Ocean of Dust (26 page)

Oban didn't appear threatened. "The ship is
dead without me. You can't harm me."

"Are you challenging me?"

"No," Oban said softly. "I acknowledge you as
our new captain. The price for my loyalty is that you spare their
lives."

His gaze swept around the room. His frown
deepened when he spotted her, and then he raised one eyebrow.

Despite the danger, she found their argument
fascinating, surprised at the authority wielded by the navigator.
He and Farq faced off for several moments.

"I'll think on it," Farq said, and then spun
around, shoving the guards out of his way.

Oban followed, his cloak swirling about
him.

"Bring that little girl," Farq shouted over
his shoulder. "Cook needs help."

Blab stepped into the room, snatched Branda's
arm and pulled her away.

"Lissa," Branda cried, reaching back.

"I'll come too," Lissa said, rushing
forward.

Blab backhanded her to the floor. "Just
her."

Branda whimpered and struggled.

"You'll be safe with Cook," Lissa said. "Do
as she tells you. I'll join you soon."

The door slammed behind the man and Branda
was gone. Lissa crawled into a corner. She tried to be happy that
Cook was alive, though working for Farq. She nodded to herself.
Branda would be safer in the galley than here with her.

No one spoke and the captain remained deep in
thought. What was Farq planning to do with them all? She tried to
calm her breathing and drummed her fingers slowly on the wooden
deck.

Shortly after the midday bell, the guards
were replaced and two buckets brought in, one full of water and the
other stacked with bread, cheese and stale cakes. Lissa jumped up
and served the captain first. Her hands trembled but her body
tensed, expecting him to yell or push her away. It seemed wrong for
him to be seated and her to stand above him. He accepted the mug
she offered and took a long drink. She listened to the men’s
slurping and munching. Not hungry, she stuffed her own food into
her pockets for later. The captain watched her, and her cheeks
flushed. He simply nodded and did the same.

To pass the afternoon, she observed how the
shadows spread across the room and down the far bulkhead. One by
one, the men stood at the open window and relieved themselves, so
she turned away. The quiet gnawed at her nerves. She wanted to
scream or talk to someone, but didn't dare break the silence.

Finally, the door opened and the crew chief
squeezed in, his giant figure hunched double. The captain exhaled
violently, as if he had been holding his breath all day.

"Wait outside," Sam told the guards.

"Farq told us-"

"I don't care. Get out."

The captain offered his seat on the bench.
"You'll cramp your neck."

Sam grunted his thanks and sat, his head
still bent against the ceiling timbers.

"I expected more from you," the captain
continued. "Frankly, I never imagined such treachery from Farq. I
hope you're ready for the trouble you've brought upon yourself.
Under treaty law you're marked men, whether I live or not."

Not wanting to openly stare, Lissa watched
from eye-corner. The sadness was clear in Sam's eyes. She had come
to think of him as a friend. How could he side with Farq?

"I'll not forgive myself for betraying you,"
Sam said in a deep but quiet voice. "If I find myself at your sword
point, I reckon I'll get what I deserve. But Farq is my gal-mas. He
saved my life as a lad. My life is his, however he commands."

"Then leave," the captain snapped. "We have
nothing more to discuss."

"I gave him my oath to be his deck master,
but mean you no ill. He intends to kill you, all of you."

Lissa's stomach flipped. The image of Mampalo
lying in his own blood popped into her head. She moaned and shook
it away.

Sam stood.

"Oban sent this." He handed the captain a
folded parchment, and then squeezed out of the room.

The captain stared at the closed door for a
long moment, and then sat. He read the letter silently, and then
read it a second time. He glanced at her over the top, and sawed
his teeth.

Her cheeks burned. She looked quickly down. A
tiny crawlie scurried across the deck. A man's boot crushed it,
making her jump.

When the guards showed no sign of returning,
Grad crossed the room and placed his ear to the door.

"I can 'ear 'em talking, sir."

"We could storm 'em," Jancid said, and then
blew his nose on his shirt sleeve. "Grab their weapons. I ain't too
old to fight."

"Aye," the others agreed in low voices.

