Call of the Herald (31 page)

"Hullo, miss, I'm Bryn. Cap'n wants to see
you right away. I can take you to 'im if you'll just follow
me."

Catrin nodded and followed him to one of the
doorways leading into the deckhouse. As she stepped through the
hatch, she immediately felt confined and closed in. She bumped into
the walls as she stumbled and had to catch herself to keep from
falling. The ship's motions were subtle, but they wreaked havoc on
her sense of balance.

Bryn led her down the corridor to a door with
no identifying marks. He tapped lightly, opened the door, and
motioned for her to enter. The floor of the cabin was lower than
the deck, and Catrin looked down as she stepped inside, a motion
that proved to be a mistake. As soon as she lowered her head,
dizziness overwhelmed her and her stomach heaved.

Desperate to escape the cabin before she lost
control, she shoved Bryn aside and ran headlong to the railing
where she expelled the remains of her stomach contents; she didn't
think there'd be any more after her revival in the small boat, but
there was. Bryn came to her side and offered her water and a
towel.

"Thank you," Catrin said after a tentative
drink. "I'm sorry I pushed you."

"Not to worry. I understand. I was sick for
days when I first boarded the
Slippery
Eel,
" he said
with a wink. The cool air soothed her, and she slowly began to feel
better. She breathed in deeply then realized Nat and another man
had joined them. When she turned toward them, both men stepped
forward.

The man next to Nat looked different from the
others. His hair was light brown, and he was slight of build. His
nose hooked oddly, as if it had been broken more than once. He wore
no jewelry, had no tattoos, and his age was difficult to gauge, but
Catrin guessed he was in his middle years. Had she been asked, she
would have thought him to be a farmer or fishermen, but certainly
not a pirate.

"Lady Catrin, I'm Kenward Trell, captain of
the
Slippery Eel,
and I welcome you aboard," he said, going
to one knee. "Please accept my apologies for not recognizing your
discomfort. I've brought you a bit of herb to calm your stomach,
and it should also help with the headaches." The herb mixture
tasted vile and nearly made her retch, but she had confidence in
folk medicine and she focused on keeping it down as she waited for
relief.

"You should feel better in a little while,"
the captain said. "For now, we can talk where you are
comfortable."

"Thank you, Captain Trell. Your men saved our
lives, and we will be forever grateful."

"Please, Lady Catrin, call me Kenward.
Captain Trell was my father's name, and I've never answered to it,"
he said with a grin.

"Thank you, Kenward, and I am just
Catrin."

"I'm disappointed Benjin is not with us yet,
but a man as stubborn as he is could never come to harm. I'm sure
he'll be along soon," Kenward said. "Your passage fees have been
paid by Miss Mariss, though I'd have done it for free had she only
asked," he said, winking. "I'll only be taking you part of the way;
the
Eel
is stout, but the journey across the Dark Sea is
best made in a larger ship. I'll get you as far as the Falcon
Isles, where you'll board a larger ship."

"I've never heard of the Falcon Isles."

"Most haven't. It's a string of little
islands inhabited mostly by primitive tribes, but they also serve
as trading ports and hideouts for pirates, mercenaries, and other
misfits--like me." He winked again.

"How do we know there will be a ship there
for us?"

"Have no worries. My family has a large ship
at port there right now, and they are waiting for the
Eel
to
deliver goods before they sail for the Greatland. Your passage has
been arranged for on that ship. You've probably heard the folklore
about pirates, but we're just free sailors who bow to no
government, and we trade goods with other, like-minded groups and
individuals. They call us pirates, and we use it to our advantage;
it makes us seem more frightening." He chuckled. "That label helps
us in many ways. We're in a tight spot now, no arguing that--the
cliffs on one side and the reef on the other, not to mention the
obstacles in between. We'll need half a day to reach a sizable gap
in the reef, but when we're clear, we have open seas to the Falcon
Isles.

