Diamond Bonds (27 page)

Fire is surprised by the silence.  “Did you not consider any of that?  What amateurs.”

Clenching his fist, Era forces himself to stop thinking about it.  “All we can do is keep moving forward a step at a time.  It’s gotten us this far.”  He heads toward the road and mutters, “See you inside.”

Fire watches Era as he ducks into the moving crowds.  “Complete emotional detachment, huh?”  She wipes away her doodles and lies on her back, staring through the tree branches at the sky above as Galen’s words from last night echo in her mind.

*              *              *

Kemplen is far and away the largest of any town the group has visited along the way.  As Di wanders aimlessly through the streets, she finds the port town atmosphere floods her with nostalgia for her hometown.  Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and enjoys the smell of the seaside city, allowing the memories of her childhood to come flowing into her mind.  Her time at the Academy had been one of devotion to her studies and refinement of her abilities.  She had barely given her home a second thought, and now she’s returning under such awful circumstances.  Despite what she knows will be a difficult finale to her journey, she wells up with tears at the hope of returning home.

Wiping her eyes, she wonders how long she’s been wandering around town.  Though it has certainly not been two hours, she decides to locate the designated rendezvous point.  The lighthouse is easily visible, towering over the other buildings, and it apparently doubles as an inn.  Di has seen soldiers patrolling around the city, but nothing out of the ordinary for a port town.  She wonders if taking the sky boat really did throw the military off.  Glancing skyward, she marvels at how high they must have flown on their way here.  She’s surprisingly envious Era got a private ride with a view last night, though the thought of another flight makes her shudder.

Before she knows it, she finds herself at the tower.  Situated just off the beach, it sports a small but busy courtyard with wooden tables and chairs.  To her surprise, Era is already sitting at a table, quietly sipping a drink.  As she walks up to him, he finishes his water and sets the empty glass on the table.  “You’re early!”

“You too.  Guess Fire’s going to be mad, huh?”

Era shrugs and leans back in his chair.  “She’ll be fine.  By now she’s used to us not listening.”

A breeze comes across the water, bringing the smell of the sea along with it.  Era closes his eyes to take it in, clearly enjoying it.  “Have I told you I’m from a port city as well?”

Her eyes light up.  “Which one?”

“Demantura,” he proudly replies.

“On the other side of the lake?” she recalls. “What was your childhood like?”

“As normal as possible when your dad is so famous!  Though I guess he wasn’t famous until I was ten or so, at which point we had to leave town to protect ourselves.  Mom was never happy about that.”  His eyes soften as his mind wanders to the past.  “We moved from Demantura to the outskirts of Maaman, where my father became
really
famous, and he provided for us while I grew up.  I set out on my own a couple years ago, wanting to follow in his footsteps.”  He looks at Di with a grin.  “And what about you?  What was your childhood like?  I assume it was more normal than mine.”

Di leans on the table and looks over the sea.  “I’m the daughter of a mayor of a wealthy town, so I probably haven’t had a normal life either.  But it was good. Daddy always took care of me, even after my mother passed away.”  She glances to their meeting landmark.  “There’s a tower like this in Canterin called the Lidoran Lighthouse.  Since I was seven years old, whenever I was upset with Daddy, I would run into it and hide.  There were stairs leading all the way up with windows that overlooked the sea.  I would relish a moment of self-pity before going back home.”  Saddened, she adds, “I did that when Daddy told me I was going to the Academy.  I didn’t want to go!”

“So why did he send you?  Was it because of your air shaping?”

Di’s eyes sparkle as she speaks.  “Part of it was to develop my natural talent, but there’s also a large market in port towns for runes, since ships benefit so much from them.  Daddy knew he would get old and step down from being mayor one day, and he wanted to set me up so I could provide for myself.”  She folds her arms with a huff.  “But I was twelve!  Do you think a twelve-year-old would understand that?  I barely understand it now, and I’m almost fourteen!”

Era places his hands behind his head and leans back.  “Maybe you’ll understand when you’re
actually
fourteen.  I think your dad did a very good thing for you.  One day you’ll realize that.”

The small girl nods, but she remains sad.  “You would think he’d at least visit me now and again.  I haven’t seen him in almost two years!  But I guess it’s hard for a mayor to leave a big town like that.”

