Lady of the Star Wind (22 page)

“The matter is settled then.” Jagrahim bowed again. He and Sallea stepped aside for some private conversation.

Mark only overheard the beginning of the chat as father and daughter moved out of earshot. “And if reinforcements are needed…”
 

He wasn’t surprised the desert chieftain had the same kind of qualms he did about whether the would-be Queen Farahna and her Maiskhan allies could be removed from power so simply.

About an hour later, with all cargo stowed and passengers aboard, the
Lady Dawn
raised her stone anchor and hoisted sail. Mark stood at the rail and watched the land grow smaller and smaller in their wake.

Sandy joined him. “You may have suffered from Lajollae’s Travel, but I have to say, Tia isn’t a good candidate for this kind of journey. She’s been vomiting already, and we’ve hardly left the harbor, much less hit the deep-water swells.”

“I never sailed on water before. Only in space.” Mark stared at the billowing sails and then across the blue-green waves. “I like it.”

The princess leaned on the rail. “Grandmother has a fleet of pleasure boats on Throne, on Lake Baikum, so I’ve sailed. I’ve never been on an ocean before. The waves are imposing. Makes me wish the boat had power, not just sails and oars.”

“Sailing agrees with you.” Mark studied her rosy-cheeked face with pleasure. “Do you have something you can give Tia?”

“Well, she’s pregnant, which makes things worse in the nausea department. Limits what I can prescribe too, but I have an inject or two. Captain Demari said his cook can make special soup for her as well.”

Mark watched a pod of sleek gray marine dwellers pacing the ship, cutting in and out of the jade-green waves as if at play with the
Lady Dawn
. “Jagrahim’s worried about the situation with Farahna, the same way I am. I overheard him talking to Sallea before we left. I wish Rothan wasn’t putting so much stock in this crown to work magic. And in his prince, who’s an unknown quantity to us. I have confidence in Rothan, but I’ve yet to meet the other guy.”

“Want to know what I think?” Sandy said.

“What?”

“I think Rothan and Tia were so desperate there was nothing else left to try, especially when the queen hatched her plan for Tia to be married off against her will.” Sandy gave him a sideways glance. “When you’re out of options—sensible options—you give up or you go for the farfetched hope.”

“Like taking Lajollae’s offer to send us somewhere else?” Mark grinned.

“Exactly.” Sandy stared out to sea, where a vee of birds flew against the cloudless sky. “So far, by throwing our lot in with Rothan and Tia, we’ve apparently fallen into a similar situation to the one we were escaping. Only Lajollae isn’t coming to our rescue this time.”

Disturbed by the dryness of her tone, he eyed her. “You’re not going to reopen the argument about staying at the oasis, are you?”
 

Leaning on the rail, she said, “It’s too late to regret the decision or reconsider. There are inevitable consequences to choosing sides, however.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“I’m just saying I don’t think it’s a good idea to march into the city tomorrow morning after weeks away without knowing the current state,” Mark argued. “Captain Demari said he’s seeing much more Maiskhan presence in the harbor than even a month ago.”

“True.” Rothan frowned, his voice tense. “I’m impatient to get the crown to Hutenen. The stewardship of such a powerful relic weighs heavily on me. Nothing must happen to it before I can deliver the box to the prince.”

Mark gazed toward the quiet shoreline, where torches and oil lamps flickered in the capital city. He didn’t have a good feeling about the situation. “But you and Tia are fugitives from Farahna, remember? You can’t go openly to find your prince in her palace. There’ll be people who’d recognize you.”

“True again. What do you suggest?”

“Let Djed and me go into the city tonight, see what we can find out, do a quick recon.”

“Mark—” Sandy’s voice rose in immediate protest.

“Recon missions behind enemy lines to scope out the lay of the land are what I do. Or did. The Sectors spent a lot of credits training me to be outstanding at secret operations. With Djed as my local guide, it’ll be simple.” Mark took her hand. “We have to know. We can’t go in there blind.”

“I can send Lakht to view the city and the palace from the air,” Sallea said. “Report on troop movements.”

“Good idea.” Mark rubbed his hands together. “But we need boots on the ground to gather detailed intel.”

