Blade of the North Read online

  The captain’s face sets; he doesn’t look impressed by the question. And just when he seemed to be growing more disposed towards us. He stares at Theolin for a long moment, but Theolin doesn’t shy away under the intensity of his gaze. Finally, he gives her a grim, half-mocking smile. “What do I carry on this ship? Other than smuggling young people who aren’t smart enough to stay out of trouble?” He raises his eyebrows then bellows, “Johannes!”

  The door opens immediately and Johannes enters the cabin. “Yes Captain?” he answers.

  “The young lady here would like to know what we carry on our ship.”

  “Peace and harmony, Captain,” Johannes says.

  “That’s right,” the captain says, turning back to Theolin. “Peace and harmony.” With that, he turns and leaves the cabin.

  Theolin stares at him for a moment, as though trying to decide if she is being mocked or not. Then a reluctant chuckle escapes her lips. “Where are the mops?” she asks, following the captain.

  I sleep for the rest of the night and most of the following day. After months of sleeping through the day and training with Storm at night, my body’s whole sleep cycle is out of rhythm. When I finally awake and climb up the stairs onto the deck, it is late afternoon.

  The scenery that surrounds us is breathtakingly beautiful. The river cuts a path through high, snow-capped mountains. The rugged mountains drop off into sheer cliffs that must be thousands of feet high that plunge straight into the river. Waterfalls litter the cliff faces, fed by melting snows from the mountain heights. It is like something from a painter’s imagination.

  Other ships are on the river, a steady flow in either direction. The Serat River is one of the largest and longest in the world. It’s one of the reasons Tigranik’s conquests have been so successful – the river enables him to move his armies quickly.

  Tigranik. My mood falls as I think about the emperor. My whole reason for seeking out the assassins was the slim hope that if Tigranik were killed, Father would be saved. When Storm rejected our offer to assassinate the emperor, I had no choice but to join her and learn to be an assassin myself. The task of assassinating Tigranik and saving Father fell literally into my own hands. But Tolos has already fallen and Father is likely dead.

  So what now? Why am I on this ship bound for Malikaran if Father is already dead? Killing Tigranik won’t bring Father back. Is there any point in continuing? I’m sure the captain would drop me ashore if I asked him. Looking at the beauty of the mountains we pass makes that a very tempting option.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Startled out of my reverie, I didn’t notice Jarryd come up beside me. A great assassin I’d make.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks again, concerned.

  Do I tell him what I’m really thinking? Do I dare?

  “I’m… I don’t know,” I say.

  “It must be hard for you,” he says slowly. “You wanted to save your father, and now you can’t.”

  I’m indignant - are my emotions that obvious? Anger flares up inside me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say harshly.

  “Most of the time I don’t,” he agrees with a small smile. “But sometimes even I can see the obvious. Your whole purpose for being on this journey has gone. I guess you’re wondering what you should do now.”

  How… how can he know so much about what I’m thinking? I haven’t told him anything! I glower at him, not knowing whether to hit him or confide in him.

  In the end, I relent and choose the latter. “You’re right,” I say. Looking around to make sure none of the sailors are near enough to hear, I plunge ahead. “Everyone else still has their reasons for wanting to kill the emperor. But my reason is gone. For me to assassinate him would simply make me… a murderer. A common criminal. I don’t want to end up like one of those broken former assassins that Storm looks after.”

  “I get it,” Jarryd says.

  “How can you understand?” I say accusingly. “You don’t have to kill anyone.”

  “No, but I do have to keep safe the people who want to do the killing,” he replies.

  Then I remember the talk I had with Storm after overhearing Karam teaching Jarryd the skills he needs to become a protector. “Sorry. I know you wanted to do much better learning from Storm.”

  “Not really. I never had any ambition to be an assassin. But wherever Aveline goes, I swore I would go with her.”

  Ah. Aveline. Sometimes I forget how close the two of them are. How much they care for each other. She’s become my best friend and I often ignore Jarryd, the constant shadow at her side. Maybe I shouldn’t be opening up this much to him. But still, his admission surprises me.

