Privateer

by Margaret Weis

  “Don’t let them take me!” she begged, hanging back. “I can hear their voices! I know they’re up there waiting for me!”

  “You are safe. We won’t let them touch you. We are going to find Father Jacob,” said Miri. “He will protect us.”

  Gythe whimpered, but she gulped and nodded. Miri and Kate helped her from the cabin into the corridor and started toward the stairs. Gythe looked up, caught sight of Ian and Garrick and screamed. She covered her face with her hands and sank to the deck.

  The two young men stood staring at her, wide-eyed. Miri gave them a furious glance.

  “I hope you two are proud of this night’s work!”

  Neither answered. Both lowered their eyes.

  Kate and Miri managed to help Gythe climb the stairs and out through the hatch onto the deck. The sails were set and starting to catch the air. A lantern shone in the wheelhouse where a man was running his hands over the brass helm, sending air to start to inflate the balloons.

  People hauled at the lines, making the ship ready to sail. Kate noticed that they were all young, about the same age as Garrick and Ian.

  The commander was waiting for them.

  “About damn time.” He eyed Gythe. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “You’ve scared her out of her wits!” Miri said, glowering at him. She added grudgingly, “Will you still let us leave the ship?”

  “Of course, Mistress,” he said. “I am sorry we upset her.”

  Miri snorted and muttered something in her own language. Gythe shrank away, moaning, and tried to go back down the stairs. Kate caught hold of her. She and Miri managed to half drag, half carry Gythe down the gangplank.

  “Miri, do you recognize that man?” Kate spoke quietly. “The one they call ‘Commander’?”

  Miri shook her head. “I’ve never seen him before. He’s not a Bottom Dweller, I can say that much.”

  “How do you know?” Kate asked.

  Miri sniffed. “He’s too well fed.”

  They had just reached the end of the gangplank, when Gythe suddenly stopped, opened her eyes, and looked around.

  “The Doctor. Where is the Doctor?”

  Kate and Miri exchanged startled glances. Neither of them had seen or even thought about the cat.

  “He will be fine, Gythe,” said Miri. “Now come away…”

  Gythe shook her head. “I won’t leave him!”

  “I’ll find him,” Kate offered. “Where does he go when he’s frightened?”

  “Look under the stairs by the wheelhouse,” Miri answered. “If he’s not there, try the storage room. We’ll wait for you here.”

  She put her arm protectively around Gythe.

  “I need to come back on board!” Kate called. “I have to find our cat. Gythe won’t leave without him.”

  The commander looked exasperated. “Very well, but be quick about it. I think I saw the beast run under the stairs.”

  The stairs led to the platform near the wheelhouse where the Bottom Dwellers had mounted their green beam weapons. Glancing around, Kate counted fourteen young people on board, a mix of girls and boys. They were wearing the clothes typical of Bottom Dwellers: skirts and shawls worn crisscrossed over their chests for the women, baggy trousers and shirts for the men.

  The commander and the man at the wheelhouse wore similar clothes, but they were obviously not Bottom Dwellers. They both had tanned, leathery skin common to men who were used to being outdoors in the strong sunshine. And, as Miri had said, they looked as though they had always eaten three meals a day.

  Kate crouched down on her hands and knees to peer underneath the stairs. Two yellow eyes stared back at her. The Doctor flattened himself against the hull and hissed at her. When Kate tried crawling toward him, her hand outstretched, he lashed out with his claws. She sat back on her heels, wondering how she was going to pry him loose.

  Being near the wheelhouse, she could hear the commander talking to the helmsman, both of them speaking in Freyan. At first she was too preoccupied with the Doctor to pay much attention until she realized the men were talking about her.

  “I watched that woman with the cropped hair work on the helm and the lift tanks today, sir,” said the corporal, adding in grudging tones, “Looks like she did a good job. The helm is responding. Still, I’m not certain I trust sailing a strange ship through the Aurora.”

  “Since our other ship is now lying at the bottom of a swamp, we have little choice, Corporal,” the commander returned dryly. “Did you stow the pistols?”

