Corsair

the hood. Dull, lifeless eyes regarded him in return. He realized that the thing was a construct or golem of some sort, likely created through Rhovann’s magic. The elf mage motioned for his huge guardian to set down the Erstenwolds, and continued. “I have a problem-two problems, really-that I hope you can attend for me.”

“So I see.” Both Erstenwolds seemed unconscious, although Mirya’s eyelids fluttered and a frown creased her brow. Gags covered their mouths. “What exactly do you expect me to do with them?”

“Mirya had the poor judgment to spy on me during a sensitive conversation. The little one had the misfortune of being at home when Bastion and I came to collect her mother. They both have seen too much to remain in Hulburg. Since there will doubtless be some number of people carried away by your Black Moon friends in the morning, I thought these two might be added to your catch.”

“There’s a simpler alternative, you know.”

“Of course, but I am no common murderer. These two are not my enemies and are harmless to me once you remove them from Hulburg.” Rhovann glanced at the unconscious Erstenwolds, now lying side by side on the rain- slick wood of the wharf. “Besides, they are dear to Geran Hulmaster. It may prove very useful to keep them alive as long as he is at liberty.”

Sergen pursed his lips. He was not anxious to burden himself with a couple of captives and was not as squeamish about such matters as Rhovann seemed to be, but his elf ally had an excellent point about their potential usefulness. If nothing else, simply selling them into slavery in the Inner Sea lands might make for an even more vicious flavor of revenge against his nemesis than killing them out of hand. Alive, they were far more useful against Geran than they would be dead.

“That’s a fair point,” Sergen conceded to Rhovann. “The day may come when I need to bait a trap, and these two would serve nicely. If you please, have your large friend pick them up and follow me.”

Rhovann gestured, and Bastion silently picked up Mirya and her daughter again. The creature followed Sergen and Rhovann to the pier where Kraken Queen was tied up, and handed them to the corsair crewmen when Rhovann directed it to do so. “Lock them in my cabin for now,” Sergen told the pirates. There would be plenty of other captives for the ship’s hold, and he wasn’t exactly certain what he was going to do with the Erstenwolds yet.

“Is there anything else?” he asked Rhovann.

“No, I must return to my quarters and resume my disguise.” Rhovann’s lip curled contemptuously. “I will report the harmach’s counsels to you as soon as I can. I expect I’ll know something by tomorrow evening.”

“Very good,” Sergen answered. “I will-”

From the deck behind him there came a shout: “A ship’s entering the harbor!”

Sergen and Rhovann turned at the lookout’s cry. “Seadrake or Moonshark?” Sergen wondered aloud. He climbed up to Kraken Queen’s quarterdeck and peered seaward. Rhovann followed just a few steps behind. By the dim glow of the city’s fires, they could make out the long, low, scarlet hull of a half galley standing into harbor, her oars sweeping vigorously.

“It’s Moonshark!” the lookout shouted.

“About time,” Sergen observed. Whether the raid succeeded or failed mattered little to him, but it was very important to preserve the strength of the Black Moon no matter what happened here tonight. Narsk might have been tardy, but his sailors might turn the tide in the battle raging along Hulburg’s waterfront. Better late than never, as they said. “Good. An hour late, but we can certainly use Narsk and his men now!”

Moonshark raced toward the wharves at a full battle pace, straining at her oars as if eager to join the fray. “He is certainly making up for lost time,” Rhovann remarked. “You seem to have matters well in hand here, and I must return to my place before I am missed. Make sure you keep your men under control; we don’t want the city razed.”

“I will,” Sergen murmured, but his eyes were still fixed on the approaching Moonshark. Narsk didn’t bother to veer off to his left and make for the empty dock by the Sokol merchant yard; he simply came straight in, aiming at the center wharf where Seawolf and Daring were tied up. Sergen frowned and peered closer, his hands gripping the rail. The confident grin on his face faded, and he gaped at the approaching warship. With a ragged motion she raised her oars into the air and began to fold them inboard. “It can’t be,” he said. “Narsk’s gone mad!”

Rhovann paused at the ladder and looked back at him. “What is it?”

Sergen threw out his arm and pointed. “He’s not going alongside Daring. He’s going to ram!”

SIXTEEN

8 Marpenoth, the Year of the Ageless One (1479 DR)

Rain and wind lashed Geran’s face as he steered Moonshark into Hulburg’s harbor. Firelight painted the whole harbor a ruddy red, and threw garish shadows against the streaming pillars of smoke rising above the town’s burning buildings. His heart sank at the sight, but then he realized that the whole town wasn’t aflame-five or six different fires were scattered across the harbor district, and the wet weather was doing its part to keep the flames in check. In the murk and firelight he could see bands of warriors fighting furiously on the streets leading up from the harbor. Whether Sarth’s warning had reached the harmach in time, he couldn’t say, but the fact that someone was still fighting by the docks was a good sign. If the Black Moon had surprised the town completely, there would have been very little fighting at all.

“It seems the issue is still in doubt,” Hamil murmured beside him. The two of them were the only ones on the quarterdeck. Moonshark was somewhat shorthanded now, and Geran had ordered every man to the rowers’ benches in order to make the best time he could to Hulburg. “Now what do we do? If we land, our crew’s going to join the melee ashore. Ifwe don’t land, they’ll likely throw us over the side and land anyway.”

“I can see it,” Geran answered under his breath. Then he lifted his voice and called out to the crew, “Well done! It’s been a hard run, but we’re not too late!”

The crewmen raised a ragged cheer as the ship slid past Hulburg’s Arches, and bent themselves to the oars with renewed vigor. At the foredeck, Tao Zhe beat the time with a baton and a small drum. Geran gave the helm an easy turn to the right, angling around the last plunging column of the Arches. After hours of furious tacking and crowding on reckless amounts of sail for the strong winds, he’d finally reached Hulburg, only to find that he was not exactly certain what to do now.

“Somehow we need to throw the attack into confusion,” he said quietly to Hamil. “We’ve got to do what we can to limit the damage to the town and catch Kamoth in a snare. I don’t want him to get away again.”

“Run Moonshark aground. That should keep us out of the fight.”

“A good idea, but not enough,” Geran said. The town-parts of it, anyway-was burning in front of his eyes, and as they drew closer he could see hundreds of people battling on Bay Street. Shouts, screams, and the shrill sound of steel on steel rang across the harbor. Those were his neighbors and friends fighting to protect life and property, fighting because of the greed and murderous designs of Sergen and his black-hearted father. Geran’s eyes narrowed and a dark tide of anger surged up from the soles of his feet to his hands on the ship’s wheel. “That’s not enough by half,” he continued. “I mean to hurt these bastards. They’ll think twice before they attack my city again.”

He quickly scanned the waterfront, searching for an opportunity to strike some telling blow. Four pirate galleys lay alongside the city’s wharves, along with the usual handful of merchant ships and small craft. On the east side of the harbor, he could see Kraken Queen by the old Veruna wharves; straight ahead of him two more galleys lay side by side at the wharf in front of the Marstel storehouses; to the west one more galley was tied up near the Jannarsk docks. Geran wanted Kraken Queen most of all, but the Black Moon flagship was protected by a wharf that was in Moonshark’s way. Instead he pointed the bow at the two corsair ships in the middle. “Increase your tempo!” he shouted at Tao Zhe. “Battle speed!”