The Assassin's Edge (Einarinn 5) (15 page)

“Is that the ship?” I saw an ocean vessel drawn up on the shingle strand of Suthyfer’s best anchorage.

“That’s Den Harkeil’s.” Ryshad pointed to a ram’s head carved on the stern rail.

Halice scowled. “Hardly fit to sail.” The wheeling magic showed us where planking had been stripped from the ribs of the ship, leaving it broken like the carcass of a dead animal.

“What do they want the wood for?” As I wondered, Allin sent the spell searching across from the shore. We saw crude shelters sprawling over the grass, some canvas, others built from hatch covers and doors. Chests and casks were stacked beneath crude nets weighted with pulley blocks.

“Who are they?” Halice put careful hands behind her back as she bent closer to study small figures, some barefoot in shirtsleeves with an air of purpose, others more leisurely in boots and cloaks.

“Pirates,” said Ryshad coldly. “Scum of the seas.”

“Where’s Parrail?” Guinalle’s eyes went from the image to Allin and back, frustration chasing anxiety across her face.

“I’m looking for Naldeth.” Allin’s voice was tight with concentration.

It was like flying over the camp on the back of some seabird. The spell carried us to the edge of the scrub that fringed the forests and we saw a rough-hewn stockade below.

“They’re not just stopping to take on water,” murmured Halice.

Ryshad glowered. “Who’s inside there?”

Splintered spikes and the heavy gate were no barrier to Allin’s magic. We surveyed the crushed captives within.

“That’s him.” I hadn’t seen Naldeth since the year before last but a gambler cultivates a memory for faces.

“Parrail.” Guinalle cupped her cheeks with her hands, eyes dark with distress.

“Allin, can you show us the anchorage again? Looking north.” The mage-girl nodded at Ryshad’s request and the shifting image made my stomach lurch.

“That’s their ship.” He nodded. “The Tang.”

We saw a second ship anchored in the sound. “They’re not stripping that one for timber,” I commented.

“They’re looting the cargo.” Halice pointed to laden longboats heading for shore.

“But Kellarin wants those things,” said Guinalle with anguish.

“And the pirates want the ship.” Halice pointed at a scarlet pennon snapping at the top of the mainmast.

“With all those wharf rats to crew it, they’re not worried about killing the original company.” Ryshad scowled as a longboat’s oar shoved a floating corpse aside.

Halice hissed as a sleek-hulled, single-decked pinnace appeared in the sound, followed by two substantial ocean ships built and rigged for speed. All three flew the scarlet flag with the black line of the snake device. “That’s a god-cursed fleet.”

“I’m sorry,” Allin gasped as the image abruptly blinked into nothingness.

“We’ve seen enough,” Ryshad assured her. “I’m getting D’Alsennin.”

As he turned on his heel, the rest of us stood in pensive silence.

Halice looked at Allin. “Could you bespeak Naldeth?”

“And let everyone know he’s a wizard?” I looked sceptically at her. There were some advantages to the more discreet workings of Artifice.

Halice grimaced. “Which could get him killed out of hand.”

“Can’t you lift him out of there?” I asked Allin. Shiv’s wizardry had once got me out of a prison cell.

“Not without a nexus,” the mage-girl said sadly. “Not so far away.”

“The Elietimm used Artifice to move people over great distances.” Halice looked at Guinalle. “Could you—”

“I cannot rely on the strength of the aether over such a distance, not over water.”

The two magic wielders looked at each other with mutual regret.

“We’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way then,” I said bracingly.

“Pirates?” Temar hurried in, open face betraying his shock.

“Holding Suthyfer, if we don’t do something to shake them loose.” Halice moved to pick up the map Ryshad had been studying.

“How soon can we set sail?” Temar planted his hands on the table.

Halice looked up. “You’re not thinking of going in alone?”

Temar jutted a single-minded jaw. “We’ve the Eryngo and the coast ships besides and men enough to fill them with blades.”

“Ploughmen and artisans.” Halice stuck her thumbs through her belt, clasping her buckle. “We need trained swords against pirates, my lad.”

“I led my cohort—”

Ryshad spoke over Temar’s hot indignation. “Granted the Eryngo’s bigger than the pirate ships we’ve seen so far but it’s also heavier, higher and slower. They’ll run rings round us if we’re not careful.”

“The coasters are more nimble.” But Temar was looking less sure of himself.

