8. River of dreams

"Port side, half a cable!” yelled the lookout, pointing enthusiastically for the rapidly growing cluster of eager eyes on the landward rail.

“What is it?” came the call from the nearest fishing ship's lookout, her lower elevation not permitting her to see as far as the bigger ship.

“Wood and cloth in the water?” the reply snapped back over the chatter on deck.

“Get back!” a loud voice cut over the babble. “Back, all of you! Clear the rails!” Captain Zalori bellowed. His face quite the opposite of the excited visages of the young ones swirling about him. “And quiet!" he hissed at the children who were still making noise. "Silence on deck! Now!”

The call was quickly passed, and silence fell over the little fleet, save the odd rope creaking as the long ocean swells passed. The hopeful mewing of Spike pleading for more food and water snuck through the hands of the sailor holding the cat, quickly shushed.

Angelica too fell back from the rail. In theory the ship was actually now hers, but she had learnt years before that owning something was very different to knowing how it worked, or that an order would always result in the desired result. Caterham had dispelled such notions many times.

“Starboard bow!” the other lookout called. “Looks like debris”.

The Captain had not gone forward to the lookouts, rather he was rapidly ascending the mast on the windward side, followed by a pair of sailors climbing nimbly up the ropes as easily as one might ascend a grand staircase. Angelica strained to see, but the moody shadows from the burning horizon swallowed the detail of what they were doing aloft. However she could hear.

“Daverka, starboard two points! Barrels in the water!” Zalori bellowed, the call taken up between the fishing ships. Angelica watched entranced as the small fishing ship beyond and astern of Tol-Varus' ship turned gracefully, her sailors trimming the sales as she came into a close hauled run. Angelica could not see what they were being directed to, but from the pointing on their deck the little ship clearly did; sailors rapidly readying a length of rope on a ball and another climbing outboard with a boat hook.

"All ships reduce sail!" Zalori bellowed, the calls of the order quickly relayed. Angelica was careful to stand quite still as the organized chaos played out about her, the hiss and snap of ropes and creak of leather on wood as the mainsail was lowered and reefed in, sheets eased, and some of the small triangular sails furled up into neat rolls entirely. She felt the movement of the ship change beneath her: the long rolling rush of the ship cutting through the waves replaced by a more sedate bobbing as they slowed in caution.

"Mi'Lady" Tori-Anna touched her on the arm breaking the enchantment of watching the sailors mastery over their tiny islands that held their dreams and lives. "Mi'Lady, I must insist."

"What?" Angelica replied in confusion.

"Come below with me, right now." Tori-Anna said with a cold insistence in her voice that left no room for doubt that something deadly serious was in play. Angelica threw her eyes towards the horizon; nothing had changed. Then to the two fishing ships to port, but she could not work out what was going on.

"Now" Tori-Anna stepped close to Angelica, placed one hand on Angelica's shoulder, the other in the small of her back, and started walking.

Angelica opened her mouth to protest but realized Liva had taken up an identical position opposite Tori-Anna, and short of making a proper fuss there was simply no chance she could resist the two soldiers' 'guidance'. Indeed it would be a simple matter for them to simply pick her up and carry her between them.

"Keep calm" Olga whispered urgently from close behind them as they hustled down into the Captain's Cabin. Within were Antaryon and Alexandras.

It took Angelica a little to work out what was different. They were fully armed, with their chain shirts and plates on over their gambesons. It took some time, but eventually, so was she.

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"Starboard, in the wreckage!" the sailor yelled monotonously, then adding hastily "ones moving!", his sorrow at what he had seen all afternoon shifting into triumph.

Angelica held her breath as the ship hove to, Zalori timing the manoeuvre perfectly. The big ship drew close, but not dangerously so, to what looked like a spar with two barrels lashed to it with scraps of cloth tied on as well. Only the scraps of cloth were people.

With a splash one of Zalori's sailors was in the water, swimming with short, powerful strokes to the nearest person. As much as she wanted to see, Angelica simply could not make out what was going on. A flash of a knife? The sailor deftly caught a rope thrown from the ship, and tied it she guessed.

Presently the first person was hauled up on deck, and the sailor moved around the spar towards the other, as well as tying ropes onto the spar itself. The barrels would be hauled aboard as well, nothing useful that they they could quickly salvage would be left. Soon enough, the big ship bit into the wind and began to gather speed again. Angelica strained to see, but a gentle hand 'casually' on her shoulder from Tori-Anna held her well back. It had only taken a few words from her guard to keep even the most inquisitive children back as well, but the babble had intensified with the wind.

As much as she chafed at the wait, and the poor view, Angelica understood all too well why she must play her part now. This was different; this was dangerous. She looked about for Olga, but could not see her anywhere. Around her were cold metal and obvious menace, even a number of priceless longbows had been removed from their oilskin cases and checked, ready to be strung.

