Malspire

  ***

  Alone in my cabin, I was weak but rested. The engine was running. The paddle wheels churned the water. I heard seagulls, and stared at the deck above me. It was all slowly coming back to me. The brothel, the rebel officer, the blood. I had killed two men. The cold water and desperate fight not to drown. I had fought. It was all coming back to me now. The plan was to take a lectrocode book, copy it and then what?

  I sat up in the cot. My body shook from fatigue and hunger. I was dressed in a white cotton overall. We were at sea. The plan was to return the book to the dead officer together with his uniform and signet ring. My finger had no ring. The signet ring was gone. Then the men were to take the body and a sailing boat out to the harbour rocks where they would shipwreck the boat with the dead officer, and leave him for the rebel navy to find. They would think that he had tried to make his way to an Imperial port where he was going to hand over the code book and become an Imperial hero. Thinking about it now, it was a weak plan. What if the rebel officer was beyond reproach? Then the rebels would know that something was amiss. What if they changed the code just to be on the safe side? The door opened and doctor Eebel stepped in.

  “You’re alive,” the doctor remarked. He did not seem too thrilled about the fact

  “I am.”

  Mister Harl followed him in and smiled at me. “Captain.” He knuckled his forehead.

  “Mister Harl. Tell me. What happened?” I gestured to one of the chairs.

  “We did it as we planned it, sir,” Harl said, taking a seat. “We put the rebel in the sailing boat with the book in his pocket. I took it over to the rocks and smashed her there and left him on the rocks. Then I swam back.”

  “And you weren’t seen?”

  “No, Captain. I’m sure I wasn’t. It was getting light but I think we got away with it.”

  “And the copy?”

  “All copied, sir. Mister Olvan did it. Had to write quick, but you can make it out.”

  I nodded and sighed with relief.

  “So,” said the doctor. “They find this officer with the code book and reckon all is said and done and that’s an end to it?”

  “Yes. At least that’s what I’m hoping.”

  “You do realise they aren’t stupid. They’ll suspect foul play.”

  “They might,” I admitted. “But will they consider it enough cause to re-write their codebook?”

  “Quite a gamble.”

  “War is a gambling man’s game, doctor.” I noticed a change in the doctor. He seemed less agitated. He wasn’t drunk and his hands weren’t shaking.

  Mister Olvan now entered the cabin, and saluted. “Good to see you awake again, sir.”

  “Thank you Mister Olvan.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ll live…”

  “There’s more, Captain,” interrupted Harl.

  “Go on.”

  “I know you would have wanted to wait for the right time to leave and we should have asked you, but the doctor insisted that we let you rest, so Mister Olvan suggested we give it a couple of hours so as to not arouse any suspicion.”

  “I see. We seem to be on our way, so I presume all went well?”

  “It did,” said Olvan. “But we did hurry in the end. The whole harbour began to move, sir. There was a lot of commotion, and ships manoeuvring. We saw that the battleships were making ready to leave port and we wanted to be out of there before they clogged up the entrance.”

  “Did anyone try to stop us?”

  “No. All the rebel naval vessels were heading out. Nobody bothered with us, but that’s not the half of it. When we made the open seas, we saw a fleet, sir.”

  “A fleet?”

  “Yes, sir. A second rebel fleet. A grand thing in the morning light. You did say they were gathering, and they were to the south, closer to the mainland. I recon the rebel fleet is on the move, sir. So many ships! Umuron will be overrun!”

  “I see.” I stood on shaking legs. “Did you take notes? Did you see what ships they had? Numbers and sizes?”

  “Yes, Captain,” beamed the young officer. “I have it all noted down for you.”

  “Well done Mister Olvan!”

  This was important. We were now ahead of the rebel fleet that might now be on its way to attack the Empire. We had to get back quickly and warn Umuron.

  “What time is it?”

  “Late of the noon, sir,” said Harl. "It being six of the clock."

  “And what speed are we making?”

  “Cruising, Captain. Mister Perti said we would get nowhere if the engine breaks, so don’t push it - his words.”

