Chapter 15 Part 2

Dylan woke. Outside the cabin there was yelling and people were running. His master had gotten up and was hurriedly putting on his shoes.

“Master, is something wrong?”

Gage paused only long enough to look up briefly. “I hope not,” he answered. “From what I can tell, the storm may have damaged the ship. I am going up to take a look. You stay here and try to get back to sleep.”

The young mage knew that that was a futile order. With all the excitement going on, the boy could not possibly sleep. He would be lucky if his student stayed in the room and kept out of the way.

Gage left the cabin carefully. There was a lot of movement in the hallway and he did not want to get run over by a hurrying sailor. At the end of the hall, he saw the stairs leading up into the dark night. There were flashes of lightning that briefly lit the hatchway from above. Two sailors came hurrying around him headed towards the deck. They carried ropes and a block and tackle. Gage anxiously allowed them to pass then followed quickly on their heels.

When Gage made his way up the steps, he saw half the crew gathered near the rear of the ship. Rathe was there as was Coran and Velar. Mindful of the exaggerated swaying of the ship, he hurried and joined his brother and companions.

“Part of the mizzenmast fell,” Coran told him. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the waves and wind. “The wind sheared the top section off, and it fell on the pilot house. The helmsman was killed and the compass was smashed.”

Gage saw the captain barking orders and the first mate echoed them to the crew. The captain stood near the remains of the helm. Part of the large wheel that controlled the rudder had been broken, but it was still workable, and the second mate was struggling to keep the ship on course.

Parts of the crew were clearing away the debris, and many others were aloft furling the sails to get them out of the wind. “Is it serious?” Gage asked in reply.

“It’s not too good,” Coran answered. “Without the compass, we don’t have any way of knowing which way we’re headed. When the helmsman was killed, the ship changed directions and we don’t know how much. The wind is pushing us along and there’s no telling how far off course we’re going to be when this thing is over.”

“Are we in any danger of sinking?”

“No. The ship isn’t really damaged that badly. It was our steering and navigation that got fouled up.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Coran shrugged. “Not right now. Maybe when the storm abates, you might be able to help them find our way back on course. Until then, though, there really isn’t much you can do.”
Gage watched for a few more moments. There was nothing he could really help with, and otherwise if he remained he would just get in the way for he was unskilled as a seaman. So he reasoned that the best thing he could do to help was to go back to his cabin and stay out of the way.

Predictably, his young charge was nervously awake when he entered the cabin. “A piece of the mast sheared off and fell,” he told Dylan. Gage purposely left out the details. There was no reason to worry the boy, and there was nothing that either of them could do at the moment. “So go on back to sleep,” he urged as he sat and began removing his shoes.

Dylan tried to go back to sleep, but it was difficult. He lay awake thinking about the wind and the storm for at least half an hour before he was able to shut his eyes and drift off.
When he finally woke from his sleep again, the room was otherwise vacant. His master had left, but the candle was still burning. So Dylan climbed out of the hammock and used a sponge to clean himself up. Then he went up to the main deck to see what was happening.

The sun had come up, but the overcast sky kept it hidden. The winds were still blowing, but it was nothing dangerous. The main part of the storm had passed in the night. Now they were simply in a steady drizzle under a thick canopy of clouds.

Cindy was over at the hatch leading down into the galley. She waved at him urging him to join her, and the growling in his stomach suggested that breakfast was very good idea.
Breakfast was a thick stew of vegetables and meat that tasted like mutton. Whatever it was, Dylan decided that it was good and he quickly finished his serving.

“Crystal told me that we’re lost,” Cindy said between spoonfuls. The compass was damaged last night, and the winds drove us off course. With no sun or stars to navigate by, we don’t know where we are or which direction we’re headed.”

“What are they gonna do?” Dylan asked as he poured a refill of water.

“I don’t know,” Cindy answered. “Crystal’s a bit worried though. Getting lost on the sea is a bad thing. Sooner or later we’ll run out of water.”

Dylan looked reflexively at his cup. It had not occurred to him, but Cindy was absolutely right.

Dylan and Cindy finished their morning meal and went back up on deck. The captain of the ship was talking to Coran and Rathe while others listened in. The youngsters approached and heard the master of the vessel’s grim voice.

“The weather might break soon, or it might not. Until it does, though, we’d best not move at all. We don’t know how turned around we got last night. If we’d start sailing, we could be sailing farther out to sea without knowing it.”

“Isn’t there a way to repair the compass, or maybe you have a spare?” Coran asked.

“It can’t be repaired,” the captain told them. “It was damaged beyond repair. And I ain’t got no spare. I had to sell it to pay my crew. Business hasn’t been too good.”

“How long will the water hold out?” Rathe asked grimly.

“We still have plenty of water, so I really wouldn’t worry too much,” the captain answered. We should be able to stand here for about a week if we need to. Then things might get a bit worried.”

