Master of Myth (The Antigone's Wrath Series Book 1) (21 page)

“Two. Hours. Time,” he repeated, punctuating each word. “I suggest you be on your way.”

She bent at the waist, giving a small bow of respect. “By your leave, then.”

Danton, Rachel, and their escorting party departed at a quicker pace than when they arrived. Their weapons were returned to them at the gate, and they were on their way back to the
Antigone’s Wrath
.

The chaos at the dock was much more organized than it appeared. While Yong Wu’s cargo was being unloaded, another group of men restocked the food and water supplies. Yet a third group was attempting to pack as much extra ammunition into the armory as was possible. Rachel was sure Yong Wu had lost his mind if he thought all of this would be completed by mid-morning.

And then, Jiao Wu arrived, an entourage of young men hunched over from the weight of her luggage trailing behind her. This, on top of the main baggage from the night before, was hardly a welcome weight.

Rachel’s gaped as she took in the sight. She hadn’t thought it was possible to fit any more chaos into this mess, but it appeared she was wrong. Yong Wu’s daughter continued down the pier, and the crowd parted without so much as a word from her. The girl had a distinct presence. She held her head high, back straight, and walked as though she owned everyone and everything within her line of sight. She was draped in brown silk this time. The embroidery was minimal, so these must be her traveling clothes. Rachel’s eyes followed the girl’s progress down the dock, then up the brow. Jiao’s gaze swept across the deck, stopping when she came to the captain. Rachel set her jaw and prepared to put the child in her place as she approached. Temper tantrums and screaming would get her nowhere, and Rachel wanted to make that very clear from the start.

Before she had the chance to say anything, Jiao halted a few paces from her, bowed, and spoke in a calm, controlled manner. “A good morning to you, Captain Sterling. If you have a moment, I would beg an audience to discuss our destination and my accommodations for the duration of our journey.”

Baffled by this unexpectedly mature behavior, Rachel nodded. “Er, yes. Of course. If you would follow me, please.” She motioned to Iris, who was reviewing some inventory, to accompany them. By chance, she glanced at the front of her ship and frowned. The harpooner was gone. She mumbled a curse under her breath. She would deal with that later.

In her quarters, Rachel offered Jiao a chair, and then seated herself behind her desk. Iris prepared tea while the other two talked.

“Now, you were saying, about your destination?” Rachel folded her hands and rested them on the desk.

“First, I feel I must address another issue,” she said. “I could see from your face yesterday that you were not at all pleased at having me aboard your ship.” Rachel made to protest, but Jiao held up a hand to stop her. “I assure you that the…” she paused momentarily. “The exchange you witnessed yesterday is not my preferred method of interaction. I would rather deal with things in a more adult fashion, but sometimes my father is stubborn, and a different tactic is required. When I learned of who had come to Singapore, I knew it was my only chance to meet you.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “And why was it so important that you meet me?”

Jiao smiled. “I owe you a great deal for freeing me from obligation to Li Han. I have wanted to meet you since I heard how you stole his hand. Any woman who would stand up to him and to my father is a woman I must know.”

“I don’t make a habit of removing the appendages of others.” Rachel smirked, then frowned as she remembered the confrontation, “but I don’t take kindly to assassination attempts, either.”

The girl nodded. “As for that, I hope you can trust that I’ll not attempt any such foolishness. There are far too many other methods to employ before resorting to violence. I do what I must to get what I want, but I do have my limits.”

Rachel was silent as she studied the girl. Iris placed a cup of tea on the desk for her after handing one to Jiao. The two women sipped their drinks as Iris retrieved her own cup and sat next to the younger woman. “Which monastery are we seeing you to?”

“I received an invitation to study with the monks at Zhuqing monastery,” Jiao explained. “It was an unsolicited correspondence, but I was quite excited to be asked.”

At the mention of Zhuqing, Iris choked slightly on her tea. “Zhuqing? Who sent for you?”

Jiao set her cup on the saucer, and looked at the first mate, evidently as surprised as the other. “Jamyang Drisa Rinpoche. Do you know of him?”

Iris’s confusion was obvious. “He was my teacher for many years. I didn’t know he was taking on more students.”

