Pirate's Honor, page 8
"Thank you, Torius." She slithered over and nuzzled his neck, nipping him with her fangs.
He felt a moment's lightheadedness as her venom perfused his body, and relaxed into the familiar sensation. "I really should stop this someday," he murmured.
"Why?" Celeste nuzzled his neck again. "If it gives you pleasure ..."
"The cravings ..." He didn't want to hurt her feelings; she felt bad enough for his addiction already. "They're just ...inconvenient sometimes."
"If you want me to stop, I will." She leaned in and kissed him.
"Maybe when we have some time, but not today." He ran his hands down her smooth scales, wishing they had a potion, or that she had the new spell to cast. Their relationship was nothing if not challenging. He suppressed his urges and nodded to the necklace. "Just be careful with that, Celeste. It's our stake. We sell this, we're back in business, and we can take some time for ourselves."
"The observatory?" Her face lit up once again.
"Exactly." He doffed his jacket and sat on the edge of the bunk to pull off his boots. He was glad she looked forward to their trip, though sometimes it seemed that she loved the night sky more than she loved him. "I need to get some sleep. I relieve Thillion at midnight."
"You're taking the midwatch? I'll join you on the quarterdeck."
"That would be nice." He removed his shirt and trousers and lay down, pulling the light sheet over him to ward off the cool night air. "Wake me at midnight. Good night, Celeste."
"Good night, my captain."
He rolled over, automatically bracing himself against the roll of the ship. Sailors learned early to sleep when the opportunity arose, and Torius had spent most of his life on the sea. But tonight, with the excitement of the ruse, the relief that it had all gone so well, and the prized Star of Thumen safe in his grasp, he found his mind preoccupied. Consequently, he was still awake when he heard the faint jingle of the necklace being drawn from its bag, and the click of the clasp closing around Celeste's neck. The quiet scratch of a stylus reached his ears as she began to transcribe the knowledge of the ancient Osirian pharaohs.
Gozreh be merciful, he thought, forcing himself to rest while he could.
paizo.com #2495541, Ronald Hartman
Chapter Six
Dawn of Surprises
Why didn't I see this coming?
Celeste set her eye once again to her telescope and scanned the eastern sky. The horizon glowed pale pink with predawn light, muting the stars' radiance, but she could still discern the Lantern Bearer as the constellation rose from the sea. She aimed the telescope lower until wave crests heaved into her field of view, and there it was! A scarlet pinpoint edged into sight, as if the Lantern Bearer's torch burned with two flames. Akiton the Red, the war planet, representing danger, death, mayhem ...
Fool! she derided herself. She had been completely focused on figuring out the puzzle of her last prophecy for Torius. The confusion of whether his dreams' desire meant the dream that Vreva had invaded, implying that Torius desired the courtesan, or the new spell they had found, which implied that his desire was for more intimacy with Celeste, had left her drifting like flotsam on a stormy sea. As a result, she had neglected to track the future courses of the planets among the stars. She should have foretold this warning days ago, given them time to anticipate and prepare.
Danger, death, mayhem ...
"I'm blind," she murmured as she gathered up her astrological texts, instruments, and charts.
Celeste slithered from the quarterdeck down to the main deck, barely aware of the crew. It was well into the morning watch, and Torius was sleeping in their cabin. They had enjoyed four starlit hours during his watch, but now, exhausted, he had gone back to bed. She had stayed on deck to take one more navigational fix for Grogul when she sighted the rising red fleck on the horizon.
"I've got to warn him."
She entered the sterncastle and slithered past the galley, flicking her tongue absently: biscuits, sausage, and porridge. Normally, she would stop to enjoy the aromas, but now she ignored them. The cabin door opened before her and she slithered inside, depositing her things on the navigation table before moving to Torius's bunk. He slept soundly, his back against the bulkhead, legs and arms braced against the pitch and roll of the ship. She hated to wake him, but this was important.
"Torius," she whispered, bending close, trying not to startle him awake; he was disagreeable when startled. "Torius. I must speak with you."