“Well, you’ll get to berate him for that soon enough.  Maybe even
tonight!
” Era happily exclaims. Di takes a deep breath, trying not to get too excited by the thought.

Covered in mud from head to toe, Jem storms up to Era like she’s ready to smack him.

Her partner looks her over.  “What happened to you?”

“Don’t ask!” Jem barks as she drops her bag and grabs a seat.  Withdrawing a brush, she pulls at her matted hair, trying in vain to detangle it.

Di snidely remarks, “But Jem, you
wanted
a challenge!”

“Not in the mood, Di,” Jem grunts as she continues her work.  Era leans forward and touches the larger dirt smudges, shaping the mud and effectively sucking it to his hand, leaving a wet spot behind.  Jem gives him an appreciative nod as he continues to clean.

“What in the
NAME
of…?”  Fire storms furiously up to the group, slamming her hands on the table while trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice low.  “Of all the idiotic, amateurish,
GREEN
things to do!  What did we
just
discuss about being seen together!?”

Era glances around sheepishly.  “But, this was the rendezvous-”

“And you’re shaping in public, you
moron!
”  She swings her arms and points all around the deck.  “Could you
not
sit at different tables?”

“They’re all full!” Era complains.

Fire clenches her fists, actively resisting the temptation to punch him.  “You are the most
incompetent
bunch!  Why can’t I be tracking you instead of trying in vain to protect you!?”

Jem smugly grins, enjoying Fire’s exasperation, but Era decides to change the subject so as not to create a scene.  “So?  Did you find us a boat?”

“No, I didn’t.”  Resigning herself to the group’s clustering, she sits with no small amount of annoyance.  “Almost everyone was willing to talk price, but the cheapest came in at eight thousand.  Eight!”

Era sighs.  “We definitely don’t have that much.”

“And even if we did, there’s no telling whether our reward money would be worth that kind of expense,” Fire complains.  “We’ll have to wait for another group of ships to dock.  Hopefully one of them is willing to negotiate.”

“Why not just stow away?” Jem asks.

“Sneaking on is easy enough, but what about when the ship is inspected at Canterin?” Fire challenges.  With disdain, she asks, “Do you
ever
think ahead, or do you just do whatever creeps into that tiny brain of yours?”

“You arrogant, low-life
scum!
” Jem snarls.  “You think you’re so smart, yet look how many times we’ve had to bail you out of trouble.”

“
You
haven’t bailed me out of anything!” Fire argues, meeting Jem’s gaze.  “I’m constantly bailing
you
out of
your
terrible decisions.”

“Era and I did fine on our own before you joined up, so our ideas must not be all that bad.”

“How would you even know which ship is going to Canterin!?”

“Well,
that
ship is going to Canterin,” Di interjects, pointing toward the harbor.

Everyone’s eyes fall on the largest ship docked, complete with three sails and a quarterdeck.  The crew is loading crates clearly marked “OBELITE”.  Apparently the hold below deck is full, because they’re tying several boxes to the central mast.

“Runes are one of Canterin’s biggest exports,” Di explains.  “No other town on the Lidoran Sea would need
that
much obelite.  At the very least, it’s bound to stop in Canterin eventually.”

Jem frowns.  “Why would they mark the crates so clearly
and
store them on the deck?  Do they
want
to get boarded by pirates?”

“That’s our ship,” Fire announces with confidence.  Everyone is surprised by the declaration, and she explains, “That ship is large enough that they won’t be finished unloading by nightfall.  Inspections will keep them overnight, and we’ll sneak off once the crew is asleep.”

“Why not wait and see if we can find a ship we
know
is going to Canterin?” Era asks.  “Maybe one that won’t charge us eight thousand?”

“We can’t wait around,” Jem replies.  “The military is closing in, right?”

Era glances around.  “Yeah… about that.  There aren’t many soldiers here.  I’m not even sure it was necessary for Di to tie her hair up like that.”

Jem glares at Fire.  “Are you saying I snuck in for nothing?”

“It was
precautionary
.  We had no idea what we were going to find,” she says in defense.  “It takes active effort to keep the military off the scent.”

“The military doesn’t have a clue where we are,” Jem insists.  “We lost them, if they were ever even on our trail.”

