I was an Apprentice at Emdin. Do you want to see how little it would take to make me blow off the head of a Senior Mechanic?”
Keeping the barrel right under his chin, Bev led the Senior Mechanic, who was wearing only his trousers, out on deck while Dav dashed inside. He reemerged quickly, leading a woman in shirt and trousers who looked around in disbelief.
“The key to the weapons,” Mari asked, extending her hand for it.
The woman looked for guidance not at her fellow Senior Mechanic but at Banda, who nodded. She pulled out a key on a chain and dropped it into Mari’s hand.
“Traitor!” the other Senior Mechanic got out before the barrel of Bev’s rifle jerked upward and slammed his jaw shut.
Mari gave Bev a worried look, but she returned a controlled expression that conveyed she wasn’t losing it. And Alain had made a special effort to tell her that Bev could be trusted in a tough situation. He must have had a reason for that.
“She wouldn’t have had any trouble picking the lock,” Senior Mechanic Gina told Denz. “Didn’t you read her file?”
Mari paused to think. She had the top deck of the ship, but most of the men and women aboard were belowdecks. “Captain Banda, I assume the passengers are locked down?”
“You assume correctly.”
“What about your crew? Do I have to worry about them?”
“My crew will follow my orders,” Banda said. “I will tell them not to resist so as to limit any chance of anyone being harmed. For the good of the Guild,” he added, sounding almost sincere as he parroted the standard justification for any Guild action.
But then Captain Banda visibly hesitated, as if trying to tip off Mari. Taking his cue, she raised her pistol again toward him. “What did you leave out?”
“The guard force sent along by the Guild. They are in forward berthing.”
“Are these two examples of them?” Alli called in a low voice, indicating the disarmed sentries.
“Those two are part of the guard force,” Banda confirmed.
“That’s bad news, Mari. From what Calu and I have seen of them, these two are hard core.”
“The guards were selected to be reliable,” Senior Mechanic Gina said. “And to be willing to use whatever force was necessary. I personally think they are overly eager to use force.”
Senior Mechanic Denz apparently tried to interject some comment, but couldn’t speak with Bev’s rifle barrel holding his jaw shut from beneath.
“Are they armed?” Mari asked.
“Most have knives. A couple have personal pistols,” Banda added. “Standard Guild revolvers, not semi-automatics like yours. Yours is only the second of those I’ve ever seen.”
“They were only intended for bodyguards of the Guild Master,” Alli commented. “Mari, we need to get those goons up on deck a few at a time. And someone needs to give me some line so I can tie up these two and gag them until we’ve got the whole batch under guard. Otherwise they might yell a warning when others come up.”
One of the Lady’s sailors ran up to Alli with a length of line and began expertly tying the arms and legs of the two guards. Finishing there, Mari directed him to do the same to Senior Mechanic Denz. “How many of these guards are there?” Mari asked Banda.
“Twenty.”
“We’ve already got two, so that leaves eighteen. Which of you will help me get those guards up in small batches?” she asked Banda and Gina, who exchanged glances.
“You’re asking us to participate in an action that is likely to lead to the injury of fellow Mechanics,” Senior Mechanic Gina said.
“You mean like the Guild did when it imprisoned your fellow Mechanics and assigned those guards over them?” Mari asked angrily.
“I am uncomfortable with the idea of actively assisting you as well,” Captain Banda said, “but it does not matter because they will not obey orders from me.”
“So I have to do the dirty work? Fine!” Mari looked around. The two former sentries and Senior Mechanic Denz were trussed up, the sailor in the final act of putting gags in their mouths and being none too gentle about it. She thought about telling him to ease up, but she was in a bad mood about once again having to deal with people who resisted being helped. “Alli, Calu, Bev, come with me. Dav, you and Amal cover the deck and our current crop of prisoners. How are Rob and the others doing up there?”
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