The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (48 page)

“How’d we do?” Alondo asked Lyall.

Behind them, the pursuers had been stopped dead in their tracks by the flaming barrier. The shouts had risen in pitch to cries of anger and alarm. “Well done, indeed. Let’s hope that holds them for a while.”

They hurried past deserted stalls and shadowed doorways, finally bursting out onto the open wharf. The sky above the rooftops to the west was lightening with the promise of dawn.
Annata’s Reach
lay alongside two square rigged caravels, like a small child flanked by parents that towered over it. At the top of the gangway, Patris was beckoning to them urgently.

Lyall supported Keris up the gangway. Shann embraced Oliah and they held on to each other for a long moment. Shann felt the tears welling up in her eyes and let them flow. They released each other and Oliah embraced Alondo. He whispered something in her ear and she buried her head against his shoulder. Boxx stood on its hind limbs, head cocked to one side, and watched them curiously.

Patris called out from the top of the gangway. “Come on. They’ll be here any moment. We have to leave.”

Alondo released Oliah, reached out and brushed her face with the back of his hand. “Get away from here, quickly.”

She smiled through her tears and touched his cheek in return. The Speaker Ring was visible on her finger. “I’ll be fine. Be well. You too, dear sister.”

“I’ll make sure he stays out of trouble,” Shann promised.

Alondo and Shann tore themselves away and ran up the gangway, Boxx scampering behind them. Shann glanced back in time to see Oliah slipping into the entrance of a building adjoining the wharf area, seeking a safe vantage point from which to watch the ship’s departure.
When will I see you again, my sister?

As they reached the foredeck, Patris cut the ropes securing the gangway. It fell into the water with a satisfying splash. Lyall was already at the cathead, hacking with his diamond bladed staff at the hawser which secured the ship to the dock. After a few strokes it was severed and the ship floated free.

“Grab a pole,” Patris called to Alondo and Shann. They followed Patris’ lead as he and Lyall picked up one long oar between them, while she and Alondo hefted the other. They manhandled their oars on either side of the bowsprit and shoved off from the dock. They heaved together. Slowly, the ship began to back out from its mooring, slipping past the hulls of its larger neighbours until there was clear water on either side. Patris went to the stern and pulled the rudder hard over. The small ship began to turn until its prow was pointing out to sea.

“Where did Keris go?” Shann asked Lyall.

“She’s in the stern. Boxx is caring for her. She is badly injured, Shann.”

Shann felt sick at the injuries inflicted on the older woman. But that did not change who and what she was. She may have turned against her former masters but that did not absolve her from the crimes she had committed, not as far as Shann was concerned.
Can you bring back the people you sent to the ore camps to die? Can you bring back my mother and father? No
.
I risked my life to rescue you. But don’t expect any sympathy
.

Patris fixed the rudder in place and hastened down the ladder to the deck. Making his way to the single mast, he scuttled up the rigging. Lyall, Shann and Alondo descended the forecastle to the deck and gazed up in fascination as he bent over the yard and untied the sail.

“He’s not going to ask me to go up there, is he?” Alondo asked nervously.

Shann looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I don’t think Oliah would let you go.”

“She doesn’t tell me what to do,” Alondo protested.

“No,” Shann smiled a secret smile. “Of course not.”

Patris slid down the rigging to the deck beside them. His eyes shone and he looked as if he was in his element. “Time to make sail. Let’s haul on the halyards.” They looked at each other blankly. “The ropes here,” he indicated, “and here.” Shann and Alondo took up a rope obediently and Lyall and Patris grabbed the other one. “Now, pull together.” They hauled on the ropes and watched the sail unfurl. The canvass flapped in the offshore breeze, then filled out. As they tied off the lines, the ship began to pick up speed, cutting a smooth wake through the still waters of the harbour. Patris smiled encouragingly. “We’ll make a crew out of you yet.”

Alondo headed to the afterdeck, followed by Shann. She stood next to him, leaning on the stern rail. Already, the ships tied up at the quayside were growing smaller, but Shann fancied she could see a group of people gathered at their now-empty mooring. Above the quay, smoke was rising over the port city, a testament to their escape. Alondo looked like a lost gundir pup. She rubbed his back gently. “We’ll be back. Lyall will see to it.” He smiled at her gratefully and put an arm around her shoulder as they both watched Sakara receding into the distance. The ship began to rise and fall gently as it cleared the harbour and caught the swell of the open sea.

Setting its course eastward, the
Annata’s Reach
sailed towards the Great Barrier of Storms, carrying on board five Kelanni, one Chandara and the fate of a world.

<><><><><>

Chapter 30

The Aronak Sea by night. Ail-Mazzoth’s pale pink light playing over the waves. And in the midst of the sea, the lights of a tiny vessel lost in the vastness. In the cramped forecastle, Shann, Lyall and Patris sat around a rough wooden table, picking over the remains of the evening meal. Shann was chewing on a black flatbread and washing it down with narrian wine.

Patris leaned back on his stool, and took a sip from his flagon. “I see you renamed the ship,” he said conversationally.

Lyall looked up from his own drink. “You don’t like the name?”

Patris shrugged, “She’s your ship.” He took another sip. “So…who is Annata?”

“She’s a friend of ours,” Lyall said.

“An
old
friend,” Shann added.

Lyall shot her a warning glance. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“Someone who has aided you on your journey, perhaps?” Patris probed.

