Corsair

The swordmage frowned and returned his attention to the pirates confronting him. He let the point of his cutlass drop. “It was Sorsil,” he said. “She came up on deck and ordered us to put the longboat over the side. It seemed strange to me, but she didn’t explain herself, and Khefen was dead drunk. Then she went to the quarterdeck and sabotaged the rudder. I caught her at it and tried to stop her. Narsk came out of his cabin just in time to see Sorsil knifed and knocked over the rail.”

“Narsk didn’t give us much of a chance to explain ourselves,” Hamil added. He stood up from beside Narsk’s body and moved over to stand beside Geran. “He rang the bell and called all hands on deck, and then he went after Aram. His final mistake, as it turned out.” To Geran he added, Not bad, but don’t say too much more!

“Narsk is dead, Sorsil is dead, and Khefen’s naught but a fat, useless drunk,” Murkelmor said. “I’d like to know who captains Moonshark now.”

“I do,” Geran said at once. If he was going to try to bluff his way out of this, it might as well be a brazen ploy. He winced a little, realizing that he had no idea what that might mean at the moment. Before he could think better of the idea, he pressed on. “By the traditions of the Black Moon, I claim command. Narsk is dead by my sword. I’m captain of Moonshark.”

The crew muttered uncertainly. Some men shouted “No!” or “Not so fast,” while others cried “No, Skamang!” or “Khefen!” instead.

I hope you know what you’re doing, Geran, Hamil said. This’ll be another fight.

“He’s got th’ right t’ make his claim,” Murkelmor said. The old dwarf shook his head. “We all saw it. This is no’ the way it should be, but Khefen’s no captain, and Sorsil’s as dead as Narsk if Aram’s speaking true. My fist stands for Aram.”

“Mine doesn’t,” Skamang snarled. “I won’t follow some stranger who’s been aboard Moonshark less than a tenday simply because he bested the gnoll.” He pointed the spike of his boarding axe at Geran. “I say I’m the captain of this ship.”

Before Geran, the sixty-odd brigands, outlaws, cutthroats, and pirates who made up the ship’s crew stood watching him-and each other-as they waited to see whether he or Skamang would seize control of the ship. No one wanted to be remembered later for backing the wrong man now. Geran forced himself to put on a cold, confident sneer as he studied the ship’s crew. The appearance of confidence might be the difference between life and death- not just for himself, but for hundreds of Hulburgans too. He had to make the crew think he was as hard and deadly as a well-sharpened blade, or Skamang might succeed in overthrowing him. In that case, Geran had no guarantee that the Northman would let him live, let alone sail Moonshark in the direction he needed to go.

“A ship can’t have two captains,” Murkelmor growled. “It’s no’ possible.”

“No, it’s not,” Geran agreed. He fixed his eyes on Skamang, mustering every ounce of icy contempt that he could find. “Will you fight me yourself this time, or do you want to send your ogre to die in your place? My fist will stay out of this if yours does the same.”

“Your fist? All two ofthem?” The Northman laughed. “Drop that cutlass, let every man on this deck hear you call me captain, and I’ll let this whole thing pass. You and your friends can go ashore the next time we make port, with no hard feelings.”

I doubt that it would be that simple, Hamil told Geran. He’ll kill you if you give in now, just to make sure no one else thinks they ought to be in command.

“In other words, you don’t want to meet me with steel in your hand,” Geran retorted. If he could goad the Northman into a duel, he might be able to take the ship with a single sword stroke. He risked a quick glance over at Sarth, who stood near the foot of the ladder up to the quarterdeck. Sarth had a tight grimace on his face, but he gave Geran the slightest of nods. Whatever came, he would be ready.

Skamang’s laughter faded, and a hard edge came into his voice. “I won’t be in such a generous mood if you keep up with this nonsense. You might not care whether you live or die, but I’ll gut any man that stands with you and toss him over the side.”

“D’you mean to gut me too, Skamang?” Murkelmor said. The dwarf took two steps toward where Geran and his friends stood, and turned to face the Northman. “Aram’s got me fist at his back, if that’s slipped your mind. We stand wi’ him.”

