Was there a sail? He wished fervently that Ghassan was here with his sharp eyes.
“Dammit.”
Grumbling, he pushed back his chair and strode across the room, pulling open the door and marching down the corridor to the open air. Turning, he climbed the stairs to the command deck and approached the knot of sailors standing at the rail.
“Nice to know that something important enough to drag you all from your positions is not important enough to send someone down to find me?”
The comment was only half-joking and the faces of the men fell.
“Sir, we thought you had enough on your plate until we were sure what it was.”
Samir brushed the matter aside and frowned.
“So? Talk to me.”
“The lookout reckons he saw a sail behind us, but we’re not sure. Can’t see anything now.”
Samir shrugged.
“Well? We’re not on that tight a schedule. Slow us up a little and we’ll see what we can see.”
The men nodded and ran off, furling one of the sails.
Samir leaned on the rear rail and watched the horizon intently as he felt the momentum of the vessel lessen very slightly. More and more the pace slowed, and gradually the men drifted back to join him at the stern.
“See anything yet, sir?”
“Not yet. Perhaps our lookout’s been dreaming.”
“What’s that?” someone said.
Samir peered into the dim distance, where the purple sky met the black sea in the strange dawn moment. Squinting, he concentrated.
“That, my friend, is a sail.”
There was light laughter around him.
“Erm… captain?”
“Yes?”
“That’s not a sail. That’s three sails.”
Samir peered into the distance and smiled.
“More than that” someone else added. “I can see at least two more.”
“Bloody hell, it’s a fleet!”
Samir grinned.
“Captain, why’re you laughing? They’re white sails and that means they’re navy ships!”
“Yes” he nodded. “And now that I can see them a little better, I note there are a couple of black sails in there too. On the assumption they’re not travelling with other pirates, I think our navy fleet out there has a few Pelasians in it too.”
He noted the uncertain faces of those around him.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course, captain, but…”
“No ‘but’s, Mannius. Trust me. Everything is going according to plan. The governor is coming to see us and he’s brought a few friends. I wonder what decision he’s come to?”
“We can’t face that many alone, captain?”
Samir nodded and smiled.
“You’re absolutely right, my friend. All haste to Lassos, then. Get that sail back up and full of wind and let’s get to port.”
The deck around him burst into life as sailors went about their business, leaving the captain alone at the rear rail where he peered off into the distance at the pursing fleet.
“What have you decided, governor? What are you going to do?”
In which the Empress goes home
“Back away from the door. If you’re within reach when I open it, I’ll break whatever I can touch!”
Asima was standing at the far side of the small, bare storeroom, an expression of glowering hatred on her face when the pirate finished with the lock and pushed the door inwards with a groan.
“What now?”
“Captain wants you on deck.”
“Does he indeed? Well we’d best not keep him waiting, then.”
Asima was gratified to note as she stepped forward how the man moved carefully back and out of her way. If nothing else, her little exercise in butchery had earned her a reputation to be feared and in many ways fear was more useful than respect or love.
“You don’t have to be quite so jumpy, sailor. I’m unarmed and I’m hardly going to gut you in broad daylight in front of your friends, am I?”
She looked down at the wrappings around her throbbing hand.
“Besides, I’m hardly in a position to wield a weapon, am I?”
The big man gave her an unpleasant look and pointed at the stairs that led up on deck, the square hatch above letting in bright sunlight that stung her eyes after hours in the dark ammunition store. Nodding, Asima strode past him, her head held defiantly high and keeping her pace deliberately calm and controlled.
The deck was alive with activity, though curiously quiet. Asima frowned for a moment until she caught sight, between the working sailors, of the approaching jagged, black rocks. The pirates always seemed to fall into an awed silence around the reefs of the dead. Still, that explained Samir’s sudden desire to see her: they’d arrived at Lassos. What he intended to do now was, however, still a mystery.
Goaded on by the angry-looking pirate, she strode along the deck, combing out the irritating knot in her hair with her fingers; this sea air really was no good for her. The sooner she could get all of this behind her, spike a few disobedient and irritating heads and set herself up in the palace of Akkad, the better.
“Ah, Asima.” Samir nodded at her as they reached the command deck. “You have a curious look on your face? Contemplating murder again?”
“I was picturing your head on a spear tip, Samir,” she replied with a tight smile, “and wondering where it would look best. Certainly somewhere I could admire it regularly; and somewhere near jasmine to hide the stench.”
Samir’s grin was as unpleasant as her own and, despite the superficial smiles on the command deck, the undercurrent of malice was so thick and powerful that several of the sailors on deck moved further away from the pair.
“Sweet and charming as ever, my dear. Be grateful for BelaPraxis.”
Asima frowned in incomprehension, and Samir squared his shoulders.
“We are about to arrive at Lassos. It will take a while to get through the rocks, as you’ll remember, but then we’ll dock and when we do I plan to move you to a secure temporary location to keep you safe from harm while I go to the council hall.”
Samir glared at his prisoner.
“I would have liked Ghassan or Ursa to join me when I went to address the council, but you appear to have gone through my crew like a plague. I dislike it when my plans are changed for me, but we will prevail.”
Asima shrugged carelessly.
“So” Samir went on “you will be coming ashore with me, along with a number of the more fearsome and trustworthy of my crew. We will be heading through the town and up the side of the hill. When we reach the council hall, I will leave you and my men will take you somewhere safe. I’m warning you about all this now, because I need to advise you against trying any of your madness. You may hate me, but remember that on Lassos I may be the only person not planning to drown you on sight. Stick with my men for your own safety.”
Asima frowned.
“What are you planning?”