The thief-sailor was a clever individual. Clever and perceptive. This was an interrogation, cloaked in the guise of pleasant conversation. They would need to be careful so as not to give too much away.

Lyall fielded the question. “Yes, although she is far away now. It may be a long while before we see her again.”

Patris adopted a different tack. “By the way, how are your friends doing?”

“Keris has extensive injuries. Boxx is tending to her,” Lyall sighed. “As for Alondo–well, I’m sure he will be all right, given time.”

Not long after they had left the still waters of the harbour, the musician had fallen prey to a bad bout of seasickness. Shann had scarcely seen him above deck after that, and when she went to the stern castle, he was lying motionless on a bunk, his round face unnaturally pallid. He had not been able to keep anything down.

“Well, not everyone is cut out to be a sailor, I suppose,” Patris said. “Now, Shann here–she seems to have taken to it right off. Are you sure you weren’t born on board ship?”

Shann had to admit she had no idea where she was born. She could barely even remember what her mother looked like. Sometimes, she thought she could recall her mother’s soothing voice, although it did seem to her that it sounded like Gallar, so maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She frowned. “I…don’t think so.”

Patris and Lyall both laughed. “Well, it doesn’t matter.” Patris said. “I’m just grateful to have such an able deck hand. In fact, I’m thinking of promoting you to first mate.”

“What would that mean?” Shann asked.

“It would mean,” Lyall said, “that you would be able to tell the rest of us what to do.”

Her expression brightened. “I accept.”

They all roared with laughter. Patris ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair. “Now that’s settled, I should ask, where are we headed, exactly?”

“We sail due east,” Lyall said.

“Well, you should know that there is nothing east of here other than a few islands, all of which are uninhabited as far as I am aware,” Patris said. “Besides, if we stay on this heading, we will eventually run straight into the Great Barrier and we will have no choice but to turn. Even near the Barrier, the winds can be treacherous. You would be putting your ship and crew in unnecessary danger.”

“We will not put you in danger–you have my word,” Lyall said.

Patris bit his lip. “I could understand your reluctance to speak about your plans in Sakara. But now, here we are, in the middle of the Aronak Sea.” He spread his hands wide. “Who am I going to tell?”

“That’s true,” Lyall agreed. “Nevertheless, you will be returning to Sakara, so it is safer both for you and for us if you cannot reveal our plans.”

Patris’ eyes narrowed. “Your words would seem to imply that I will not be accompanying you to your destination.”

Lyall met his gaze squarely. “That’s correct.”

“You still do not trust me?”

Lyall shook his head. “It has nothing to do with trust.” He paused to collect his thoughts “Each of us–myself, Shann here, Alondo, Keris and Boxx–each of us is a willing volunteer. Each of us knows the hazards involved and has agreed to accept the risks. Your interest is…financial. I appreciate all you have done for us, but it would be wrong for us to place you or the members of your thief co-operative in more danger than is necessary.”

Patris gazed into his drink. “We have tended to avoid contact with the agents of the Prophet in Sakara. However, the situation in the city worsens day by day. Violent crime–even murder is on the rise. There are rumours that the Asoli are being paid to look the other way. Many believe it is only a matter of time before the Keltar are sent in to ‘restore peace.’ If that happens…then we will be in a fight for our very survival. That is why I agreed to aid you–not just for the money, but because I believe that in the end, people like you may be our only hope.”

“If that happens, I’m afraid there may be little we can do to help you directly,” Lyall said.

“You are not returning to Sakara?”

“It…seems unlikely,” Lyall confessed.

“A pity,” Patris said. “We could use people with your skills–breaking someone out of one of the Prophets safe houses–now that was impressive. Not to mention chasing me down in the streets after I had ‘liberated’ your coin purse.” Laughter rippled round the table once more. “Well, wherever you are bound for, you should remember that the authorities in Chalimar are desperate to get their hands on you. Watch yourselves.”

“We will, thank you,” Lyall said.

Shann stood and gathered up half a loaf of flatbread and a carafe of wine from the table. “I’m going to see if I can get Alondo to eat anything.”

Lyall smiled at her. “Good idea. Tell him I’ll be along to see him myself, presently.”

Shann opened the door to the forecastle and stepped out onto the deck. All was quiet save the lapping of the water and the creaking of the ship’s hull, the sounds blending together like a lullaby. She walked towards the stern, enjoying the gentle caress of the night breeze against her cheek. At the entrance to the stern castle, she put her hand to the latch. Suddenly the door opened inwards of its own accord, and Keris stood in the doorway. She
was dressed in a loose white night robe. Her black hair hung attractively about her shoulders in thick waves. Shann felt an irrational pang of jealousy. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Finally, Shann spoke up. “I…I was bringing these things for Alondo.”
Why am I justifying myself to this woman?

“I see,” Keris’ face was impassive. She made no attempt to get out of the way.

“How is he?” Shann asked.

“I’m not sure. Boxx says it can’t do much to help.” It felt bizarre that they should be standing there discussing Alondo’s seasickness, when Keris’ injuries had been far more severe. The bruising and the cuts and abrasions on the woman’s face and neck seemed almost gone and her stance seemed more relaxed. Shann marvelled at the irony that Boxx could work miracles on internal and external wounds of that kind, but a simple upset stomach was beyond its capabilities.

“You seem a little better,” Shann observed.