"Even honest ships sometimes must hide things," the first mate said in a low voice. "Imperials are coming down the pier, searching ships. The captain and I have a good idea who they're looking for. Get in," she ordered, pointing to the hidden compartment.
Chapter 11
Kira stared at the small compartment. "There's hardly enough room in there for one person. How are we both going to fit?"
The first mate rolled her eyes. "A boy and a girl and you wonder how you'll fit. I know you're underage but I didn't think they still raised them that innocent. You!" she told Jason. "Get in, on your back."
Jason did as he was told, lying down in the cramped space and looking up with an apprehensive expression.
"Now, you," the first mate said. "On top, facing him."
"What?" Kira demanded hotly. "I am not—"
"Get in there or say hello to the Imperials."
Kira climbed down, clenching her teeth, and lay on top of Jason, facing him. No sooner was she down than the first mate lowered the top in place and pulled the crate back over part of it to hold it down.
"Not a word," the first mate ordered, her voice muffled by the deck boards. "No sounds until I open that again."
Kira, trying to breathe shallowly, heard the sound of the first mate's footsteps departing. The boards were pressing down on her back, forcing her body against Jason's. Her chin rested near one of Jason's shoulders. "Don't. Get. Any. Ideas," she warned Jason in the lowest and most threatening voice she could manage.
"Can't move anyway," he whispered back.
She could have tried turning her head to look at him, but she didn't want to. Kira lay in the darkness on top of Jason, her body rigid, feeling humiliated and angry, until the clomp of several pairs of feet sounded nearby and added fear to the mix. "Are we done?" the captain asked, his tone cold and correct.
"Yes," someone replied. Kira recognized an accent from the area around the Imperial city of Emdin. Her Aunt Bev still retained traces of that accent. "If you see them, there is a substantial reward in it for you as well as the favor of the Emperor."
"We'll keep that in mind," the captain said.
The feet thudded away, leaving Kira and Jason alone again in the confined, dark space. Kira had been trying to breathe lightly so that her chest didn't rub against Jason, but she had to take deeper breaths as the air inside the confined space grew fouler. The stink of the bilges coming up from below only added to her misery. She began worrying about passing out. Jason was pinned beneath her, and even though he hadn't moved his hands at all he probably could move them a little. What would he do if—?
One set of footsteps came quickly into the compartment. The crate scraped over the deck as it was moved, then the first mate was prying open the hidden compartment.
Kira took deep breaths as the first mate helped her up, then pulled Jason out as well. "Put that back," the first mate told Jason, pointing to the raised deck planks. "Then stay here. You," she told Kira, "come with me."
Kira walked after the first mate, trying to steady herself. To her surprise, they didn't go on deck, but continued aft belowdecks to the small safe hold near the stern.
Inside the sturdy room, usually kept locked, a lantern hung from a hook overhead. The captain sat on a chest, before him a keg of rum resting on one flat end. On top of the keg was a sheet of paper with a color picture of Jason's face, like one of those that they had seen in Dorcastle.
The first mate closed the door, going to stand by the captain as both regarded Kira with stern expressions. The captain indicated the picture. "Tell us, then."
She didn't try to lie. "Yes. Jason, that's his real name, is from the ship from Urth."
"Why is he here, hiding?"
"To save lives. The people on the ship from Urth are here to cheat us and to take from us. Jason warned us. And when he found out that the other Urth people were planning to do something that would result in terrible wars with many, many people dying, he took part of their ship that would prevent them from doing that."
The first mate nodded to the captain. "That three-sided thing. I didn't think it looked like anything I'd ever seen before."
The captain eyed Kira. "Why hasn't he tossed it overboard?"
"Because it has a little thing like a Mechanic far-talker inside. If Jason isn't near it, it will call the Urth ship on its own."
"You believe that?"
"Yes."
"So it's to save lives he's doing this?"
"Yes. A lot of lives."
"That's where his stories come from?" the first mate asked. "From that Urth place?"
"Yes," Kira said. "He never claimed he made them up himself."
"True enough, though he told them well."
A few moments of silence passed while the captain thought. "And what is your role in this, girl? When we first saw you two we thought it was the old story of young love, but it's been clear enough the two of you are but friends."
Kira nodded. "Jason needed someone to help him hide. Urth is very different from our world. I was the only one who could help him."
"And who are you?" The captain looked Kira up and down again. "The Imperials pretended to mention you in passing. Oh, yes, and there's also a girl. We'd like her, too. But I've been in trade long enough to know when someone wants something very much, and the Imperials want you something fierce. Quite a reward was offered for you. Why?"
How could she answer that without telling them everything? Without confessing to being Lady Mari's daughter, and the desire of the Imperials to force her into a marriage if they could get their hands on her? "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, sir."
"Try, and let's see."
"It concerns the Imperial household," Kira said, trying to avoid the entire truth. "They want to take me there."
She had expected looks of derision, but instead both the first mate and the captain nodded as if she had confirmed their suspicions.
