“You think it’s following us?” Shang-Li asked.
Iados shrugged. “It’s possible that there was another ship that wanted to get an early jump on the tide. But this is much too soon for fishermen, and cargo captains like to make the night last as long as they can.”
“For the moment, let’s keep this among ourselves.”
“The captain and the ship’s mage need to know.”
“I’ll tell them.” He studied the ship. “Who would follow us out of Westgate?”
“There’s only one group I know that could do that on such short notice,” Iados said. “The Nine Golden Swords might want revenge on you or the ship’s mage, or perhaps both. Or for plunder. Lots of reasons to get out of Westgate so quickly.”
“They might not know what we’re after.”
“No, but you’ve got a ship as well as a cargo of supplies. And they know you often seek out lost treasures. Either might be enough.” Iados smiled cruelly. “All of that together makes us an attractive target.”
Shang-Li silently agreed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Four days out of Westgate, the mysterious ship showed up again. The wind had favored them and Swallow had taken advantage of it. Despite the provisions, she’d been lightly loaded and skimmed across the ocean surface. After the second day, Shang-Li had grown confident they’d outdistanced the other ship.
Now, it was back.
“Are you sure it’s the same ship?” his father asked.
“Yes.” Shang-Li peered through a telescoping spyglass. “She’s the same design, a cog.”
“There are many such ships. Telling one from another must be very hard.”
“Not if you have a trained eye, Master Kwan,” Amree called down from above. She sat on a yard beside Moonwhisper and fed the owl bits of meat from her hand.
The fact that she’d crawled there without Shang-Li’s knowledge irritated him almost as much as Moonwhisper eating from her hand like a docile pet. Traitor, he thought at the owl.
Moonwhisper ignored him and greedily accepted another morsel from the ship’s mage. The owl even stretched his great wings in appreciation.
“You can tell by the way she handles and the way the crew responds to he r,” Amree continued. “Probably in the same fashion you can identify an author’s work from the use of words and quill stroke. That’s the same ship that followed us out of Westgate.”
Kwan Yung preened at that. “Exactly.”
“I’m sure not everyone can be taught that skill.”
Shang-Li felt his father’s gaze on him but didn’t bother to acknowledge it. The ship’s mage had quickly learned to manipulate the relationship between father and son.
“You can try,” his father said with a hint of dejection and disappointment, “but some students remain uneducated nonetheless.”
“You have to love what you do.”
“And remain focused on what you desire to learn without letting yourself get distracted.” “Exactly.”
“Have you eaten this morning, Ship’s Mage Amree?” “As a matter of fact, I haven’t, and I find myself famished.”
“Perhaps we could continue this appreciation of expertise over a meal.” “Happily.”
From the corner of his eye, Shang-Li saw Amree swing lithely and flip away from the yard and the lines. She landed on the deck with a slight thump only a few feet from Shang-Li.
“Keep an eye on that ship,” she said as she passed him. “If it starts getting any closer, let me know.”
Shang-Li growled an affirmative and watched her walk away with his father. Then he turned his attention back to the ship.
Shang-Li peered at the other ship through the spyglass. There was no doubt that the mystery ship had decided to aim directly for them. All her sails hung from the masts and caused her to resemble a great cloud skimming low over the ocean’s surface. She was close enough that he could spot ship’s crew eagerly hanging onto the railing. They held cutlasses and other weapons knotted in their scarred fists. Many of them pounded the hilts of their weapons against the ship’s side, but the noise didn’t yet reach Swallow.
“Can she outrun us?” Iados asked.
Captain Chiang nodded. “She’s doing a fair job of it now. We’re full into the wind and letting Swallow have her head. But that ship is built for running. Look at that spread of canvas.”
Shang-Li had to admit that the captain was right. The other ship seemed to have more sails grabbing the wind than Swallow possessed.
“She’s a pursuit ship,” Amree declared. “Built for speed. I’ll wager she has an improved hull as well, something that makes her cut through the water much more surely than Swallow can.”
“That ship was gone for two days,” Iados said.
“Not gone,” Amree corrected. “Still out there. We just didn’t see her.”
“If she didn’t see us, then how did she stay on our track?”
Amree pointed up. “Ever known doves to fly so far from land?”
Shang-Li glanced up and spotted the two white birds cutting through the pale blue sky. The birds paced Swallow, flitting back and forth to overtake her and fall behind again.
“You might have mentioned them before,” Shang-Li said.
“I just noticed them this morning, when I was wondering how the ship had kept us in view.”
“It would have been better had you noticed them sooner.”
Amree shot him an unpleasant look. “Or I might never have noticed them. It might have taken someone pointing them out to me for me to see them. Like some others I could mention.”
Chastened, Shang-Li said nothing.
“If they make the mistake of losing sight of us again for a time,” Iados said, “I’ll take a bow and pluck their spies from the sky.”
“I think the time for games has passed,” Captain Chiang stated calmly. “I, for one, don’t like the idea of being taken by pirates. I won’t believe in whatever tender mercies they would offer us for a quiet surrender. It would probably go even worse for you, Master Kwan.”
Kwan Yung scowled at the ship. “The fact that they have come all this way makes it apparent these men aren’t after revenge for anything my son or our ship’s mage has done.”
“They’ve got the smell of treasure up their noses,” Thava said.
“That’s an idea even desperate men cling to.” Captain Chiang looked at his nearby crewmen. “Prepare to repel boarders. And get the archers to their posts.”
Fear and excitement warred within Shang-Li as he watched the ship quickly closing the distance. They were at a distinct disadvantage and everyone aboard Swallow knew that.
Shang-Li took several deep breaths. His heart rate slowed and a cold calm came over him. He ran his hands along the polished longbow and felt the smooth grain with his fingers.
“We’re going to know in short order if Chiang’s men have any stomach for fighting,” Iados said quietly. “Though our ship’s mage seems to be spoiling for a fight.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Shang-Li watched Amree standing on the ship’s sterncastle. She had her arms folded and her jaw was firm. If she had any hesitation about the coming confrontation, it didn’t show.
“She’s a scrappy one,” Iados said. “You might want to wipe that grin off your face before she catches you wearing it.”
Embarrassed, Shang-Li forced the smile away and focused on the approaching ship. The vessel was almost within bowshot. His gaze traveled the ship’s railing and the sailors gathered there. Nearly all of them were Shou.
“Well, accuracy isn’t going to be an issue for a time,” the tiefling commented. “They’re packed tightly enough that all you have to do is aim your arrow for the deck and you’ll hit one of them.”
“True, but their archers are going to be shooting back.”
“I’d suggest we concentrate on them at the beginning.”
“Agreed.” Shang-Li read the ship’s name, in Shou, on her broadside: Lotus Bee. She was decorated in red and black.
A white flag ran up the main mast.
Captain Chiang stepped up onto the stern deck beside Amree. The captain’s leather armor showed wear and tear from past encounters.