The Unwilling Accomplice (Book 5) (20 page)

One of Percy's hands brushed against his vest. "Traitor? That title is in the eye of the beholder, my dear assassin. I hired you to protect me and here I find you wanting to kill me," he countered.

"You collude with our enemies for your own selfish desires. There can be no worse deed," Sins argued.

Percy shrugged. "I can live with that dishonor, but you won't."

Percy jumped to his feet and pulled a small knife from his vest. The blade flew across the room at Sins' chest. The assassin snatched the handle, ducked down and tossed the knife back at Percy. The blade plunged into his chest just below the heart. Percy's eyes widened and he grasped the hilt. He coughed and blood sprinkled the ground beneath him. Percy took a step forward, but stumbled and fell to his knees. A sick laugh choked from his throat.

"Pity you had morals. You were a very good assassin," he complimented him.

Sins strode up and grabbed the staff on the desk. "I am not so foolish to be consumed by greed and ambition," Sins returned.

Percy smirked. "No, I suppose not." He sank to his side and his eyes closed.

Sins turned away from the pitiful sight and strode from the room to leave the dying man to his fate.

CHAPTER 25

Sins stepped out onto the deck and saw the atmosphere was even more tense. The pursuers were closing in on them. Sins slipped into the open hatch and back into the hold. Fred was relieved to see his friend return, and with his staff.

"How did you get it?" Fred wondered.

"We don't have time for questions. Can you use your staff to free yourself?" Sins asked him.

Fred turned so his hands were held out toward Sins. "There's only one way to answer that question," he pointed out. Sins dropped the sticks into Fred's hands. Everyone waited for them to transform into the staff, but the sticks sat lifeless in his fingers. Fred frowned. "Why won't it work?" he asked them.

Martley shook her head. "The manacles must suppress your castor abilities. There is no way to free ourselves from these chains, but we may perhaps escape in one of the boats," she suggested.

"There are too many men on the deck. Your escape will be noticed," Sins replied.

"Do we have a choice?" Martley pointed out.

Sins paused and his eyes darted upward toward the ceiling. His eyes narrowed and his companions imagined a frown on his lips. Sins grabbed both their manacles and hauled them to their feet. The manacles at their ankles bound their feet close together, but they could still shuffle. "Follow me," he ordered them. Sins slipped out of the room.

Martley frowned and turned to Fred. "Surely he jests," she asked him.

Fred smiled and shook his head. "Sins never jests, but let's follow him as best we can," he encouraged her. The pair followed Sins to the stairs where the hatch shined light on their pale faces.

Martley looked up at the narrow, steep steps and pursed her lips. "We cannot climb those," she commented.

"That is not my plan," Sins told her. He grabbed one of each of their arms and hurried up the steps with the pair bouncing along on either side of him. Their legs flailed in the air and when Sins reached the hatch the pair were left suspended in midair. Fred gripped his sticks tightly in his hands and had to admire Sins' strength, but not his tact.

Martley admired neither. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Silence," Sins whispered.

The two captives quieted when they noticed the tenseness in his body. They strained their ears to hear what caused Sins such alarm, but nothing was heard. That caught their attention since it was at odds with the panic heard only a few minutes before. Sins stuck his head above the hatch and noticed that the few visible sailors stood at a great distance from the the stairs. His eyes flickered to their right where lay a group of barrels, and ten yards beyond that lay the railing and a lifeboat tied to the ship. They had a clear path to escape and that worried him, but they had no other choice.

Sins rushed out of the hatch and dragged the pair with him. They had only covered a yard when a sailor stepped out from behind a barrel and into their path. The man smiled at them with his mouth full of rotten teeth and in his hand was a long sword. Sins turned, but the missing sailors jumped from their hiding spots to trap them beside the hatch.

The door to the cabin's quarters opened and Captain Lee stepped out. He smiled at the three as he strode over to them. "Well, well, a stowaway, and a very messy one. If you don't want to be found then you should hide your victims," he scolded Sins.

