Blade of the North Read online

  “For how long?” Aveline asks.

  There’s nothing else to hold on to up here and already my toes, my feet, and my calves are beginning to cramp. But there’s no other way. “As long as I have to,” I reply.

  Our plan is simple - the others will wait at the far end of the cell while I stand on the top of the door. Trying to ignore the pain in my feet at least takes my mind off Father.

  For a long time, nothing happens. Worryingly, my feet have gone numb - I’m concerned that I won’t be able to move when the door is eventually opened. Falling onto a sword won’t help us get out. So every few minutes I lift a foot to wiggle my toes. As the blood flows back through my feet, so does the pain.

  After what seems like hours, a light appears through the crack beneath the door. The others go quiet, waiting. There is a jangle of keys, and I try and relax my muscles in readiness.

  Slowly the door opens and light pours into the room. As the door swings open, I keep my hands pressed against the wall and lean towards it as the rest of my body swings out with the door. Three men enter the cell below me: the mayor - who is holding the lamp - and a soldier on either side of him.

  “Who wants to talk first?” he asks.

  The others huddle at the end of the cell, shielding their eyes.

  The mayor lifts the lamp higher. “Where’s that girl?” he asks.

  Taking my cue, I jump off. Bringing my elbow down as hard as I can, it connects with a crack on the head of the nearest soldier. He slumps down in a heap and I land behind the others.

  The mayor and the second soldier swing around, the soldier’s sword aiming directly at my head. Or at least where my head would be if I was standing. But my feet and calves are so cramped that I’ve fallen over, unable to stand. I stare up in terror as the soldier quickly brings his sword back to thrust down at me.

  Arms suddenly grab him from behind and slam his head against the wall. The mayor’s eyes bulge open and he opens his mouth to call for help. But no sound escapes his lips as a sword is levelled at his throat.

  “Don’t,” Theolin says to him, holding the sword.

  “Great work,” Aveline says to me.

  Jarryd reaches out his hand to me, but I shake my head.

  “Give me a minute,” I say. “My calves are cramped.”

  I stretch my calves and finally have a chance to look around. The sword Theolin is holding came from the soldier I knocked out. Dain must have run straight at the other soldier before he could skewer me with his sword. I’m lightheaded from the relief flooding me – I was sure I was about to die.

  “What you are going to do,” Aveline instructs the mayor, “is lead us out of here.”

  The mayor straightens his back and looks down haughtily on Aveline. “No, little girl, I won’t.”

  Theolin pushes the sword into the mayor’s throat, forcing his head back. “You sure about that?” she asks sweetly.

  A bead of sweat trickles down the mayor’s forehead. “What do you want?” he asks.

  “No tricks,” Aveline responds. “You lead us out of here, past any guards, and safely into the streets.”

  The mayor sneers. “Do you think you can leave here carrying those swords and not arouse any suspicion?”

  “We’ll have these,” Rose says. She’s bending over one of the soldiers and holding up a pair of knives. “Your soldiers come well equipped.” She goes to the other soldier and finds another pair of knives under his coat. She keeps one of the knives for herself then distributes the others to Aveline, Theolin, and Alek.

  The cramping finally subsides and I’m able to stand.

  “Lead the way,” Aveline orders the mayor, palming a knife. “And nothing stupid.”

  The mayor leads us up the stair and into the main room of the prison. Three soldiers are there, and they regard us curiously.

  “Where’s Flinn and Rodrick?” one of them asks. The way he is eyeing us makes me nervous.

  The mayor shrugs his shoulders. “Where do you think?” he says.

  For a moment everyone in the room freezes. The soldiers look at us, then at the mayor. Then they draw their swords and attack.

  Everything happens at once. Alek lunges at one of the soldiers and stabs him in the chest. Theolin throws her knife at a second soldier. I don’t have time to see if it connects as the last soldier is swinging his sword at me. I duck and move around him, striking out under his arm with my fist. His arm drops and Aveline jumps at him, plunging her knife into the man’s belly.

