Dragon Choir (11 page)

“
But, wasn’t it your father’s fault?”

“
Of course they blamed him, but he was out in the wilds on the
run. I was a reminder of their crushed hope. Eventually the old
man’s rebels sprung me from my chains. I went into hiding for a
while then got this job in Rum Hill. Far enough from the City of
Bones and close enough to keep tabs on Jandan naval
movements.”

“
Why are you interested in the navy? Why not take your fight
to the Jandan leaders, aren’t they the problem?”

“
Black powder is Jando’s strength, not their leaders. If we
crippled their navy, they’d be impotent in the border towns. They’d
have less reach to hinder the rebellion.”

“
If you say so.”

“
I do indeed say so.”

“
You think black powder is more powerful than magic? Redeemers
might just be poachers, but they—”

“
I never said that! I’ve been at these dogs for longer than
you’ve been off the teat. Don’t you imagine I’d have given all the
angles a measure of thought?”

“
Fine.” Elrin was not convinced. Delik might be certain, but
that didn’t make him right.

From the far
corner of the prison deck, a shadow moved.

Elrin tapped
Delik on the shoulder and pointed. “Did you see that? Something’s
in that cell over there.”

Shadows clung
to a mysterious figure, masking their features as they emerged from
a recess.

“
I guess they have another prisoner on board,” said Delik,
unsurprised.

“
Such a touching story.” The shadow’s voice, feminine and
familiar, was slick with sarcasm. “There really should be a nice
fire pit down here. It might help the inmates open up a little.
Prisons are so cathartic, don’t you think? Perhaps this one was a
little too cathartic for some, considering the smell.”

“
Delik,” whispered Elrin. “I’ve heard that voice before. I
think I know who it is.” Elrin raised his eyebrows and tilted his
head to show he had the situation under control.

Delik took his
arm. “Be careful what you say boy. That voice sounds like trouble.
Honey’s sweet, but sticky.”

“
Oh, lay it on thick, Delik,” said the woman.

“
What?” Delik was taken aback.

“
Is that you Minni?” Elrin was sure it was.

“
Who in the hells?” Delik hollered into the darkness. “How do
you know my name?”

“
Delik. You don’t have to pretend you don’t know me. Elrin’s
harmless in all respects. I’m sure he won’t attack you if you tell
him the bits you missed from your sentimental recruitment
spiel.”

“
Shut it, Minni.” Delik burst out.

“
He’s very paranoid, Elrin,” said Minni still half hidden by
shadow. “Not so trusting, though I’m sure it’s not
personal.”

“
Minni, enough!” Delik was on his feet pressing his body
against the bars.

“
How does she know you?” Elrin began to question everything
Delik had said, each doubt fanned a rising flame of resentment; he
had been far too quick to believe this stranger’s tragic
tale.

“
Yes, a fine question to start,” said Minni. Her voice dripped
with dark pleasure.

“
She is a ...” Delik repositioned his shoulders and lifted his
chin. “She’s a friend of my father’s.”

“
Come now, Delik. The boy isn’t an agent. You heard my report
this morning; he’s been watched since Calimska.”

“
So you say. So why did he follow you to the docks? Why didn’t
he mention his dead letter to me?”

“
He’s on the run, of course he’s going to head for the nearest
ship,” Minni laughed. “Look at him. He’ll fit right in, so why keep
him in the dark?”

“
He knows enough. He knows what Jando has done to us. He knows
about Pelegrin. He heard it spill from the coward’s own
lips.”

“
Yes, it was a lovely performance; much better than the
fireworks we planned. Bravo for your improvised contingency. Are
you happy now that you’ve got that off your chest?”

“
I wouldn’t have needed a contingency if you’d kept your
shiner off the damn docks!”

“
I’m right here. Don’t speak of me as though I’m some game
piece!” Elrin rose to his feet, frustrated and confused. He must
have lost something in the translation, none of this made sense.
“Did you say I’ve been watched? You knew about me? But,
how?”