  “Under the helm, sir. Are you expecting trouble?”

  “Not from the recruits. But one can never be too careful.”

  “What about those women, sir?” said the corporal. “I don’t like leaving them behind. They’re friends with that dragon, the Evil One’s minion. What if they summon it, send it after us?”

  “The dragon will be in his lair, asleep,” said the commander.

  “What if the women talk, sir?”

  “Let them. God be praised, now that we have this black ship, we won’t have to return to this hellish place. Carry on with your work. Where the devil is that wagon with the parts and the swivel guns? Those cost me two months’ pay. They should have been here by now.”

  “Sorry, Doctor,” Kate muttered.

  She reached beneath the stairs, grabbed hold of the cat by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him, scratching and clawing, out from under.

  The commander was just leaving the wheelhouse as Kate hurried past him, carrying the hissing cat at arm’s length and sucking blood from a scratch on the back of her hand. As she passed, she shot a quick glance at him.

  He was of medium height with the stern, intense expression of a soldier devoted to duty to the exclusion of all else. It was clear to her that he was military through and through, from his upright stance to his squared shoulders.

  She lugged the Doctor down the gangplank and thankfully handed him to Gythe. The cat immediately stopped hissing and gave a pitiful yowl, wanting her to know he’d been mistreated. Gythe held him tight and buried her face in his fur.

  “How is she?” Kate asked.

  “She’s calmer now that we’re off the ship,” said Miri.

  “Good,” said Kate. “I need to talk to you. Come over here where they can’t see us.”

  Gythe seemed quite content to leave the ship now that she had the cat. Miri and Kate led her into the field, some distance from the Naofa in the shadow of some brush. When Kate deemed they were far enough that the commander had lost sight of them, she stopped.

  “Those men are Freyan military,” she said to Miri. “They were the ones who were spying on us. They wanted to make certain I’d made the repairs to the magic and they knew how to take down our defenses.”

  “Those fool youngsters did this,” said Miri, her voice burning with anger. “Garrick and Ian are both crafters and would know how to use contramagic to burn holes through Gythe’s magic.” She shook her fist. “Wait until I get hold of them. I’ll smack them silly!”

  “You won’t have the chance,” said Kate. “They are not taking these young people to Kilean, Miri. The commander is sailing the Naofa to Above.”

  Miri stared at her, aghast. “Above? Are you certain?”

  “I heard him talk about traveling through the Aurora. He is tricking these youngsters, Miri. And this isn’t the first time. You said other young folk had disappeared. I’m thinking now we know why. Once they are Above, they would have no way to come back.”

  “But why would the Freyan military be kidnapping our children?” Miri asked, bewildered.

  “I’ve been wondering that myself,” said Kate. “The commander said he stole your ship because his sank in a swamp. And he said this was his last voyage. He’s done this before.”

  As they were talking, a wagon rolled into view, bumping and jolting across the uneven ground in the darkness. They heard the commander order several of the young people to unload the supplies.

  “The fool chi
ldren think they’re going to Kilean to start a revolution,” said Miri bitterly. “They’ll find themselves in a strange land, friendless and alone.” Her lips pursed in anger. “I’m going to put a stop to this!”

  She rolled up her sleeves and started to storm off, heading back for the ship.

  “Miri, you can’t!” Kate protested, grabbing hold of her. “The two soldiers are both armed. You need to think about Gythe.”

  Miri cast a worried glance at her sister. Gythe was swaying back and forth, cradling the Doctor and softly singing to him. The song was in Trundler, strange and eerie-sounding.

  “It’s a long walk back to town in the dark,” said Kate. “You stay here with Gythe. I’ll go fetch Father Jacob. Tell me where to find him.”

  Miri didn’t answer. She was gazing at the ship.

  “I can’t stop them,” she said abruptly. “I can’t leave Gythe. But you can, Kate.”

  Kate gaped at her. “Me? How?”

  “Go back on board the ship and warn them!” Miri said. “Tell the young folk the truth, that these men are lying to them.”

