Soldier Song by D. K. Holmberg

Author:D. K. Holmberg [Holmberg, D. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 43255342
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2018-12-16T05:00:00+00:00

10

It was late on the third day after leaving Boastin when another ship came into view. They had been sailing steadily, the captain making good time, the winds favorable and the seas relatively calm. So far, no one had gotten terribly sick, and Endric was thankful for that. Senda had remained below deck, not wanting to show any weakness, though every so often, Endric could hear her retching within the bunk she’d claimed. He left her alone, not wanting to embarrass her, though there was no embarrassment with seasickness.

“Who are they?” Endric asked the captain as they sailed.

He was a solid man who wore a plain brown shirt unbuttoned to his navel and breeches that ended right below his knees. He swayed with the rolling of the ship, completely unfazed by the occasional wave slapping against them. The captain kept his spyglass up to his eye, looking back toward the oncoming ship. Every so often, he would adjust the wheel, guiding them in a different way, and the other sailors would change the sails, allowing them more speed.

“Pirates, most likely,” the captain said.

“You have a problem with pirates?”

“Not often, but there have been more troubles of late.”

“Why of late?”

“If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t struggle with them. We are swift enough that there shouldn’t be any way for them to catch us,” he said.

Endric reached for the spyglass, and the captain handed it over. The other ship loomed large, almost close enough that Endric could make out the sailors on the deck of the ship. He counted six, each of them armed with swords, but two others seemed unarmed. One of them carried a staff, reminding Endric of Novan. None of them seemed to struggle with the waves.

“Do you recognize them?” Endric asked, handing the spyglass back over.

“No. I don’t even recognize their colors.”

“Their colors?”

The captain nodded. “There are plenty of pirates who prefer specific colors. Some have built up a reputation, and they can use those colors to intimidate other ships.”

“And the navy and black that they wear?”

“They aren’t anything that I recognize.”

They weren’t colors that Endric recognized, either. It had been possible they would be a ship out of Gomald, but they were far enough away from the coast that Gomald ships shouldn’t be spending that much time here, and certainly not racing after a merchant ship. Endric was thankful the captain seemed competent, but every so often, he would glance back nervously. Endric didn’t blame him for the anxiety, but if it came to a battle, would the captain be prepared for it?

“Keep us heading toward Coamdon,” Endric said.

The captain shot him a look that spoke of his annoyance, but he didn’t say anything.

Endric made his way to the bow, joining Novan. He kept one hand gripping the railing, but his other held onto his staff. “We have pursuit,” Endric said.

“So I can see,” Novan said.

“Do you have any idea who they are?”

Novan chuckled and looked back behind him. “I am not the right person to answer that.

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