The Serpentwar Saga: The Complete 4-Book Collection

‘What do you mean?’

‘More than half the men saved from the gallows died before we got to the camp. By rights, three or four of us – you, me, Roo, Billy, Biggo, and Luis – we shouldn’t be on this ship. We should be dead. De Loungville’s taking a chance. Even after all of this, we still might fail.’

Erik said, ‘Oh, I see.’

He lay back, and sleep was a long time coming as he thought, Fail at what?

• Chapter Eleven • Passage (#ulink_bad5c4c1-31bb-5df8-8f29-20ddab2592a9)

Erik yawned.

While things were never dull on Trenchard’s Revenge, there were moments of boredom, and this was one. He had finished his exercises with the other men, who formed what he now understood was Robert de Loungville’s handpicked band of ‘desperate men.’ Evening chow was over, and he felt like some fresh air. While the others were lounging in their bunks belowdecks, Erik waited by the fore rail, overlooking the bowsprit, listening to the sounds of the sea as the ship sped through the night.

The deck officer called out the hour’s orders, and the lookout above answered that all was clear. Erik smiled at that. How the man knew all was clear was beyond him, unless he had some magic device allowing his mortal eyes to pierce the darkness. What he meant, thought Erik, was he couldn’t see anything.

Yet that wasn’t entirely true. There was a sea of stars above, with the little moon just rising in the east, and the middle and large moons not due to rise until just before morning. The familiar pattern of the stars above gave silver highlights to the water below. A half mile to starboard, the Freeport Ranger was holding a parallel course, her presence marked by lights upon her bow, stern, and masthead. Any other ship in the night should be running under lights as well, so if they were near, they’d stand out like a beacon.

‘Fascinating, isn’t it?’

Erik turned, startled that he hadn’t heard anyone approach. Calis stood a few feet away, gazing at the sky. ‘I’ve been on ships any number of times, and when the moons are down and the stars are like this, it still makes me pause to watch and wonder.’

Erik didn’t know what to say. This man had spoken to them so rarely, most of the men below were in awe of him. And de Loungville seemed to take great pains to keep them in awe of him. Jadow and Jerome’s narrative about him helped further that cause.

Erik said, ‘Ah, I was just –’

‘Stay,’ said Calis, coming to the rail next to Erik. Bobby and Charlie are playing cards, and I thought I’d get some air. I see I’m not the only one feeling the need.’

Erik shrugged. ‘It gets close down below sometimes.’

‘And sometimes a man likes to be alone with his own thoughts, isn’t that true, Erik?’

‘Sometimes,’ said Erik. Not knowing why, he said, ‘But I don’t dwell much on things. It’s not my way. Roo, now, he worries enough for a whole family, but …’

‘But what?’

‘Maybe it was my mother,’ said Erik, suddenly missing her. ‘She was always worried about this or that, and, well, I never really had much on my mind most of the time.’

‘No ambitions?’

‘Just to earn a forge of my own someday.’

Calis nodded, the gesture half seen in the dim light of a nearby lantern. ‘A respectable goal.’

‘What of you?’ Erik was suddenly embarrassed at his own presumption, but Calis smiled.

‘My goals?’ He turned and leaned upon the rail, both elbows resting on it as he gazed into the darkness. ‘It would be hard to explain.’

Erik said, ‘I wasn’t trying to pry … sir.’

Calis said, ‘Start calling me Captain, Erik. Bobby’s our sergeant and Charlie’s the corporal, and you’re part of the Crimson Eagles, the most feared mercenary band in our homeland.’

‘Sir?’ said Erik. ‘I don’t understand.’

Calis said, ‘You will, soon enough.’ Looking at the horizon, he said, ‘We’ll be there shortly.’

‘Where, sir … Captain?’

‘Sorcerer’s Isle. I need to speak to an old friend.’

Erik stood silently, uncertain what to do or say next, until Calis relieved him of that burden. ‘Why don’t you go below and join your companions,’ he suggested.

‘Yes, Captain,’ said Erik and started to move, but stopped. ‘Ah, Captain, should I salute you or something?’

With a strange smile, what Owen Greylock called ironic, Erik thought, Calis said, ‘We’re mercenaries, not the bloody army, Erik.’

Erik nodded and turned away. Shortly he was back in his bunk. While Jadow regaled the others with tales of women he had known and battles he had single-handedly won, Erik lay half listening, half wondering just what Calis had meant.

‘Captain!’

Erik paused as he secured a line. The sound of the lookout’s voice had carried a troubling note with it.

‘What do you see?’ came the Captain’s reply.

‘Something dead ahead, sir. Lights or lightning. I don’t rightly know.’

Erik quickly made the line fast and turned to look ahead. It was near dusk, but the sun off the port bow made it hard to see anything. He squinted against the sunset glare, then saw it: a faint flash of silver.

Roo came to stand next to his friend. ‘What is it?’

‘Lightning, I think,’ said Erik.

‘Great. A storm at sea,’ said Roo. It had been pleasant sailing for almost a month as they had fought a tacking course out of Krondor toward their destination. One of the sailors had said that had they been heading the other way, they could have made the trip in one third the time.

‘You boys got nothing to do?’ came a familiar voice from behind them, and Erik and Roo were back up the rigging before Corporal Foster could inform Mr Collins that they needed to be assigned more work.

Reaching the top yard on the mainmast, they began securing lines that really didn’t need securing. They wanted a look at the coming storm.

As the sun lowered beyond the horizon, there were no clouds ahead, but they could clearly see arcs of incredible brightness. ‘What is that?’ asked Roo.

‘Nothing good,’ said Erik, and he started making his way back down toward the deck.

‘Where are you going?’

‘To report to Mr Collins I’ve secured the lines and to get orders. No sense staring at whatever’s ahead, Roo. We’ll get there soon enough.’

Roo hung back, watching as the bright arcs reappeared against the darkening sky, silver bolts that arched into the heavens. He imagined they carried thunderous booms or sizzling discharges, but from this distance they were silent. He felt chilled, yet the evening air was warm. He glanced down and saw that half the crew was straining to see what was ahead.

He lingered a moment, then headed down after his friend.