Privateers in Exile

by Jamie McFarlane

  I thought we'd made a clean break when suddenly we were awash in a bright flood of light coming from the sloop only a hundred meters behind us. A moment later a single shot from the turret tore up the rocky ground in front of us, showering us with stone chips and deafening us with the gun's report.

  "You will halt!" a human voice demanded over the ship's public address.

  "Aferago," Thabini said, pushing the still-unconscious Bongiwe into Hambo's arms.

  "No, they'll kill us," I said, sure my words would be understood.

  Thabini looked up at me, smiled and said, "Magic."

  I looked at him and raised my eyebrows, wondering if I'd heard him right. From every angle, flaming arrows arched in from the darkness surrounding the prison courtyard. Arrows – even flaming arrows – seemed a silly weapon with which to attack armored ships. The look of confidence, however, never wavered on Thabini's face, even as the two dozen arrows in the first volley simply bounced off the ship.

  "Per aferago," Thabini said, turning away from the ridiculous scene.

  "No, Thabini. They'll kill us," I said. "Arrows are nothing against a warship."

  "Magic," he responded, smiling and snapping his fingers. As if in response, the arrows that had landed all around the three ships exploded, expelling an inky blackness that expanded in size at an alarming rate, enveloping the ships almost instantly and blotting out all light.

  Thabini was no fool. He pushed us from our original path just before a shower of blaster bolts landed. With fresh adrenaline and hope, we ran into the night, ignoring the welts of pain caused by flying debris as Chappie's guns searched for us. After a few minutes bright spotlights filled the sky as the Belirand ships launched and started their own search pattern, free of Thabini's magic.

  Instead of running away from the city, Thabini led us along the edge of the river delta where it met dry ground. A few minutes later, having gained the sure footing of the city's rock-paved streets, we were met by a small group of Scatters. A solid-looking female relieved Hambo of Bongiwe and we followed the group into a well-hidden, vegetation-covered entrance to one of Thandeka's many underground passageways.

  "I have to stop," I finally complained as the group urged me to keep moving at a pace I couldn't maintain. The constant jarring of my broken ribs made breathing nearly impossible and as adrenaline wore off, I became more and more aware of my twisted knee.

  "Nestawary," Hambo said, looping an arm back beneath my shoulder and propping me up. "Nestawary."

  "I can't go much longer," I said, limping forward at his urging.

  I'd lost track of both Bongiwe and Thabini, but a few moments later Thabini appeared and held up his hand. We stopped at the edge of an opening that would no doubt lead us onto a cobblestone street where we would make several turns and end up back in an underground passage. We'd repeated the maneuver ten times already and I'd lost faith that we'd be stopping any time soon.

  Thabini bent and placed his hands on the cuff of my too-short pants and looked up at me for permission. I nodded and he pushed at the material in an attempt to get it over my knee. My knee was the size of a cantaloupe and the narrow pants weren't going anywhere. Quick words were exchanged and Hambo extracted his crystal sword, handing it to Thabini. Thabini split the pant leg along its side and for a few seconds, I felt blessed relief from the pressure, though it was only momentary.

  Thabini tsked, which caused me to chuckle. The expression was something I'd thought to be completely human, and Thabini was certainly not that. The chuckle caught his attention and he looked from me back to my knee, shaking his head as if to imply that I was in quite a pickle.

  "Right you are, my friend," I said. Instead of leaving, he moved to my other side so both he and Hambo could help me walk. It was an awkward way to move, but with his help we made better progress.

  Each time we exited the tunnels, I searched the skies for Belirand ships. Sometimes I’d see one or two in the distance. Finally, we entered a tunnel that had a much steeper downward pitch than any of others. We were well below the ground-water level and I wondered just how they kept the river from flooding the passageway. I suspected Thabini might have explained that it was magic. Of course, I wouldn't have believed him any more than I believed his helpful little ink-blasting arrows were magical.

  After bottoming out, we climbed back toward the surface again, but this time I saw a strange glow ahead. As we approached, I became aware of a few Scatters standing in the hallway, crystal swords or bows in hand.

