Brotherband 3

‘Land! I can see land!’

It was Stefan, calling from the lookout position in the bow of the Heron.

There was a buzz of interest from the crew as they surged forward to get a sight of the coast – at this stage, no more than a distant, hazy line on the horizon.

Hal heaved a silent sigh of relief. They had been out of sight of land for four days, cutting diagonally across from the eastern coast of the Stormwhite Sea to head for the southern coastline. After days without any reference points or landmarks, with nothing but the waves to see, niggling fears had begun to gnaw at his confidence. What if he had misread his sun compass? What if Stig had let the ship stray off course while Hal was sleeping? What if Hal himself had made some simple, fundamental error that had led them off on the wrong path?

When you sailed out of sight of land, he thought, there was always the worry that you might never sail back into sight of it.

He shook his head, realising how groundless his fears had been. Four days, after all, was a relatively short ocean trip. He knew of Skandian seafarers who had sailed for weeks with no sight of land. He had done so himself, on ships commanded by other people. But this was his first time in command.

Thorn came aft from his favoured spot by the keel box. His rolling gait easily matched the movement of the ship and he smiled at his young friend. He’d spent many years at sea but he knew all too well what must have been going through Hal’s mind.

‘Well done,’ he said quietly.

Hal gave him a quick smile. ‘Thanks,’ he said, trying to look nonchalant. Then he couldn’t keep up the pretence any longer. ‘Must admit, I had a few sleepless moments.’

Thorn raised an eyebrow. ‘Only a few?’

‘Two, actually. One lasted for the first two days. The other for the next two. Apart from that, I was fine.’

The fact that the young skirl could admit to his concerns was a sign of his growing maturity and confidence in his own ability. He was growing up fast, Thorn thought. But then, command of a ship had that effect on a person. They either grew into the responsibility or it crushed them.

In the bow, Stig had climbed onto the bulwark along­side Stefan, but on the other side of the bowpost. He shaded his eyes, then turned and called back down the length of the ship.

‘I can see three hills,’ he shouted. ‘Two big, one small. The small one is in the middle. They’re a little off to port.’

Thorn saw the look of pleasure that came over Hal’s face. He nodded his admiration.

‘Sounds like Dwarf Hill Cape,’ he said. ‘Wasn’t that where you were aiming?’ It was a near-perfect landfall – an impressive achievement for a neophyte skirl. Thorn was an expert sailor, but the intricacies of navigation had always proved too much for him.

Hal rearranged his features, trying to hide his pleasure.

‘Should have been dead ahead,’ he muttered, but then the smile broke through again. ‘But that’s pretty good, isn’t it?’

Thorn clapped him on the shoulder. ‘It’s very good. For an old coast crawler like me, it’s beyond comprehension.’

Hal nodded forward. ‘Looks as if our prisoner is finally taking an interest in things.’

Rikard, the Magyaran pirate Thorn had broken out of the Limmat jail, was standing up to peer towards the land. For the past few days he had remained huddled by the mast, restrained by a heavy chain that secured him to the thick spar.

‘He knows he’s near home,’ Thorn said. ‘The entrance to the Schuyt River is only a few kilometres up the coast, and that leads to the Magyaran capital.’

‘Are we planning on setting him free?’ Hal asked.

Thorn shook his head. ‘Not until we know he’s telling us the truth about Zavac’s destination. If he is, we should be able to find someone who’s seen the Raven when we head down the Dan River. He’s just going to have to wait till then.’

After they had left the port of Limmat behind, Rikard had made good on his promise to tell them where Zavac was heading. Zavac was the pirate captain who had earlier stolen the Andomal, Skandia’s most prized artefact. He had stolen it while Hal and his crew had been charged with its protection, so they had a personal interest in regaining it from him.

With that in mind, they had pursued Zavac down the length of the Stormwhite, always one step behind the elusive Magyaran ship, a large black craft named the Raven. They caught up with Zavac and the Raven at Limmat, a harbour town on the east coast. Zavac, in company with two other ships, had led an attack on the town and occupied it. The crew of the Heron had been instrumental in defeating the invaders and driving them out. Many of the pirates had been either killed or captured in the ensuing battle, but Zavac and his crew had escaped in the closing stages, ramming and nearly sinking the Skandian ship Wolfwind in the process.

According to Rikard, Zavac and his crew were heading for the Dan River, a mighty waterway that ran all the way from the north of the continental mass, on the Stormwhite’s coast, to the south, close by the Constant Sea. At the southern end of the Dan was a fortified citadel called Raguza, a pirate haven governed by a council of pirates and thieves. Raiders from the Stormwhite and the Constant Sea sought refuge there, knowing they would be protected from pursuit and revenge. Ships harbouring in Raguza paid a tribute to the city’s governing body. Usually, this was a tenth share of any booty they had on board. It was expensive, but it was worth it to enjoy the security and freedom from pursuit that Raguza offered.

Zavac, of course, was carrying a large supply of emeralds plundered from the secret mine at Limmat. Some of those emeralds should have gone to the men who had assisted in the invasion and occupation of the town. But they had been defeated and killed or imprisoned, and he had absconded with their share. With such a rich haul, he had no further need to raid during the current season and had obviously decided to relax and regroup in the citadel.