Chasing the Lantern (32 page)

Natasha held out her free hand, cutting him off. Mordecai glanced up at her. His captain affected the cool amusement that was her usual attitude. "Mordecai's view has merit," she said. "But there's something I don't understand here. You will answer it for me." She leaned in a little, pressing her blade down to bite at his throat. "Where is Fengel? What happened here?"

Mordecai's curiosity quelled his irritation. If the missing pirates were still on the ship, they would have joined the fray by now.

Lucian licked his lips. "Will you give quarter?" he asked.

"It will be taken into consideration," replied Natasha. Behind her, two Reavers cut down one of Fengel's Men.

The first mate closed his eyes. "They're not on the ship. They're in the city below."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. She shared a questioning glance at Mordecai. "What? Why? Whatever is that fool doing now?"

Lucian grimaced. "We found the Governor's Lantern."

Mordecai blinked in surprise. "It wasn't in the treasure you'd stolen?"

Fengel's first mate shook his head, sandy hair swaying. "No. The ships log hinted that it had been taken from the
Albatross
before either of us had even gotten to these shores. We tracked it back here, to the city below. Captain's become obsessed with it. We didn't leave because there was trouble on the ground, just as you'd arrived."

Natasha looked bewildered. "But why? Why come here? Why not flee? You had to know we'd be coming after you. Why not make your escape? There's a fortune in the holds below already!"

Lucian looked up, held her gaze. "Because he wanted to make sure that
you
couldn't get the gem."

Mordecai's captain went very still. She didn't move, didn't speak, only stood there with the tip of her blade against Lucian's throat. Behind and around them came the cries of those still fighting, mixed in with gunshot reports and the groans of the wounded.

When she spoke her voice was low and dangerous. There was something in it that Mordecai couldn't identify. "Tell your crew to lay down arms."

"You'll give us quarter?"

"Tell your crew to lay down arms."

Lucian stared up at her a long moment, then turned his head to the side and called out. "Quarter! We ask for quarter! Stand down, Fengel's Men!"

He repeated the call a few times, and slowly, sporadically, the fighting slowed to a stop. Fengel's Men were quickly disarmed and herded into the middle of the deck.

"Excellent," said Mordecai. "Now we'll cut their throats and dump them over the side, and put this whole sorry mess behind us." He smiled.

Lucian started from the deck. Only the blade at his neck kept him from rising. "You can't! We've called for quarter, you miserable son of a bitch!"

Mordecai smiled down at him. "We never said we'd give it."

Natasha pulled back her blade. "Have no fear, Mister Thorne. You'll have quarter."

Mordecai turned to frown at her. "This is foolish. Haven't you learned? They're all too dangerous to be left alive. Kill them and be done with it."

Natasha sheathed her cutlass. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, staring out past the deck of the ship, back toward the
Copper Queen
. "I think not." She caught Mordecai's gaze. "Round them up, tie them into a cargo net, and move them back to the
Queen
."

Mordecai stared. "Again? Again? This is madness! Euron never would have let this go on so long!"

He knew he'd gone too far. Natasha looked over at him with eyes like ice. She stepped up and slapped him. She wasn't some dockside prostitute or pampered mistress. The blow had the full force of her arm behind it, an arm that was used to wielding a sword. Mordecai reeled back, vision blurring.

"Tie Lucian and his crew up in a cargo net," she snarled. "Secure it tightly to somewhere on the
Queen
. Dump them over the bow and cut us free. Those are my orders. Will you obey them, or do I have to find someone who will?"

Mordecai flushed. He straightened and met her fierce gaze. "No. Captain."

"Good. Get moving. Once you're finished, come see me in the cabin. We need to go over that logbook, and prepare a shore party."

The first mate raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"Because
we
are going to find the Lantern first."

She turned on her heel and stalked off. Mordecai stared at her in confusion. One of his nearby crewman coughed. He flushed as he realized that the whole scene had been public. Snarling, Mordecai gave the orders.

