Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders) (31 page)

Tonight’s endeavor would be like nothing he had ever done. Hijacking a ship in the middle of the night? This was a big town, surrounded by high walls. The ship would be guarded. There would certainly be fighting. If he and his friends messed up, they would all die.

Nobody expected much of him. According to what Jason knew of the plan, he was basically cargo. After the ship was secure, Drake and two drinling escorts would hustle him aboard. But so much could go wrong. What if they ran across a stray patrol on the way to the ship? He would have to help them fight their way clear. If an alarm was sounded before they boarded the ship, soldiers could come rushing to the waterfront, and he might end up in the thick of the battle.

Jason had practiced for months so that he could contribute in a fight. But since learning to use a sword, he had never confronted an opponent with his life on the line. That test might come tonight, meeting an enemy in combat, no blunted edges, no practice gear . . . no second chances. Skill would be involved, as would composure, as would luck. Either he or the opponent would survive. The prospect sent nervous thrills tingling through his body.

Jason knew he would not be fighting alone. Drake and others would probably be there to bail him out. But anything could happen. Worst-case scenarios could leave him alone in a sea of
enemies. No matter how he tried to distract himself, he could not stop anticipating the possibilities.

Not long before sunset, somebody knocked on his door. Jason had his sword out, dueling imagined enemies. He hastily tossed it aside. “Come in.”

Aram entered, still small, and glanced from Jason to the sword on his bed. “Restless?”

“Not too bad,” Jason lied.

Aram smirked. “My room is directly below yours. I could hear you clomping around.”

Jason was not one to blush, but the sudden warmth in his cheeks hinted that this might be an exception. He looked away from the undersized half giant. “I was just doing some exercises.”

Aram plopped down on the edge of Jason’s bed. “Truth be told, I’m a bit edgy myself.”

“Yeah?”

“This is a major operation. With so many people involved, I can hardly believe we haven’t given ourselves away already. These drinlings deserve a lot of credit. They have discipline.”

“Think we can pull it off?”

Aram hesitated. “You know I used to work as a smuggler.”

“Right.”

“I’ve taken plenty of chances in my day. Risk was part of the job. But the risks were carefully measured. Thanks to my precautions, the chances of getting caught remained low. I stayed in situations where nine times out of ten, if I did get apprehended, I would be able to bargain my way out of serious trouble. Even among the officials appointed by Maldor, most consider smuggling necessary to some extent. The service fills a need. I was careful about where and when I operated. I was careful about who I worked with. Careful about what goods I moved. Careful about who I bribed.”

Jason could see where Aram was headed. “And now we’re rushing into something crazy?”

Aram shook his head. “Not necessarily. Not overly crazy. This could work. How do I put this?” He stared down at his clasped hands. “During my career, I occasionally came across opportunities for a really bold mission. A job that might produce a mountain of money overnight or really enhance my reputation. A big score—a chance for glory, riches, or both. These types of jobs almost always involved harming the interests of the emperor in one way or another. Or else they had the potential to draw his attention.

“I created workable plans for several of those missions. I devised strategies that made the projects feasible, kept the risk within reason. But the price of failure in those instances was much too high, so I played it safe. I never implemented those plans. Chasing the big score gets greedy men killed.”

“But tonight . . . ,” Jason prompted.

“Tonight we’re going to hijack an interceptor. Among other duties, it will be my responsibility to captain the ship. I have the most experience at sea, so the job fell to me. I’ve drilled the drinlings on procedures. They mastered their knots and lashings with shocking ease! They’re highly adaptable. Every man knows his role. But most have never sailed a ship like the
Valiant
. For good or ill, our success depends largely on me—whether I trained them right, whether I lead them effectively.

“I love the sea. I’ve captained before. I’ve dreamed of becoming shipmaster of an interceptor, Jason. There is no finer vessel afloat. The basic design came from the Kadarian warships, but Maldor perfected it. To captain the
Valiant
will be a thrilling privilege that I never expected to actually experience.”

“But you’re also nervous?” Jason guessed.

