Dragon Choir (12 page)

“
It only serves in our favour. As long as we get the codes, we
can still free all the slaves,” Minni flashed Elrin a wicked grin.
“Want to go sailing?”

Which hell had
this woman come from? He hadn’t got Minni mixed up in his troubles;
she was trouble enough on her own.

“
What slaves?” Elrin flung his arms around in exasperation.
“The hold is empty save the Jandans and the ogre.”

“
They’re not on this ship, that’s why I was trying to blow a
hole in it before you came along with your hero pants on,” Minni
pouted. “Would have been a lot easier.”

Elrin shook
his head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Delik grabbed
his arm. “This is serious, boy. We are going to pilfer the pride of
the Jandan armada and cripple their slave trade. If you’re in,
we’ve got room. If you’re out, then the safest place is back in
that cell.”

“
How can we take over the ship alone?”

“
We’re not alone, lad.” Delik clapped him on the back. “We’re
never alone.”

“
You’ll not free a single soul without my authority,” snarled
Pelegrin.

“
That’s why I treated you so nicely on the docks,” Delik
grabbed Pelegrin’s injured elbow, making the commodore wince. “I
figured if I was polite, you’d help us out. I know how much you
deplore slavery, and I assumed you wouldn’t mind if I gave all of
your crew a free pass too. You don’t mind do you?”

“
You’ll never get a re–“ Pelegrin’s arm was twisted and he
cried out in agony. “Argh! I’ll do it; I’ll sign a release. Damn
vermin!”

“
Right then, let’s begin.” Delik handed Minni’s dagger back.
“Minni, give the order.”

Delik gagged
Pelegrin and hauled him into the cell opposite the ogre.

Minni handed
Elrin a short sword taken from one of the marines. “You got my
back?”

“
Of course.”

“
Then get ready for the five hells to break loose.”

CHAPTER TEN

Mutiny

Minni eased open the door from the prison hold and snuck up
the stairs to the gun deck. A pair of marines passed by on patrol,
their backs to her position. The deck was busy with indentured crew
cleaning cannons and stockpiling ammunition.

Pulling her
mind inwards, she imagined herself as a cat, sure-footed and quiet.
She was lithe; sharp death cloaked in silence. The meagre sweepings
of daylight from the half-cocked gun ports left rich pickings for
stealth. Crouching low, she slunk down into the shadowed belly of
the frigate.

She pressed
close against the starboard bulkhead, sneaking past industrious men
working no more than strides away. They were hard at their chores,
looking out for the marines on patrol and none would be concerned
by the flick of a shadow in the corner of their eye.

Minni tucked
in behind the first cannon she came to and the crewman tending it
tripped over her in the darkness. With an awkward fumble and a
push, she helped him back onto his feet.

“
Gods!” The crewman rubbed the back of his neck, eye’s wide at
the fright. “Where did you come from?“

“
Never you mind. Are you ready?“

“
Aye, we’re ready.“ He squinted down the line of cannon
looking for the patrol. “Still no signal though, what's
happened?“

“
You’re our new signal. Get a powder boy and ready this
cannon. Make some noise, I’ll keep the uniforms busy.“

“
Aye, Miss.“

Minni moved
further along in the shadows making room for the crewmen to prepare
the weapon. She counted six marines guarding the gun deck,
enforcing their authority in pairs, marching up and down. Their
swords and uniform were enough to assure dominance over a crew that
outnumbered them.

Sliding two
stilettos from her vest, she crept up behind the closest patrol and
pounced, driving a needlepoint into each guard’s neck. The poison
coating the blades travelled to their brains and they went limp.
Before they even hit the deck, Minni was close behind the next
patrol. She focused her will on speed, pushing her legs to close
the distance as fast as possible.

By the time
the first two guards clattered to the deck and alerted their
comrades, Minni attacked. They had no time to draw their weapons
before she jabbed up with her poisoned stilettos, piercing each
guard under the chin. If the poison didn’t kill them, the hole in
the brain did.

