The wind was strong, and the waves were enormous. It was the kind of weather that could easily sweep men overboard if they weren’t careful. As I grabbed hold of the mast, I pondered what exactly was going on here.
It was inconceivable the Master of Luwak Street, who had been keeping such a careful eye on the mayor, would allow him to escape so easily. But if she’d done it on purpose, there must have been an ulterior motive.
Flicking my gaze from side to side as I considered the possibilities, I tried to gather as much information as I possibly could. A small anchor we had thrown had pierced the deck of the enemy ship, and a simple beam had been laid across the chain to further bridge the gap. Across the way, Glen and the imperial guards were swinging their swords and bringing the merchant vessel to its knees.
Still, the wind and waves proved a hindrance. The imperial guards kept stumbling and couldn’t wield their swords quite as well as they could on land.
The exception was the Eisenach Brothers, who stood out from the rest of the crowd. Randy danced across the swaying deck, taking down mercenaries with his sure-footed martial arts. Glen’s swordsmanship was no less flawless. Even if a wave threw them off-balance, they’d unarm their opponent with a single swing and deal him a fatal blow. I was torn between admiration and exasperation, wondering what stuff those two men’s bodies were made of.
In the meantime, there came a truly pathetic cry from behind me. “Prince Chris! I, Alan, must swallow my pride and make a once-in-a-lifetime confession! I can’t swim!” As I watched Alan hold on to something for dear life and scream for help, I let out a small sigh.
The cleanup this time involved getting revenge for Ian. Thus, I’d brought Alan along to see it through, but it seemed I’d picked the wrong man for the job. I ordered one of the imperial guards to go protect him, then drew my own sword.
The two Eisenach Brothers were in their element as they unleashed their skills on the enemy vessel, but mercenaries were boarding our ship from a beam they’d laid out from their side. Those were the moves of people who realized that I was the piece that would determine our victory or defeat.
The imperial guards who had stayed behind took those men on, but a few still managed to get past. “Your Highness!” they shouted. Keeping the two incoming mercenaries in my sights, I spun around the mast, holding it with one hand. This meant I’d turned my back to my opponents. Surprised, the men who had pointed their swords at me followed me behind the mast in automatic pursuit, tracking the movements of my feet, eyes, and sword. I would have been in trouble had they boxed me in from both sides, but the pair came at me from the same direction, as if caught up in the heat of the moment.
In this case, it would be easy to slay them even on a rocking deck. I knocked one of men’s feet out from under him in time with a wave that jostled the boat, and I took down the other as I used my momentum to leap upward with my sword. The waves rose and fell without end—just like the moves Glen and his brother were showing off all the while. Next, I grabbed hold of the mast rope to stop myself from getting swept away with them.
Behind me, Alan gasped in misguided admiration. “You know how to do a sword dance, Prince Chris?!”
Ignoring his comments and the surprising amount of composure in his voice, I began to work out the true goal behind this farce. The wind was strong and the waves were enormous, but the harbor was still close enough to catch the edge of my vision. If—just if—this arrest ended in failure and the boat sank, we’d be able to swim our way back to shore. In that case, there had to be another objective.
I gave the idea some thought, then called out to the brothers on the merchant ship, just to be on the safe side. “Glen! Randy! Keep an eye on what’s inside the ship! Someone could be trying to destroy the evidence!”
Picking up on what I meant in an instant, the two men exchanged glances and transitioned straight into their respective roles. Glen would handle the sword-wielding mercenary. Randy, the hand-to-hand combatant, would capture the main culprit hiding inside the ship.
It was common to hire mercenaries to guard merchant ships, but someone from the Maritime Merchants’ Guild had likely arranged for this ship, rather than it being one the mayor independently owned. I knew the chances were good, and it was the only possibility that came to mind.