Retribution

CHAPTER TWELVE

Prin said, “You did what?”

“The mage. I think he’s dead. I killed him”

“How?” Sara asked.

“I went outside, just for a minute to get some air when Marcus went to his cabin. The mage came at me from the dark, hands held out in front of him, sparkles springing from his fingertips.”

“I don’t understand,” Prin said.

“He told me to answer his questions, or he’d burn me with his magic. He asked me if you are Hannah. He warned me, to tell the truth, or he’d burn me blacker than night. His hands were almost touching my chest. I felt the little pricks of fire on my chest. Each one hurt.” Brice drew in several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. His eyes were wild and unseeing.

Prin held her arms extended, fingers wriggling, near Brice. “Like this?”

“Yes.”

Prin glanced at Sara. The combat master had worked with all three of them, teaching them how to avoid attackers. Balance. The word returned with a rush. The mage moved aggressively at Brice, so Brice would naturally continue the motion instead of fighting it. He’d fall back, while reaching and pulling the attacker with him to maintain the balance, then roll his shoulder and throw. Roll and throw, using the other’s momentum and weight to send him flying to the ground a few steps away. Only there was no ground. There was an ocean.

The scene played in her mind and was remarkably like the man who had attacked her. He’d stumbled and fallen over the side, but only after she had defended herself and used balance to throw him. She wondered if the combat master would approve of his students throwing passengers into the ocean, and might have laughed in other circumstances.

Sara said, “It’s not your fault.”

“He came at me, and my reflexes just took over.”

Prin said, “She’s right. You’ve been taught to defend yourself, and that’s all you did. Was anyone around to see you?”

“No, just the two of us. I didn’t even know he’d followed me outside.”

Brice had stepped outside, and the mage saw his chance to make Brice confess. Then Brice reacted to the threat and pain. It was as much of an accident as when Prin threw her attacker overboard. We have to stop doing that. “Did you look over the railing and see if he landed on the deck below? There are parts of the ship where he would land.”

“Of course, I did. There were none, and I couldn’t see him in the water either. I looked. I’d have called man-overboard, but there’s still a storm out there, and the wind is blowing. Whitecaps and waves. There was no chance of finding him.”

Sara said to Prin, “You can’t disappear the same night as a mage does. That coincidence ties you together in everyone’s mind.”

Prin said, “If he is missing, there is no reason for me to disappear. In the morning, we’ll just act as surprised as everyone else does.”

“I just killed a man,” Brice said. “If that doesn’t bother you, it does me. I can’t act like nothing happened.”

Sara said, “Brice, calm down. We don’t think you killed him, you just threw him over the railing.”

“We’re in the middle of an ocean,” Brice’s voice was rising with each word.

Sara remained calm and spread her arms out as if ready to hug him. “You are so slow at times. He is a mage, and water is one of the elements he controls. His training has air, water, and fire. Even in the middle of the ocean, he can surround himself with a bubble of air so he won’t sink. Then he will signal passing ships with crackles of lightning or flashes of fire, or push the water away from him and walk to shore.”

“Really?” Brice asked.

“Perhaps I’ve exaggerated by a tiny amount. But my point is, at the very least he will cast a spell to float and send out flashes of fire at night. He’ll attract another ship soon enough.”

Brice said, “Then why didn’t he do it to this one?”

Prin said, “A fair question. I would imagine he was startled when he hit the water, and it took him some time to get his thoughts together. We were sailing away, and our lookouts are facing forward searching for danger. It seldom, if ever, comes from behind a ship. You should know that.” The explanation came to her as she spoke and she hoped it would calm Brice and make him feel better. She remembered her conflicted feelings after the other incident.

Brice sat on the edge of the lower bunk, his face still pale and confused. “Do you really think he lives?”

Prin didn’t mention the number of other things that could have happened, such as striking his head on the hull on the way down, or his robes soaking up so much water he couldn’t get to the surface to take a breath. She didn’t mention sharks or the idea that the mage hadn’t learned to swim. “I’m certain he lives and will soon be chasing after you again.”

He heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I guess I feel better.”

Despite being older, Brice often acted younger and more emotional. Prin and Sara attempted to keep him calm, and they talked deep into the night. Finally, he fell asleep on the bottom bunk and rather than disturb him, the two women climbed quietly to the top bunk and squeezed in.

When morning arrived, they woke as one, and despite the apology by Brice for taking their bed, all looked and felt better. The storm had passed, the sea calmed, and the sun emerged from behind a bank of low-hanging clouds on the horizon.

The dining room was nearly deserted when they arrived, later than normal, but when there should be the largest crowd. However, Marcus already sat at their table spooning a hot porridge made of ground grain and oats. He had topped it with honey and brown sugar, then added raisins.