"Our biggest problem is that the Zjhon know
we're trying to escape, even if they don't know for sure where we
are. They've probably guessed we're within the reefs and will most
likely have the gaps guarded. I doubt they'll bring tall ships
inside the ring, for their drafts are much too deep. And let me
tell ya that we had quite a time getting the
Eel
in here
ourselves, but she's a sneaky wench. The
Eel
's faster and
more maneuverable than the Zjhon ships, so we'll just have to weave
our way through them.

"The cabin past mine is reserved for you, and
there are dry clothes in the chest. If your gut is still sour, feel
free to sleep on the deck," he said. Their conversation had taken
her mind from her upset stomach, which, now that she thought about
it, was feeling much better. Her body seemed to have adjusted to
the movements of the ship. Getting dry seemed like a good idea. She
thanked him and excused herself. As she walked toward her quarters,
Vertook approached Kenward.

"How can such a big thing stay on top water
when a man falls under?" he asked Kenward.

"It's all about buoyancy, my friend. Let me
show you . . ."

Their voices faded as she walked past the
captain's quarters to her own and stepped inside. It was just large
enough to hold a hammock, chair, and a small chest. A narrow shelf
was built into one wall, and on it was a small lamp, burning
low.

Catrin took off her damp clothes and sifted
through the chest for something near her size. She found pants that
were close enough. She had to pull the belt strings tight to keep
them up, but they were comfortable, and she found a baggy shirt
made of light material.

A knock at her door interrupted her thinking
about how to get into the sleeping hammock.

"Who is it?" Catrin asked.

"Nat," came the response.

"Come in."

"I'm so sorry I pushed you off the cliff,
Catrin. It was the only way to save you. I wanted us to go farther
east where we could have climbed down slowly. But the soldiers were
too close behind us; we would have made easy targets. The bowmen
would have done us all in, and I didn't want Irvil's sacrifice to
be for naught. I did what I had to do, as much as I didn't want to
do it," he said.

"You really frightened me, and you terrified
Vertook!"

"I know it. Vertook is quite wroth with me,
and I fear he will not be so forgiving. He hasn't spoken to me
since we boarded the ship, and he has been shooting me some nasty
looks. Would you explain things to him for me, please?"

In that moment, Catrin realized Vertook, who
was from a different culture, might want to take revenge to protect
her as well as his honor. Although being pushed over the cliff may
have been the only way to save her life, Vertook might not see it
that way.

"Certainly. I'll talk to Vertook, but right
now, I'm simply exhausted and really need to sleep." Another knock
came at the door, and Nat slipped out as Bryn stepped in, carrying
a mug of soup.

"Hullo again. I thought you might like
something to eat," he said. "It's compliments of Grubb, our cook.
He says that'll cure what ails ya."

"You are all very kind."

"It's still hot," he warned before she tasted
it. It was a hearty broth with chunks of vegetable, and Catrin knew
it was the kind of sustenance she needed.

"Would you like me to get your clothes
laundered for you?" he asked pointing to the pile of clothing she
had dropped on the floor.

"That would be kind of you. Are you sure you
have the time?"

"You're my main responsibility for most of
this trip," he said. "Cap'n wants me to make sure you're
comfortable and that you have everything you need."

She watched him as he folded her dirty
clothes over his arm and backed out of the cabin door.

"G'night, miss. If you need anything, be sure
to holler out. There's always someone on watch. Right now, you'd
best get some sleep. Tomorrow'll be a long day," he said as he
closed the door.

Their journey would begin at first light, and
Catrin was too exhausted to stay awake and worry, but her dreams
were visions of blood and fire.

Chapter 21

Stars are the souls of old sailors. They plot
the skies and guide the wayward home.

--Aerestes, Captain of the
Landfinder

* * *

Dawn found the
Slippery Eel
deserving
of her name. The crew scrambled, and the passengers huddled in the
deckhouse, trying to stay out of the way. Maneuvering the ship with
incredible skill, the crew prepared to guide the
Eel
through
the cavern entrance, which was just barely wide enough for the ship
to pass, and wood occasionally strained against rock. Using oars
and poles, they worked in concert to guide the ship around the many
obstacles, but some were unavoidable, and the ship listed and
jerked underfoot.

