Gunpowder (8 page)

Running along
the wooden pier, Sparks yelled to lose the moors off the quay and
put up sails even when she was still a good few dozen meters from
the “Thunder Led”. Fortunately, Kristoff was already on board and
prepared to set sail in advance, and the experienced smuggling crew
performed perfectly. Before the agent came to the ship, the mooring
ropes have already been thrown, the sailors stood with long poles
ready to push the ship away from the pier, and the gunners loaded
the cannons with grapeshot, to prevent, if necessary, a possible
pursuit. No one chased her. Behind her, clouds of black smoke were
rising up above the city centre, and the first echoes of a powerful
explosion, came to the harbour dully rolling through the narrow
streets of the city. Apparently the soldiers failed to extinguished
the fire before it reached the gunpowder, thus causing the city
more important problems than the fleeing girl.

The agent ran
up to the ship, which was already gliding slowly along the pier
under half raised sails. She jumped on the rope hanging from the
boom and a sharp turn of the rudder dropped her on the deck in the
middle of a fore-stay turn setting the ship on course to leave the
harbour. The girl grabbed the sinewy arm of the bosun and stood up
on her feet while the gunners accelerated the ship with long oars
the and sailors put up and hauling sails. When they sailed into the
departure corridor, the wind intensified, and the ship leaned
slightly on tack.

The “Thunder
Led” passed the head of the breakwater and went beyond the area
closed by the line of the guarding forts’ walls On their
battlements such consternation reigned, that the cannons went
absolutely silent, forgetting even the occasional salvo to deter
the hostile ships of the line. Kristoff ordered to put up all the
sails, and Sparks in a surge of adrenaline yelled to the sailors
churning on board that if they come out of this alive, she would
spend the entire way back topless. She actually took off her shirt
and tied it between the stays to show the crew that she was not
joking, and add the crew some motivation before an inevitable salvo
of the port fortifications. Her bare breasts acted as a properly
used spur and the sailors rushed without any orders to long oars
trying to propel the ship faster. The captain flushed shyly as if
he were a teenage lordling from a religious school, not a smuggler
seasoned in the battles of love with a well established reputation.
The ship was sailing on broad reach using the daily breeze. With
every moment she was picking up speed, heading straight into the
forest of masts of the hostile Eastern Company ships of the line
waiting for them beyond the reach of the harbour’s artillery.

The inevitable
battle was not their concern just yet. At this point, the only
significant threat was still the artillery of the Smiteverden
forts. The sailors pulled in the oars paddles and manned their
posts at the rigging, to efficiently perform the turns necessary to
avoid the deadly salvoes. The walls of the forts were silent. None
of the line commanders dared to shoot at a ship flying the colours
of an ally. It must have taken at least a few minutes before
messengers made their way to the walls with orders to sink the
ship. Around the “Thunder Led” a true pandemonium broke loose. A
hell, that Spark had not expected, could not describe later, and
trembled with spasms and shivers at the mere recollection of it.
The crew was performing miracles of efficiency, making a turn after
turn, and Kristoff, standing at the helm, was cursing the whole
world laying the ship in tight turns, to avoid high fountains risen
by cannon shots and missiles hurled from the walls.

Sparks,
looking at his slim, tall figure topped by a triangular hat while
crossing behind him after being thrown from one side to the other
by the ship’s heeling, for the first time in her life felt a true
admiration for another man’s skills, which she would never be able
to grasp. For the first time she also felt fear. Fear so paralysing
that countering the deep rolls of the deck posed serious balance
problems for her, while he stood unmoved at the helm, without a
shadow of doubt on the strong face.

Dozens of
turns later, when she thought that the worst was finally behind
them... the worst was yet to come. Using the few minutes break in
the shelling from the walls and the current concentration of fire
on the “Thunder Led”, four ships of the line sailed into the area
protected by the artillery, as their captains came to a conclusion
that without going into the reasons for which the fortalice had
been shooting at an allied ship, sinking an enemy unit was always
appreciated by their superiors. The four ships of the line were
sailing on beam reach and after having taken their positions in a
line formation fired with their whole boards in the direction of
the weaving ship. The salvo etched in the waters of the bay just a
few feet away from the side of the “Thunder Led”. Were gunners
dealing with a heavy, western frigate, their missiles would reach
the hull of the ship below the waterline, where they could inflict
massive damage almost certainly synonymous with the sinking of the
unit. Lightweight design of Kristoff’s vessel was flying over the
water being carried by the front runners, making the salvo pass
under the ship. The captain, knowing that at this point the eastern
gunners were reloading their cannons with chain-shots and setting
the bearings of the gun carriages to sweep away the sails of the
fleeing ship, made a sharp turn into the wind countering the
manoeuvre of the ships of the line passing ahead and trying to
leave as little sail in target as possible. The turn slowed the
“Thunder Led”, but positioned it perpendicular to the opponents at
the exact time of their salvo, thus helping to avoid major damage.
Kristoff immediately reached away from the wind leading his ship in
a tight loop until it caught the downwind. The unexpected manoeuvre
put the ships of the line behind his stern before their gunners had
time to reload. The sloop came out of the loop with the wind in her
back, and the captain shouted something to the bosun. A whistle
sounded and the crew rushed below the deck. The gunners took their
places by the windlasses, and sailors carried out the new sails
onto the deck, then dropped the foresail, and fitted it to the
front mechanism. In less than a minute a foremast and mizzenmast
began to rise from the deck with already mounted sails, which
almost immediately began to fill with wind. The captain leading the
line took up the chase reaching away from the wind in a wide arc.
Thus, he sailed directly into the fire of the port artillery, which
forced him to a sharp turn greatly reducing his speed. That was
enough. The “Thunder Led” put up all sails already as a
three-masted schooner and sailed along the shore to escape hostile
warships. Losing a possible pursuit was only a matter of time
then.