  Jarryd shrugs his shoulders. “Karam teaching me how to protect people… well, it kind of comes naturally to me. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in being… me. It would have been nice to do better at the skills Storm was teaching, but that’s not me. I’m not good at those physical things. But understanding people and looking for ways to help them – that’s something I like doing. Now I can do it even better.”

  “So you’re going to go to Malikaran and try and keep Aveline safe?”

  “As long as she believes she is doing something good that will help end the war, yes.” He turns his face to the water in front of us. “And you? What do you think you will do?”

  With his eyes watching the river I take the opportunity to study his face. Jarryd will never be called handsome. But his face is open – honest. And somehow it’s… inviting. As though he is waiting for me to open up to him. With his lack of coordination, I can imagine growing up would have been hard for him. Other boys would have made fun of him. It must have taken a lot of strength not to allow the cruel barbs of others to drag him down. And his heart… Suddenly I understand why the beautiful, strong Aveline, who could have any boy - or man - she wants, cares so much for Jarryd.

  “I don’t know,” I answer.

  I don’t want to talk about this anymore, not with Jarryd. So I leave him and walk away, then nearly trip over myself when I see Aveline watching us. For some reason, I feel guilty, so I try to ignore her and walk past.

  “He sees most things very clearly,” she says as I draw level with her.

  “What do you mean?” I reply, hoping my inexplicable feeling of guilt doesn’t show.

  “Your doubt, your sadness.” She turns in his direction and smiles faintly at his back. “My greatest treasure isn’t the gems I carry from my brother.”

  I smile with her, and finally understand. But… he is her treasure.

  “Get up!”

  Groaning, I wish Karam would go away and let me sleep. Can’t we have one night off from our lessons?

  “Quickly!” the voice – it isn’t Karam’s – says urgently. I open my eyes to see the captain in the doorway of our cabin. “I need all hands on deck. Now!” he barks, running out.

  Grumbling, I roll out of my bunk. Catching Dain’s eye, he looks as confused as I feel. Maybe there’s a storm blowing in?

  Climbing the stairs onto the deck, I approach the captain who is standing at the bow, leaning on the rail. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  In answer, the captain points out into the darkness.

  “I can’t see anything,” I say.

  “I assume you fight with knives?” the captain asks, his voice dark.

  “Um…” I don’t know how to answer him.

  “Yes,” Aveline says firmly. Standing beside me, she is straining her eyes in the direction the captain pointed.

  “Johannes!” the captain calls out.

  “Yes, Captain?” Johannes answers, suddenly at the rail with us.

  “Knives for each of them,” the captain says. “And don’t be a miser - we’re going to need all hands.”

  Johannes nods his head, then looks worriedly out into the darkness.

  “I didn’t think anyone was supposed to have weapons within the emperor’s kingdom,” I say.

  “They're not,” is all the ca
ptain says in reply.

  “I can’t see anything,” Rose says. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s a black nothing out there,” the captain says. “And it’s coming closer.”

  “A storm?” I ask.

  “Pirates,” the captain replies, spitting out the word. “Cursed pirates. That dark shape is a ship with no lights. It’s been tracking us for the last hour and now it’s coming in for us.”

  “Pirates?” I say, dismayed. “How? If no one is supposed to have weapons within the emperor’s kingdom - ”

  “Then how do pirates survive?” the captain finishes my question for me. “Because the emperor’s rule is not absolute, not even here. In Malikaran, maybe, but nowhere else. The pirates are getting brave though. I’ve never known them to come this close to Lusena before.”

  Johannes returns and hands out a pair of knives to each of us.

  “What exactly do you carry on this ship?” Theolin asks as she examines her knives.

  The captain glances at her but ignores the question. “They’ll get a surprise when they board us,” he says with a savage grin. “After all, we’re not supposed to be carrying weapons.”

  I watch, fascinated, as the dark shape grows larger. There is chaos everywhere around me as sailors rush about the deck, preparing for the inevitable attack. Gradually the dark mass resolves into the silhouette of a ship. As it draws closer, I begin to make out the shapes of men on the deck and up in the sails – lots of them. Slowly it dawns on me just how much danger we’re in.