After what seemed an eternity, the first survivor was presented to Tori-Anna, who had taken a pace forward from Angelica. Tori-Anna's own fine cloak with its beautifully embroidered coat of arms had been hastily fetched from whatever box held it previously. It moved gently in the wind as a quiet statement of authority, the silver-gold thread flashing with fire from the horizon.

The young woman looked truly awful. Her mid-length white hair savaged by the salt and rain, lips crusted and cracked from salt and lack of water, large deep hued eyes marred by fresh blood oozing down the side of her face from a nasty scrape on her forehead. Angelica wanted to rush over and hug her, give her water, and do all she could ... instead, she stood with her left hand casually on her sword pommel, feet stable and ready; a perfect imitation of Liva's pose.

"He... he..l ... hello." the young woman gasped "I am called Polite." she forced the words out "I come in peace and seek sanctuary under your laws." her voice was little more than a half-dead whisper.

Tori-Anna stepped forward at the formal words, and clasped the girl's right arm with her own. "You are welcome, let history begin anew between us. What is your house?" she said, and offered her own canteen to the girl to drink from.

"I am of no house" the girl responded quietly after taking a careful sip, and hung her head, all too aware how grim a station she could be appointed to, with no recourse.

"STOP!" a man bellowed from behind the woman. "I forbid this! Stooooooop!"

Angelica looked up ... the second survivor was taller, and older. His once-fine robe hanging off his emaciated form as he moved. His beard was a ginger colour on one side, the other more blonde, and the middle quite possibly the colour of day old stew. "By the terms of the Peace of the Vale I demand passage to ... to ... " he stammered "to safety!" he finished with a flourish.

The Mann stomped up, well, more squelched up, to Tori-Anna and pushed Polite aside as if she was an errant chicken. He looked at Tori-Anna and snorted "Hello little girl, you should not play dress-up with your Father's cloak. Who is really in charge here?" he cast his eyes about, searching faces, with a cruel certainty of knowledge.

He suddenly flinched, all the colour draining from his face.

"Hands" a cool male voice stated plainly. From the tone, it was obviously not a request.

The Mann slowly extended his arms, palms up, to either side of his body. Only then did Maygus remove the dagger point from the back of the stranger's neck, some straggly hairs fluttering to the deck. With a hiss of metal on hardened leather, Maygus drew his family sword and held it before their rather unpleasant guest.

"Bravo" the Mann said. "At last, someone I can respect here" he looked at Maygus "I am Ithikari. I would claim your ship as my own ... but I know your Father. Are you as good as he is?"

"Was" Maygus stated without inflection. "Better" Maygus added casually. "I will honour the Treaty. And you will be nice." Maygus twisted his sword, reflecting the red light from the horizon into Itihkari's eyes.

"Or else I will skin you, gut you, and then if you are feeling charitable cut off my head?" the Mann replied "Don't bother saying it, I knew your Father."

"Good talk." Maygus sheathed his sword in one smooth motion while leaving his eyes locked with Ithikari's, and stepped back behind the newcomer with a hard smile etched on his features.

The Mann turned towards Polite and lifted his chin, squared his shoulders, and puffed out his scrawny chest. A wicked leer played over his features. "She is mine. I require her to be placed in my cabin."

Angelica felt her blood being to rise, her right hand flashing to the hilt of her sword. Liva was quick too though, her hand discretely stopping Angelica drawing.

"No." Tori-Anna replied in a pleasant voice.

"No?!" Ithikari roared "No?!" he was rapidly changing colour as he screamed at Tori-Anna from less than an arm's length distant.

"No. She is one of us now, she claimed and was granted sanctuary." Tori-Anna replied pleasantly "And regrettably we have no spare cabins. Although we do have one small room that we can make available."

"No, this cannot be!" the Mann roared in fury, the veins on his head threatening to burst as he turned scarlet with rage. "She is not yours until accepted to a House. Who is her sponsor, what is her station? Eh?! Tell me that or she is mine!" He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms in self-declared triumph.

"Mine" Angelica said quietly "and her station is Countess."

"You can't!" the Mann roared in anger. "Who are you anyway!"

"She just did" Tori-Anna replied sweetly "take him to the brig." Two sailors stepped up and grabbed Ithikari by the arms, dragging him off under a storm of words and halo of furious spittle, all carried off the deck by the wind.

"Erm ... did we just declare war?" Angelica asked cautiously.

"No" Tori-Anna replied with a broad smile "I just imprisoned him for speaking impolitely before you."

"Ah." Angelica replied. "So ... Countess Polite?"

The young woman had quietly stepped well out of sword length while the matter played out, and lightly stepped before Angelica, falling to both knees with her head bowed. She did not look up, her eyes closed tight in expectation of something bad happening. Instead, Angelica started to gently clean the gash over her eye with a soft cloth and water.

