Antiagon Fire (65 page)

When he finally felt stronger and more lucid, but no less guilty and worried, and fearful that he might have lost Vaelora through that stupidity, he sent for Zhelan, in order to begin planning for whatever eventualities they might encounter on the voyage or when they reached the waters off Kephria and Ephra.

“You’re looking better, Commander,” were Zhelan’s first words when he entered the cabin, a space that was far more modest than the captain’s quarters on the
Montagne,
but then, those quarters had been designed to serve Lord Chayar, if necessary, not that Bhayar’s father had used them more than once, on a voyage from Tilbora back to Solis, as Quaeryt recalled.

“I think that means that you think I’ll recover fully in time,” replied Quaeryt, gesturing to one of the chairs around the small oblong table at which he had earlier seated himself. “What do you think of the captain and the crew?”

“I’m no seaman, but they seem to be doing their best. I did tell the captain you wanted to be told of any ships the lookouts sighted, no matter what the glass of day or night.”

“Good. Thank you. How is first company holding up?”

“We’re down to eighty-one men, and that includes five with broken arms, and one with a broken leg. That doesn’t include the undercaptains or the captive imager.”

“That’s not too bad,” said Quaeryt dryly, “considering what I’ve asked of them.”

“What do you plan for when we reach Kephria?”

“I have the feeling that we won’t find much there. I can’t imagine that Aliaro’s imagers and the guns on his warships have left much of either Ephra or Kephria, and probably not much of Geusyn. I only hope that Vaelora and Baarl—and Khaern and Calkoran and their men—if they managed to reach Geusyn—could withdraw without horrendous casualties.” Quaeryt shook his head. “I just didn’t think. Aliaro just thought it was another attack on Kephria, and that Bhayar was repeating what Kharst did.”

“Not everyone looks as far out as you, sir.”

“Thank you. That’s a polite way of saying that it’s stupid to assume someone knows what you’re going to do when they have no way of knowing. And you’re right. It was stupid. Now … all I can do is hope, and try to make sure that the Antiagons don’t cause any more damage because of my idiocy.”

Zhelan nodded.

Quaeryt smiled wryly. “You’re a good officer and a good man, Zhelan. You’ve saved my ass and that of the men on more than a few occasions.”

“I’ve saved your pride, sir, and you’ve saved the men more times than I’d like to count.”

“You’ve saved them as well. Now … my thoughts are that we really don’t want to fight anyone. I’d just as soon sink the Antiagon ships and let it go at that. The problem is that the ships may not be there, and the imagers may be. If neither is there, all we can do is pick up the pieces.”
And hope that we have some vestiges of a force left … and Vaelora. Please let her be there.
“I’d like your thoughts.”

“I assume you or the other imagers can use concealments for the
Zephyr
…”

“We can, but a fast-moving schooner will leave a wake longer than we could extend a concealment, unless we’re headed directly toward them. With three or four vessels…”

Quaeryt and Zhelan talked for close to a glass. Then Quaeryt had more watered lager and some biscuits and a bit of hard cheese.

After that, Khalis asked for a quint or so with Quaeryt, and he entered the cabin with Lhandor and Elsior. The three of them settled into two chairs on the other side of the oblong table, with Elsior on a stool between them.

“Before we start, sir … later … Horan wants to talk to you alone.”

“Anytime,” Quaeryt agreed. There wasn’t much else he could do at the moment, although he felt much stronger than he had a day earlier, not that he was up to doing any imaging.

“Right now, Elsior has something to say,” offered Khalis.

“Go ahead,” Quaeryt said slowly … and gently.

“Are we sailing to Bovaria?”

“We are. It is now part of Telaryn.”

“The others, the undercaptains, they say that they are free.”

“They are as free as the other junior officers. No more. No less.”

“They are paid?”

“The same as other undercaptains.”

“You taught them to be better imagers.”

“As well as I could.”

Elsior’s questions—and Quaeryt’s answers—went on for almost a quint. Then, abruptly, he said, “I would like to be one of them.”

“I am flattered,” replied Quaeryt, “but might I ask why you have decided so quickly?”

“I have been afraid all my life. They are not afraid.”