  “Is there any way we can avoid them? Outmanoeuvre them?” I ask.

  The captain’s eyes don’t leave the approaching ship. “No. Their ship is light and fast. It’s built to catch its prey.”

  “How can you tell?” Theolin asks. The only answer the captain gives her is a withering look.

  “So what are we going to do?” I ask, fear beginning to take hold of me.

  Slowly the captain turns away from the pirate ship and rests his eyes on me. “Why do you think I gave you knives? Johannes!” he hollers. “Ready the men!”

  “They’re already in position, Captain,” Johannes answers. “Where do you want our… guests?”

  “They stay on deck and fight,” the captain says grimly. “Now douse the lamps. Nobody’s going to take my ship.”

  Our ship plunges into darkness as all the lamps are put out. Without any light on our ship, the pirates won’t be able to strike at us easily from a distance - they’ll have to wait until they board.

  The captain strides up and down the deck, coaxing his men, encouraging them, reminding them of their duties. Watching him move about his men and the way he has with them, reminds me of Father. He too was a leader of men. A tear forms in my eye but I quickly brush it aside. Now isn’t the time for sentiment.

  “Stay out of sight!”

  I spin around to see Aveline ordering Jarryd.

  “I need to be here to help,” he objects.

  “And I need you to not be here, so I’m not worried about you,” she replies.

  “Alright. I’ll stay in the shadows and make myself useful from there.” Aveline opens her mouth to protest but he goes on before she can interrupt. “Without being seen.”

  This seems to appease her as she turns her attention back to the fast-approaching ship.

  “I don’t think I can do this,” Rose whispers beside me. She’s watching the pirate ship, an expression of terror on her face. “It was one thing in the forest, learning with Storm. And we had to get out of that prison, or the mayor would have…” The words stop as she shakes her head, her eyes still glued on the approaching ship. “But this?” She turns her terror-filled eyes on me. “We’re going to have to kill people, Sara.”

  “I know,” I say, my own fear somehow feeling less now compared to Rose’s. “I don’t want to do it either. But we either fight or die.” I grip my knives just a little firmer for reassurance.

  The pirate ship is so close now that I can make out individual faces on the deck. Strangely, there are no glints of light reflecting off steel - the sure sign of bared blades. Then I remember Storm teaching us how to hide our weapons or cover them in dull paint. The pirates would certainly have done similar.

  Our ship is eerily quiet. The only sounds come from the sails flapping gently in the breeze, and the water lapping against the hull. Everyone is silent – we are all tense, waiting. The pirate ship, equally quiet, glides closer. Closer. Suddenly the two ships collide with a loud crash and I’m knocked off my feet. The timbers groan as the ships press together, and the tinkling of grappling hooks sounds along the length of the ship as they bite into the railing. Then the real noise begins.

  The pirates scream and shout, their terrible, fearful cries shattering the silence as they jump onto the deck of The Emperor’s Tide. Swords and knives clash, the sound of steel on steel rings through the air.

  A sailor in front of me is cut down, and in his place, I’m confronted by a pirate. Everything around me suddenly fades away, and all I am aware of is the tall, muscled pirate in front of me. His painted face leers at me, menacing. As he lifts his sword to strike, I’m surprised by how slow his movements are. Flowing under his arm my knife slashes across his chest. I spin around to strike down his back, but he is already on the deck. Rose is standing over his body, blood covering her knife. She stares at the dead pirate, then at the bloodied knife in her hand. Slowly her face sets, and she springs towards the nearest pirate.

  Something is coming fast toward my head. Ducking low I thrust out my arm, the knife extended. A body runs onto my knife at the same time that his sword swings above my lowered head. I pull my knife out of the pirate’s chest and he stumbles back, his eyes rolling upwards before falling to the deck.

