Jacques
03-30-2011, 07:23 PM
The flag of distress raised just after dawn on the nearest Sterlyn ship. The king’s flagship had given no responses and the others made to pull alongside it. Soon enough shouts rang out over the waters, echoing even among the cluster of sailing vessels. Jacques instructed his captain to join alongside the main Sterlyn warship.
The king’s ship hadn’t returned signals in the night, and had drifted far off course before the others could use daylight to get aboard it. The first words whispered were plague, fever, skallding curses. The sailors were a superstitious lot, and there was nothing to be done but for the captain to order them to pull alongside the drifting ship and look for answers. The rest of the fleet had sailed on ahead, carrying wounded and prisoners that could not allow for delays. The Ashpool and Sanseverino flagships alongside the drifting Sterlyn vessel.
It was mere moments before the boarding party ran back on deck, howling in fear and disarray. Jacques leaned against a railing, watching the chaos. Galeazzo Sanseverino had boarded from the starboard side and was making his way across the deck to the Lord of Sanka.
“The crew is dead,” Galeazzo announced with more calm than one might expect from someone who’d effectively just found himself regent of a crumbling kingdom. “The king as well.”
“Hail the lord regent,” Jacques said evenly.
“I want to know how this happened, Ashpool.” Galeazzo’s eyes narrowed. “Shadowmere came aboard yesterday evening. Now he sails ahead of us.”
“A violin maker and tradesman turned lord? Please, he owes the king his title and status- and the profit to be made by the captives.”
“A slaver and an assassin. Don’t tell me differently, Jacques.”
“Men can be many things. And it’s so obvious- why would Lazarus do it when he’d be your first suspect?”
“Because I’d want who hired him, not the shadow lord himself.”
Others were drifting closer, seeing the two high lords in conversation. Jacques shot a look to his men to keep their distance. He fixed his gaze again on the red serpent in front of him. “What does it matter, Galeazzo? Through treachery the king is dead. You gain most by this turn of events. I’m sure Severne will have his doubts about this. So might the remaining Sterlyns.”
“My cousins know me too well for that. Not that I wouldn’t kill a king, but to do it this way? Too blatant.”
Jacques was quiet. “Are we certain all the crew is dead?”
“No, there are a handful missing, I think. Not many but... a comparison to the captain’s log should give us a definite count.”
“Then let it be done. Did anyone see any other ships or rowboats coming close? If traitors on board mutinied in favor of Auron... then accusations we hurl at ourselves or Shadowmere will only serve their purpose.”
Galeazzo’s eyes narrowed. He remembered Jacques Ashpool from his youth in Solbra. Quiet, courtly... deadly with that gods-damned sword. “We find out which crewmen are missing, but I think...”
“A mutiny,” Jacques cut in. “Alrik’s captain was notoriously unpopular with his men, and even worse with the king aboard. The sailors meant to kill everyone, take the king hostage and blame the Skalldings, but Phillip and Alrik put up too much of a fight and were killed. The cowards sailed back for Stoft, thinking to take asylum there. I’ll dispatch a ship to search around us- they must have taken the missing dinghy.”
There wasn’t one missing, but Galeazzo knew there would be by the time the ships made port. He nodded, knowing that to defy Ashpool outright at this point was more trouble than it was worth. Whoever had killed Alrik, it didn’t matter so much as what came next. Looking at Ashpool’s cool blue gaze, Galeazzo had his own ideas. Speaking an accusation now would likely only ensure his own men didn’t make it back to Gyllene... and much as he wanted to he didn’t trust this to not rebound on his own household. Jacques was offering an alibi, and though it was a dark bargain...
“A pity the high winds and darkness prevented others from seeing the distress flags.” Galeazzo motioned to one of his captains to approach. “We’ll lash the ships together and be on our way. We wouldn’t want to delay your daughters’ weddings, my lord.”
“No, we wouldn’t.” Jacques’ lips curled in a faint smile. “I’ll go speak with my son. Ethan’s been an admirerer of the king’s... pity your own boys couldn’t join us this time. Where did you say Ludovico was again...?”
