Chapter Eleven: Friends and Freedom
Fenris kept an ear tilted upward while the others struggled to get free of their bonds. There was quite the commotion above decks, and the mabari had definitely gotten free. But the noise and confusion didn't sound like a fight of any kind. It sounded more urgent. The intervening wood muffled the sound too much for the elf's keen ears to make out what was being shouted back and forth.
Isabela and Varric had been struggling against their bonds since the noise began. Both rogues figured that, no matter what was going on above, it was the perfect opportunity to try to make a break for it. Only Taarbas sat unmoving, but he was no more ignorant of the situation. He, too, was listening very intently, but not for the same thing as the others.
"We have company," he said lowly, tilting his head up as far as it would go. Everyone stopped what they were doing, held still, and listened. There was the sound of someone lightly descending the ladder into the hold. A small grunt and a curse. And then there was the definitive shuddering thud of someone trying to batter the door down with something large and solid.
It didn't take long. The wood of the brig's door was damp and partially rotted from all the brine, and it was only a minute or two before a barrel came flying into the room, exploding in a shower of half-rotten fish. The companions all crouched in on themselves, hoping against hope to not become covered.
"Well, don't all thank me at once." Marian stepped into the room, her hands firmly braced against her hips and a stern look on her face. "I'm only cheating death to get the lot of you out of here."
"By the spirits, Hawke," Isabela sighed in relief. "We were worried that you were dead!"
"You were worried, Rivaini," Varric replied matter-of-factly as Marian began to slice through their bonds with a makeshift shiv. "I told you this woman was far too tough for that shit."
"Taarbas said he was going to kill everyone on board if you were dead," the pirate captain went on, trying to save face.
Marian smiled up at the Qunari as she cut through the much thicker coils of rope holding him. "Would that have been your duty, Taarbas?"
He nodded. "You risked your life for mine, Ben-Hassrath. All of theirs would have been forfeit."
Isabela got to her feet as best she could, rubbing at the burns on her arms from the coarse rope that had held her. Varric and Fenris also stood and tried vainly to get fish bits off their clothing. Marian helped to guide the kossith from his cramped position over to where the ladder was. It was the only spot in the cramped space where he could almost attain his full height.
"So, what happens now?" Isabela asked. "All our weapons are still on Hawke's Flight where they made us drop them. We're going to have to cause a diversion to be able to sneak off."
Marian pointed to the decks above. "Already done. I sort of started a fire in Castillon's cabin, and Swoop is up there somewhere romping about and having a good time."
"Castillon!"
"I knew we should have killed that son of a-" Varric was too annoyed to even finish the thought.
Isabela spun on Taarbas, getting her face as much up in his as possible. "I don't care that Hawke is alive," she said, her voice nearly a snarl. "Thanks to Castillon, your Arishok held me responsible for the Tome of Koslun going missing. I want him dead. I want them all dead."
Taarbas peered down at Isabela, his stony countenance mirroring hers. "The thief wishes to regain her honor?"
"Yes," the pirate rogue responded with a conviction Marian never thought she would hear. "The thief wishes to regain her honor."
"Then it is done." Without another word, Taarbas turned and ascended the ladder to the cargo hold. The other companions more hesitatingly followed suit.
When they emerged into the hold above, they could tell that the Crows were, indeed, panicking over the presence of a fire on board. Marian could smell the smoke and see flames though the hatch above licking at the wood of the aft castle. There were splashes of water, screams to pump bilge water onto the deck, anything to douse the growing inferno.
Taarbas did not bother to pause longer than a moment to assess the situation. He didn't even check to make sure the others were behind him. Instead, he made for the stairs to the upper decks with long strides, forcing everyone to practically run to keep up. The stairs brought them into the abandoned galley. Dice games lay forgotten. Food went uneaten. Varric and Isabela gave each other knowing glances and quickly set about gathering up any loose coins or valuables. The Qunari halted at the steps leading up to the main deck, holding his hand out to have the others wait.