Ryshad gestured at the blank bowl. “No more than the Tang and they captured that.”

“We need a full corps of mercenaries,” stated Halice firmly.

“How long will that take to arrange?” Ryshad demanded. “Give that lot half a season to dig themselves in and we’ll never get them out. Speed’s as important as weight of response.”

“Can you whistle up ships loaded with fighting men?” demanded Halice.

“Yes,” replied Ryshad. “As soon as Allin has Casuel tell D’Olbriot the peril we’re facing.”

“Casuel can send letters to all the corps commanders who owe me favours,” countered Halice. “He can use the Imperial Despatch.”

“No.” Temar was almost as pale as Guinalle had been. “I won’t run to D’Olbriot like some child failing his lessons. Nor will I put Kellarin any deeper in anyone’s debt, not Tormalin princes or mercenaries, not unless my back’s to Saedrin’s threshold.”

Halice and Ryshad turned on him like twin halves of a double door.

“We call the miners down from Edisgesset.” Temar lifted his chin defiantly.

“Where do we find swords for them all?” Halice challenged.

I raised a reluctant hand. “If you bring all the miners down here, who guards the prisoners in the diggings?”

That silenced everyone.

“They have all given their parole. None is a threat.” Guinalle’s voice shook.

Ryshad, Halice and Temar studiously avoided each other’s eyes. I was glad they all realised this was no time to reopen that particular argument.

Allin had no such qualms. “They came here to kill everyone. They’re Ice Islanders!”

“They surrendered as soon as their leaders were killed,” Guinalle insisted.

Which was true and, Saedrin forgive me, had been cursed inconvenient. Seeing no prospect of ransoming them back to the Elietimm, Halice had been for killing them out of hand and Ryshad would have called that deserved execution under the fortunes of war but Temar had baulked at yet more bloodshed. So the silent, sullen captives had been sent upriver to dig for ore under the watchful gaze of miners used to a life of hard knocks. Accident and disease was culling them fairly effectively from what I heard, if not fast enough to suit Halice. Guinalle on the other hand protested such treatment every time she visited Edisgesset to torment herself over the sleeping figures still in the cavern. Temar did his best to ignore both issues by seldom going up river at all.

“D’Olbriot can send all the help you need,” Ryshad told Temar firmly. “Or if you’re worried about being obligated, call on Tadriol. He’s your overlord, you’re entitled to his aid.”

“Which makes his suzerainty plain in fact as well as in theory,” Temar retorted. “If Tormalin blood’s shed for Kellarin, half the Sieurs who wanted to throw us off here last year will insist Tadriol claim a share in our land and offer their own people to defend it for him.”

“We can call up a couple of mercenary corps as quick as any Imperial cohorts,” interjected Halice. “Once they’re paid off, that’s an end to it.”

“Paid off with what?” Temar threw up his hands with irritation. “If they don’t demand gold up front, it’ll still cost us land granted to men with no idea how to till it and less interest.”

“Why risk death or injury to anyone?” said Guinalle, agitated. “Artifice and elemental magic both can bring a ship safely over the ocean without having to stop at Suthyfer.”

“Don’t be so foolish.” Temar made no attempt to hide his scorn. “They’d have a stranglehold on our very lifeblood.”

“No one would risk the crossing with pirates camped on the route,” Halice said more courteously. “Even without any need to stop.”

“The threat would kill all our trade.” Ryshad looked at Temar. “And from that base, they’ll plunder the whole ocean coast. With the Inglis trade at their mercy, the Emperor will act with or without your agreement. If Tormalin cohorts set foot on Suthyfer, you want it on your terms, not Tadriol’s.”

“Which is why you want mercenaries.” Halice slapped a roll of parchment against one booted leg. “Pay them with the pirates’ loot.”

“No!” Guinalle objected. “We’d be no better than those thieves!”

I’d had enough of this. “What about Hadrumal? Numbers don’t count for so much with wizards chucking handfuls of fire or skewering people with lightning. Any size ship will sink if magic lets in the sea below its waterline.” I’d done my best to steer clear of magic for most of my life but since I’d found myself reluctantly involved in such matters, I’d come to appreciate its uses in the right place at the right time.

<>What will the Archmage demand by way of recompense?” challenged Temar.

“If you want to make a break with Tadriol, bringing Planir in will do it,” Halice pointed out. “Tormalin suspicions of magecraft’s ambitions will have a field day.”

