Chapter 22

I took the watch that night, both as lookout and as helmsman. My enhanced vision gave me better night sight than anyone else aboard the Windrunner save perhaps Nimue and I wasn't going to put her on watch. She was still recovering from the blow to her head.

The men had still grumbled, even though they'd been forewarned well in advance that we would not be seeking an anchorage. It was more about warm food and a good night's rest for all than anything else. Still we'd provisioned us well before leaving Izmir. We had fresh bread, goat cheese, figs, dates, and olives, coils of smoked sausages, melon, and amphora's of sweet wine. What more could they ask for.

When dawn rose I was tired. It was a good day with a stiff, but not overpowering wind coming from the west. Our sails were full and our bow was pointed southward and the sky had but a touch of clouds in it. I was tired and ready for bed. Kola brought me my breakfast. A roll of flatbread stuffed with meat and cheese and sliced olives. It sated my appetite and kept me alert until the day's watch could rise and tend to their needs before relieving those who had been up all night. It didn't take long. The helmsman smiled warmly when he relieved me and the quartermaster nodded to me politely as he came to take command for the next watch. We spoke in low voices and then I left him to his tasks. Kola saw me to the cabin that had been Tagus'. It was small and cramped, but it was dark and I could get some rest. I kissed Caitlin and Nimue and waved to Rory and Zahra. Then I went to sleep.

The cry 'ship ho' roused me from my slumber. I don't know how long I had been sleeping, but however the length, when my feet touched the deck I was awake and refreshed and ready for anything. As I pulled up my boots the cabin door opened and Rory walked in.

"There's a ship off the port bow Charles," Rory blurted out the moment he saw me.

I nodded my acknowledgement and then told him I would be there in a moment. I quickly finished dressing and then slipped on my weapons. With them in place and my spy glass in my hand, I climbed up out of the cabin and onto the main deck. Anyone who was not tending sail or the lines was standing by the port railings, gazing questioningly towards the dot that marred the horizon.

"Back to duty men," I barked with annoyance, "and prepare for battle. Don't just stand about staring like a fool."

My tongue was sharp and everyone jumped at the sound of it. Quickly people rushed off to don armour and to find their weapons. I walked forward looking for a spot to look at the craft with nothing obstructing my view. Once I found it, I brought my spy glass to my eye and had a look. It was a ship all right and it looked to be a trader. It had a single bank of oars. I didn't know how many as the distance was too great and the vessel had a single mast. At the moment, its sail was furled. It was not overly large but it wasn't small either. From here I couldn't see much.

"Can we catch her?" I asked the quartermaster when I went back to speak to him.

"No or at least not today," the man said firmly, looking first to our sails and then back at me. "They are still a league or more away and they're not using their sail. We can try and close the distance with her but they might try and run ahead of us. Given time and luck we will catch them but as I've said, it will take time."

I nodded my understanding and then glanced back towards the distant ship. The Windrunner could catch her but probably not before nightfall. I sighed and glanced up at the sky. The sun was high above us and I knew instantly that it was midday or later. I nodded again.

"Match her course," I told the man, "and close with her if you can but only until we can get a better look at her. The vessel might not even be one of the ships that we're seeking. Until we know otherwise, we will be cautious. You can stand the men down until then."

I left the quartermaster to do his job and went and talked to my mates and friends. Kola brought me fresh water to drink and food to eat. It was cold but satisfying. For a while I sat and talked to everyone who came by. Morale was still high and most smiled when I spoke to them. Then I sat and watched as Tobias drilled the men from the morning watch. He had them working with practice swords. A few were doing better. Still there would need to be a lot more training before I would put any of them into combat.

The Windrunner lived up to her name. The quartermaster matched the course of the other vessel and slowly but surely gained on it during the day. She did so even when the crew of the other vessel raised their sail in an effort to gain a little speed. By early evening the Windrunner was sailing adjacent to the other ship. The distance between us was still substantial, but it was close enough to identify the other ship using my spy glass. I could make out the colour of the boat. It had a white hull and green trimming and an eye painted on its bow. More importantly, now that the ship had unfurled its sail, I could see that it bore a stylized bull rampant across its surface. It was obviously a Minoan craft and it matched the description that I had received from the harbour master's assistant in Izmir.

"What now sir?" the quartermaster asked. He'd come and stood by me while I had spied out the other vessel and he'd taken a look at it with my spy glass when I had offered him a chance. Now he was wondering what I would choose to do.

"We're two hours before dusk," I told him, "and from the looks of it, that ship is striking for shore. The captain must be looking for a safe harbour to spend the night and rest up his crew. They've been at their oars for most of the day and they're probably tired. Shadow them my friend but do not spook them. I want them to find themselves a bed for the night so that I can kick them out of it."

The quartermaster did as he was told. We shadowed the other craft until it slipped in close to the shore and found itself an anchorage. From the look of it, it was a small sheltered cove that was surrounded by stone shelves and sparse grasslands. As they put in for the night we sailed on, looking for our own berth for the night. Luckily we didn't have far to go. We found a matching cove a mile or two distant from where the Minoan ship had dropped her anchors and we put into it for the night.

We used the small rowboat to ferry most of the crew to shore and any food that they wanted cooked. I left a watch on the Windrunner just in case. I doubted that the Minoan vessel would run for it during the night but you never knew. Their captain could be more familiar with the waters about these parts and he might be willing to take a risk if he thought we were a threat to him. That was the big question that was rolling about in my head. Did the captain of the Minoan vessel recognize the Windrunner or had he just assumed that we were another vessel heading south on a parallel course? I didn't know, but I intended to find out.