“
Oh, you play the innocent so well. I bet you had our man
marked from the start. Calling his bluff at the docks so he’d pull
you out of harm’s way; you don’t fool me. What gave him up then?
Did you pick out our signals?”

“
Signals? I don’t understand. What are you up to?”

“
Just shut it would you. You’ll get us all killed if you don’t
come clean.” Delik kept his voice low, but his frustration was
clear.

Elrin edged
closer to Delik and with immense control considering his rising
fury, bottled his anger behind clenched teeth. “Why should I shut
it? Either you tell me what is going on, or I’ll tell Pelegrin
about you and Minni. I don’t know what you have planned, but I’ll
make sure I’m just as creative as you two.”

“
Are you an agent?” Delik eased his tone, studying Elrin’s
face.

“
He’d have squawked already, Delik. Don’t be a fool,” said
Minni. “Save the drama for me.”

“
I’m nobody’s agent.”

The boards
above them creaked and groaned with heavy footfalls.

“
Swear it,” said Delik.

“
On my father’s name, Arbajkha.”

“
By all the gods lad, if we get through this I’ll tell you
more. For now, just hold your tongue. Pretend you don’t know
anything.”

“
That’s not going to be difficult,” said Elrin.

CHAPTER NINE

Interrogation

Elrin’s throat tightened as the monstrous footfalls stopped
outside the door to the prison hold. The lock rattled and the door
opened, revealing the ogre at the threshold. With an awkward
contraction and twist, he squeezed through the doorframe, scraping
fresh lash wounds against the timber. A low whimper escaped his
lips. With such a mighty body, rippling with muscle, he had the
power to tear a man apart; yet here, under the lash and clamped in
irons, his spirit was broken.

Behind the
ogre was the officer with the whip and following him were two
guards who took positions by the door. Pelegrin came in last; his
nose was a mess, crooked and swollen and a cruel grin pressed
across his face. He gingerly stepped down into the chamber with his
sword arm strapped to a splint, hanging lame by his side. His eyes
were crazed, pupils full like a blaze addict hitting sky before the
slump.

Minni had
returned to the shadows, leaving Elrin without a clue of what they
had planned or what he should do about it. Delik was calm; his chin
held high, a defiant cockerel stuck in a coop. Elrin admired his
confidence. Such a diminutive man, bound and restricted, yet still
aloof from his captor.

Delik strutted
to the locked cell door, pressing his face through the bars,
tempting the Jandans closer. “Ha! You’re a sorry sight. Thought
you’d be all patched up. Did you leave your bone-sucking priests at
home? Oh, poor dear has no one to pray for your sorry soul.”

The officer
with the whip cracked it forward, lashing the bars where Delik’s
head had been. The whip was fast, but Delik knew it was coming.
“Away from the door, maggot!” The whip cracked again.

The ogre
flinched with each crack of the whip. He shuffled nervously and
moaned as if he were struck.

“
Get in your cage, beast.” The officer with the whip gave the
ogre a shove. The ogre hurried toward the cage opposite the
shadowed one, which Minni had occupied. He sniffed the air and
turned about, searching the dim corners, groaning.

“
In!” The officer cracked the whip across the creature’s raw
back. The ogre opened the cell and moved in. The Jandan rolled up
the whip and closed the door, locking it with a key hooked to his
belt.

Delik moved to
the cell door again, as close as he could to Pelegrin. “Are you
fresh out of sinners to feed your hungry Lord? You can have me if
you come and take me yourself.”

The officer
turned quick on his heels and cast the whip between the cell bars,
thrashing Delik across the chest. “Away from the door, grub.”

Delik sucked
in a sharp breath through his teeth. “Coward!”

Pelegrin
fumed, having no adequate retort against Delik's belligerent
goading.

“
I imagine you came here to hurt me, Commodore, but I can’t
for the life of me figure out how you’ll beat me well enough
without a decent arm to swing. Or do you plan to keep glaring at me
with that mess of a face, hoping I’ll swoon?”