Lissa tried desperately to think of how she
could help. Could the Klynaks do anything? She doubted they would
get involved.

"I bet I could climb out the window," she
said. All eyes fell on her. "Er... I could get help, or fetch
something."

"I could too," the boy said.

"Maybe there are other prisoners elsewhere,"
Jancid said.

"Aye, we could break out and rescue 'em."

"Fight back when they least expect it."

The captain cleared his throat and everyone
fell silent. "Don't take Farq for a fool. He's devious and he’ll be
expecting us to fight. The guards’ll be ready for us."

"Or worse," Grad mumbled. "He's got a cruel
streak."

Lissa swallowed and nodded.

"You're all good men." The captain caught the
eye of everyone except herself and the boy. "But we need a proper
plan. These are desperate, armed men. Assuming Farq has the rest of
the crew, we cannot win a fight that we lost the first time."

Jancid sniffed. "So if fighting ain't an
option, what’re we gonna do?"

Once again, the men growled their desire to
fight, but the captain waved them to be quiet. He strode to the
window and stuck his head out, looking left, right and up.

"Sawall," he said, beckoning the man over.
"You're a climber-"

"Yessir," Sawall replied, puffing his
chest.

"Can you and Coy scramble out here and find a
way to untie one of the ship's boats, and get it down here without
anyone seeing?"

"Aye, I bet we can."

The captain clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good man. It's a tough task, I admit. Be careful and be
quiet."

Sawall and the boy climbed easily out of the
window, and then disappeared up and to the left. Having had several
falls herself, she knew the risk they took.

"What are you thinking, cap'n?" Jancid
asked.

The captain turned to the old sailor. "I see
no other option than to escape in the boat."

Jancid and Grad complained but he raised his
hand to silence them.

"I know, I know. I've run this ship for nine
Sunturns now. It's our home, but it's not worth more loss of
life."

"What if the guards come back?" Jancid
said.

"We'll deal with that rough passage if we get
to it. Let's pray the lads work swiftly."

"Aye, sir. We're with ye whatever
'appens."

The room was bathed in orange as fiery Eldrar
slipped beneath the flat horizon of the dust ocean. Indar raced
after it. The captain glanced regularly toward the window.

"Where we gonna go?" Grad asked.

"Oban says there are islands to the south,"
the captain whispered. "I'm not sure how far, but it's the only
chance we have. It might take a few days."

"How're we gonna survive?"

"I can get food," Lissa squeaked.

"Water's the main problem," the captain
continued. "Grad, fill these buckets, and any other containers you
can find."

"Aye," Grad replied, and opened a hatch in
the bulkhead to reveal a small basin and tap, similar to the one in
Lissa's washroom, but without a shower.

"I can steal food," she said, louder,
determined to demonstrate her usefulness. What if they didn't need
a girl and left her behind?

"What are you bleating about?" The captain
glared at her. "Stay out of the way."

"I can sneak below and steal food for us
all."

His eyebrows rose. "How?"

The full impact of her plan rushed through
her mind, and she finally registered how dangerous it would be if
she were caught. Why had she stuck her neck out? Because she wanted
to prove herself to the captain. Her newfound loyalty surprised
her.

"Speak, girl. Time is not on our side."

She blinked and scanned the floor. "Somewhere
here is a hatch down to the storerooms. I've seen it from
below."

"Can we escape that way?" Jancid asked,
spitting out the fingernail he was chewing.

She shook her head. "It's barely large enough
for me. But I can bring food back."

"Do it," the captain said. "As much as you
can, as quick as you can. Find that hatch."

Grad found it moments later after dragging
aside a large chest. He lifted the wooden hatch cover and slid it
aside. Everyone knelt and peered into the semi-darkness of a
storeroom piled high with sacks.

"This is next to Cook's cabin," she
whispered.

The captain nodded. She hoped for a smile or
a word of encouragement, but his face was stern. She lowered
herself into the hole and dropped five feet to land on the hard
sacks. The cover slid back into place above her. She crossed to the
hallway and peeked out. Cook's door was closed. There was no one in
the dim hallway, but normal sounds came from the galley, and she
heard two gruff voices further on, toward the manger.

