When Meiiva returned to him, the galley was straight upwind and Vanimen wrinkling his nose. “Phew!” he said. “Can you smell? She reeks of dirt, sweat, aye, of misery. What devilment does she bear?”
She squinted. “I see a number who wear metal, and I see weapons,” she replied. “But who are those in rags, huddled amidships?”
That became clear when the distance between had shortened. Men, women, children, dark-skinned, heavy-featured, were chained at wrists and ankles. They stood, sat, slumped, shuddered with cold, sought what tiny comfort was in each other’s nearness, beneath the pikes of lighter-complexioned guards. Unease gripped Vanimen. “I think I know,” he told Meiiva. “Slaves.”
“What?” She had never met the human word.
“Slaves. People taken captive, sold and bought and forced to
toil, like the beasts you’ve watched drawing plow and cart. I’ve heard of the practice from men I’ve talked with. No doubt yonder vessel is returning from a raid on southerly foreigners.” Vanimen spat to leeward, wishing he could do it oppositely.
Meiiva winced. “Is that true?”
“Aye.”
“And yet the Maker of Stars favors their breed above all else
in this world?”
“I cannot understand, either… .Hoy, they’re hailing us.”
No real speech could cross the barriers of wind and language.
A lean man, smooth-shaven, in corselet and wildly plumed helmet, peered until Vanimen’s skin crawled. At last, however, the galley fell off and the Liri king gusted a breath of relief.
By now the island loomed dead ahead, with nasty surges at its foot. His whole attention was required to maneuver the hulk into the safety of the channel. Right rudder! Heave the yard about!
Pole out the starboard clew! Feel violence go through timbers-
did the keel grate on something?-suddenly she finds calm, but
that means loss of steerage way-
Incredibly, the ship came to rest.
Vanimen stared back and forth. They were in a strip of water
which merely chopped. Shores rose on either hand like walls. The stonn hooted, but save for sparse, vicious raindrops was blocked off; air felt less raw here than outside. The mainland was wooded behind a strip of beach. Trees and ruggedness half hid a cluster of buildings on the island. No people or dogs were in sight. Nor was other bottom, whose presence he had awaited and planned against.
He turned his mer-senses upon the water itself, and found its saltiness was thinned. A bit further north, a river must flow from the continent into the sea. No doubt the estuary contained a harbor, which he guessed was fair-sized; pieces of trash and globs of tar bobbed in his view. That would be where humans docked. The confonnation of land hid it from him, and him from it.
He felt certain the blow would end before nightfall. Then the quest could continue. Meanwhile- He sagged back against the taffrail. Meanwhile, here was peace. Let there be sleep. The need for it took him like a billow.
Meiiva screamed.
Vanimen slammed awake. Around a cliff came the galley. Her
oars churned a stonn of their own. She was upon the hulk ere the menfolk below were out of the hatches. Their king had an instant to remember that he captained a ship whereon a man he murdered had cursed him.
Grapnels bit fast. A boarding bridge thunked down. Over it, armed and armored, boiled the Venetians. They had sent their merchandise to the hold and were after more.
When they suddenly noticed the strangeness of these victims, web feet, hues of hair, eldritch features, several of them recoiled. They cried out, crossed themselves, made as if to stampede back. Tougher ones bellowed, swung swords on high, urged the attack onward. Their chief whipped a crucifix from about his neck and raised it next to his own blade. That gave courage. The prey were naked, nearly all unarmed, mostly female or small.
Under bawled commands, the raiders deployed, fonned a line, advanced to box Vanimen’s followers in the stern. Weapons, helms, mail-no mere strength could stand before that. Nor did merfolk know aught of war. Those on deck retreated in horror; those who had not emerged ducked back down into the hold.
Swimmers came to the surface and raged around. “Don’t!” the king shouted as they sought to climb the rope ladder. “It’s death or worse!”