by Dave Skinner
They were out from between the islands now. The sail came down, opened and filled immediately with a good wind. The crew kept rowing in quick, shallow strokes, helping the ship to reach its optimal speed. Even with the sail and the oars, it took time to catch the other ship, and Brayson knew from experience that this meant it was manned by experienced sailors; the fighting would be hard. Finally, the order came to “Ship port oars.” He saw the captain spin the wheel, and moments later heard the cracking as the Wave Splitter shattered the oars along the side of the other ship. Brayson threw over a grappling hook and Nails joined him on the rope as they strained to pull the ships together. Other men were swinging across the gap on ropes, and more men jumped over as the opening closed. But Nails and Brayson concentrated on securing the two ships together. By the time they stepped across to the other ship, much of the fighting was over apart from a group of men who were making a final stand at the bow of the ship. It was then that Brayson saw the girl fighting in their midst. He felt the connection instantly. His magic came on him like that, suddenly and without warning. Sometimes it was so subtle that he barely felt it. This was not one of those times. In fact, it was so strong that he stopped moving altogether.
He judged her to be a few years younger than him, perhaps eleven or twelve, small of stature with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. The ponytail and her dark complexion made him think she was a Traveller, but the cut and quality of her clothes put that thought to rest. If the clothes were not enough, her weapon told the tale also. She was wielding a Nadian sword, and she definitely knew how to use it. Brayson remembered the pennant he had seen earlier and looked at the top of the mast. The Nadian royal banner fluttered above his head.
Nails stopped beside him. Despite his size and amazing ability with a sword, he preferred not to fight if he could avoid it. If pushed, he would protect himself and his friends, but he never looked for trouble.
“I don’t think they need our swords,” Nails said. There were only three crewmen and the girl left. As he watched, two of the men and then the third were cut down. The girl stood at the bow of the ship surrounded by her dead crew. Two of the pirates attacked her together and were quickly felled. The others held back. Brayson saw Captain Horn moving towards the girl.
“We have to get closer,” he told Nails. They hurried forward. As they drew nearer, he saw the captain sheath his sword and hold both hands out.
“Be reasonable, girl,” the captain was saying. “You are valuable alive, and I would like to keep you that way. You will be held for ransom. No one will touch you. You have my word on that, so put down the sword.” The girl made no reply. “I’ll even return your sword to you when the ransom is paid.” That brought a smile to the girl’s lips, but not to her eyes. Brayson thought it resembled a sneer.
“Yucan Vee took two of our swords once,” she said. “He died regretting it. No doubt you have heard the story.” Captain Horn stepped back and turned to the pirates.
“Somebody take the sword away from her.” Tager, one of the best swordsmen in the crew, stepped forward. Brayson had practiced against this man. He was wild, dangerous and overconfident. Everyone moved back, and the duel started tentatively. Both had their swords out in front of them. Tager was making small circles with the tip of his sword, trying to draw the girl’s eyes to the point. Suddenly, he lunged forward. Brayson thought his intention was to draw her sword across her body by thrusting to her left and following up with a left-hand punch. Instead of using her sword to block the thrust, the girl simply swayed to the side, then darted forward and back in a flash. Tager crumpled to the deck. Two pirates rushed forward and turned him over.
“He’s dead, Captain.”
The captain motioned William forward. “Get me a crossbow. I’ve had enough of this little bitch. The rest of you search the ship for valuables.” He pointed at two men. “Hold her here. The rest of you get moving.”
“Captain, Nails and I can capture her,” Brayson said as he pulled Nails forward. “There is no need to give up the ransom.”
Captain Horn looked at Brayson and then at Nails. “You think so?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“No, it’s quicker just to put an arrow in her.”
“Nails can do it, Captain.”
“I don’t want to lose any more men,” Captain Horn shook his head.
“Please, Captain.”
“Why take the chance? What do you hope to get out of it?”
“If we succeed, you give us double shares of the ransom,” Brayson replied.
“Suit yourself, but if it isn’t done when William gets back, I shoot her.” The captain walked away.
“I don’t want to fight her, Brayson,” Nails said. “She’s a girl and she’s small. It wouldn’t feel right.”
“We have to do it. I can’t allow them to kill her.”
“What if she kills me?”
“Just pull up your scales and she won’t be able to hurt you.”
“I can’t just make my scales come.”
“If I can make your scales appear, will you do it?” Brayson asked.
“I suppose so, but I don’t think you can—ow!” Nails wailed as Brayson thrust his dagger into his arm. “—you stuck me with your knife!”
“And look, your scales are out. Now just go and grab her.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I’m your friend and I’m asking you to,” Brayson pleaded.
“If you were my friend, you wouldn’t ask me to fight her. I could get hurt.”
“If we don’t do something, they are going to kill her. Do you want to see that?”
“She’s nothing to me. I don’t care if they kill her,” Nails snapped.
“I care. She has to stay alive.”
“Why?”
“Because she is my half-sister.”
Nails stared at Brayson for a moment before he turned and charged the girl.
Chapter 7
Nails was stretched out on his bed when he heard Brayson enter their hut. He turned on his side so his back was to his roommate.
