The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) (6 page)

Piercing the darkness with his eyes, Daebian left the fighting behind him and leapt out onto the next ship. Sailors were already emerging from below decks and forming up, but they were too late to try and stop him. He quickly dispatched three men near the gunwale and dropped the gangplank for his men. The pirate Captain stepped aside to let his men do their work as he sought out a third ship. The final object of his desire was moored two piers over, and even his enhanced vision was unable to discern a proper shadow for him to travel through.

“Gloom, come be my eyes.”

A crow blacker than the night sky let out a caw, swooped down from an upper spar, and raced to the ship. Daebian used Klaraxis’ power to see through gloom’s eyes. Able to identify the inky recesses on the far ship, Daebian leapt into the shadow ways and emerged amidst the alerted crew. Two men fell before the sailors were aware there was an enemy amongst them. Daebian blocked a strike from one man and ducked another before leaping away through another shadow. He reappeared almost instantly several yards away and blanketed a large swath of the deck in unnatural darkness.

Men cried out in panic while Daebian sprinted across the deck and allowed his men to board. By the time the pirates boarded the third ship, the first two were nearly under their control, the former crew, alive and dead, pitched overboard. Within minutes, the pirates secured the remaining vessel and cleared it of its original crew. Borrowing Gloom’s eyes once more, Daebian stepped out onto the deck of the first ship.

“Tobias, what did you find in the stores?”

The first mate jumped when the voice spoke from behind him. “Fully loaded with oil flasks and all, Captain.”

“Excellent. The wolves are now a pack, and it’s time to go hunting.” Daebian sailed away from Southport with his three new ships, leaving the docks in flames behind him.

“Course, Captain?” Tobias inquired.

“South. I want to meet some old friends.”

Thanks to the total surprise of the assault, the blackness of night, and the flaming distraction they left behind, pursuit was all but impossible. Even if the navy knew what direction the absconded ships had travelled, the ocean was vast.

Daebian’s armada of five ships sailed south for several days before creating a picket just below the land border between Valeria and Sumara. Stretching his watchers across more than fifty miles of open ocean, the pirates waited, vigilantly watching and lying in wait for their hapless prey to sail into their trap.

Although preferring to dine alone, Daebian chose this night to sup with his crew in the mess. He disliked the banal conversations of common men, fixated almost entirely on plunder, women, and drink, but he understood the importance of not setting himself apart from the crew. Daebian made the pretense to laugh at the punch lines of bawdy jokes or outlandish stories while he picked at his food, his mind focused on far more important things.

“Captain, I know it’s not our place to ask questions,” Tobias said, breaking Daebian out of his pondering, “but we been bobbing in the water for three days now, and the crew was wondering what it is we’re waiting for.”

“It is a good question, Tobias. The men are naturally anxious, and we do not want them to start questioning their purpose. You are ensuring they stay occupied?”

“Aye, sir. We been practicing what’s written in them drill manuals we found in the officers’ berths.”

“Good. Knowing how your enemy fights is half the key to victory. As to your question, my father makes a major run to Sumara this time of year. We missed his ships heading south, but a more valuable cargo is returning north as we speak. We know they do not stray far from land for fear of pirates, so our picket has a good chance of spotting them. My father and his captains are no fools. It is unlikely they will be sailing alone, hence our wolf pack. A single pirate ship, or even a pair of them as I personally witnessed working in concert, has a poor probability of success. My father’s men are well versed in shipboard combat, and his vessels are decently armed as well.”

“Ah, so that’s why we got these navy ships. We got them outgunned now.”

“Partly, but a true genius can claim victory without firing a single shot. It is unlikely anyone far outside of Southport knows about the theft of these navy vessels. Certainly no one south of the border does. We will use that temporary lack of knowledge to our advantage.”

Daebian laid out the details of his plan to Tobias and ordered him to take it to all the crew in his command. The instructions were met with confused grumblings of misgiving, but the crew accepted them, their fear of the enigmatic Captain breaking through the resistance of generations of pirate tradition.

***

“Sails ho!” the lookout called from atop the crow’s nest. “Two points port abeam.”