The sacks around her held dry beans and
uncooked oodspal, food that would feed them for many days in the
boat, but how would she cook them? Fresh vegetables and fruit would
be good for their diet, and dried meat, but that would mean
venturing into the other storerooms.

Branda's voice came from the galley. Lissa
retreated into the shadows. It wouldn't do for Branda to find her,
in case she cried out and alerted the guards. Lissa longed to run
and embrace her friend, but knew she had to be strong. Others were
depending on her now, and she wouldn't let them down. Branda had
looked after herself long before Lissa had arrived. She would be
safe. Lissa took a deep breath and counted slowly to ten.

Convinced Branda wasn't about to leave the
galley, Lissa tiptoed into the hallway and moved along it as
quickly as she dared. A dark stain coated a section of the wall and
floor. Mampalo! She clapped both hands to her mouth to smother her
gasp, searching for any evidence, any trail, that they had dragged
him to the physiker. He had died defending her and Branda. She
hadn't even had a chance to thank him. A tear dribbled down her
cheek.

She darted past the galley and moved forward
beyond the mast. Sure enough, two armed men blocked the way, but
they had their backs to her, so she slipped into the storeroom
behind them. There she found a crate of dried meat and lifted it
awkwardly.

"What're you doing sneaking about?"

Chapter 23 - Escape

The crate slipped from her hands and crashed
to the deck, narrowly missing her toes. She spun to face the two
men from the hallway, one tall and bug-eyed and the other fatter.
Each gripped the hilt of his sword, edging it from its
scabbard.

"I... I'm fetching meat for Cook." She backed
against the wall.

The tall man turned to the fat one. "Ain't
she the girl they got locked up?"

"What, the one who went missing?"

"No, the one locked up astern with the
cap'n."

"That was the third girl, wasn't it?" The
short man squinted at her.

"Yes," she said. "They locked up my
friend."

Both men stared at her.

She reached down with trembling hands and
picked up the heavy crate. "Cook'll beat me if I don't get
back."

The tall man shrugged and stepped aside. She
walked wide around them and scurried out of the door, shifting the
crate for a better grip.

"I was sure it was the other girl," the man
muttered as they both headed back the other way.

She moved quietly along the hallway, giving
the bloodstain a wide berth. Back in the aft storeroom, she dumped
the crate on top of the sacks and shook her throbbing arms. Using a
loose piece of timber, she tapped softly on the hatch overhead. No
answer. She knocked louder. Had the guards returned?

Something moved at the edge of her vision,
and she whirled around, raising the stick defensively. The sacks
slid under her and she teetered on their edge. She grabbed a post
for support and her makeshift weapon clattered to the ground.

"Sshh," Cook said, raising a finger to her
lips. "Don't go into the hallway again, you silly child."

"How-?"

"I said shush. Whatever you're up to, work
faster. Farq is on the rampage."

The hatch slid open and Grad lowered his
head, looking at her upside down. Lissa started to thank Cook, but
the woman had gone.

Grad lowered a rope.

"One at a time," he hissed. It seemed to take
forever to squeeze the crate through the small hole. After that, he
and Jancid hauled up a sack of beans and a sack of oodspal. His
head appeared in the hole again. "No time for more. Tie it around
yourself."

Relieved that he didn't intend to abandon
her, she did so and they pulled her back up. Sawall and the boy
stood at the window with the captain. They had secured a rope to
the window frame, and it stretched tautly outside and down.

Grad winked at her. "Just in time. Ready for
an adventure?"

She nodded weakly. Would the adventures ever
end?

The captain's gaze fell on the stack of food,
ignoring her altogether. "Load those into the boat. Quick, before
the guards return."

She kept out of the way, as the men took hold
of the rope with both hands and feet, and swung upside down like
gowser-monkeys. Each loaded a heavy sack onto his belly and then
inched out of the window and down the rope.

The boy came up beside her. "Good job." His
grin revealed missing teeth. "I'm Coy. You're Lispa, right?"