The Unwilling Accomplice (Book 5) (19 page)

Pat pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted.

Ransan stood beside his fallen men with his mouth agape. He looked back and forth between Ned and his unconscious men. Ned took a step toward him, and Ransan turned and pointed his weapon at the castor. His voice trembled with fear and confusion. "What castor can perform magic without a staff?" he exclaimed.

"This one can," Ned replied.

Ned raised his hand and Ransan's eyes widened. The elf dropped his sword and clutched at his neck. Ned strode over and lifted him off the ground so Ransan floated above him. "Release my staff or I will not hesitate to crush your throat," Ned growled. Ransan's eyes flickered to the top of the staff in Ned's hand. The wooden clamp opened and clattered to the ground. "Now tell me why the boy was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? I don't know-ah!" The grip on his throat tightened. Ransan squirmed and his feet flailed. "I was only told to set the bee boxes. There was never anything about a kidnapping," he choked out.

"Ned, stop!" Pat protested. She left Ruth by the unconscious men and hurried over to Ned's side. Pat grasped his raised arm and looked into his stony face. "Don't you see what you're doing? You're killing him!"

"What is the meaning of this?" a voice called from the tunnel entrance. All but Ned turned to see Telana, Canto, Tolen, and a small group of the city guards stride down the road to them. She looked at the scattered guards, and then to Ned and her cousin. "Explain yourselves!"

Ned dropped Ransan and turned to Telana with the top of his staff glowing brightly. "Ransan has betrayed the city, as has Captain Lee," he informed her.

"That's a-cough-that's a lie!" Ransan protested. He rubbed his sore neck and struggled to his feet. With his free hand he pointed an accusing finger at Ned, Ruth and Pat. "These outsiders tried to steal a boat to escape their guilt at setting the boxes!"

Telana glared at her cousin. "I was told differently by a more reliable source." She stepped aside and revealed Ransan's assistant. "This man was caught near a box and with his hands covered in honey. He informed us that at Captain Lee's request you gave the order to set the boxes and free the bees. Do you deny this?" Ransan snarled and turned away. "As I thought. Guards, remove him to the prisons in the castle," she ordered her men. The guards took hold of Ransan's arms and dragged him back through the cove entrance.

Canto strode up to his companions and looked each of them in the face. "What brought ya here?" he asked them.

"Fred has been kidnapped by Captain Lee. Ransan followed and confronted us with his lies," Pat explained.

Ned ignored their conversation and instead turned his attention to Telana. "We humbly request the gates to be opened and a ship from your fleet to allow us to give chase," he told her.

"I will grant you what you desire, and go with you myself in the fastest ship," Telana promised him.

"And I will offer what services I can render," Tolen spoke up.

"Then let us be off," Ned insisted. Telana led the way down the peer, but Ruth at the rear of the group hesitated. She glanced around the area and the group. Canto and Pat noticed her hesitation.

"What is it?" Pat asked her.

"Has Percy still not been found?" Ruth asked her companions.

Canto pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, and the assassin's still missing," he added.

"Perhaps they are in the city, but we had best hurry aboard," Pat advised them.

The companions rushed after Telana and Ned toward the largest of the schooners at the far end of the docks. They climbed aboard and at Telana's bidding they sounded a horn that was aboard the ship. The gates of the port creaked open and the sails of the ship were given full breadth.

Pat looked up at the limp canvas and frowned. "How are we to leave without wind?" she asked Telana.

"The castors are not the only ones capable of magic," Telana replied. She turned to Tolen who had followed them onto the ship. "We need your wind," she told him.

Tolen bowed his head and from his robes he pulled out a pouch. He moved to stand beneath the sail posts and once in position he opened the pouch. A great gust of wind swept from the pouch and upward into the sails. It caught the canvas and billowed them forward. The ship leapt from its pier and cut threw the water toward the opening gates. The tips of the sails swept an inch past both the gates and they glided into the open sea.

Their ship swept past the large, anchored boats and the companions with Telana moved to the railing. They looked ahead of themselves and in the far distance was a speck on the horizon. Telana frowned. "Their ship must be enchanted. No natural wind can carry any ship that far so quickly," she commented.

"Can we catch them?" Pat asked her.

"Yes, but we do not know what other enchantments their ship might have," she pointed out.

"I will take care of those if it must be done," Ned grimly promised.

CHAPTER 24

While the companions boarded the schooner and gave chase, Fred sat in the hold of Captain Lee's ship. He had recognized the sound of the dragon's roar and heard the noises of weapons being fired. The thud of the dragon's body hitting the deck shook the small room in which he was trapped, and he sat still for a long moment straining his ears. Footsteps clamored down the steps outside the door, and in a few moments the entrance flew open. Two sailors stepped inside with a prisoner between them. Fred was surprised to see it was Martley.

The two men leaned the new prisoner against the wall beside Fred and tied her to another pair of chains. Fred noticed her hands were behind her back and her wrists were trapped in manacles. Martley's eyes were closed and her face was deathly pale. The men were unconcerned with her unhealthy state, and after propping her against the wall they left the pair alone. They slammed the door behind themselves and Fred waited for their footsteps to recede before he turned his attention to Martley.

Fred's blood boiled at the frightful sight of her strained form. Her beautiful hair lay matted against her face and stuck there with sweat. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and her breasts heaved with each gasp for air. The dress she wore clung to her form and showed how rigid was her body. Fred scooted close to her so only a foot separated them.

"Can you hear me?" he whispered. Fred started back when Martley's eyes snapped open.

The facade of exhaustion fell from her form and she straightened with the energy of a young woman. Her eyes darted around the room. "Is there but one entrance?" she questioned him.

