Arrows flew from corsair to king’s ship, and arrows flew in return. But Celeste waited, for she would be certain of her casts. She glanced at Roel; he stood at the starboard wale, now and again catching an arrow upon his shield.
Even as shafts flew back and forth, “Ship ahoy,” came a cry from the crow’s nest.
Celeste frowned. Of course there’s a ship. But then the lookout cried, “A point to the port, Captain,” and Celeste looked where Captain Chevell gazed. On the horizon the lateen sails of another vessel were just then passing out of sight o’er the rim of the world.
“ ’Tis the other corsair,” said Chevell, a stocky redheaded man, some five foot nine or so. “Let us hope the map is aboard this one and not the other.”
“I pray to Mithras you are right,” said Celeste.
Now the Sea Eagle drew nigh, and at last Celeste began loosing shafts, each one aimed at a corsair archer; and one by one she took them out of the fight, her own aim deadly. Soon the pirates, especially the bowmen, were crouching down below the rails, for someone aboard the king’s ship was lethal.
“My lady,” said Chevell, “try not to slay the captain of the corsair, for I would have him lead us to the map, should he have it.”
“Aye, aye,” said Celeste, grinning, even as she loosed another arrow. “By the bye, Captain Chevell, which is the pirate captain?”
“I believe that’s him cowering by the tiller,” said Chevell.
“Ah, him,” said Celeste, drawing another arrow from the quiver and nocking it. “Well, I wouldn’t have shot him anyway, unless, that is, he threatens Roel, in which case I’ll stick him like the cowardly pig he is.” Chevell barked a laugh and said, “Agreed. But the helmsman, now, he is fair game.”
Celeste’s next shaft slew that man, and the pirate craft fell off the wind and slowed.
Now the Sea Eagle began to overlap the corsair, and moments later they were beam to beam, starboard to larboard. Grapnels flew and bit into the boards, and pirates hacked at the lines, but more grapnels bit into wood, and the men of the Eagle haled ropes and drew the ships hull to hull.
Shouting, “King Avelar!” Lieutenant Armond led his men over the wales and onto the other ship, Roel among them, Coeur d’Acier slaying left and right, the blade cleaving straight through the corsairs’ weapons of bronze to strike deadly blows. Some of the pirates leapt aboard the Sea Eagle, desperate to escape this purveyor of death, and there they fought gamely, for bronze met bronze and not steel.
One of the corsairs rushed at Celeste, but Chevell stepped in front of her and skewered the man. As Chevell jerked his sword free, Celeste said, “Merci, Captain, but I would have felled him myself.” Chevell turned to Celeste to see that she had an arrow nocked, and he grinned and said, “Oui, but sometimes a woman must let a man perform a chivalrous act.” Celeste whipped up her bow and aimed at Chevell’s throat and then shifted a bit to the right and let fly.
Thock! The shaft took an onrushing corsair in the eye, and he fell dead, his cutlass clanging to the deck at Chevell’s feet.
“Tit for tat,” said Celeste, grinning at the captain’s surprised gape even as she nocked another arrow.
The battle raged but moments longer; then aboard both ships, corsairs threw down their weapons and surrendered.
As the prisoners were rounded up, Armond dragged the corsair captain out from a hold, and marched him before Vicomte Chevell.
Celeste, an arrow yet nocked in her bow, stood at hand.
Chevell ignored the pirate for a moment and called out to the corsair vessel, “Ensign Laval, see that our wounded and dead are removed from that ship. And have some of the rovers come over and take their own wounded and dead back.”
“Aye, aye, My Lord Captain,” replied the young man.
“Lieutenant Florien,” called Chevell. “Organize a search for that which was taken from the king.”
“Aye, aye, my lord,” replied the second officer.
Then Chevell canted his head toward the pirate and said, “Your name, Captain.”
The small, swarthy man drew himself up to his full height and said, “I am Captain Zdnek, and just who are you to attack an innocent-”
“I would have the map you stole,” said Chevell, his words harsh, his gaze icy.
“Map, map? What map? I have no-”
“From Port Mizon, pirate!”
“I have not in my life been to Port Mizon, and-”
“My Lord Captain Chevell,” called Florien from the raiders’ dhow.
Chevell turned toward the man.
“In the captain’s cabin, we found the King’s Bell and many of the other treasures taken, but the map was not among them.”
“Keep searching, Florien.”
“Aye, aye, my lord.”
Grim-eyed, Chevell turned toward the pirate captain and said, “Hang him.”
Even as Lieutenant Armond reached for the corsair, Zdnek fell to his knees. “No, no, My Lord Captain,” he wailed. “Barlou has it! Barlou!” Zdnek pointed in the direction along the horizon where the other ship had disappeared.
“I think you’re lying,” snapped Chevell.
“I swear by Holy Sybil, I do not have it,” cried Zdnek, sobbing.
“Sybil is the goddess of many tongues,” said Chevell.
“Then I swear by Holy Shaitan.”
“God of liars.”
Celeste said, “Swear by the Three Sisters: Skuld, Ver shy;
dandi, and Urd. But hear me, the Fates will hold you to your word, and if it is false, then you will suffer torments beyond compare.”
Zdnek paled and trembled. “I swear on the names of Skuld and Verdandi and Urd, I do not have the map.
Barlou took it. It was the main prize, and he has the fastest ship.”
“The main prize?”
Zdnek clamped his lips shut.
“So you came after the map; I suppose the treasure you took was merely an afterthought.” Still Zdnek did not speak.
“Hang him,” said Chevell.
“No, no!” blurted Zdnek. “Oui, it was the main prize.”
“Who sent you for it?”
“I don’t know. We were merely to get the map and deliver it to Caralos.” Chevell groaned, and Celeste raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
As men began transferring treasure from the corsair to the king’s ship, Chevell said, “Is he still on Brados?”
“Oui,” said Zdnek.
Chevell sighed. Then he glanced at Celeste and turned to Armond and said, “Pledge the pirates in the name of Skuld and Verdandi and Urd. Warn them as did the princess that to break any pledge made in the name of the Three Sisters is to court disaster beyond belief.
Then set them free to sail on their own back to Port Mizon to face the king’s justice.”
“What of Captain Zdnek, my lord?” asked Armond.
Chevell looked down at the cowering man. “Hang him from the corsair’s main boom as an example to those who would break the king’s peace.” Snarling, Zdnek snatched a kris from one of his voluminous sleeves and lunged up and toward Chevell, but he did not live to strike a blow, for Celeste’s arrow took the pirate through the throat.
No matter that Zdnek was dead, they hanged his corpse regardless.
12
Uncertainties
Long did they search, but no map did they find, and so they transferred treasure and stolen goods from the pirate ship to the Sea Eagle. And after the swearing of the rovers in the names of Skuld, Verdandi, and Urd to sail to Port Mizon and give themselves over to the king’s justice, “Cast off grapnels,” Chevell ordered. Aboard the dhow the pirates loosened the hooks and tossed them onto the king’s ship. A few members of the crew of the Sea Eagle began coiling the lines to stow the grapnels away, while other members stood by the halyards awaiting the captain’s command. Chevell looked at Princess Celeste and said, “We’ve another corsair to catch.”