  Suddenly the room is quiet again. The three soldiers are on the ground – Theolin’s knife struck true – with blood seeping from their wounds. The mayor is staring at us, stunned and speechless. He puts his hands up and backs away. “I didn’t know they would attack. I thought - ”

  Dain punches the mayor hard in the chin, dropping him to the ground.

  “Come on,” Aveline says, taking charge again.

  “Where to?” Theolin asks.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Aveline replies. “We just need to get away from here as quickly as possible.”

  Aveline leads the way out of the prison. But I can’t move; my eyes are fixed on the bodies in front of me. I’ve seen death already – too much of it – but not like this. Not when I’m part of the cause. My legs begin to shake, and my stomach wants to heave.

  “Sara!” Rose’s voice calls from the door.

  Dragging my eyes away from the bloodied bodies, I follow Rose out into the street. It is dark now and the town is much quieter than when we arrived. The hawkers and street merchants have all gone, and the streets are all but empty. It must be late at night for the town to be so quiet.

  “This way,” Rose says, leading me to where the others are waiting in an alley across the street.

  “We have to get passage on a ship that’s leaving right now,” Aveline is saying.

  “That’s crazy!” Theolin says. “Someone will find those soldiers soon, and before any ship can leave it will be stopped and searched. We’ll be found for sure.”

  “Not if we go now,” Aveline insists. “The only other choice is to get out of the town, but the guards at the gates will likely remember us and won’t let us pass.”

  Theolin swears under her breath. Finally, she nods her head.

  “Okay,” Aveline says. “We split up and enquire at the ships as quickly as we can. When anyone finds one that’s about to leave, gather the rest of us and we’ll all board together. It doesn’t matter which direction it’s going – so long as it’s leaving. But we can’t attract any attention.”

  Trying to appear as though we aren’t in a hurry, we walk quickly down to the docks, then split up to find a ship that is about to depart. The first man Alek and I speak to says his ship isn’t leaving until the morning. Sailors on the next three ships tell the same story.

  In front of the next ship, a sailor is curling up a large rope. He tells me his ship, The Emperor’s Tide, is leaving as soon as the captain gives the all-clear.

  Delighted, Alek and I quickly summon the others.

  “Where’s the captain?” Aveline asks.

  “Here,” a voice says from behind us.

  I turn around and see a tall, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested man watching us. His short, close-cropped hair and clean-shaven face made him look more like a merchant than a ship’s captain.

  “We want passage on your ship,” Aveline says.

  “You want to go to Malikaran?” the captain asks.

  I didn’t ask where the ship was heading originally because it didn’t matter - so long as we were able to leave. But now, hearing the destination, I have to suppress a smile.

  “Yes,” Aveline responds.

  The captain strokes his chin, regarding us thoughtfully. “Justin,” he says to the sailor coiling the rope, “tell the men we cast off immediately.”

  “Yes captain,” Justin says, before scampering up the gangway to the ship.

  The captain turns his eyes back on us. “I saw seven people escorted in th
rough the gates earlier today,” he says. “Know anything about that?”

  Aveline looks him directly in the eye. “Not a thing,” she says.

  “Oh, must be a coincidence then,” the captain says dubiously. “Why should I take you on my ship?”

  “There’s no reason you shouldn’t,” Aveline says. “We can pay.” She produces some coins and offers them to the captain.

  “You’re right,” he says. “There is no reason why I shouldn’t – but see, there’s a funny thing about coincidences. Some people, like guards, soldiers, and the like, they don’t believe in them. So, while I may be willing to believe you’re not those same seven people who were escorted into town, those soldiers over there may not be so lenient.”

  I follow his gaze and look behind me. Three soldiers with their swords drawn are scurrying along the docks, stopping at each ship they pass. Someone must have found the bodies in the prison.