He saw Lucian and Fengel's Men bundled over to the
Copper Queen
. Lucian especially, he treated roughly, taking out his frustrations. The man took it all in good charm, smiling whenever he knew Mordecai was watching. It was infuriating.

It's a game
, he realized. A cold shock ran through him at the epiphany. Fengel's Men were tied up in their cargo net, the latter being anchored to a stanchion on the deck of the
Queen
. A few crew he'd kept to this task. The rest were retaking the
Dawnhawk
and checking her over.

They hate each other, but never stopped caring, either.
Mordecai's anger grew with each passing moment. That was why they danced around each other so, why Natasha refused to kill off her husband. The two played a constant game of one-upmanship, always seeking to come out on top. All other considerations were secondary.

Cold certainty mixed with his anger. He glanced back at the deck of the
Dawnhawk
. His captain was nowhere to be seen.

Guye Farrel trudged past with a length of rope. Mordecai reached out and caught him by the arm. "Come with me," he ordered. The other pirate winced at his voice, but nodded. The journey had not been kind to Farrel. His face was scarred and swollen and he had a limp.

Mordecai led the way belowdecks. Shortly they found themselves in the magazine. Though half-emptied, there were still enough casks of black powder left to do the job.
I'm putting an end to this madness
. He pulled down a cask and with Farrel's help breached it.

"There," he said. "Pour a trail back up to the deck. Be very careful that it is unbroken. Tell no one. Understand?"

The man nodded, eyes wide. Mordecai was certain that he'd make a trail. The bigger question was whether or not he could keep his mouth shut. If he didn't, however, he was easily dealt with. That was why Mordecai had chosen him, after all.

Mordecai returned to the deck and walked to the bow. There, his crew were herding Fengel's Men over the edge of the ship. Mordecai called a stop, then moved around to where Lucian stood within the net.

"Hello, Mordie," said Lucian cheerfully. "It appears that you got one over on me, finally. I suppose anything's possible in a world such as ours, yes?"

Mordecai met his smile with one of his own. "Keep thinking that," he said to the rogue. "Keep thinking that, after I send you off to the Realms Below."

Lucian lost his smile. Mordecai turned away. He ordered Fengel's Men pushed overboard. His crew complied, goading with cutlass and long knife. The net went over the edge, Fengel's surviving Men screaming. They fell until the anchor-rope went taut.

Mordecai ordered his crew back aboard the
Dawnhawk.
Then he waited. In a few minutes, Guye Farrel reappeared, and completed his trail. Mordecai ordered him aboard the other ship, walking over to the thick line of black powder.

He drew a pistol and turned one last time to gaze about the floating wreck.
I really hate this ship.

Mordecai knelt and cocked the empty weapon. He placed the pan next to the powder and pulled the trigger. The flintlock snapped close and sparks flew. Some landed on the dark line, instantly catching it. He walked briskly back to the
Dawnhawk
and boarded. At the snap of his fingers, crewmen cut the last line tethering the old airship to the new.

An order to Konrad and they were moving speedily away.

Chapter Nineteen

Lina hung upside down. She dangled, holding onto the branch with both feet, praying it was strong enough. It was a thin one though, and brittle. Lina didn't dare reach up to grab at it with her hands.

The jungle canopy was a world all its own, even viewed upside down. Long branches covered in thick green leaves surrounded her on every side. Both the dark ground and the blue sky were hidden by dancing foliage that shook with the wind and the passing of the lighter jungle creatures. Should Lina be set adrift to float free, like an airship, she thought she might quickly lose all sense of direction.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The direction
down
was very emphatically insisting on its presence.

If I can just find a strong one
. Lina glanced about slowly, carefully. There were a few branches within reach, but they seemed too supple to bear her weight.

She swayed. A crack sounded from above. Heart leaping in her breast, Lina glanced back up at the limb she hung from.

A monkey peered down at her from next to her boots. It was small and black, not even half of Runt's size, maybe as large as a parrot. The little creature watched her curiously, eyes black and beady in its wizened face.

Oh no, no, no. Get away you pest. Shoo!
Even something as small as the monkey was already stressing her branch beyond its tolerance.

