The Pirates of Pacta Servanda (Pillars of Reality Book 4) (12 page)

“You’ll go,” Alli said. “I can supervise things here for a few minutes.”

Mari nodded, grateful that Alli had stepped in. “Thanks. Mage Asha…Mage Dav! We can’t leave Mage Dav!”

Asha shook her head. “If Mage Dav means to accompany us, he will be here. If he does not meet us here, he will find us at some later time.”

Bev was gazing out over the harbor. “Sparks and smoke, people. That stack is showing signs that someone is trying to get a boiler lit and online really fast.”

“Move it!” Mari ordered, scrambling down the ladder into the launch. She sat in the back, pillowing Alain’s head on her lap, trying not to burst into tears over how sick he looked.

Bev joined them, as did two common folk with the snake and staff badges of healers, then three of the Mechanics who had accompanied Calu and Calu himself, hustled down the ladder by an insistent Alli.

The launch shoved off and began threading its way through the crowded harbor back to the Gray Lady. “I guess Alli and I are going to be trying to keep you out of trouble again,” Calu commented.

Mari couldn’t helping smiling. “Yeah. Just like old times.”

“These guys are Rob of Larharbor—” one of the new Mechanics nodded to Mari—“and Tess of Emdin and Amal of Farland.”

Mari saw how closely Rob was sitting to one of the healers, a woman about his age. “And you’re healers?”

The woman nodded. “Cas and Pol of Julesport. Brother and sister. We’ll do all we can for, uh…”

“My Mage,” Mari said.

“And then can we come with you?” She reached for the hand of Mechanic Rob. “My brother just wants to help you, but Rob and I have wanted to get married for years. The Guild blocked it.”

“They’re cracking down on any relationships with commons,” Rob explained.

“It’s gotten even crazier lately,” Calu agreed. “You’ve really got them scared, Mari.”

“I haven’t done all that much,” she said. “Alain and I have mostly just tried to stay alive.”

“And get your hands on forbidden Mechanic texts,” Bev added.

“Well, yeah, that, too.”

The other Mechanics stared at her. “Forbidden texts?” Amal asked. “From the Guild vaults?”

Despite her fatigue, Mari perked up a little at the topic. “Yes. There is some amazing stuff in there. Wait until you see it.”

“We’ll all get to see the texts?”

“Everyone will,” Mari said. She knew they wouldn’t think she meant literally everyone. They would assume that she only intended other Mechanics. But she was too tired at the moment to explain, and argue, that the texts should be seen by commons and even by Mages as well.

She was surprised when the hull of the
Gray Lady
loomed above them, the masts of the ship rising skyward like angular trees shorn of leaves. A barge lay next to the ship, its open deck laden with crates, boxes and barrels which were being hoisted up and onto the
Gray Lady
using lines that ran through tackle on some of the spars. The crew, who didn’t seem to find the need to haul a limp body aboard the least bit unusual, brought over one of the lines being used as a hoist, passing a large loop over Alain’s head and arms and using it to pull him up to the deck. “They’re familiar enough with it,” the captain explained to Mari. “In every port one or two sailors takes on way too much booze and needs a bit of help up the side.”

Mari stood on deck, trying to decide what to do as the healers and some of the crew carried Alain into the cabin. Once again she was torn by conflicting responsibilities. She finally went to the rail, watching as the rest came aboard and the launch headed back for the quay. “Captain, we need to be ready to leave as soon as the launch returns and the people it carries get aboard.”

The captain looked at the sky. “Lady, it’s not the best night for sneaking out of a harbor. A bit too bright and clear, with a nearly full moon.”

“Make the best of it,” Mari ordered. “The Mage Guild is not going to be happy when they realize we got Mage Alain away from the Dark Mages.”

“The Mage Guild?” The captain blew out a long breath. “I once saw a leviathan turn a bigger ship than this to matchsticks. What about the Mechanics Guild?”

“You can see they’re trying to get steam up on their ship. That’s going to take a little while, but we want to have disappeared before they can start chasing us. Did we get all of the supplies that we need?”

“Aye,” the captain said. “Better quality than we usually have, as well, and I was told it was all paid for.”

“All of it? I didn’t—” Mari exhaled heavily. “It’s too late to argue now.”

“How many more are coming, may I ask, Lady?”

