“Mages have always treated shadows as nothing,” Asha said.
“They don’t have to be nothing, Asha. Alain is a Mage and he sees me as real, and I think he’s seeing a lot of other people that way, too.”
“I watch and I listen,” Asha said. “I learn.”
Mage Dav came up the ladder, followed by the three other Mages with their faces concealed under the hoods of their robes. Mage Dav nodded to Mari and led the other Mages to a spot on deck where they would be least in the way. There all four sat down facing each other in a tight circle.
“Are those… safe Mages?” the captain asked in a worried voice.
“Mage Dav vouches for them,” Mari said. “If they can’t behave themselves they won’t stay. For now, try to work around them. How soon can we get underway?”
“We’re taking in the line to the anchor buoy now.”
Mari looked over the side, seeing that Alli, Mechanic Dav and the fourth new Mechanic were all coming up the ladder. The launch was just pushing off, the boat officer and the rowers pausing to wave enthusiastic farewells.
Waving back, Mari felt the Gray Lady begin moving as her sails unfurled and began catching the wind.
“We have the tide with us,” the captain said, “but it’s a long ways out of the harbor. Hopefully any galleys outside the harbor will be caught napping when we leave.”
“Whoa!” Bev said loudly enough to cause everyone to look at her, and then at what she was looking at.
Mari saw the cloud of smoke from the Mechanic ship was now lit from beneath by showers of sparks and a few actual flames coming from the stack. “They split their boiler. Lucky it happened before they had pressure up, or half this harbor would have felt the explosion.”
“Think they’ll lose the ship?” Alli asked, coming up to Mari. “I hope it was all right to let Mage Dav bring those other Mages with us.”
“Yeah. I trust Mage Dav.” Mari took another look toward the stricken steamship. “The flames seem to be subsiding. I think they’ll save the ship, but it’s not going to be going anywhere soon. Alli, we have to keep everyone alert and ready until we clear this harbor. Get the other two rifles distributed. I’ll give mine to Calu since I have my pistol.”
“Got it.”
Mari leaned on the rail, feeling exhausted, grateful that she could depend on Alli to manage the other Mechanics. Calu could do it, too, for that matter. “Mage Asha, can you tell if any Mages are working on big spells?”
Asha shook her head. “I do not sense such activity near the harbor. The elders have no doubt been surprised. But it would not be wise to give them time to overcome their surprise.”
As badly as she wanted to run into the cabin to find out how the healers were doing with Alain, Mari held herself at the rail, watching the dark shapes of anchored ships slide by with increasing speed as the Gray Lady tacked through the harbor. They were so close to getting out of Julesport in one piece.
The Gray Lady glided gently toward the exit from the harbor, her sails drawing well on the light breeze. Of necessity, her course was bringing the Gray Lady close by the largest Confederation warship in the harbor, a three-masted frigate mounting two big ballistae on her deck. Looking like giant crossbows, the ballistae could be pivoted to fire off either side. But Mari saw no reason to be worried about the Confederation warship. She kept her eyes forward, searching for any signs of Syndari galleys near the harbor mouth.
Her complacency was rudely shattered by a hail from the Confederation warship. “Ahoy the clipper! Shorten your sails!”
Mari spun to look at the warship, seeing crewmembers running along the deck and up the rigging while others rushed to the ballistae. “I don’t believe it. Why is the Confederation moving against us?”
Alli was standing beside her again. “Alain’s still out cold, isn’t he?”
“As far as I know.”
“Can any of the other Mages do that fire thing?”
“Asha?”
“No,” Asha said, her lack of emotion making the single word sound oddly complacent.
Mari ran through options in her mind and didn’t find any good ones. Without Alain, their ability to defeat the big warship was pretty much nonexistent. “Alli, get our Mechanics lined up and ready to fire. Mage Asha, if you or the other Mages can disable that ship somehow, let me know.”
“We are on the water. There is little power here.”
“Of course,” Mari grumbled. “Captain! Tell that warship that we’ve got clearance to leave this harbor! Colonel Faron gave us clearance!”
The captain of the Gray Lady complied, raising his speaking trumpet. “Ahoy the warship! We’ve got clearance to leave! Courtesy of Colonel Faron of Julesport!”
Mari watched the crew of the warship continue their frantic activity, bringing up the anchor and loosing sails. Others were swinging out the ballistae. Mari saw her small group of Mechanics at the rail of the Gray Lady, measured them against the number of sailors on the warship, and knew even six Mechanic rifles couldn’t hope to deal with this threat.
“Ahoy the clipper!” the hail from the warship came again. “Shorten sail now!”
Chapter Five
The captain of the Gray Lady shook his head, looking at Mari. “Unless you’ve a miracle handy, Lady, I’d recommend doing as they say.”
My miracle is still unconscious in a bunk, Mari thought bitterly. “If we don’t comply and that warship opens fire at this range, we’ll be ripped apart. At the least, we need to buy time. Do it!” she yelled at the captain.
The captain shouted the necessary orders and his sailors raced aloft to pull in the Gray Lady’s sails, reducing the amount of area the wind could strike and therefore causing the small clipper’s speed to fall off. The captain raised his speaking trumpet again. “We’re shortening sail.”
“Thank you!” the warship called back.
Alli looked back at Mari. “Thank you?”
Mari stared at the warship, then gave the Gray Lady’s captain a perplexed look. “Are Confederation warships normally that polite when they’re trying to intercept other ships?”
The captain looked equally baffled. “Not in my experience. Not polite at all.”
The voice from the warship called again. “Shorten sail more! You’ll be too far ahead!”
“I thought that was the idea,” Bev complained. “Aren’t we trying to escape? What’s going on?”
Once again the captain shook his head to indicate he didn’t know.
Mari hit her limit. “I can’t fight people when I don’t even know if they’re trying to fight me!” She strode aft and took the speaking trumpet from the captain. “On the warship! Why are you asking us to slow down?”
After a brief pause, the warship called back. “Weren’t you told?”
Mari glared around the deck of the Gray Lady. “Was anybody told anything?” Blank stares met her question. She raised the speaking trumpet again. “No! What should we have been told?”
“The Confederation is tired of the Syndaris harassing shipping. At the request of the Julesport city council, Confederation warships Intrepid and Gallant have been ordered to leave the harbor immediately and prevent any Syndari galleys from interfering with free commerce.”
“I’ll be damned,” the captain said, for once at a loss for other words.
“You’re escorting us out of the harbor?” Mari called back.