Mickey Reichert - Flight of the Renshai

No hesitation, Tae reminded himself. Bold and sure. Hoping Imorelda had gone back to scanning, he spoke to her directly. "Hang on. I'm going to need my hands to climb." Realizing the opening he had just given her, he clarified. "Try not to dig your claws through my neck veins, please. If I bleed to death, we're both plunging into the ocean."

Imorelda gave him a warning jab in the right shoulder but did not bother to reply.

Tae paddled flush to the lead ship's bow, but found nothing on which to hook his flotsam boat. He had no choice but to abandon it, and the pack with their remaining rations, which meant he would have to either find more debris or swim to shore. He believed he could make it, but Imorelda would have to balance on his back, despising and complaining every moment.

Tae nestled his fingers against the wood, pleased to find easy hand- and toeholds amid the barnacles and mollusks clinging to the sides. He moved quickly, concerned about putting his full weight on any bit for longer than an instant. Sailors cursed the job of cleaning the hull, but enough scraping broke even the most tenacious creatures free.

The hull curved outward, then inward, providing an uncomfortable shelf beneath the gunwale that allowed Tae a brief respite. He regrouped there, crouched below sight of the deck. The moon played through the riggings, turning the brown sails to iridescent bronze. When he craned his neck around the bulge above his shelf, Tae caught a glimpse of a sailor messing with the main sail shrouds. He found no one else in his line of vision.

Tae checked his pockets, already knowing what he ought to find. He always traveled light, more so when he could tumble into the ocean at any moment. Now, he carried the wig on his head, a knife, and a few coins seized from the two captured pirates. Those would give him an air of authenticity should he need it. His other pocket held a fist-sized gemstone that Matrinka had insisted he take. Tae knew the alsona would not allow him to buy his way out of anything; if they wanted the gem, they would simply kill him and take it. If they didn't, they would kill him and leave it. Either way, it did him no earthly good.

Yet, now, Tae found a purpose for it. He smiled, clutching it in his fist. "Imorelda, listen." *I'm here,* the cat said mournfully.*Where else could I be?*

Tae could feel the claws pressing through his clothing into his upper back.*Try to carry my voice just to that sailor near the main mast.*

Imorelda shifted position, and Tae lowered his center of gravity to keep from losing his balance.*I see one man. Near that rope tangle.*

Only Imorelda would see a perfectly woven ladderwork and consider it a "tangle." Tae knew they were probably looking at the same man. With the ships at anchor, the alsona only needed one sailor working at the mainsail before sunrise.

Tae nodded, still worried he might catch Imorelda in the wrong phase and accidentally broadcast conversations meant only for her. "If you're ready."

Imorelda loosened her claws long enough to pat his cheek in reply, then ratcheted them back into his flesh. *Man overboard!* Tae tried to put panic into his sending.*Help!*

A worried voice entered Tae's head,*Where are you, friend?*

The flaw in Tae's plan became immediately clear. With Imorelda's aid, his sending might reach only one person; but the sailor's reply could possibly travel farther. *Starboard stern.* Tae appreciated the days he had spent listening to dull sailor talk. It had given him the alsona vocabulary he needed.*Please hurry. I can't hold out much longer.* Rising, he gripped the gemstone tightly in his right fist.

Tae heard running footfalls on the deck. A head and torso appeared suddenly around the gunwale, looking into the water.

With all the strength he could muster, Tae rose up and slammed the gemstone against the sailor's left temple. Surprise registered in the man's dark eyes, then he collapsed across the railing. *That wasn't nice.*

Tae ignored Imorelda. The gem crashed against the alsona's head a second time with a sickening crack, stone against skull. Bracing for the weight, Tae slid the limp form over the railing to ease it, as gently as possible, onto his sloping ledge. Blood twined between Tae's fingers and made a sticky tangle in the other man's reddish hair.

Swiftly, Tae wiped his hand and the gemstone on the hem of his own shirt, then tore off a huge piece. *What are you doing?* *Get down, Imorelda.* Tae barely waited for her to obey before whipping off his cloak. He secured the piece of fabric around the alsona's head to cover the wound he had created.

Imorelda paced around them.*What are you doing?* She poked her furry face into the alsona's.*You've practically killed him, and now you're tending his wounds?*

Tae did not want to lose his focus but knew he had to answer the cat or field an ever increasing number of questions. He still needed her to keep him tuned to the alsona or risk missing important announcements that might determine his knowledge or survival.*I'm not tending anything. I'm just trying to keep blood off my new clothes.* Tae refused to think of the alsona as human, only as an enemy. Even as he did,Tae realized the irony of the strategy, the same one the alsona used to justify slaughtering the people of the Westlands.*Imorelda, stay on their level, for now.You need to keep in touch, so we don't lose each other, but I also have to make sure no one has noticed this man's absence.*

Carefully, Tae worked to strip the man of his foreign clothing. The belt came off first, leather with several small, stitched pockets, each holding an item: a utility knife, a handkerchief, rolled twine, a smear of pitch folded into a thick scrap, a few copper coins, dull metal pins, and some small hooks. All things a sailor might use, stored in convenient locations. Tae made a mental note to see if his tailors could fashion something similar for the Eastern navy.

Aside from the belt, and deceptively light cloth shoes, the clothing came off in a single piece that covered the arms, legs, and torso; it fastened with hooks and eyelets in the front. The whole seemed more suitable for sleep than work, except for the fabric itself. It looked and felt like cotton but with a strange, diagonal double-weave that made it thick, tough, and resistant to tearing. Dyed indigo, it hid most stains, including whatever droplets of blood Tae might have missed. The bottom of the pants flared outward, which, Tae supposed, made them easy to doff in an emergency. It also allowed the wearer to roll them all the way above the knee should warm weather or wet conditions require it.

Matrinka had suggested Tae wear captured clothing from alsona killed in the shore skirmishes. Now, Tae was glad he had refused. As he expected, the sailor's garb little resembled the armor of the attacking soldiers, or even their underpadding. It would have taken him much longer to change, because he would have had to doff battle gear, soaked through and unfamiliar in its latching, before dressing. Instead, it took him only a moment to switch clothing, even with his fingers stiff from cold.

The suit fit reasonably well, a bit generous in all parts, but surprisingly comfortable. The shoes molded to the shape of his feet, skimpy on the sides and top but thickly soled to protect them from riggings and loose bits of wood or metal on the deck. Tae had to add a hole to the belt to keep it from sliding off his hips. He finally glanced at the limp and naked alsona, seeing no signs of life. Imorelda had declared him "practically dead," and Tae trusted the cat's judgment. The wound was clearly lethal. Even if he had survived it, the impact with ocean would finish him, and he would sink like a stone without means to protect his airway.

Tae knew he had to work quickly. As the sun came fully up, his actions might become visible to the alsona aboard the other ships. Careful not to tip his own balance, he shoved the body into the sea. The plop of its landing disappeared beneath the normal creaks and splashes of anchored ships.