“Four or five, I think. It depends if Mage Dav makes it back.”

She looked over to where the Mechanic ship was working to get up steam, smoke gushing from its stack visible even against the night sky. “What are they doing?” she asked Bev. “There’s way too much smoke.”

“I’m not a steam specialist,” Bev said, “but I’d guess they’re trying to get the boiler going as fast as possible.”

“They’ll crack the bricks lining the boiler if they’re not careful,” Mari said. “Why do I think that there’s a Senior Mechanic standing over the captain of that Mechanic ship demanding they move faster?”

“Rules are for regular Mechanics,” Bev said. “How are you going to run things once the Guild is gone?”

“What?” Mari turned a baffled gaze on her.

“Once the Mechanics Guild is overthrown, somebody is going to have to make new rules. Somebody is going to have to set up some way of running things if the Senior Mechanics are out of the picture. I know Alli and Dav are just sort of assuming you’ll be that somebody, and I bet everyone else will, too.”

Mari stared at the waters of the harbor, aghast. “Oh, no.”

“You can’t do worse than the Senior Mechanics have,” Bev said, a sudden dark edge entering her voice. “They—” She struggled to control herself. “They’ve got a lot to answer for,” she finally got out.

“Bev, I’m sorry. Whatever it was.”

Bev pointed over the side, changing the subject. “Here comes the launch. Looks like Mage Dav collected a few friends.”

Mari stared. There were five figures in Mage robes among the others. Mage Dav and Mage Asha made two. Who were the other three?

Mage Asha was first on deck, looking as unconcerned as ever.

“Asha,” Mari said, “who are those other Mages?”

“Mage Dav found some who sought us,” Asha said. “They seek different wisdom.”

“He’s sure they can be trusted?”

“Mage Dav would not have brought them along if he was not certain.” Asha turned her gaze on Mari. “My uncle…likes…you. Is that the right word?”

“I don’t know,” Mari said, startled. “Why does he like me?”

“He is a Mage, and one of no great standing, but you treat him with the same courtesy and concern you grant Mechanics. Your trust is also welcome and unexpected, for Mage Dav knows how Mages are seen by others.” She paused, her face shadowed. “That has always been difficult for Mage Dav, to know he was seen as a monster.”

“It was hard for Alain, too,” Mari said. “I hated knowing how the commons looked at me behind my back. Oh, they’re very respectful to Mechanics to their faces, but if you turned around quickly enough you’d see their true feelings. And I couldn’t blame the commons, seeing how some of my fellow Mechanics treated them.”

“Mages have always treated shadows as nothing,” Asha said.

“They don’t have to be nothing, Asha. Alain is a Mage and he sees me as real, and I think he’s seeing a lot of other people that way, too.”

“I watch and I listen,” Asha said. “I learn.”

Mage Dav came up the ladder, followed by the three other Mages with their faces concealed under the hoods of their robes. Mage Dav nodded to Mari and led the other Mages to a spot on deck where they would be least in the way. There all four sat down facing each other in a tight circle.

“Are those…safe Mages?” the captain asked in a worried voice.

“Mage Dav vouches for them,” Mari said. “If they can’t behave themselves they won’t stay. For now, try to work around them. How soon can we get underway?”

“We’re taking in the line to the anchor buoy now.”

Mari looked over the side, seeing that Alli, Mechanic Dav and the fourth new Mechanic were all coming up the ladder. The launch was just pushing off, the boat officer and the rowers pausing to wave enthusiastic farewells.

Waving back, Mari felt the
Gray Lady
begin moving as her sails unfurled and began catching the wind.

“We have the tide with us,” the captain said, “but it’s a long ways out of the harbor. Hopefully any galleys outside the harbor will be caught napping when we leave.”

“Whoa!” Bev said loudly enough to cause everyone to look at her, and then at what she was looking at.

Mari saw the cloud of smoke from the Mechanic ship was now lit from beneath by showers of sparks and a few actual flames coming from the stack. “They split their boiler. Lucky it happened before they had pressure up, or half this harbor would have felt the explosion.”

“Think they’ll lose the ship?” Alli asked, coming up to Mari. “I hope it was all right to let Mage Dav bring those other Mages with us.”

