Prin held her arms extended, fingers wriggling, near Brice. “Like this?”
“Yes.”
Prin glanced at Sara. The combat master had worked with all three of them, teaching them how to avoid attackers. Balance. The word returned with a rush. The mage moved aggressively at Brice, so Brice would naturally continue the motion instead of fighting it. He’d fall back, while reaching and pulling the attacker with him to maintain the balance, then roll his shoulder and throw. Roll and throw, using the other’s momentum and weight to send him flying to the ground a few steps away. Only there was no ground. There was an ocean.
The scene played in her mind and was remarkably like the man who had attacked her. He’d stumbled and fallen over the side, but only after she had defended herself and used balance to throw him. She wondered if the combat master would approve of his students throwing passengers into the ocean, and might have laughed in other circumstances.
Sara said, “It’s not your fault.”
“He came at me, and my reflexes just took over.”
Prin said, “She’s right. You’ve been taught to defend yourself, and that’s all you did. Was anyone around to see you?”
“No, just the two of us. I didn’t even know he’d followed me outside.”
Brice had stepped outside, and the mage saw his chance to make Brice confess. Then Brice reacted to the threat and pain. It was as much of an accident as when Prin threw her attacker overboard. We have to stop doing that. “Did you look over the railing and see if he landed on the deck below? There are parts of the ship where he would land.”
“Of course, I did. There were none, and I couldn’t see him in the water either. I looked. I’d have called man-overboard, but there’s still a storm out there, and the wind is blowing. Whitecaps and waves. There was no chance of finding him.”
Sara said to Prin, “You can’t disappear the same night as a mage does. That coincidence ties you together in everyone’s mind.”
Prin said, “If he is missing, there is no reason for me to disappear. In the morning, we’ll just act as surprised as everyone else does.”
“I just killed a man,” Brice said. “If that doesn’t bother you, it does me. I can’t act like nothing happened.”
Sara said, “Brice, calm down. We don’t think you killed him, you just threw him over the railing.”
“We’re in the middle of an ocean,” Brice’s voice was rising with each word.
Sara remained calm and spread her arms out as if ready to hug him. “You are so slow at times. He is a mage, and water is one of the elements he controls. His training has air, water, and fire. Even in the middle of the ocean, he can surround himself with a bubble of air so he won’t sink. Then he will signal passing ships with crackles of lightning or flashes of fire, or push the water away from him and walk to shore.”
“Really?” Brice asked.
“Perhaps I’ve exaggerated by a tiny amount. But my point is, at the very least he will cast a spell to float and send out flashes of fire at night. He’ll attract another ship soon enough.”
Brice said, “Then why didn’t he do it to this one?”
Prin said, “A fair question. I would imagine he was startled when he hit the water, and it took him some time to get his thoughts together. We were sailing away, and our lookouts are facing forward searching for danger. It seldom, if ever, comes from behind a ship. You should know that.” The explanation came to her as she spoke and she hoped it would calm Brice and make him feel better. She remembered her conflicted feelings after the other incident.
Brice sat on the edge of the lower bunk, his face still pale and confused. “Do you really think he lives?”
Prin didn’t mention the number of other things that could have happened, such as striking his head on the hull on the way down, or his robes soaking up so much water he couldn’t get to the surface to take a breath. She didn’t mention sharks or the idea that the mage hadn’t learned to swim. “I’m certain he lives and will soon be chasing after you again.”
He heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I guess I feel better.”
Despite being older, Brice often acted younger and more emotional. Prin and Sara attempted to keep him calm, and they talked deep into the night. Finally, he fell asleep on the bottom bunk and rather than disturb him, the two women climbed quietly to the top bunk and squeezed in.
When morning arrived, they woke as one, and despite the apology by Brice for taking their bed, all looked and felt better. The storm had passed, the sea calmed, and the sun emerged from behind a bank of low-hanging clouds on the horizon.
The dining room was nearly deserted when they arrived, later than normal, but when there should be the largest crowd. However, Marcus already sat at their table spooning a hot porridge made of ground grain and oats. He had topped it with honey and brown sugar, then added raisins.
He looked up as they approached, a smirk on his face like a dog wagging its tail. When they were sitting, he panted, “Did you hear?”
Sara took the lead. “Did we hear what?”
“Another missing passenger. That mage who wanted my table can’t be found this morning.”
“Perhaps he’s just sleeping late. The storm last night may have kept him up,” Sara suggested as she spooned herself a small bowl of the gruel.
Marcus leaned closer, “No, they checked his cabin. He was not in there and can’t be found. The Captain’s throwing fits on the bridge. He says there’ll be an investigation when we reach Indore.”
“An investigation?” Sara said.
“Over four missing passengers. The crew thinks nobody will be able to go ashore until it is finished. That may take days if they interview everyone one at a time. I have business to conduct, blades and arrow tips to sell, and don’t want to waste time sitting aboard a ship in port.”
Prin saw an opening. “Have you ever sold your goods in Wren?”
Marcus turned as if she had touched his neck with a hot poker. He no longer spooned the porridge to his mouth, and his eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
His reaction was too strong, and Prin chose her words carefully. “I also hear rumors. Wren has traditionally been a quiet backwater sort of kingdom, but lately, there is talk of revolt. I thought to pass on that word of a possible market for your goods.”
“Indeed,” he took a huge bite and waited until he swallowed before speaking again, unusual for him. “I have heard the same and must offer my thanks for you trying to help me.”
His tone had returned to more normal, but Prin detected a remaining a stiffness. She decided not to broach the subject again unless he asked her to. She said, “The waves are calmer this morning, too. That was quite a storm. Anyhow, back to the mage. Could he be using mage magic to hide for some reason? I never did understand magic.”
Marcus reverted to his usual self at the opportunity to spread more rumors. “They are searching the ship from bow to stern, and they’re looking for any of the other three who went missing at the same time. They demand entrance to each cabin and are searching them all. People are extremely scared. They don’t even come to the dining room eat. I guess they huddle in their cabins and hope they don’t fall into the sea.”
Sara turned to him. “If these were not accidents, and I can see how someone could easily fall in the storm last night, I support the efforts of the Captain. But, I wonder how the disappearances can be linked.”