Adversaries Together (38 page)

The wharf master turned and made a note in
his ledger. “Well, certainly, so…let’s see…Kopis,” he lingered
looking for the ship’s entry, “Ah, so here we are. Yes, you are all
set captain Salda.”

Riv shook his head, “No, Asa Salda was the
captain of the Kopis; he is no longer.”

“
Oh?” the wharf master
looked up, “Well, then I need…”

“…
letter of transfer, death
certificate, and will to heirs.” Ryan handed Riv several leaves of
paper and Riv held them out to the wharf master.

“
Well this certainly…”
Kalip was hesitant but took the papers and began to look them
over.

“…
an unfortunate loss for
the crew and myself.” Riv cut in, “Asa was my nephew. We served
together a good long while.” He thought about trying to look
forlorn but decided against it. This particular functionary didn’t
require a hard sell.

“
He died?”

“
We quarantined immediately
but it did claim some of our crew; Asa and five others.”

“
So now you’ll be taking
ownership of the Kopis and assuming all its debts and obligations?
Captain…Salda?” There was a moment of hurried scrounging as the
bureaucrat dug through his desk for the appropriate stamps and
forms.

“
Yes, I have. And it’s
Bloodtangle. Riv Bloodtangle. Asa was my nephew by my sister.” He
gestured to Ryan to wait outside. “Are we finished here, master?”
Riv let slip a small pouch from his sleeve. It fell upon a mound of
loose onionskin papers with a bright clink. Kalip paused ever so
slightly and glanced at the pouch, “Yes, I suppose so.”

“
Excellent.” Riv spoke
loudly and smiled, “The Kopis will be leaving port as soon as we
unload our passengers and cargo.”

“
That sets you for night
departure, eh? Small hours.”

Riv nodded as he began to walk out, he didn’t
look back, “We are already far too late as it is.”

Ryan was waiting for him alongside Ales and
Sharin. Other crew were already carrying gurneys with the sickened
Silvincian soldiers off the ship.

“
You’re sure that this will
linger?” Riv asked Ryan.

“
Aye,” Ryan looked back at
the assembly line unloading the men and their gear from the ship,
“They have at least another day, day and half of this.”

“
Crying from both ends.”
Ales quipped.

“
But they won’t be any real
damage to them.” Ryan added.

“
Good, by then we should be
well on our way.” Riv didn’t look at his men or even the soldiers
but instead glared over the entire docks at some unseen point.
“Sharin, you and Ales will sell off all our extra from the
Rikonenese. I don’t want you to haggle, get unload it for as much
coin as possible. Go now, I want you back before dusk.” Sharin
nodded and Ales seemed about to say something but then thought
better of it.

“
We’re leaving right away?”
Ryan asked, “The men were hoping to get a bit of play ashore, spend
some of the coin we’ve collected.”

Riv looked at Ryan, “The crew can do whatever
they want ashore. I’m leaving once Sharin and Ales return. If that
means I have to pull hirelings, I will.”

“
A fat purse is useless a
sea.”

Riv made his way toward the Kopis, Ryan
followed on his heels. “We should’ve been off nearly two weeks ago.
We have a contract waiting for us.”

Ryan was rushing a bit to keep up with Riv,
“Waiting where?”

“
Wick.” Ryan stopped and
Riv continued for a few steps more before he realized. Turning he
looked hard at Ryan, “Tell the crew that when Sharin and Ales
return they will get their shares, tell them that when we reach
Wick they will be given leave for as long as they like.”

“
Not much in
Wick.”

Riv turned away, “What would you know, you’ve
never been?”

Ryan followed behind, “What I’m saying is
that might not be enough to keep the crew satisfied. And there’s
the fact that it’s not quite clear to them that we’ve just mutinied
and defrauded the Spires.”

Riv stopped again and pointed his gloved
finger in Ryan’s face, “Neither of those things is true.”

“
These Bandrians are known
for sussing out conspiracy. Do you think they won’t be able to see
through a shallow lie, paperwork, and a few aurei?”