  Aveline sees the soldiers too. She puts her hand back in her pocket before turning back to the captain. “Like I said, we can pay.” She sounds so calm - I’m in awe of her composure.

  The captain’s eye’s nearly burst out of his head. “Coincidences be damned,” he says. “Get on board.”

  It is only then that I see the green gem Aveline is holding out. The captain takes it and we all follow him on board the ship.

  “Cast off Justin,” the captain orders.

  Justin and two other sailors untie the ropes holding the ship at the dock, then the wind fills the sails and we drift off into the harbour.

  Looking back, I see the soldiers at the end of the dock we have just left. They are waving at us, beckoning us to return.

  “Do we turn around, Captain?” Justin asks.

  “What for?” the captain replies. “There’s no reason to.” He turns his attention away from the dock and towards us.

  “All of you,” the captain says to us, “below deck. Now.”

  “Captain!” a sailor calls anxiously from the bow of the ship. The captain runs forward. “There!” the sailor says, pointing.

  The captain swears and I jump back at the savagery of his voice. “Full ahead!” he orders. He turns to us. “I’ll get us out of this if I can,” he whispers harshly, “but if I can’t I’ll tie a weight around each of your necks and drop you overboard. Whatever you’re wanted for, my men and my ship come first.”

  Ahead of us, I see what has made the captain so angry: a small ship, crammed full of soldiers is heading for the harbour mouth.

  The captain goes to the wheel and pushes the sailor there out of the way. “Full ahead I ordered!”

  “How did they get there so quickly?” I say, not realising I’d voiced my thought.

  “When the bodies were found they must have sent soldiers out to block anyone from escaping the harbour,” Jarryd says beside me, keeping his voice low.

  “Full to port,” the captain calls, spinning the wheel himself.

  I lurch and nearly fall over as the ship begins to turn.

  “Captain, don’t you think we should stop?” one of the sailors asks.

  “We’ve got paying passengers aboard, Johannes,” the captain replies. “We’re not stopping unless I order it.”

  We’re nearing the ship blocking the harbour mouth in front of us. A soldier on board is holding up a lantern and flashing a signal to us.

  The captain grunts. “Apologise and say their message wasn’t clear.”

  Johannes smiles mischievously. “Not too much unclear about ‘stop, we need to search your ship.’ But I didn’t understand it either.” He uses his own lantern to flash back a reply.

  We’re bearing down on them, gaining speed. Their ship is tracking ours across the harbour mouth and we are close enough now that I can see a few of the soldiers twirling grappling hooks.

  The lantern flashes us another message. “What do you think ‘stop or we sink your ship’ means?” Johannes drily asks the captain.

  The captain smiles grimly. “Means we better not stop.” He watches the other ship closely for a few more moments then shouts, “Full to starboard!” He wrenches the wheel around and I crash to the deck with the sudden violent movement of the ship as it changes course.

  Pushing myself up I see the other boat directly in front of us. I close my eyes and brace for the impact. Our ship shudders and groans as it crashes into the other ship. I’m flung across the deck and slide heavily into one of the masts. Warily I get to my feet and see the others sprawled on the deck. I’m expecting to see water flooding onto the ship, but the ship looks surprisingly unscathed. Behind us, the other ship is lurching into the air. It has a gash down one side and is beginning to sink. Soldiers have already jumped or fallen into the water where their armour is dragging them under.

  Then I hear it: laughter. The captain is watching the sinking ship, roaring with laughter. It is the kind of laugh that comes out when you think you’ve cheated death. Amazingly, Alek is beside him, laughing as well.

  Eventually, the captain’s laughter dies away. “Johannes,” he calls out, “change our markings.” Then he turns to us and hollers, “Didn’t I tell you all to get below deck? We need to talk. Now!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “If you want me to take you any farther,” the captain says, “tell me what happened.”

  “Why did anything have to happen?” Aveline asks sweetly.