Fire sneers but holds her tongue.  ‘
They’re closer than you think.
’

“Okay, I’m in,” Era says.  “It’s best if we keep moving, and the worst thing that can happen is we end up at another city.  Then we just board another ship.  That would
really
throw the military for a loop.”

“I know I’m the one who suggested this,” Jem says, “but how are we going to sneak onto a ship, anyway?”

Fire nods her head toward to the harbor.  “Just a few crewmen are loading the last of the crates.  Seems like the rest of the crew are going off to eat one last meal before departing.”

Jem looks at Era with uncertainty. “It won’t be easy.”

“What part of this journey has been easy?” Era pointedly asks.  Still, he looks to the ship in excitement, ready for the next part of the adventure.

Chapter 15

Jem quietly hurries down the stairs to where her three companions are waiting, and she preemptively clamps her hand over Era’s mouth to prevent him from loudly proclaiming success.  The lower deck of the ship is cold and dark, lit only by a few lanterns located along the hallway.  The ship slowly rocks in the mild harbor waves, and the hull’s creaking effectively masks the group’s noises as they look for a hiding place.

Eventually, Fire beckons back to the companionway, and they descend into the cargo hold.  The hold spans the entire length of the ship, poorly lit by a single lantern hung from the far wall.  The crates that were loaded are roped together and fill half the room.

Jem doesn’t like what she sees.  “They’re loading cargo up top when the hold is this empty?  That’s a strange thing to do, isn’t it?”

Era scratches his head.  “I don’t know how ships work.  Maybe they didn’t want to lower them all down?”

Fire walks toward the back, looking up to the closed hatch used to load from above.  “I think we’re safe down here.  I’m sleeping.”

“A-Are you serious?” Era stammers.

“Do you have
any
idea how many hours of sleep I’ve had these past days?” she challenges.  “Do
not
get yourselves caught.  Stay hidden until nightfall, then we’ll sneak off the vessel.  With any luck, we’ll be safely in Canterin.” With that, she heads to the back, looking for a place to lie down in private.

Di sits down, and Jem notices she doesn’t look so good.  “You grew up in a port town.  Don’t you have sea legs?”

The girl shoots Jem a nasty look.  “I’ll be fine!  I’m still unsettled from the sky boat ride.”

“Hopefully so, because it’s going to be a lot worse than this out on the sea,” Era says with a grin.  “Don’t go losing your lunch down here.”

“I haven’t
had
lunch.  Or breakfast for that matter.”

Jem slings her bag to the ground.  “It’s been a busy day, I guess.  I’m hungry, too.”

“Hooray for stale bread,” Di groans sarcastically.  “I don’t think my stomach is ready for food.”

“Suit yourself!”  Jem hands Era some bread, and the two hungrily dive in.

Voices soon sound out from the main deck above.  The stowaways hide behind some crates just in case anyone decides to come down to the hold.  After a short time, the ship begins its movement out to sea.  The rocking of the boat in concert with the flickering lanterns creates an ideal situation for slumber to overtake each stowaway.  Lying silently in the dark hold, each finds it impossible to resist drifting off to sleep.

After a time, a flurry of footsteps from the deck above startles Era from his slumber.  As he groggily rubs his eyes, the commotion above continues, enough so that Jem and Di also stir.

“Are we here?” Di quietly asks with a yawn.

“It’s only been two hours,” Era says with a glance to his pocket watch.  “That’s far too early, right?”

Jem stretches and asks, “Would the waves be this strong in a port?  It feels like we’re still out in open water to me.  Maybe there’s a storm rolling in?”

The comment doesn’t sit well with Era.  “I’ll go check.”

“I’m coming too,” Jem predictably adds.

Era creeps to the stairs and glances up.  Though he can only see up to the next deck, it sounds like the entire crew might be on the top level.  He crawls up with Jem in tow, hoping to keep the creaks to a minimum, and he’s again grateful for the ship’s natural groaning.  It disguises their movements well.

He sticks his head up just enough to scan the area.  The second level is also poorly lit, but sunlight streams in from the stairs leading to the main deck.  The movement above sounds frantic.  Voices are shouting out as sailors scurry about.  He signals to Jem and makes his move, swiftly escaping the hatchway and moving into a nearby room while Jem darts into a room across the hall.  He moves to the porthole and looks out, finding nothing but the open sea.  There is no storm coming from this side of the ship.

