New Dawn (Divine War Book 1) (13 page)

And then he'd woken up. He rubbed his face with his hands, looking around. He was in the medical bay—that much was clear, though he remembered nothing from before except hitting the floor. He assumed he'd been successful in dismantling the bomb, however, since apparently he had all his arms and legs.
And even my fingers,
he thought, wiggling them.

“You're awake?”

Falorni came into the small bunk room, her smile cheerful, happy to see Maicee looking better.

“Couldn't sleep,” said Maicee, not wanting to explain about his dream. “Why don't you come sit with me for a few minutes, talk to me? Maybe it'll help me go back to sleep.”

“Are you saying I'm boring?” Falorni joked, but she perched on the edge of his bunk. “What would you like to talk about then, Doctor?”

Maicee shrugged. “I don't know.” He paused. “How about you tell me how come you're a pirate?”

Falorni gave him a sad smile. “It's not always a nice story, but I'll try.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to remember.

“My home town was a small sea port on the coast of Americani,” she began. “When I was thirteen, the town was sacked by pirates. My parents were killed, and I was captured.”

Already Maicee was regretting asking the question. He hadn't wanted to cause the girl any pain. But he sat and listened quietly.

“I was sold to a brothel. A couple of years later, Lucia raided the brothel, and I was freed. But I didn't have anywhere to go. The captain refused to let me join her, saying I was too young. So instead she sent me to a nursing academy, where I learned my skills. Once I graduated, I came back and asked to join her again. This time she agreed, since she was in need of a medic at the time. And... well, that's pretty much it, really.”

Opening her eyes, she saw Maicee looking at her with pity.

“It was the past,” she told him gently. “I'd like to forget it, but it's not possible. So instead I accept it and look towards the future. With the grace of the Gods, life will be better.”

Maicee swallowed. And here he'd been sulking because he'd given up a position in Carooine's hospital. His life hadn't always been easy, but it had been a hell of a lot easier than Falorni's had been.

“And what about you?” Falorni asked, changing the tone and smiling. “How come you gave up a cosy position in Carooine to come travel with pirates?”

He laughed. “It sounds a little crazy, I'll admit.” He hesitated, trying to put his reasoning into words that explained what he was doing without giving away too much information. “I am seeking my roots and a forgotten past,” he said finally.

“That can be a good thing,” Falorni said. “At least you have a family to return to.”

Maicee closed his eyes, feeling weariness overcome him. “I'm not so sure about that,” he murmured, drifting into sleep and trying not to remember his nightmare.

Falorni stroked his arm. The skin was so smooth. And then she shook her head. The doctor was once more asleep. Getting up, she quietly left him to his dreams.

*

Lucia nodded in satisfaction. That was one problem taken care of. Lean had awoken in the medical bay and insisted on speaking with the captain. But it was only after Benho had agreed that the woman was fit enough, as long as she didn't overwork herself, that Lucia had listened to what the engineer had to say.

“I'm the only one here who can fix those engines,” she said. “And it's the only way that I can try and make amends. You have my word, Captain, that I shall do whatever necessary to see you on your way.”

Lucia eyed the engineer speculatively for a moment. It was true that she owed the girl's father a lot and was willing to let Lean live. And Lean seemed to have accepted that, though the ship was already underway, she was not going to be travelling far with them. Finally, she nodded.

“You may go to the engine room.”

But she was no fool. There was a reason she was captain of one of the most successful pirate vessels in Archeonis, after all. She was willing to trust the girl, but only so far. When she returned to the bridge, she sent her first officer to keep a close eye on Lean.

And it was Bettie who heard the girl's quiet sobs as her oily hands fumbled to fix the engines. For a brief moment, the first officer felt a stab of pity. Then she remembered all that had happened. She fingered the trigger on her bolt blaster. She couldn't help but think that the captain had made a mistake trusting Lean again, and she hoped that the girl would do something stupid enough that would allow her to pull her weapon and shoot her. Then there'd be no problems anymore.

