Rexpennae
Chapter 7
Krethos slowly awoke, quite refreshed, he could hear the captain working on the deck behind him, but no one else was awake in the lightening darkness. The sea slid like glass into the distance, and the air had a calm chill to it. But the gentle rocking of the deck told Krethos that the world was not so calm, and that he could not come to a rest quite yet.
"Captain," Krethos said as he moved across the deck, "Is it time to move out?"
"Jus' 'bout," the captain replied, "We've gotta catch the win' first."
"Should I rouse the others?"
"Nah, let 'em sleep, I'nt no need fer them ta spoil this time."
Krethos nodded, and set about tightening lines in the dawn calm, a light breeze picked up as the sun began to come over the crest of the world, and the captain roused the passengers before hauling in the anchor and setting canvas.
The ship passed out of the harbor, and out to the wide sea between lands. The trip was silent, none of the passengers much wanted to talk, and the crew was ever suspicious of newcomers, and so the passengers who were not working occupied themselves as best they could alone.
Krethos tied off ropes and tightened sheets, until the captain came to him.
"Krethos," he said, "Can yer men fight?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Thar may be trouble."
"What trouble?"
"Thar are pirates in this area."
"Pirates?"
"Yes, and I saw sails off ina distants."
"I can fight, Galarion is a stout man, but I'm not sure about the others, what chance do we have of meeting the ship you saw."
"If they're pirates, an' if they seen us, we got 'bouta fool's chance of 'scaping."
Krethos lowered his head, slowly nodding. He walked away from the Captain and spoke to Glarion and Meir. They set weapons in a place of easy reach, and went back to their activities.
Three tense hours later the situation became much tenser, the pirate ship had come up fast, lighter and faster than the merchant vessel Krethos sailed upon, it came up hard and breathed down the neck of the merchant ship. The captain threw the helm around, turning with the wind, hoping for better speed, but he was not granted such. The pirates gained space, and came with in bow range, Krethos stood upon a rail firing arrow after arrow with a strong arm and deadly aim, but the pirates fired back, with a heavier rain, one of fire.
As the flames took the sails Krethos and Galarion swept across the deck, as pirates swung over the water to the merchant ship. Swords rang and fell to the deck beside the lifeless bodies of their former wielders as the merchant crew and passengers defended their furnace of a ship. Wave after wave of pirates fell to the swords of the defenders, and many defenders fell to the swords of the attackers, all the while the merchant vessel burned and slowly fell to the waves.
Esmerelda and Freidarae stood on the prow of the ship, watching the fire advance, the ship sink, and the battle rage. Slowly the defenders all fell but Krethos and Meir, and he ran to the prow with the women. The pirates returned to their ship, and let the burning hulk sink below the waves, Krethos, Esmerelda, Meir, and Freidarae clung to a spar floating in the water, wholly at the mercy of their attackers, and now Captors.
They were taken aboard the ship, and one by one shackled and imprisoned, the bodies of the dead were left upon the water in the pirate fashion, and the cargo that could be salvaged was, before the pirates left the scene, loaded with plunder and new slaves.
Krethos sat in the corner of the brig, alone, depressed, he was a captive, he could not reach El Intrivo, or Von Bondahar.
The Keyschnect's quest was ended, it seemed, in failure.
Copyright © 2008-2009 Robert W. A. Nance
All rights reserved
1 comment:
I liked the way you have the different characters talk show their personality. One small thing that bugged me though-
"Three tense hours later the situation became much tenser"
I don't know, but the second time you used "tense in a sentece seemed a bit redundant. Other than that, great installment!
Mike S.
Post a Comment