  "Thabini," they murmured, bowing slightly as he approached.

  "Fera Nothando," he answered, unhooking himself from me and handing me over to one of the guards. "Hambo aferago. Chancile."

  We moved into the large room and I was helped onto a low table just inside the doorway. Hambo looked at me, then back to Thabini and bowed. "Chancile, Thabini. Chancile, Liam Hoffen." With nothing more to say, Hambo ran off, I assumed looking for Nothando. A moment later, I was proven right.

  "Liam Hoffen," Nothando, the elderly healer looked up from where he was working on Bongiwe, his hands and arms stained with her blood.

  "Bongiwe. Will she live?" I asked.

  Though Nothando didn’t understand my words, he understood my question and shook his head sorrowfully as he came over to where I sat, explaining her fate in words I couldn’t understand. I'd seen it before. Without the technology I was so accustomed to, Bongiwe wouldn’t survive. She'd sustained too much damage and lost too much blood for her own body to heal itself.

  My frustration boiled over. She'd given her life for mine, a trade that made me feel unworthy. "Frak!"

  "Frak," Nothando echoed more quietly, as he patted my knee. His eyes flew open and he startled, realizing that what he’d touched was swollen beyond recognition.

  "Can you understand me?" I asked.

  Nothando held his hands up and shrugged. "Understand little," he answered.

  "If I had my ship – spaceship…," I said, waiting to see if he understood. I saw nothing but confusion. I put my hand in the air, made a swooshing sound and then tapped my chest. "Spaceship. Mine. I could help Bongiwe."

  He pushed his hand in the air and made a swooshing sound. I nodded. "Spaceship," I said, pointing at his hand. "Liam Hoffen spaceship. Ada Chen suspension chamber. Heal Bongiwe!"

  A lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "Quelitu?" he asked. It was the word they'd often used for suspension chamber. "Space … ship …"

  "Yes! Suspension chamber. Spaceship," I said.

  "Nothando fera Liam Hoffen spaceship, quelitu," he said.

  "Yes! We have to go now. Save Bongiwe," I said.

  He pointed at my swollen knee and grimaced. With great effort, I pushed up so I was standing. No part of me didn't hurt, but at least I was no longer coughing up blood. If I could get to Hotspur, we’d up the voltage on this little party.

  Chapter 15

  Energy Weapons and Crystal Grottoes

  After a rapid exchange of words between Thabini and Nothando, we were off again. Apparently, Thabini had made the decision to leave the healer behind to tend to the dying Bongiwe. Having stopped for a few minutes made my knee feel even worse and I leaned heavily on Hambo. He made no complaints and oddly, always had a quick, reassuring smile when I looked at him. I found myself wondering if he'd volunteered for the duty or had been assigned.

  Shuffling back through the underground passage, we exited the same way we'd entered. I'd counted roughly forty men and women in the large room where Bongiwe had been taken. It was the second such room I'd seen and I wondered how many other secret rooms they might have. While I had a limited grasp of the Scatter language, I was good at reading body language. I knew two things for sure about this group: each person knew what they were doing was dangerous and they all trusted Prince Thabini as their leader. Their faces showed determination, a trait I found common amongst humanoid species, especially when doing the right thing under difficult conditions.

  The morning sun was still an hour o
ff, but dawn was breaking as we exited onto the street. Across the canal, a few Scatters moved about. I held my breath as I waited to discover if they'd seen us. They were either the least observant people in existence or purposely ignored our presence. This idea was reinforced when Thabini let loose a loud whistle, that to me seemed to say – here we are, come and get us. Hambo grinned widely, observing my wide-eyed expression as I shuffled back into heavy shadow.

  "Qinani," Hambo whispered, pointing low over the horizon.

  I strained to see what he was pointing at and for a minute, I couldn't find anything. Hambo moved closer so I could more easily sight along his finger. It was then I saw the unmistakable silhouettes of giant golden eagles flying directly at us. Even though it was mostly dark, the great birds flew where the sky was the lightest, dragging with them the approaching dawn. They were magnificent. Having ridden one, I'd become a life-long fan and relished the idea of once again being allowed to ride. It almost made my broken ribs and twisted knee worthwhile. Almost.

