Dark Empress (64 page)

Unfortunately for Asima the result was a metallic click, a sad little ‘twang’ and the bolt rolled off the groove and fell to the floor. She stared in anger at the bow and then up at Samir’s grinning face.

No… that was his most irritating look of all time.

“I see you found the bow. Good. I would have hated to have gone to such lengths with no appreciable result.”

“Why?” she demanded angrily.

“To appease BelaPraxis, and to settle the matter in Ghassan’s mind. Your tongue is more twisted than any serpent’s and no word that slips from it can be trusted, but your choices; your actions, even, tell us what your heart contains, and yours, Asima my dear, contains only black emptiness.”

She cast the useless, sabotaged weapon aside and crossed her arms defiantly as Samir strode toward her.

“And now that you’ve eased your conscience, you can drop you’re the charade of your vow to help me and have me killed instead. At least have the balls to do it yourself and don’t leave the job to one of your underlings.”

Samir smiled that vulture smile again as he came close, face to face with her and a yard away.

“Hardly, Asima. I keep my promises.”

With a snort, she turned her back on him.

“Good,” Samir said with relief. “That makes it easier”.

His blow to the back of Asima’s head was surprisingly gentle, but accurate and strong enough to knock the consciousness from her. Samir’s only concession to his feelings was to let her fall heavily and painfully to the floor without catching her.

“Sleep well. All our worlds are about to change.”

In which the order is given

Samir opened the door just as the runner tried to knock on it, causing him to lose his balance and stagger a little. The young sailor was out of breath and quite red faced and Samir waited patiently for him to regain his feet and take a deep breath. The lad looked up to see Samir waiting with his arms crossed, the tall, pale and gaunt figure of his brother at his shoulder and a collection of powerful men gathered in the background.

“Captain Samir…”

“The very same. Take your time… I’m sure there’s nothing pressing?”

He smiled at the young man who flushed.

“Sorry sir. The council wants to see you. They’ve called an emergency meeting for all captains.”

“Now, I presume?”

“Yes, sir. Just the captains and their first officers.”

“Very well. We’ll be along presently.”

“Yessir. I think…”

His voice trailed off as Samir shut the door on him and turned to the other occupants of the room. Quite a crowd had built up over the afternoon and into the early evening, with the eight men from the Empress having been joined by Faerus, Orin and their senior sailors.

“Are we all prepared? We all know what to do?”

Faerus nodded, scratching his chin.

“Still not all that sure I like it Samir, but you’re absolutely right that it has to be done.”

Orin, a stocky, barrel-chested northerner with a forked beard and a surprisingly quiet and gentle voice, shook his head.

“I still wonder whether we could have done more.” He sighed. “But yes… we know what to do and we’re ready.”

“Then for the sake of Lassos and our continued survival let’s go and do battle. You’d best head down to the council. I’ll meet you there in a minute; just a few quick things to attend to here.”

The two captains nodded and made for the door, both stopping in the entrance to grasp Samir by the forearm in the age old gesture of comradeship. As they left, taking their men with them, Samir glanced around the room at the remaining occupants and then closed the door.

“This is a dangerous course we’ve embarked on, gentlemen, and into unknown waters. We all know we can trust Faerus and Orin implicitly. I have other allies unrevealed as yet that will change the way today unfolds. Then there’s the Governor; we have no idea yet what he has decided to do, so he is a random element in the game. And finally, the council are almost entirely untrustworthy and have only their own safety and glory in mind. I have no doubt that they would sell out or drown any resident of Lassos without a moment’s thought if they deemed it necessary. Today is an important day.”

He turned to Ghassan.

“Are you up to this?”

Ghassan laughed quietly.

“Unless you’re expecting me to leap from ship to ship and head boarding parties, I can cope with standing on the command deck and watching what happens.”

“I had just a little more than that in mind. See, I have no first officer and it would be unthinkable to go to battle in that position. It might be a bit strange for you, being used to commanding a ship yourself, but if you could cope with it, I would really appreciate having you at my side?”

Ghassan answered with a grin.

“Samir, I’m not sure I could ever keep up with you, but I’d be honoured to take the post, yes.”

He sighed and shook his head, still laughing.

“It seems ridiculous in a way, since it’s only weeks since I was a commissioned naval officer and now here I am, taking on the role of first officer with the most notorious pirate vessel on the sea, and fighting alongside Faerus and Orin, both of whom I’ve engaged in battle in the past. Strange how things turn out, isn’t it?”

Samir smiled.

“I told you long ago, by the south gate stairs in M’Dahz, the day ma died… remember?”

Ghassan, suddenly taken aback by the memory of that horrible day, gave a sad little laugh.

“You told me things would be better. It’s been long decades and finally things seem to be getting better, as you said. I just hope that’s not just for today. I want things to stay better now. Do you think that’s too much to hope for?”

Samir laughed.

“You’ve survived an invasion, repeated massacres and two decades of sea battles with pirates. You made it out of prison in an exploding tower; you’ve been knifed twice… once supposedly fatally, and here you are standing tall and about to lead a ship to war with me. I think that, despite everything we’ve been through, we’ve both got a lot to be thankful for, don’t you?”

Ghassan continued to smile sadly and Samir turned to the other sailors.