“That could do as much harm to Kellarin’s trade as pirates,” said Ryshad reluctantly.

“I don’t think Planir could help.”

Allin’s soft words nearly went unheard but Temar stopped and looked at her. “Go on.”

She went pink. “Obviously he could use his magic, but I don’t think he’ll want to, not involving Hadrumal on his authority as Archmage. The Council’s badly split over whether or not wizardry should be involved in mundane affairs—”

Ryshad hushed Temar’s indignant exclamation. “How so?”

“Fighting the Elietimm was one thing,” Allin said with an apologetic glance at Guinalle. “They’re a magical threat, but pirates are just pirates. Planir’s being pressured to nominate a new Cloud Master—”

“Such concerns are so very much more important than life or death for Kellarin,” Temar interrupted scathingly.

Even though his anger wasn’t directed at her, Allin blushed scarlet and ducked her head so that all we could see was her coiled braids. I promised myself that sometime soon I’d wake Temar up to the lass’s silent devotion for the insensitive clod.

“But what about Parrail?” Guinalle’s distress was giving way to anger.

“Let’s see the lay of the land.” Halice unrolled her parchment on the table.

“At least we can see what forces we’ll need,” Ryshad said to Temar.

I looked at their three heads bent close together. If Halice was as stubborn as an offside ox, Ryshad and Temar made a matched pair just as bull-headed. Their deliberations were going to take quite some time.

Guinalle shot Temar’s oblivious back a fulminating glare and stalked off to sit on the settle by the fire again.

I tapped Allin on the shoulder and she looked up. “Planir can’t actually keep an eye on every wizard’s doings, can he?”

Allin looked puzzled. “How do you mean?”

“If we had mages helping us without Planir necessarily knowing, so no one could blame him for it, maybe we could find a quicker route through all this than sending in any swords.” I spared a glance for Ryshad who was plainly trying to stop Halice and Temar falling into outright disagreement. I was never going to share his or Halice’s relish for a fight and if magic could keep my friends from risking a pirate sword in their guts, I’d try any way I could to make the runes fall my way.

“I’ll do my best,” quavered Allin.

“I’m not asking you to take them on alone!” I let slip louder exasperation than I intended and caught a curious look from Ryshad. “Let’s get some air.”

We left for the tiled lane. I didn’t dare look back and wondered how long we had before Ryshad came to find out what I was up to.

“Can you bespeak Shiv?” I asked Allin. “You’re not too tired?”

“Not for something using fire.” She ventured a modest smile. “He’s right, you know, Shiv. The more magic I work, the stronger I become.”

I realised some of the people who’d come to Temar’s assembly were watching us from the end of the lane with lively curiosity. I smiled blandly at them and turned to lead Allin into the creditable start of a kitchen garden that Bridele had planted behind the hall. “Where can we find a little peace and quiet for you to work?” I wondered.

“The shrine?” Allin suggested. “No one will disturb us at our devotions.”

“Good idea.” It would take some while before Ryshad would think of looking for me there. I led the way to the sanctuary the older women of the colony had dedicated to Drianon out beyond the marketplace. The small stone building stood in its own little garden, not a weed to be seen among the burgeoning flowers. The door was already dotted with ribbons and scraps of cloth pinned as token of some boon sought from the goddess. I’d been thinking of hanging one there myself, just to hint that the coming summer’s ships could usefully bring hopeful girls willing to earn their place in this new life as maids of all work. Well, that wasn’t going to happen, not till we’d got rid of these pirates.

Inside, the walls were empty of the serried ranks of funerary urns that we’d have seen back in Ensaimin and I for one was glad of that. In the centre was a statue of Drianon, elegance at odds with the rustic shrine. That had been Temar’s doing last summer. He’d searched among half the sculptors in Tormalin before fixing on one he felt both skilled and pious enough to craft the Harvest Queen’s ripely beautiful figure, her serene and mature face crowned with wheat, autumn fruits spilling from her cupped hands.

A few offerings were laid at her sandalled feet, mostly the everyday trinkets that had so offended Mistress Beldan’s sensibilities. There was one garnet necklace more akin to the ostentatious displays of devotion customary these days and I wondered what might constitute me having sufficient need for it to placate Drianon. I dismissed the notion as Allin picked up a polished pewter plate.