“They cleaned out the weapons hut and locked her in it,” Brayson told him.
“I don’t care, and I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you lied to me.”
“What did I lie to you about?”
“You said she was your sister, but I watched her when she woke up. She didn’t know you. If she was your sister, she would know who you are.”
“I said she was my half-sister. We have the same father, but my mother was a far darrig.” Nails rolled over so he was facing Brayson.
“If she was your sister she would have recognized you,” he insisted.
“We have never met. I have never been to Nadia. She probably has no idea she has a brother with mixed-blood.” Nails didn’t want to admit it made sense. “I have never lied to you, Nails.”
“But you stuck me with your knife, and it hurt.”
“It had to hurt to bring your scales out.” Nails glared at him. “I need you to forgive me because I need your help.”
“Help doing what?”
“I have to make sure that she is safe and no one bothers her.”
“The Captain said she wouldn’t be harmed, so she won’t be.”
“Normally, that would be true, but she killed at least three of our crew. She is being blamed for the deaths of all the men we lost. Those men had friends who are already grumbling about it. Captain Horn wants to keep her for the ransom, but he can’t stand against the whole crew.”
“We can’t stand against the whole crew either,” Nails replied.
“That will not be necessary if we can get her away from here.”
“That’s a stupid idea. We can’t get her away, this is an island and we don’t have a ship.”
“We can steal one of the fishing boats.”
“And then bring it back when she’s gon
e?”
“Coming back will not be possible. We will have to go somewhere else,” Brayson said firmly. That thought was like a splash of cold water.
“I don’t want to leave, Brayson. I like it here. This is my home.”
“Then just help me get her to a boat. You can stay here.”
“But we’re friends.”
“Yes we are, Nails, but I have to do this.”
Nails thought about what Brayson was saying. This was the best life he had ever had. He didn’t want to lose it.
“I’ll miss you, Brayson.”
***
Nails was still awake when Brayson came back from the ale hut. He had tried to sleep, but painful thoughts were running around behind his closed eyelids. He tried pushing them away but they kept coming back. At one point, he even considered slipping out before Brayson returned and killing the girl. Brayson would be sad that she was dead, but at least they wouldn’t have to leave. Life would go on the way it was, the way he liked it, and the anxious feeling in Nails’ stomach and the tingling would stop. Nails especially didn’t like the tingling. It was the first sign that something strange was going to happen to him. His hands would start to glow and then spark. Nails hated it when that happened. People stared at him and called him names. It used to happen a lot when he was younger, he thought it had gone away now, but the stupid girl was bringing it back. He wanted to kill her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt Brayson’s hand on his shoulder.
“Nails, wake up.”
“I’m awake.”
“We have to do it now before the drunks at the hut get any more worked up. I want to be far away before they come for her.”
Nails stood up and felt around for his weapons. He belted them on, threw his cloak over his shoulders and followed Brayson out the door. A half-moon gave them plenty of light to see by. They moved off towards the prisoner’s hut, but Brayson stopped by one of the supply stores and indicated for Nails to wait. He entered and returned shortly carrying a sailcloth sack and the girl’s sword and knife. Her weapons belt was wrapped around them.
“You carry these,” he whispered.
Nails took a quick look in the bag. “Food, good thinking.”
They crept along quietly in the dark. Brayson stopped when they were close to the hut and motioned Nails to stay where he was.
“Wait here,” Brayson whispered. They had agreed earlier that Nails shouldn’t be seen by the guard if he meant to stay behind. Brayson slipped away into the shadows. Nails heard him approach the guard; they exchanged some words, then the guard grunted and his body thumped to the ground. Nails made his way forward to see Brayson dragging the unconscious guard into the shadows. After dropping him, he then went to work on the lock, and had it open in a surprisingly short time, to Nails’ thinking. Brayson started to push the door when it suddenly jerked open, pulling him into the dark room. There was a loud thud and an “oof”, then the girl charged out of the doorway and ran into Nails, bouncing off of him and ending up back on the dirt floor of the hut.
“We are here to help you get away,” he heard Brayson say amidst the sounds of a struggle. “I will let you go, but we have to be quiet.” The sounds stopped. A few moments later, Brayson and the girl exited the hut. Brayson was rubbing the side of his face.
“We have your weapons.” Nails held them out, and the girl took only a moment to secure the belt on her hips. Brayson put a finger to his lips and then indicated they should follow him. He led them down to the shore and stood at one of the fishing boats pulled up there.
“Help me push it out, Nails,” he whispered. The boat seemed to make a lot of noise as they shoved it towards the water’s edge.
“What are you three up to?” a voice asked, and two men walked out of the shadows.
“Hey, that’s the prisoner,” one exclaimed as his hand went to his sword.
Nails saw the girl’s arm flick out, something glinted in the moonlight and the man fell with a knife in his chest. She sprang forward as the second man turned to run, grabbing her knife from the downed man’s chest, her arm came up, but the man started screaming.
“Help! The prisoner is escaping.”
“Destroyer,” Brayson swore. “Nails, he saw you. You have to come with us.”
