cryptic manner of speech.
Ma Shou sighed. “A man without his fame, in the eyes of an ignorant stranger, is nothing more than a man. Among strangers, one must earn his allies.”
“Or buy them,” someone added.
Xiadao Lu watched the captain of the Jade Carp make his way up the wide stairs of the high deck. He was a wiry man but solid. Xiadao Lu did not doubt that he knew how to use the sword slung at his belt.
A crooked smile captured the pirate’s lips. “Don’t worry. Your money wasn’t wasted. Let us catch the ship you’re following and I’ll prove it to you.”
Xiadao Lu laughed welcomingly at the man’s enthusiasm and confidence. “I’ve heard the rumors about you, Zhen Yu.”
“The rumors don’t do me justice.”
“You’ll get your chance,” Xiadao Lu assured. His features gradually firmed and he added, “When you do just remember one thing. I will destroy Xu Liang myself.”
Zhen Yu nodded, but his lopsided smile remained. Xiadao Lu didn’t trust the captain, but for now he had his purpose, just as the sorcerer did.
“The wind has shifted,” Ma Shou informed suddenly.
Zhen Yu lifted his face to the sky. “Yes. Now it’s southeastern.” He frowned. “It feels southeastern, but we’re still moving due west, at the same pace.”
“So is our fog,” Ma Shou added.
Xiadao Lu glowered. “Xu Liang!” He turned toward his own sorcerer. “Ma Shou, can you compensate?”
The other closed his eyes and placed his hands together. “Of course,” he mumbled. “But I will need time to meditate. Wind is not my area of expertise and conjuring this fog has required much of my attention. We will lose them for a brief span.”
“Unnatural fog, phantom winds that defy the true wind...” Zhen Yu shook his head. “I’ll advise you mystics to be cautious. Nature doesn’t like to be toyed with.”
“Neither do I,” Xiadao Lu snapped. “We will catch that ship and we will kill everyone onboard!” He nodded to Ma Shou. “I leave it to you, sorcerer”
Ma Shou fell utterly still.
Zhen Yu watched him for a moment, then said, “And what about the dragon? There are more of them out at sea than on land. More that are seen by men, at least. They can be dangerous.”
Xiadao Lu turned to face the sea with confidence. “Dragons are messengers,” he decided. “Be it good or ill, this one will deliver us our fate this day.”
FU RAN TOOK up a long spear as it was issued to him. He felt the ship moving as the steersman directed the Pride of Celestia into Xu Liang’s wind. They were moving much quicker than before, but not nearly quick enough to outrun a dragon if it meant to catch them. Fu Ran glanced toward his former lord and saw the eight armored men surrounding him.
Idiots! You can’t defend him from a dragon or the waves it’ll stir! We have the wind. You should be hauling him below decks.
They didn’t and, of course, they wouldn’t. They were too accustomed to ‘duty’, too inured in their station beneath their master. They didn’t dare to touch him. It never occurred to them that they could be protecting a friend and sometimes friends had to be handled roughly in order to be kept safe. But that was the trouble with life in Sheng Fan; ‘a place for everyone, and everyone in their place’. Those who existed outside of the system designated long ago by the very first emperor Sheng Fan had ever known were considered rogues, bandits, pirates, and worst of all, barbarians. Barbarians worst of all because they could never fit into the system, even if they wanted to. They were uncivilized, sharing the scruples of wild beasts, cruel and without virtue. Fu Ran was a son of Sheng Fan. He could go back if he wanted to and restore his ‘honor’. He wouldn’t, not even for a friend.
The ship swayed. A finned spine crested above the water, above the railing of the ship, momentarily shadowing the deck before the beast descended again and sent a minor wave crashing down on it. The
Ma Shou sighed. “A man without his fame, in the eyes of an ignorant stranger, is nothing more than a man. Among strangers, one must earn his allies.”
“Or buy them,” someone added.
Xiadao Lu watched the captain of the Jade Carp make his way up the wide stairs of the high deck. He was a wiry man but solid. Xiadao Lu did not doubt that he knew how to use the sword slung at his belt.
A crooked smile captured the pirate’s lips. “Don’t worry. Your money wasn’t wasted. Let us catch the ship you’re following and I’ll prove it to you.”
Xiadao Lu laughed welcomingly at the man’s enthusiasm and confidence. “I’ve heard the rumors about you, Zhen Yu.”
“The rumors don’t do me justice.”
“You’ll get your chance,” Xiadao Lu assured. His features gradually firmed and he added, “When you do just remember one thing. I will destroy Xu Liang myself.”
Zhen Yu nodded, but his lopsided smile remained. Xiadao Lu didn’t trust the captain, but for now he had his purpose, just as the sorcerer did.
“The wind has shifted,” Ma Shou informed suddenly.
Zhen Yu lifted his face to the sky. “Yes. Now it’s southeastern.” He frowned. “It feels southeastern, but we’re still moving due west, at the same pace.”
“So is our fog,” Ma Shou added.
Xiadao Lu glowered. “Xu Liang!” He turned toward his own sorcerer. “Ma Shou, can you compensate?”
The other closed his eyes and placed his hands together. “Of course,” he mumbled. “But I will need time to meditate. Wind is not my area of expertise and conjuring this fog has required much of my attention. We will lose them for a brief span.”
“Unnatural fog, phantom winds that defy the true wind...” Zhen Yu shook his head. “I’ll advise you mystics to be cautious. Nature doesn’t like to be toyed with.”
“Neither do I,” Xiadao Lu snapped. “We will catch that ship and we will kill everyone onboard!” He nodded to Ma Shou. “I leave it to you, sorcerer”
Ma Shou fell utterly still.
Zhen Yu watched him for a moment, then said, “And what about the dragon? There are more of them out at sea than on land. More that are seen by men, at least. They can be dangerous.”
Xiadao Lu turned to face the sea with confidence. “Dragons are messengers,” he decided. “Be it good or ill, this one will deliver us our fate this day.”
FU RAN TOOK up a long spear as it was issued to him. He felt the ship moving as the steersman directed the Pride of Celestia into Xu Liang’s wind. They were moving much quicker than before, but not nearly quick enough to outrun a dragon if it meant to catch them. Fu Ran glanced toward his former lord and saw the eight armored men surrounding him.
Idiots! You can’t defend him from a dragon or the waves it’ll stir! We have the wind. You should be hauling him below decks.
They didn’t and, of course, they wouldn’t. They were too accustomed to ‘duty’, too inured in their station beneath their master. They didn’t dare to touch him. It never occurred to them that they could be protecting a friend and sometimes friends had to be handled roughly in order to be kept safe. But that was the trouble with life in Sheng Fan; ‘a place for everyone, and everyone in their place’. Those who existed outside of the system designated long ago by the very first emperor Sheng Fan had ever known were considered rogues, bandits, pirates, and worst of all, barbarians. Barbarians worst of all because they could never fit into the system, even if they wanted to. They were uncivilized, sharing the scruples of wild beasts, cruel and without virtue. Fu Ran was a son of Sheng Fan. He could go back if he wanted to and restore his ‘honor’. He wouldn’t, not even for a friend.
The ship swayed. A finned spine crested above the water, above the railing of the ship, momentarily shadowing the deck before the beast descended again and sent a minor wave crashing down on it. The
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