"Only that door, but how did you come aboard the ship? And what happened to the dragon?" he asked her.

Her words were quick and slightly annoying. "I was the dragon, and that is how I came to be aboard the ship," she replied. She shifted her arms and grimaced. "By Phaeton, is there no way to loosen these bonds?" she murmured.

Fred shook his head. "Captain Lee told me only a castor could break the spell on them," he told her. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her face. "Why did you come after the ship?" he wondered.

Martley turned to Fred and smiled. "Is the answer so difficult to see?" she returned.

"Because you think I'm your son?" Fred guessed.

"Because I know you are my son," she rephrased.

Fred sighed and shook his head. "I'm not your son."

"You are my son. Only my son would have risked his master's wrath by grabbing Ned's staff as you did. You saved me," she insisted.

Fred snorted. "I wish I could save us now," he quipped.

There was a shout above them, and through the boards they could hear a mad pounding of feet toward the starboard railing. The pair looked upward and quieted as voices spoke. "A ship!" one of the sailors cried out.

"And it's gaining!" another yelled. The proclamation was met with more frightened voices as the men aboard panicked.

A door slammed and a pair of heavy boots calmly walked across the desk. "What if it is?" Captain Lee's voice shouted above the panicked cries of his men. "This ship might be caught, but none can board while she sails except by my command and nothing can harm us," he told them.

"But it's one of the elvish ships! They're full of magic!" one of his men argued.

The boots stomped heavily across the boards and there was a garbled sound as a man's windpipe was cut off. "Don't doubt the skill of our Master, or I'll throw you over myself. Anything can fall off this ship," Lee warned the man.

"But captain-!" There was a strangled cry and something heavy fell onto the boards.

"Does anyone else care to argue their point?" Captain Lee called to the seamen. None answered. "Good, now stop your useless jabbering and back to your posts!"

Martley turned her attention away from the conversation above them and to Fred. "Have you your staff?" she asked him.

"No, Lee took it, but what would that matter?" he replied.

She cursed beneath her breath. "If we could free ourselves and reach the deck we could grab one of the extra boats and set ourselves in the water," she told him.

As though beckoned the door to the hold creaked open and a shadow flitted into the room. The figure flitted across the floor as silent as the grave, and it pulled forth a large dagger from the depth of itself.

"Sins!" Fred cried out. Sins slapped his hand over the young man's mouth and glanced up. The sailors moved uneasily around the deck and drowned out any noise they could make. Sins removed his hand and hurried behind Fred. Fred glanced over his shoulder as Sins set to work trying to cut through the metal bars and chains with his dagger. He succeeded in cutting the chains, but the manacles were proving a problem. "How did you get aboard? The captain said no one could come aboard," he wondered.

"I climbed aboard before the ship sailed," he replied. He leaned back and frowned at the manacles. "I cannot free you from these manacles," he informed them.

"No matter. We need only escape long enough for the elf ship to find us," Martley told him.

"I won't leave without my staff, and I may be able to free us with it," Fred pointed out.

"It's too dangerous to retrieve it. Captain Lee may still have it on his person," Martley argued.

Fred turned to her with a firm expression on his face. "A castor doesn't leave his staff, and I'm useless without it," he insisted.

"Your life is more important than the staff," she countered.

"But I can't save anyone's life without it," he persisted.

"I will attempt to find it," Sins spoke up. He stood, stepped softly over to the door, and slid out like a shadow.

"Pray to Phaeton that he is not found. Captain Lee is not merciful," she whispered to Fred.

He grinned. "I don't need to pray for Sins. He knows what he's doing," he countered.

Martley raised an eyebrow. "You would have the faith to put your life in the hands of your friends? I warned you-"

Fred snapped his head to her and frowned. "My friends were the ones to save me from Canavar, and my friends are the ones who will save us now. I won't lose faith in them," he told her.

Martley turned away and closed her eyes. There was a small, soft smile on her lips. "You speak as Ned does," she commented.

"I speak how my heart tells me," he replied.

She opened her eyes and gave a nod. "If that is true then I will put my faith in your friends because I have faith in your heart," she told him.

Sins moved along the lower passage to the stairs. The hatch lay open and the shadows of the sailors flickered past. Their voices were quieted, but not their anxiety. They often strode to the railing to peer back at the ship catching them. Sins climbed the ladder and peeked his head over the deck. To the starboard side of th ship lay the setting sun. There was only a half hour left of light before they were engulfed in darkness and all hope of rescue was extinguished with the sun.

Captain Lee stood on the deck with a smile on his face and a dangerous look in his eyes. At his feet lay one of his sailors. The man's face was turned to Sins and his eyes stared without blinking. His head lay at an odd angle and his throat was covered in a half-formed bruise. His blood stopped flowing before the body could finish the job.

Sins glanced at Captain Lee's waist where he'd last seen the staff at Lee's passing his hiding spot in the center part of the hold. There wasn't a sign of it, so Sins glanced behind him. The door to the captain's cabin lay a few yards off, and the distance was filled with a miscellaneous assortment of barrels and a few crates. Sins slid out of the hatch and covered the distance to the door in a few quick strides. He slipped into the cabin and closed the door behind himself.

Sins turned and his eyes fell on the figure seated in the chair. Percy smirked. "Good evening, Sins. I expected you a few minutes earlier," he greeted his guest. Sins' eyes narrowed and his hand slipped to his waist where his dagger lay. Percy chuckled. "Do you truly mean to be rid of me in such a brutal fashion?" he wondered.

"A traitor deserves a bad end," Sins told him.