“You don’t look like a citizen of Nakhtiaar, my lord,” Djed said, his first comment in the hasty strategy session being held on the
Lady Dawn’s
stern.

“True enough, but I can pass for a foreign sailor, especially if I wear a head covering.”

“I’ll lend you the small rowboat,” Captain Demari said. “I advise you to be back aboard by dawn.”

“You think this is a good idea?” Rothan asked him.

The
Lady Dawn
’s captain leaned against the railing of his ship. “Always better to know what you’re sailing into, my lords.”

“It’s settled then,” Mark declared. Rothan made no further protest.

Mark and Djed climbed down the netting into the dinghy shortly thereafter. They rowed to shore, beaching their craft alongside other small boats to the side of the main docks. The two men sauntered to the waterfront district, where the taverns were brightly lit and loud voices could be heard.

“Best if you don’t talk much,” Djed said apologetically as the two hiked an uneven street toward the closest tavern. ”Your accent is still strange.”

“Fine. We don’t want to attract attention. Our job is to find out as much as we can about the situation in the city and the palace.”

Mark walked into the Blue Cobra behind Djed, blinking as the smoky air in the crowded inn hit his eyes and lungs. Djed led Mark to the bar and demanded two mugs of ale, throwing down some Minolan coins. The archer worked his way through the crowd of sailors and soldiers and took a table toward the rear of the low-ceilinged room. Satisfied with the arrangement, Mark sat with his back to the wall, sipping his beer, which had a surprising kick to it.

Two girls were dancing halfheartedly, barely in sync with the music. Some sailors at two tables were making ribald comments. A ragtag group of Nakhtiaar soldiers sat at another set of benches nearby. Mark homed in on the conversation, while appearing to be enthralled by the charms of the dancers.

“Aye, I’m assigned to the funerary procession, curse the gods.” The soldier appeared drunk. He slammed his mug on the table, sloshing the foamy liquid on himself. “I want nothing to do with it.”

His companions tried to shush him. Someone handed him a fresh mug of beer.
 

The man was in the grip of strong emotion, fueled by his alcohol. “It’s a travesty, I tell you. This princeling has only been dead a short time. The palace staff and the priests can’t possibly have done all the proper rituals for embalming and said the prayers in such a short time. And why me, I asked the officer? Why do I have to accompany the coffin? Let me do crowd control.”

“Ah, it’s not such bad duty, Osork. You’ll get to see the queen up close. She might take a fancy to you.” The man nudged him and winked. He made some joke, which Mark only got part of as High Chetal failed to translate the local slang. Hand gestures made clear the crude nature of the remark.

“Yes, which is the path this foolish princeling traveled, and look what happened to him.” The soldier took a drink from the mug, ale dripping through his beard. “It’s bad luck, I tell you. This whole thing reeks.” He leaned in to his mates, but since Mark sat so close he could hear too. “Gossip in the palace says she murdered him.”

At this, his friends abandoned their drinks, took him by the arms, and bundled him out of the inn, plainly frightened his words might have been overheard and cause them all trouble.

Mark could tell Djed was shocked by what he’d learned. The archer took a deep swallow of his ale and closed his eyes for a moment. Mark put a restraining hand on the other man’s wrist and shook his head slightly. Djed swallowed hard, trying to relax as he settled his back against the wall behind him, stretching his legs and giving every sign of contentment with his surroundings. Both men leisurely finished their drinks and then strolled into the street about half an hour later. Only when they were well away from the lights and heading to the docks did either say anything.

“My poor Prince Hutenen. We feared Farahna was trying to kill him and now apparently she’s succeeded.” Jaw clenched, voice tight, the archer was in the throes of strong emotion as he untied their rowboat for the trip out to the
Lady Dawn
.

“We have to keep Rothan and Tia from walking into a trap.” Mark climbed in and unshipped the oars. “We can’t do anything for this other guy now, but we have to protect them.”

“How?”

“We’ll have to keep a low profile tomorrow while the ship’s cargo gets unloaded. Maybe Demari can take us down the coast to another harbor and we can work our way inland to your home. Didn’t you tell me Rothan comes from a province to the south of here?”

“True, Rothan’s mother married a southern noble and raised her son away from the court intrigues.”