  All of Storm’s training is bearing fruit. My reflexes have been honed to the point where everything around me is happening in slow motion. I feel strangely detached, letting my body move of its own accord. I duck, weave, strike, block – all without thinking. It is only now, standing and fighting for my life on the deck of the ship that I realise - Storm has made me into a weapon.

  “Over there!” Aveline’s voice shouts above the noise of the battle. I watch as Rose rushes to where Aveline is pointing, her knives slashing left and right as she runs.

  “Johannes – to port!” Aveline calls out.

  Johannes hesitates, staring at Aveline uncertainly.

  “Do it!” the captain commands him.

  Johannes disengages himself from the fight and makes his way across the ship.

  Somehow, in the midst of the chaos, Aveline is asserting control and moving defenders to where they need to be. Even the captain is reluctantly ceding to her orders.

  Another sword swings down at me. I deflect it with one knife then slash across the face in front of me with the other. The pirate goes down in a spray of blood, only to be replaced by two more. Gliding past the first, I duck down to cut deeply along his thigh. He lets out a piercing cry as he grabs his leg. I ignore him and jump back from the blade of the second pirate’s sword. Suddenly I’m off balance and retreating, the sword cutting back and forth in front of me. Backing off further, I parry his sword as best I can, until I back into the mast. The pirate raises his sword high to strike but I push off the mast and plunge my knife into his chest. He drops the sword behind him and topples backward.

  Finally having a chance to breathe I look around and survey the battle. Aveline is still directing our defence, sending sailors in all directions across the ship. Behind her, Jarryd is pulling the injured away from the fighting while briefly examining their wounds.

  Fighting in front of the captain, Theolin is frightening. Her knives are a blur, and a trail of pirate corpses falls in her wake. The fierce, savage pirates baulk before her blades as she launches into them with reckless fury. Beside her Alek, his face expressionless, and Dain, determined and forceful, hold their own.

  Despite the bravery of our fighting, we are being overrun. I know I need to do somet
hing, but I don’t know what. I can’t fight them all - there are too many, and more pirates continue to climb aboard. Maybe… if I could cut the ropes tying our ships together that would stop them from reaching us. But there are too many heaving bodies between me and the railing.

  A whirring sound makes me duck. I spin around, seeking out the danger – but there is none immediately near me. Confused, I look up, then dive instantly to the side, barely avoiding the sword thrust from the pirate hanging onto the rigging above me. Coming into a crouch, I throw my knife. It strikes true and the pirate falls to the deck.

  There is more movement from above as other pirates climb down the rigging. I stare, aghast – how did they get up there in the first place? Then I see the rope hooked high up onto the rigging of our ship, drawn tight across to the rigging of the pirate ship. I can’t believe anyone would walk across that – it must be fifty feet above the decks and more than that above the water! But even as I watch another pirate is crossing over on the rope, pulling himself hand over hand, his ankles crossed over the rope behind him. The ship dips slightly on the gentle waves of the river and the pirate falls from the rope, plunging down into the water between the ships. It would be suicide to try to cross like that. Unless…

  Retrieving my knife from the dead pirate, I tuck it behind my back and clamp the other between my teeth. Then I climb the rigging. After those months of racing through the treetops, this is easy. Avoiding the pirates climbing down I quickly make it up to where the rope from the pirate ship is tied to our rigging. A bare-chested pirate is there having just made the crossing. He smiles toothlessly then draws out his knife and swings it at me. Holding on with both hands I sway backwards, out of reach of his blade. As my body swings back towards him I draw my legs up then kick, hitting him high in the chest and knocking him off the ropes. Falling, arms and legs flailing, he lands on two of his companions below.

  Now comes the hard part – getting across to the pirate ship. To separate the ships, the rope up here and all the ones hooked onto the railing below need to be cut. There was no way through the mass of bodies on deck, so up and across is the only way. Balancing cautiously on top of the swaying rope, I start to walk out towards the other ship, but I’ve only gone a few feet when I stop. Another pirate is pulling himself across the rope towards me. I can’t afford to wait – I need to get across now! If I don’t cut the ropes connecting our ships, we will have no hope of beating off the pirates.