Temple Commander

2. On the Way-2

"Won"t that slow you down?"

"It will, but it"s our sacred duty to help those in need."

"Yes, it is," added Charlaine, glancing westward. "Though I wonder what those dark clouds portend."

"We’re south of one of The Eyes," said Danica. "We"ll tow them there and take shelter from the coming storm in an inlet."

"And what of pirates?" asked Nadine.

"Don"t worry. Our ships are more than capable of dealing with any threat that might materialize."

The evening found them sheltered in a small bay, barely large enough to fit the three vessels. The rain came at midnight, but it was light, and the clouds passed well before sunrise.

At first light, Danica had three of the Valiant"s crew aboard the Cygnet, installing the new rudder on its starboard side. The Ripleys were thankful and promised to make a donation to the order upon their return to Vilnitz.

Valiant"sCygnetDanica accompanied them until the coast of Burgemont was in sight, then took both the Valiant and Vanguard farther out to sea. Charlaine watched as the Cygnet disappeared from view. "An unusual ship to take on the open sea.”

ValiantVanguardCygnet"That was all we had centuries ago."

"If the design is that old, why is it still used?"

"It"s not about the design, but the cost. A ship like the Valiant here would easily cost ten times the Cygnet."

ValiantCygnet"And those large Halvarian warships?"

"Too expensive for my tastes, and that"s not including the gold leaf we removed from the larger vessels."

"So, you"re saying the Halvarians have lots of coins to waste?"

"Yes," said Danica, "and it saved us a tidy sum when we captured them."

"At least we had the people to crew them."

"We did,” said Danica, “but it’s stretched us to the limit."

"Because we don"t have enough knights?"

"Knights aren"t the problem—it’s the sailors. There are enough sisters to form the fighting complement, but it takes an experienced crew to work the ship. I thought about training our knights for such work, but it defeats the purpose of having them aboard in the first place."

"Sounds like you’ll need to recruit more sailors for any future ships."

"We will."

"Perhaps you"ll find some in Lidenbach."

"Only time will tell."

"How much farther have we to sail?"

"Around the coast of Burgemont," replied Danica, "then we"re there, although I must warn you, that will put us dangerously close to Halvarian waters."

"And if we encounter their warships?"

"You tell me. We"re not at war with them. So as long as they don"t threaten anyone, I suppose we"ll have to leave them alone. That doesn"t mean we won"t keep an eye on them, though. You and I both know they can get up to all sorts of mischief."

With the storm’s passing, the skies cleared, and they were blessed with fair weather for the remainder of their journey.

Once they were off the coast of Arnsfeld, the number of ships in the area increased, although most were small fishing vessels. Danica steered well clear of these boats, not wishing to interfere with their catch.

The city of Lidenbach was nestled within a natural harbour with no defences, just a jut of land around it where someone had taken great pains to build a signal tower to mark the harbour"s position.

They sailed Valiant around this arm to see a city spread along the shoreline, but of more immediate concern was the presence of a ship bearing the flag of Halvaria. The immense vessel was easily the size of the Fearless, the empire"s flagship at the Battle of Temple Bay.

ValiantFearlessDanica had left the Vanguard at sea, well out of sight of the harbour, but now she wondered if it would’ve been better to keep it close at hand. Rather than sail up to the docks, she anchored in the bay, then ordered the ship"s boat to be made ready.

VanguardCharlaine approached as the admiral supervised the lowering of the ship’s boat.

"Well," said Danica. "We"re finally here."

"Anything of interest?"

"Not that I can see, but there"s likely plenty more city behind that hill over yonder."

A large castle dominated the hill, giving it a commanding view of the bay, where buildings similar to those in Korvoran clustered along the waterfront, though not as many. Even the docks appeared to be a less-grandiose version of Reinwick"s capital, indicating much less sea trade found its way here.

Of all the things to see, the Halvarian ship stood out the most, its stern detailed with copious amounts of gold leaf.

"That"s no merchant," said Danica. "In fact, I"d say it"s the same design as the Fearless."

Fearless"Yes," added Charlaine, "which confirms it"s no provincial ship. I wonder if it has a full complement of warriors?"

"Hard to say. We’re currently at peace, so there’s a decent chance not."

"Conqueror. An interesting name for a ship, wouldn"t you say? Not exactly the most welcoming name for a diplomatic expedition."

"Conqueror"What makes you think it"s here for diplomacy?"

"Why else send a ship of that stature? I wager the price of that gold leaf alone would buy out half this city. I exaggerate, of course, but not by much."

A few men clustered around the aft end of the Halvarian vessel, the Valiant having drawn their attention.

Valiant"It looks like they"ve taken an interest in us," said Danica.

"I wonder what its purpose is here."

"Intimidation, perhaps?"

"That would be my thought. The question is, what are they trying to enforce?"

"We know the empire likes to cause dissent prior to an invasion. Could that be the case here?"

"I hope not," said Charlaine, "or my tenure as the regional commander will be very short."

Marlena appeared at the railing. "I hate to interrupt, Commander, but there"s something I think you ought to see." She pointed at a large cog entering the bay.

"By the Saints," said Danica. "She"s huge. I don"t believe I"ve ever seen such a large ship!"

"The Triumphant was larger," said Charlaine, "but that was a warship."

Triumphant"How much cargo do you think that thing could carry?"

"Easily twice as much as the next largest ship. Whatever they"re bringing to trade, there"s a lot of it."

The great ship slowed until it finally dropped anchor.

"Well," said Danica, "at least they"re not unloading warriors."

"Yes, but imagine how many it could carry if they set their minds to it."

"Quite a few, I wager, but I think it’s a poor sailer."

"What makes you say that?"

"It lacks sufficient sail for its size," said Danica. "I imagine it would wallow in rough seas. We could easily outpace it."

"Let"s hope it doesn"t come to that. I don"t much fancy the idea of trying to board a ship with sides that high."

"I"m with you on that."

"I"m sure the giant ship is most interesting," said Marlena, "but I must remind you we"re here on a mission."

"Yes, of course," said Charlaine. "Admiral, will you join us ashore?”

"I would be delighted."