Lina waved her hand at it in a shooing gesture, trying to move as little as possible. The branch made another loud cracking sound. She froze.

The monkey peered at her curiously. Then it hooted and clapped its hands together. It made the shooing gesture at her in turn.

Lina wanted to throttle the thing. "No," she hissed. "Go away!"

The monkey shooed her again. Then it jumped, up and down in excitement.

The branched snapped clean in half. Lina yelled as she suddenly plummeted. The monkey leapt away with a surprised scream.

Branches and leaves brushed her head, face, arms. She reached out with desperate hands, trying to grab onto something, anything that might save her or slow her descent. Lina caught a branch. It held for half a second, then snapped. Five feet down she hooked her leg around another... only for it to bend, creak, then snap.

Lina fell through the open air. The ground rushed up to meet her, dark, loamy earth dotted here and there by ferns and other undergrowth. Then she landed with a bone-jarring thump. Dimly, she felt the length of rope from the
Dawnhawk
land heavily on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

Sense came back. Lina gasped. She hurt, her left arm and shoulder especially. Also, her right foot was bare. She felt the rich, black dirt of the jungle between her toes.
Great
, she thought, groaning aloud.
I've lost a boot.
Gingerly, she checked to make sure nothing was broken. Lina reached back with her good arm and pulled the rope off her back. It twisted in her hands, strangely slick and smooth. She brought it around and found herself staring face-to-face with a long black snake.

The creature hissed and reared up. But before Lina could yell, or the serpent strike, something fell from above, clobbering it.

Her boot.

She threw the snake, forgetting her hurts for the moment. It landed a dozen paces away, a long black line at least four feet in length. It didn't move after landing. Lina watched it for a moment, then sat up. She quickly checked her arms, legs, and shoulder. Nothing was broken, thankfully, though she would hurt for awhile to come.
That was lucky,
she thought, looking up at the trees above. That last fall had been at least ten feet.

The jungle stretched out around her. It was strangely bare down at ground level. The underbrush was not thick, starved by the trees high above. She had no idea which direction was north, or which led back to the valley and its alien city.

I have to find the Captain
.
He's got to be told what happened.
Though, last she'd seen, Fengel had had troubles of his own.

She'd been angry when Fengel sent her back to the
Dawnhawk
the night before. But over time worry and boredom dulled her irritation. She spent the night's shift drowsing and watching the jungle and the strange alien city of Yrinium. The inhabitants, these Draykin, lit fires all throughout the temples. It was amazing to see from the air. Only the depth of their valley kept the fires from being seen from hundreds of miles around.

Lucian and the others had seen the approaching
Copper Queen
long before dawn. The question had been what to do about it. At first, the thought had been to simply avoid it, move off and pick the Captain back up later. But just as the sun rose, they'd seen Fengel's party again, under attack by native Draykin.

Time and again Lucian had tried to bring them in to assist. But by then it was too late. Natasha's damnable skyship had hounded them all about the valley before finally closing.

Lina grimaced. The fight for the airship hadn't been going well when she'd fled.
I hope Runt is all right.

She glanced around. The question now was what to do. Sounds of the fight had faded while she was trapped in the canopy above; the airships must have moved off. Should she try to run after them? No. Even if Lucian won out, at best they'd drive Natasha back to her ship. They were outnumbered, and he'd probably use the greater speed of the
Dawnhawk
to move off. In worst case, Natasha had won the day, and Lina would be shot or captured on sight.

Fengel needed to know. She was still irritated with him, but he could do something about this mess. She was confident that he'd pulled through the ambush he'd encountered; Sarah Lome and Maxim were with him, and he was no slouch himself in a fight.

Lina put her boot back on. Then she stood and brushed the dirt away from her trousers. Glancing around the jungle, she encountered a new problem. Which way to go? The canopy diffused the light of the rising sun. It filtered down to twilight near the ground, but Lina thought one side looked stronger.
That'll be east.
Last she recalled, the
Dawnhawk
was just west of Fengel's struggle when they'd been attacked. So, east it was. Lina nodded to herself, feeling pleased at this deduction. Then she struck out.