Exposing the
abilities of his ship was not to Kristoff’s liking. He always
treated changing the ship’s silhouette while outsiders were
watching as the last resort. When the outsiders were also direct
enemies, issuing the order to change the ship’s rigging was even
harder. Finding no other option, he had nevertheless taken a
decision that probably saved their lives. Under full sail on three
masts the “Thunder Led” was impossible to catch up to regardless of
the starting positions and weather conditions. The distance between
them and their pursuers was increasing in plain sight.

Kristoff
handed over the helm to his first officer and stood at the stern
next half-naked Sparks staring through binoculars at the ships of
the line they were leaving behind.

- Seriously?
You intend to walk the deck with bare tits all the time?

- Well... We
did escape... the word has been said, tits are released...

- And
Breiig?

- Dead.

- Killed
during the escape?

- I killed him
personally while he tried to betray me. - She put away the
binoculars and looked at the captain. - At least I think he tried.
I'm not really sure.

- Glad that
I'm on your side... and my attitude does not arouse your
suspicions.

- Stop fooling
around. I killed him accidentally because he had a weak heart. I
just wanted to interrogate him. He died of shock. Didn’t survive
being paralysed.

- Why the
confidence in his betrayal?

- He was not
in chains. He was sitting at the table with the bearded one and the
head of the guards, as equals. It seems to me that he teamed up
with them and defected. They arrested us to give him a chance to
set up a pretend escape and act out our release. That is why the
guards’ headquarters were empty. To make our escape easier.

- Why the
masquerade?

- So he would
sail home with us and without the rest of his men. His network of
agents was either non-existent from the start or rounded up earlier
and obviously our enemies did not want to risk Breiig being exposed
by anyone. Regardless of whom they would send to Daelwynn, their
agents or our own. You know... The fewer witnesses, the greater
chance of success. Breiig would become their agent in Daelwynn. And
with good access level.

- And you
deduced all this from the fact that he was sitting there without
shackles?

- These are
all... indisputable facts. The only correct interpretation of them.
Breiig had to die. Daelwynn must remain secure.

- Even at the
cost of human life?

- The cost is
merely a life of a traitor.

- And if
you're wrong?

- I am not
wrong. Besides, there is another thing. They could have sunk us
immediately after we left the port, but they began shooting only
after a good few minutes. It seems to me that the forts’ crews had
been ordered to let us go, and tried to sink us only when
messengers brought them the news that their charade had failed.

Kristoff took
the binoculars from her hand and put it to his eyes to gain some
time. He looked at the ships of the line loosing more and more
distance, and thought about what he had just heard from Sparks.
Making sure that they are safe and no ship was no longer a threat,
he put his binoculars away and turned to face the agent.

- Perhaps
you're right. Now, it does not matter though. We survived and
escaped and will safely reach Haaven. You will move on to Daelwynn,
and I will lie low somewhere on the Karahams. Just remember that
the next time we meet, you’d better have a privateer commission of
the Daelwynnian navy for me... Sparkles. - Kristoff gave her the
binoculars and shamelessly stared at her naked breasts. Sparks was
not going to disturb him.

- You’ve got my word... And it is still Sparks, Thank you very
much.

- Well... I don't know about that. - The captain grinned still
looking at her breasts - After all... you did flash
me...

The End

(although you will find a few surprises on the following
pages)

A short guide to some places described above:

Karaham Islands
- An archipelago of nearly a
thousand volcanic and coral islands on the East Sea. The islands,
some of them floating, are inhabited by indigenous groups loosely
connected ethnically, however considering only the largest
settlements, most of the population are immigrants from Herbion and
Ipion, although the latter is much less common. Local communities
are peaceful to each other and to the outside world, and the whole
archipelago is a worldwide synonym for limitless freedom, often
resembling anarchy. Despite the lack of a proper state organism
most of the islands recognize the flag shown above as a symbol of
their homeland, although in different colour configurations.
According to tradition, the ships coming from the islands fly the
flag of the captain below their island's banner.