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I will come with you, Dak. I need a sword.
He merely echoed my own thoughts.
Together, we stole silently aft, aiming for the quarterdeck, aiming for swords, aiming to wrench this
swifter from the grip of the hated overlords of Magdag.
Chapter Four
Nath the Slinger collects pebbles
The sweet fresh night air greeted us as we climbed up onto the quarterdeck. The false dawn lingered
with fading radiance upon the deck and the bulwarks, the ship-fittings, the ropes and gilding. The men of
the watch were sleepy; they d been hard at work the previous day as had we. There could be no thought
of mercy. Truth to tell, for all the grand talk of mercy here on this Earth, in some situations mercy would
be cruel. We were going to take this swifter. I had no doubts. What would happen to any overlords, any
ship-Deldars, any marines, when they were caught by the released slaves would make their swift,
painless deaths now merciful to them.
There was time for me to observe this young tearaway Vax in action. I liked his style. The men on watch
were dealt with on the quarterdeck. As the last sailor slumped, a shout ripped from the forepart of the
swifter. The long narrow length of her lay dim in the tricky light. Shadows moved. Men were stirring.
Catching the crew just before dawn might have been good planning, even in a ship. It was doubly clever
in that the slaves themselves would be sluggish and slow to understand their own liberty. I had known this
before. The slaves would not suddenly snatch up chains and wooden beams and go raving into action. It
would take time for them to understand. But as the first shrill yells broke out and the sounds of fighting, I
knew some, at least, understood.
Vax and I burst into the quarterdeck cabins.
An overlord completely naked with sleep still on his face tried to stop us and I knocked him down and
kicked him as I went past.
In here, Dak!
Vax was pointing to the first cabin.
You go if you wish. I m for the captain s quarters.
Vax cursed and followed me. We ran down the corridor leading from the double doors that gave ingress
from the quarterdeck. These cabins lay under the poop. I went straight into the aft cabin, seeing the light
hazy and unreal through the sweep of stern windows where the gallery overhung the curved stern. Up
above, the high upflung stern post, curved and decorated with a magodont, of course would hover
over the poop. I wondered where Rukker and Duhrra had got to and if they were up there. The cabin
was empty, as I had expected it to be. The sleeping cabin s door ripped open under my blow and I
leaped in.
The captain tumbled out of his cot this was a fashion to be followed more and more in the larger
swifters roaring. He snatched up his shortsword. He stood lithe and limber, instantly awake, a true
captain. I jumped for him.
The shortsword blurred forward.
Die, you rast! bellowed the captain.
He should have saved his breath and concentrated on his swordsmanship.
I slid the blow, not allowing the blade to touch me, and drove a fist into his mouth. I kicked him and as
he went back I twisted his right hand with such force the wrist-bones broke. Then the Genodder was in
my own grip. It felt fine.
The captain staggered back, blood from his mangled mouth dripping down his chin. His eyes were wild.
Vax said, Why do you not finish him?
He may be useful. Deal with him but do not slay him.
I barged out of the cabin and almost at once was fighting for my life. Marines ran down the corridor,
yelling first for the captain, and when they saw me, yelling blue bloody murder.
I accommodated them.
The Genodder was a fine example of a shortsword in the fashion of the inner sea, invented by King
Genod and named after him. I swished it up and thrust, cut and jumped, and, in short, had a fine old time.
Normally I do not enjoy fighting unless well, you must be the judge of that. Suffice it to say that on this
occasion my pent-up fury broke out. That red haze did not fall before my eyes, for I kept a cool head
and my wits about me at least, I think I did but there are few memories until I was at the double
doors again with a trail of dead men in my rear.
The clean tip of a longsword appeared at my side, from the back, and I whirled and the Genodder
hovered inches from Vax s throat.
You onker, I said, speaking reasonably. That s the way to get yourself killed. I had not heard him
over the noise from the swifter. You move silently. That is good.
I he said. He looked more than a little taken aback. I did not expect
Expect everyone to attack you all the time. That way you may stay alive. I looked at the longsword.
He had selected a good specimen, although it was not a Ghittawrer blade. Can you use that?
Aye.
Then let us see what we can find.
Right gladly. I need
I shut him up and we ran out. I knew what he needed.
That fight contained a number of interesting incidents. But then, each fight is different in details, even if
they all may seem to be merely a blind scarlet confusion of hacking and thrusting. For instance, Duhrra,
who appeared laying about him with a longsword, used it in his right hand, the steel fingers closed and
clamped about the hilt. Rukker had spared the time to strap a dagger to his tail. With that bladed tail he
could cut a man up in a twinkling. And Vax fought superbly. He did know how to use a longsword. As I
barged my way through the knot of marines who came tumbling up from their deck above the rowers, I
saw Vax elegantly dealing with his men in a way that made me think he might be a Krozair. He was very
young, it was true; but given that the blade he used was a common longsword with a short hilt, he
contrived quite a few Krozair tricks. I stuck with the Genodder, for I allow that a shortsword can, in the
right circumstances, nip inside a longsword in unskillful hands. I fancied a shortswordsman would be at a
disadvantage against this young ruffian Vax.
Duhrra was thoroughly enjoying himself. His great voice boomed out, Zair! Zair! and other men took
up the call. Rukker fought silently, as did I and Vax. Fazhan and Nath appeared, bearing swords, and
threw themselves into the fray. The upper decks covered with struggling men. There were naked men
with weapons against men roused from sleep with weapons. We must do this thing quickly, even though
there were perhaps seven hundred and fifty slaves against a couple of hundred sailors and marines. I had
no desire to swamp the Grodnims by sheer numbers, for that would be mere brutalized force. I wanted
the thing done quickly and in style.
Rukker had cleared his area and was about to lead a hunting party to roust out those still below. I
bellowed in his ear, for the released slaves were creating one hell of a racket.
Rukker! Try not to slay too many. We need oarsmen, too!
He glared at me, aroused, the blood-lust strong on him. He took a great draft of air.
Aye aye, Dak the Cunning. You are right and do not forget we have a score to settle, you and
I.
Let us secure the swifter and chain down these damned Grodnims and then we may talk.
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