*

The small boat carrying Lean and a collection of supplies was already disappearing into the distance. No one watched. No one had the heart to. The engineer would survive—it was only a few hours to the closest land, and she had food, plus a handful of credits that had been owed to her. Lucia hoped she'd go on to a successful life but knew that, more likely than not, she'd end up a gambler or a whore, like all unwanted women did.

“Status update!” barked Bettie.

The ship's defence and navigation officers had installed a remote-access control system onto the
Argoni
, meaning that the ship was no longer under tow and could move under its own power. Everyone had gathered on the bridge, ostensibly to witness the
Argoni
moving under her own steam, but mostly because a cloud of heaviness had hung over the
Freedom
since Lean's departure, and they were huddling together for human comfort.

The access control system working, Lucia quickly briefed her crew, and finally the
Freedom
was ready to move at her full cruising speed. The captain gave the order, and the ship's engines began rumbling under her feet.

“I forgot,” Bettie said, pulling something out of her pocket whilst the others attended to their duties. “Professor Lock-Tmy had a letter for you.”

She handed over the slim envelope, and Maicee and Benho made a move to see what was written, sure that the letter must be about them. Falorni put out a hand to stop them.

“Lock-Tmy is the captain's grandfather,” she whispered to them in warning.

Maicee raised his eyebrows and looked at Benho. Seriously? The more they learnt about Lucia, the more interesting she became.

“Small world,” Benho whispered.

“I guess so,” said Maicee.

Lucia ripped the seal off the envelope and quickly scanned the letter's contents. Then she smiled, folded the paper, returned it to its envelope, and slid it into her belt pocket.

“Set coordinates for Britannia by way of the Lawless Sea,” she ordered.

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

The ship gradually began to turn, leaving a sweeping curve of wake behind it. To starboard, the
Argoni
mimicked the
Freedom
's movements.

“My grandfather told me to take good care of both of you,” said Lucia, coming over to Maicee and Benho. She was well aware of all that had just happened; her eyes and ears missed nothing that occurred on her bridge.

But Maicee was too busy looking out at the horizon, where just out of sight Carooine Island lay. He wondered if he'd ever see it again.

*

The sun burned down onto the decks of the
Freedom
, its heat relentless and stinging. It had been a full day since the vessel had finally left the waters of Carooine, and now they were on the edges of the Lawless Sea. Lucia stared out at the deep blue waters, the colour brighter and more beautiful than any other hue she'd ever seen. She nodded. Here was as good a place as any.

The few soldiers who had remained on the
Argoni
had been locked into the ship's safety chambers below decks. Now Lucia allowed her crew to free the men and set them out in the lifeboats of the
Argoni
. The ship itself she needed; it was part of her plan. The men, however, she could do without. They were naval men, and they'd probably make it. She wasn't cruel—she had given them supplies. But on the Lawless Sea, there were no guarantees. Bounty hunters, pirates, mercenaries, all plied their trade out here, and it was survival of the fittest. Still, she'd have been a fool to release the soldiers any closer to land. The last thing she needed was an alert put out for the
Freedom
and
Argoni
travelling together. No, that would ruin everything.

Once the lifeboats were bobbing gently in the waves, Lucia waved her hand. The engines of the
Freedom
powered up, and both cruisers began to pull away, leaving behind them a string of curses and swearing from the abandoned soldiers. The captain shrugged. There was little room for compassion in piracy, though she tried to be fair. It was all part of the game.

Grinning at Kabi, who was rolling his eyes at Maicee's attempt to perform some kind of acrobatic trick, Lucia scanned her hand and went back to her bridge. There were plans to put into action.

For his part, Kabi was trying very hard to teach Maicee the art of unarmed combat. With Benho ensconced in his cabin with the beautiful Sa-li, Maicee was at a loose end on board the
Freedom
, and, Kabi thought, he could use a little training. It might—no, almost definitely would—come in handy. Unarmed combat really didn't seem to be the young doctor's forte, though, as Falorni's giggles only proved. The young nurse was basking on the side of the deck and watching Maicee's somewhat comical attempts at defensive manoeuvres.

“Here,” said Kabi. “Try this.”

