The Blood of the Merchant King

Claudia rowed the two of them and the boat down the stream. She felt like humming, but didn't want to disturb Sedikit's thoughts. She also wished she could read Sedikit's mind to see what was going on inside of it. He was so closed, and kept himself distant; not to mention he never spoke a word to her or anyone for that matter. He looked like he was going to say something before when the two of them were escaping the palace, but he refrained from it. Which made Claudia wonder if she had maybe broken through his cold, silent exterior, but no, she was probably wrong.

After a few small drops along he river and 20 minutes, the small boat had made it down to the harbour. Claudia moored the boat beside a bridge, and got off. She waited for Sedikit to disembark before leading him over to a small sloop. It's single mast, small cabin and triangular sails made it seem quaint, like a vacationing boat that many upperclass people would use. But only Claudia knew that it was no ordinary boat, as it hid 4 cannons beneath deck, and that a ballista was hidden in the prow. It was armed down to the rudder, incase of an attack. Claudia boarded the ship, and examined the winds and sails, "With your help, it should be ready to sail quickly," she said, "Help me with the rigging?"

Sedikit followed Claudia off the boat and walked with her to their own small boat. The boat didn't look like much, but Sedikit didn't know much about boats. He had grown up in the desert after all. He was relatively new to the ocean, and boats were like foreign creatures. So what Claudia asked him for help with the rigging, he froze. Slowly, Sedikit looked up at her face and stared at her for a good minute before looking back to the boat. It was obvious by his eyes that he had never done anything like this before and had no idea what he was doing. He took a step forward, stepped on to the boat, looking around, then sat down in the corner of the boat, shaking his head.

Claudia looked at Sedikit, then placed her hands on her hips. Gently she said, "It's not that hard," she said, "Just take that rope over there--" she pointed to her immediate left "--and untie it, and slowly, very slowly, let it go. Once the sails start flapping you can tie it back to the peg again. Then do the same with the rope of the opposite side, alright?" Claudia waited for Sedikit to start moving, but after a few minutes figured he didn't want an audience, so she went into the cabin and began to head below deck. She needed to examine the cannons before they set sail, and hopefully that would take too long, Claudia had a well earned vacation coming her way, and she was going to use it to catch up on sleep. She was tired, extremely tired, and she was getting wearier with each day. She wondered what the purpose of her fight was, and why they kept doing what they did, but she never outwardly questioned it. Not to anyone else, for fear that they may take her words for treason. Claudia sighed as she began to examine the cannons, she just hoped she gave enough direction to Sedikit.

Sedikit waiting until Claudia went below deck before he stood up and walked over to one of the ropes. It didn't sound too hard, the way she put it. He untied the rope and let it run through his hands, but in fact, it was difficult. The sail was heavy, and Sedikit, being only fourteen, barely had the strength to keep it from collapsing to the ground. But he held on, and when the sail looked at a good length he retied the rope, then did the same for the other side. When the job was done, Sedikit looked at his hands and frowned at the rope burn lines that now cut into them. Right then Claudia came back on deck. She looked tired, like she had suddenly aged a few years and just couldn't keep doing these missions.

For a brief second, Sedikit worried about her and started forward, but as he got closer, he remembered this was Claudia, and stopped and stared at her instead. He pointed to the sails without expression.

Claudia leaned against the rail of the ship, then smile at Sedikit. "Good," she said, "Im glad you got it. You did a good job." She then looked over the at the prow of the boat, part of her had a wrenching feeling in her gut as they headed out towards the sea. Then she turned back to Sedikit, "So was this your first mission?" she asked, "Or have you done this before?" Claudia knew it would be a hopeless effort to get Sedikit to speak, but it was a three day boat ride and she needed something to do, and she always did love a challenge. Therefore, Claudia decided to make him talk even if she had to dangle him off the edge of the ship...hopefully ti wouldn't come to that. Claudia chuckled a little at the image, but she didn't hate Sedikit, infact she thought he had a lot of talent and would one day be a shoe in for Grand Master.

Sedikit leaned against the side of the boat and let the spray of the sea mist over him. A small smile graced his face and the boy watched the boat cut through the deep blue waves. He wondered what was under the ocean. A whole other world? Did people live there? Or was it just animals and plants, marine life that had some how escaped the choke hold of humans? Claudia interrupted his thoughts.
"So was this your first mission? Or have you done this before?" Sedikit didn't look up and considered ignoring the question. He hadn't answered a single question verbally since he had come to the Order, and for a long time before that. Two years it had been since he had spoken. Except he had broken that just an hour ago. Sedikit had whispered one word to the Merchant King. It had cracked something inside him, for he had wanted to speak to Claudia after that, but refrained. He didn't speak. But maybe this once. Maybe she deserved a word or two, after all, she had saved him from being shot by the archers. He reflected on her question. This was his first mission with another person, he had previously only worked alone.
"I was raised on bloodshed," he said softly after a full minute of silence. Sedikit's voice was quite and melodious, soft like silk and velvet. He didn't look up from the ocean, but didn't regret his words. She was special to get five words out of him, and something about his past as well.

