(eng) Michael Scott Rohan - Spiral 02 by The Gates of Noon

Author:The Gates of Noon [Noon, The Gates of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

160

Too right! And, well, that may be the bloody problem. For one thing, most of them are Muslim, but Batang’s old-fashioned -about six hundred years that way.

He’s still a Hindu.’

‘Big, big problem!’ nodded Batang. ‘Could be cousin, could be friend. Could be all-round pirate sonuvabitch. Could be both. Out east of sunrise, could be old Boegies from evil time. If they follow us, maybe by chance. Maybe not.1

‘But those are tiny craft compared to this,’ I protested. ‘Couldn’t you just outrun them or outfight them if you had to?’

‘Maybe carry big crews, many guns.’

I nodded, shivering with a double dose of adrenalin. ‘And you can’t send them a stay-away shot or two, can you? Not without finding out—’

A dull thud resounded down the breeze. ‘Maybe we just did.’

But something burst in the air, with a loud popping crackle, and it was off to starboard. ‘Firecracker!’ barked Batang.

‘An SOS?’ said te Kiore, surprised.

‘Deck hoi? yelled the lookout. ‘Distress call, to starboard! Pinisi, no sail?

(

We could almost see it ourselves, without telescopes, when we knew where, a white dot tossing against an empty, greying sky.

‘The others must be headed out to help it!’ cried Jacquie.

‘Looks like it!’ admitted te Kiore.

‘But we’re nearer — couldn’t we get there sooner?’

‘Yeah, with steam up. Just what I was wondering - skipper?*

The captain sucked his teeth impatiently. ‘Ape? You get wizard, you ask!’

The Ape lumbered up to my side, groaning and grumbling about his broken sleep.

When 1 told him about the prahus he stared blearily into the dimming darkness and sniffed the breeze. ‘There is something about them - but they too are voyagers east of the sunrise, that is to expect. No strong magics—more I cannot say.’

Batang pondered, but only for a moment. He snatched up a speaking tube, and set hand to the telegraph. ‘Steam up\ We go look, okay. Careful!’

As the paddlewheels chugged into life again Walan slowly turned the wheel, and overhead the yards creaked in the chilly dawn breeze as they were swung around. Jacquie and I stood close together, silent mostly, tangled in a web of inner feelings and wider worries, watching the disabled prahu as it grew more 161

distinct. It looked in trouble, all right, one mast askew, listing heavily even in that gentle swell, wallowing as if ballast was shifting or water coming in. The light was growing, and I remembered with sudden vividness that strange fleeting transition, that leap between ships when infinity seemed to open beneath my feet, and then was only sea.

My unease grew, until at last I brushed a hand against Jacquie’s shoulder, asking her to wait, and disappeared below. There were two reasons for that. 1

wanted my sword; but that was only one. At least here the guest cabins had private indoor heads, in the same slightly tarnished luxury as the rest. On the way back, the sword bobbing comfortingly along my leg, I met te Kiore, buckling the polished sword-club at his side. We exchanged slightly shamefaced grins, like two party guests looking for the back way out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.