He demonstrated a simple defensive move that twisted his body to avoid what could have been a fatal strike to the liver. Maicee watched and tried to emulate the movement but only ended up in a hysterical heap on the salt-stained deck.

“Focus,” Kabi said, striding over to pull his young charge up by the scruff of his neck. “Look, I know that you're well-versed in the use of a bolt blaster, but a blaster has limited ammunition. And there may be times when you simply don't have a weapon at all. By learning basic martial arts, your body will become your weapon. Do you understand?”

Maicee yawned. “I understand,” he said, getting into position for the next attack.

He was tired. So tired he could barely see straight. Since that first nightmare, the dreams had continued to haunt him, coming even when he tried to nap. He hadn't had a full night's sleep in what felt like forever. Plus, physical training just wasn't his thing. He'd never been trained like this before, and the morning's practice bouts had already left his muscles screaming and his body aching. But he continued, not sure why he was continuing, but simply doing as Kabi asked of him.

Falorni hid a small, pitying smile as she saw Maicee get thrown to the deck again. The man winced in pain, rubbing his shoulder as he got up, cursing the sun-bleached planks of the
Freedom
's deck. Taking a deep, focussing breath, he studied Kabi's movements, trying to figure out how he should attack the man next. But it was in vain. None of his attacks thus far had come even close to touching Kabi's robe, let alone any part of his body. He groaned as once more he was thrown to the deck.

“Kabi, is this really necessary?” he asked as he got up for the millionth time. “I mean, it's kind of painful, and, well, I'm not going to be a soldier or anything, am I?”

Kabi looked at the boy. He was sweating, his body marked with painful welts where he'd hit the deck again and again. Kabi didn't like doing this, but he knew with absolute certainty that it was necessary.

“Pain is the best teacher that there is,” he said calmly. “Learn from it, and you will suffer less in the long run.” He moved his body into a defensive posture again, adding almost as an afterthought: “And believe it or not, war will come looking for you, though you don't want to participate in it. Therefore, you must be as prepared as possible. Come at me again.”

Maicee gritted his teeth and bent his body, moving his centre of gravity lower. There was so much that he didn't understand. Not the least of which was what the hell had happened in his mind the night he'd disarmed that bomb. But as always, Kabi wouldn't answer his questions. He just recommended patience and fed Maicee the information he needed drop by drop. Shaking the sweat out of his eyes, Maicee added the fact that war would come looking for him to the long list of other things that he didn't understand and was supposed to trust Kabi on. Thinking of this made him angry, and his assault on Kabi was ferocious, though ill thought out. His powerful punch was easily evaded by the older man and resulted in Maicee’s again tumbling to the floor.

“No, no,” Kabi said, his shadow blocking the sun from Maicee's eyes. “Do not rely on brute force. Use a little innovation.”

Maicee's eyes narrowed, but he got up from the deck.
Use your brain,
he told himself.
Your body might not be strong, but your brain is.
He watched Kabi, waiting for an opening, but saw none.
Then you'll need to create your own opening,
he schooled himself. Circling around to Kabi's left, the older man not even bothering to turn to face him, Maicee raised his hand as though to chop, and Kabi twirled and lifted his arm to block the shot. But that was just the bait. Grinning inside himself, Maicee twisted and redirected his hand, extending his leg at the same time to sweep around and knock Kabi off his feet.

“Not bad,” said Kabi, staring down at Maicee, who was lying on the deck again, head spinning and not entirely sure what had gone wrong. “You are thinking in the right direction. But, if you'd allow me to give you a little advice, perhaps you should refrain from signalling your every movement with your facial expression unless you know your enemy to be blind.”

What does that even mean?
Maicee thought to himself, struggling to get up on his hands and knees.

“Why don't you fight back?” Benho yelled from across the deck.

He'd just come out for a breath of fresh air and had seen his friend get knocked to the deck. He'd pinpointed the problem immediately. Maicee had a horrible tendency to look in the direction that he planned on hitting or kicking, which gave the game away to his opponent.

“Why don't you come over here and give it a try?” Maicee retorted, his head still swimming. “It's not as easy as it looks, you know?”