"He was a victim of his greed," Sins countered.

Captain Lee shrugged. "I honestly do not care what argument you had with Percy, but I can't allow an assassin to kill every guest on board, or spirit them away." At the mention of Percy Fred's eyes widened and he looked to Sins for an explanation, but the assassin was focused on the sailors and Lee. The captain gestured to his men who took a few cautious steps toward the group. "Now will you give up or must we use force? You can't fight back when you have your hands full," Lee pointed out.

Sins lifted the pair off their feet and tossed them at the sailor who barred their way to the railing. Martley and Fred crashed into the hapless man and crushed him between their bodies and the deck, knocking him unconscious. The sailor's friends cried out in fury and jumped at Sins with the intention of cutting him to ribbons and using his guts to string their fishing poles. Sins drew his dagger and knocked many of their swords from their clumsy grips. He used his fist to strike them unconscious, but he didn't give mercy to all of them. His dagger hissed through the air and found its mark in arms, legs, and stomachs. Men dropped to the deck and blood flowed out from beneath them.

Captain Lee calmly stood by surveying the scene, but when a half dozen of his men had dropped and the others drew back in fear he drew a long sword from his waistband. "It seems my men aren't up to the challenge, assassin, but I will fight you," he suggested.

Sins didn't have a choice as the captain leapt forward and swung his sword down on Sins' face. The assassin blocked and parried Lee's blows. The captain was fast in his swings and agile in his dodges. Ransan was an amateur compared to him as Lee ducked high swings and jumped low ones. Sins was pressed back against the barrels with the sailors on the other side cheering on their captain.

Fred and Martley flailed atop the unconscious sailor until they managed to sit atop his body. They watched helplessly as Sins battled on his own for their safety. Their hearts leapt at his winning, but the tides turned against them when Captain Lee stepped forward. The captain was obviously skilled in such duels, and he gained the upper hand against Sins. Fred grasped his sticks and wished for them to work, but his wish wasn't granted.

Martley glanced over her shoulder between the moored lifeboat and the sword their seat had dropped. "We must escape while the crew is distracted," she whispered to him.

Fred turned to her with a frown. "I won't leave Sins," he told her.

"If we don't leave now we may never get another chance," she argued.

"Then you go. I won't leave him," Fred insisted. He clumsily stood to his feet and wobbled a bit before he gained his balance without the use of his arms.

Martley stood and blocked his way. Her eyes caught his with their silent plea. "Fred, please listen to me. You must not let yourself face Canavar. He means to take you for himself, and maybe even kill you," she told him.

"He can try," Fred bit back. He pushed through her and was in time to see Captain Lee jab at Sins.

The captain's sword stabbed into Sins' side. The assassin's eyes widened and he grasped the blade between his quivering fingers to keep Lee from pushing it in further. Blood slid from his chest and hand down the blade and dripped onto Lee's fingers. Captain Lee smiled and yanked the sword from Sins' body. Sins fell to his knees and clutched at the dripping wound. The captain stood triumphant over Sins, and his eyes shone with a wild, merciless light.

"You're quite good, but your skills need improvement. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't allow you that time." He raised his bloodied sword to lop off Sins' head.

"No!" Fred yelled as he slammed into Captain Lee's side.

They toppled to the deck in a mess of legs and arms. Fred raised himself over Lee's chest and knocked his forehead into the captain's own head. The back of Captain Lee's head slammed into the deck and he was momentarily stunned. Fred's eyes widened when he felt himself raised off Lee's prone body by the back of his coat. He flew backward with the captain receding away from him, and glanced over his shoulder. Sins had a hold of him and raced across the deck toward Martley. The assassin tucked her under his other arm and his feet pounded along the boards toward the railing.

Fred's eyes widened when he realized Sins wasn't slowing down as they approached the edge of the ship. "Sins? Sins!" he yelled.