"Have no worries; the
Eel
can
withstand those little bumps and a lot more. We've taken no
damage," Kenward assured them as they rounded the last bend, the
horizon beyond. Waves battered the coastline; swirling vortices
formed around unseen rock formations, and Catrin feared they would
be crushed on the rocks. Kenward barked orders, and the crew
responded with alacrity, but the men seemed stretched to their
limits, and there was frenzied activity on the weather deck.

The ship rolled and turned sharply as they
cleared the entrance, caught in a dangerous current, and the waves
drove the ship dangerously close to the rocks. Kenward orchestrated
the movements of his crew decisively with instincts born of many
years.

As the
Eel
glided into deeper water,
there was an audible, collective sigh of relief, but the mood and
tension on the ship did not lighten completely. There were still
obstacles in the narrow channel, and they could not afford to take
damage.

Sailors began their practiced routine of
unlashing long sections of mast from racks along the deckhouse,
while others retrieved massive iron sleeves. They used rope,
pulleys, and a windlass to raise the broad bottom section into
place and guided it into a huge iron ring amidships. It slid nearly
half of its length into the hull. Once the base was settled in its
mounting hardware, the crew secured it with spikes, iron bars, and
threaded bolts of Kenward's design.

The crew continued to raise sections of the
mast, joining them with the sleeves. When the sails and rigging
were assembled and ready to be raised, Bryn climbed the bowsprit to
attach several lines, and Catrin admired his bravery. Before long,
the ship was moving under a small amount of sail.

With her homeland sliding by, Catrin's
thoughts turned to all those she had lost and left behind. Tears
filled her eyes as she thought of her father and Benjin. Equally
distressing were worries over the safety of Chase, Strom, and
Osbourne, her faithful companions. They had stayed by her side and
risked their lives for her, and now she was abandoning them. Unable
to bear the pain, she wiped her tears and concentrated on what lay
ahead.

As they sailed into deeper waters, the wind
gusted, churning the water to a choppy froth, and the western
horizon was lost to view, despite the rising sun. Kenward surveyed
the skies and the seas.

"I'd hoped for wind to give us speed, but
this weather may be too much for us. We cannot turn back now,
though. The water will only get rougher, and we would be hard
pressed to enter the cavern again. I'm afraid we must face the
weather and the Zjhon on this day. May the gods shine their light
upon us," he said solemnly. "We've a strong ship and a seasoned
crew, and we've been through tighter spots than this."

All on board kept a watchful eye on the
horizon, looking for signs of enemy ships and gauging the weather.
Catrin wondered if anyone else felt the intensity of the energy, as
if the air were charged. Her carved fish sparkled in the light as
she drew it from her shirt, and it looked nearly flawless. She left
it out, exposed directly to the light. Breathing in the energy, she
felt it flow through her, tingling and vibrating. Her head leaned
back, she inhaled deeply, relishing the power as it pulsed around
her. Part of her mind warned her against indulgence, but the
ecstasy overwhelmed her. Never before had she felt the energy so
strongly. It washed over her in massive waves, much the same as the
waves' relentless assault on the cliffs.

The energy made her body feel intensely
alive, and she wanted desperately to use it. The warning voice in
the back of her mind would no longer be denied, and she suddenly
realized she heard little besides the wind, water, and rigging. She
opened her eyes slowly, returning to the here and now and feeling
the loss as she let the energy out of herself. When she focused on
her surroundings again, she felt an uncomfortable silence, but it
was broken when someone urgently announced enemy ships in sight.
The crew sprang into action. Kenward commanded them by hand signals
and guided the ship close to the cliffs to hide in the shadows.
Everyone remained silent, and the tension grew exponentially as
time passed.

Zjhon ships were still visible in the
distance, but they neither closed the gap nor appeared to be
getting any farther away. Catrin felt in her gut that they had
already been seen and were heading into another trap. The feeling
persisted, and soon the Zjhon ships moved closer.