“Then I’d suggest we do as the captain says,” Rathe offered. “It may be our charter, but it’s his vessel. He isn’t going to deliberately put us in danger.”

“Couldn’t you navigate for us?” Crystal asked Rathe.

The large creature sighed. “It’s not really allowed,” he answered. “The rules of our brotherhood are very strict. Let’s hope it isn’t necessary, because I would have to face the Tribunal of Elders if I were to use the art in view of those not a part of our sect.”

“Why?” Dylan asked inadvertently. He had not intended to interrupt the discussion, but the question just slipped out. Rathe, however, treated him with complete respect and answered the question.

“The seas around Minota are pretty darn treacherous,” he began. “There are natural reefs and breakers that make up a strange pattern under the waves. It’s almost like maze. So our ancestors built jetties and some other underwater barriers to add to what was already there to make it even more treacherous and complex. Now there’s a great maze just beneath the waterline. And depending on the tides and winds, Minota can only be safely approached by someone who knows how to navigate those waters.

That’s our homeland’s primary defense. Because of it, Minota has never been conquered. And so our people became obsessed with super accurate navigational techniques. The Tribunal of Elders is the head of the Navigator’s Guild, and they have the final say on who’s trained as a navigator, and how those skills are used. Because my father was something of a hero, I was trained at his request. But because I didn’t enter the Navigator’s Guild, I’m forbidden to use those skills. If I do so, I’ll be taken before the Tribunal and tried.”

“How would they know?” Cindy asked. It was a fascinating story. She just could not understand why they would be so harsh.

“Our art of navigation makes use of some magic. It’s unique enough that if I used it, they’d know about it. Then I couldn’t ever go home without being brought up on charges. Even if I never went home again, they’d approach my father because he was the one who vouched for me. It’d be a disgrace to my family.”

“We certainly wouldn’t want that,” Coran decided. “We should be okay. We’ve got plenty of water and food.”

The conversation was cut short by a cry from above. One of the crew in the rigging was pointing off to the east and calling out. “Sail Ho!”

They all rushed to the railing. Off in the distance, a ship was visible. It was headed under full sail in their general direction. “What’re her colors?” the captain yelled to his lookouts high in the rigging. There was a sense of nervousness among the crew and they moved about with urgency as they prepared to unfurl the sails and get underway.

“Can’t make it out,” came the reply. The captain cursed and the first mate barked an order to the crew. Those that were not in the rigging quickly rushed to the main hatchway where weapons were being passed out.

“What is going on?” Gage asked worriedly.

“Ships at sea should always give each other a wide berth unless one signals for help. We didn’t signal,” Rathe answered, “so the captain’s worried that those might be privateers closing in on us. It’s not unheard of. Following a strong blow is a common habit of theirs. They let the storm weaken the prey, then they close in and attack the helpless.”

“We are not helpless,” Gage countered angrily.

“I’m sure you’ll educate them,” Coran teased his brother. “Maybe you should’ve studied sorcery instead of wizardry.”

Dylan frowned. He did not understand that last statement, and he decided that he would ask about it later. His studies did not indicate any real differences between sorcery and wizardry.

Many long minutes followed with growing tenseness. As the other ship drew closer, the crew became more alert and excited. And when the lookout finally announced that the other ship flew the colors of Vermouth, it gave some of the crew a chance to express some relief. Vermouth was a southern city and was the port to which they were headed. It was one of the larger southern cities sometimes called Khotain after the count who had founded the town.

“They’re signaling,” the first mate announced as he peered out over the waters to the oncoming vessel.

“A red pennant,” the captain announced as he joined them. “They are asking for assistance of some kind.”

“That isn’t too unthinkable,” Rathe offered. “We could use a little help ourselves. Maybe they have a spare compass.”

The captain stepped back a few paces and addressed the crewman manning what was left of the helm. “Come to port,” he told the man. The crewman struggled to manipulate the makeshift rudder control that they had rigged. “Let’s see if we can do some trading for repairs,” the captain decided. “But be ready for anything,” he warned. “Meeting another friendly ship this far out ain’t unheard of, but it’s rare enough to be suspicious.”

“The ships drew closer together, swaying with the ever rolling waves. Dylan stood near the huge Minotaan, mostly out of curiosity than to keep from getting in the way as the crew went about their business.

“Coran,” Rathe calmly inquired in a low voice, “do you have your sword with you?”

Coran involuntarily placed his hand on the pommel of his weapon. “Yes,” he told his dark companion. “Why?”

“Because there are a lot fewer sailors on that other ship than there were when we first spotted them.”

“So?”

“They are all hiding behind the near railing,” Rathe told him.

“Maybe they went below?” Coran offered even as he loosened the leather strap that held the sword secure in the scabbard.

“No,” Rathe answered. He didn’t have his own weapon, but instead casually reached down and retrieved a large stout cudgel, the remnant of a hasty repair that had been made after the storm. “When two ships approach, half the crew doesn’t go down into the hold. They’re hiding to get ready for an ambush.”