"Torius isn't here. He's sleeping." The captain opened one eye, then closed it. "Unless the ship's on fire."
"The ship's not on fire, but I need to speak to you. Something dire is coming. Soon. Maybe today."
"What?" He opened both eyes and blinked. "Celeste, I just got to sleep. If this is another prophecy, can't it wait until after breakfast?"
"I'm sorry. I know you're tired, but this is something I should have seen coming. I was distracted by ...other things, and I missed it. Akiton the Red rises in the Lantern Bearer's constellation, Torius. It's a red dawn. There'll be blood by the end of the day."
"Blood?" He propped himself up on one elbow to look at her. "You think that we're in danger because Akiton is coming up with the sun and happens to be in the Lantern Bearer's constellation?"
"Yesss!" She reared back at his dismissive tone. "Don't discount this, Torius. I'm telling you, there is danger coming."
"I don't doubt you, Celeste, but think about it. We're pirates, for Gozreh's sake! Isn't prophecy of danger pretty much a constant for us?" He flopped back down onto his pillow and turned his back to her.
"Aren't you going to do something?" she asked, glaring at him in disbelief.
"Yes. I'm going to sleep at least three more hours and then eat my breakfast so I'm ready to face this danger you've prophesied."
Her tail slapped the table leg.
"Please don't bite me, Celeste. I'm serious. I need sleep."
"So you're going to ignore this until the danger appears and just hope for the bessst?"
"No. You're right. Please tell Grogul to keep a sharp lookout for danger of any kind. He's to pass that order to Thillion when the watch changes. If anyone spots anything, they're to wake me immediately." He rolled back and opened one eye to look at her. "Is that enough for me not to get bitten?"
"Barely," she hissed. "Pleasant dreamsss, Torius. Maybe Vreva will come visit you again while you sleep."
She slithered out of the cabin before he could say another word—or worse, start snoring.
∗ ∗ ∗
"Sails! Sails on the horizon!"
Torius woke with the lookout's call, blinking sleep from his eyes. Light crept around the curtains covering the ports; the sun was up.
"Where away?" Grogul's call told Torius that it was still the morning watch. Instinctively, he did some quick calculations and got a rough mental fix on their position.
"Twenty degrees off the starboard bow. Three ships. Two-masted lateen rigs, hull down."
Lateen rigs meant galleys or dhows: warships or slavers if they were galleys, coastal merchants or fishermen if they were dhows. He waited, anticipating Grogul's next question.
"What color sails?"
"White!"
It seemed that sleep was out of the question this morning. Torius levered himself out of his bunk. He hadn't gotten enough sleep by half, but he knew Grogul would be pounding on his door in a minute. It was probably just fishing dhows running their nets, but it was best to have a look just in case it turned out to be something dangerous.
An uneasy memory hit him. What was it? Half asleep, groggy, Celeste bending over him. He had nearly convinced himself that it had been a dream. His recollection was muddled, but he remembered something about another prophecy. Danger.
And he'd discounted it.
He glanced over to where Celeste lay curled on her pillows, her smooth, sinuous body perfectly still save for her slow, even breathing. Torius dragged on a shirt and trousers and quietly eased himself out of the cabin, bootless so as not to wake her.
Gozreh be merciful, he thought as he made his way up to the deck. The cool morning breeze ruffled his hair as he emerged, and he reflexively scanned the sky to gauge the weather. The few low clouds would burn off with the heat of day, but high horsetails from the south could mean increasing winds. Right now the winds were about ten knots dead east, and Stargazer was slowly beating close-hauled to the southeast against light seas.
"Captain!" Grogul lowered the spyglass he was peering through as Torius mounted the steps to the quarterdeck. "Lookout's sighted sails to the south off our starboard bow. Three ships, lateen-rigged two masters. They're not slavers."
"I heard." He held out a hand and Grogul dutifully put his spyglass into it.
"Can't see much from the deck yet, sir. Just their top pennants."