  “What! This is urgent! Full speed, Harl. That’s an order, and tell Mister Perti that his job is to keep the engine running whatever the cost.”

  Minutes later, I was on the castle and spying the seas with my glass. I had only bothered to put on my boots and wrap myself in my long-coat. There were no ships but far to the west I could just make out the grubby haze of a lot of steam engines belching black smoke into the sky. I wished I knew where the enemy were off to. Perhaps we should have stayed in port to see if we could have discovered the fleet’s destination? But then we might have been too late to warn the Empire. No, it was best to get back as soon as possible and warn the High Admiral of a probable attack. The Empire needed time to gather its warships, and it might only have a few days to do so.

  The Wraith Deep/Lady Ocean was running at full speed. The hull shuddered to an intense beat from the engine. The paddles wheels thrashed the waters. I went to the engine room tube and lifted the brass cone to my face. It was attached to a leather tube which led down to the engine room where hopefully Mister Perti would hear me over the din of the roaring machine.

  “Mister Perti?” There was no answer. “Engine room!” I shouted down the tube.

  “Captain?” It was Perti.

  “Can we go any faster?”

  “Faster? Not possible. The kettle’s straining as it is. The emergency release valve is popping away. She’s running at full speed.”

  “I thought you could tighten the valve?”

  “Of course, but I told you how that could end.”

  “It is vital that we get back as soon as possible, Mister Perti. If there is any way of getting more speed without blowing us up then make it happen.”

  “Will do, sir. I’ll give the valve a half turn.”

  “Do that. What’s that noise?” There was a loud knocking coming through the pipe. I could also now feel it through my boots.

  “Soft metal used on a joint and bearings. Hard to get it right, Captain. The joint needs a combination of hard and soft but Empire metallurgists just don’t do it right. It’ll hold... I think, but we need to get Calionvar parts when we get back. I can’t promise anything though. That joint could give at any time. I’ll say a prayer.”

  “I see. Keep her running. Find more speed and say your prayers.”

  I knew about bearings - small metal balls that were so damned hard to produce. One way was to drop molten metal into water but it was very much hit and miss to get them round and the right size.

  “Should we keep this course, Captain?” asked Olvan.

  I turned to him and grunted. “We keep close to land now. It’s the fastest route.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  A flock of gulls followed us. I noticed a pair of Fawl Whales further north, also heading east but at a much more leisurely pace, their white backs rising and falling.

  I got little sleep. None of the crew got much. After one and a half days at full speed, the bearings finally gave with a loud crack and almighty hammering from the engine. Perti shut down the engine and I hurled myself down the steep ladders to the engine room. It was the middle of the night. I saw a circle of broken metal on the deck and the metal balls scattered round.

  "The ring cracked." said Perti.

  "Can you fix it?" I demanded.

  "Given time. A day or two, but it would only be temporary."

&nbs
p; "You have one hour, Mister Perti. Whatever it takes. Get that engine running within the hour!"

  After a lot of head scratching, repeated demands and threats, Mister Perti relented to my order. The engineer complained that the engine would take damage if run without the bearings, but I did not care, just as long as we got back to Umuron without further delay.

  From then on the engine hammered mightily and the noise was deafening. Those poor souls that had to work below took to wearing padding over the ears, and even then they had trouble hearing after coming off a shift. I reduced shifts to three hours on and three hours off. Mister Perti had wrapped a large amount of cloth steeped in swine fat around the offending axle where the bearings would have smoothed the motion, but the cloth was soon pummelled to a fibrous mush and had to be constantly replaced. Our speed had slowed.

  Something had to be done. We had to get back as fast as possible, much faster than our current speed and I was desperate for a solution. All I could do was pace and fret, but I was getting tired. Finally exhaustion took me to my cot where I gave in to sleep, a sleep of dark dreams punctuated by the mad hammering of the engine. In my dream I called and the call was answered with teeth, a knife and two bulbous eyes that glowed in the darkness of my cabin.

  This was no dream! I threw myself from the cot and stumbled to my cutlass which hung from my chair. Drawing it, I raised myself up and faced the Sealorn.

