Dragon Clan #6: Anna's Story

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“Yes, we’re heading for the Mystery River, but we’re going to do a little sneaky maneuvering, first. An idea came to me last night. You were sleeping, and in no condition to consult, but I believe we’ve been watched daily since our return from Breslau. I turned down two potential crewmen because I thought they were spies and they couldn’t answer my questions to confirm their backgrounds.”

“Sneaky? I like that.”

“We’re obviously filling our holds for a long voyage. But when we leave we’ll sail north along the coast. I wanted to leave at midday because that gives me time to watch behind and see if any ship follows, but to be sure, I intend to turn the ship around mid afternoon and put up all sails. No ship in these waters can match The Rose in a wind off her quarter. I will get a good look at any and all ships behind us before we turn east.”

Anna decided to get one other item resolved. “Do you know we’re Dragon Clan?”

“I do not. What I think and what I know are two different things. I can deny that knowledge as long as one of you does not tell me directly.”

“We’re fighting for your kind as well.”

“Our kind,” he corrected. “We are all the same kind.”

“You’re right. We’re just trying to save our homeland.”

He winked, then pointed. Four more wagons approached. He called to the crew to finish the one already there and to call out the counts and the contents of the arriving kegs so he could log them. He said to her, “The Rose is a cargo ship first and foremost. We’re taking on enough to make the trip there and back, and perhaps there again. Extra provisions we probably won’t need, but I’ll feel better with them aboard.”

“Where are the others?” Anna asked.

“Do you think you’re the only one who drank too much wine last night? They are mostly below. Sleeping it off. When they wake, we’ll probably be at sea.”

“Not Devlin, though?”

“Devlin and Thief do not drink, more to their credit.” Then he called out to a man on the pier, “Say again?”

The man shouted his response, and the Captain made another mark on his tally. Anna left him to his work while she explored the ship. It was far smaller than the other she had been on, but not so much shorter, as it was narrow. The masts were taller and held three rows of sails instead of two.

While she didn’t know a lot about the water or sailors, some things became self-evident. Of two equal ships, the narrower one would sail faster. Of two other ships, the one with more sails would be the fastest. And of two more equal ships, the lighter one would sail faster. The Rose was narrower, lighter, and held more sail. Like the Captain said, no other ship in these waters could keep up with her.

She liked his idea of sailing to the north before turning for the Mystery River despite the time it wasted. Knowing if, and by whom, they were followed would tell them their enemies and how intent they were on causing them trouble. She wondered if the ships would fight. The larger ships would have more men, but she pitied them if they tried to wage war on The Rose.

The armorer who made her knife had displayed longbows along one wall. She could not pull one herself, but her short bow was only advantages in close quarters. She went looking for Thief, a silver coin in her hand.

She found him standing on the deck; his neck bent so far back he looked injured as he watched men working the rigging high above. “I need you to run to the place where we bought arrows, remember where it is?”

He nodded as she gave him instructions on what to buy, and how fast to run. She handed him the silver coin. Thief darted across the deck and down the gangplank. She watched him race in and around people and cargo on the pier until he disappeared up the hill where the shops were located.

Devlin was returning from the chandlers, and she stood by the Captain as he reported that all supplies would be aboard, soon, and the Dutch Brothers were willing to make up any shortages. Anna compared the confident young man to the threadbare street urchin she’d heard about from Tanner and Carrion. It was hard to picture him lower than a slave, skin and bone, dressed in rags.

His loyalty to both Tanner and Carrion couldn’t be questioned. He also seemed to have figured out a lot about the Dragon Clan and considered anyone associated with it as a friend. In that regards, he was like Thief, and even Brix, the spinning boy that Camilla took to the Bear Mountain Family.

In times past, the secrets of the Dragon Clan were only for their eyes. In the last year, there were at least three who had been almost inducted into the family, and there were others like the two Earls and Captain Jameson. It all meant the world was changing. There were new rules, and perhaps rulers.

More wagons arrived and unloaded. Thief rushed back with an armload of arrows to fit the eight longbows he carried like kindling. A boy of around ten carried another load, obviously sent by her friend at the shop. “Put all that on the bed above mine,” she ordered.

The last of the supplies on the dock were being slung aboard, and on board, loose items were removed from the deck. Ropes were secured or coiled. Men stood by on the pier to slip the lines from the pilings. Others were already in the rigging ready to follow the Captain’s orders.

The Rose was ready to sail. Gazing across the deck from her position at the stern of the ship right behind Captain Jameson, she found each of the Dragon Clan. All were ready to face the future.

The motion of the ship changed as the lines were tossed free, and like a caged animal, The Rose sprang to life. Sails were raised as the river current carried the ship away from the pier and into deeper water. Air filled the sails, and the ship surged ahead, as if impatient to reach the ocean.

The Rose sliced through the waves when they came at her. Other ships battered themselves as they met the rollers, but not The Rose. She leaned far to the port side, moving with surprising speed and grace. Captain Jameson paced beside the helmsman, issuing orders and watching everything within sight.