Zeb pulled out a spyglass and scanned the horizon. He had three ships with him and a wizard, so he was not overly concerned with pirates. As much as he disliked magic, he was glad Azerick put a mage on each of his ships during these troubled times. Zeb saw the flare launch into the sky just as he made out the sails against the horizon from his position on the aft deck. Moments later, a second flare streaked into the sky from far off the starboard rail.

“Eva,” Zeb called to his wizard, “what do you make of that flare? Is it magic?”

The woman stared at the glowing light until it fell back into the ocean and vanished. “I do not think so. The trailing smoke would indicate it is alchemic, created by combining sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. Very few people are able to reproduce it outside The Academy.”

“The military commissioned them wizards to make em for a while now. Is there any way you can get a better look at that ship and the one that shot off the second flare?”

Eva nodded and stood over a barrel of fresh water. She cast a spell and focused on the shimmering surface, willing it to produce the image she desired. Within moments, the clear image of a ship replaced the rippling reflection of her face.

“I have it, Captain. Would you like to see?”

Zeb stepped near the barrel and peered over the lip as if afraid a sea monster might be lying in wait for him. “That looks like a navy ship. It’s flying their colors, and the armament is definitely military. Is that the ship to port?”

“It is.”

“Can you show me the one off the starboard?” Eva waved her hand as if to brush away the image of the first ship and displayed the second one. “That’s navy too, and they’re both headed our way. I wonder what they want.”

“What’s your orders, Cap’n?” Balor asked.

Zeb thought hard for several seconds. “Order the other ships in close and subtly draw weapons from the armory. I don’t know what’s going on, so let’s be prepared, but don’t take any provocative actions.” Zeb looked at the barrel of water. “And pour that water overboard and jettison the barrel.”

Eva sent a magical yellow light soaring into the sky, the signal for the ships to converge and be wary of danger. An hour crept past and the navy ships drew ever closer. The lookout called out the sighting of a third set of sails appearing farther off the starboard beam.

“What do you think this is all about, Cap’n?” Balor asked nervously.

Zeb shook his head. “I don’t have a clue. Everyone stay alert.”

The merchant captain studied the crews aboard the rapidly approaching ships through his spyglass. The men wore the striped shirts and moved with the practiced efficiency of naval seamen. Everything he saw bespoke of a legitimate naval operation, but Zeb could not shake the nagging feeling that a storm was brewing, and it was coming his way.

The lead navy ship raised signal flags, ordering the merchant ships to stand down and prepare for boarding. Zeb ordered the ships to drop anchor and comply, but he quietly passed word to remain on alert. The ships drew near, and a man in an officer’s uniform stepped to the rail of the navy vessel and raised a megaphone to his mouth.

“I am Captain Tobias Munce of His Majesty’s Royal Navy. Prepare to be boarded. Any interference in the performance of our duty will be met with force.”

Zeb cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted. “I’m the Captain of this vessel and senior member of this group. What is the meaning of this?”

“Due to the heightened state of war and the threat of political destabilization, the King has demanded an expansion in regular customs duties,” came the shouted response.

Zeb looked at men gathered on the deck and the heavy weaponry trained on his ships. “Throw your lines then! Make fast for boarding!”

The crew of the navy ship threw lines across the short stretch of water between vessels and lowered gangplanks once the merchant crew tied them off. Sailors streamed across the gangplanks with Captain Tobias leading the way onto Zeb’s ship.

“This is highly unusual, and I don’t like it one bit,” Zeb said to Tobias.

“It’s not your job to like it, only to comply,” Tobias responded and began directing his crew to key locations on the deck.

Zeb gave Eva a sidelong glance. “The first instant this doesn’t look legit, I want you to blast that ship to splinters.”

“Let’s not lose our heads,” Daebian whispered into Zeb’s ear. Eva let out a small squeak when Daebian poked her in the back with his sword. “I mean that quite literally.”

“Damn your hide, boy! I took you aboard and made you a sailor! You have friends on this ship!”

“Which is why my people are not cutting yours down as we speak. Now, order your men to lay down arms and take a seat on the main deck.”

“You just keep finding new ways to disappoint your father,” Zeb hissed.

