Under fallen stars

XVIII

9 Kythorn, the Year of the Gauntlet

Jherek kept his eyes on Sabyna when they hit the water. Both of them went under at once. The current wasn't overly strong and wasn't a real challenge that would keep them from the riverbank. He knew the ship's mage was a strong swimmer, but the possibility remained that Breezerunner might rip free of the sandbar and become a danger.

Despite the fatigue and dizziness that filled him, he waited underwater until she had her bearings, then followed her up. He broke the river surface little more than an arm's reach from her. "Lady, are you all right?"

"Aye," she replied, blinking water from her eyes. "A little worse for the wear, but I'm holding my own."

Treading water, Jherek glanced around, seeking out Breeze-runner's crew and the pirates. Men scrambled through the water like rats trying to escape drowning. A lot of ship's crews, the young sailor knew, had few men who could swim well, and even a good number of them that couldn't swim at all.

He spotted one man flailing nearly twenty yards away. The young sailor struck out at once, slicing through the water like a fish. He grabbed the man from behind, sliding his arm under his chin. "Lie still," Jherek ordered. "I have you."

The man choked and spat, and clung desperately to Jherek. "Don't let Umberlee take me, lad." He kicked frantically, spitting automatically whenever water touched his chin.

"Save your breath," Jherek advised. Fighting the current and the man was difficult. The young sailor swam backward, pulling the man after him toward the riverbank. In a short time, he could touch bottom. He got the man on his feet, then turned to survey the river again.

"Those that made it are already here," Captain Tynnel said as he walked up to Jherek. "The others washed down the damned river. Maybe well get lucky and they'll make their way back to us by morning, and maybe they'll wash all the way out to the Sea of Swords." He turned on Jherek. "Didn't you see that damned sandbar out there? It's as big as an island."

Jherek looked at Breezerunner tilted over nearly sideways on the huge sandbar. White-capped water rushed around her. From here, the sandbar did look impossible to miss.

"No," he said. "I didn't see it." He knew it was his own ill birth at work again. He had a chance-for a moment-of being the hero, but it had been stripped from his fingers.

"Never sign onto a ship to be a pilot, boy," Tynnel advised coldly. "Takes too long to build a ship for them to be sunk so quickly."

The words bit into Jherek, but he didn't argue. He deserved them.

"It wasn't his fault, Tynnel."

Jherek turned, surprised that Sabyna had approached in his defense.

The captain gave her a dark look and shook his head. "I should have guessed you'd be taking up for him."

"Taking up for him?" Sabyna looked about to explode. "He almost gave his life hanging onto that rudder. Two pirates were practically on top of him when I got there, and he hadn't turned loose of the rudder."

"She's right, Cap'n," Mornis, Breezerunner's first mate, said. "I saw the lad standing there myself. Tried to get to him, but there wasn't anything I could do. If Sabyna hadn't reached him, I think he would have died holding onto that stick."

A muscle worked in Tynnel's jaw, but arguing with both his ship's mage and first mate didn't appear profitable enough for him to continue. He said nothing further and turned away sharply.

"You didn't have to do that, lady," Jherek said quietly after Tynnel had gone. "What the captain said was true. I should have seen that sandbar."

"No one could have seen that sandbar from back there," she replied angrily. "I didn't. Or are you going to tell me I should have seen it too?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't do that."

"Then don't do it to yourself."

"She's right," Mornis said. "Cap'n's just not himself right now with everything that's going on. Hell be better come morning when he gets a chance to look at Breezerunner and know she's not hurt as bad as she could be. If you hadn't straightened her up like you did and we'd hit that sandbar side-on, like as not that ship would be kindling by now, and us down the drink with it." He laid a hand on Jherek's shoulder. "You did a fine job of it, a job to be proud of."

Jherek listened to their words, but the voice in the back of his head that he'd fought with all his life didn't let up on him. Guilt filled him. He'd grounded Breezerunner and he'd lost the pearl disk.

When memory of the disk slid into his mind, he glanced around the riverbank. "Where are the pirates?"

"Ran off into the forest," Mornis rumbled. "We got numbers on them. While you was pulling Torrigh from the drink, they took to nose-counting and realized they'd come up short in a free-for-all. They hit the brush like a covey of quail."

"We've got to go after them," Jherek said. Maybe Vur-grom's lead wasn't too extensive yet.

"No," Sabyna said. "There's nothing to be had in that." She glanced out at the river. "Our job now is to get Breezerunner secure before she tries to drift off that sandbar and ends up smashed somewhere farther down the river, then we need to fix any damage that's been done to her."

Jherek scanned the dark forest, feeling the pull in him to go after Vurgrom and the stolen pearl disk. Guilt filled him to the bursting point. The disk had to be returned to Lath-ander's church in Baldur's Gate.

"It's too dark, lad," Mornis said quietly. "If those pirates don't set up and take you down somewhere, there are things out in that forest stalking the night that will. It'll be a lucky man who gets through that of a piece."

Quietly, Jherek let go of any hope of finding and overtaking Vurgrom. He joined the others as they gathered around Tynnel and listened to the plans the captain had for securing Breezerunner.

"Lad, that's some rough country you've got ahead of you."

Jherek gathered the ends of the cloth he'd been given, tucked the rations he'd been parceled out from Breeze-runner's stores, and tied them together to fashion a crude pack. "Aye, but I've got it to do."

Mornis looked uncomfortable. "I feel guilty about letting you go on alone."

"I lost something that wasn't mine to lose, my friend, and I've got to return it if I can."

"Like as not," Mornis warned, "you may be spending your life foolishly."

"Dying with honor isn't a foolish death." Jherek told him sternly.

