sir. Right away, sir.” The pirate raised his voice. “Ye lads heave off with that barrel. We need another, I’ll fetch it up later.”
The pirates aboard the first cog threw off the lines, and they were hauled back up the block-and-tackle.
As soon as the way was clear, Raithen walked to the first of the small temporary docks floating on the black water. He climbed the cargo net tossed over the side of the cog and stepped to the cog’s deck.
“Evenin’, cap’n,” a scar-faced pirate greeted. A half-dozen other pirates did the same but didn’t slow in their efforts to take the food from the barrel.
Raithen nodded at the man, feeling the pain in his wounded throat. When the ships were in port, he made certain the men stayed out of ships’ stores. All of the cogs stayed fully loaded at all times, in case they had to flee out to deep water. His other ships lay a few days away, anchored off the north coastline in a bay that could be treacherous to an understaffed ship.
Planks spanned the distance between the ships. The river current was gentle enough that the cogs didn’t fight the tether while they lay at anchorage. On board Barracuda, the ship kept between the other two, he saw Bull sitting in the prow puffing on a pipe.
“Cap’n,” Bull acknowledged, taking the pipe from between his teeth. He was a big man, seemingly assembled from masts. A scarf tied around his head bound his wounded ear, but bloodstains were visible down the sides of his neck.
“How’s the boy, Bull?” Raithen asked.
“Why, he’s fine, cap’n,” Bull replied. “Any reason he shouldn’t be?”
“I heard about your ear.”
“This little thing?” Bull touched his wounded ear and grinned. “Why, it ain’t nothing for ye to be worryin’ over, cap’n.”
“I’m not worrying over it,” Raithen said. “I figure any pirate who gets taken in by a boy isn’t worth the salt I pay him to crew my ship.”
Bull’s face darkened, but Raithen knew it was out of embarrassment. “It’s just that he’s such an innocent-lookin’ thing, cap’n. Didn’t figure him for no shenanigans like this. An’ that two-by-four? Why, he like to took me plumb by surprise. I’m right tempted to keep him fer myself if’n the king don’t ransom him back. I’m tellin’ ye true, cap’n, we’ve done a lot worse than take on somebody like this boy for crew.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Raithen said.
“Aye, sir. I weren’t offerin’ outta nothin’ but respect for ye and that mean-spirited little lad down in the hold.”
“I want to see him.”
“Cap’n, I swear to ye, I ain’t done nothin’ to him.”
“I know, Bull,” Raithen said. “My reasons are my own.”
“Aye, sir.” Bull took a massive key ring from his waist sash, then knocked the contents of his pipe into the river. No fires except the watch’s lanterns were allowed down in the hold, and those were taken there seldom.
Bull walked into the small cargo hold. Raithen followed, inhaling the familiar stink. When he’d been with the Westmarch Navy, ships were not allowed to stink so. Sailors had been kept busy cleaning them out, dosing them with salt water and vinegar to kill any fungus or mold that tried to leach into the wood.
The boy was kept in the small brig in the stern of the cog.
After unlocking the brig door, Bull shoved his big head in, then pulled it out just as quickly. He reached up and caught a board aimed at his face, then tugged on it.
The boy flopped onto the ship’s deck, landing hard on his belly and face. Quick as a fish taken out of water, the boy tried to get to his feet. Bull pinned him to the ship’s deck with one massive boot.
Incredibly, the boy revealed a huge knowledge of vituperative name-calling.
“Like I said, cap’n,” Bull said with a grin, “this ’un here, why, he’d make for a fine pirate, he would.”
“Captain?” the boy squalled. Even trapped under Bull’s foot, he craned his head around and tried to gaze up. “You’re the captain of this pigsty? Why, if I was you, I’d sew a bag for my head and only leave myself one eyehole out of embarrassment.”
In the first real amusement he’d felt that night, Raithen glanced down at the boy. “He’s not afraid, Bull?”
“Afraid?” the boy squealed. “I’m afraid I’m going to die of boredom. You’ve had me for five days now. Three of them spent here in this ship. When I get back to my da and he speaks with his brother, the king, why, I’ll come back here and help wallop you myself.” He clenched his fists and beat the deck. “Let me up, and give me a sword. I’ll fight you. By the Light, I’ll give you the fight of your life.”
Truly taken aback by the boy’s demeanor, Raithen studied him. The boy was lean and muscular, starting to lose his baby fat. Raithen guessed he was eleven or twelve, possibly even as much as thirteen. A thick shock of dark hair crowned the boy’s head, and the lantern light revealed that he had gray or green eyes.
“Do you even know where you’re at, boy?” Raithen asked.
“When the king’s navy pays you off or tracks you down,” the boy said, “I’ll know where you are. Don’t you think that I won’t.”
Squatting down, holding the lantern close to the boy’s face, Raithen shook the dagger sheathed along his arm free again. He rammed the point into the wooden deck only an inch from the boy’s nose.
“The last person to threaten me tonight,” Raithen said in a hoarse voice, “died only minutes ago. I won’t mind killing another.”
The boy’s eyes focused on the knife. He swallowed hard but remained silent.
“I’ll have your name, boy,” Raithen said.
“Lhex,” the boy whispered. “My name is Lhex.”
“And you are the king’s nephew?”
“Yes.”
Raithen turned the knife blade, catching the lantern light and splintering it. “How many sons does your father have?”
“Five. Counting me.”
“Will he miss one of them?”
Lhex swallowed again. “Yes.”
“Good.” Raithen raised the lantern, getting it out of the boy’s eyes and letting him see the smile on his face. “This doesn’t have to go hard for you, boy. But I mean to have the information I came here for tonight.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“We’ll see.” Raithen stood. “Get him up, Bull. I’ll talk to him in the brig.”
Bending down, keeping his foot in place, Bull caught the boy’s shirt in one massive hand and lifted him. Without apparent effort, he carried the boy back into the small brig. With exaggerated gentleness, Bull placed the boy against the far wall, then stood by him.
“You can leave, Bull,” Raithen said.
“Cap’n,” Bull protested, “maybe ye ain’t yet figured out exactly what this little snot is capable of.”
“I can handle a small boy,” Raithen said, hanging the lantern on a hook on the wall. He took the key from Bull and sent the pirate on his way with a look. Gripping the bars of the door with one hand, Raithen closed the door. The clang of metal on metal sounded loud in the enclosed space.
Lhex started to get to his feet.
“Don’t stand,” Raithen warned. “If you insist on standing, I’ll use this dagger and nail you to the wall behind you by one hand.”