“
Shut it!” Pelegrin spat at Delik, keeping out of his reach.
“I should have put you in shackles.”

“
I was worried about that big boy you had stomping about, then
you went and locked him up. He’d have given me a decent fight. So,
how do you plan to question me? You won’t like it in here I
suppose; these accommodations lack the comforts you might expect.
Shall we pop up to your cabin for a spot of tea?”

“
Silence!” Pelegrin gave his officer a nod.

The whip swung
forward. Delik stepped to the side, the whip cracked and missed.
The ogre keened a low moan from his cell.

“
Why let your underlings have all the fun, come and get me
yourself. Or are you too smacked out?”

Pelegrin would
not be lured into another fight with Delik. He stewed from a safe
distance with eyes for revenge and a body incapable of dealing the
brutality he hungered for.

“
You two, take the shiner.” Pelegrin motioned for the marines
guarding the door.

“
The lad’s got nothing to do with this, he’s just a stupid
adventure-hungry boy,” said Delik.

“
If he isn’t especially important, you won’t mind if I ask
what he knows. Nothing like a keelhauling in the morning to freshen
the Lord’s spirit. Brightens the day for sailing.” Pelegrin
straightened with confidence; he was in control now.

Elrin wasn’t
sure what a keelhauling was, but it didn’t sound all that
pleasant.

“
Fine, take him,” Delik shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know
him. What do I care?”

“
You don’t fool me, Scrambletoe,” Pelegrin smiled then waved
his good hand at the guards. “Come on then, make it happen! Grab
the lad. Just watch the grub doesn’t bite.”

Elrin backed
into the corner of the cell while the Jandan with the whip unlocked
the door. The two marines marched into the cell. Delik rushed the
door, but the officer had it shut before he could escape.

The marines
skirted Delik and advanced on Elrin.

Minni stalked
out of the shadows behind Pelegrin and grabbed his good arm by the
wrist, twisting it high behind his back. Her knee arced up and
slammed into his kidneys, doubling the Jandan over.

She shoved
forward, using Pelegrin’s body to wedge the officer with the whip
against the cell door. Her dagger struck out and blood coursed from
the wretched officer's neck, spurting onto Pelegrin's blue jacket.
The whip dropped from the officer's dead hands and the ogre wailed,
thumping his fist on the deck.

Delik backed
up to the bars so Minni could cut his bonds.

The two
marines inside the cage were panicked by the speed at which things
were going against them. One grabbed Elrin while Delik took
Minnie’s blade and advanced.

Minni had
another dagger on Pelegrin and spoke to the two Jandans stuck in
the cell with Elrin and Delik. “Hand over your steel, boys, or the
Commodore’s dead. And if you don’t like him all that much, you can
take your chances with us.”

Neither man
surrendered their weapons.

Delik kept
edging forward, closing the distance between him and the guards.
“Elrin, walk to me.”

Elrin didn’t
want a blade in his back from a desperate guard. Instead of
following Delik’s instruction, he shoved all his weight to the
right, knocking over one of the men. Delik charged forward and
pierced the remaining guard in the gut, grabbing the man’s short
sword as he slumped forward holding his abdomen. Elrin rolled away
from the marine he knocked aside and Delik moved in, slashing at
the marine's legs with dagger and short sword. The marine screamed
in agony and crumpled back to the deck, grasping at his wounds to
try and stem the flow of blood.

Delik cut
Elrin’s bindings and together they stripped the guards of their
weapons and locked them in the cell. Pelegrin withered on the floor
in limp defeat while Minni tied his wrists. He watched the prison
hold door; his last hope, but no reinforcements came to the
rescue.

“
Always keep your guards at the door,” Minni chided. “What
were you thinking, Commodore?”

Elrin rubbed
his wrists, encouraging the circulation. “Can either of you explain
what is going on?” This mess was spiralling out of control.

“
We are going to commandeer dear Pelegrin’s ship,” said Delik.
“What do you think Minni? Better we have
Juniper
for ourselves than leave her
to the fish. Can we have it so and still make the original plan
work?”