“Samir? Concentrate on the younger ones. They’re almost with you.”
Samir gave an almost imperceptible nod as the aquiline elder growled at him.
“This council has no wish to hear from you or your whore son brother.”
“I’m not sure that’s entirely true, elder Halcar” Samir smiled.
“Let him speak, Halcar” barked one of the younger men, dressed in crimson velvet and with a neat scar across the bridge of his nose. “Samir is one of the best we have. If he says he has something of use for us, only the short-sighted would do away with him before asking more.”
“Thank you master Culin. You are insightful as always. I’m afraid this will not sound good at first, but I must ask you to let us finish before you pronounce any judgements.”
The hoarse, older man at the centre with the parchment-thin skin and the aquiline face glared at Samir.
“You presume to order your elders around, Samir? Be very careful.”
Samir bowed slightly.
“No insult intended, master Halcar, but this is very urgent and very important.”
“Go on” the one called Culin urged.
“The time has come, masters of Lassos, to conclude our business with the Imperial navy of Calphoris. As we reached the reefs on our way here, a fleet of Imperial daram with Pelasian support was close enough to breath down our necks. Even now they will be encircling Lassos, blockading us and effectively ending our time as a free port of non-aligned … raiders, if you will.”
The effect of the news was fascinating. The men of the council exhibited half a dozen different expressions on a theme of shock, anger and panic… all but Culin, who nodded sagely. Ghassan was interested to note no sign of surprise in the man’s features. There was a strange pause for a second or so in which the room filled with an oppressive silence and then suddenly the council exploded in argument.
“Please, gentlemen…” Samir’s voice cut across the noise. The arguments tailed off as the councillors turned back to the speaker.
“I am going to leave you to decide on the course of action when I have finished. I believe the only sensible choice is for the fleet of Lassos to arm up, crew up, and sail out en masse to meet the forces of the Empire. However, I realise that this sounds insane, so let me lay a few things on the line first.”
He spread his arms dramatically.
“For the last few years, Imperial control of the sea has been tightening notably. With Pelasia as an ally now, all the military have really had to occupy their time is making life difficult for the captains of Lassos. Our activity and takings have fallen dramatically in this time, and rarely do our captains manage an engagement without having to run for safety at the end. Things are becoming untenable unless we take back control of our sea. We are facing the extinction of Lassos lest we fight back and that is a painful conclusion to have arrived at, but I have been trying to find a solution for years now.”
A feeling passed among the audience. The council may not like hearing this, but there was no denying the truth of Samir’s words.
“In addition, I see no other course of action as feasible. Lassos is not an abundant island. The vegetation here will support life, but only just. While people could live here indefinitely, their diet would be extremely dull and the food quantity would support only a handful at most. Our survival here has always relied on our takings, which are now too meagre to support the population. Our supplies may last a few months, but in the end we will be forced to take action against any blockade. We would be better dealing with it now, before they are set in and comfortable rather than later when they are fully prepared and fortified against us.”
“And why are they here, captain Samir?” the elder growled. “Why have you brought our enemies to us?”
Samir sighed.
“Quite simply we were betrayed, and I allowed it to happen in order to bring us to this point.”
There was another explosion of blustering and arguing. Samir stood back and crossed his arms, waiting for the noise to die down. As it did, Culin being the first to calm, the young councillor waved his arms.
“Samir asked us not to judge until he was finished. Let’s hear him out.”
Samir nodded and looked over his shoulder.
“Ghassan?”
The taller brother stepped forward, still leaning heavily on Samir.
“You are all, no doubt, aware who I am. You may not, however, be aware of my current situation.”
There was a tense silence and the ebony skinned pirate lord nodded quietly.
“Culin has informed us that you are no longer employed by the military of the Empire.”
Culin laughed.
“More than that Saja. He’s actively a wanted man. My people have been seeing wanted posters going up all over the coastal cities. There’s a bigger price on his head at the moment than Samir’s, though they’re both sought after. I gather the pair of them blew part of the city wall to pieces in M’Dahz.”
Samir nodded, impressed.
“Your information is remarkably up-to-date, master Culin. That happened only just before we left to come here.”
The council members nodded, each involved in their own thoughts on the brothers before them.
Ghassan cleared his throat.
“A young woman named Asima who was here recently with my brother later took the opportunity to visit with the governor in M’Dahz. She sold out not only Samir and myself, but the location and details of Lassos… even the existence of the compasses you use. It is Asima who has brought the fleet here; I was in M’Dahz at the time and spoke to Asima myself and I can confirm the truth of this. Samir’s only part in that is to allow her to do so.”
“That alone is enough to hang him, captain.”
Ghassan nodded.
“I imagine so, but Samir believes that you can fight the fleet and win. I am, I must say, considerably more sceptical over the matter, but when my brother is sure, he is usually correct, as I’m sure you’re all aware. I myself am here for two reasons: firstly to give my evidence, as I just have, and secondly to seek sanctuary and safety with my brother, since I have nowhere else to go.”
Culin stood as Ghassan stepped back and frowned.
“I have no doubt that Samir and his brother are telling the truth, gentlemen. As you know, I have men in every port and some even hidden in places of authority in M’Dahz and Calphoris. Everything I have heard supports this story. The fact remains, however, that whether his intentions were good or not, Samir has brought our enemies to us. For that he should by all rights be put to death.”
Ghassan winced at the comment, but Culin was already going on.
“However, if he is right, we have an opportunity here and in that case, we really need any man we can get, and certainly one as wily and lucky as Samir.”
He turned to the brothers.
“I am tempted toward leniency, Samir. Convince us we can win.”
“Very well, Master Culin. Let me give you the full tale. I have been looking for a way to break the growing naval control of the Sea of Storms ever since I first took command of the Empress. Asima, while believing she has been playing me has, in her betrayal, been the very linchpin of my plan.”
He stepped forward once more under the suspicious gaze of the councillors.
“I had to find a way” Samir continued, “to bring the governor’s fleet to battle with our own on favourable terms and this was far from easy, given the number of ships available to them, compared with our twelve. I could never have persuaded you to launch an assault on Calphoris, so I had to bring them here to provide you with no alternative. Once we clear the sea of the governor and his fleet, we can retake what is ours, and perhaps even more.”
The hoarse, wicked-looking old chief councillor snorted and pointed at Samir.
“We still have twelve ships, Samir, while they still have scores! What you have done is exterminated us, not saved us!”
Samir smiled.