Aram shifted in his seat. “I’m discarding years of good judgment. Our actions tonight will publicly insult the emperor and all those in his service. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been in tight spots before. Things have gone poorly, and I’ve fought my way free. But I never sought out such situations. This hijacking will have every imperial agent on the Inland Sea after us. It will draw the personal attention of the emperor.”

“Is the plan good?” Jason hoped.

“Superb. They won’t be expecting anything this bold. They couldn’t possibly anticipate the amount of manpower we’ve assembled. This hijacking is daring enough to fall completely outside of their expectations. The
Valiant
made port today. Most of the crew will be carousing and enjoying the inns tonight. Those standing guard in the middle of the night will be disgruntled and careless. What could happen to an interceptor moored in a port firmly under imperial control? These soldiers haven’t seen real action for years. In combat situations surprise means a lot, and it should be entirely on our side.”

“So you’re more worried about afterward.”

“I’m worried about everything. Too much could go wrong. And if things go wrong, they will go very wrong. If our surprise is somehow foiled, this could end disastrously. If our enemy takes more clever or effective action than we’ve anticipated, we could be massacred. And even if we get away, it is only the beginning. We’ll be sailing to an island nobody has survived, with every soldier in the region after us. Not a favorable scenario.”

“Wow,” Jason said, feeling he now had a better grasp of why he should be freaking out.

“This is the sort of scheme you devise as an idle fantasy, and then lay aside.”

“But we can’t lay it aside.”

“If we’re determined to get to Windbreak Island, this is probably the only way. No better alternative exists. The prophecy claims we have to get there. Greedy or not, we’re being forced to pursue the big score. It goes against my instincts, which makes me edgy.”

“I’m pretty wired too,” Jason admitted. “I think I get what you mean. I’ve spent most of my time in Lyrian trying to avoid danger. Tonight we’re charging straight into it.”

Aram rubbed the sides of his nose with both hands, partially hiding his face. “Truth be told? My instincts keep telling me to run. And listening to my instincts has kept me alive so far.”

“You think we should run?”

“Not all of us. I was speaking about myself.”

Jason felt shocked by the admission. “You don’t really want to ditch us?”

Aram gave a weak smile. “I definitely
want
to run. I’ve never liked sitting still. I almost took action yesterday, before the
Valiant
had been sighted.”

“You almost left?” Jason gasped. “Really?”

“I wouldn’t bring it up if I meant to actually do it.”

“Then why bring it up at all?”

“I thought it might mean something for you to know that the thought of you helped keep me here.”

“Me?” Jason asked.

“I had to ask myself how committed I was to this cause. I had to confront whether I was willing to go all the way, to venture into dangers from which I had little chance of returning. I knew Jasher and Drake wouldn’t give up. The mission would go forward without me, and I could picture my presence making little difference whether it succeeded or failed. But then I thought about you. I thought about a young man who didn’t belong to this world,
who had managed to make a difference without many of the skills I might have supposed were necessary. And I realized that if a stranger like you held true, a man of Lyrian like myself had no right to depart.”

“Wow,” Jason said. He could hardly believe his actions had mattered so much to a warrior like Aram. “So you’re not leaving?”

“I’ll hold true.”

“Even though your instincts don’t like it?”

“Even so.” Aram stood up and crossed to the door. “I’ll be growing soon. Antsy or not, you should try to sleep. We won’t get underway until the stillest hour of the night.”

“Thanks for talking with me,” Jason said. “It helps to know I’m not the only person feeling anxious.”

“We should all be anxious! Maybe it will keep us sharp. This is a grim endeavor. We’ll need to be at our best tonight.”

Jason wondered what his best would look like. He hoped he would measure up. “I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

“I believe it,” Aram replied. He glanced at the weapon on the bed. “Don’t wear out your sword arm.”

*  *  *

Jason slept restlessly, tossing and turning, waking up at intervals. When Drake came for him, Jason was awake, staring silently at the darkness. He rolled out of bed as soon as the door opened.

“Did you sleep?” Drake asked.

“Sort of,” Jason replied. “I felt tense.”

“Hiding away like this for most of a week would make anyone edgy. I’ll be glad to get on the water. Been some time since I toured the Inland Sea.”