“Mannius? Can you sort out Asima for me? Make sure she’s carefully bound when you move her. She shouldn’t wake up for a while yet, but you know how dangerous she is, and I don’t want any harm to come to her. Once you’ve got her ready, take three of these lads and move her out of here. Ghassan and I need to go attend the meeting, but we’ll meet you at the ship shortly.”

The thin, wiry man nodded as he holstered the knife he’d been idly playing with.

“We’ll be there and ready, cap’n.”

Samir nodded and turned to the tall, heavy set man next to the door with a scowl moulded permanently to his features.

“Duro? You and Rashad need to take care of the other thing. You’ll find the tools and the paint in the room back there. Make sure that Faerus and Orin have taken theirs. If not, you’ll have to deliver theirs before you start work.”

“What are you up to now, Samir?” Ghassan frowned.

“Oh just a little surprise. Nothing important. Shall we go?”

Ghassan continued to peer at him through narrowed eyes and finally sighed, shrugged, and opened the door.

“After you, my captain.”

“Thank you.”

As the room became a hive of activity behind them, Samir and Ghassan stood straight and began to stride down the sloping road in the warm, purple dusk light toward the council chamber at the first bend. The noble scene was only slightly marred by the fact that Ghassan winced and gasped with every other step and quickly began to lean on Samir for support once again.

“Don’t worry. When we get on board, all you have to do is lean on the command deck rail and shout commands.”

Ghassan nodded.

“I shall be grateful to stay still for a while. I think all this movement may have torn a stitch or two. Your doctor’s going to be furious with me.”

The two walked on in silence, each contemplating the coming day with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Slowly they approached the council hall, the great, peeling colonnade towering above them as they closed on the doorway.

“You’re sure they’ll go for it? You’ve sent everyone off ready as though they’d already announced their intention to go to war.”

Samir shrugged.

“I can’t see as they really have any other choice. Besides, whether they say yes or no, we’ll still have to get underway, so best to be prepared. Are you ready for this? We might not be over popular tonight.”

Ghassan answered with a nod.

“In we go.”

The entrance hall was empty as usual, though the door to the main chamber was already open and the commotion within could be heard as far out as the colonnade. Dozens of raised voices argued a dozen different points, each trying to be heard over the others. Samir smiled as he and Ghassan entered and took up position leaning against the door and closing it with a loud click.

The room fell silent at the noise and a number of faces turned to them.

“Good evening, gentlemen” Samir said with a tight smile.

There were a number of growls and low-voiced threats from the assembled group, but the banging of a knife pommel on the central table brought the silence to bear once more.

“Captain Samir… present yourself and your brother before the council.”

The crowd parted, allowing the pair room to face the hawk-like figure of master Halcar, who frowned at them.

“The council has concluded its deliberations, captain Samir, and come to a decision as to the best course of action for Lassos and its occupants.”

Samir nodded but remained silent.

Someone nearby said in low tones “I’s gonna slit yer throat, real slow, Samir…”

Ghassan’s head whipped around, but in the press of people, the source of the voice remained unknown. The comment was ignored by the mass and the council.

“Whatever your motive, captain Samir,” Halcar went on “you have betrayed the people of Lassos and we do not tolerate betrayal in any circumstances. You have put us in an awkward position, even though some of our number believe that this time was inevitable. The judgement of this council is that war must be prosecuted. The twelve ships of Lassos will sally forth at dawn when the mist is thickest and will engage the fleet of the governor. Your unique position, with traitors on board the enemy ships, makes you irreplaceable. Therefore, you will lead the way out of the reefs and into position.”

He smiled humourlessly.

“The possibility that this is some sort of trap has occurred to us and, if this is the case, you will have the option of falling into it yourself or revealing its existence.”

Samir nodded.

“That is fair, of course, master Halcar.”

“Be quiet! We are not finished. In addition, the council will sail out aboard the ships. It is important both that we add our long experience and expertise to the command, and that we take part in what is, after all, a battle for our survival. Masters Culin, Saja and myself will come out aboard the Dark Empress with you in order to avoid any… unfortunate decisions being made, and we will be bringing a guard with us, of course.”

He squared his shoulders.

“More than half the council and many more among the captains have called for your death for what you have done, Samir, and some demand that you be tortured to death. It is only the irreplaceable position you currently hold that is keeping you alive. Therefore, once battle is concluded, if we have taken the day, you will be deemed a traitor to Lassos. You will then hand over your compass to us and you will be taken back to Lassos. There, you will be skinned, salted and then boiled for your crimes.”

Ghassan straightened.

“No!”

Samir shook his head, but Halcar nodded.

“You will prosecute the war to the best of your ability and then submit willingly to your fate, because we will allow your brother to live, banished from Lassos back to the mainland. If you refuse to submit or attempt to trick us, we will do the same to both of you and to every man who serves on your ship. You may believe that mercy is a prime trait in a pirate captain, but you are alone in that belief. Is that all clear?”

Samir frowned, his head down.

“Very clear, master Halcar.”

“Go then and prepare the Empress for battle.”

Samir bowed, making sure to keep steady for Ghassan’s support and the pair turned and opened the door, passing through before closing it quietly. In the hall outside, as the room behind them burst into noisy life once more, Ghassan shook his head.