Torius took a look anyway, grunting when he spied the tiny triangles of white topped with streaming red pennants. "Well, they're not fishermen like I'd hoped." Looking up at the crow's nest, he noted that Grogul had already changed over to their white sails. "Who's on the foretop?"
"Lacy Jane, sir," the bosun said.
"And the time?"
"It's just coming up on six bells."
"Wake Thillion. Let's see if his elf eyes can give us some details."
"Aye, sir."
In less than five minutes, Thillion was on deck. He snapped a salute and said, "I was just finishing breakfast, sir. What's wrong?"
"Nothing yet, but I could use a pair of sharp eyes on the foretop." He handed over the spyglass. "Sails sighted two points off our starboard bow. They look like galleys, but I want details."
"Aye, sir!" The elf tucked the spyglass into his belt and dashed to the foremast shrouds. He climbed the ratlines like a spider on a web, stretching his long legs and arms up two rungs at a time, then flipped up into the crow's nest. He raised the spyglass, and in moments called down, "Three Osirian war galleys, Captain. They're running full and by, and using their sweeps as well. Heading about three-two-zero degrees and probably making ten knots!"
"Gozreh's guts," Torius muttered, clenching his fists. "I hate it when she's right about these things."
"Captain?" Grogul looked concerned.
"Nothing." Torius bit his lip and scanned the sky again. "Well, we don't know they're after us yet, but there's an easy way to find out. Tack the ship, Grogul. Point us straight north for the open sea. If they deviate to follow, we'll know the jig is up."
"Aye, sir." Grogul shouted orders and the crew prepared to bring the ship about.
Thillion returned to the quarterdeck and handed the spyglass back to Torius. "We're running?"
"We're changing course," Torius corrected. "They've got no reason to suspect us of anything, but there's no point in taking chances. If they chase us, then we run."
"Like a gigolo from a jealous husband," Grogul joked as he watched the sailors prepare. When all was ready, he bellowed, "Hard a-lee!"
Windy Kate spun the wheel, and Stargazer turned up into the wind. The jibs backwinded first, and as they pulled the bow around and through the point of wind, sailors loosed the windward sheets and tightened the leeward ones. In moments, canvas snapped taut as the crew sheeted the jibs and staysails home, and they surged off on their new course.
"Rig the squares, Grogul." Torius handed the spyglass back to the half-orc. "I'm going to put on my boots and have breakfast."
"Aye, sir." Grogul relayed the orders. The foremast jacks swarmed aloft and were unfurling the big square-rigged foresails as Torius ducked through the sterncastle door.
Torius went aft and eased open the door to his cabin, trying not to wake Celeste. After the sunlight on deck, it seemed doubly dark inside.
"We've tacked," Celeste said, her disembodied voice drifting to him in the dimness of the cabin. Her scales rustled as she stirred from her cushions. "Trouble?"
"Not yet, but there are three Osirian war galleys to the south. We tacked to find out if they're interested in chasing us, though there's no reason why they should be." He retrieved his boots and put them on, then put his sword on as well—not because he needed it, but just to make himself feel better. "And yes, I know you told me there would be danger."
"Maybe next time I tell you something, you'll actually listen." She didn't sound angry, but she didn't sound happy either.
"What should I have done, Celeste?" Her implication that this was somehow his fault annoyed him. "If I'd changed course when you told me, we might very well have run into some other danger. I know your prophesies are real, but they don't provide enough information for me to act before they come true."
"Would you rather I stopped reading the stars for you?" Her voice sounded smaller now. Hurt. His eyes were adjusting to the low light, and her pale features seemed suspended in the air above her nest of pillows.
"No, Celeste." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He was tired and hungry, and this conversation wasn't going well. "It's not that I think your prophesies aren't valuable. It's just that, more often than not, I don't know how to act on them. And I don't like the friction that causes between us."
"I see." She settled back down to her cushions, watching him. "I'll help all I can, Torius. That's all I can offer."
"That's all I can ask." He opened the door, then turned back to her before went through. "Get some sleep. We may need your help if this goes bad."