“Then this is a happy coincidence.” Rachel smiled. “It appears we’re headed for the same location.” She took another sip of tea.

Iris’s eyes narrowed. “It would appear so.”

At her tone, Rachel’s smile faded and she looked back and forth between Jiao and Iris. There was clearly more to this discussion than was being said. Whatever it was, she was sure Iris would fill her in later.

Miraculously, all the cargo was unloaded, all ammunition and supplies were restocked, and all of Jiao’s possessions were stashed on board shortly before eleven that morning. Rachel marveled at the efficiency of Yong Wu’s workers. They scurried off the dock now, looking more like ants than men, as the
Antigone’s Wrath
cast off the lines and pulled away. In a little more than a day’s time, they would arrive at the Zhuqing Monastery, hopefully to find some answers.

It was a treat to have a normal underway. Too many times of late, their departure was hasty and unprepared, and this took a toll on the pipes and sails. A small bit of welding was necessary at this stop to fix a bulging pipe, but that was seen to and completed in record time.

Silas remained holed up in his workspace, and she hadn’t seen him since she ordered him to make himself scarce. That was as it should be, but she found she missed his presence a little. His absence was probably for the best. Jiao hadn’t met Silas, and Rachel didn’t trust her yet. Despite her initial honesty, the girl admitted to resorting to almost anything to get what she wanted. That more or less boiled down to a “the ends justify the means” mentality. While, admittedly, some of her own dealings were in a morally gray area, Rachel never accepted a job she knew would bring harm to innocent parties. Small victories of conscience made her feel much better about some of her more questionable choices.
 

When she entered the pilothouse, Iris was waiting for her. The first mate said nothing, but the vexed look on her face indicated she was still brooding about the conversation with Jiao earlier in the morning.

“Tell me something,” Rachel said as she eased the ship away from the dock.

“Hmm?” Iris followed her lead.

“Why does it bother you that Jiao will be studying under your teacher?”

At the question, Iris paused, as if thrown for a moment. “I suppose I should not judge, but she doesn’t strike me as the type of student Jamyang Rinpoche would normally take on.”

“You refer to her admitted unscrupulous behavior?”

Iris nodded.

Rachel sighed and shrugged. “From what I know of you mystical types, you always have your reasons for your actions, whether or not you express them outwardly.”
 

“You are correct, but—” she began, only to be interrupted again.

“You do things that baffle me completely, yet give no explanation for your actions when asked. What makes you think that your teacher would do any differently? Did you expect him to send you a letter asking for your permission?”

“No, but—”

“And did you expect him to never take on another student ever again?”

“No, but—”

“Were you so perfect as a child that only someone exactly like you could become his student?”

“No, but—”

“Ah ha. So, I suspect this is merely jealousy on your part, then?”

Iris said nothing, preferring to pout silently instead. Rachel was not accustomed to calling Iris out for childish behavior. Her friend knew she was being unreasonable. There was no cause to judge Jiao so harshly when she only recently met her.

Rachel noted the victory mentally, but dropped the subject. She checked the course heading one last time before putting the engines into reverse and pulling away from the Singapore dock.

He cursed under his breath as the ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance. His mustache twitched as the corner of his mouth drew up in a half sneer. Minutes. He missed her by minutes. That damned female somehow managed to get in and out of port before he could locate her.

Getting to Singapore hadn’t been easy. That fool, Yong Wu, created such a mess of the trade routes he was an entire day behind schedule. Still muttering foul words about the
woman
that eluded him yet again, Mr. Mustache turned on his heel and stalked off the pier.

Leaving the bustling docks, he headed back towards his lodgings. There was talk of the embargo lifting, and he could plan his next move better with the information passed through the safe house. But as he passed a darkened alleyway next to a butcher’s shop, a smooth voice quietly called out to him.

“Always chasing the girl, aren’t you, Mortimer?”

He spun towards the voice, his temper flaring. “How dare—” As he saw who addressed him, the words vanished from his tongue. He coughed nervously. “Brother Matthias, I wasn’t told you’d be in Singapore.”