I called for a war council once the camp had been pitched and fires had been started. That council included my mates and my friends and the quartermaster of the Windrunner. We met at a fire separate from where most of the crew had been gathered.

"I want to seize that ship tonight," I told everyone bluntly. "I'm thinking of taking a small party with me. We'll swim out to where the craft is anchored and then board it. If we're lucky we can take it by surprise and if not, hopefully the men manning it will not put up much of a fight."

"Who will you take with you?" the quartermaster asked with interest and concern.

"My party will be going," I replied firmly. "They've got the most experience amongst the men here. However I will be taking a handful of archers from the crew. I'll keep them out of any actual fighting, but I'm going to need somebody covering my back."

The man nodded his head in agreement and understanding and I could see the relief in his eyes. He knew as I did that the crew weren't fighters and that in a situation like this, they would probably end up dead if I sent them in to do what I wanted them to do.

We waited until we'd eaten and had rested for a bit. By then the night had become dark and the moon had risen in the north-east. While we waited I grabbed Tobias and had him pick five of his best archers from amongst the crew. I told him to have them ready and waiting. I also told him to make certain that they were good runners. I had no intentions of walking to the boat and I didn't want to be held up by men who couldn't keep up with me. We left near midnight.

We went light. Other than Kola, who still couldn't swim, my party stripped down to only loincloths and footwear. I took my bandoleer of throwing knives and my dirk and that was it. The others brought just knives. I put Kola in charge of the archers with Tobias. They were to cover our assault on the boat. We headed out with me leading the way.

I found the boat nestled in a small cove, tucked away for the night. From the distance everything looked fine. There was a watch sitting in the stern of the craft but that was it. I had everyone sit tight for a bit while I checked things out with my spy glass. I checked the shoreline and the water about the craft trying to discern whether there was a current or not. I also checked to see if there were any sentries posted on the shore or if there was a trap. I didn't see anything and the hairs on the back of my neck stayed down. After a fifteen minute breather, I led my people in.

I split my team into two. I sent Rory and Zahra towards the bow of the boat while Caitlin, Nimue, and I assaulted the stern. Kola would be in place to cover me when I tried to get up.

The water was cold. I swam to the stern line and waited for Caitlin and Nimue. As they got there I started to climb the rope. To my surprise the boat shifted as the rope took up my weight. A groan came from the vessel as it shifted in response. I hung there and waited for a moment. Nothing happened. Then something did happen. A head appeared above me, looking out over the water. A second later it disappeared with an arrow slamming into it. Cursing under my breath I continued to climb, this time moving as quickly as I could.

I was the first over the railing. When I hit the deck, I immediately crouched down next to the railing and waited. Swiftly my eyes scanned my surroundings. The first thing I spotted was the man who'd been on watch. He was dead. Kola had been lucky in her aim. Her arrow was buried in the man's left eye. It was a damned good shot. He was now sprawled on his back on the deck just beside me. He had a cutlass in his belt and a spear lay beside his empty hand. I quickly grabbed the cutlass and the spear. The rest of the ship was still asleep.

Caitlin was next onboard, quickly followed by Nimue. I gave both of them a hand up once they'd gotten to the top of the rope. When Nimue got on deck I gave her the cutlass. I kept the spear. By then Rory and Zahra were in the bow. I could see them at the other end of the ship. I raised my hand to them and Rory did the same. Then I moved out.

The vessel had a small cabin just like the Windrunner. I'd spotted it from shore and it was my first objective. While Caitlin and Nimue covered me, I opened the door and crept inside. My entrance was met with loud, drawn out snores. From the sound of it there was only one man inside. I waited letting my eyes adjust to the shift in light and then I moved. There was one bunk that stretched the length of the cabin. In it was the snoring man. He looked short and somewhat fat. I tapped him on the toe to wake him. It took a couple of tries. When he finally started awake, he woke to find the head of a spear thrust under his throat. His eyes went wide with that.

"Who owns this ship?" I asked the man in a low voice. I spoke Minoan to the man, calling up the language from my memory.

"What?" the man gasped in confusion. "Who are you?"

"I'm the man who is going to kill you, my fat friend," I growled a little more ominously, "if you do not tell me who owns this ship."

"Alexander of Lufkin owns this ship," the man told me quickly. "This is his boat."

"And what is your name, fat one?" I demanded to know.

"I am Dmitry of the White Swan," the man replied without hesitation. "I am the Captain of this ship."

"And what happened to the lizard-man and the dark skinned woman?" I asked him, pressing the point of the spear into his neck to keep his attention.

"They are not here," Dmitry of the White Swan told me fervently, his eyes beseeching me to believe him.

"Where are they then?" I pressed, sounding very irritated at his responses.

"They were put on another vessel," Dmitry exclaimed. "Alexander has them with him. He sent our three ships on different courses, just in case we were pursued. His ship sailed between the islands to the west with the other ship and then they split up, one to take the course down the western shore of the sea and one to work its way through the islands, but I don't know which will do what. Alexander did not tell me. He only told me to sail south along this coast until I entered the great sea, when I was to turn for home."

I believed the man and I told him so which brought a smile to his face. Then I told him I would still have to search his ship. With the look of resignation on his face, he nodded his understanding. With that done, I had him roll onto his belly and place his hands behind his back. When he had, I tied him up and then dragged him to his feet. Pushing him ahead of me, I forced him up onto the deck.

"Wake up," I shouted loudly in Minoan. "Get your lazy asses out of bed and kneel on the deck."

It startled the crew. The first man to awaken spotted me standing by his captain and his hand went for a knife in his belt. Mine brought up the spear and I threw it before the man could even draw the blade. The spear sank into his body and killed him instantly. That caused a stir amongst the rest.