Manorborn: The Battles Between

Chapter 5

Bright sunlight greeted the five young people as they emerged from the portrait and, for a moment, they stood blinking in the bright glare. Then, as their eyes adjusted, they were met with a six men standing before them, holding pistols cocked and ready, their faces harsh, their hands steady.

"Who are you, and what have you done with our captain?"

This came from the man near the center of the group, a bear of man with glinting dark eyes, sallow skin, and pock-marked cheeks. He bore no hat or scarf upon his blonde head, and the snarl on his lip spoke volumes as to his intentions if he did not like the answer the Sons of the Manor gave.

Upon stepping through the portal, Jaryd and his brothers had, inadvertently, gone through before Mahrmia and Beag, effectively blocking them from view.

"Your captain's right here, Mister Hume! Now put that ball spitter away before you hurt somebody, or worse!"

Her blue eyes flashing, the Captain of the Stalwart stepped past the three young men and stood before her crewmen with a smile on her lips, Beag came up a moment later, grinning as well as she regarded men she called friends with a warm gaze.

"Captain!"

The relief on the faces of the men was evident in their smiles as it was in the relaxing of shoulders, the uncocking of pistols, and an overall more calm and placid demeanor. All six stood at ease now, two even leaning agains the gunwales of the longboat as they let out long, slow breaths of relief.

"Explain yourself, Mister Hume. Why a greeting with pistols cocked and ready? Why are you here? You were not part of the crew who came with me to this little island. Where are the ones who were first with me?"

'Back on the ship, Sir. We been taking shifts of watch while you were goine, so we'd all be ready when you came back."

"Why shifts and watches? I was only gone a few hours."

Hume looked stunned at this, shocked even. Then, scratching his head, he slowly spoke.

"Captain, you've been gone a week and two days. Not a word of a lie, Sir." Humel's voice was calm, though a touch of confusion came to his face as his captain spoke. "There's been those among the crew as thought we should leave here, thinking you were dead, Sir."

He paused for a moment, clearly not sure if he should continue, but Mahrmia caught his hesitation and her eyes flashed with unwanted knowledge.

"Who spoke of leaving most, Mister Humel? I can see it in your face, there was mutiny spoken of, right?"

"Aye, Captain, there was. It may not be my place, Sir, but it was Crow as spoke up most about leaving. He seemed, well, eager to be gone...and...well....to be captain, Sir."

"Did he now?"

The ice in the young woman's voice fairly froze the air around her as she spoke. Her face was calm, but there was violence in her eyes as she lay a hand on the hilt of her blade, her face turning to look out at her ship, HER ship, and contemplated that one she had trusted was prepared to abandon her at first opportunity.

"Well, I think it's time we go and set things right, what do you say, Mister Humel?"

The big man smiled, nodding, "Aye, Captain!"

As the crewmen prepared the long boat to set out, Mahrmia turned to her new companions.

"How can it be that a week has past? We were only with you a few hours at most! Now I have a crew talking of mutiny and a traitor among my officers! I left to find help, and all I got was more trouble!"

Jaryd listened to the captain's anger closely, leaning on his staff as he did so.

"Time moves differently in the Manor than it does among the various worlds of the universes, Captain, even for us, though it is less so in our case. We could be gone for a month and find on our return that only a few days had passed. The reverse is also true; a few hours at the Manor could mean the passing of several days, even months on another world. Such would seem to be the case here. Time does not move the same for all, I am afraid."

"Regardless, now we are here, the question becoomes how best to deal with the situation at hand." Galen's voice was strong, confident, as he looked at Mahrmia, holding her with his gaze. "We cannot proceed to move against Ahmalkadie if you have members of your crew that may prove untrustworthy; he will use them to cause issues among the crew, or worse. He is the Master of Deception, and any who harbour dark thoughts he can manipulate and twist to his own purposes through trickery and lies."