The Kingdom by Bryan M. Litfin

Author:Bryan M. Litfin [Feedbooks]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781433525230
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2012-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

The Midnight Glider was in its berth. Teo ran up the gangplank. “Marco!” he yelled, but there was no answer.

He tried again, checking the captain’s cabin and the head. Still there was no sign of Marco or anyone else.

Teo went up on deck. He heard a heavy snore reverberating in the ship’s boat. One of the crewmen was inside, snuggled up with an empty bottle.

“Hey, sailor!”

The man didn’t move.

Teo reached in and shook him, awakening the man with a start. “Where is everybody?”

The pirate squinted at Teo through bleary eyes. “The brothel, I guess.”

“Which one?”

“Right there. The Comfort House.”

Shaking his head, Teo walked down the gangplank to the pier. He entered the bordello, which was silent at this early hour.

“Marco!” Teo yelled, shattering the stillness.

Heads peeked from the doors, mostly female. Teo frowned. “Marco, if you’re in here, get up now!”

“Take it easy. I’m right here.” Marco appeared in the bordello’s fancy lobby, shrugging into his navy blue jacket. After running his fingers through his hair he looked debonair enough to go out on the town.

“Why aren’t you on the ship?” Teo demanded.

“I stayed there a long time, but you never gave the lantern signal like we agreed, then you rowed away without the women. I had no idea when you’d return or what your new plan was. All I could do was wait for you to show up again.”

“At a house of prostitution?”

Marco’s face reddened. “What am I supposed to do? A man has needs, you know.”

“But what about Vanita?”

“Hey, come on! It’s not like she and I—”

Teo cut him off, turning toward the door. “Just get your sailors aboard the Glider. I’ll round up the knights. It’s time to go.”

“Why? What happened?”

“The caravels left, and I have no idea where they went.”

“All three? Just like that?”

“Yes, right after dawn, which you would have known if you had been watching.”

“I told you, I did watch for a long time. But then it grew late, and I needed some sleep.”

“Well, I hope you got some good ‘sleep’ in here.”

Disgusted, Teo made his way to the inn where the ten Knights of the Cross were housed. Unlike Marco’s pirates, they didn’t carouse with women—though Teo wouldn’t have put it past some of those who remained at Marsay with Odo.

After rousing the knights, Teo walked to the Port Authority building and barged through the front door. His sudden entrance startled the dozing watchman, who was finishing the night shift.

“I need to know where those three caravels are headed,” Teo snapped.

“That information is restricted. Get out.”

Teo was in no mood for an argument. He brushed past the bleary-eyed watchman and picked up a register book with the word Itineraries engraved on the spine.

“Hey, leave that alone! You’re not allowed to—” The watchman caught himself, looking at Teo more closely. “What’s your name, stranger?”

“Teofil of Chiveis.”

“Is that so? Alright, listen up, Teofil. Just give me a little consideration and I’ll let you take a look.”

Teo gladly emptied his pockets of all the coins he had.

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