The Gypsy Queen (16 page)

  He took Yana, Emilee and his four remaining men and headed for the shore of the
Black Sea
. Fully armed, they stole across the poor dusty streets of the Lower Reach and onto the shore. There was only one boat at the dock that was capable of sailing to Kaffa with major cargo, a big brown ship called the Panzar. Bastion led his team to board the ship with swords
drawn, expecting either an all-
out fight or... friends.

  Two of Bastion’s men greeted them as they came on board. Bastion had sent them to scout out the ship, and to commandeer it if possible. He was relieved to find that they had, in fact, taken over.

  “We found seven men aboard, Captain,” said one of them. “Six of them met their deaths.”

  “And the seventh?” Bastion asked.

  “We have him in a cage in the hull. He fought with us but now seems open to helping us.” Bastion was pleased. His men were well-versed in interrogation.  “What did you find out?”

  “There’s another ship already on its way to Kaffa full of slaves. It’s piloted by a man we wish was among the dead.”

  “What man is this?” Bastion asked.

  “A fat, bearded man named
Volga
.” The rider looked over at the burning castle and the chaos of villagers scurrying around it. “Looks like he is going to be homeless. Perhaps headless would be even better.”

  Bastion looked around at the boat. He had heard of
Volga
before.

  “Think we can catch him?” he asked.

  “They only left hours ago, during the night. It’s possible, but there may be some stormy weather. That could help you or slow yo
u down, depending on who hits the storm
first.”

  The other rider who had captured the ship spoke up. “It might help you if we were to offload some cargo first,” he said, opening a door on the main deck. He motioned ‘come here’ with his hand, and out came a captive. Then another, and another. Bastion looked in to see that there were more than a dozen.

  “We found them down below, among some of the other goods,” the rider said.

  The whole group would have cheered their victory, but there was no time, and
Volga
was still at large with more slaves.

  Bastion did not hesitate. “Take all the captives to our wagons,” he told the first man. “Emilee will show you where they are hidden. Get everyone back to
Jedikai
as fast as you can.”

  “You,” he said to the other, “cast off the mooring lines. We sail for Kaffa.”

  “I want to go with you!” Emilee protested.

  Bastion looked at Emilee. “The captives and the caravan will need you and your bravery to get them back to
Jedikai
. Go,” he said.

  “Yes, Captain.” Emilee had taken the same vow as the other gypsy children. “Please bring Yana home safe,” she said, looking to
Yana
. Without another word, she turned and began assisting the captives getting off the ship. In only a few moments, those who would go to
Jedikai
were off the ship and headed for the caravan, and those who would sail to Kaffa were underway. Bastion barked out orders as they went.

  “Climb to the top of the mainmast,
Yana
, and release that sail,” he instructed her. Bastion ran for the long oars, where he had ordered the men. They stroked the water hard as they slipped away from the dock and towards the deeper waters of the
Black Sea
. The sweet, sickly smell of the burning castle drifted over them as the breeze was rolling out to sea. In a few moments, the sail came tumbling down and popped open with a great ‘WHOOM’ adding speed to their departure. Bastion took the helm, steering them to take full advantage of the wind.

 
Yana
swung down a rope off the mast like an acrobat, and joined Bastion at the helm. It was smart of him to send her, she realized- no one else could have done it so quickly.

  “You actually know how to sail?” she asked.

  “They don’t call me ‘Captain’ just for my good looks,” Bastion answered.

  “I have never sailed before,” she said.
Yana
walked over to the side. The depths of the cold sea were frightening. She looked up and saw the great expanse of water they were gliding across. The sun rose into the morning sky as they sailed northeast.
Yana
found it breathtaking. She loved nature, and was seeing it in a new way. She pulled out the telescope she stole from the gatekeepers, to get a better look.

  Clouds were looming in the distance, but many miles away. She decided to explore the ship. She looked in all the doorways on deck, all storage except for the Captain’s quarters. It was a small cabin, but nicely appointed.
Yana
looked through the supplies. The ship seemed to be well-stocked for the journey.

 
Yana
took the little ladder that led below deck, endlessly curious. It was dark, except for the small streaks of light
that came in through a few planks
. It had a terrible feeling that made her stomach sick. The boat was rocking as it sailed, and on deck it was no problem, but being in the dark made her queasy. She smelled the spices and supplies the ship held, and it added to her nausea. Then she spotted the man held captive in what looked like an animal cage. How fitting,
Yana
thought. The man was sleeping, and
Yana
elected to leave it that way and get out of the awful cargo hold. 

 
Yana
strolled the deck once more, feeling better. She rounded a corner, only to find Bastion’s men casting off the bodies of the men they had killed in taking over the ship. She turned away in revulsion. Ugh. She remembered the grim business they were about, wishing that she was on her way back to
Jedikai
, instead of heading for Kaffa. She recalled the man in the dungeon that she had killed, remembering the feel of the dagger as she had done it. She hated this business, but she hated even more the thought of a single person languishing in a dungeon the way they had found Jaelle. She longed for her happy caravan of gypsy friends, dancing and laughing.