For a moment, Nails considered grabbing the girl and holding her until someone arrived, but he threw the idea away. In a few heartbeats, Brayson and the girl were in the boat. He pushed it into the water, and by the time he scrambled aboard, Brayson had the oars set.
“We have to row through the channel before we can use the sail,” Brayson said. “You row Nails, I’ll handle the tiller.”
Nails slipped onto the seat and grabbed the oars. Bracing his feet, he began rowing as fast as he could. He could see torches moving along the path to the village and then men were spilling out onto the beach. They milled around until he heard the captain giving an order.
“To the ship.” All but one torch moved off towards the ship.
“Brayson...we can’t...outrun...the ship,” Nails panted. “We should...hide.”
“Where?” Nails didn’t have an answer.
“This sail is useless,” the girl said. “The canvas is rotten and full of holes.”
“I’m turning into the channel in two more strokes,” Brayson said. “If you can tip the mast into the water it might foul the ship’s passage.”
“Too heavy.”
“As soon as we clear the channel I’ll help,” Brayson said. “It might still cause them some trouble if they hit it straight on. End of the channel coming up, Nails.” Nails kept his thoughts on rowing. He had no breath to answer.
Underneath, he felt the choppy waters of the lake. Brayson turned the boat to starboard. If they could make Maidensland Island, they would have a chance. Nails was feeling the effort now in his shoulders and back, but he drove himself harder.
“Come and take the tiller Princess while I get rid of the mast,” Brayson said. The girl slipped by Nails and replaced Brayson. He scooted past Nails, and a moment later Nails heard something hit the water. The boat felt instantly lighter. “Do you want me to spell you, Nails?”
“No.”
Brayson and the girl changed places again while Nails rowed. He heard the waves slapping against the boat’s hull, the creak of the oars, the splash as they entered and exited the water. He looked at Brayson sitting in the aft. He was scanning the coast. Nails looked behind Brayson and for a moment couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Destroyer, there’s a small sailboat behind us, and it’s coming on fast.” Brayson twisted around to see.
“Too small to be the Wave Splitter,” he said. “It must be one of the other fishing boats.” He sat staring at the boat for a few moments. “Destroyer, it’s fast. Stop rowing, Nails. Get your swords ready, both of you. When they catch us, we overpower them and take their boat.” Nails watched the ship draw closer. He could only see one person sitting at the tiller and was about to say something when the girl called out.
“Reese?”
“Remi! Thank the Mother. I was so worried about you.” Suddenly the boat’s sail lost wind, and it slid up beside them. Nails grabbed the side and held it steady as the girl, Remi, stepped across to the other boat. He realized the person at the tiller was a girl as she stood. She was probably the tallest girl he had ever seen. He estimated she would be a few fingers shorter than him. The girls embraced, and Brayson jumped across to the other boat and then held the crafts together while Nails grabbed the food sack and stepped aboard the new boat.
“I hate to break up your reunion,” Brayson said, “but we are still in danger.”
“Sit down everybody,” the new girl, Reese, told them. In moments, the sail was full again, and they were scooting across the lake’s surface just as the Wave Splitter exited the channel.
“How many oars on that ship?” Reese asked.
“Thirty,” Brayson said.
“We
ll, this should be interesting.”
Nails knew if they were captured, he and Brayson would be killed, but that thought was not foremost in his head. The girl, Reese, was. First, she was the best sailor he had ever seen. She had her ship tearing across the lake. Every move she made was smooth and purposeful. And, she was amazing to look at. Like Remi, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her complexion was dusky. Her eyes were green, and they seemed to glow, but the feature that kept drawing his eyes was her hair. It was light red, like an early strawberry. He felt Brayson reach over and shove his chin up.
“Try not to be so obvious,” he whispered.
Reese coached every ounce of speed out of her little ship, but how the race would end was inevitable in Nails’ opinion. The Wave Splitter was a fast ship with an experienced crew and captain. It would catch them eventually.
A soft glimmer was starting on the horizon by the time the Wave Splitter was almost on them. Nails had his head down; the anxiety of the race was overwhelming him. His hands were clutched between his knees, and they were glowing and tingling.
“They’ll be close enough to steal our wind in a few moments,” Reese told them. “I figure they’ll ram us, so be ready to jump. Here they come.”
Nails felt the speed of the ship fail. As their last bit of forward movement died, Reese twisted the tiller, sending the little ship off on an angle. The Wave Splitter couldn’t maneuver as quickly, but Reese’s effort wasn’t enough. The hull was almost on them. Its bow was going to brush their sailboat despite Reese’s efforts. Nails stood. His intention was to hold the ships apart, but as his hands touched the hull of the Wave Splitter, a surge of something escaped them. The bow of the larger ship blew apart. From the deck down, nothing existed anymore. The Wave Splitter’s motion ceased as water flooded in and it began to sink. Reese’s little ship was pushed away by a wave that spread as the ship plunged deeper into the lake. Nails stood, staring at his hands. No one said a word. When he looked up again, the stern of the Wave Splitter was sinking out of sight.