"You've tried to hide it," the captain said, "and you're in no way the stuck-up type, but it's been clear that you have the manners of someone comfortable in high circles. You came aboard with that pistol, not the kind of trinket most can afford, and had training in its use. You can fight better than most twice your age. One time you forgot yourself and gave me the quality of salute I've only seen from the sort of soldiers who form honor guards. And today the first mate tells me you knew what the flags on that Imperial ship meant and could have identified which prince was aboard if you'd seen the banner clearer. That's not a common talent. What do we have, then? A runaway Imperial princess?"
Kira, standing there in her worn sailor clothing and knowing how badly she needed a bath, couldn't stop a brief laugh at the idea. "I'm no princess."
"But a lady, perhaps?" the captain said. "Or a hostage, raised at the Imperial court to keep that pirate mother of yours from preying on Imperial shipping again after the war? No, we don't need details. With your work you have earned the right to your secrets. Just affirm that you have committed no crime for which the Imperials would have legitimate right to pursue you."
"I swear I have not," Kira said.
The first mate and the captain exchanged glances. The captain tapped the top of the barrel of rum again. "Nigh on twenty years ago, when I was a young officer on this ship serving under another captain, The Son of Taris was swept up in the Imperial net and forced to help carry provisions for the attack on Dorcastle. I have never forgotten one single incident of the times when the Imperials disrespected our captain, myself, and the others aboard. Their arrogance earned no love from us. This ship left the harbor of Dorcastle a day before the Imperials collapsed in the face of the daughter's wrath. We returned to the Empire with a deck covered with the wounded and our holds full of the bodies of the dead being brought back to their families."
The captain looked at Kira. "I'll never forget that, either. The empty faces of the dead and the stench and the terrible waste of it all. You say that you and the boy seek to save lives from those who would take the
m in war. You say the Imperials have no just cause to seek you. That's enough for me. Keep your head down, continue to work hard, and I will take you both on to Kelsi as agreed. For tonight, stay below deck and sleep in the forward hold with the door blocked, in case someone sneaks aboard in search of you during the night. The first mate will call you up in the morning when we're clear of the harbor."
Kira blinked away tears of relief. "Thank you, sir." Overcome, she forgot herself and offered the captain the best salute that could be given by an honorary lieutenant in the Queen's Own Lancers of Tiae.
"Get on with you," the captain ordered, touching his brow in response. "You're not getting anything that you haven't earned."
Kira went back toward the forward hold where Jason waited, elated by the news but also feeling reluctant. Once there, she discovered that she couldn't look at Jason, instead gazing to one side at the planks of the hull. "We're all right. The captain and the first mate know who you are. I told them the truth, that this is about saving lives, and they agreed to keep quiet and take us on to Kelsi."
"Really?" Jason sounded incredulous.
Was there also a note of glee in his voice? He was probably grinning at her, remembering their forced physical contact. "Yeah, really," Kira said, refusing to look his way.
"How did you manage that?"
"I just told the truth," Kira repeated, gazing fixedly at the crate to one side of her. There was a pause while Kira wondered what she should do or say next.
Jason broke the increasingly painful silence. "Kira? I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For what happened. It must have been really uncomfortable and unpleasant for you when we were in there. I'm sorry."
Startled, Kira finally looked at Jason and saw him gazing back not with a knowing grin but with an unhappy expression. "You're apologizing for that? I thought you'd enjoyed yourself."
"I would have, if it had been something you wanted to do," Jason said. "But you didn't want to. You had to. And that was not something I wanted, or something I could like. All I could think of was how miserable you must be."
"Really?" He wasn't lying. She could see that. "It wasn't your fault. Like you said, we had to."
"Yeah, but I could feel how tense you were to be jammed in there with me, and heard how angry you sounded, and felt awful the whole time because you were forced into it. I don't want that," Jason said. "Not with anyone, but especially not with you."
She brushed some hair back from her eyes, gazing at Jason in surprise. "Thank you. I'd been starting to like you some at times, and if you had enjoyed that I couldn't have liked you anymore."
"Huh?" Jason seemed shocked by the news, then relieved. "Guess I dodged that rock."
"You really weren't thinking of that?"
"No, I just felt bad about what you'd been through," Jason said.
He was telling the truth again. "Yeah," Kira decided. "I do like you. Don't tell anyone."
"Ok— All right. I don't believe you, but all right." Jason shook his head. "They're not turning us in? Despite the reward? My mom and dad are so wrong. People can be really decent."
"The captain and the first mate are doing what they are for their own reasons, Jason. So am I. None of us are perfect."
"You're not selfish, greedy monsters, either," Jason said.
"No. And you're pretty decent as well. Um…we're supposed to sleep in here tonight, and block the door. Help me move some things." They got a couple of crates across the door, then Kira sighed. "I'm kind of worn out."
"Yeah, me, too. Long day moving cargo and then this. Emotional strain, I guess," Jason said. "I'll go over there and sleep."
Kira found a spot on the other side of the hold, bringing the lantern with her. "Are you ready?" She put out the light, causing total darkness to fall.
Getting comfortable on the hard wood and jumble of crates proved to be not just difficult but also impossible. Kira finally gave up, staring into the darkness and realizing that if Jason hadn't apologized for the time they were jammed close together, if he had shown any delight at the experience, she wouldn't have felt at ease sleeping alone in here with him. Which caused her to realize that she had never asked him about his own feelings. "Jason? How hard was it on you? Were you uncomfortable in there, too?"