“Trista, last I heard.” Galeazzo shot a cold look at Jacques, but smiled. “I’m sure they’ll be plenty of other campaigns soon enough.”
The king’s ship hadn’t returned signals in the night, and had drifted far off course before the others could use daylight to get aboard it. The first words whispered were plague, fever, skallding curses. The sailors were a superstitious lot, and there was nothing to be done but for the captain to order them to pull alongside the drifting ship and look for answers. The rest of the fleet had sailed on ahead, carrying wounded and prisoners that could not allow for delays. The Ashpool and Sanseverino flagships alongside the drifting Sterlyn vessel.
It was mere moments before the boarding party ran back on deck, howling in fear and disarray. Jacques leaned against a railing, watching the chaos. Galeazzo Sanseverino had boarded from the starboard side and was making his way across the deck to the Lord of Sanka.
“The crew is dead,” Galeazzo announced with more calm than one might expect from someone who’d effectively just found himself regent of a crumbling kingdom. “The king as well.”
“Hail the lord regent,” Jacques said evenly.
“I want to know how this happened, Ashpool.” Galeazzo’s eyes narrowed. “Shadowmere came aboard yesterday evening. Now he sails ahead of us.”
“A violin maker and tradesman turned lord? Please, he owes the king his title and status- and the profit to be made by the captives.”
“A slaver and an assassin. Don’t tell me differently, Jacques.”
“Men can be many things. And it’s so obvious- why would Lazarus do it when he’d be your first suspect?”
“Because I’d want who hired him, not the shadow lord himself.”
Others were drifting closer, seeing the two high lords in conversation. Jacques shot a look to his men to keep their distance. He fixed his gaze again on the red serpent in front of him. “What does it matter, Galeazzo? Through treachery the king is dead. You gain most by this turn of events. I’m sure Severne will have his doubts about this. So might the remaining Sterlyns.”
“My cousins know me too well for that. Not that I wouldn’t kill a king, but to do it this way? Too blatant.”
Jacques was quiet. “Are we certain all the crew is dead?”
“No, there are a handful missing, I think. Not many but... a comparison to the captain’s log should give us a definite count.”
“Then let it be done. Did anyone see any other ships or rowboats coming close? If traitors on board mutinied in favor of Auron... then accusations we hurl at ourselves or Shadowmere will only serve their purpose.”
Galeazzo’s eyes narrowed. He remembered Jacques Ashpool from his youth in Solbra. Quiet, courtly... deadly with that gods-damned sword. “We find out which crewmen are missing, but I think...”
“A mutiny,” Jacques cut in. “Alrik’s captain was notoriously unpopular with his men, and even worse with the king aboard. The sailors meant to kill everyone, take the king hostage and blame the Skalldings, but Phillip and Alrik put up too much of a fight and were killed. The cowards sailed back for Stoft, thinking to take asylum there. I’ll dispatch a ship to search around us- they must have taken the missing dinghy.”
There wasn’t one missing, but Galeazzo knew there would be by the time the ships made port. He nodded, knowing that to defy Ashpool outright at this point was more trouble than it was worth. Whoever had killed Alrik, it didn’t matter so much as what came next. Looking at Ashpool’s cool blue gaze, Galeazzo had his own ideas. Speaking an accusation now would likely only ensure his own men didn’t make it back to Gyllene... and much as he wanted to he didn’t trust this to not rebound on his own household. Jacques was offering an alibi, and though it was a dark bargain...
“A pity the high winds and darkness prevented others from seeing the distress flags.” Galeazzo motioned to one of his captains to approach. “We’ll lash the ships together and be on our way. We wouldn’t want to delay your daughters’ weddings, my lord.”
“No, we wouldn’t.” Jacques’ lips curled in a faint smile. “I’ll go speak with my son. Ethan’s been an admirerer of the king’s... pity your own boys couldn’t join us this time. Where did you say Ludovico was again...?”
“Trista, last I heard.” Galeazzo shot a cold look at Jacques, but smiled. “I’m sure they’ll be plenty of other campaigns soon enough.”