The Merchant of Dreams (Night's Masque, #2)(63)

"It seems the most likely explanation. Still…" She turned to Sandy. "Could you find out if Mal is on that other ship?"

"I can try."

He wrapped his arms around his knees and closed his eyes. Long minutes passed. Gabriel clung to the ladder, staring up at the hatch as if it were a theatre trapdoor from which the gods themselves might descend to rescue them. At last Sandy let out a deep breath and rubbed a hand across his brow.

"Well?" Coby crouched down to his eye level. "Did you find Mal?"

"No."

She looked over at Gabriel and shrugged. "It's still our best chance of escape."

From the deck above came the rumbling of the strange glass cannons being rolled into place. Were they firing on the pirates – or the Hayreddin? Coby pushed Gabriel out of the way and ran up the ladder.

"What are you doing?" she yelled at the gunners. "Our friends could be on that ship."

One of the skraylings pointed through the gunport. "Look."

She followed his gaze, and blinked. The glass cannonballs had smashed on the galleass's sides, and yellowish smoke drifted down onto the surrounding boats. Sounds of coughing followed, and the pirates swarming up ropes dropped into the sea.

"There are other weapons than brute force," Sandy said, emerging from the hold.

They left the gunners to their work and went up on deck. The skrayling ship had now passed the Hayreddin and was unable to fire another broadside effectively, but the unexpected rescue appeared to have broken the pirates' resolve. The remaining craft were heading back towards the Dalmatian coast, abandoning the men who had fallen from the ship.

Hennaq came down from the upper deck.

"Forgive me," he said, "but I cannot let you escape."

He said something in Vinlandic to his men, who marched the captives back down to the hold, bound them hand and foot and gagged them. They lashed Sandy to the main mast, but before they could do the same to Coby and Gabriel, they were called back up on deck. The ship's timbers creaked in protest as it turned and began to tack in a wide arc back to the Hayreddin. Coby smiled behind her gag. The skraylings had not noticed the hidden pistols, and now all their attention would be focused on trying to capture Mal instead of guarding their prisoners.

She could just about make out her companions' features in the moonlight filtering down through the hatch. She shuffled over to Gabriel, working at the gag with her teeth until she could speak around it, albeit with difficulty.

"Ma'er Harrish? I meed you to goo somefing." She moved around behind him, to where his hands were tied. "Unghasten my hose an' reash infide."

"What?"

"Hlease, yust goo as I fay."

Gabriel crouched awkwardly to bring his hands down to the height of her groin, and clumsily undid her clothing. She forced herself to breathe slowly. It wasn't as though he was interested in her in that way, she told herself. There. She heard him gasp in surprise, then he pulled out the roll of canvas. She turned around so they were back to back.

"'ight, gig it to me."

She fumbled with the ties and carefully unrolled the miniature tool kit. She'd practised working with it by touch, in case she ever had to use it in the dark, but never in so awkward a way. Ah, there you are! She slid the narrow-bladed pen knife out of its pocket. Carefully, carefully. Don't want to drop it. "Ngow, kurn aroung again."

Gabriel obeyed, and she began to saw at the rope binding his wrist, taking care not to cut him at the same time. Within a few minutes he was free and able to take the knife and return the favour, then remove both their gags. Coby stifled a cough and swallowed several times to try and moisten her parched throat.

"I'll keep watch," she whispered to Gabriel, retrieving her pistols. "You free Sandy."

From the sounds of it they had circled back round and were drawing alongside the Hayreddin.

"Catlyn is there?" Hennaq's voice was just audible over the creak and groan of the ship.

There was a pause, then someone hollered back in English, "No, Catlyn stayed in the city. Who are you?"

Coby swore under her breath. If Mal wasn't on the Hayreddin, Hennaq would sail straight on and all would be lost. She turned and signalled to her two companions, then ran up the ladder, past the startled gunners, and pushed the main hatch open.

"Help!" she shouted in French as she emerged from below. "Captain Youssef! We have been taken prisoner!"

The crew of the Hayreddin erupted into curses, whilst the skraylings looked to their captain for further orders. A rumble below her feet told her the poison-smoke cannons were being wheeled back into position. Too late. The Hayreddin's cannon spoke, and the side of the skrayling ship erupted in splinters.

As Erishen stumbled up the stairs from the gun deck they exploded beneath his feet and he went sprawling. Something grabbed his calves, and he turned. Gabriel. Erishen crawled away across the rough planks of the weather deck, pulling the actor with him. Gabriel screamed, but his cries were drowned out by a second round of cannon fire.
Erishen looked around for help, but the girl was nowhere to be seen and the skraylings did not heed his cries. He rolled over and pulled himself upright. Gabriel lay on the deck, face deathly pale and a dark stain spreading across one stocking. Erishen crawled back towards the hatch and helped Gabriel up into a sitting position. Blood soaked the actor's stocking, but his leg did not look to be shattered.