“He disappointed me first. Let this be the last time we mention him lest I become unpleasant. Now order your people to stand down, and signal your other ships to do the same.”

Zeb’s face burned scarlet, and he gritted his teeth in barely suppressed fury. “Men, lay down arms and gather ‘round the mainmast!” The crew’s first reaction was looks of confusion. “Do it, now! Balor, signal the other ships to do the same.”

Balor looked about to argue but did as his captain ordered. He affixed several colored pennants to a line and hoisted them up. A minute later, both ships flew pennants of acknowledgment. Daebian’s men quickly bound the hands and feet of the merchant crews. Daebian took the extra precaution of ordering gags in the wizards’ mouths.

“Sorry about this, Eva, but we don’t want anyone making this more unpleasant than it has to be.” Eva surprised Daebian by simply smiling coyly and biting down on the braided cloth as he tied it around her head. He then turned and addressed everyone aboard. “For those of you who do not know me, I am Daebian Giles, outcast son of your precious Lord Giles. I understand this is likely a frightening situation for some of you, but rest assure I have no intent of harming you as long as you offer no resistance. Try to escape, fail to follow instructions, or offer my crew any form of violence or resistance, and you will be run through and tossed overboard. If you look off to starboard, you can see another of my ships approaching. That ship will carry a letter of ransom to my father and, when he pays it, I will release you all to go about your merry way.”

It took a great deal of shuffling prisoners and crew about to properly man all eight ships now in Daebian’s command. He sent the smallest of his ships to convey his ransom demands while the rest of his pirate group sailed southwest into uncharted waters.

“What’s next on our agenda, Captain,” Tobias asked as he and Daebian shared a meal in the Captain’s quarters. “We made quite a haul with this run, not even counting whatever you get for ransoming the crew. The men are hoping we’ll lay anchor so they can spend a good bit of their earnings.”

“There really is little to do until our ship returns, and our crew is already stretched too thin between all our vessels. We are returning to the Black Sand Isles where we will hire more crew and wait for our ransom payment.”

Tobias nodded. “Aye, and Captain Farique will be pleased with his share.”

Daebian laid his fork down and looked at the overhead as he drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I had forgotten about him.”

Tobias was certain this was not a true statement. In the short time he had known the unusual young man, he was confident in thinking that Daebian had not forgotten a single event or word spoken to him since he was old enough to understand speech.

“We have one more audacious plan to enact, Tobias. I need you to visit with each of the crew and convince them to give me their full support. There will be a great deal of profit in it if we are successful.”

“Do you think we’ll be successful?”

Daebian grinned conspiratorially. “Tobias, I am
always
successful when I choose to be.”

Good fortune continued to smile upon them as the seas remained calm and the winds gentle. It allowed Tobias to gather most of the crew together aboard a single ship, leaving a skeleton crew of men he trusted to maintain course. It was cramped, and the smell of unwashed bodies was pervasive even in the open air of the main deck. Tobias stood a few feet above the pressed mass of sailors atop the foredeck stairs.

“Men, we are heading home,” the first mate announced and received a loud cheer from the crew. “But Captain Daebian has one more thing he needs before we take our shore leave and enjoy our spoils. As you probably know, Captain Daebian isn’t one for taking orders from anyone, and he has set his sights on a higher position.”

“There ain’t no higher position!” a voice called out from the mob.

“There’s one.”

The crew began an uneasy murmuring as they began to understand what Tobias was saying. “He’s a madman! Captain Farique commands nearly every pirate sailing the seas. He’ll hang us all from his yardarms like wind chimes!”

“Captain Farique is just a man, and I think you all agree that Captain Daebian is far more than that. He took our ship, four merchant ships, and three of His Majesty’s naval vessels with barely a man lost. Do you think Captain Farique could do that? Captain Farique treats us like peasants, no more than serfs to toil in his oceanic fields for a pittance, for scraps he tosses down to us like dogs at his table. Captain Daebian will treat us right and give us our due. We will sit at his table and enjoy our spoils like knights and noblemen. Rarely does a man get the opportunity to raise himself above his allotted station. Do not pass up the one chance you have at achieving greatness!”