Only after a hearty breakfast and two cups of Soursop's rigging tar-strength coffee did Torius feel ready to face the day. The day, however, seemed destined to try his patience. When he returned to the quarterdeck, both Thillion and Grogul looked at him with grim faces.
"They're after us," the half-orc said, his tone brooking no argument. "As soon as we tacked, they altered course to intercept."
"They're pulling hard and making all of ten knots, Captain," Thillion added.
"Gozreh's guts!" Torius pulled out his spyglass and looked to the south. The sails, emblazoned with the golden scarab of Osirion, were edging above the horizon now, though the galleys' long, low hulls were still beyond his view. "Why the hell are they after us?"
"It could be that they're approaching for nothing more than identification purposes." Thillion's words sounded reasonable—but then, he'd only been a pirate for a few days.
"Smells like a trap to me," Grogul said, hawking and spitting over the rail.
"But in the entire Inner Sea, how could anyone know that we'd be here, now, right after stealing the ..." Torius's words wound down and he lowered the spyglass as his mind snapped to the only possible conclusion. "Vreva."
"Who's Vreva?" Thillion asked.
"You think she sold us out?" Grogul growled.
"Who else knew we'd be in this vicinity and carrying stolen Osirian property? The trade route between Sothis and Ostenso is well established, so it's pretty easy to deduce where we would strike. And Vreva knows I always take our loot to Katapesh to sell; it's where I get the best price."
"We're too predictable, you mean," Grogul said.
"Who's Vreva?" Thillion asked again.
Torius slapped the rail in frustration. "But why? It doesn't make sense."
"Who the hell is Vreva?" Thillion snapped, scowling at them both as the Osirians' sails grew larger by the minute.
"A courtesan in Okeno, one of my informants, and apparently a traitorous bitch." Torius raised the spyglass again, gauging the warships' distance and angle of approach. "If she rolled on us, someone must have paid her damn well for it. She's made some serious money from our business association; she wouldn't give that up without the right incentive."
"Seems to me we gotta live through this before we start worryin' about who rolled on us and why, Captain," Grogul suggested. "Should we bear off the wind a few points? It'd decrease their angle of approach and might keep them from cuttin' us off."
"No." Torius shook his head and scanned the sky once again. "Stargazer's best tack is a beam reach. We run like the Archfiend himself is on our heels for open sea. Bend every sail she'll bear, Grogul, and shift weight to starboard to stiffen her up. If you can squeeze another knot out of her, they won't cut us off." He felt heartened, sure that Stargazer could outrun the galleys.
"But if what you say is true, and we've been betrayed, they will undoubtedly continue the chase," Thillion said, obviously worried.
"No doubt!" Torius agreed with a grin. "But galleys don't handle open sea well, and it looks like a blow is brewing. If Gozreh blesses us with bad weather, we'll lose them."
"And if she doesn't?" Thillion asked.
"Then this afternoon will be all kinds of fun," Grogul said with a maniacal grin.
"Don't worry, Thillion." Torius clapped the nervous elf on the shoulder. "This is the not-so-easy side of pirating, but we've been in tighter spots than this. Pass the word to Snick; tell her to rig for action just in case. I'm going to see if I can get some more sleep. Wake me if anything changes."
"Aye, sir!" the first mate and bosun both replied before turning to their duties.
Torius entered the cabin quietly, but a lamp was on, and Celeste was already awake when she raised her head from her pillows.
"Well?" she asked, her body undulating as she uncoiled and slithered over to him.
"They're after us," he said, sitting on his bunk and wrenching off his boots. "We're running for open sea where the weather will work to our advantage."
"Will they catch us?"
"We'll know by this afternoon." He pulled off his shirt and flung it onto his bunk. "Your prophecy was spot on. We're in danger."
"And you were right," she said, floating his shirt up with her magic and hanging it on a peg. "There was no way to know what form the danger would take, and no way to act to prevent it."
"Well, now we know, and we're taking action." He pulled off his trousers, hung them deliberately on their own peg and strolled over to her. "Until we know more, I suggest we both get some rest. We could be in for a busy afternoon."
"How can you think of sleeping?" she asked.