  A familiar whistling sound cut through the air just before the eagles landed on the stone railing that separated the canal waters from pedestrians. The birds were ridden by Scatters in the subtle uniforms all the riders wore. Dismounting, the three gathered around Thabini, who spoke quickly and with an authoritative yet friendly tone.

  With little hesitation the three removed both their crystal lens goggles and dark, hooded cloaks. The largest in the group, a man significantly smaller than me, adjusted goggles on my face as Hambo helped me struggle into the cloak.

  After one more quick exchange of words, I was led to the side of an eagle. Having been atop one before, I knew what I needed to do, but there was no combination of moves that would allow me to use my twisted knee to mount. Hambo, in an undignified manner, pushed me up onto the bird's back, causing both the giant eagle and me to shuffle uncomfortably. Fortunately, seeing our plight, one of the riders settled the insulted bird.

  Once I was in place, Hambo unexpectedly jumped up behind me and wrapped his thin arms around my waist. I wasn't sure what to do next as Thabini still spoke with the lead rider. However, recognizing that we were as ready as anyone can be on the back of a giant bird, he jogged over, nimbly leapt onto the back of one of the remaining two and gave a warbling whistle. In response, his eagle stretched its great wings and leapt from the railing. The rider holding our bird answered Thabini's whistle with one of his own, released the reigns, and lifted his hand into the air.

  I'd been concerned that my weight was too great for the giant eagle on my trip down the mountain. During that flight, I'd discovered that these birds had tremendous strength and I wasn't a bit surprised when my mount lifted easily. My ribs ached as the bird fought against gravity, flapping its great wings and lurching higher, each beat seeming to lift us a couple of meters.

  "Bell-e-runde," Hambo yelled over the rush of wind. We'd barely reached a hundred meters elevation.

  "Where?" I asked, scanning the quickly lightening sky.

  He pointed behind us and I twisted uncomfortably to get a good look. He was right. A few kilometers to the west the rundown cutter chugged slowly across Thandeka's skyline. Either they hadn’t seen us or they didn't think the patrol had anything to do with their escaped prisoner. I craned my neck, scanning for the other ships, relaxing when I didn't find them.

  "Frak!" I said as I noticed the cutter had turned from its patrol and was headed directly toward us.

  "Thabini!" I shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. Unfortunately, we were separated by forty meters and the distance made it impossible for him to hear my cries. I urged my eagle forward, leaning into her and kicking my heel into her breast. Sensing my urgency, the bird attempted to accelerate, beating against the damp morning air. I pulled at the reigns, directing the eagle in Thabini's direction and was rewarded with an annoyed squawk and a shake of her head. Fortunately, the squawk caught the attention of Thabini's eagle and it slowed, allowing us to overtake their position.

  "Belirand!" I shouted, coughing as I attempted to draw another breath. The coughing attack disabled me, but Hambo knew exactly what was going down and shouted with excitement, pointing out the accelerating ship.

  To his credit, Thabini didn't panic. Instead he whistled instructions to the birds. Much more effective than my kicks, the whistles caused both eagles to work harder, diving to gain speed. We lost half our elevation in a matter of seconds.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder as I recovered from my coughing. Hambo pointed at Blue Mountain, ten kilometers away. I tried following the vector his arm implied, but the action was difficult to calculate without help from an AI. The one thing I knew for a fact was that the Belirand ship would be on us a lot sooner than we'd make the mountain, regardless of where he was pointing.

  Dipping lower and beating fast, the birds dropped to only a couple meters above the tops of the pine forest. Hope buoyed as I spied the broad mouth of a cave, still several kilometers away. The fact that we were flying at top speed and headed directly at the center of the opening made me believe it was indeed our destination. My hope was short-lived. I felt the heavy vibrations radiating from the pursuing cutter, followed quickly by the uneven mechanical rattle from its ancient engines.

