gave them a mocking bow.
"Teiron Bael." She placed her hands on her hips and took a defiant stance as she flashed a lopsided leer. "I knew you were bold, but I didn't think you were stupid."
"You know what will happen if you're caught in Punicae waters," Victor said.
"Of course, My Lord, which is why I secured the assistance of Capt. Tyrol here and his merry band of cutthroats."
"Pirates would fare no better."
"True, My Lord, but the good captain and his men are not pirates, they're privateers."
Victor frowned, and she realized he didn't get it. "I still don't see--"
"You mean they're double agents," she said.
Bael chuckled and nodded. "Your mind is as sharp as ever, My Lady. Yes, they hold a letter of marque and reprisal from the island nation of Punica, but they really work for us. We let them take some of our ships to maintain their cover while they advise us on which merchanters make the richest prizes."
"Hmph. I must admit, that's quite ingenious. No doubt you have a fair number on your payroll."
"Not as many as we would like, My Lady, but we have more than a few."
"So they smuggle all of us out of Punica and rendezvous with a black galley, in exchange for the reward your Moonbeast masters have placed on our heads."
"Precisely."
"And then it's on to the Dylath-Leen slave market."
"Sarkomand, actually, by way of Creachabh. A noblewoman there pays well for playthings like your husband. Meanwhile, you will be lucky if my masters simply decide to eat you. Personally, I hope they do more. I would be curious to see how much you could endure." His perpetual grin grew broader as he flashed a wicked leer.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Hmph. Victor would make a very poor boy-toy."
"Not with his ego and will destroyed by black lotus. Then he will be quite docile and compliant. But enough for now. It will take two days to reach the galley, then another five to Creachabh, so we will have plenty of time to discuss it. As I remember, you play an excellent game of chess."
He gazed at Tyrol. "Take them to the ship."
He nodded and motioned to the others. One of them took her by the arm and urged her towards one of the boats.
Eleanor, now!
A gigantic shadow passed over the island as a shriek from a titanic eagle shattered the air. The pirates all looked up as Eleanor d'Aquitaine soared overhead and out to sea towards the brig. The Wakiya's eyes glowed as sparks crackled around her wingtips and arcs flashed between the pinions of her crest from the static electricity her feathers picked up in flight.
Differel stamped her heel on the instep of the pirate who held her, then spun around and slammed the heel of her hand under his chin as she raked his eyes with her clawed fingers. He screamed, dropped his cutlass, and covered his face with his hands as he stumbled back. She scooped up the weapon and tossed it to Victor. One of the pirates had put a hand on his shoulder. He smacked him in the face with the back of his fist, breaking his nose, caught the sword, and slashed at the other two.
She saw Tyrol rush her out of the corner of her eye. She pivoted towards him, summoning her greatsword Caliburn. It appeared in her hand as she swung her arm around and up. He had his cutlass raised to strike her on the head with the flat of the blade; he had come well within the sword's reach. It caught him in the pit of his weapon arm, and she sliced off both it and his head in one stroke.
Bael roared and charged, thrusting with the broadsword. She parried and sliced at the same time; she nearly cut him across the midriff. The Leng Man jumped back, as if remembering how easily she could handle her weapon. Despite its size, she could wield it like a fencing sabre, and she possessed Olympic-level champion skill.
She pressed her advantage to force an opening, but Bael recovered quickly, shifted position, and thrust in from the side. She parried and pivoted, but Bael kept moving, trying to stay out of Caliburn's reach and attack her unguarded flank. She knew how to fight against a broadsword; she had trained with one in the Waking World and was an expert duelist with rapier, longsword, and the British infantry sword, but she knew from previous experience that Bael had equal skill. Unless she got lucky, their pas d'armes could take awhile.
Then she realized that was his purpose: to delay her until reinforcements could arrive from the ship. She maneuvered around so she could see the brig. Eleanor circled it, tearing at the sails and ropes with her talons as the crew lowered a yawl. Scowling, she threw herself at Bael, slashing in a furious manner to distract him.
Eleanor, the boat!