The low hood of the man’s cloak barely revealed his smirk. “And that fact surprises you? You’re not told half of the information you think you are.”

The muscles below his eye twitched in silent annoyance. “Indeed it seems that way. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Will Brother Isaiah be joining us?”

The covered head wobbled back and forth a bit in a vague “no.” “Not this time. He has… other business to attend to at the moment. I’ve come to deliver a message to you.”

“And that would be, what, exactly?”

“Your transportation to Zhuqing monastery departs in an hour.” He extended his arm, the end of which offered a small envelope. “Additional instructions are contained herein.”

“That’s all then?”

Matthias’s head bobbed briefly. “For the moment. I don’t doubt that we’ll be seeing you again very soon, Brother Mortimer.” His words spoke of a mutual respect that his tone did not match.

“Then I’ll be off.” He tucked the envelope inside his jacket and whirled around, leaving the cloaked figure standing alone, smiling eerily.

What started out as a clear day soon turned into overcast skies, and within hours, the first drops fell, causing Eddie to jump in surprise when the rain splattered against his goggles. The
Antigone’s Wrath
was airborne now, and he was busy tying down barrels, per the instructions the first mate gave him. He did as he was told, but all he really wanted was to be back down in the workshop with Mr. Jensen and the fascinating machine he was building. A few crewmen unbolted the harpooner from the deck shortly before Captain Sterling returned, and the new gun was rapidly approaching completion.

As much as he loved being aboard ship, Eddie grew nervous as the clouds above and around them darkened. By the time the rain began, his hands were shaking so badly he could barely tie a knot.

“Easy there, young man.” Jacob Masters grabbed one end of the line as it slipped from Eddie’s grasp. “A little weather is all it is. Not to worry. I’ve seen much worse than this little bluster.” His Irish accent lent his voice the sound of laughter, and it was difficult not to cheer up at the sound of it.

Eddie did his best to relax. He struck up a friendship with Mr. Masters the day before they arrived in Singapore and learned much from him in that short time. The stories the man told were full of adventure and danger, about raiders and attacks from the Air Transport Authority and Royal Navy. He didn’t know how much of what Mr. Masters said was true, but he liked him nevertheless. He also didn’t seem to mind having him around, which Eddie found very refreshing. He wasn’t trying to get in the way; he was simply curious and wanted to learn as much about this amazing ship as he could.

“Are these knots all right?” Eddie had to nearly shout now, as the wind kicked up.

Mr. Masters peered down, inspecting the lashings. “Aye,” he nodded approvingly, “you’ve done a fair job of it. Tighten that last clove hitch and it’ll be done.”

Eddie smiled, proud of his small achievement. He tightened the knot as instructed and stood up. “That’s the last of them, then. Is there anything else you’d have me do?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Nothing else for the moment. Thanks for your help, lad. I think you’d best get back to helping your master.”

Eddie gave a little salute and bounded off for the workshop. He had to slow his pace topside, as there was always the danger a sudden gust of wind would take him overboard, but he took the ladderwell steps two and three at a time as soon as he was below. He knew how to maneuver in the interior now, as he’d taken one too many boots to his hind quarters from sailors he inadvertently bumped into while running carelessly through the passageways. He didn’t want to be a nuisance; he was simply in a hurry all the time. There was far too much to see and do to be slow and leisurely about things.

He came to an abrupt halt in front of the door to Silas’s makeshift workshop. Eddie knew better than to burst through the door; he didn’t want to risk bumping Mr. Jensen or the invention-in-progress. He rapped quickly and waited. After a few seconds passed, there was a scraping sound, like something metal dragging across the floor, then soft footfalls, and lastly, the handle on the door turning. A pair of bleary eyes peeked out into the hall, blinking at Eddie as though not recognizing him. The spark of recollection flared behind his glassy retinas and Silas admitted him.

“You didn’t sleep, did you?” Eddie frowned at Silas as he closed the door. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you don’t rest for a while, Mr. Jensen.”

Silas gave a tired sigh and waved him off. “I’m fine. I need to finish this. The captain won’t tolerate this weapon being out of service for long. With luck, I think we can finish it in a few hours.”