Surprised, Polite ventured quietly "thank you Mi'Lady."

"My name is Angelica, what is it that you used to do again?"

"I was a ... before .. I was a bard. And an explorer, Mi'Lady."

"May I?" Liva took over from Angelica, who was doing a fair job but lacked Liva's particular skill with cleaning and sewing wounds.

"What kind of bard? A teller of tales, player or...?"

"I sing of epics, myths upon which the world stands, of heroes, kings, and gods who slumber beneath the earth!" Polite replied theatrically, while keeping her head perfectly still as Liva stitched it "And of Queens".

"Ah!" Angelica replied with delight "I look forward to hearing you sing, but only once you have quite recovered. You are from the North, no?"

"Indeed Mi'Lady. I was exploring the River of Dreams when ..." Polite fell into silence, the vile man in the brig the one obviously responsible for the end of the sentence, for months if not years.

"How did you get out here?" Tori-Anna asked gently.

"We were on a river ship, a huge ungainly thing that was hauled along by ropes to little boats with men using long poles, and sometimes oxen on the banks. When the fire came, Ithikari and other nobles went aboard with their favourite ..." she nearly spat the word "...things..." She took a deep breath and continued. "They pushed the ship into the main current of the river, and had boats with oars pulling it. There were many other boats, everything that could float was thrown into the river with people upon them. But ..."

"Go on." Tori-Anna said gently. The girl's wound was now cleaned and closed, with a bandage cloth tied neatly about it, but she had not lifted her head or opened her eyes. They had no doubt she would be crying if only she had tears to shed.

"But they had more people than supplies, more gold and gems than water or food. They began by killing the servants, then when the wind began to push them back towards the land, they began to kill each other."

"The river boats could never survive out here on the open ocean" Zalori added quietly from behind the girl. "They only delayed their deaths."

"Ithikari" the girl spoke quietly, her voice shuddering in fear. "Ithikari preached that he had forseen that those with enough faith would find salvation by following him down the River of Dreams. He said ..." she lifted her head, and with pleading eyes looking directly into Angelica's continued "He said others would be sailing past, and we would take their ships." she lowered her head, expecting the inevitable death due to pirates.

Tori-Anna looked at Angelica, an eyebrow raised in question.

"History began anew between us." Angelica smiled gently "I care what you do next, not what those set above you did or made you do before."

The girl relaxed "Mi'Lady, if I may, why Countess?"

"Oh" Angelica replied "Father never let the aristocracy close to me, only nobility were permitted. And well ..." she smiled "I admire your spirit. Besides... " Angelica fell silent.

"Besides, Mi'Lady?"

"I had a good foreign policy tutor, and it was delightful talking about far away places I would never visit. You are unmistakably your mother's fair daughter the reports spoke of, Countess."

The girl blushed, dropping her eyes at the complement. "Thank you Mi'Lady. If I may be so bold, the drawings of you do not give you enough credit."

Angelica laughed "Spoken like a bard, indeed!" she put her hand under Polite's arm and helped her stand "never kneel around me again. Let's find you something warmer?"

Tori-Anna nodded and at a hand signal Antaryon stepped forward, introduced himself to Polite and gestured for her to accompany him. "Mi'Lady" the young woman formally courtseyed to Angelica before she retired.

"She really does live up to that name, doesn't she?" Tori-Anna opined as they watched her go, carrying her rags and pains as if floating in the most elegant ball gown ever created.

After the girl was out of their sight, Angelica quietly said "you were right. We do need to be ready for pirates."

"Which brings up another point, Mi'Lady." Tori-Anna's tone hardend slightly "our plan to hide you in plain sight will not work if you forget to play the part of a soldier."

"I knew she knew the moment she saw me." Angelica replied absently.

"But he didn't?" Tori-Anna replied gently.

"Point." Angelica replied, her eyes looking forward to where the man would be, below decks near the bow. "What should we do about him?"

"Nothing" Tori-Anna replied "leave him to Maygus." The Captain of the Guard pondered, then appended quietly such that only Angelica could hear "I knew they had the finest spies, but permitting her to be clutched up by that deranged zealot from the mud huts?" she shook her head, her eyes flashing with fury, but caught herself and added hurriedly "forgive me, M'Lady, I spoke out of place."

Angelica simply nodded her acceptance, and looked to the horizon. After a time, she spoke quietly. "I begin to understand why we never lost the Endless War." Angelica smiled grimly "the fresh scars on their lives from their own sting more than anything we ever did."

"Maygus..." Tori-Anna whispered back carefully, her hand over her mouth to prevent anyone lip reading in the dwindling light " I venture that one could do worse."

Angelica shivered at the icy truth in the words, and Tori-Anna put her cloaked arm around her charge. They stood, watching all traces of blue leech out of the day, the world smouldering into what passed for night.