“We all fear the dangers of battle, and the dangers of imaging.”

“That is a different fear.”

Quaeryt couldn’t argue with that. He nodded and waited.

“I had feared … if I offered allegiance to you … then Aliaro’s imager assassins would track me across all Lydar.” Elsior’s eyes dropped. “They say you will have a place for imagers, a place where they will be free.”

“As free as they are now. It will be a place that is part trooper and part school.” Quaeryt decided not to try to explain more. Not at the moment. “It will be in Variana.”

“I would like that.”

So would we all … if matters were but that simple.
“Is there anything else, Undercaptains?”

“Could you tell us what comes next, sir?” asked Lhandor.

“I wish I knew. We have to see what happened in Ephra and Kephria, and deal with the Antiagon imagers Aliaro sent out … if we can. If we can’t, we have to reestablish a presence in what’s left of Kephria or Geusyn.” Quaeryt offered a shrug. “We just have to see. I’ll let you know as I know.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After the three Pharsi left, Horan eased through the cabin door.

Quaeryt motioned for him to sit down, then took several long swallows of the watered lager, not as good as that which he imaged, but he wasn’t about to try any imaging yet, although his headache was almost gone, and the flickering flashes of light no longer interrupted his sight.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Quaeryt waited.

“Sir … I don’t know as I can do this … imaging … anymore.” The burly imager took a deep breath. “When the whole palace came down … you know … there were bodies everywhere. There was this school … the walls just came apart … One of them … she was a girl … a little girl … and she looked like my daughter … There was a boy, too…” Horan shook his head. “There were others…” He looked helplessly at Quaeryt.

“Imaging is one thing when it’s directed at troopers. It’s another when it hurts children and the innocent. Is that it?”

“Yes, sir … except … no, sir … there were so many bodies there.”

“There were far more bodies outside Variana,” Quaeryt said quietly.

“But … they weren’t children … she could have been my daughter…”

Quaeryt couldn’t help but wonder about Vaelora—and the unborn daughter she carried.
What if she and Vaelora died because of your mistake?

“Sir…?”

“I’m sorry. I do understand. I don’t know what to say.” Quaeryt paused, thinking. Finally, he went on. “I won’t ask you to do anything against others … but until this is settled, could I ask you to stay with us and to provide shields? That would not harm others, and it would keep troopers and officers from greater harm.”

Horan took a deep breath. “I could do that, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“I will request, if anyone asks, to tell them that you asked about your future duties and that we discussed them.”

“Yes, sir. I can do that.”

After Horan left, Quaeryt looked blankly at the closed cabin door.

70

By Solayi morning, the first day of Maris and, by the calendar, the first day of spring, Quaeryt felt far better, and could even hold light shields for a quint or so before having to drop them and rest. The weather remained the same, sunny and cool, with a wind out of the northwest that allowed fair speed and only moderate swells. Lundi was no different, and since his legs were steadier, Quaeryt had pulled on his riding jacket and stood on the low sterncastle beside Captain Sario, his eyes scanning the horizon, even though he knew that the lookout aloft would most likely see the sail of another vessel long before he did.

“How long have you been captain and master of the
Zephyr
?” asked Quaeryt conversationally.

“I have been captain for three years.” Sario offered a tight smile. “I cannot say I am master, for the ship belongs to the family.”

“Are you from Westisle?”

“Yes.” After several moments the captain added, “Almost all merchanters port out of Westisle.”

“Because it’s farther from Liantiago?” Quaeryt let a sardonic tone creep into his words.

Sario did not reply.

“Lord Bhayar won’t punish you for what you say. Neither will I. Besides, Bhayar has all of two warships at present.”
If that. Who knows what might have happened to the
Montagne
and the
Solis
if they encountered the Antiagon imagers?
“He’s always been friendly and fair to merchanters in Telaryn, and he is now to those in Bovaria.”
So long as they don’t try to cheat him.
“That won’t change. In fact, you’ll likely do better because all the ports in Lydar will be open to you.”

“One of the officers said you know Lord Bhayar well.”

“We have known each other since we were students. We had the same tutor.”

“And it is true that you married his sister?”