Claudia knew she needn't say more, she understood what Sedikit meant. She simply nodded and looked at him, then looked away. "Go get some rest," she said softly as she walked towards the wheel, "You earned it." Claudia began steering the ship, hoping that Sedikit wouldn't refuse sleeping, Claudia felt like being alone all of a sudden. Learning about Sedikit from what he said had stirred up memories in her that made her want to curl up in a ball. The slaughter of her mother and brothers, her father sinking into a deepening depression so much so that she hadn't spoken to him since she was sent to live with Owlan, the fact that she felt bad for abandoning Owlan 7 years ago and had only seen him once since. Claudia suddenly felt as if she had abandoned her family, and for a cause that she was suddenly doubting. Ever since she met Sedikit her world had been turning upside down, and now she was beginning to see things that she didn't see before. She would need to have a moment to herself to think about her priorities once the opportunity provided itself. She sighed again and turned the boat to the east, and towards the Assassin Island. It seemed that with each kill Claudia performed, a little part of her died as well. And that was just something she'd have to deal with, or did she?

Sedikit watched Claudia now, ignoring her request for him to sleep. She looked trouble and didn't respond to what he said, but walked away to the front of the boat and sighed. Yes, she was troubled. To be expected, taking a human life is never easy. Well, it was easy for Sedikit, and he had been the one to actually do the deed. But he couldn't assume every one had the same cold heart as he did. Sedikit blinked once, then pulled himself forward. Claudia obviously wanted to be alone, and he supposed he had no problem with sleeping. Before he left, however, he pulled the old scroll letter out from inside his coat, the one that he had found in the merchant's jacket, and he handed it to her silently. He hadn't read it. Then, he walked down the stairs to below deck as a cannon hurled through the walls of the small boat.

Sedikit screamed, not so much out of fear but out of surprise, as the lead ball narrowly missed the small boy and instead smashed through the other wall and dropped into the ocean. Luckily, the holes weren't deep enough the allow water into the boat, but Sedikit stood, almost frozen, staring at the spot where the cannon had entered. Then he ran above deck to Claudia.

Claudia silently took the scroll from Sedikit. She wondered what it was, and where he had gotten iit. Though from closer examination she could see it bore Maj'du Addin's seal on it. Meanin the boy had taken it from his body as he died. Claudia smiled at Sediikiits ressiliance, and went to open the scroll when a loud boom resounded through the air. She looked and saw a large shiip had fired a cannon at them, and had pierced the boat. Claudia swore as Sedikit ran up above deck. Quickly thinking, Claudiia ran to the cabin, and returned with a large ballista bolt covered in thick metal barbs and a powdery substance which she poured into the back of the arrow like haft.

Claudia quickly tugged on a rope by the bow prow and two planks of wood shot out from the side. Two tight ropes joined the planks to the main prow. The ballista was ready. Claudia mounted the bolt behind the draw string and pulled back with all her might. She waiting until the boat was in range, and then she quickly released a sharp breath--setting the massive arrow on fire--and fired at the enemy. The bolt hit the side of the ship and set it ablaze. And any attempts to put it out with water made the fire grow larger. Claudia smilled, but the small victory was nothing to the three other large frigates coming towards her. "Sedikit! Man the cannons!" She shouted, "We need to stay on the defensive!". Claudia returned to grab another Undousable Fire bolt for her ballista and prepared the next shot and three more cannons soundded and more lead cannonballs flew at her ship.

Sedikit stared helpless at Claudia as she loaded the second round of fire and shot it at another large ship. He had no idea how to work a cannon, and for the first time, he felt completely useless. He glanced desperately between Claudia and the cannons on the other side of the ship, tugged on Claudia's arm, but she was busy. Starting to freak out, Sedikit ran to the other side of the ship and fitted one of the fire bolts into the cannon, then grabbed what looked like a lighting stick and smashed it into a lamp. The cloth wrapped around it burst into flames, and taking a deep breath, Sedikit aimed the cannon at another approaching ship and lit the cannon. The noise was deafening, and he accidentally dropped the stick into the water out of surprise and jumped back, covering his ears.

However, with his inexperience and Claudia as the only other person on the boat, the ships were closing in fast. There hadn't been too many to start with, but one was now close enough for a skilled shooter to snipe with a gun, and a second ship was following suit. It would be an understatement to say Sedikit was in a state of panic. He ran back to his cannon and took aim at the extremely close ship, but before he could load the cannon, a sudden pain and huge forced shot through his shoulder, followed by his chest, and he was knocked backwards. He coughed, but didn't scream, as blood seeped into his clothes through his left shoulder and chest. Bullets. Guns. Mankind's most deadly invention to date. Sedikit's breathing was coming out short and shallow now, and his hand clenched the fabric around his chest, but he couldn't do anything about it at the moment. Clenching his teeth, Sedikit struggled up and lit the next cannon, watching the fire barrel into the ship.