As he turns to leave, the sound of footsteps running down the stairs echoes all around.  Era runs to one side of the doorway and presses against the wall, but they fortunately head in the opposite direction.

The stowaway peeks out the door to find Jem doing the same from her entryway across the hall.  He glances toward the stairs, but, with the sailors moving about, a dash to safety would be risky.  Jem catches his eye and signals him to wait, and he acknowledges the sign.  They remain quietly hidden while the crew seems to frantically move about between the decks.  Era can tell they’re anxious about something, and he continues to wonder what it could be.

A sailor calls out to one of his buddies, and Di’s shriek cries out amidst the sound of a scuffle.  Era glances out the doorway in alarm as sailors stream down the stairs.  Jem fake-punches the wall next to her and shoots Era a dirty look, as if it were his fault.

“Stowaway, eh?” one calls out as the sailors drag her up the stairs to the upper deck.  “Search the hold!  Search the rooms!”

Era scrambles for a hiding spot.  The room is filled with vats of supplies, and he dives behind one too late as a sailor runs in.  “Found another one!” he calls as he jumps at Era, snagging his feet as more sailors rush in.

“Here too!  An Allerian!”  The cry causes an uproar among the men as they drag Jem and Era up the stairs.  The sailors form a path to the quarterdeck, and the two are thrown down next to Di as the men knock on the captain’s cabin door.

Jem wastes no time in grabbing the collar of Di’s blouse.  “Di!  What in the world was that!?”

“I-I’m sorry!  I was worried about you and came looking!”

The door swings open, revealing a woman wearing a long blue overcoat with normal sailor’s garb beneath it, and she has a captain’s hat covering her long, dark hair.  In similar fashion to Fire, her hair bears a dark highlighting.

Towering over the trio, she glares at them with blue, penetrating eyes.  “What is the meaning of this?”

“Stowaways, ma’am!”

“I can
see
that.  I mean how the blazes did you allow stowaways on my ship!?” she shouts, her face turning crimson as she glares at Jem in disgust.  “And an Allerian? There’s an
Allerian
on my ship!?”  She turns to her second-in-command and screams, “GIARVA, why is there an ALLERIAN on my SHIP!?”

Jem smirks, but the gesture is short-lived as a sailor grabs her neck from behind and shoves her face into the deck.  Era lashes out to aid her, but two sailors jump on him.  They hold his arms and force him to stay on his knees.

The captain grabs Era by the chin.  “Is this it, or are there more of you?”

Era meets her gaze defiantly, but Jem laughs from her position next to him.  “There are twenty more of us down there!  Your crew must be incompetent to let so many onboard.”

The captain steps on Jem’s head and presses her forehead back against the deck.  Era struggles against his captives, but he can’t escape their grasp.

“So are the three of you spies?”

“
Spies?
  On a cargo ship?” Era asks in disbelief.  “Why would we be spying on a
cargo ship?
”

“Then what’s an Allerian doing here?”

“W-What’s that got to do with anything?  We were just trying to get to Canterin!” Era pleads, not knowing what else to say.  “We stowed away because we couldn’t afford transport.  That’s the truth!”

“Canterin?” the captain repeats in confusion.  “What made you think we were going to
Canterin?
”

Era looks around, locating the crates tied down against the main mast.  “W-Well… the obelite. We thought that since you were carrying obelite-”

The captain crouches to get in his face.  “You three have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves-”

“Captain!” the scout in the crow’s nest calls down.  “Ship off starboard!”

The captain excitedly rushes to the ship’s edge.  “It’s early!  Could it already be him?”

“Hard to say, captain,” she replies.  “But it matches the description as best I can tell from here.”

“Stay on course!” she orders as the crew starts murmuring.  “And stay focused, men!  Prepare yourselves!”

A crewman arrives with the handcuffs.  “Could only find two, ma’am.”

“Well then?” she huffs in annoyance.  “Put them on and get them to the brig!  We’ll deal with them later.”

