Hope and Red (6 page)

That night, he took her down to the rocky shoreline. The wind howled fiercely, pulling at their black robes as they stood on the narrow spit of gray sand in slippered feet. Before them, hard waves crashed against the ragged black rocks that lay half-submerged in the dark water.

“It is so
cold
, Grandteacher!” Bleak Hope's arms hugged her torso, and her entire body shivered. Her blue eyes were so comically wide that Hurlo laughed.

“Yes, child, it is. And why is that?”

Hope's pale brow furrowed. “What do you mean, Grandteacher?”

“Why is it so cold here, now, in this place?”

“Oh, because it is winter and we are in the Southern Isles, which are the coldest in the empire.”

“Correct. And what would happen if we traveled north by boat?”

“It would get slowly warmer?”

“Yes. Your studies are coming along well. Now, if we were to travel by boat, how would we know which way is north?”

“By the sun, which rises in the east and sets in the west.”

“What if we were to travel by night?” He gestured up at the black-and-purple sky.

“I…don't know, Grandteacher.”

“By the stars. Have you not read that astronomy book?”

“I have not yet,” admitted Hope. “I thought it was…unimportant. What difference do the stars make to us down here?”

“When you read it, you will learn about the constellations. Pictures in the sky that never change. There.” He pointed up to a five-point cluster. “That is the Fist of Selk the Brave. And there.” He pointed to a small cluster of stars with a thin line of stars trailing behind it. “That is the Great Serpent. And there.” He pointed to a large cluster of stars. “That is the Kraken.” He turned back to her. “Learn these shapes. Memorize them. They will help guide you on your way.”

“
Us
, Grandteacher,” corrected Hope. “You mean they will help guide
us
.”

“Of course,” said Hurlo.

Hope stared up at the dark, twinkling sky for a while. Hurlo could tell she was working something out for herself, so he waited.

“I have seen a symbol, Grandteacher. A black oval with eight trailing lines. It looks like a squid or kraken. The captain who brought me here. He said it was the symbol of the biomancers.”

“He is correct,” Hurlo said quietly.

Hope nodded, still staring up at the sky. “What
are
the biomancers, Grandteacher? They are mentioned frequently in histories of the empire, yet it is never clear who they are exactly. Are they sorcerers? Or holy men?”

“They are scientists, of a sort. Mystics of biology. They can take living creatures and change them.”

“Change them how?”

“Make them bigger or smaller. For example, mole rats used to be tiny things no bigger than mice, once upon a time. Did you know that?”

Hope shook her head.

“A biomancer may make a living thing grow, or decay, or make it into something else completely.”

“Are biomancers good or bad?”

“They serve the emperor, for good or bad.”

“Don't the Vinchen serve the emperor?” asked Hope.

“We serve the
empire
. That is why we live and train far from the palace and its corrupting influence and power. A single emperor may be flawed or cruel. But the empire is bigger than one man. And it is always worth fighting for. Perhaps when the time comes, you will be the one to correct its course.”

Hope looked at him then. Her gaze had softened over the months of their training. But now it looked again as it did that night Toa brought her to him. “A biomancer killed my parents and everyone in my village.”

“I know,” said Hurlo.

“Is it wrong that I want to kill a servant of the emperor?”

“What does the Vinchen code say about vengeance?”

Bleak Hope closed her eyes, as if reading it on the backs of her eyelids. “Vengeance is one of the most sacred duties of a warrior. It may be swift or slow, but it must be done with honor. When a warrior confronts his offender, he must give his name and ask the offender for his. The warrior must state clearly his reason for vengeance and allow the offender the chance to arm himself. The only true vengeance is the death of the offender. If the warrior fails in this, better that he die than live in such dishonor.”

“Will you abide by this code?” asked Hurlo.

The wind lashed at Hope's hair as she stood with her eyes still closed. “Yes, Grandteacher.”

“Then you have your answer.”

6

A
fter a month of raiding lacy yachts along the coast, word started to spread of Sadie the Pirate Queen. The yachts got scarce and imperial patrols started to appear. The naval ships were large and slow compared to the
Savage Wind
, so they were easy to avoid. But now Sadie and her crew needed to find new targets.

“There's merchant ships,” Missing Finn said doubtfully one night. He and Sadie sat at the bow, watching the sun set red on the horizon and passing a bottle back and forth.

“Yeah, big old cargo ships,” Sadie said eagerly. “That'll be easy.”

“Easy to catch,” said Finn. “But where are we going to put their cargo? Besides, to get to those ships, we have to stop hugging the coast and head out into deeper waters. And that's where the imp navy can get us.”

“Alright. So aren't there smaller cargo ships? Ones that come in close?”

“Further north we might have some luck. A lot of luxury items come through Radiant Harbor in Hollow Falls. But I don't know those waters as well. Who knows what else we'll find that way.”

“It was boldness that got us this far,” said Sadie. “It's boldness that will take us further.”