  “Miri, you’re not thinking clearly,” said Kate. “If the commander even gave me a chance to speak, he would only deny it. Or he might just shoot me!”

  Miri sighed. “You’re right. Well, at least we can tell Father Jacob. He can send a message to the Arcanum. The priests will find out what is going on and bring our young folk home.”

  They stood watching the wagon that was now surrounded by young people, hauling sacks off the wagon bed and carrying them on board ship. Kate saw two of them lift out a long wooden crate. Two more followed with another similar crate. Gythe was still singing to the cat, a song about someone named Annie and goblins snatching children from their beds.

  Kate stood pondering.

  “I have an idea. There might be a way to rescue the young people and steal back your ship. It means I’ll need to sail with them.”

  Miri shook her head. “No, Kate! That is far too dangerous. Forget I said anything. I had no right to ask you to risk your life.”

  “You saved Dalgren’s life,” said Kate, smiling. “You have every right. Besides, I will only be gone a short while.”

  “I can’t let you,” said Miri. “If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”

  “Nothing is going to happen,” said Kate. “Once the young folk find out they’ve been duped, they’ll be only too happy to help me take over the ship.”

  Miri was still shaking her head. Gythe dropped the cat to the ground and took off her skirt, sliding it down over her pantaloons. She handed the skirt to Kate, pointing at her slops.

  Kate immediately understood.

  “Good idea,” she said, and hurriedly dragged the skirt over her head. The skirt would help to hide the bulge made by the pistol in her belt, and if she stayed in the shadows, the slops could pass for pantaloons.

  “You’ll need this, too,” said Miri.

  She took off her shawl and tied it around Kate’s shoulders.

  “God go with you, Kate!” Miri gave her a fierce embrace.

  “Not a word to Dalgren!” Kate said. “I’ll be back before he knows I’m gone.”

  She ran to the wagon, picked up a sack of rice, and slung it over her shoulder. She arranged the sack so that it partially concealed her face, and walked toward the gangplank, keeping to the shadow. She was nervous, thinking every moment one of the young people would recognize her and call her out. She trudged up the gangplank, weighed down by the sack over her shoulder, and carried it into the hold.

  A young man took her sack from her. The hold was dark, lit by only a single lantern. He was working fast, and never bothered to glance at her.

  Kate sneaked back up on deck. The corporal was still in the wheelhouse, along with the commander. Once the supplies were stored, they would be ready to sail. The young people were emptying the wagon. Kate watched for her chance, and when no one was in view, she ran down the stairs that led to the crew quarters.

  The storage closet was located at the end of the corridor. Kate slipped inside and shut the door behind her. The closet was pitch-dark, but she didn’t dare light a lantern. She groped her way about in the darkness, moving slowly and cautiously to keep from knocking anything over.

  They would find her eventually, preferably after the ship had set sail. The corporal would be occupied in operating the helm and Kate didn’t think it likely the commander would go rummaging about the storage closet. If he needed something, he would send some of the young people. She would be able to talk to them, tell them they had been duped.

  The commander and his corporal were outnumbered. Kate would urge the young people to turn on them, overwhelm them, seize control of the ship, and return to Dunlow.

  She hoped they would believe her. She was an outsider, after all, but they had seen her with Miri and Gythe. If nothing else, she would plant doubt in their minds and perhaps they would confront the commander, demand to know the truth.

  A good plan. Kate didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. But she decided to conceal the pistol, just in case. Gythe had made a bed using some old gunnysacks for the Doctor during those times he was locked in the closet. Kate found the sacks, hid the pistol inside one, and then stuffed the sack in a corner behind a barrel.

  She heard the commander give the order to raise the gangplank. The airscrews began to whir, and Kate felt the jolt when the ship rose off the ground. She took off the skirt, sat down on a barrel, and waited for someone to come find her.

  * * *

  Miri stood with her arm around Gythe and watched their ship rise into the air and vanish into the darkness, taking Kate with it.

  “Mistress Miri,” said a muffled voice. “I can give you a lift.”