Riv leaned in closer to Ryan’s face and
growled, “What exactly are you worried about?”

“
I’m not a pirate, some
thief on the sea.” Ryan held his ground but his voice cracked
slightly.

“
And neither are the crew.”
Riv agreed. The two men stared at each other in silence for a
moment before Riv spun around abruptly and dashed up the gangplank.
“Ryan, you’re the mate now, let the crew know our itinerary. Parse
out the shares. If they don’t wish to continue on, you are to
replace them with new hands. We leave tonight.”

The Cruor,
33
^rd
of Mabon

The afternoon was quickly disappearing but
the day was still clear. At the base of the hillside before the
sculpture pool, Jena was plunging her head into the waters
repeatedly. Roth sat on the small stone lip that surrounded the
pool. Wynne had built a fire around which the rest sat in
semi-circle exchanging stories. Although they hadn’t eaten anything
new or better than their usual fair, the meal had been one of the
better ones. There was a light-heartedness between Goshen and Kira,
a gladness that rubbed off on Wynne, Fery, and Declan.

Roth and Jena had been good-natured but
hadn’t spoken much, to each other or the new faces before them.
They had withdrawn to the pool and it didn’t seem that the others
took much notice. Jena pulled her head up, threw her hair back, and
lingered over the waters eyes closed and breathing a bit heavy.

“
Your ablutions going
well?” Roth asked.

Jena opened her eyes and stared at his
reflection in the waters, she didn’t speak. Roth turned slightly
and saw her face on the surface. There was a strained silence as
neither broke eye contact through the natural mirror.

Finally, Roth cracked, “I’m sorry.”

Jena shook her head, raised herself up,
turned around and sat next to him. “You couldn’t have known.”

“
I should have suspected
something; I should have told you as much.”

“
You didn’t know.” Jena
pointed at Declan, “And there’s no way you could’ve known about
that one. You’ve always been a shitty ranger.” She forced a
smile.

“
Following the
missionaries, eh?” Roth’s eyes narrowed.

“
Apparently from the moment
they left the Cathedral.”

“
But he’s
alright?”

“
I think he knows me from
something. At least, knows of me.”

“
You’re a famed brigand.”
Roth joked.

Jena punched him in the thigh and smiled,
“Naw, that’s not it. Think he might be from up north. Maybe a
Novosar originally.”

“
Seems to be a lot of them
down here.” Roth whispered. “He helped you get away on the Bandrian
pier, helped you get that one out of the hole.” He shook his head,
“I’ve never heard of anyone rescuing a Hopeless.”

“
So write a song about it.”
Jena said playfully but then became quite serious, “I don’t know.
He seems intent on making sure that meat sack survives.” Jena
flicked her hand in Goshen’s direction. Roth thought he saw Goshen
look up and smirk, but he might have been mistaken.

“
The crusader rubs you the
wrong way? Seems like he’d be your type.”

“
Fuck off.” Jena tossed her
gloves to the ground and began to unlatch her cuirass’s shoulder
straps, “Nothing but questions out of him, like he couldn’t figure
a single damn thing out himself.”

Roth grabbed a corner of her cuirass and held
it as she slid out of it, “That seems to be the dominate trait of
most folk coming out of the Cathedral.” Jena tossed the cuirass
atop her gloves, then Jena arched her back and rolled her neck
several small circles; her doublet was stained and well worn.

“
We need to get you some
better clothes.” Roth muttered.

“
Got some up in your little
fort, do ya?” Jena tossed her thumb back towards the cliff
dwelling.

“
Yeah, I’ve got plenty up
there.” Roth said irritated, “Enough proper armor, weapons, food,
and coin for the lummox there, your highwayman, and my little
cohorts. Enough for us all to go our separate ways now that we’re
all officially not dead.”

“
Think it’s going to be
that easy?”

“
Why wouldn’t it? At least,
for us.” Roth shrugged.

“
I think you’re full of
shit.”

“
Why’s that?”

“
You dragged those two into
Anhra; you made sure I took charge of them, when that went awry you
went after her.”