They made their way up the coast the next day. The morning was tense, what with the uniform military barracks of Keystown looming to the east, and large imperial frigates lurking along the horizon to the west. But they had a favorable wind and made good time. By the afternoon, they had cleared the thickest concentration of imperial power and made it north to Hollow Falls, a peaceful, wealthy region where the lacies lived on sprawling estates in glorious mansions. Most of the homes were set too far back from the water to see, but every now and then, one was built right on the water. Sadie couldn't resist pulling out her spyglass and having a closer look at the turrets that jutted out over the water.

“Wouldn't mind having a view like that in my home,” said Missing Finn from his usual post at the helm. “Sunsets must be real nice from there.”

Sadie collapsed her spyglass and shrugged. “They look nice from here, too. I was looking to see if there was anything worth stealing in them.”

“Is there?”

“Sure, but there's bars on everything. And the way it hangs out over the water, it would be a trick to even get to them.”

“Probably household guards, too,” said Finn.

“True. We need more modest targets than that for now.”

They reached Radiant Harbor by nightfall. Rather than dock in the harbor, they anchored in a small, concealed inlet just north.

“Thought you said you didn't know these waters,” said Sadie.

“I said I didn't know them as
well
,” replied Missing Finn. “I've sailed on some ships that had goods to unload in Hollow Falls but didn't want any imp harbor inspections.”

The next morning, Avery Birdhouse spotted a merchant ship only slightly larger than the
Savage Wind
heading north from Radiant Bay.

“Weigh anchor and set sail,” said Sadie. “We'll keep at a distance till we get a bit further from the harbor.”

The ship continued to head north along the coast until it reached the top of New Laven, then it changed course to north-northeast.

“She's heading out into open waters,” said Missing Finn. “Better close soon, or we'll be vulnerable to the imp frigates. Wouldn't take more than a few of those cannons to sink this boat.”

“Let out the jib!” called Sadie, who had been learning the proper names of sails from Finn.

Spinner unfurled the front sail. It snapped taut and the ship picked up speed.

Sadie watched the merchant ship with her spyglass. “They let out their jib, too. Looks like they've made us.”

Finn grinned. “Should we give chase, Captain Sadie?”

“Oh, yes, Missing Finn.”

They chased the merchant ship for nearly an hour, going so far out to sea that New Laven was only a dark smudge on the horizon. But even though the two ships were around the same size, the merchant ship was weighed down with cargo. Bit by bit, the
Savage Wind
gained on them until they were close enough to grapple. What they found on that ship was not the hysterical lacies they were accustomed to, but hardened sailors armed with knives, clubs, and pikes of their own.

“Finally.” Sadie drew her cutlass. “A decent fight. Missing Finn, I leave the ship to you. Red, stay in the cabin. Everyone else with me.”

It was short and ugly. Wergishaw lay about him with his club, cracking heads and kneecaps. Avery Birdhouse, a knife in each hand, darted in and out as he went for soft spots like necks, bellies, and groins. Bull Mackey hacked off hands and the tops of heads with his ax. Spinner ran them through with his pike. And in the center of it all, Sadie swung her cutlass again and again. No matter how hardened those merchant sailors might be, they were still no match for a bunch of wags from Paradise Circle, Hammer Point, and Silverback.

“You'll hang for this!” screamed the captain, a short man with a red face and a wispy beard. Bull Mackey and Spinner had found him hiding in the cargo hold and dragged him before Sadie.

“That so?” asked Sadie.

“These spices are bound for Stonepeak! For the emperor himself!”

“The emperor, you say?” Sadie looked impressed. “Well, then, do me a favor and give your emperor a message from Sadie the Pirate Queen.” She looked at Bull Mackey and Spinner. “Hold him down.”

The two grinned at each other as they stretched him out on the deck. He thrashed desperately, but couldn't get loose.

Sadie straddled him and began to hike up her skirts.

“What in hells are you doing?” demanded the captain.

“Here's my message to the emperor.” Sadie squatted and pissed all over the captain, while he cursed, and her crew howled with laughter.

The celebration that night was particularly rowdy. Red was used to seeing the crew of the
Savage Wind
drunk, including Sadie. But that night it was so loud and chaotic, it made him nervous, so he retreated to the stern, where Missing Finn sat and stared up at the starry sky.

“Why aren't you celebrating with the rest of the crew?” asked Red.

“A sailor learns that out here in open water, anything is liable to happen at any time. Always best to have someone keep a sober watch.”

Several of the crew hollered something incoherent. Both Finn and Red turned to see Sadie punch Avery Birdhouse so hard that his nose began to gush blood. Then she grabbed him by the shirt collar and kissed him hard, his blood smearing all over her face.

“Do you wish you didn't have to keep watch?” asked Red.

Missing Finn shrugged and turned back to look at the stars.

“You in love with Sadie?” asked Red.

Missing Finn smiled faintly. “What do you know of love, boy?”

“My dad loved my mom.”

“That so?”

“It is. Everything he did was for her.”

