‘Kinsel?’ The man moved forward, catching enough of the meagre light from the porthole to show his features.
Kinsel fought disbelief. He wanted to speak, and only croaked. Gulping a breath, he tried again. ‘Reeth?’ It came out as a rasp.
Caldason stood over him. ‘You took some finding,’ he said.
‘Reeth?’ Kinsel repeated, gaping. ‘Is it really you or am I dreaming?’
‘It’s no dream. But it’ll turn into a nightmare if we don’t get you out off this ship, and fast.’
‘But how did-’
‘Questions later, all right?’ He took in the singer’s wasted frame and haggard face. ‘Hell, Kinsel, you look rough.’
‘Yes. I expect I do.’ His eyes welled. He began to shake.
Caldason laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. ‘Steady. It’s going to be all right; I’m getting you out of here. Can you walk?’
‘Yes. Well…’ He nodded at the chain securing his ankle.
Caldason went to the foot of the bunk and swung his axe at the wooden upright. The blade sliced through in a single stroke, and he pulled the chain through the loop on Kinsel’s anklet. ‘We’ll get that off later. Up you come.’ He helped him stand.
The noises outside grew wilder.
Kinsel wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. He looked dazed. ‘You’re not alone?’
‘No. But we’re nowhere near the size of Vance’s crew.’ Rukanis visibly tensed at mention of the pirate’s name. ‘We don’t have too far to go. Can you make it?’
‘I’ll cope.’
‘Good. Let’s move.’ He went to take the singer’s arm.
‘There’s no need. I can do it alone. Really.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Just lead me. But, Reeth…’
‘Yes?’
‘Tanalvah. And the children. How…how are…?’
‘They’re fine.’ Caldason had no way of knowing whether they were or not, but felt a judicious lie was in order. ‘You’ve no need to worry about them. Just concentrate on doing as I say.’
Caldason checked that the way was clear and they moved out of the cabin. The door opened directly onto the deck where a stiff, cold wind blew. Kinsel shivered. Caldason unhooked his cloak and wrapped it round the singer’s shoulders. Kinsel didn’t protest.
The body of the guard was slumped against the wall in a gathering pool of blood. Kinsel stared, but said nothing.
‘Keep going,’ Caldason urged.
Kinsel walked falteringly, like a man who’d been kept in a confined space for too long, which in many ways he had.
As they moved away from the cabins and towards the main deck, they saw a handful of men. Beyond them, a larger group were engaging some of the pirate crew.
‘They’re with us,’ Caldason said, signalling to the nearer group.
Two of the men peeled off and jogged to them.
‘Where’s Darrok?’ Caldason wanted to know.
‘Amidships,’ one of them answered.
‘I want you to go with these men, Kinsel.’
‘But, Reeth-’
‘You can trust them. They’ll take you down to a boat we’ve got moored alongside. Do as they say. They’ll take care of you.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’ll be along. Soon.’
‘Why not now?’
‘There’s something I have to do first. Look, there’s no time to discuss it, all right? You’ll be fine.’ He turned to the two men. ‘Look after him.’ They nodded and moved forward to take charge of Kinsel.
The singer allowed himself to be led towards the stern. Caldason watched them go, then ran forward. When he was near the end of the cabin block, he stopped dead.
Two brawny pirates had rounded the corner ahead. They were well armed and bent on mayhem. The second they saw him, they charged.
He would have preferred meeting them with his swords. But they were sheathed. His only option was the axe, and he had it swinging before the first man reached him. Skidding to a halt just beyond the axe’s sweep, the pirates hung back until it hit the apex of its swing. Then they darted in, forcing Caldason to retreat. But he had the axe moving again instantly, blocking their assault.
They came on in a pincer movement, hacking at him from left and right. He parried them, muscles straining as he worked the heavier weapon. The exchange grew ever more frenzied, the fury of his opponents rising.
Frustration bred rashness, and one of the pirates got too close. Caldason offset the man’s blade with a heavy blow, following with a swipe that wrong-footed him. Then he swiftly brought the axe over in an arc, shattering the pirate’s skull. A puppet with its strings slashed would have fallen no quicker.
The second pirate, stunned by his comrade’s fate, scuttled clear. But wrath got the better of caution, and he made to rush into battle once more. Caldason lifted the axe well over his shoulder and hurled it with all his strength. Spinning through the air, a speeding ring of wood and steel, it pierced the man’s chest, the force of the strike sending him tumbling, lifeless.
Caldason looked back along the deck and saw Kinsel being helped over the rail. He left the axe embedded in the corpse and moved on, drawing a sword.
The group of islanders he joined amidships had dealt with their opposition. The bodies of perhaps a dozen pirates were scattered around. Caldason was about to ask after Darrok when he appeared, swooping in on his glamoured disc.
‘Did you find him?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘And?’
‘He’s alive, but he looks a mess.’ Caldason indicated the bodies. ‘There are more than this, surely?’
‘We had a stroke of luck. Look over there.’ He pointed at a large grille set in the deck some way further along. ‘But I wouldn’t get too close if I were you.’
Caldason trotted to it, and saw that the hatch had been secured with a chain and heavy lock. As he approached he heard a din rising, and when he leaned over to look, a roar went up, and cutlass tips jabbed through the grille. He pulled back, but not before seeing several score pirates in the hold.
Darrok glided in to hover beside him. ‘Most of them were sleeping below decks when we got on board, and we managed to keep them there. I wouldn’t count on it lasting much longer though.’
A determined pounding shuddered the grille, underlining his point.
‘What about the rest of the ship?’
‘Cleared. Except for the wheelhouse block.’
‘And that’s where Vance’s cabin is?’
‘Underneath the bridge, yes. At least, it always was, and the defectors from his crew confirmed it. I’ve kept it well guarded. We haven’t tried going in there yet.’
‘Then it’s time we did. Let’s get Vance sorted and get out of here.’
‘I’ve been waiting to hear that for a long time, Reeth.’ He yelled orders at the waiting islanders, telling them to be ready to evacuate the ship. More than a few of the men looked disgruntled.
They set out for the wheelhouse, Caldason walking next to Darrok’s gliding dish.
‘Why the long faces back there?’
‘Some of our men wanted to finish off those below deck, too,’ Darrok said. ‘They think we’re losing an opportunity by not putting them to death.
‘Maybe they’ve got a point.’
‘I can’t bring myself to order the killing of men in a situation like that.’
‘After what they did to you?’
Darrok eyed him darkly. ‘Oh, don’t get me wrong; I hate them. But there’s a difference between meeting a man in a fair fight and spearing fish in a bucket. I like to be able to sleep nights.’
‘As it happens I see no honour in it myself. Though I’d do it if I had to.’
‘I’d have to be pushed pretty hard. But I’ve no such compunction about Vance. Besides, I’ll be cutting off the serpent’s head. The pirate alliance will fall without him.’
They got to the wheelhouse at the stern. The bridge itself was occupied by islanders, and guards dotted the deck.
‘Well, that’s it,’ Darrok said, indicating a single door under the bridge.
‘You’ll never get your disc through there.’
‘I will if I tilt it. Don’t look at me like that. If I slide off onto my arse I’m still going in. I’ve waited too long for this reckoning.’