“So it’s true then,” Aruan said. “You go to the Islands to fight for the lady?” I found myself disliking the tone in his voice, it sounded uncomfortably like awe.
“It’s true.” He clasped hands briefly with Aruan and nodded at the captain of his guard before turning to me. “My Lord. Shall we?”
“You may be one of the first in line to lick your Emperor’s feet, scribbler,” the ship’s captain stabbed a finger into my chest, “but this ship is my kingdom. You berth here or you can spend the voyage roped to the main mast.”
He had shown us to our quarters, a curtained off section of hold near the prow of the ship. The hold stank of brine, bilge water and the intermingled odour of the cargo, a sickly, cloying melange of fruit, dried fish and the myriad spices for which the Empire was famous. It was all I could do to keep from gagging.
“I am Lord Verniers Alishe Someren, Imperial Chronicler, First of the Learned and honoured servant of the Emperor,” I responded, the handkerchief over my mouth muffling my words somewhat. “I am emissary to the Ship Lords and official escort to the Imperial prisoner. You will treat me with respect, pirate, or I’ll have twenty Guardsmen aboard in a trice to flog you in front of your crew.”
The captain leaned closer, incredibly his breath smelt worse than the hold. “Then I’ll have twenty-one bodies to feed to the orcas when we leave the harbour, scribbler.”
Al Sorna prodded one of the bedrolls on the deck with his foot and glanced around briefly. “This’ll do. We’ll need food and water.”
I bristled. “You seriously suggest we sleep in this rat-hole? It’s disgusting.”
“You should try a dungeon. Plenty of rats there too.” He turned to the captain. “The water barrel is on the foredeck?”
The captain ran a stubby finger through the mass of his beard, contemplating the tall man, no doubt wondering if he was being mocked and calculating if he could kill him if he had to. They have a saying on the northern Alpiran coast: turn your back on a cobra but never a Meldenean. “So you’re the one who’s going to cross swords with the Shield? They’re offering twenty to one against you in Ildera. Think I should risk a copper on you? The Shield is the keenest blade in the Islands, can slice a fly in half with a sabre.”
“Such renown does him credit.” Vaelin Al Sorna smiled. “The water barrel?”
“It’s there. You can have one gourd a day each, no more. My crew won’t go short for the likes of you two. You can get food from the galley, if you don’t mind eating with scum like us.”
“No doubt I’ve eaten with worse. If you need an extra man at the oars I am at your disposal.”
“Rowed before have you?”
“Once.”
The captain grunted, “We’ll manage.” He turned to go, muttering over his shoulder, “We sail within the hour, stay out of the way until we clear the harbour.”
“Island savage!” I fumed unpacking my belongings, laying out my quills and ink. I checked there were no rats lurking under my bedroll before sitting down to compose a letter to the Emperor. I intended to let him know the full extent of this insult. “He’ll find no berth in an Alpiran harbour again, mark you.”
Vaelin Al Sorna sat down, resting his back against the hull. “You speak my language?” he asked, slipping into the Northern tongue.
“I study languages,” I replied in kind. “I can speak the seven major tongues of the Empire fluently and communicate in five more.”
“Impressive. Do you know the Seordah language?”
I looked up from my parchment. “Seordah?”
“The Seordah Sil of the great northern forest. You’ve heard of them?”
“My knowledge of northern savages is far from comprehensive. As yet I see little reason to complete it.”
“For a learned man you seem happy with your ignorance.”
“I feel I speak for my entire nation when I say I wish we had all remained in ignorance of you.”
He tilted his head, studying me. “That’s hate in your voice.”
I ignored him, my quill moving rapidly over the parchment, setting out the formal opening for Imperial correspondence.
“You knew him didn’t you?” Vaelin Al Sorna went on.
My quill stopped. I refused to meet his eye.
“You knew the Hope.”