“Would we find sanctuary there?”

“Indeed. General Intef, his grandfather, holds the area with a strong army. Farahna wouldn’t be able to move against him easily, and he’d never surrender my captain or Tia. You’ve concocted a sound plan, my lord.” The archer calmed a bit, contemplating the idea of safety in his homeland. As Mark rowed, Djed had a question of his own. “What of you and your lady?”

“We’d go too, for now.” Returning to the aerie was always hovering at the back of Mark’s mind as a last resort, but he preferred to remain embedded with his local allies.

“Good.” Djed had a smile on his face. “We can always use another stout warrior.”

As he rounded the stern of another cargo ship, Mark stopped rowing and cursed under his breath, stabbing his oars into the water to stop their forward progress. “
Tzerde
! Too damn late.”

While he’d been gone, a large black Maiskhan ship had locked itself to the side of their merchant vessel with grappling hooks. The two ships rose and fell together on the dark waves. Lit by torches, the deck of the
Lady Dawn
was crowded with people.

“By the gods,” Djed said as he eyed the situation. “Who boards a merchant ship at night, when there’s peace in the harbor? My lord and lady should have been safe.”

Mark rested on his oars, considering the next steps. There weren’t a lot of options. Briefly, he contemplated raking the archers on the enemy ship with blaster fire, or precision sniping at the enemy officers on board the
Lady Dawn,
but either strategy had too many flaws when it came to ensuring Sandy’s safety. Without equally well-armed reinforcements, he couldn’t singlehandedly overwhelm the enemy, even with his high-tech weapon. Too many opponents. The guards ringing Sandy and his friends had swords, spears and knives, clearly menacing the prisoners. She could be dead in an instant. Rowing back to shore and trying to set up some kind of ambush in an unknown city, hoping to achieve a rescue with only Djed, wasn’t a viable strategy. Abandoning the half-formed ideas as futile, he said, “You have to stay clear. Stay in the rowboat and keep watch.”

Djed’s jaw dropped. “What will you do?”

“I’m going on board the
Lady Dawn
.” Mark unbuckled the blaster’s belt and kicked off his sandals.

Djed tried to talk him out of the idea. “You won’t be able to rescue them, not even with your magic weapons. The Maiskhan guard our people too closely, and there are too many aboard.”

“I know, but I can’t sit here and do nothing.” Mark stripped off his tunic, wrapped the blaster securely in its holster, and offered the weapon to the other man. “I want you to keep this safe for me. If I take it with me, the Maiskhan will confiscate it.”

With a firm hand, Djed pushed the bundle back at him. “Please reconsider, my lord. You can’t rescue them by yourself. And even if both of us reboard the ship, we can’t prevail against so many enemies.”

“Which of us knows his way in this city? Who is more likely to have a prayer of finding someone to help us? Not me. Come on, Djed, admit it. You’re the one who needs to stay free to operate and plan rescues, and I’m the obvious choice to surrender himself to stay with my lady, Rothan and Tia. I’m more likely to find an opportunity to make a break for it if I’m inside with them.”

Silently, the archer took the blaster.

“Do what you can for us,” Mark said.

“I’m not sure what can be done, my lord. There weren’t many I trusted in the city. My men on the boat may now be dead or taken prisoner as well. To go to my captain’s grandfather in the south, raise an army, and march to free you by force would take weeks. By then Farahna will have executed all of you or sold you as slaves.”

“I have to be with my lady to try to protect her.” Mark wasn’t compromising. “Safeguard the blaster. I’m going to need it later, I promise you.”

“Gods be with you, then. I’ll watch from afar tonight and undertake what can be done to help tomorrow.”

Mark stood cautiously, concerned the crude boat would tip over. He scanned the black water for a moment, trying not to think of the giant snakes he’d seen sunning on the riverbanks during the day as the
Lady Dawn
had cruised down the main river. One had dragged a large, horned bovine to its death with minimal effort while he and Sandy watched in astonishment. Hoping the creatures didn’t hunt at night, Mark dove into the water and swam toward the conjoined ships. Reaching the anchor chain, he climbed hand over hand, pausing at the top to peer over the edge of the deck railing.