"No, lad, but any kind of dying is still dying. Myself, I'd rather keep both oars in the water as long as I'm able. A man going with the sea stays afloat a lot longer than a man going against it."

"I was told," Jherek said, "that it always matters how you go against it."

Mornis nodded. "Mayhap, but if you ever find yourself around Breezerunner again and in need of a berth, come see me. If the Cap'n won't take you on, I'll help you find a ship."

Jherek smiled and took the man's arm in a strong grip. "Till we meet again."

"Aye," Mornis said. "And may Selune always favor you with her good graces."

Jherek took a final look around. Most of the ship's crew were aboard Breezerunner already working on the broken rigging and ripped sails. A few others stood in the river filling water barrels. It had been a hard, full day's work getting the ship off the sandbar and secure in the water again. Jherek's hands still burned from the work he'd done with shovels and picks, both freeing the ship and burying her dead. His legs were dotted with the red welts left by leeches.

He noticed Sabyna striding purposefully toward him down the riverbank, the early morning sun shining from her hair. Tynnel walked at her side, his jaw working fiercely.

The ship's captain turned his hard gaze on Jherek. "Talk her out of it."

The young sailor looked at them both. "Talk her out of what?"

"I'm coming with you," Sabyna said calmly.

Jherek glanced at her, noticing she'd changed clothes. She had no pack, but he knew she had a bag of holding she kept the raggamoffyn in. "Lady, you can't come with me."

Sabyna's eyebrows shot up. "I can't? So now you're going to try to tell me what to do?"

Hastily, sensing the rough waters he was venturing into, Jherek changed tacks. "No, lady, I wouldn't dare to presume to do that, but coming with me isn't a good idea."

"Neither is going after Vurgrom and his pirate crew by yourself."

"I have no choice." Jherek looked deep into her eyes, feeling like everything was suddenly beyond his control.

"Everyone has a choice," she told him. "You've made yours and I'm making mine."

Tynnel glared at Jherek. "This is your fault."

Sabyna wheeled on him, blood dark in her face. "No. None of this is his fault. He got caught up in this whole situation because he was talking to me in Baldur's Gate, taking care to walk me back to Breezerunner. I'll not see him suffer for his kindness and care."

"So you'll suffer for yours?" Tynnel asked.

"This isn't kindness. This is a debt."

"No," Jherek said in a stern voice. "There'll be no debts between us, lady. Especially not something like this."

"Stay out of this," Sabyna told him, then turned her attention back to Tynnel. "You left him in Athkatla and didn't tell me the real reason. You lied to me. If I'd had a voice in the matter, I'd have cut Aysel loose instead."

"It wasn't your choice to make," Tynnel said coldly. "I'm master of that ship."

"And you still are," Sabyna agreed, "but you're no master of me. Not then. Not now. Not ever."

Tynnel lifted his head and glared at her more severely.

Sabyna glared back at him hotly. "I signed on with you because I felt I could make a difference on Breezerunner."

"Begging your pardon," Mornis interrupted hesitantly, "but you do make a difference on her."

"Stay out of this, Mornis," Sabyna ordered sharply.

The big man took a step back. "Yes, ma'am."

"I felt that I owed you something for taking me on," Sabyna told Tynnel, "because there were other ship's mages better trained than me. But no matter what, you owed me the truth, Captain. Somewhere in there, you obviously forgot that."

"You're not going," Tynnel said.

Sabyna drew herself up. "You can't stop me."

"Yes," Tynnel said, reaching out suddenly to grab Sabyna by the arm, "I can, and I will if I have to. I'm not going to let you squander your life so foolishly."

Sabyna struggled to get free but the captain's grip was too tight. Pain tightened her eyes.

Before he was aware of moving, Jherek stepped forward and seized Tynnel's thumb, breaking the grip the captain had on the woman's arm. Continuing to pull on the man's arm, the young sailor pressed it back against Tynnel's chest, shoving him back and making space between him and Sabyna. Jherek stepped into the space between.

Out of control, Tynnel swung a fist up.

Jherek didn't try to defend himself, and he didn't duck because it would have put Sabyna at risk. The blow caught him on the chin, snapping his head around. Dazed, he dropped to one knee for just an instant, but pushed himself back up immediately. He stood a little uncertainly, but he felt Sabyna at his back, trying to get around him. He put out an arm and didn't let her get past. He faced Tynnel. It went against ship's contract and conduct for a captain to strike a crewman without just cause, but Jherek knew he wasn't part of Breezerunner's crew.

Tynnel stepped back and drew his sword. "Pick up a sword, boy!" He brandished his blade.

"I won't fight you," Jherek said calmly, not believing things had spun so wildly out of control.

"Then you're an even bigger fool than I thought. I'll cut you down where you stand!"

"No," a calm, stern voice filled with thunder interrupted. "If you try to touch that boy again, Captain, you'll deal with me. And by Lathander's sacred covenant, you'll not find me an easy man to deal with."

The speaker sat on a horse just beyond the treeline that surrounded the riverbank where they stood. The horse was a large, handsome animal covered in copper-colored barding. The man was in his middle years. A bronzed face, framed by a short-cropped black beard, peered through the visor opening of his helm, and his plate armor held the same copper color as his horse's barding. A scarlet cloak flared out behind him, flowing out over the horse's rump. A shield bearing a scarlet hawk in mid-flight hung over his left arm.

"Who are you?" Tynnel demanded, turning to face the man.

"You can address me as Sir Glawinn, a paladin in the service of Lathander, the Morninglord," the man said proudly. "Now step away from that boy and that young woman or I'll run you down where you stand." He kicked his heels into the horse's sides, urging it forward.

Reluctantly, Tynnel gave ground.