  It hissed, then said, “You summoned my queen. She answers your call.”

  “What? What call?”

  “You call and we come.” Its teeth glinted razor sharp. Its voice was like the last breath of a dying man. “My queen says that you have made your request. The debt is paid.”

  Hammering.

  “The sea hag?”

  Hammering.

  I awoke in a cold sweat. The cabin was empty. The hammering engine beat to a new stroke. Something was going on, so a hurriedly dressed and went out.

  There was a bustle on deck. Dawn was upon us and men craned their necks to look overboard. We were moving briskly through the waters. I went to the aftcastle where Mister Olvan waved his hands in incomprehension.

  “Our speed, Captain. We’re moving faster than ever.”

  I too went to look overboard and what I saw were mere shapes. Fast moving, pale shapes that thronged below the hull. They were pushing us through the water, speeding us along. I had no answer, but a guess. Had I summoned the help of the hag? Shuddering at the thought, I did not want to know. Had I been so desperate that in my dreams I had called in the debt? It never occurred to me to ever call upon her, but in my dreams, perhaps I dared such a thing. Whatever the answer, I stopped questioning it. We were moving fast now and that was answer enough.

  It took six days to reach Umuron. It was morning and there was a light drizzle in the air. The engine was in a bad state with the boiler leaking steam and a piston in need of replacement. I still congratulated the engineer who was most upset at having treated the engine so badly. Grumbling and muttering, Perti patted the boiler and told her it was over now. Now he would fix her up nice and good again.

  "You do that Mister Perti. You are a hero, and I will personally see to it that you get all the parts you need."

  We had made it back, thanks to a fine engineer, crew, and, more troublingly, the help of the Other. That help had vanished hours ago, but the job was done and I did not have time to dwell on it now.

  To my surprise a sizable Imperial fleet had already gathered in and around the harbour. It was not a huge fleet, made up of the grand battleship, War Tempest, three other battleships and a dozen frigates as well as a score of supply vessels, but it was impressive all the same.

  “A magnificent ship, sir,” said Olvan when he saw the War Tempest. “I was worried by the rebel fleet but now that I see her…”

  “A brutal ship, Mister Olvan, built for war,” I said. “She is the flagship and made to lead, inspire and most of all crush anything in her path.”

  “Is your father here then, the Lord Admiral?”

  “No. It will be Lord Admiral Baron Villor, his second. My father rarely commands these days and trusts Villor with the fleet.”

  “Have you met the man, sir?”

  “No. I have seen him though. My father speaks very highly of him, and I must say, he certainly looks as formidable as his ship.”

  It took quite a while to reach a dock. The name of the ship was not recognised, and the prowling frigates of the Imperial Navy quickly moved in to stop us. Only flying the Imperial and Ardalrion Flag proudly, and my throwing my name about eventually got us through.

  “Are we to take the copied book directly to the Admiral, Captain?” asked Olvan as we manoeuvred the Wraith Deep/Lady Ocean through the harbour at a snail’s pace.

  “Shortly Mister Olvan. We must dock first.” I was holding my pipe and looking at the many ships as they passed. I was looking for Ajator, hoping that my brother had returned as captain of one of the ships. Mister Owman was again at the helm. Harl was on deck making ready to land.

  “As soon as we’re tied up. I want the name repainted back to the Lady Ocean.”

  “Aye aye, Captain,” said Olvan

  “I also want the engine fixed by tomorrow morning.”

  Olvan looked doubtful.

  “Tell Mister Perti that our services might be needed very soon. It is vital to get the ship made ready by morning. Spend money if you have to. Just get it done.”

  I had given the engineer the impression that he would now have time to fix the engine properly, but seeing the gathering Imperial and Ardalrion Navy, I suspected that we would be required to move soon and fast. Not only that, I did not want to miss events. It would be days before the rebels could reach us, but what if the fleet moved before then? We would be ready.

  “I will, sir. Any idea where we’re going, Captain?”

  “To war, Mister Olvan. To war.”