Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe

Author:Alex Bledsoe [Bledsoe, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy, General, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Hard-Boiled
ISBN: 9780765327451
Google: Ptr3ygAACAAJ
Amazon: 0765327457
Goodreads: 13167775
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2012-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

SEATON, now at the wheel, nudged the Red Cow closer to the Vile Howl. The crew had trimmed sail until we ran under no more canvas than the other ship, and we began to bounce in the waves at the same rate.

As we neared, we saw that the hull was intact. A few lines and bits of sail hung over the rail and dragged in the water, but it wasn’t enough to affect its course. There was still no sign of the crew.

“A hoy, Vile Howl!” Clift yelled through a megaphone. “It’s Dylan Clift and the Red Cow!” The only reply was the snap of the sail tatters.

Suhonen stood behind me. I wondered if this new master– apprentice relationship meant I’d have to get used to his looming presence at the periphery of my vision. I asked him, “Do you see anything that looks like deliberate damage?”

He shook his head. “Nothing that neglect wouldn’t cause.” Clift hailed them again, then passed the megaphone to Greaves. “Won’t learn anything listening to ourselves talk,” the captain said. “Mr. Dancer, hook us up.”

Dancer shouted out commands, and three men shot bolts attached to lines across to the other ship. The bolts had grappling hooks for heads, and men on the Cow yanked the lines tight. Each shouted, “Hooked!” when the grapple attached itself to the Vile Howl’s rail. Crews at winches took up the slack and hauled the two ships together. The vessels struck with a solid bump, and the hulls squealed when they rubbed against each other.

Instead of steadying the Howl, though, the maneuver made the Cow pitch in unison with it. It was the first time I’d truly had to struggle to keep my feet under me. “Turn us into the swells, Mr. Seaton,” Clift ordered. Slowly the Cow swung around, dragging the Howl with it, until we were cutting through the wave crests instead of riding limply over them.

“We’ll have silence while the boarding party is over there, Mr. Seaton,” Clift said. “If they holler for help, I want to be sure to hear it.”

“Aye, sir,” the quartermaster said, then bellowed, “All hands will be silent!”

“Does he appreciate the irony of yelling for silence?” I whispered to Jane.

“Well, he could use a whistle, but I think he likes the personal touch.”

Jane, Suhonen, and I swung over on ropes. It was something I hadn’t done since childhood, and I realized it when my shoulders protested the move. We all crouched, letting our legs absorb the deck’s movement while we listened for anything unusual. Except for the creak of the rigging and the shiver as the two hulls slid together, there was nothing. The crew of the Cow crowded the rails, watching us, armed and ready for any eventuality. They hoped.

“Damn my bloodshot eyes,” Suhonen said softly. “It’s a ghost ship for sure.”

“I’ll change your diaper later,” Jane said in annoyance. “Spread out and search the deck. Don’t go below.”

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, or at, since I didn’t know ships well enough to spot something out of place.

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