Jason buckled on his sword and grabbed his crossbow. “Where are the others?”

“Some are already moving into position,” Drake replied. “The
idea is to reach the docks without looking like fifty people.”

A male and female drinling awaited outside his room. Jason had not learned all the names, but these two were called Thag and Zoo. Both looked to be in their twenties. Both spoke English without much confidence, but seemed to banter cheerily with their comrades in their native tongue. Zoo was slender for a drinling, but had a sinewy toughness. Thag’s hulking muscles were developed to the point where it seemed they would limit his movement.

Drake led Jason and the two drinlings down to the enclosed alleyway outside the secret rooms. Overhead, a rectangular section of black sky glittered with stars. The curly-haired barkeeper waited at the far end of the little courtyard beside a ladder that led up to a window. Jason climbed the ladder behind Drake and entered the inn. A few drinlings lingered in the common room.

“The other drinlings will follow behind us,” Drake said. “Most have gone ahead. Come.”

Shadowing Drake, Jason exited the front door and climbed the steps to the street. He kept his crossbow hidden under his cloak. Nobody had weapons visible. The street was silent.

“How late is it?” Jason whispered.

“Less than two hours until first light,” Drake replied. “The moon has set. We’re going directly to the
Valiant
.”

They advanced along the side of the road at a brisk walk. The drinlings had their hoods up. A calm breeze blew against Jason’s back.

“Wind from the southwest,” Drake mentioned. “Close to ideal.”

The road ended at the waterfront. The bulky shapes of sailing vessels loomed in the darkness, lit by stars and a dozen dockside lanterns. Other lamps shed light aboard a few of the ships. Fires
danced along the top of the sea wall that stretched out into the harbor: torches and cressets. At the mouth of the harbor, where the two walls almost met, a pair of bonfires blazed, the flames reflecting off the dark water.

The largest ship by far was off to the right, a long vessel with three towering masts rigged with numerous sails. Four lanterns brightened the deck. Jason saw at least two soldiers patrolling.

Drake furrowed his brow. “We should have the ship by now.”

He led them back a block, then along a cross street. They carefully approached the dock again. They came out closer to the
Valiant
, the name of the huge ship visible on the side. At the end of the next street over, a couple of inns remained brightly lit. Music could be heard from one of them.

Nia emerged from the shadows. “Come with me,” she whispered.

“What’s the problem?” Drake asked as she led them to a dark nook shielded by a low fence. They had a clear view of the
Valiant
.

“A patrol of six guards was roaming the docks,” Nia said. “We had to wait until they moved beyond sight of the
Valiant
. We took them quietly.”

“They’ll be missed sooner or later,” Drake warned. “Probably sooner.”

“The plan is in motion.” She nodded toward one of the lit inns. Aram came staggering out, wrapped in his huge leather cloak. He lumbered toward the
Valiant
. “More soldiers than we would prefer are still celebrating at the inns. They must sleep less than I do.”

“This late, none of them should be terribly useful in combat,” Drake murmured.

Jason watched Aram amble along the pier toward the
Valiant
. As he approached the ship, a soldier came to the top of the gangplank.
“You there,” the sentry called in a raised voice, “state your business.”

Aram shouted his reply. “Some seamen at the Broken Barge were bragging about sailing aboard an interceptor. Never seen one up close.” He started up the gangplank, swaying unsteadily.

“Now you’ve seen one,” the soldier said. “I must ask you to come no closer.”

Still walking, Aram waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t spoil a beautiful night! I just want a peek.”

“Turn around, sir. At once. This vessel is imperial property.” Three other soldiers had joined the first one at the top of the gangplank.

Aram kept coming, taking his time as if the steepness of the gangplank were tiring him. “Don’t be sour just because your mates are out having a good time. I wore your colors for a season, in service of the emperor. Never aboard a ship like this, mind you.”

All four of the soldiers drew swords. “I’m in command here,” a different soldier said, his voice stern. “If you wore our colors, you know our duty. You’ve been out too late, friend. You’re not thinking right. Go on home. Don’t make us remove you.”