Chapter 9: A Needed Path

A Chapter by Albert Freeman

Quintas' story

(Location: Near the Britarik Coast)

Quintas plucked at the plumes upon his helm yet again and stared out in the Aertian Gulf and watched the ships in the distance. Merchant ships he figured going by the striped alternating blue and green flags. From the Norinth countries was his best guess. He looked to his side at Marus and winked.

"Now what was that for?" Marus asked with a suspicious look.

"Do you see those ships?" Quintas asked. "Merchants ships so soon after the storms? Either they are the stupidest Merchanters this side of the gulf or those are smugglers. I do seem to recall a prize that Lord-Admiral Orfiniz put up for such ships. What say you and I sound the alarm and get that prize before someone else catches on."

"What if it isn't smugglers?"

Quintas scowled. "You're always so damn negative, Marus. We've been out here for months and nary a thing to do but watch the damn water. If I'm wrong then to hell with em. The Lord-Admiral will forgive us, but if I'm right then think of the reward we will get. No merchant ships will sail directly into a storm seen miles and miles off if it can be avoided, but a smuggler will if he thinks that is the quickest way to unload what he shouldn't have."

"Ok that sounds good," Marus said. He rose to his feet and grabbed the large mallet at his side and lifted it up and gave the gongs three hits.

"Ouch!" Quintas cried covering his ears. "Warn me next time you idiot!"

Gongs besides there own took up the sounding all along the coast. Three hits meant smugglers upon the horizon and in a moments time Sea Wolves would be out to swiftly chase down the ship for verification. Most ships gave up soon as they saw the fast and sleek vessels coming towards them. The few that chose to make a run for it lived to regret that error.

"Heads up, Quintas," Marus said pointing slightly behind them. "Honorik is coming. You just know he's going to make us write several volume's on the report for this."

"I heard that," Honorik Gaius Ipetis said coming up to the two lookouts. "You never could learn to whisper could you Marus? I see it was the two of you who sounded the alarm. Smugglers running a storm gauntlet is it?" He unhooked a looking glass from his side and brought it up to look out upon the gulf. "Ah, yes indeed. I see it tried to run, but the Sea Wolves quickly disabused them of the notion." He gave the two sentries a grudging nod of approval.

Quintas hid a smug smile behind a gloved hand. He squinted out at the gulf wondering what was going on. Why in the world would a smuggler make that run? The odds of bucking a storm that big would have made the oiliest of smugglers change there minds. It had to be some very valuable cargo and he could just imagine the reward he and Marus would get.

"I wonder what would possess them to run the gauntlet through a Britarik storm," Marus wondered aloud. "That cargo must be important."

"No doubt arms for those who wish to take up rebellion with the Emperor dead," Honorik groused. He reached into a pouch and took out tobacco and stuffed it in his mouth. "With the princes all seeming on the verge of war than to pick a successor, that would be my guess."

"Sounds as good a guess as any," Quintas said. "Looks like they are bringing it to port. They'd have done better to put up a fight if it is arms. The punishment for that is still death."

Honorik put up his looking glass and spat out tobacco juice. "The fun is in seeing just what kind of arms and from which nation. Civil war is a nasty business and I'd like to know who is being so kind to my soon to be enemies. These are going to be troubled times, lads. Troubled times indeed."

Quintas shared a quick grimace with Marus. Honorik was a good twenty years older, but sometimes they way he talked you would think he was from a few centuries in the past. Quintas had only been in the army for three years and Marus slightly less than that. He was not sure which way he would go if it game to civil war. He held out hope that Ganus would be able to win the crown before it came to civil war.

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