“
I’d given my
word.”

“
Yeah, I know. That’s why
we’re here, worse for wear and with four new friends.”

Roth shook his head, “I don’t know where the
missionaries will go or what the Rikonenese will do…and I suspect
you have no idea what the deal is with that merc there.”

“
You’re just going to walk
away?”

“
Aren’t you? My purse is
waiting for you in Anhra.”

“
Please,” Jena scoffed,
“Adamix has probably already drunk or fucked it away. He probably
has some excuse or bit of barter ready to unload on me to replace
it.”

Roth laughed a bit, “Yeah that could be. It
has been longer than what I’d supposed.”

“
I just don’t think you’re
done with her yet.” Jena nodded toward Kira.

“
She’s got her guardian
now.”

“
Yeah, that’ll keep turning
out well for the two of them.” She scoffed, “Besides, where are
they going to go? He’s been shamed out of the Cathedral and they
think she’s dead.”

Roth blinked a bit surprised, “How you
managed that, I’ll never guess.”

She pointed at him, “Again, fuck off,” and
winked. “There’s something going on, something bigger than us with
these people.”

“
Aye,” Roth nodded, “It’s a
bit of a mess really.”

“
What are you going to do
about it?”

“
I’ve not really got a plan
yet, we—,” he gestured towards Wynne, Fery, and Kira, “have an idea
but no real plan.”

“
Well, before a plan can be
made there needs to be a will. And then some means.”

“
I’ve got the mean up
top.”

“
That’s actually good to
hear, ‘cause we’re all going to need it.” Jena looked at Roth, her
expression serious.

“
What’s that
then?”

“
Coming up, there were men
behind us.”

“
Following you?”

Jena shook her head, “They weren’t after us,
but they shouldn’t have been up here. They found the road easily
enough and were following it.”

“
Here?”

“
Yeah, fucking
here.”

“
You should’ve lead with
that.” Roth grimaced.

“
We don’t know for sure
that they’re coming here.”

“
When my kind think that
way we tend to get slaughtered.” Roth stood up and walked over to
the fire. “Hey all, we need to get up into the dwelling.” Everyone
stopped talking and looked at him, not worried but
hesitant.

“
Is there something…” Fery
was cut off by a gesture from Roth. He had caught in the distance a
large plum of birds rising from the forest, then another. Eying the
commotion, Roth was still for a moment as Wynne quickly turned to
follow Roth’s gaze. He saw the birds and realized the tripwires had
been sprung.

“
Up, now.” Roth commanded
as Wynne stood stomping out the fire and kicking dirt over
it.

“
Your sparrows?” Jena was
standing next to Roth now, her leathers held under her
arm.

“
Pigeons.” Roth raised his
hand to shade his eyes, “There are some sand grouse rigs in the
glens as well.”

“
How far out?” Wynne asked
as he picked up the remaining things around the fire
pit.

Roth turned to him, “Get them up into the
dwelling, damnit.”

Wynne gestured for the rest to following him.
Jena didn’t move, “And.”

“
They’re along the road.
It’ll open up right there.” Roth pointed to the right down the
slope, “They’ll come right around that bit of woods”

“
How long?”

“
Two hours.
Less.”

Jena tugged at his shoulder and sighed, “Come
on then, show me your means.”

Goshen sat on a bench in the armor or, at
least, what Roth said was the armory. A small, dark room with no
windows and a single thin door. It reminded him of the penitentiary
in Bandra, and he could feel his heart beating faster than it had
in a long time. He hadn’t experienced this feeling since the first
time he saw battle as a boy of twelve. Unlike more than a few of
his brethren, he hadn’t pissed himself when that band of bandits
leapt from the trees down upon them. They had been novices sent out
to handle some petty criminals raiding near Havan. It was their
first mission. The unit had been so green that at first all was
chaos, screaming, arrows flying, and men swinging wildly. But
Goshen had regained his composure almost instantly. He killed six
men that day. He vomited for a good twenty minutes after it was
over.