“They aren’t coming any closer.”
“Yes. They’re right in assuming my weapon doesn’t have that kind of range. They’ve got us in their wind shadow, so we can’t move. They’ll stay there and pound us until we sink.”
“Then why did you even set up the arbalest?”
“In case they were stupid. They aren’t.”
While Cazio watched, a pair of the enemy war engines fired, nearly at the same time. Two flaming balls leapt skyward, leaving tails of thick black smoke.
“I see what you mean about it getting worse,” Cazio said.
One of the balls plunged harmlessly into the sea, but the other hit squarely in the middle deck, blossoming in a tulip of flame. One of Malconio’s sailors caught fire, too, and fell screaming and thrashing to the deck as his comrades tried to smother the fire with a wet canvas.
Cazio gripped Caspator’s hilt until his knuckles went white. Malconio was right—he would never even get a chance to kill one of them. He’d never felt so helpless in his life.
He glanced at his brother, intending to ask him if there was anything he could do, but noticed Malconio wasn’t watching the other ship, but was staring out across the sea. And he was smiling.
“What?” Cazio asked.
“Look there,” he said. “At the water.”
Cazio followed his gaze but didn’t see anything remarkable.
Malconio put his hand on the steersman’s shoulder. “Prepare to come about,” he said. “You see where?”
“Aye, I see it,” the fellow said. “It’ll be close.”
“What’s going on?” Cazio asked.
“Watch their sails,” he replied.
Cazio tried, but it was difficult, as about that time another volley of flaming pots came hurtling toward them. One struck the mainsail.
“Put that out!” Malconio hollered. “We’re about to need it.”
At that moment, the sails of the other ship went suddenly slack.
“Come about, now!” Malconio thundered.
Sailors leapt to their tasks, pulling yards. The boom swung around and the still-flaming sail filled with a faint puff of air. It hardly seemed enough to move the ship, but then the men all cheered.
“What happened?” Cazio asked.
“Netuno took their wind and sent us one from another direction,” Malconio said.
“It’s not much of a wind,” Cazio observed.
“No, which makes it perfect for us. We can run straight before it, and we’ll start out faster than her.”
“I thought she was faster,” Cazio said.
“Aye, in full wind. But we’ll make the speed faster, because we’re smaller. By the time they turn and start again, we’ll have two leagues on them.”
Once again, his brother was right. Even though they barely seemed to be moving, the big ship wasn’t moving at all. The arbalests kept up the rain of fire, however. Cazio joined the crew putting out the fires as they slowly, painfully tacked out of range. When the arbalest rounds started at last falling short, another cheer went up.
They ran straight with the wind, then—no more tacking—and with a sluggishness Cazio found maddening they began to outpace their pursuer.
But by dusk the big ship was gaining again.
The sounds of bombardment waxed and then gradually waned away.
Since her outburst, Austra had huddled on her cot, unspeaking. “They’re cheering,” Anne noticed. “It must be good news.” Austra nodded vaguely but still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I’ll go see what’s happening,” Anne said. “Do you want to come along?”
Austra shook her head and closed her eyes. “It’s too much,” she said.
Anne regarded the younger girl for a moment, wishing there were something she could say. “You were right before,” she said finally.
“About what?”
“Back when I tried to run away. When I thought I could dress as a man and make my own way in the world. When I wanted adventure. You told me that I was being stupid, that I would starve or be killed or kidnapped within a nineday.”
“Oh, right,” Austra said. “I did say that.”
“At the time I only agreed to stay because you asked me to, because I worried about what would happen to you if I left. Now I know you were right about everything. I didn’t know anything at all about how the world works. I barely do now. But if there is one thing I do know, it’s that I don’t want any more adventure. I want to be back in Eslen. I want the worst thing that could happen to me to be a scolding from Fastia or mother. And I want you there with me.”
“I’m glad you finally admit that I can be right about something,” Austra said.
“A lot of people have died for me,” Anne said. “The sisters at the coven. Sir Neil. I’m afraid to go abovedecks, because I’m afraid to find out who else. I don’t want anyone else to die for me, Austra. I’m sick of this whole thing.”
“Well, why not try telling them that?” Austra said. “The next time those men catch up with us, just tell them you don’t want to play anymore, and that you’ll be good, and please leave us alone.”
Anne smiled, thinking Austra was joking and the mood was finally starting to lighten. But then she saw her friend’s face.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re sick of,” Austra said. “It’s all going to happen anyway.”
Anne felt her heart slacken. “Please, Austra—”
“You still aren’t going to tell me what’s going on.”
Anne felt herself near tears, and even nearer to begging. “I think if I tell you anything, it will only make things worse for you. I’m afraid it will get you killed.”
“I’m going to get killed anyway,” Austra said. “Can’t you feel it? Don’t you know?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Nothing.”
“Austra—”
“I’m tired now.”
Austra rolled over so her back was to Anne. Anne watched, helpless, her eyes wet. How could she tell Austra about her visions? How could she burden her best friend with trying to decide whether Anne had gone mad, or whether she was so important to the world that if she did not become queen it would end? How could she tell anyone about the man in the woods? She didn’t believe it herself, after the visions had faded. Anyway, it would make breaking her promise harder to do, and Austra would try to come with her. She hadn’t lied just now when she told Austra that she’d been right about running away the first time. But things were different now. Now Austra had Cazio to protect her. This time she wasn’t running from her duty, she was running toward it, and if the Faiths were so insistent that she must be queen, they could bloody well protect her until she was.
She wouldn’t have her friends dying for her anymore. Because Austra was right. They wouldn’t stop. They would never stop. And though it would hurt Austra when she left again, Austra would live, and she would be protected.
Resolved to that, she went back up abovedecks to see whom else she had killed, and to find out whether any of them would live through the night.
She found the ship still following, and getting closer. As night fell, clouds rolled in, and the dark that followed was complete. Malconio put the ship through a series of turns as the wind quickened. There was no cheering now, because the only thing their enemies might have to follow was sound.
Anne returned to her cabin to try and sleep, but was awakened a few bells later by an explosion. Throwing on her dressing gown, she ran back up on the deck, fearing the ship had somehow found them.
But the ship hadn’t found them—a storm had.
10
Canals
Leoff awoke to a splitting headache and a small voice in his ear.
“Get up sir,” it said. “Please don’t be dead.”
The voice was nearly drowned out by a background cacophony of shouting and stamping feet. With an effort, Leoff opened his eyes. At first he saw only a blur, which, as it sharpened, became Mery’s small face.
“What’s happening?” he groaned.