Chapter 16

The landlady proved to be very understanding. As Tagus had told me before we ended up speaking to the woman, this wasn't the first time someone had died under her roof and while it was technically a respectable place of business, even the most respectable people have mishaps. Given this understanding and the right amount of silver and the house could take care of any mishap big and small, including the disposal of three bodies. I paid up for both the bodies and the damaged crockery and then retired for the evening. With me I took the dead men's effects adding most of them to what we intended to sell to our friendly armourer.

My night was a repeat of the afternoon, with the willing participation of all four of my mates. Yeah, I now had a harem. The women weren't shy with each other and by the time we blew out our candles we were all sated. Sleep came easy to us and we only rose when the cock crowed the next morning. Of course at least one of my pretties tried to wilt my morning wood. It didn't work but I left Felicity with a smile.

We all trudged down to the quay after breakfast to meet with Tagus and to await the armourer. Naturally last night's business was the talk of the morning as was the fact that we'd forgotten to deal with Felicity's grav bike. When I suggest that we'd transfer it tonight, Tagus waved me off and suggested that we have a chat once business had been conducted.

The armourer came by and took a look at the goods we had to offer him. He was impressed with the high tech chain mail, including the two sets that had holes in them that were stained with blood. As he put it, they can be fixed and cleaned up and no one would know the difference/. What mattered was that the armour weighed but a fraction of what he could produce. That would be a selling point. He was also impressed with the pile of high tech blade weapons that we were offering him. He marvelled at how keen an edge they had. He was less impressed by the stuff that we'd collected from the pirates, but besides a sigh and a grumble and a few shakes of his head, he really didn't say much about them. Instead he made me an offer for the lot.

It was a reasonable offer and I was ready to accept it when Tagus spoke up. Since the weapons were gathered on his ship, he was there to oversee the deal regardless of our previous agreement. He suggested a higher price, causing the man to wince visibly. Then the man took a second look at everything and made another offer. This time I glanced over towards Tagus before saying a word. The lizard-man just shrugged his shoulders. Taking that as a yes, I agreed to the deal. The man smiled and said he would return in an hour with a cart to haul everything away and he would return with Kola's armour at the same time. It seemed he'd found time to fix it last night. I thanked him, clasping forearms to seal the deal and then told him we would be here waiting for him. When he'd departed I went and spoke to Tagus.

"So my friend," I said in his native tongue, "you needed to keep your fingers in the deal after all."

"It was just too tempting to squeeze another gold coin out of the man," Tagus said with toothy smile. "He wanted the good stuff and I knew he would be able to recoup whatever we took from him on the deal when he resold it. Even the crap we took from the pirates will fetch him a silver piece or two if he manages things correctly."

"Well then, I thank you for your input," I said nodding my head in gratitude, "and I will remember your generosity when we've parted."

"I wish to speak about that my friend," Tagus hissed excitedly. As he said this he glanced about making certain no one was near who could listen in, even though only he and I spoke Silurian.

"What do you wish to say my friend?" I asked him pointedly.

"I think that I will be picking up a cargo that needs to be transported to the west," Tagus told me just as pointedly. "Last night's encounter made me think about what you are about and what difficulties that you may face in the coming months. I wish to lessen them for you. You know me and I know you and we are friends and share the same disdain for these humans from this alternate Earth. If you were to book ship with another captain, it might put you and your mates and your friends in danger. With me you will be safe."

I thanked Tagus for his offer and accepted it. It resolved the issue of moving Felicity's bike and it made things easier for me and my party. I knew that Rory and the women would agree that this was the best of all possible situations. The only grief any of us had was the lack of privacy. Unfortunately, the hope of finding a private cabin aboard most sailing vessels in these waters was a foolish thing as they were a rarity at best.

The armourer returned with Kola's mail and the monies he owed us and a cart to haul everything away. When he was gone, I told Tagus that we'd be at the White Lily until he wanted to sail and then we bid him good luck at selling the other boat. With smiles and waves we returned to the inn and our rooms and the beds in them. That day we didn't leave them and again I slept a peaceful sleep that night.