“Should we tell the captain?” Dylan asked.

“I don’t think it’ll be necessary,” Rathe replied with a quick glance over his shoulder. “He already knows.”

Dylan looked around and he could see that the crew were all very wary of the situation. Some of them had cutlasses or daggers and others had seized belaying pins.

“Dylan,” Gage called to him, “go below with Cindy and Crystal.”

Dylan wanted to object, but a sharp look from his master overruled him before he could say anything. Dejected, the apprentice retreated to the stairs and descended into the hold.
Gage backed away from the railing and moved back towards the stern. There he loosened the flap on his spell pouch. He had to be careful. On wooden ships in the middle of the ocean, was a bad place to start tossing flame-based spells around.

The fact that the crew of the Caroli III suspected what was coming made little difference in the initial attack. As the ships drew close, a quartet of brigands on the other ship stepped into the open from behind the masts and fired heavy grapples across the water to become tangled in the rigging or embedded in the wooden hull. Then with the opposite ends tied off, the other crew hauled the ships closer while raining occasional arrows upon the Caroli’s crew.

Coran ducked as a curse escaped his lips. They had no archers of their own except, possibly for Crystal, who was below the deck. But she was just one, and there were easily half a dozen on the other ship. Already he saw three downed sailors squirming in agony as arrows drained their life’s blood on the deck. The rest of the crew were scrambling for cover.

A smell of charged air and the sense of crawling skin on his back made Coran turn on one knee to see his brother loose a quick series of light bursts from his hand toward the other ship. He breathed in relief. Gage’s magic would offset the bowmen of the other craft so long as they didn’t kill him before he could neutralize them. It was a possibility, but Coran need not have worried. At one point he saw an arrow come up short and bounce just inches from Gage’s chest.

Coran also saw that Velar had crouched low and moved around to the entrance to the lower decks. He had taken up a defensive position there with a sword in his own hand. Coran knew that the dragon could probably have totally devastated the other ship with little effort, but that would also reveal his true nature and for reasons known only to Velar, his anonymity was far too important for him to do that. Still, Velar would make certain that no one from the other ship penetrated to the Caroli’s lower levels. The battle’s outcome was certain, the question was just who would die in the fighting and who would survive.

After a second volley of magic missiles from Gage, the arrows from the other ship ceased, and Coran risked a glance over the side of the deck. The other ship was very close, and the pirates were reaching across the way with grapples to haul the ships closer. A few were already swinging from one ship to the other on ropes tied to the yard arms.

The battle actually was not very intense. No matter what the frame of mind the pirates may have had initially, being confronted by a mage had dampened their spirits somewhat, and then to see Rathe wading through their midst, swinging that huge timber back and forth, mowing them down like so much wheat was totally demoralizing.

After a few moments, it was apparent that many of them were more interested in getting back to their own ship than the potential profit they might make in gaining the Caroli. They scrambled over each other in their hasty retreat, but escape was no longer possible.

In short order, the other crew cut the lines freeing their ship and came about intending to beat a hasty retreat. The few pirates that had failed to make it back to the other ship dove into the water headfirst. Apparently anything was better than being captured.

Coran wiped his sword clean on the rags of the pirate he had killed. The man had been pitifully unskilled with the rapier he had used, and Coran had made quick work of him.
Gage stepped alongside his brother and regarded the ship that was pulling away from them. “Should I sink them?” he asked.

“No,” The captain interjected as he joined them. “We’d just have to rescue them and we don’t have food or water enough for all them and us too.”

“How ironic,” Gage noted.

“Thank you, mage,” the captain offered. “If you hadn’t been with us, it woulda turned out a lot worse.”

Gage nodded absently. “Would you look at that,” he said as he kicked at the body on the deck. “See the cuffs of those trousers? They were made to fit into snow boots.”

“So?” Coran asked. “I’ve seen those almost all my life.”

“How cold does it get in Vermouth?” Gaga asked.

“It doesn’t,” the captain told them. “Vermouth is never cold.”

“Then I hardly think this guy was from Vermouth. This is the kind of pants one wears in places like Freon.”

“Mayhap they flew the colors of Vermouth as a ruse?” Velar suggested as he joined them. “It can be assumed that pirates would not reveal themselves readily, and the colors of a friendly port would make attractive bait.”

With the commotion over, Crystal led the two apprentices back to the upper deck. The crew were cleaning up the mess. They were tossing bodies overboard and scrubbing up the blood. Of their own numbers only eight had been killed.

The excitement was still in the air and the crew was still a bit tense, but as the hours passed things calmed down much more. Then their luck improved yet again as the clouds broke and the stars came out. From that the captain was able to re orient his ship and they put out their sails to continue their voyage.

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully, and the peace was broke only by the singing of the crew and the lessons that Gage and Crystal put to their students.