Quaeryt laughed softly, trying not to think what might have happened to Vaelora. “He was the one who insisted on it. We were both fortunate.” Quaeryt’s voice turned somber. “I hope we still are.”

“A man who has loved truly and been loved so is always fortunate, even when the Nameless turns from him.”

“I’d rather be more fortunate than that, Captain.”

“So would we all, sir.”

Quaeryt paused. “I’m sorry. You sound like a man who has experienced love and loss. I would not pry…”

“She died in childbirth. So did our son. I was not there. I was here.” Sario’s words were clipped.

“I am truly sorry.” After several moments Quaeryt asked, “Has your family always been from Westisle?”

“So far as we know.”

“Did you help build the
Zephyr
?”

Sario looked at Quaeryt. “How did you know that?”

“I watched you. You know every sound, and you don’t have to look. You know exactly what to tell your crew when the least little thing is not right.”

“Any good captain should know that.”

“The hull is cedar, isn’t it? From Hassyl?”

“Loboro. In the hills west of Hassyl. We have lands there.”

“The
Zephyr
is a fast ship, I suspect.”

“One of the fastest,” admitted Sario. “Except for the
Boreal.
”

“She’s a family ship, too, I take it?”

“Of course.” Sario did smile, if but for a moment. “You have the look and the manner of what some would call a lost one.”

“I’ve been called that. My parents died of the plague or the Red Death when I was so young I barely remember them. I didn’t even realize I was Pharsi until much later. My hair used to be whitish-blond.”
Until Variana.

“I would not ask what…” Sario paused, as if uncertain as to how much to ask.

“Sail ho!” came the cry from the lookout aloft.

“What ships?” called Sario, immediately looking forward with greater intensity.

“Looks to be three ships, sir! Two Antiagon men-of-war and a ketch.”

“What’s their bearing?” called Quaeryt.

“A quint to starboard, sir!”

Sario looked to Quaeryt.

“Bring her onto a direct closing course, Captain.”

“There are three vessels, sir, and two are warships.”

“Closing course, as close to head to head as possible, if you would, Captain.”

Sario turned to the helmsman. “Half quint starboard.”

Quaeryt gestured to the duty ranker posted at the sterncastle ladder. “Have the undercaptains report to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zhelan appeared almost immediately. “Sir?”

“Antiagon warships. Likely the ones Aliaro dispatched to Kephria and then recalled. Whether they are or not, we’ll have to deal with them.”

“Sir…” ventured Zhelan, “I would not like to be the one to suggest this…”

“But they might have captives or prisoners? Is that it?”

“It is possible, is it not?”

“Possible, but hardly likely. The last time Kephria was attacked, Aliaro’s imagers killed every last one of the Bovarians. Second, I doubt that they would know that Vaelora’s there. Third, the very last thing she would allow would be to be captured. Fourth, neither would Baarl or Khaern.”
Yet … even with all those reasons …
Quaeryt shook his head. “So unlikely we can’t afford to consider it.”

“What about cannon, sir? We have none.”

“That’s another reason for the concealment and for a course straight at them. They shouldn’t be able to see us, and most guns are mounted midships. They’ll have to get close enough to see our wake to guess at where we are, and then they’ll have to turn to use them, and we should be close enough to use imaging by then.”
You hope.

Zhelan’s nod only signified that he had heard Quaeryt’s explanation, not that he agreed with it.

While he and the major waited for the undercaptains, Quaeryt strained to see the sails reported by the lookout, but even as the imagers gathered, he still could not see any sign of the ships. Finally, he turned to the undercaptains.

“We have three Antiagon ships headed toward us. The lookout reports that two are warships. The third may be the ship sent to fetch them back to Liantiago. They likely have imagers aboard, as well as Antiagon Fire. We can’t let them get past us. Nor can we let them avoid us. The
Zephyr
is faster than they are, but they outnumber us. We’ll need to approach under concealment, and then attack.” Deciding not to mention cannon, he turned to Horan. “If you’d see to a concealment for now, and we’ll need shields when we’re closer.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lhandor … I’ll need you to remove a large chunk of the stem of the lead vessel, but not until we’re closer. Khalis … you’ll need to see to the second one. I’d like enough removed that she goes down fast.”