Sins hurled himself and the two in his grasp over the railing. They fell the ten feet along the side of the ship and splashed into the water. Fred's open eyes glimpsed the side and rear of the ship as it sailed quickly past him and disappeared into the darkness. Fred choked on water and tried to kick his way to the surface, but his manacled feet and arms dragged him down into the dark depths. Through the darkness he glimpsed Martley a few feet off, and between them the water was stained with the color of Sins' blood. Fred felt his head grow woozy and his movements sluggish as the air in his lungs was depleted. He thrashed and grasped his staff, but he sank deeper to a cold, watery grave.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness Fred's bleary eyes glimpsed a thin thread of light. It reached to just above the sinking group and split off into three smaller threads. Each thread had a hook on the end, and the hooks caught hold of their collars. Fred gasped in surprise and choked on water when he was yanked upward along with his two companions. The thread dragged them upward, and he took a deep breath of air when he broke the surface. The glowing string lifted them completely out of the water and the three slowly twirled on the line. Sins was close by clutching at his wound and glaring at the world. Martley's long hair covered her face and her dress sagged on her body.

"Fred!" a voice yelled.

Fred glanced over his shoulder and saw a small schooner behind him. At the bow stood his other companions, Ruth, Pat, Canto and Ned. Ned was at the front of them with his staff in his hand, and from the top came the thread of light. His beard didn't hide his broad grin.

"It seems I'm not as out of fishing practice as I assumed," Ned chuckled.

Aboard the other ship Captain Lee stood at the railing and watched the rescue take place. His ever-present suave smile lay on his lips as he pushed off from the railings and turned to his crew. They tended their wounded and prepared their dead for burial at sea. He stepped through the mess and to the entrance of his cabin. The captain opened the door and the light from the deck shone on the still form near the desk.

Captain Lee stepped inside, firmly closed the door behind himself, and strode slowly over to the body. He knelt down beside Percy and his eyebrows raised when he noticed the young man still breathed. "I must compliment you on your resilience. A lesser man would be dead by now," he commented.

Percy opened his eyes and creakily moved his head to glare at Lee. One of his hands clutched onto the dagger still in his gut and he spoke through clenched teeth. "Finish me or keep me," he ordered him.

Lee tilted his head to one side. "I believe I shall keep you, at least for the present. My Master still has a use for you," he replied. He grabbed hold of the handle of the dagger and yanked it from Percy's stomach. Percy cried out and ground his teeth together. "Calm yourself. This will be over soon," he told the young man. He reached into Percy's pocket and pulled out the small bit of Region Stone from Crutchen. The stone glistened in the faint light of the cabin. Lee pushed aside Percy's hand that clutched the wound and glanced at the hole. The captain winced and clucked his tongue. "Very fatal. Your assassin companion has good aim," he admired. Percy glared at him, but the man only smiled. "Yes, I suppose I am dawdling. Hold still now." Lee shoved the small stone into the bloody hole.

The captain stood and watched as dark tendrils poured from Percy's wound. The young man screamed and writhed on the floor. His mouth frothed and his limbs convulsed. The tendrils wrapped around him and covered his body in their thick, strong arms. Percy's struggles weakened. His legs ceased to kick and his arms fell limp onto the boards. In a few seconds the tendrils were absorbed into his body, and an unconscious Percy was revealed to the captain.

Lee noticed Percy's breathing even out and color return to his face. "I have granted your wish for power, Percy. Let us see how you use it," the captain whispered.

CHAPTER 26

Ned finished reeling them onto the deck of the ship. Pat grasped Fred's shoulders as he spilled seawater onto the boards. "Are you hurt? Is there anything the matter with you?" she asked him.

Fred managed a weak smile. "Nothing a little dry land won't fix," he told her.

Pat smiled back and looked him over for wounds and other such abuse. She was visibly relieved to see none of him was harmed except his wet, limp clothes. Her eyes turned to Martley who sat nearby against some crates stacked in the center-rear of the bow. Pat's face darkened, but Martley smiled. "You are very concerned about him," Martley mused.