  The seven of us are sitting around a small table in a cabin below deck. The captain is glaring at us, standing with his arms folded across his chest. The room is cramped and smells of sweat and stale food. There are no windows, with the only light coming from a lantern on the table.

  “Don’t get cute with me girl,” he growls.

  “Fine,” Aveline relents. Then, after introducing us all, she asks “What’s your name?”

  “Captain,” the captain replies gruffly. “Now, why are you on board my ship paying for your passage with gems?”

  Aveline opens her mouth to answer but the captain cuts her off. “Not you. You’re too smooth a talker.” He looks around the table then stabs his finger at me. “You answer.”

  I’m shocked at being singled out but try to overcome it. “Do you think I’m not a smooth talker?” I ask, trying to sound as confident as Aveline.

  “No, I don’t,” the captain answers. “So talk.”

  I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I’m terrified of saying the wrong thing, and I don’t want to put us in more danger than we already are. The captain is right: I’m not a smooth talker. I’m not even a good one.

  “We haven’t committed any crime,” I begin hesitantly. “In fact, the only thing we’ve been accused of doing is walking through the Daishen Forest. We were captured and put into a cell. The mayor threatened to torture us if we didn’t tell him where to find the assassins that are supposed to live in the forest. We…” I stop as a small smile appears on the captain’s face.

  “Keep going,” he says.

  “Naturally, we didn’t want to be tortured, so we escaped,” I add. “That’s all.”

  The captain sits down. “You just ‘escaped’ eh?” His smile broadens. “Nobody just escapes from Mayor Veneen.” He looks at us as though seeing us for the first time and appraises us anew. Slowly he nods his head. “But if you’ve come from Storm… that makes sense.”

  “Storm?” I ask, hoping to appear naïve.

  The captain shoots me a withering look. “I suggest wherever you’re going, you let her,” he points at Aveline, “do all the talking.”

  Sullenly I sit back further in my chair. I’m not that bad.

  “What do you know about Storm?” Theolin asks.

  “Enough to know you’ve spent time with her,” he replies. “And enough to know you needed to spend more time with her. How did you manage to get yourselves caught so easily?”

  “We were surrounded,” Dain replies, as though there’s nothing more to say.

  “Oh, you were surrounded,” the captain echoes. “Where exactly did they manage to
surround you? In a crowded street? In a tiny alley? No? If I know Mayor Veneen he will have had men from his garrison watching the forest, ready to arrest anyone coming from there. Which means you were likely surrounded,” he says the word with scorn, “somewhere out in open country.”

  “They were hiding behind the trees,” Dain says defensively.

  “Of course they were,” the captain says, feigning sympathy. “Are you the protector?” he asks me.

  “No,” I reply, stunned at the bluntness of his question. If he assumes I’m the protector, then he sees me as weak, unthreatening. Does he think I’m useless at everything? I learned a lot from Storm, and she was sincere when she said I was good. I know I’m not much to look at, but do I really seem so harmless?

  “I am,” Jarryd says.

  “Then why did you lead them all into an ambush?” the captain asks.

  “It wasn’t his fault,” I say, surprised at how quickly I jump to his defence.

  “Whoever’s fault it was,” the captain says, “you need to be better. Much better.” He stands up and opens the cabin door.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Theolin asks.

  “You’ve paid for your passage, and I’m satisfied with who you are. So I’ll take you to Malikaran, or let you off anywhere beforehand if you wish. It’s still a three-day journey, so there are hundreds of places I can set you ashore.”

  “Aren’t you tempted to turn us over to the Peace Bringers?” Theolin asks.

  The captain chuckles. “Girl, if you knew what I carry on this ship, you’d know how stupid a question that is. Now, get topside and make yourselves useful. The decks need mopping.” He dismisses us with a curt nod and starts towards the door.

  “Wait,” Theolin says, stopping the captain. “What do you carry on this ship?” Even in our circumstances she still can’t keep the challenge out of her voice.