Minni spent no
time inspecting her kills. She moved to the last pair of guards.
They had witnessed her attack and had their swords already drawn.
One edged forward while his partner charged at Minni. She relaxed
her body and waited for him to close in. The marine slashed his
blade forward in a downward arc and Minni easily stepped to the
side, letting the marine’s momentum carry him off balance, his
sword arm over extended. Minni lunged, piercing through his
vulnerable axilla, across into his chest. Her other stiletto struck
down between his spine and scapula, piercing through to his heart.
His death laden body dropped, pulling the stilettos from her
grip.

With practiced
ease she slipped her twin daggers from their sheaths and advanced
on the remaining marine. He slashed out and she jumped back, just
out of range. He slashed again, moving closer to connect. Minni
stepped into his swing, her left dagger parried the sword and her
body penetrated his attack. Her right dagger moved in, slicing up
his arm, across his throat and then ripping back across and down.
Blood poured out across his blue uniform while he grasped at her.
Minni slid her foot behind and dropped him on his back. He lay
there bleeding out, eyes wide in shock.

A gun crew
assembled to fire the cannon. The great cast iron weapon was run
out, its barrel bursting through the gun port. Minni’s contact
stood back, lit the linstock and put it to the touchhole.

“
Mutiny!“ he cried.

The cannon exploded and kicked back against its thick
tethers, shaking
Juniper
’s bones like a whip from the
hells. A roar of voices rose up in unison; like a wave crashing
upon the shore after a long journey across the sea, it broke with
an irrepressible force.

The crewmen on
all decks were ready; they would fight for their freedom, each knew
what needed to be done. The uniformed sailors were taken by
surprise with a barrage of fists and mop handles. The crew grabbed
what they could to overcome their masters, the pent up aggression
of being beaten down and ordered about, poured forth like a storm
surge battering the shore.

Some of the
crew were criminals and some were captured pirates, but others were
innocent men, whose only crime was stupidity. Vagrants, drunks and
addicts were often taken from the streets of Jando and pressed into
labouring on the Jandan fleet. They were rounded up in the early
hours of the morning to top up the crew after a skirmish at sea.
Minni smiled at how easy it was to get her rebel sleeper agents on
board to foment and organise.

The crewmen on
the gun deck pushed through to the upper deck, knocking over and
trampling the marines blocking the exit. Minni rushed back to meet
Elrin and Delik as they came out of the prison hold.

“
Come on boys, I don’t want to miss out.“ Minni hurried them
up the stairs, eager to take control of the mutiny before an
opportunistic junior officer did.

“
Don’t wait around for us, we won’t keep you from your fun,“
said Delik, moving up the stairs.

Minni didn’t
wait; she slipped away into the shadows and chaos.

***

Delik got to the top of the stairs and shook his
head; she’d disappeared again. That woman would be the end of him.
Her wicked, self-bloody-satisfied smile would be the last thing he
saw before death. She was too damn sure of everything for her age.
The truth is she didn’t know the half of it and was ignorant of the
rest.

This mutiny
had to be controlled before it fell into the hands of some petty
officer wanting to jump rank. Bet she hadn’t planned that—or the
lad. What was she thinking, getting him all mixed up in this? The
fool had to run into the fire. Typical human; racing into every
stupid impulse without any measure of the way ahead.

“
Come on then, lad,” urged Delik. “Here’s the adventure you
were looking for.”

Elrin’s smile
was weak with nerves and he held his sword like a limp fish.

“
First off, hold it like this.” Delik grabbed Elrin’s hand and
moved it on the grip. “These blades are hangers, you’ve got no
reach against an officer’s sabre. You’ve got to slip inside their
reach. Cut and thrust, in close quarters.” Delik demonstrated.
“Cut. Thrust. Got it?”

“
I think so.”

“
Right then, let’s get you some practice.”