The Wakiya swooped off to one side, banked, and glided back, then hovered on the same side as the yawl, her wing beats sounding like thunderclaps. She gaped her beak while current flowed over her body towards the cere, and a lightning bolt flashed from her mouth as she discharged the electricity stored in her feathers. It shattered the yawl and punched through the hull of the brig with a small explosion. Eleanor wheeled away and flew off over the island, gaining both altitude and distance. Differel felt panic fuel her flight moments before the ship erupted in a massive fireball. The entire midsection vanished, and the bow and stern disappeared beneath the waters in moments.
The blast disrupted the fight as the combatants ducked to avoid the raining debris. Differel couldn't believe a single shot would sink a whole ship.
She must have hit the powder magazine!
Bael stared at the turbulent spot in the water where the brig had been, then shot her a distressed look before he turned and bolted up the beach.
She made to go after him, but hesitated and glanced at Victor. One of his attackers already lay dead at his feer, his blood running all over the cobbles, while the other two looked hard-pressed to hold him off as he fought them both with a cutlass in each hand.
"Go! I've got these bastards well in hand!"
She grinned and waved, and headed off after the Leng Man.
As small as the island happened to be, she realized he had disappeared around its central mound. Except for the cottage and a few jumbles of boulders at spots along the shoreline, no other cover existed, yet she couldn't see him anywhere. She paused as she passed a pile of rocks and glanced at the water, wondering if he might be hiding just offshore behind them--
Eleanor flashed overhead, shrieking. She passed so close Differel could see the individual feathers on her breast. She turned to watch her soar off, and spotted Bael lunging at her from the other side of the pile, only a fathom away. She parried, passed backward, recovered, and riposted, forcing him away from the rocks to gain maneuvering room. Eleanor passed overhead again and she saw the great raptor had her talons open. She realized she awaited an opening to snatch Bael.
He must have figured that out as well, because he advanced and pressed close despite being inside Caliburn's reach. He slashed at her neck; she caught his blade by the ricasso, pushed it aside, and slammed the pommel into the bridge of his nose as Eleanor passed over them again. She then swung at his head on the return stroke. He managed to partially duck and she ripped through his turban, cutting one of the horns in half as Eleanor soared past from behind her.
From his crouch he lashed out with a sideways kick, caught her in the midriff, and knocked the wind out of her as he sent her flying. She landed on her back with a jarring thud and lost her grip on Caliburn. As she struggle for breath he appeared over her, holding the broadsword underhanded, his face twisted into a mask of hateful rage. He raised the weapon to stab down at her and Eleanor appeared above him from behind. For a moment they seemed to freeze as the Wakiya's red-gold eyes burned with malice of her own. Then she shot over her and the Leng Man shrieked as she grabbed him. His sword spun away to the side and ricocheted off the rock pile. And then they vanished from her sight.
Finally catching her breath, she leapt to her feet and searched the horizon for the giant raptor. She spotted her flapping out over the sea. As she watched, Eleanor braked and threw her legs up. When she banked to the right, Differel saw she had tossed B
ael in a high arc away from the island. He spun like a pinwheel and dropped almost straight down. She couldn't help but wince when he hit the water.
She picked up Caliburn and went to retrieve the broadsword as Victor jogged into view. She felt relieved that he appeared unharmed.
"Are you all right?" he asked, breathless, when he reached her.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, thanks to Eleanor."
"Where's Bael?"
She gestured towards the water. "She gave him a burial at sea." They both looked up and saw the Wakiya doing barnstorming aerobatics out of sheer pleasure.
"You mean he's dead?"
She frowned. "Most likely. I don't see how he could survive being speared by her talons or dropped twelve stories. But unless we find a body I can't say for sure."
"We need to leave immediately. We have to inform Queen Elishat so she can revoke the existing letters of marque until we can determine which privateers are loyal."
She nodded. "Yes, of course." Elishat ruled the city-state of Karchedon, the capital of Punica. One her fiefdoms was the Mark of Elissa, a group of a dozen islands that Victor held in seisin as a marquess.
They headed back to the cottage as Eleanor landed close by, ready to fly them to the main island.
"I'm sorry for the way this trip turned out, Love." His tone sounded sincerely contrite.
"Nonsense. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Besides, you did deliver on your promise."
He gave her a frowning