He looked up as they approached, a smirk on his face like a dog wagging its tail. When they were sitting, he panted, “Did you hear?”

Sara took the lead. “Did we hear what?”

“Another missing passenger. That mage who wanted my table can’t be found this morning.”

“Perhaps he’s just sleeping late. The storm last night may have kept him up,” Sara suggested as she spooned herself a small bowl of the gruel.

Marcus leaned closer, “No, they checked his cabin. He was not in there and can’t be found. The Captain’s throwing fits on the bridge. He says there’ll be an investigation when we reach Indore.”

“An investigation?” Sara said.

“Over four missing passengers. The crew thinks nobody will be able to go ashore until it is finished. That may take days if they interview everyone one at a time. I have business to conduct, blades and arrow tips to sell, and don’t want to waste time sitting aboard a ship in port.”

Prin saw an opening. “Have you ever sold your goods in Wren?”

Marcus turned as if she had touched his neck with a hot poker. He no longer spooned the porridge to his mouth, and his eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

His reaction was too strong, and Prin chose her words carefully. “I also hear rumors. Wren has traditionally been a quiet backwater sort of kingdom, but lately, there is talk of revolt. I thought to pass on that word of a possible market for your goods.”

“Indeed,” he took a huge bite and waited until he swallowed before speaking again, unusual for him. “I have heard the same and must offer my thanks for you trying to help me.”

His tone had returned to more normal, but Prin detected a remaining a stiffness. She decided not to broach the subject again unless he asked her to. She said, “The waves are calmer this morning, too. That was quite a storm. Anyhow, back to the mage. Could he be using mage magic to hide for some reason? I never did understand magic.”

Marcus reverted to his usual self at the opportunity to spread more rumors. “They are searching the ship from bow to stern, and they’re looking for any of the other three who went missing at the same time. They demand entrance to each cabin and are searching them all. People are extremely scared. They don’t even come to the dining room eat. I guess they huddle in their cabins and hope they don’t fall into the sea.”

Sara turned to him. “If these were not accidents, and I can see how someone could easily fall in the storm last night, I support the efforts of the Captain. But, I wonder how the disappearances can be linked.”

“Me too,” Marcus said. “There must be something in common, but who knows?”

“Any ideas?” Prin asked.

“Well, that missing princess from Wren had been on everyone’s minds. But I can’t see how that could be part of it. A mad murderer doesn’t fit in my mind. So, perhaps rival gangs of outlaws?”

His eyes slipped away before she could determine if he had tried to warn her by mentioning Wren, or perhaps he slipped and said something he shouldn’t have. Prin turned her attention to the other passengers in the room. Less than a third of them ate this morning, and her appraisal brought several glares in return, instead of the usual smiles.

A steward walked silently up behind a man dressed in the long loose robes of desert dwellers. When the steward spoke, the man leaped to his feet and spun, ready to fight. After an obvious apology from the passenger, the steward poured more wine.

But even the sailors moving about their duties outside the dining room seemed jumpy. A ship of fear. Sitting in her empty cabin was preferable to the dining room. If the trip took eight or ten more days, all would be on edge, and there might be fighting or worse. A passenger might startle another and when one drew a knife, the other certainly would. Innocent people might die before reaching port. Something needed to be done.

Prin turned to Sara. “I’ve heard that in Indore they serve a dish called gnosis.” At Sara’s startled expression, she continued, “It’s supposed to be soothing and calms people. I was thinking of trying some.”

Sara folded her hands in her lap and said in a pleasant tone, “That’s an excellent idea. Of course, like with any new food, you don’t want to overdo it the first time.”

Prin enjoyed the double-talk that only the two of them understood. She turned away from the table to concentrate and inhaled deeply as if drawing inside her all the calm and goodness on the ship. She forced it to one small section of her mind and held it there firmly while reaching out for more.

She was not really drawing such a thing into her mind, she was using that as a vehicle to focus her magic, and to concentrate the feelings of the calmness she might encounter while sitting on the banks of a small mountain lake in spring, just after the snow melted. The early yellow flowers bloomed, the leaves on trees opened so quickly in the warm sun she could almost see them.

When a soft breeze brushed against her cheek, she could hold no more peace and calm without forgetting some of what was there. She gently cast it into the mental ether, not all at once, but a little with each exhale. She looked around.

It didn’t work. She expected results, however, people were the same. She glanced at Sara, who grinned and then closed her eyes, a slight smile still on her lips as if she understood something Prin didn’t. At a table several steps away, a passenger chuckled. She hadn’t heard that all morning. One of the other women placed a gentle hand on that of her mate. So, it worked gently, but the mood had improved.

Sara said, “I may try some gnosis too. If you like it, I probably will.”

Marcus saw an approaching steward and motioned that he needed service. When the steward arrived, Marcus asked for more wine, and said, “Listen, if you can find something made of meat, not fish, but red meat, I’d be grateful.”