Delik charged
forward, hoping Elrin was following behind. There was no time to
baby him; he’d have to sink or swim. Sure enough he kept close—a
little too close though—hugging Delik’s shadow like a cautious
toddler chasing his mother’s skirts. There was something about the
lad, something larger than his awkward naivety allowed. He doubted
Elrin was what Minni hoped for, but he might prove useful
nonetheless. Either way, Ona was busy enough with the bodies of
those already fallen to the butchers. So many had died against the
Jandan scum, she didn’t need any richer soil today.

Up on the main
deck the mutinous crew had pinned down a unit of marines. The
Jandans were in disarray with mixed commands from conflicting
junior officers. Without Commodore Pelegrin’s authority behind
them, the officers couldn’t rally their men.

It was a
deadlock. The marines and officers were better armed, but the crew
outnumbered them and pressed their flank so neither could advance.
Delik shoved his way to the front line, taking stock of the
situation. Elrin followed, though he had considerably more trouble
squeezing through the agitated crew. The lad needed to grow a stem;
he was too damn polite.

Above them on
the quarterdeck, the battle raged on, steel clashed and men cried
in a cacophony of agony or victory. Delik had to break the deadlock
to weigh the scales in their favour; every moment wasted counted
the Jandans an opportunity to regroup.

“
Your captain is captured. Stand down!” Delik’s voice demanded
attention, commanding an authority that towered above his mere
stature.

“
Hold the line!” The officer in command screamed, his face
stained with blood from a cut above his eye.

“
You have one chance for surrender, you are outnumbered. I
have fifty armed and trained men advancing from the
docks.”

The sailors
holding the front line shifted their posture. They were listening
now.

“
All surrendering troops will be offered clemency. Officers
will be interrogated and detained.”

Delik
waited.

The sailors
shifted again and some of them muttered to each other.

“
Deserters will be killed! By lord’s will, hold the line!” The
young officer raised a sabre above his head, fury flashing his eyes
wide.

That was no
way to command. Morale grew in warm soil, not cold steel; those men
needed hope and trust, not threats. Delik sucked in a breath for
courage and turned his back on the marines to address the ragtag
mutineers. It wasn’t as dangerous as it seemed; the mutineers’
faces would tell him if an attack was imminent. “Protect those who
surrender, disarm or kill those who resist.”

Two marines
from the front line broke ranks, dropping their weapons and running
to the mutinous crew. The crew cheered for the defection and Delik
let them through.

“
Hold the line!” The officer screamed in a futile
rage.

“
Prepare to advance. Men with weapons to the front.” Delik
faced the sailors holding the line, staring down his opponents. The
crew behind him rallied their spirits by stomping on the deck in
rumbling unison and hollering abuse at the enemy. Delik knew he
could not hold them much longer.

Four more
soldiers broke the line, filling the mutineer’s ranks. Another
cheer went up. The commanding officer shoved men forward to fill
the gaps, shouting abuse, frantic as his control slipped away.

Delik led the
charge. “Attack!”

The crew
launched forward in a bluster of screams, blades and blows. The
front line of sailors wavered then collapsed; some dropped their
weapons and others fell back to a defended corner of the
quarterdeck.

Delik made for
the commanding officer, breaking through the ranks, deflecting
blades, ducking and weaving, slicing a wedge to the officer’s
position. The officer slashed low with his sabre, trying to keep
Delik at a distance. Delik parried and Elrin burst into the fray
with a clumsy thrust. The officer stepped to the side and
countered, slashing at Elrin’s back as he careened off balance. The
attack exposed the officer’s flank and Delik took the opportunity
to move in, cutting through the Jandan’s hamstring, collapsing him
like a trestle. He kicked the officer’s sabre out of reach and
advanced on the remaining sailors fighting on the quarterdeck.

Elrin
recovered his balance and charged ahead, lucky to fight on with
only a scrape across his back. What he lacked in skill, he
compensated with daring, pressing an attack on a panicked sailor
who slashed a sabre around, trying to swat Elrin away.