Part 31 (2/2)
When Gonji arose in the morning, it was to see Simon hovering over him in the dim s.h.i.+ps hold.
”Never again,” he said firmly.
Gonji groaned and rolled upright, beginning his stretching regimen. ”Hai-what was that all about last night? Everyone thought youd turned on us.”
”Dont make light of it.”
”Were you...drunk?”
His swept-back silver eyes blinked rapidly, and he seemed to consider his answer carefully. ”I...I think so. It was very strange. I think it put the thing-the energumen-the possessed spirit I host-it put it to sleep?” He seemed dazzled, like one discovering for the first time something wonderful, yet commonplace and not a little embarra.s.sing.
”Thats good, neh?”
”Non, au contraire-its very dangerous. You see, the Beast-it-I-seemed to lose control of it. Not in a savage way. Not so that it would climb the rope and rip your filthy little yellow heart out. Its just that I couldnt make it speak. I could only growl.”
”And howl,” Gonji reminded archly.
”Oui,” Simon allowed sheepishly.
”One cup of rum-very poor control, neh?” Gonji needled. ”No samurai would lose his faculties so eas-”
”I seem to remember a samurai in Vedun who got so drunk he had to be rolled down the street in a pickle barrel to save his heathen a.s.s-uhh...so they said.”
Gonji was about to take up the gauntlet when Orozco hobbled halfway down the ladder, calling as he clambered. ”Gonji-get up here. Hurry.”
”What?”
They followed the sergeant up to the deck to find the entire s.h.i.+ps complement at the port rail.
”Cholera,” Gonji breathed. ”The little s.h.i.+p from last night?”
”Not unless it sprouted one h.e.l.luva hull-”
”Thats a gallea.s.s,” a mercenary declared. ”A G.o.dd.a.m.ned gallea.s.s!”
The huge wars.h.i.+p was unmistakably tacking in their direction.
”Six-seven hundred men on a s.h.i.+p like that?” Orozco was speculating with awe.
”The Golden Fleece Knights-catching up with us so soon?” Gonji wondered aloud.
Panic began to spread through the s.h.i.+p.
”Well, what now?” Cardenas asked as he moved up to them, his face lined with fear.
”Big cannon b.a.l.l.s, Id imagine,” Gonji ventured quietly.
”Were going to take them, no?” Corsini asked, eyes aflame with the flicker of antic.i.p.ated conflict. ”We tack around and take them.”
”Are you crazy?” someone was shouting. ”Our five guns against-what? Eighty?”
”Were fighting a righteous battle, arent we?” Corsini challenged. ”Look what G.o.ds seen us through so far.”
”Were not fighting it like lunatics,” Gonji cautioned. ”Thats why were still alive. Simon?”
”What?” He looked as if hed just been accused.
”Isnt there something you can do?”
Simons angular face warped as if hed been addressed by a lunatic. ”We outrun them, thats what we do,” he said.
”Impossible,” Orozco said, shaking his head and scowling. He began charging his pistols.
Simon was backing away, eyes flickering as the samurai approached him imploringly.
”Orozcos right,” Gonji said. ”We cant outrun them.”
”So we put our backs into the oars. That plus the sails will-”
”Think, man, think what youre saying,” Gonji argued, his voice rising.
”Three-hundred-fifty rowers on that vessel,” Orozco observed, gazing across the waves.
”Get our rowers to their stations,” Gonji told Orozco. ”Every man to an oar. Dont-let them-panic. Simon-”
”Ill take my place at the oars like the others-”
”Simon-”
”What else can I do? Tell me what you want.”
People began looking toward them fretfully now. The undermanned rowers put their backs into the hopeless task, the women taking up places alongside the men.
”Will you help me control these people?” Gonji said through clenched teeth.
”What is it you want of me? That I should swim out there and kill as many of them as I can until they destroy me? What do you think I am, some kind of murdering monster?” When he realized what hed said, he turned his back on Gonji and stalked to an unattended oar. Its shaft creaked in the oarlock as he began to row.
Gonji took up the oar behind him.
”Simon-the storm,” he whispered as they rowed.
The first booming of the pursuing s.h.i.+ps mighty guns tore shrieks of terror from the rowers. One ball crashed into the sea off the port bow, sending water cascading over the rails and scuppers.
”Remember when you raised that wind over Vedun,” Gonji went on, ”when you first came to the militia in the catacombs? You frightened our enemies then-”
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