Daxton - Episode 15
The 5th Compass | Tales of Stonehaven [2,289 words]
Daxton is the first book in the 6-book series, The 5th Compass, which takes place in Stonehaven. Released in serial form, two episodes each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The audio version is coming in the future for paid subscribers only. Visit the table of contents for a list of previously published and upcoming episodes.
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Nearly nine long months had passed and Captain Silverblade spent the remaining few of them hidden away in her quarters refusing to be seen by anyone. When her stomach became more pronounced and she presented signs of illness she used that as her excuse for remaining bedridden and none of the men who remained dare question her.
Also, in that time there was not any disturbance whatever from the king of Gaspar which distressed her as well. An attack every now and then would’ve at least given her and her men something to do. But to have them sitting around with no one but friendly ships ready and willing to pay their due it was just not much fun. Her men were growing restless and so was she. Then the baby began to demand attention from within her, kicking and punching every chance it got. She knew it would be due any day now.
The only person she allowed to enter her cabin was Cripan. He knew she was with child but swore a blood oath to her that he would tell no one. She was not too fond of pricking her finger to perform this oath, but if it meant he would keep her secret she reluctantly agreed. He was her eyes and ears while she was unable to be seen and he enjoyed every moment of it. The men were forced to take orders from him, and they hated it.
On one such morning Cripan ran into her room without knocking while she was dressing and saw her swollen belly.
“Pardon my saying so captain, but you look like you are about ready to explode.”
“Close the door, Cripan. What brings you into my room without knocking? I told you about many times, haven’t I? Never enter my room without knocking first.” He nodded and lowered his head as he always did, in shame and embarrassment.
“Yes, captain, you have told me many times. I’ll remember, I promise. But I’m here because a boat approaches. It looks to be one of the captain’s you sent away. Not sure who though—,” he said but she pushed passed him and ran to her door, then stopped. She couldn’t leave and risk being seen on deck. The men would know in an instant she was with child and she would never be able to do what she needed to when it was born. Wendynn would never agree to giving it up.
“Go up there and find out who it is, Cripan. And when you do, I want you to tell whoever it is they cannot come in here. Then go ashore and get the hag.”
Cripan scrunched up his nose at the mention of the hag. For reasons he could not understand she had him fetch Nelle on multiple occasions and the two of them would remain huddled in her room for hours at a time talking about things he could never hear through the door.
“Pardon my saying so captain, but why are you so nice to that old hag? She smells funny and she’s always pinching my cheeks, like I’m a child.” Captain Silverblade suppressed a chuckle.
“Run along now, Cripan, and do as you’re tell. Quick as you can. This time it’s an emergency.” No sooner was he out the door did her water break all over the floor of her room. She tried to do some relaxed breathing like Nelle taught her to do but the more she tried to breath calmly the more pain she felt. The worst of it came as she crawled onto her bed and muffled her screams into her pillow.
Cripan ran up the stairs and grabbed the spyglass from a pirate who was using it to see who was approaching. He quickly climbed the sail post up to the highest point and looked through it. He saw behind the wheel Spire was waving frantically at their ship.
Cripan shouted down to the men, “It’s Spire. He’s the first to return.” As the men cheered, he climbed back down and handed the spyglass to the pirate he snatched it from. “The captain needs me to go ashore and fetch something. Under no circumstances is anyone to go bothering her while I’m away.” He didn’t wait for make sure his orders were understood. Instead, he climbed down the side of the ship and into a boat he always kept nearby. Since Silverblade relied on him to go ashore more and more to buy her things she wanted to eat that very often didn’t come from the sea, and every now and then to get the hag, it became necessary to keep a boat ready to go at a moment’s notice.
As Cripan rowed away, the small ship Spire was on got closer to the Shadow till he was able to climb aboard. The men knew he took Wendynn with him and they all knew of the feud between them. There were bets placed as to whether or not both men would make it back alive. When he stepped onto the ship alone several of the men gasped.
“Where is Wendynn?” one of the crewmen asked.
“I’m afraid he didn’t make it.” Those who placed their bets on Wendynn besting Spire had shocked expressions on their faces while the others eyed Spire with newfound respect. They believed he must’ve eliminated Wendynn and in a way they admired him for it. “Where is Captain Silverblade? I must speak with her immediately.”
“She hasn’t left her cabin these last five months at least. None of us have been allowed to see her.”
“She gives us her orders through the boy, Cripan. But he’s gone ashore. No one is to disturb her while he’s away.”
Spire heard this lunacy and knew none of what they said could apply to him. Especially, since he knew the reason for her hiding away. He walked past the men and made for the stairs leading down to her cabin.
“I’m afraid we can’t let you go down there, captain.” The pirate who spoke grabbed Spire’s arm to stop him.
“Unhand me before I cut off your arm.” The pirate let him go immediately. “And don’t you ever lay a hand on a captain ever again.” He pushed past him and went down stairs. He approached her door where he thought he heard a muffled scream and knocked. “It’s Spire. Can I come in?”
She didn’t answer. Again, he heard what sounded like a scream being muffled. Thinking she was being attacked he burst through the door to find her in a rather precarious position on her bed.
