The Pirates of Pacta Servanda (Pillars of Reality Book 4) Read Free

by that name, they usually addressed her as Lady or Lady Mari.
    “That’s not a Confederation warship out there?” Mari whispered. “You’re certain?”
    “No Confederation ship has that sound to it,” the captain assured her. “If you’ve ever heard a Syndari galley bearing down on you under full oars and the drummer beating the chase cadence, you never forget it.”
    “How close is the galley? From the sound it is as if it were just beyond our sight.”
    The captain frowned, wiping mist-born moisture from his face. “I cannot tell you, Lady Mari. This fog makes it hard to tell just where the galley lies, how far off and on what bearing. Too close for my comfort, though.”
    “How much wind do we need to move?” Mari asked, looking up at the slack sails hanging limp.
    “Not much,” the captain said. “Ships like this are called Balmer Clippers. I never heard tell of anyone named Balmer, but he or she must have been uncommonly gifted at designing ships. These clippers can move like ghosts under a light breeze. That’s why they’re useful for, uh…smugglers, or, uh…pirates. Or so I have heard. But I wouldn’t want to move unless the fog lifts. We’re not far from the coast, not far from Julesport. It’s too easy to run aground when you can’t see any lights, and the bells on the buoys near Julesport are silent with the water this calm. Even the waves hitting the harbor breakwater that would normally give us warning are as silent as mimes today.”
    Alain looked down at the perfectly smooth patch of water visible below them. “Is a sea this calm unusual?”
    “Yes, Sir Mage.” The captain gestured out toward the water. “It is rare.”
    “Then you cannot say how long it might last?”
    “Sir Mage, it might last a moment longer or for days. A sailor learns that just when you think you know it the sea will surprise you. Have you heard that the sea is like a woman? There’s truth to that. One moment tranquil, the next moment furious, and all men can do is try to read the weather, ride the storm, and hope for the best.”
    Mari gave the captain a sharp look. “I would guess that women sailors disagree with that comparison?”
    “Uh, no, Lady. They tend to agree. A good sailor knows the character of the sea, no matter the character of the sailor.” The captain glanced at her, looking apologetic. “Not that I speak of you so, you understand.”
    “The storms of Lady Mari have, I think, impressed the elders of the Mechanics Guild, the city fathers of Ringhmon, and the Emperor himself,” Alain replied, his eyes on the fog again. As he watched it, only half-aware of the captain trying to keep his expression “blank as a Mage,” as the saying went, Alain saw a blot on the featureless mist. He stiffened as a black cloud drifted across his vision. His foresight, often undependable, this time was providing a warning. “There.” He pointed. “A galley lies there.”
    The captain stared into the mist where Alain had pointed. “Can you tell me anything else, Sir Mage?”
    “Only that you are correct. It is a threat to us.”
    The captain nodded. “I witnessed what you did to that Mechanics Guild ship at Altis, Sir Mage, and watched the smoke from the burning city for nigh on a day after we left. Can you do the same here?”
    “I will do my best,” Alain said.
    “Then despite the odds against us I feel much comforted. Do you know much of the Syndaris? I’ve crossed swords with them before. The fighters of Syndar are easily bought, but that does not mean real loyalty has been purchased.”
    “How hard will they fight?” Alain asked.
    “That depends upon the pay, or the reward, Sir Mage.” The captain smiled ruefully. “Unfortunately, the reward in your case must be very large. The Syndari galley we hear is risking movement in this fog, so those commanding it must be highly motivated.”
    “You should know,” Alain said to the captain, “that the Empire and the Great Guilds likely do not