Skamang scowled at Murkelmor. But then Tao Zhe stepped out of the crew and went to stand by Geran too. The old Shou cook’s footsteps broke the remaining indecision among the crew, and in twos or threes most of the rest of the men shifted over to Geran’s side. Only the half-dozen goblins and half-orcs remained by Skamang’s fist, and they began to mutter and shift restlessly as they realized that their party was now outnumbered.

Seems like Skamang and his allies haven’t endeared themselves to the rest of the crew, Hamil observed to Geran.

Geran straightened his shoulders and allowed himself a small smile. He’d been afraid that the crew would choose the devil they knew instead of the devil they didn’t. The Northman was a longtime veteran of Moonshark, after all, and no one had any doubts about his prowess or his ruthlessness. On the other hand, all they knew of “Aram” was that he knew how to use a blade and that he’d been caught in the middle of some sort of mischief during the watch. Based on that alone, he would have expected the crew to turn against him … but then he realized that no one on Moonshark missed Sorsil or Narsk, and Skamang would have been just as bad as the preceding captain in his own way.

“It looks like the vote’s in, Skamang,” said Geran. “I say I’m the captain. This is your last chance: Yield, or it’s over the side with you and yours. Alive or dead, I don’t much care.”

The Northman’s face darkened in fury, but he could count as well as Geran. He looked around the deck, and then he gave Geran a curt nod. “So be it. You’re the captain. But we’ll be watching you, Aram. Make one mistake, and you’ll see just how quickly those dogs on your side of the deck will turn against you.”

Geran held his eyes for a long moment and then looked around at the rest of the crew assembled on the deck. “Does anybody else take issue with me? Speak now, or hold your tongues later.”

The pirates looked at each other, but no one else stepped forward. Geran nodded. “I thought not,” he said. “Very well, then. Dagger is the new first mate. Vorr is the ship’s mage, as you’ve all seen by now. When they speak, they speak for me. Murkelmor, you’re the second mate. The midwatch is yours.”

“What about Khefen?” the dwarf asked.

“Take him below and lock him in his cabin. I’ll put him ashore the next time we make port. I’ve got no use for him, but he hasn’t done anything to me. You can take Sorsil’s cabin, Murkelmor.”

“Aye, Captain,” Murkelmor said.

Hamil sheathed his daggers, brushed the hair away from his eyes, and stepped out in front of the crew. “What are your orders, Captain?” he asked.

Geran glanced up at the sails, luffing awkwardly as Moonshark drifted downwind. The wind had shifted and strengthened during the last hour, coming around to the northwest. It was promising to be a blustery autumn day on the Moonsea, with a stiff wind that would make for fine sailing-if he didn’t have to sail straight into it, which it now seemed that he did. Already he suspected that the ship was too far east to make Hulburg without hours of laborious tacking. When he’d planned to abandon Moonshark and strike out for Hulburg in the ship’s boat, it would have suited his purposes quite well for the pirate galley to find itself adrift with a damaged rudder, unable to pursue him and too far away to join the attack on the city. Now, with the longboat gone but the ship at his command, he’d have to find a way to bring Moonshark to the shore somewhere near Hulburg. He could order the crew to the oars, but Geran wasn’t so sure of his position that he felt ready to try them with a long stint of rowing just yet.

“The first thing we need to do is repair the rudder,” Geran answered Hamil. “Until we get the rudder fixed, take in all sail. The Black Moon is gathering near the ruins of Seawave at sunset today. By my reckoning that’s a good ways north and west of us yet, and this wind is driving us farther east every minute.”

Rather ironic to order the repair of the rudder you sabotaged not an hour ago, don’t you think? Hamil told Geran with a small smirk. Then he turned to the crewmen around him. “You heard the captain!” he shouted. “First watch, get aloft and take in the sails! I don’t know about you lads, but I don’t want to spend all day rowing to Hulburg. Looting and pillaging’s no fun when your back’s sore and you’re dog-tired. Master Murkelmor, I know you’re a mate now, but you’re the best carpenter we’ve got on the ship. Have a look at the