Anna opted to watch the stern, or what lay beyond. Twice she thought she saw the sails of another ship. Looking up, she noticed the top sheets, or sails at the top of the masts, were not unfurled. Clever. The Captain didn’t want to outrun pursuit. He wanted to find who it was. He intentionally sailed slower than possible, letting any ship behind keep up. If there was one.

She turned her attention ahead. There were two ships up there, and she remembered something a watcher named Gray had once told her. If you suspect where someone is going, the best place to follow them from is ahead. Surely the Captain knew that, too.

Instead of going to her cabin and napping, as she was inclined to do after the night before and drinking too much wine, she forced herself to stay just to the rear of the Captain and watch. He kept the ship sailing straight north, and one of two ships ahead turned to the sea and deeper water. She counted that one out until noticing the sail never quite disappeared over the horizon. It remained just in sight, which told her the ship could still see theirs.

Finally, the Captain seemed satisfied. Turning to her, he said, “What do you think?”

“You’ll laugh.”

“No, I’d like your opinions and insights. So far you’ve been right about almost everything. I am waiting for you to be wrong once, but you defy the odds.”

“I think all three are following us. The one ahead is keeping pace. When you ordered the sails to spill air a while ago, and The Rose slowed, it did too. The distance never varied. Same with the ship behind. It never dropped out of sight, but never gained on us, either. The third is out there,” she waved a hand at the small white dot on the horizon, “and it never sails out of sight, or gets closer, but it tries to hide in the distance. If you turn to the sea and make a run to escape, it has you penned in.”

“The Rose is faster. How can it pen us in?”

“Geometry. It will see your direction and form the third side of the triangle. By that, I mean it will have less distance to sail to meet you, so speed is not as valuable.”

The Captain smiled and said, “Amazing. Not only do you identify our enemies, but you anticipate his actions. If you were me, what course would you set?”

It was similar to her teachers again. They were never satisfied with a single answer. They wanted justification and explanations. “You will face at least one ship, no matter which direction you choose. If you’re not careful, you will face two, and possibly three.”

“By facing them, you believe they want to fight?”

“I do. They know they cannot run as fast as you so what other purpose would they have? They know they have twice the crew, and this is not a warship. You have only eight crew, I believe. A warship, or pirate, knows he only has to attack, or even threaten to attack, and you will drop your sails like any merchantman. Of course, after dark, you could douse all lights and try to slip past them.”

“Try? Why wouldn’t that work? There is overcast and only a quarter moon.” The Captain seemed agitated as if that had been his intention.

Anna said, “It won’t work because soon, before dark, all three ships will close the distance and trap you. I was wondering when you will make your break?”

He paused, not as confident as earlier if the delay in answering was any gauge. “If I make a break for the open sea that ship out there will cut me off. He’ll have grappling hooks and men ready to board us.”

“But we have longbows and a swifter ship. Send a man to find Tanner, Carrion, and Raymer. And Dancer, I almost forgot him, but he’s the best of them all. The bows and arrows are on the empty bed in my cabin.”

Captain Jameson called a crewman to his side and sent him running for the four men. Then he turned back to Anna. “Four archers to defeat an entire ship?”

“I know it’s not fair, but which two of our men would you suggest sitting out the encounter?”

A look of puzzlement crossed the Captain’s face until he understood what she meant. It was not fair to the other ship. But it was attacking her’s, and she wouldn’t hold back. The other ship probably held closer to twenty men, but not all of them counted. One was certainly a cook, another the captain, and one or two probably too old to be effective fighters. Another one or two were injured or ill. And one had to hold the wheel to steer. Instead of twenty foes, they faced probably fewer than fifteen. And those fifteen were probably lifelong sailors, not true warriors.

She said, “Have you ever seen an archer pull a longbow?”

“I’m not sure I understand your meaning.”

Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest as if she was a teacher of a wayward student, “A longbow has nearly twice the distance of a regular arrow, but a good archer, such as my people, can draw, aim and release an arrow in about six beats of your heart. Each of them will release a second arrow before the first strikes. I would not wish to be on the deck of a ship within range of us.”

Raymer appeared on deck carrying a bow and a fist full of arrows. “What’s the plan?” He asked, eyes on Anna.

She glanced at the Captain for permission and said, “Three ships are boxing us in and probably going to try boarding us. Instead of waiting, we’re going to make a run for the open ocean. One ship out there will try to prevent us from doing so, until their friends arrive. They’ll probably try to board us.”

Captain Jameson looked ready to ask another question and paused when Raymer laughed aloud. He was still looking at Anna. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I figure we will put the four of you on the bow, and we’ll see how determined they are to come near us.”

“I’ll let the others know.” He turned and left the raised area with the ship’s wheel.

Captain Jameson said, “That’s it? He knows what to do? What do you want me to do?”

“Head for the open water. If they let us go, sail past at your best speed. If they get in our way, put us as close to them as you can.”

He looked worried. “They will try to get close. They want to board The Rose.”

“I cannot be held responsible for their stupidity. When someone wants to do your work for you, make it easy for them.”

He shrugged and ordered to the helmsman, his voice loud and firm, “Come ninety degrees to starboard.”