“Yeah. I trust Mage Dav.” Mari took another look toward the stricken steamship. “The flames seem to be subsiding. I think they’ll save the ship, but it’s not going to be going anywhere soon. Alli, we have to keep everyone alert and ready until we clear this harbor. Get the other two rifles distributed. I’ll give mine to Calu since I have my pistol.”

“Got it.”

Mari leaned on the rail, feeling exhausted, grateful that she could depend on Alli to manage the other Mechanics. Calu could do it, too, for that matter. “Mage Asha, can you tell if any Mages are working on big spells?”

Asha shook her head. “I do not sense such activity near the harbor. The elders have no doubt been surprised. But it would not be wise to give them time to overcome their surprise.”

As badly as she wanted to run into the cabin to find out how the healers were doing with Alain, Mari held herself at the rail, watching the dark shapes of anchored ships slide by with increasing speed as the
Gray Lady
tacked through the harbor. They were so close to getting out of Julesport in one piece.

The
Gray Lady
glided gently toward the exit from the harbor, her sails drawing well on the light breeze. Of necessity, her course was bringing the
Gray Lady
close by the largest Confederation warship in the harbor, a three-masted frigate mounting two big ballistae on her deck. Looking like giant crossbows, the ballistae could be pivoted to fire off either side. But Mari saw no reason to be worried about the Confederation warship. She kept her eyes forward, searching for any signs of Syndari galleys near the harbor mouth.

Her complacency was rudely shattered by a hail from the Confederation warship. “Ahoy the clipper! Shorten your sails!”

Mari spun to look at the warship, seeing crewmembers running along the deck and up the rigging while others rushed to the ballistae. “I don’t believe it. Why is the Confederation moving against us?”

Alli was standing beside her again. “Alain’s still out cold, isn’t he?”

“As far as I know.”

“Can any of the other Mages do that fire thing?”

“Asha?”

“No,” Asha said, her lack of emotion making the single word sound oddly complacent.

Mari ran through options in her mind and didn’t find any good ones. Without Alain, their ability to defeat the big warship was pretty much nonexistent. “Alli, get our Mechanics lined up and ready to fire. Mage Asha, if you or the other Mages can disable that ship somehow, let me know.”

“We are on the water. There is little power here.”

“Of course,” Mari grumbled. “Captain! Tell that warship that we’ve got clearance to leave this harbor! Colonel Faron gave us clearance!”

The captain of the
Gray Lady
complied, raising his speaking trumpet. “Ahoy the warship! We’ve got clearance to leave! Courtesy of Colonel Faron of Julesport!”

Mari watched the crew of the warship continue their frantic activity, bringing up the anchor and loosing sails. Others were swinging out the ballistae. Mari saw her small group of Mechanics at the rail of the Gray Lady, measured them against the number of sailors on the warship, and knew even six Mechanic rifles couldn’t hope to deal with this threat.

“Ahoy the clipper!” the hail from the warship came again. “Shorten sail now!”

The captain of the
Gray Lady
shook his head, looking at Mari. “Unless you’ve a miracle handy, Lady, I’d recommend doing as they say.”

My miracle is still unconscious in a bunk
, Mari thought bitterly. “If we don’t comply and that warship opens fire at this range, we’ll be ripped apart. At the least, we need to buy time. Do it!” she yelled at the captain.

The captain shouted the necessary orders and his sailors raced aloft to pull in the
Gray Lady
’s sails, reducing the amount of area the wind could strike and therefore causing the small clipper’s speed to fall off. The captain raised his speaking trumpet again. “We’re shortening sail.”

“Thank you!” the warship called back.

Alli looked back at Mari. “Thank you?”

Mari stared at the warship, then gave the
Gray Lady
’s captain a perplexed look. “Are Confederation warships normally that polite when they’re trying to intercept other ships?”

The captain looked equally baffled. “Not in my experience. Not polite at all.”

The voice from the warship called again. “Shorten sail more! You’ll be too far ahead!”

“I thought that was the idea,” Bev complained. “Aren’t we trying to escape? What’s going on?”

Once again the captain shook his head to indicate he didn’t know.

Mari hit her limit. “I can’t fight people when I don’t even know if they’re trying to fight me!” She strode aft and took the speaking trumpet from the captain. “On the warship! Why are you asking us to slow down?”

After a brief pause, the warship called back. “Weren’t you told?”