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her hull and the apostis, the rowing frame, settles down over your ram and drags you under.
As for her spritsail, that was a sailor-like rigged job, nicely forward and yet well clear of her beak. I
watched the ex-slaves being ferried ashore. Among those on the beach I saw a group forming around
some object on the sand, and I heard loud guffaws, and hearty laughter, and many merry curses. I
strolled down.
A man, a very tall man, was upside down on the sand, his legs rhythmically bicycling in the air. Some of
the men were attempting to push him over. He did, at that, look a sight. I heard him yelling. Clear off,
onkers! I must abjure my taboos!
A guffawing render a towheaded man from one of the islands past Erthyrdrin pushed the tall
upside-down man and he rolled spraying sand.
Instantly, he was upside down again, his long fair hair sand-clogged, his legs rotating.
The renders and ex-slaves roared.
Taboos! They yodeled, getting set for their next prank.
I sighed.
I strode over and unlimbered my sword.
I stood before Inch.
If any man wishes to push this man over while he abjures his taboos, he must pass this rapier first.
After that, Inch could get on with it, and I could only wait until he had worked all the accumulated
taboo-breaks out of his system before I could ask him all the news.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The yellow cross on the scarlet field
Strigicawprowled the seas in search of plunder.
I never believed, Dray Prescot, that any man could claw back from the Ice Floes of Sicce.
Since I don t believe in investigating that shivery region for many years to come, Inch, your surprise is
unwarranted.
But, man! You just disappeared!
Evidently, what happened to me happened to you. I told him, briefly, how King Nemo had disposed
of me and he sighed and said: Much the same. I suppose I was getting too big for my boots. When you
vanished, no man knew whither, Tilda insisted I stay on. I had to you see that, don t you, Dray?
Of course. It was the honorable thing to do.
My swordship, making a most unpleasant business of beating into a devilish strong wind from the wrong
quarter and with a sea that made the use of oars out of the question, pitched and rolled. Spray drenched
us. My flags flew stiff as boards.
Being anafract, that is, without armor protection for the rowers, my artillery for I may use that word
of varters must be concentrated forward. We were far more a galley than a galleass, like the other
swordships. The others of Viridia s squadron were sailing far more weatherly than we and were pulling
away across the tumbled sea. Again I looked up at my flags. Up there the yellow cross of my clansmen
had been charged on the scarlet of Strombor. A brilliant yellow upright cross on a scarlet field. Yes,
those were my colors. A momentary stab of an emotion I did not want to recognizethe render flag, a
shaft of conscience, almost, that the pirate flag should wave in company with my own.
Inch had given me the news. He had tried to assist Tilda, and keep Pando under some sort of control;
but the wild zhantil had taken his newly-won status as a Kov to heart, and had lavished money and
armament on the king and, with a great levy, had gone to war. I ached that I had not been there to help
him and by helping him to draw him back from the folly of war.
I spoke out, Dray, and the next thing I knew was chained on the rowing beaches of a swordship
and, mark me a swordship of The Bloody Menaham.
I had noticed. They sold you, it seems.
The war was not going well when I ah left.
If that idiot Pando gets himself killed although, I spoke hopefully I expect he would be held for
ransom.
We didn t handle him the best way. The Kovnate went to his head a little.
Agreed. And, Inch, that was my fault. I was a fool.
Inch had not broken any taboos as yet since boardingStrigicaw, and I had swiftly adjusted to
remembering. Now he shook his head. Not so, Dray. You could always control him, and in the best
way, without a strap. I tried. But after you went he turned wild. There was no holding him.
Tilda?
He smiled. She is a good mother, and a wonderful woman and a superb actress. But I think being a
Kovneva was a trifle out of her experience. She tries to cope, but she has been drinking
No!
I am afraid so.
We ll have to go back, Inch, and sort them out.
Yes. It seems to me that is a task laid on us, for our sins.
For our sins, Zair be thanked.
And so what of Vallia? What of Delia of Delphond?
The strongest doubts existed that this wallowing swordshipStrigicaw would ever live through a passage
across the open sea. She was a swift galley built for coastal waters, up among the islands. Now, through
the sheets of spray, our consorts were a full dwabur upwind of us, and going hull down. Vallia would
have to wait. Delia I know I prayed she would understand and forgive me. But I was tortured by the
thought that her resistance had been broken down, and she had given into that imperial majesty, her
father, and married the oaf of his choice.
By Ngrangi! exclaimed Inch as the ship rolled and the wind tore at our canvas and water slopped
green. This tub will founder beneath us!
Spitz! I yelled to the archer from Loh. Before the flagship disappears! Hoist the white flag from the
main yard!
With a yell Spitz ran to obey.
That white flag from our yardarm, plus the simultaneous hauling down of the pirate flag from the main
truck, would indicate to Viridia, if her officers could pick the signal out, that we had been forced to return
to Careful Repose.
In the midst of giving the orders that would turn our head toward the easiest point of the compass for the
ship, Valka sprang up through the canvas coverings we had spread over the rowing benches to keep the
sea out and raced along the central gangway toward me. He glared up to the quarterdeck.
Only just about in time, Captain, if you ask me! The seams are working something horrible. We re
shipping water faster than the pumps can clear.
Muster a baling party, I told Valka. See they jump to it. I m taking this ship home never fear
unless something better comes along.
They all laughed at that, as though it were a jest.
The new course, off the wind and sea, eased the ship and I made a tour of inspection in the wildly
leaping vessel, feeling her working in the sea, and realized just how close we had been. The inspection I
had given her before we sailed had not been as thorough as I would have liked, and now I could see that
Viridia had been cheated although, no doubt, that troubled her not a whit. The new swordship she
had just taken would be fitted and ready by the time she returned from this cruise. Much of the
underwater planking was rotten, and I could push the point of my dagger into the wood with ease. I
began to entertain a conviction that the bottom would drop out before we made port. And all through the
rush of departure!
Thinking baleful thoughts I climbed up on deck again and ordered a tot of good red wine for every man.
When Spitz, having hauled down the white flag, began to rehoist the pirate flag I growled at him. Belay
that!
Certain ideas were meeting and melding in my head. I knew I was sick of the pirate trade and yet, its
fascination and its rewards, given that we would plunder only enemies, could not be denied.
Sail ho!
I stood on my ridiculous quarterdeck as we pitched and rolled and struggled in that sea, with a scrap of
canvas showing to keep us from being merely a waterlogged lump of drifting wreckage, and watched as,
on almost a reciprocal bearing, so close to the wind was she, a magnificent ship foamed toward us. She
passed like a queen of the seas. She took absolutely no notice of us at all. In reality, working as we were,
boarding would have been an operation too costly, as I judged. As it was that beautiful ship beat past us,
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