“He tell you that?”

“Nah. It was easy to see.”

“It's a good thing to grow up seeing that.”

“Why?”

“It means you know there's something more than…” He nodded to the celebration. “That.”

Red didn't know much about Missing Finn, other than that he had sailed more than anyone else on the ship. “What happened to your eye?”

“Ain't a pleasant story.”

“I didn't think it would be,” said Red.

Finn grinned and ruffled Red's hair. “You got a sharp tongue on you. Hope that doesn't get you into more trouble than you can handle.”

“So you're really not going to tell me?”

“What'll you give me in return?”

Red thought about it. “A secret for a secret?”

“How do you know my story's a secret?”

“Because you ain't told anyone on this ship about it. Not even Sadie.”

“It's not a secret, exactly. Just real personal.”

“All secrets are personal. That's why they're secret.”

Finn smiled again. “I'm starting to see why Sadie keeps you around. Clever as claws, you are.”

“So it's a deal?” pressed Red.

“I suppose. But you first.”

Red had already thought of his secret, so he jumped in eagerly. “After my mom died, it was just me and my dad. He used to leave a lot to go work. He was a whore. That meant people paid him to have sex with them.”

“I know what a whore is, boy.”

“You ever pay someone to have sex with you?”

“Of course. I reckon most people in Paradise Circle have.”

“I never will,” said Red. Despite Sadie's assurance that not all sex was like the kind he'd witnessed, the whole idea still seemed unappealing.

“That your secret?” asked Missing Finn.

“Of course not. So when my dad went to work, he left me with our neighbor, Old Yammy. She was a nice lady. Taught me things like juggling and playing stones.”

“You play stones?”

“I'd beat you, I bet.”

“I'd like to see you try.”

“We can play if you like, but you'll have to put down some coppers. Old Yammy told me never play for free.”

Missing Finn laughed. “Maybe I will, just to see you lose. Now, what was that secret of yours, then?”

Red leaned in close. He could feel a flush of embarrassment creep up on his cheeks. “She was so nice and taught me stuff, and what did I do? I stole from her. She had a big bowl of fruit on her table and every time I came over, I would take a piece, even if I wasn't hungry.”

“You stole that captain's clothes,” pointed out Finn. “And what do you think we're doing every day on this ship but stealing?”

“There's right stealing and wrong stealing,” said Red. “Don't think I don't know the difference.”

Missing Finn looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “I guess you've got a point.”

“Anyway, I went to look for her after my dad died, but the imps locked her up on the Empty Cliffs. I don't know why. And I never got a chance to say sorry.” Red thought about that for a moment, wishing he could see her again. Then he shook his head. That was soft artsy stuff. “Now it's your turn. How'd you lose your eye?”

Missing Finn turned to look back out across the water. “I was older than you, but didn't have any real talents or trade to speak of. As you might expect, things weren't going so well for me, and somehow I ended up sleeping down on the piers. That's where a captain by the name of Brek Frayd found me and offered me food and a place to sleep as long as I put in an honest day's work on his ship.”

“That's when you became a sailor?”

“That's when I started learning how to sail.”

“What's the difference?”

“Patience, boy. See, it wasn't a good fit, at first. I got terrible seasick whenever the wind was high. And I wasn't mindful of my work. So many times Captain Frayd had to tell me to go back and secure a line better after I'd just wrapped it around a cleat a few times. That is until one time, during a real bad luffer, a line I was supposed to secure came undone. The pulley whipped into the air, and the hook end caught me right in the face.”

Red examined the oval-shaped wooden pulleys in the nearby rigging. Each one had an iron hook on the end that was as thick as his thumb. He imagined something like that going into his eye and shuddered.

“You know what Captain Frayd told me after that?” asked Missing Finn. “He said, ‘The sea's a terrible cruel mistress, Finny, and she'll always take her due. You done paid in advance with that eye, my boy, and the sea will always welcome you now as her own.'” Finn turned to Red, and his one good eye gleamed wetly in the moonlight. “I been sailing these seas ever since. I never got sick again, and I never again left a line unsecured.”

“That's how you became a sailor,” Red said quietly.

Finn nodded. “I been thinking about what that captain said ever since. Took me years to really understand what he gave me that day.”

“Gave you?”

“After something like that, I could've avoided ships the rest of my life. Nobody would have blamed me for being afraid the sea might take the other eye. But I didn't think of it that way, because of the way he explained it to me. He didn't try to make what happened any less terrible. He just made it worth something. And if you ask me, you can endure any kind of suffering, as long as it has a purpose.”

“My parents died,” Red said quietly. “Did that have a purpose?”

“That's for you to decide. If they hadn't died, would you have met Sadie? Would you have even come to Paradise Circle?”

Red shook his head.

“So that suffering made you into who you are now. A clever boy and a damn fine thief who knows good from bad.” He grinned. “Maybe it will make you into the greatest thief New Laven has ever seen.”

“How do I know if it does?”