  She turned to see the driver of the wagon walking toward them. He wore a handkerchief tied around his nose and mouth and his hat was pulled low so that he wouldn’t be recognized.

  “I don’t want to leave you both stranded.”

  “You should have thought of that before you stole my ship!” Miri snapped. “How much did you get paid for this night’s work?”

  The man gazed out into the night. “Do you want a ride or not?”

  “What I want to do is kick you where you would feel it,” Miri retorted. She glanced at Gythe, then said grudgingly, “But we’ll take the ride.”

  The man assisted Gythe to climb into the wagon. He wrapped an old blanket around her and offered to hold the Doctor, but Gythe would not let him go. She lay down in the back of the wagon and curled up, cradling the cat.

  Miri climbed up on the seat next to the driver. He slapped the reins of the horse and the beast walked off. The wagon was old, and shook and rattled as it lurched over the rocky ground. The man again slapped the reins on the horse’s back to try to hurry it, but the horse didn’t pay much attention. He kept going at the same plodding speed.

  “You know I will tell Father Jacob about this,” Miri stated.

  The man shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. The Top Dwellers have all the youngsters they need. They won’t be back.”

  “Meaning our children won’t be back,” Miri said, her voice quivering.

  “Mayhap that’s not such a bad thing,” the man said. “This life is no good life for children.”

  As they neared the outskirts of the city, the horse appeared to perk up a bit, probably because he was close to home. Suddenly the beast shied and neighed in terror.

  Miri heard the sound of wings flapping overhead. She looked up to see Dalgren looking down. Flames flickered from between his teeth.

  “Mistress Miri, what is going on?” he demanded. “I was out hunting when I saw your ship sail away. I find you and Mistress Gythe here, but no sign of Kate. Where is she? She’s in some kind of trouble, isn’t she?”

  The horse bucked and reared, almost falling in the traces. The driver yanked on the reins.

  “I can’t hold him!” he shouted to Miri.

  Miri jumped off the wago
n. “Take Gythe to Father Jacob!”

  The driver barely had time to nod. He slapped the reins and the horse lunged ahead, eager to leave. The wagon lurched off.

  Dalgren circled overhead, waiting for her answer.

  “She’s doing me a favor. She asked me not to tell you,” Miri said. “She was afraid you’d come after her and she knows you need to rest.”

  Dalgren grunted, shooting flame from his nose. “What’s Kate done now? I’m going after her in any case, so you might as well tell me what I’m likely to find.”

  Miri relented. “Two Freyan soldiers stole our ship and kidnapped some of our young people. Kate stowed away on board the ship. She has a plan to bring the children back. She won’t be gone long.”

  Dalgren circled overhead in silence. Miri waited on the ground, worrying about Gythe. She shivered in the cold night air.

  Dalgren shook his head. His lips parted in a wry smile, fire flicked out from between his fangs.

  “Kate has a plan…” He sighed deeply and shook his head again. “Thank you for what you tried to do for me, Mistress Miri.”

  “Dalgren! No! Wait!” Miri called after him.

  The dragon made a sweeping, banking turn and then flew off.

  “Tell Father Jacob I am sorry,” he called, and then disappeared into the darkness.

  THIRTY-NINE

  The young people discovered Kate around dawn, when everyone on board was preparing to sail through the Aurora. A young woman opened the door to the storage closet and saw Kate, sitting on the barrel. The young woman gasped in fright and nearly dropped her lantern.

  “I won’t hurt you,” Kate hastily assured her, raising her hands to show they were empty. “I need to talk—”

  The young woman slammed the door and ran off, leaving Kate locked in the closet. After a short interval, the door opened again. One of the young men Kate had met earlier walked inside.

  “Keep your hands up,” he ordered. “Where is your pistol?”

  “I gave it to Miri,” said Kate. “Your name is Ian, isn’t it? You need to listen to me. These men are not taking you to Kilean. They lied to you. They are taking you to the world Above and once you’re there, you won’t be able to ever come home! You need to warn the others—”