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.
“This had better work, Samir. I’m not going to see you skinned.”
Samir smiled.
“I have no intention of ending my days bobbing pink and white in a barrel, Ghassan. We’ve laid our cards on the table and so has the council. Now we just need to know what hand the Governor holds.”
Ghassan nodded.
“We’ll find out first thing tomorrow, I suspect.”
In which the fleet sails
Ghassan leaned on the rail, wincing. His back had begun to ooze a little this morning and Samir had worried enough to consult the doctor, who’d merely become irritated and incensed that the taller brother was being too active and not resting enough to allow the wound to heal properly.
Samir gave him an admonishing glare as he squeezed his eyes tight and fought down the sharp pain.
“It’s alright, Samir. He says I’m in no immediate danger and, given the situation, I think that’s a better than average estimate.”
He gestured at the command deck in front.
The Dark Empress had set off at first light, leading the other eleven vessels from the docks of Lassos and heading into the nightmare reefs in thick fog; the most dangerous time to attempt a passage of the sharp teeth that protected the island. The three members of the council had come aboard just in time to sail, with an escort of more than a dozen hand-picked men chosen from the crew of the other, more dependable, ships.
Halcar was taking no chances with Samir’s potential treachery and had organised the ship and the fleet so that those vessels who were likely to be more sympathetic to him, under Captains Faerus and Orin, had been manipulated into ‘safe’ positions, far back in the line from the Empress and between more traditional captains who owed their success to the council. Ghassan could see no way that Samir could pull anything out of this mess.
“What will we do about that?” he asked very quietly, gesturing subtly in the direction of the three masters of Lassos who stood side by side, leaning over the rail at the front of the command deck, keeping a close watch on the activity on deck, while their guard kept a close watch on their safety.
Samir shrugged.
“They’re not a problem. If they don’t deal with it themselves, we’ll handle them when the time is right.”
“Samir, we are rather seriously running out of time.”
“On the contrary, my dear brother. We have all the time in the world. Quite possibly,” he added, grinning, “we have the whole rest of our lives.”
Ghassan glared at him.
“I just wish you’d tell me everything. I’ve got the main plan straight in my head. It’s a good plan… or at least it would be if the council weren’t hog-tying us. But there are so many things you haven’t explained. How are we going to rally your friends? What are you going to do about the three councillors and their thugs? How are you going to stop the others from fleeing back to the island? I’m just too nervous about the uncertainty of everything.”
Samir nodded.
“I understand, but there really is nothing to worry about. In fact, I think something is about to fall into place that I’d only tentatively hoped for. The only thing that still makes me tense is the governor. What will he do?”
Ghassan shrugged.
“He’ll do as you asked. It’s to his advantage.”
Samir nodded with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
“That may be so, but there are other ways he could look at it. He’d be taking a fairly serious risk and putting his own career in jeopardy. And that’s even if he trusts or believes me, which is a fairly tall order on its own.”
Ghassan nodded.
“I don’t worry about the governor. It’s the problems that are a little closer that worry me.”
“Regardless, Ghassan, right now we need to prepare and steel ourselves. All hell is about to break loose and we need to be ready. Can you see how far back the other ships are?”
Ghassan narrowed his eyes as he turned and peered over the rear rail.
“Not really. The fog’s too thick. I can see two behind us, and they’re keeping very close, paying attention to the signals.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I suppose you’ve given thought to the possibility of having your man give a false signal? You could scupper the whole fleet within the rocks. Not a ship would make it out.”
Samir shook his head.
“There are good people back there that I wouldn’t leave behind. Besides, I’ve only got one of the compasses. I don’t know yet which captain was given the other, but it’ll be somewhere near the back and someone that Halcar trusts. Even with the chaos I’d cause, it’s more than possible that a ship or two would escape back to Lassos and with the compass to boot.”
Ghassan nodded.
“You’re right, of course. I just don’t like uncertainty.”
“Cheer up” Samir smiled. “We’re about to leave the reefs.”
“A great relief, I’m sure” Ghassan replied sourly.
The last few glistening rocks with their sad and pleading occupants slid toward the bow of the ship and washed past in the oppressive, velvety silence, the figures pawing at the timbers as though they could help. Ghassan shuddered. No matter how many times he ever passed these reefs, that sight would still make him shudder.
Tensely, he watched the slick rocks drift past and into their wake, where his attention was drawn, as the
