consciousness from him. He tried to pull himself upright again and, instead, slid sideways and fell to the floor of the cabin, face down, his body shuddering and his legs flopping around.
Could this be it? Had Asima actually done for him? Had she already got to Samir?
His eyesight was already dimming.
“Samir!” he bellowed once before unconsciousness took him and he lay, motionless, next to the prone form of Asima.
In which the aftermath occurs
Samir noted with dismay the slick crimson coating of the doctor’s hands and forearms as he entered the captain’s cabin, one of the crewmen opening and closing the door for him. The man’s face was unreadable, but that meant nothing. Samir had known him long enough now to know Cale had seen enough horror that his face had long since given up expressing his emotions.
“Yes?”
The doctor reached down for the damp cloth at his belt and began to wipe the excess gore from his hands. Without looking up, he talked as he worked at his cleaning.
“The important thing is: he’ll almost certainly live.”
“I don’t like the ‘almost’…”
The doctor shrugged.
“I’m not about to give you any guarantee, captain. The next twenty four hours will be very telling, though. We were very lucky that you found him when you did; he’d have bled out in minutes longer. As it is, there’s barely enough blood left in him to keep him going.”
“But blood heals, though, yes?”
The doctor’s mouth curled up at the corner.
“It replenishes, yes. The big problem your brother had was not the loss of blood, but where the knife went in. Had he not been so weak and short of blood, I would have opened him up to check his organs.”
“His organs? Forgive me doctor… my medical knowledge is scant at best.”
The doctor sighed.
“His heart and his lungs. I’m fairly sure they’re unharmed. His breathing is surprising strong, given the state he’s in and his heartbeat is slow and measured, so I don’t believe they’ve been harmed by the wound. This in itself is miraculous, as the blow was as precise as any assassin could achieve. The blade should have gone into his heart and he should, by all rights, be dead.”
Samir frowned.
“So why…”
“I’m not sure,” the doctor interrupted, “but a Pelasian surgeon called Passides wrote a text on organs in which he noted discovering in his long career several people whose organs were not quite in the regular position. Without opening your brother up, I can’t confirm it, but that’s simply the only explanation I can think of. The knife went in between the fifth and sixth rib and was angled just right. Your brother is either very, very lucky or one of the Gods has a vested interest in him.”
Samir nodded, images of the cult statue of BelaPraxis flashing across his vision.
“So he should be alright?”
“I’m pretty certain that’s the case. There is the faintest possibility that the edge of the knife caught the cable down his back that the Pelasians call a ‘spinal nerve’. If that’s the case then he may lose the use of his legs, but that’s a small possibility, so I wouldn’t worry unduly about that until he’s awake.”
Samir slumped back in his seat and let out an explosive breath.
“And when will that be?”
Again the doctor shrugged.
“I wouldn’t expect him even to wake today. Tomorrow he might, but only for brief periods. He’ll be very weak and very tired and his blood is so low that he’s almost white. He may not be up and about for weeks.”
“I think Ghassan might surprise you on that. Can I see him?”
The doctor shook his head.
“Absolutely not. He is staying alone and undisturbed at least until the first time he wakes. I have my assistant sitting with him constantly. He’s fine, but I don’t want any disturbance for him.”
Samir nodded.
“Take good care of him, doctor, and thank you for all your efforts.”
“Now I may catch up on missed sleep and I suggest that you do the same, captain.”
“I’m beyond sleep now, Cale. Beside, the sun’s made an appearance now and things will require my attention. We’re nearing Lassos and things are afoot.”
The doctor shrugged and turned, approaching the door and banging on it with a clean elbow. A moment later it swung open and the man paused in the entrance for a moment.
“I’ll let you know as soon as he wakes, captain.”
As Samir nodded, the man disappeared down the passageway outside. The man by the door began to shut it, but Samir waved a hand at him.
“Patus… where is the lady Asima now?”
“She’s being held in the firepot locker, captain.”
“I trust you had the forethought to remove anything dangerous or useful from the room first?”
“It’s as empty as a Germallan’s head, sir” the man grinned.
Samir nodded “I’ve not known many Germallans but, for the sake of argument I will assume that means ‘yes’.”
“Do you want to see her, captain?”
“No, I don’t think so, Patus. If I meet her at the moment, I might just have to kill her out of hand and I made a vow to BelaPraxis concerning her. The Goddess may have closed another eye, but until the third shuts, I’ve my hands tied in Asima’s case. Has Ursa been taken care of?”
The smile slid from the man’s face. The first officer had been a popular man and the crew were taking his death hard. Samir had the suspicion that Asima’s ribs had probably met with a few boots during her apprehending and incarceration.
“His body’s been cleaned up and wrapped. We thought we’d let him go at the eighth bell if that’s alright with you, sir? He never liked being up early anyway.”
Samir gave a sad little smile.
“Agreed.”
“Anything else, sir?”
“No thank you. That’ll be all.”
The man saluted and closed the door to the cabin, leaving the Empress’ captain sitting silent and thoughtful in his chair. After a long pause spent staring at the desk, he turned and peered out of the window, past the great beam of the rudder and out to sea in the wake of the ship.
“BelaPraxis? I’m not much one for praying, as I expect you’ve noticed. You’ve put me in an uncomfortable position. I said in your name that I’d give her three chances to redeem herself. Right now, I’m tempted beyond reason just to go and do away with her, but would that anger you? After all, Ghassan’s life is also in your hands? Would it really piss you off that much if I got rid of her?”
He sighed.
“A deal’s a deal, I suppose. When I’m sure I can spend long enough in a room with her without strangling her, then I’ll give her another chance. But look after Ghassan.”
He sat quietly once more, pondering until a commotion on deck above caught his attention. Listening carefully, he heard someone calling about a sail. A sail on the horizon? And the footsteps were all above him, so they must be at the rear rail.
Frowning, he turned once more and peered out into the distance, squinting into the dark waters. The sun may be up, but only just and it wasn’t making much of a difference in the west yet.