We sailed two days later on the morning tide. Tagus had sold the pirate craft the day before and I'd arranged for fodder for our horses and hay for the messes that they'd make. While I was at it, I made certain that we had plenty of supplies loaded aboard including soap. Now that we'd found some we weren't going anywhere without it. Once out to sea we settled back into our routine again. In the morning we worked on languages and during the afternoon we trained on swords. Even Tagus joined us from time to time to practice the common tongue spoken by Kola and the kids, and Nimue and Zahra. He figured it wouldn't hurt and it would make life easier down the road. As for weapon training, I got Nimue and Zahra working with Felicity. While she knew a few self-defence techniques it wasn't enough. She needed to know more, including how to use a blade. As for the pistol that I'd taken from Robert, it was a standard semi-automatic pistol of the nine-millimetre variety. The ammunition matched what Felicity was using in her automatic. I gave her the rounds to reload her spent magazine and to fill the one in her weapon. It gave her two full magazines and a few loose rounds to shove in her jacket pocket. I told her to use her weapon sparingly. As for the pistol I dropped it over the side. I had no use for it without ammunition and Felicity needed the ammunition more than I did. I put my trust instead in my bow and my longsword.

We headed west at a steady pace. It was slow going as the wind was against us but there was nothing we could do about it. At the end of each day we found ourselves an anchorage and made use of it. The first couple of nights we shared the anchorage with other ships, all of which were heading east. Out of hospitality we exchanged greetings and gossip. We didn't learn much, but then we hadn't expected to learn anything at all. Most captains greeted us politely, even when they noticed that the Windrunner was commanded by a Silurian. A couple were not at all polite. Those nights we posted a watch just in case.

Surprisingly nothing happened to us during the week that it took for us to sail from Indigo to the mouth of the Bosporus. By midday we'd be in port once more and we'd have to decide what to do then. Tagus would be dropping off his cargo there and paying off his crew. He'd spoken to most of them during the trip west, explaining his intent to follow me as long as he could and he had asked his crew to sign on. Most had refused. While they knew that I was brave and bold and a mighty warrior, they also knew by now that trouble followed me and they wanted nothing of it. Tagus would have to find a new crew or give up his plans of helping me for my travels were still aimed towards the west. Nimue had yet to sense a change in direction.

It was the cry of the lookout that helped change things for us. We were within the straits and heading towards the southern shores when the sailor's voice rang out informing us that a ship was bearing down upon the Windrunner. Once more I grabbed my spy glass and I took a look. The vessel was a bireme and from the spray and wash coming off its bow, I knew that it was a warship. Quickly I handed my spy glass to Tagus so that he could have a look.

"Well," I asked him anxiously, "do you recognize the vessel."

"No," Tagus grunted in reply, "although that means very little. I rarely sail this way and have little knowledge of this region."

"Do you think it belongs to a local warlord," I asked him hastily, "or is it another pirate vessel?"

"Again I cannot tell," Tagus grumbled in response, "although I think it doesn't really matter. If they intend us harm then we are done for. There is no way we can fight that vessel."

"Bring us about and run for the sea," I told Tagus sharply.

"We'd never make it my friend," Tagus muttered shaking his head with resignation. "That ship has a full sail and twenty oars per side. They will catch us quickly and ram us. Surrender might be a better option."

"No," I snapped back at him, "it won't be for either you or me. Now bring the Windrunner about and be quick about it. I have a plan."

I didn't stay and argue with Tagus and he didn't try. Instead he started barking orders to his crew and helmsman. As the Windrunner started to turn, I hurried over to Felicity. By then all my people had gathered in one spot and they were all armed and ready for action.

"Felicity," I said quickly, "does that grav bike of yours travel over water?"

"Of course," Felicity shot back, looking at me in a questioning manner. "Why?"

"And at what height will it go?" I asked her, ignoring her question.

"With a good run up," Felicity replied, "and the right adjustment of the grav field and the thrusters I can get her up off the ground by about fifty feet. Of course, over water will be another thing. Still you haven't told me why?"

I told her why and I told everyone my plan as well. It was audacious but it was our only option. Once I'd explained it, Felicity sprung into action.