 
Yana
felt afraid, thrilled, and exhausted. She did not fe
el restless, she was just eager to settle the matter and get back
. She wanted to finish this quest.
Yana
felt bad as she realized that the end of the mission would mean she would have no more purpose... and it would mean that she would not see Bastion anymore. She watched him captain the ship, seeing the wind in his face and the determination in his eyes. She liked that.

 
Yana
had been on the run from Bastion since they had brought him back to the
kingdom
after she had found him. She had avoided the
kingdom
, and avoided the heartbreak she had felt even as they had travelled away from
Jedikai
that day. It was going to be even worse, this time, she realized. She had loved that dear boy, and loved him all the more
, now
, with every moment she spent with him. She tried to keep her love restrained, but was doing a poor job at it, since he had become part of her life once more.

 
Yana
jumped as Bastion put his hand on her shoulder. She had been daydreaming, trying to imagine what he would look like on the throne she had stood before in
Jedikai
.

  “It is beautiful,” he said, looking out with her across the
Black Sea
.

  “Yes,”
Yana
agreed. “How long will it take to get to Kaffa?” she asked.

  “It is a two-day journey, in good conditions. We may catch up with the other ship before we make port,” he said. “If not, we’ll have some tough decisions to make.”

  “What awaits us in Kaffa?”
Yana
asked.

  “Could be anything. Could be easy to strike down the slave traders and rescue many captives. I do have some information on the Kaffa operation, from the
kingdom
.”

  “Do you think it will be easy?”
Yana
asked.

  “No.”

 
Yana
felt a chill at the answer. She knew he was right.

  “Could be the end of us all,” he said.

  “Is this what you do? Charge headlong into your possible death all the time?”
Yana
asked.

  “I am about my father’s business, the
kingdom
’s business,” Bastion said. “Besides,” he added, “it is much more interesting than staring at the walls of the throne room, or going to parties I care nothing about.”

  “It’s not just that, is it?”
Yana
asked.

  Bastion gave it some thought. “No. It’s not just that. It’s just that... well...” he trailed off. “When we were children, and you rescued me in that storm, I never forgot it. I might have died right then, if you had not taken action.”

  “Foolish boy,” she chided him. “Out in the open like that.”

  “Yes, I was a foolish boy that day. But I have since put away childish things,” he said. Bastion put his arms around
Yana
, holding her close. He felt so... safe. She could feel his strength, and smell the leather armor he wore. It smelled good. She breathed in deeply. He held her longer, almost as if he was trying to say something just by his embrace.

  “You see,
Yana
,” Bastion said as he released her, “it
was you that inspired
me, for what I do in my life.”

 
Yana
was confused. “You don’t just do this because you want to wander around like a gypsy.”

  “I did love our travels, those few weeks when I recovered. I loved seeing the countryside. But you are right, that’s not it.”

  “Then what is it?” she asked.

  “It’s helping people. Helping people that need help. Saving people
that need rescued. All the gold
in the
kingdom
doesn’t really mean a thing. The parties, the prestige... it’s all empty.

  “The song and dance and jokes of the gypsies- those things are good
,
simple pleasures, and important, but...  it’s hard for me to enjoy such leisure, when the people need me.”

  “That sounds like a terrible burden,”
Yana
said.

  “And now you know of it,” Bastion said. “Your coming to help me, from the other night in the gulley, all the way to Kaffa- it is a sacrifice for you.”

  “Aye. Somehow, I do not mind too much,” she said.

  “
Yana
, you are beautiful to me. From our youth, to the bellydance, to the Great Hall... charging across miles of meadows,” he said, “but I think the most beautiful I have ever seen you, was setting fire to that castle. Seeing you fight for your people, your passion...” he trailed off again.

  “I
n that moment, I saw you at your finest,” Bastion said.

 
Yana
was speechless. Could it be that he felt the same way about her, as she felt for him? She set her hand on his, on the starboard rail. She wanted to help his burden feel lighter somehow. She did not have her harp, or any other music at hand. She leaned in and set her head on Bastion’s chest. She leaned in closer, wishing she could make him feel something as powerful as the way he made her feel.

 
Yana
was torn between her desire to express herself to him, and her need to keep some sort of distance. She already knew the heartbreak that was coming to her when their time was over, and she would deal with that when she got to it. Most likely, she figured, she would run and travel as far away as she could. She knew she would never find anyone else like Bastion, but she hoped she would at least find something to help her forget.

  I just don’t want to hurt him,
Yana
thought. It would not be fair to him to get too close, knowing she would be leaving. She wanted just to live in the moment, to trust her intuition. And, she realized as she sank into him, standing on the deck of the Panzar... she wanted to rest.

  “You are tired,
Yana
,” Bastion said.

  “No, I’m not,” she replied.

  “You nearly fell asleep just now, standing up,” he said kindly. “I want you to rest now. You’ll need to be strong when we catch the other ship.”

  “You rest,” she said. “I’ll steer the ship.”

  “I give the orders,
Yana
,” he said.

 
Yana
knew it was pointless to argue. He was right, she was very tired. If it was a mistake for her to rest first, it would be
his
mistake.
Yana
kissed him on his cheek and headed for the Cap
tain’s quarters with a smile. Bastion
wasn’t known for making mistakes.