Antiagon Fire

69

Once the Zephyr cleared the harbor of Liantiago on Vendrei, Quaeryt allowed himself to sleep. He didn’t do much besides sleep, occasionally eat, and even more occasionally check the ship’s heading and progress until after noon on Samedi. His sleep was interrupted often by the same thought-Why didn’t you think that Aliaro would retaliate? How could he have known that Kephria was just the first city you planned to attack?

When he finally felt stronger and more lucid, but no less guilty and worried, and fearful that he might have lost Vaelora through that stupidity, he sent for Zhelan, in order to begin planning for whatever eventualities they might encounter on the voyage or when they reached the waters off Kephria and Ephra.

“You’re looking better, Commander,” were Zhelan’s first words when he entered the cabin, a space that was far more modest than the captain’s quarters on the Montagne, but then, those quarters had been designed to serve Lord Chayar, if necessary, not that Bhayar’s father had used them more than once, on a voyage from Tilbora back to Solis, as Quaeryt recalled.

“I think that means that you think I’ll recover fully in time,” replied Quaeryt, gesturing to one of the chairs around the small oblong table at which he had earlier seated himself. “What do you think of the captain and the crew?”

“I’m no seaman, but they seem to be doing their best. I did tell the captain you wanted to be told of any ships the lookouts sighted, no matter what the glass of day or night.”

“Good. Thank you. How is first company holding up?”

“We’re down to eighty-one men, and that includes five with broken arms, and one with a broken leg. That doesn’t include the undercaptains or the captive imager.”

“That’s not too bad,” said Quaeryt dryly, “considering what I’ve asked of them.”

“What do you plan for when we reach Kephria?”

“I have the feeling that we won’t find much there. I can’t imagine that Aliaro’s imagers and the guns on his warships have left much of either Ephra or Kephria, and probably not much of Geusyn. I only hope that Vaelora and Baarl-and Khaern and Calkoran and their men-if they managed to reach Geusyn-could withdraw without horrendous casualties.” Quaeryt shook his head. “I just didn’t think. Aliaro just thought it was another attack on Kephria, and that Bhayar was repeating what Kharst did.”

“Not everyone looks as far out as you, sir.”

“Thank you. That’s a polite way of saying that it’s stupid to assume someone knows what you’re going to do when they have no way of knowing. And you’re right. It was stupid. Now … all I can do is hope, and try to make sure that the Antiagons don’t cause any more damage because of my idiocy.”

Zhelan nodded.

Quaeryt smiled wryly. “You’re a good officer and a good man, Zhelan. You’ve saved my ass and that of the men on more than a few occasions.”

“I’ve saved your pride, sir, and you’ve saved the men more times than I’d like to count.”

“You’ve saved them as well. Now … my thoughts are that we really don’t want to fight anyone. I’d just as soon sink the Antiagon ships and let it go at that. The problem is that the ships may not be there, and the imagers may be. If neither is there, all we can do is pick up the pieces.” And hope that we have some vestiges of a force left … and Vaelora. Please let her be there. “I’d like your thoughts.”

“I assume you or the other imagers can use concealments for the Zephyr…”

“We can, but a fast-moving schooner will leave a wake longer than we could extend a concealment, unless we’re headed directly toward them. With three or four vessels…”

Quaeryt and Zhelan talked for close to a glass. Then Quaeryt had more watered lager and some biscuits and a bit of hard cheese.

After that, Khalis asked for a quint or so with Quaeryt, and he entered the cabin with Lhandor and Elsior. The three of them settled into two chairs on the other side of the oblong table, with Elsior on a stool between them.

“Before we start, sir … later … Horan wants to talk to you alone.”

“Anytime,” Quaeryt agreed. There wasn’t much else he could do at the moment, although he felt much stronger than he had a day earlier, not that he was up to doing any imaging.

“Right now, Elsior has something to say,” offered Khalis.

“Go ahead,” Quaeryt said slowly … and gently.

“Are we sailing to Bovaria?”

“We are. It is now part of Telaryn.”

“The others, the undercaptains, they say that they are free.”

“They are as free as the other junior officers. No more. No less.”

“They are paid?”

“The same as other undercaptains.”

“You taught them to be better imagers.”

“As well as I could.”

Elsior’s questions-and Quaeryt’s answers-went on for almost a quint. Then, abruptly, he said, “I would like to be one of them.”

“I am flattered,” replied Quaeryt, “but might I ask why you have decided so quickly?”

“I have been afraid all my life. They are not afraid.”

“We all fear the dangers of battle, and the dangers of imaging.”

“That is a different fear.”

Quaeryt couldn’t argue with that. He nodded and waited.

“I had feared … if I offered allegiance to you … then Aliaro’s imager assassins would track me across all Lydar.” Elsior’s eyes dropped. “They say you will have a place for imagers, a place where they will be free.”

“As free as they are now. It will be a place that is part trooper and part school.” Quaeryt decided not to try to explain more. Not at the moment. “It will be in Variana.”

“I would like that.”

So would we all … if matters were but that simple. “Is there anything else, Undercaptains?”

“Could you tell us what comes next, sir?” asked Lhandor.

“I wish I knew. We have to see what happened in Ephra and Kephria, and deal with the Antiagon imagers Aliaro sent out … if we can. If we can’t, we have to reestablish a presence in what’s left of Kephria or Geusyn.” Quaeryt offered a shrug. “We just have to see. I’ll let you know as I know.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After the three Pharsi left, Horan eased through the cabin door.

Quaeryt motioned for him to sit down, then took several long swallows of the watered lager, not as good as that which he imaged, but he wasn’t about to try any imaging yet, although his headache was almost gone, and the flickering flashes of light no longer interrupted his sight.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Quaeryt waited.

“Sir … I don’t know as I can do this … imaging … anymore.” The burly imager took a deep breath. “When the whole palace came down … you know … there were bodies everywhere. There was this school … the walls just came apart … One of them … she was a girl … a little girl … and she looked like my daughter … There was a boy, too…” Horan shook his head. “There were others…” He looked helplessly at Quaeryt.

“Imaging is one thing when it’s directed at troopers. It’s another when it hurts children and the innocent. Is that it?”

“Yes, sir … except … no, sir … there were so many bodies there.”

“There were far more bodies outside Variana,” Quaeryt said quietly.

“But … they weren’t children … she could have been my daughter…”

Quaeryt couldn’t help but wonder about Vaelora-and the unborn daughter she carried. What if she and Vaelora died because of your mistake?

“Sir…?”

“I’m sorry. I do understand. I don’t know what to say.” Quaeryt paused, thinking. Finally, he went on. “I won’t ask you to do anything against others … but until this is settled, could I ask you to stay with us and to provide shields? That would not harm others, and it would keep troopers and officers from greater harm.”

Horan took a deep breath. “I could do that, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“I will request, if anyone asks, to tell them that you asked about your future duties and that we discussed them.”

“Yes, sir. I can do that.”

After Horan left, Quaeryt looked blankly at the closed cabin door.