Prin watched him slip a small coin into the pocket of the apron the steward wore. The steward was not supposed to accept tips because his job was to serve all passengers with good service, but if he found the coin in his pocket, what was he to do?

More people, four in all, arrived and found their seats, two at one table, and one at each of others. Soon three more men entered and filled another table. Suddenly the dining room didn’t seem so empty. A card game started at one, now and then a small laugh or chuckle sounded. Not like the first night or the second morning, but better than earlier.

The improved mood of the ship seemed to be catching, with neither Prin nor Sara helping it along with additional gnosis, although when they had the chance to talk in private, both wanted to experiment with the process more. The mood of the ship had gone from that of a dirge to one of pleasantness in the course of a meal. Prin sat in the cabin and expanded her gnosis to cheerful, describing each facet she encountered in her mind and what she did to enhance it.

Words often failed, as they do when talking about magic, but in using examples and comparisons, both Sara and Prin learned and practiced. When they returned to the table where Marcus and Brice were still talking, the mood was so cheerful that a man and woman at another table stood and danced while a short, stocky man sang an upbeat song.

Sara mouthed, “Too much.”

But after all the problems and deaths on the ship, they decided to let the mood continue. The Captain entered the dining room and circulated from table to table, speaking to each. He made his way to their table and said, “I make it a point to speak with my passengers on each voyage, but this has been more than a little unusual. Is there anything me or one of my crew can do to help make your trip better?”

When he was gone, Marcus said, “Cleverly worded. No mention of death or murdered people. Still, that must be a hard job to please people like myself.”

“You?” Prin asked, poking him in the ribs. “You’re easy if they serve enough wine and good food.”

“Wrong. It must be good wine, and food,” he laughed.

Much later, Prin watched the sun sink until it touched the sea and the orb seemed to flatten at the bottom for just a few seconds. Then it fell lower, but her spirit rose. Four of the people hunting her were no longer among the fifty passengers, and that included the most dangerous one of all—the Young Mage.

There were more of them on the ship, she felt sure. The woman the first day who had asked the questions until she thought she eliminated Prin as a possibility was still aboard. Prin avoided her. But there were certainly others. However, as the fourth day arrived, they had observed, hunted, snooped, and questioned everyone, and had found no evidence Hannah was with them, so they relaxed their intensity.

Prin did have one humorous experience as she watched the other passengers. She saw the woman from the first day questioning a male passenger who was probably also hunting Hannah. Each of them was verbally dancing around the other, trying to gain information while giving none about themselves.

By the eighth day, even gnosis magic didn’t seem to lift the mood of the ship. Passengers wanted off the ship. They speculated on the amount of time they would lose in an investigation. Even Prin found herself outside straining her eyes to see land.

The voyage was scheduled to last ten days, so not seeing land on day eight was normal, but frustrating. On day nine, Prin found herself watching the horizon with other passengers, but again there was no land in sight.

The morning of day ten was different. They passed two ships that were probably outbound from Indore, and then a purple smudge appeared on the horizon. By the time they ate breakfast, the smudge had turned into the Blue Mountains standing behind Indore. Somewhere in those mountains was the pass from Wren to Indore that she and Sara had used to flee. In the early afternoon, the harbor came into sight.

Prin said to Sara and Brice, “They can’t keep us passengers aboard.”

Marcus had already told him the crew expected them to release the passengers after the authorities had a record of where to reach them in Indore. Each would expect interviews in the coming days. Later, the stewards went to each table and recorded the location where the authorities of Indore could find them, a task that made the passengers almost giddy.

Sara responded to the steward first, “The second floor of Margo House, room six. I’ll be there for ten days.”

Brice claimed room seven and Prin chose to share room six with Sara. She had never heard of the Margo House and doubted one existed, but that didn’t matter. Marcus gave a rooming house and the location of his business but warned he expected to depart on day two or three. The stewards added that information on the form beside his name and explained they would provide it to the authorities upon arrival so the passengers could depart as usual.

After the stewards finished collecting information from other passengers, Marcus poured wine into their mugs as he leaned forward with a sly smile. “How would they know if the addresses are correct? Wouldn’t a murderer lie about where he would be?”

Sara calmly said, “Probably anyone who was involved will lie, but I believe the Captain is looking out for his ship’s reputation. You mentioned it before. If the passengers are detained, they may be reluctant to sail on this ship again, and rumors fly instead of sail across ocean.”

Marcus interlaced his chubby fingers over his ample stomach and said, “So the Captain is appearing to cooperate with the local authorities while doing what is best for his ship?”

“You already knew that,” Sara accused him with a soft laugh. “It might even be at your suggestion. You are a far more intelligent man than some think.”