It took everyone by surprise. Felicity powered up her bike and I climbed onto the back of it. I was in my armour and I had my shield and my weapons. The only thing that I wasn't taking with me was my longbow and arrows. I'd have no use for those. Then we were off. Felicity tinkered with her controls and got us up off of the deck of the Windrunner. As she quickly adjusted her gravitational field, we rose higher and the vessel started to slip away from us as we just hovered over the deck. In a heartbeat the Windrunner drew away from us and a second later we were over water. When that happened we dropped a few feet until Felicity got things back under control. When she had everything balanced the way she wanted it, she kicked in her thrusters and we were off. Now that was a rush. Clutching to my mate, I held on tightly as we sped away, accelerating from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye. Swiftly we flew by the Windrunner leaving it behind us like it was standing still. A moment later we were headed back out into the Black Sea. As we went, Felicity played with her controls some more and slowly we gained altitude. When we were at forty feet above the water, Felicity banked her bike to the right and brought it back around. Like a rocket we shot by the Windrunner again and headed for the bireme. A second later we shot by it as well. Then we came about and turned back towards the warship. It was time for battle.

There was a small poop deck at the stern of the vessel where the vessel's captain stood barking orders and the helmsman stood controlling the tiller paddle and the count master stood beating his drums to urge on the oarsmen. We aimed for that. As we did, a hail of arrows rose up from the craft to meet us. Fortunately we were still out of range and all of them fell short. By the time the archers had nocked a second arrow, we were over the craft.

As Felicity shot over the poop deck she decelerated for just a split second. As she did, I flipped myself off the rear of her bike and dropped like a bomb. I hoped that my enhanced strength and agility would see me through this crazy stunt. It did. One minute I was hanging in midair and the next I was on the deck. As I hit, I sprung into action.

My first target was the ship's captain. Essentially, I dropped down directly behind him. As he spun about to see what had fallen from the sky, I ran my sword through his gut. His eyes went wide in disbelief and then glazed over. I pulled my blade from his stomach and let him drop to the deck. As he fell, I stepped over him and brought my sword up in one hand. A second later I dropped it down on the gawking face of the count master who'd been seated just before where the captain had stood. My blade caved in his face and neatly sliced it in half. As he crumpled dead, I turned again and moved on. From my free hand flew a throwing knife. It sped across the deck and slammed into the throat of the helmsman. The big man instinctively grasped for the blade. As he did, I stepped across to him and shoved my blade into his chest. He was dead before he hit the deck. Now the fun part started.

I'd taken a risk here. I had counted the oars and come up with the possibility of eighty oars men with two men per oar. With the captain, helmsman, and count master that would make eighty-three men. There was also a good chance that there was a quartermaster and even a boarding party, especially if the oarsmen were slaves. That was the risk I was taking here. If the oarsmen were slaves and in chains, I was facing a threat of between a dozen to twenty men, however if they weren't slaves I was facing a hell of a battle. Fortunately my luck was still with me and the oarsmen were all slaves. Unfortunately, the crew was larger than I'd estimated. Thankfully I'd planned for that.

Having dealt with the men on the poop deck, I shifted my attention to the remainder of the crew. As I moved forward I shifted my shield off of my shoulder and brought it up into play. I did so just in time. As I moved it across my body to protect myself, a spattering of arrows struck it. I just moved on and ignored the arrows. By now men with curved swords were rushing to meet me and I figured that they were of a more immediate concern. I'd deal with the archers soon or to be more precise, the cavalry would.

I met the swordsmen at the top of a short flight of steps that went from the poop deck down to the main deck that ran between the rowing stations. My sword descended upon the man to my right, killing him as my shield blocked the strike of another man's blade. For the next second or two I was tied up with this man, blocking and parrying his attack until he grew tired and left me an opening. I made use of it. I knocked a weak strike aside with the flat of my blade and then came under his attack, driving my longsword into him and then pulling it out, just in time to block the attack of another man who'd stepped forward to fill the void made by the other dying sailor. However before I could counter-attack the man fell from an arrow through his chest.