"Yeah," he replied in a low voice from the other side of the hold. "I mean, dark, confined space, and what felt like a Kira-shaped statue lying on me."
"I was that tense?"
"Yeah, like solid rock. And then, we were in that little space and so close together, and, well, I know neither one of us has had any chance to take a bath or a shower for a while—"
"Jason, don't go there."
"Um…right. Anyway, between the physical discomfort and knowing how unhappy you were, it wasn't any fun."
Kira looked into the dark, where her imagination created swirling shapes. "Are all boys from Urth like that? Do they all respect girls' bodies and choices?"
"No," Jason said again. "I mean, lots of guys do care about that, but there are also some who like forcing things. A friend of mine got assaulted once. I'll never forget how miserable she was."
"That's awful."
"Yeah. I never want to be the reason somebody feels like that."
"Good for you," Kira said. "She was a friend? Have you had girlfriends? On Urth?"
"No. Not really," Jason said. "I mean, friends who are girls. But not real girlfriends. Uh," Jason continued, trying to sound casual despite the tension that Kira heard in his voice, "what about you? Boyfriends?"
"Not really," Kira replied, deliberately echoing him. "A couple of guys I thought maybe could be someone but weren't, and…" She sighed. "One guy I liked a lot. A couple years older than me. I thought he really liked me."
"What happened?"
"Well, my father is…you know. The guy had been pressuring me about going to one of Mother's public appearances, all of us together, and even though I was crushing on him I didn't want to because I've always felt uncomfortable at those kinds of things. Father took the guy aside and asked some direct questions, and he could tell when truth or lies were being spoken, and even when something wasn't being said, and it turned out the guy didn't care about me. Didn't actually even like me. He just wanted to be close to my mother so he'd get some reflected glory." She smiled sadly into the dark. "I was really mad at Father at first, but then I forgave him because he'd saved me from someone who didn't care about me. That's when Father got really serious about teaching me Mage skills for knowing when people are lying or telling the truth."
Jason didn't say anything for a little while. "You can tell when people are lying?"
"And when they're telling the truth, yeah. Usually. I'm not as good as Father, but I'm pretty good at it."
"Oh."
The worry in Jason's voice was so obvious that Kira couldn't help laughing. "You're fine. You haven't lied to me."
"I haven't?"
"No."
"But I'm always— Not even once?"
"Not yet."
This time the silence lasted a lot longer. "Kira? Thanks."
"For what?"
"Being somebody I never lied to. I didn't think I could do that."
"You're welcome," Kira said. "There are probably a lot of things you could do, things you could be, that you don't think you could."
"That's true of you, too, you know."
"Not the same thing, but thank you. Rest well, Jason."
* * *
Two days out of Caer Lyn, two or three more left to reach Kelsi.
Kira and Jason sat on the platform high up on the mainmast, looking at the unusually calm waters of the Sea of Bakre. A light breeze drove the ship at a steady but slow pace through the inky sea. The stars still shone amid the darkness but a brightening to the east showed where the sun would soon be rising and the new day beginning. But for now the high platform offered a place to be alone and not be overheard. They didn't talk for a while, though, just sitting
beside each other. The platform wasn't very big, so they had to sit right next to each other, but that didn't bother Kira any more. "It's beautiful up here right now, isn't it?" she finally said.
"Uh, yeah," Jason said, as if startled out of deep thoughts.
"What were you thinking?"
"Me? Uh…I was thinking…why is this ship square-rigged?"
Kira laughed. She could tell that Jason wasn't being entirely truthful about his thoughts, but he had the right to some privacy for those. "That's a funny question. You mean why are the masts and sails like this? Because that's the way it's usually done."
"But a lateen rig or a fore-and-aft rig is a lot more efficient."
Kira gave Jason a skeptical look. "When did you become an expert on sailing ships?"
He shook his head. "I'm not an expert in terms of actually sailing. But I've played sims with sailing ships in them, and the way the sails were rigged mattered. It was one of the options when designing a ship, so I had to learn a little bit about them. I'm just wondering why your world ended up with an older, less efficient design. I mean, it looks really great. But—"
"It looks great." Kira sighed. "One time when I talked with a librarian— You have librarians on Urth, right? The protectors and distributors of knowledge? We were talking about how our world is, and the librarian said it seemed like when the crew members from the great ship founded the Mechanics Guild they sometimes chose things for the world just because they liked that thing. They liked it and they were deciding what would be in the world, so they put it in."
Jason's jaw dropped as he looked at her. "No way. They treated it like they were designing a game. Putting in stuff they thought was cool. But they were playing with real people."
Kira stared downward, feeling angry at old injuries done to her world. "Jason, I wish Urth had sent another ship to find out what happened when communications stopped. Another ship could have done something about what the crew did here."
"Not necessarily," Jason said. "The crew could have fabricated some pretty nasty weapons, and the colony ship would have had beta field generators, which are still about as nasty as it gets."