He noted the pirates edging closer, waiting respectfully to take Ghassan to his men. With a sigh, he turned away but, as he did, Ghassan grasped his arm.
“Don’t take your eye off Asima, brother. Do not believe a word that falls from her mouth. She is not the girl we loved. She has changed immeasurably and, I think, would sell both you and I for animal food if it got her something she wanted. She came damn close to destroying my ship before you even turned up. She’ll play you and do the same to the Empress unless you keep her confined.”
Samir stopped and shook his head gently.
“I won’t lock her up, Ghassan; not yet. She’s not done anything to me yet. But I can see something in her that I don’t like. Would you care to tell me the truth about what happened?”
Ghassan shrugged.
“It makes no difference. Just don’t trust her. Get rid of her as soon as you can, for the sake of yourself, your ship, and your men.”
Samir watched sadly as his tall, proud brother turned and offered his hands, open and palms up, to the pirate captors. Shaking his head, Samir turned and re-entered his cabin, closing the door on his brother, the crew of the Wind of God and any hope, for now, of reconciliation.
Asima was huddled in her damp clothes by the table on a low bench, a goblet of strong wine clutched tightly in her hands. Samir nodded to himself and walked past her to retake his seat.
“Is there anything you would like to tell me, Asima?”
She blinked, caught by surprise and Samir was satisfied to notice her guard fall for just a fraction of a second. Asima may be good enough to hoodwink the straight-laced Ghassan for a time, but Samir could see how her facade was built and how to cause it to crack so that he could see past it to the real woman beneath. He was genuinely saddened to see what had become of his erstwhile friend.
“Oh it was horrible, Samir” she sobbed. “I was a captive in Pelasia where the prince hated me. I think it must have been him, when he became king, that persuaded the governor and the military to send me to exile with some unknown master.”
Samir’s expression remained straight and unreadable.
“Hmm. Well, rest assured that I have no intention of taking this ship anywhere near Velutio or even Calphoris.”
Asima gave a little sniffle and threw him a weak, mousey smile.
“Thank you, dear Samir. Will you leave me in M’Dahz alone or will you come back with me?”
The captain of the Empress gave a light laugh.
“M’Dahz?”
He stood, a smile plastered across his face.
“I’m not taking you to M’Dahz, Asima. The next few weeks are going to be a little hot for us around the coast. As soon as the crew of the Wind of God reach any town, you’d be amazed at the speed the news of our victory will spread. Every naval ship afloat, Imperial or Pelasian, along with half of the mercenary warships out there, will all be looking for me.”
He laughed.
“I just sank a legend, Asima. There will be nowhere safe for me for weeks.”
The woman by the table frowned.
“Then what do you intend?”
“Well, I shall have to take you back to Lassos and show you the delights of the pirate island, won’t I, Asima?”
She stared at him and he was heartened to see anger and astonishment battling for control of her expression.
“You what?” she screeched.
“Yes, I thought that might bring about an interesting reaction.”
Asima glared at him.
“I have no more intention of spending my life wallowing in the septic pit of a pirate hole than I do of accepting exile in Velutio. You save me from one hell only to deliver me somewhere worse?”
Samir’s smile was irritating her more than she could bear.
“Just drop me on an island somewhere with fishermen and I shall make my own way back, then.”
“Hardly, Asima. You are coming with me. You may be able to play Ghassan with your little games, but I am a match for you, Asima, and you know it. Accept the situation and make the best of it. I have my plans, do not worry.”
Asima fell silent, her glower almost burning into him.
Samir laughed out loud.
“Now are you going to be good, or shall I take Ghassan’s advice and have you manacled to the hull now and save a lot of time?”
Slowly, quietly, Asima’s breathing slowed and the fire in her eyes receded.
“Lassos then, for now. But be sure, Samir, that I am your passenger and not your prisoner.”
The captain nodded.
We shall see, Asima… we shall see.
In which Asima’s beliefs are shaken
Asima, still glowering after days on board, had settled into her solitary life, keeping herself away from the sweaty, coarse crew, and equally from Samir who seemed to have the uncanny ability to look straight into her mind. She had experimented, on the first day after Ghassan and his crew had been set adrift, with minor issues of rebellion and inconvenience.
The crew had seemed to be aware of her location and her activity at all times and the knife she had secreted in the dining hall had seen her escorted to Samir’s cabin, where he had firmly, but gently, removed it from her and confiscated it. Sailors had stepped up to block her passage to parts of the ship they thought she had no business in. She had tried tantrums, tears and even seduction, all to no avail. In the end, she had resigned herself to making do with her situation until her range of options expanded.
And now, days later, she had at least managed to drum up enough interest in this legendary island to sit in the bow and watch as the landmass approached.
Lassos made the mind reel.
Used to the mainland shores, with their brown dust, heat haze and low rocks, the pirate island seemed alien and strange to Asima. At first sight it had seemed as though a cloud had settled on the water, wearing a dark, shiny skullcap. Closer to, the island was only two miles across at most and consisted almost entirely of precipitous mountain in green and grey. The whole place was enveloped in a thick fog that settled on the water and rose to cover the lower half of the island.
Asima could quite understand that on a day with fog any heavier than this, the entire island could well become invisible and that settled a nagging worry in Asima. Her life had taught her many things, but one of the foremost tenets around which she now lived was a total denial of Gods, magic, fate and anything she could not see, touch or manipulate. Even the idea that something was beyond her control unnerved her, let alone something beyond her understanding. Yes, obviously the legends of this mysterious hidden and vanishing island had been borne from the thick enveloping fog that obscured the land unless one was actively seeking it.
And yet, something about the fog still unnerved her.
The ship slowed considerably as they neared the edge of the white blanket that shrouded their destination in damp silence and Asima saw the rocks for the first time.
Rising like jagged and broken fangs from the mist, the glistening black rocks took on a wicked, almost supernatural aspect. The first glimpse was impressive, but a truly breathtaking effect was afforded as the ship first entered the enveloping white. The cloying silence fell over the vessel, muting everything bar the occasional creak and groan of the ship and its rigging; even the crew worked silently. As the prow pushed into the eerie nothingness, it became evident that the reefs that surrounded Lassos were more than the occasional jagged spike. They