  "Land or be fired upon," a tinny voice projected out over the forest. We were moving fast for biological beings, but lining blasters up on something moving at twenty meters per second wouldn't be much of a challenge. It was rotten luck, which seemed the only kind I was capable of recently. I could see my goal, yet I would again be stopped by Belirand. I dearly despised this company.

  I felt a small, strong hand pushing at my back. Initially I resisted, but Hambo was insistent, so I leaned further forward. I was almost thrown from the eagle when it banked hard to starboard and beat its wings, gaining a small amount of elevation, but picking up speed as it did. Through my legs I felt the great beast’s heart hammering as it strained to keep up with Thabini. The air around us crackled with electricity as a blaster bolt sizzled past.

  "We can't survive this," I yelled at Thabini. I was too far away for him to hear, so I pulled on the eagle's reins, unwilling to be the reason Thabini got killed. I'd rather be handed over to Belirand again than to cause these gentle people more pain.

  The eagle had different ideas. Instead of slowing, she flipped her beak back and forth angrily. When I attempted to fight with her, she gave a great swipe of her head from one side to the other, snapping the reins from my hands and breaking them against the back of her neck. She squawked loudly, obviously unhappy that she had to show me who was in charge.

  "That was your only warning. Next one is for real." The speakers on the outside of the ship might have been crap, but the message was well delivered. There was no way these eagles stood a chance against an armed ship.

  A familiar crackle of energy was the only warning we received of a second shot. Just how my eagle knew the shot was not aimed at us, I had no idea. Perhaps more remarkable was Thabini's intuitive response. Just before the deadly bolt was released, his eagle flared its wings, trading speed for elevation. The blaster bolt seared past harmlessly as Thabini peeled off twenty degrees.

  In horror, I watched as the comparatively massive cutter turned and chased after the prince. The rational part of my brain understood the move. Thabini was the high value target, whereas the unknown human was just a distraction or a bit-part actor in a centuries-old drama. Taking down a rebel prince was where the real action was, something both Thabini and the cutter pilot knew.

  The blaster-dodging scene repeated itself a couple more times as we climbed up the mountain, putting distance between us and the fight. I flicked my glance nervously between our destination and the aerial combat that promised to end the life of the prince who'd risked everything to keep me alive. An explosion of feathers abruptly ended the combat as a blaster round from the decrepit ship finally found its target. Hambo's wailing cry communicated the depth of his anguish as we watched Thabini's lifeless body tumble from the s
ky into the pine forest below.

  The eagle I rode landed in the mouth of a cave. I'd born the burden of so many lives. In that moment, Thabini’s death just seemed to crush me. Sliding off the eagle, I found myself unable or possibly unwilling to stand against the pain of my knee and crumpled to the ground.

  "Nis, Liam Hoffen," Hambo said, his small hand coming to rest on my shoulder. "Bell-e-runde aferago. Per fera Quelitu."

  The sides of the cave had obscured our view and hidden the cutter's approach. With little warning, the sound of the ship's engines filled the cave and its bulk blotted out the sky.

  "Frak," I said, almost too exhausted to move. Fortunately, Hambo wasn’t willing to let his prince die for nothing and he pulled at me, helping me up. I hobbled forward until we felt the familiar charge building. Together we dove to the uneven cave floor as rock shards rained down on us. Without missing a beat, Hambo pulled me up again and we charged headlong toward the back of the cave where a passageway branched off. Once we disappeared around the bend, the cutter would have no direct shot. Unfortunately, the cutter crew didn’t give up and continued to fire into the cave, pelting us with debris.

  "Liam Hoffen," Hambo said, slowing and pointing forward. "Quelitu."

  "Hambo, come on," I urged, looking at my flagging companion. It was then I noticed the rock shard which had impaled him. Initially, it didn't look too bad, but I soon realized the shard had entered from his back. He was going into shock from the impact.

  "No," I begged. "We're so close."

  "Liam Hoffen, aferago," Hambo said, falling to a knee.

  I pulled at his shoulders while keeping the weight off my unusable knee. My gyrating motions returned Hambo to the here and now, although probably from pain I'd unwittingly caused. He looked up at me with renewed determination, got back to his feet and pushed into me, tenaciously moving us down the narrowing path.