“Yes ma’am!”  He turns and clamps one set on Era’s wrists with the help of those holding his arms, and he turns to the other two with the remaining set.  Placing one shackle on Jem’s right wrist, he stretches it out and clamps the other end onto Di’s left.

“Now get them out of here!” the captain barks as she watches the incoming ship.  The crewmen force Era, Jem, and Di to their feet and begin carting them off toward the stairs.

“Captain!  They’ve raised the black flag!”  The entire crew rushes to the starboard side to get a glance, dragging the three captives along with them.

“Time to make it look good,” the captain calls to her helmsman.  “Pull hard away!”  Turning back to the rest of the crew, she shouts, “Hoist the mainsail!  They’ll outrun us, so we don’t need to hold anything back!  Secondary crew to the below!”

Cast aside amidst the distraction, the three stowaways watch as the abnormally large crew goes to work, and half the sailors retreat down the stairs.  Given a window of opportunity, the three slide toward the crates tied to the middle of the ship, ducking in among them and hoping to stay hidden.

As the pirate ship continues to gain ground, the crew becomes visibly anxious.  Jem watches them carefully from her vantage point, trying to gauge what might be transpiring.  Whatever the case, it seems this crew wants to get caught by someone in particular.

“Okay, enough!” the captain calls out, trembling with anticipation.  “Lower the mainsail!  Hoist the surrender flag!  Everyone, be ready!”

It doesn’t take long for the approaching craft to pull up alongside the surrendering cargo ship, its pirate crew cheering and jeering, their swords raised.  Their tanned skin and facial features makes it evident the crew consists entirely of Allerians.  The group grows quiet as a burly pirate steps to the forefront of the crowd.  His head wrapped in a bandanna, he wears a white shirt with a dark vest and dark brown knickers.  He grips the sword sheathed at his side while raising his other hand in the air.  “Step away from the port side!”

The cargo crew obediently backs away as the pirates lower thick boarding planks between the rails of the two ships, using small hooks and latches to secure them.  The planks lock the vessels together, making it impossible for the cargo ship to hoist its sail and escape.  The surrendering crewmen place their hands in the air as a large group of pirates crosses over with swords drawn.

The pirate leader follows his subordinates to the other side, a pleased grin planted on his face.  His men hold back the crew with their blades drawn while he examines the crates in the middle of the deck.  “Obelite!  Ah, what a great find this is.”  His voice is husky, and the guttural Allerian accent is thick on his tongue.

As he looks over the crates, he spots Jem, Di, and Era hidden among them.  Surprised, he beckons them to come out.  “Is that a fellow Allerian I see?  Excellent!  I was beginning to think the obelite was the only treasure.”

A pirate forces the three to come out from their hiding place, and the captain takes notice of the bindings.  “Wait, are you captives on this vessel?  Captives on a
cargo
ship?”  He calls out, “Where is the captain?”

“I’m right here, Captain Turk!” Now standing tall at the edge of the quarterdeck, she crows, “It’s so good to finally meet you.  My name is Captain Marin.”

Perplexed yet entertained, Turk raises his hand in respect.  “Well met, Captain!  I see my reputation has preceded me in these waters.”

Her fists clenched tightly, Marin glares down at the invader.  “You’re a scourge on this sea, Captain!  You’ve raided countless vessels and escaped the Valvoran navy for over a year.  You deserve a slow and painful death!”  Turk looks proud of her analysis, but Marin draws her sword and points at him.  “Captain Turk, your time has come!  I hereby order your execution at the hands of the Valvoran Navy!  ATTACK!”

Raising a loud cheer, the crew draws weapons and engages the bewildered pirates in battle.  Blindsided by the assault, Turk calls to the rest of his crew on his own ship, and they cross over to assist.  He bellows to his nearby crewmen, who are trying in vain to contain the soldiers on the starboard side.  “Men, MOVE!”  The pirates all dive back as Turk raises his hands and extends his palms, producing a massive rush of water from his hand.  The large torrent rages forth, colliding with the mass of soldiers and sweeping them over the edge of the ship.

The pirates let out a cheer at the sight of half their opponents getting tossed over the rail, but their cheers wane as they realize that most, if not all, of the soldiers start grabbing the water and shaping it, working together to create makeshift ropes to pull their companions back up.