“Wendynn. Where is Wendynn? I need him.” Those were the only words she managed to utter before the sound of a cannon firing drowned out a scream she was not fast enough to muffle into her pillow. Caught between tending to a screaming woman and protecting the ship from a possible attack, Spire did what came naturally to him.
“I’m sorry, captain, I must see to the men in your absence.” He closed her door and ran upstairs. The further he got from her doorway the more he regretted his decision. At the top of the stairs he saw the men readying cannons to fire at a fleet of ships approaching in the distance. He stopped one of the men who ran past with a powder keg. “Who is it?”
“Don’t know, captain. We reckon it’s that Paragon she’s told us all so little about.” Spire let the man go back to what he was doing and ran to the wheel. He could see three ships waving the king’s flag in the distance and knew it was time they raised their own.
“Hoist the colors!” he shouted to a man down below. The command was heard and obeyed immediately as their flag bearing the red rose in the mouth of the skull and crossbones flew high in the air.
Cripan was able to retrieve the hag quickly and heard the sound of cannons firing into the distance. “We must hurry. Sounds like we’re being attacked.”
“No, you must take us around to the other side of the ship so I may board it unseen and help your captain.”
“Are you insane? Don’t you hear that? It’s the sound of brave pirates willing to risk their lives. I’m not going to abandon them now when they need me.” Cripan squared his shoulders and rowed harder in the direction of the cannon fire.
“Stop!” the hag shouted, and his arms ceased movement. His eyes grew wide with fear as he tried but could not move his arms. Nelle may have been turned into a hag, but she still retained enough of her magic to get even the attention of an overzealous child. “You will take me to where I need to be right now or forever lose your ability to row this boat. The choice is yours.” She left him to ponder her threat and realized she wasn’t kidding. He finally nodded his head that he understood her meaning and she released the hold she had on me.
“I can’t believe the captain had me ferrying a witch back and forth all this time,” he sulked as he rowed them a little to the right so they would come at the Shadow from the opposite side of the battle.
They reached the ship and Cripan climbed up first then helped the hag up. Because of what was going on no one noticed his return or that he had brought her on board with him.
“Stay and help the men. If I need you, I’ll call for you.” Before he could ask her how she could possibly hope to call for him with all the noise and fighting and firing happening around them, but she disappeared in the chaos down the stairs to the captain’s room.
By the time she arrived Captain Silverblade was already well into the pushing stage of delivery. There was no time to lose. A cannon ball rocked the ship with a direct hit.
“What’s happening up there?” the captain asked, beads of sweat falling down all around her face.
“Don’t concern yourself with that right now. We’ve got a baby that needs delivering it seems. She looked down between the captain’s legs and nearly fainted at the sight. “I think I must tell you this now. I have never delivered a baby before.”
“That’s good, because I’ve never had one before. A first for both of us.” They both laughed and held each other’s hand as a shot of pain forced the captain to push again.
Aboard one of the three enemy ships were General Corwinn and by his side, the Paragon. With every inch they grew closer to the Shadow the Paragon’s eyes grew hungrier with anticipation.
“I don’t understand why you wanted to do this. You know she’s immortal and the only way to kill her is to get those compasses the witch told you about,” Corwinn shouted over the battle sounds.
“Have you learned nothing? She wouldn’t be so dumb as to keep something so valuable on her ship. She would’ve sent them far away by now. Why do you think we’ve been spying on her ship all these many moons?” the Paragon asked him.
“Waiting for one of her missing captains to return?” Although Corwinn phrased it more like a question rather than a statement the Paragon could see he finally understood the purpose for all of this. “Oh, you wish to kidnap the one we just saw return to the ship?”
“Yes. I have a feeling he will have more to say to me than that worthless hag. Where is he?” The Paragon had kept his eyes trained on Spire who had been manning the helm of the ship, but when he turned to speak with Corwinn he lost sight of him for a second. This was long enough for Spire to have disappeared.
Spire returned to Silverblade’s door to check on what was happening. He listened at the door and heard the sound of a baby crying. He wanted to open the door and see it for himself, but he thought it was better not to. He would wait to see the child later, when the fighting had ceased, and all was back to normal. He returned upstairs to find one of the fleets he called for had arrived and had managed to sink two of the three enemy ships already.
Corwinn knew they would be unable to capture that pirate now and was not willing to sacrifice yet another of the king’s ships to the hands of Captain Silverblade or the ocean floor. He shouted for his men to set sail away for home. The Paragon was seething but he knew Corwinn to be right and remained silent as he stared down Spire who hardly noticed Death was watching.
“Take him,” Captain Silverblade said, turning her face away from the child that was now cradled in a blanket in Nelle’s arms. She held the baby out to the captain, but she refused to take him.
“Don’t you even want to look at him?” Silverblade shook her head. “It sounds like the fighting is over. I best leave before I am seen.” Nelle crept to the door and opened it.
“Wait,” Silverblade whispered. “Don’t forget this.” She reached under her pillow and pulled out the fifth compass she held behind and handed it to Nelle. She took it and placed it in the blanket with the slumbering baby boy and vanished through the door seen by no one as she climbed down onto the boat Cripan left on the other side of the Shadow.