Swoop's barking was loud. Marian even saw him run past, hot on the heels of a Crow as he tried to not spill any water from his bucket while avoiding being bitten. The woman let out a low, trilling whistle, and the barking immediately changed to one less menacing and more playful. Moments later, the mabari came dashing down the stairs, panting and licking happily at his mistress's hands.
"I count twenty men," Taarbas said lowly. "We thinned their numbers significantly during the battle. There are some more laid out, unmoving, over there. "He pointed to an area near the forecastle. Marian had to climb a couple of the steps to see what the Qunari meant.
"That's probably the result of my...episode," she replied, ducking back down as more Crows dashed by. "I pretended to be mad to get out of the cabin, set fire to it, and had to smite them when they had me surrounded."
"That's my Hawke," Varric murmured with pride. "Half-dead and still able to dish it out where deserved."
Marian smiled tightly. "Castillon had enough lyrium to fuel a mage. I'm afraid it's the only thing keeping me on my feet, so don't expect a repeat performance."
Taarbas took only another minute to observe before he turned back to the group. His words were quick and sharp, and it was obvious that he was not about to repeat himself. "The elf and I will go aft. That is where the majority of bas are collected. Thief, your prey is near the prow, like a coward. Kill him or lose all honor. Serah Hawke, you must get back to your ship with the dwarf. If there is a skeleton crew, your hound should make short work of them." He nodded to Swoop in a gesture that could only have been one of utmost respect. The hound responded with a sharp bark and a vigorously wagging tail.
He turned back to the stairs and appeared to be counting down. Then, the Qunari sprung forth with a resounding battle cry, Fenris close behind him, markings glowing. Isabela was far more silent when she emerged, waiting long enough for the two warriors to attract all the attention before she bolted for the forecastle and the surprised Castillon.
Marian and Varric waited still longer to make sure a path was clear to one of the longboats before they made a run for it. They quickly dove inside and let loose the pulley system. There wasn't time to gradually let themselves down, and they hit the water with a massive splash that soaked them through to the bone. Swoop was smart enough to keep quiet as they rowed away. Marian found herself torn between reaching their destination in a timely manner and worrying about her friends who had leaped into battle weaponless. Varric caught her gnawing at her lip.
"Give them five minutes, Hawke," he said, confidence in his voice that he wasn't sure he really felt. "They'll be in a boat and joining us before you know it."
The Hawke's Flight was only a hundred yards or so off the stern of the Calabria, but it felt like ages before they got there. Neither Marian nor Varric could see anyone aboard, and Swoop sniffed the air curiously but gave no negative reaction. They drew up along the starboard side out of view and helped each other climb aboard. The mabari had to practically claw his way up over the side without the others having the strength or height for leverage, but he managed.
From their new vantage point, the human and dwarf could see the extent the fire had spread across Castillon's ship. It had dropped to one of the lower decks and was billowing smoke hundreds of feet into the air. Varric lightly touched Marian on the arm to get her attention.
"We're down a longboat," he said. "That's lucky."
"They must have gone back to their ship to help put the fire out." Marian believed in her observation but still felt it a necessity to search the ship.
There were no bodies leftover from the previous battle. Blood had soaked into the deck and dried, but anything that could have caused a stink or the spread of disease had long since been thrown overboard. The captain's cabin was locked up, but Varric made short work of that. Everything they'd had of value on board that hadn't already been in the cargo hold was stuffed inside. Hawke found her sword and shield. The dwarf found Bianca. The weapons of the others were there, too, and even some belonging to the fallen.
A deeper search led them to the dozen or so surviving sailors, shackled to the walls mid-decks like slaves being sent off to market in Tevinter. Marian and Varric wasted no time in getting them free, the men all expressing their gratitude and concern over the situation. Their voices became a mighty din as they all tried to explain what happened to them after the captain and her companions were taken off to the other ship. When the Champion told them of what was currently happening, the men all made a mad rush up to the main deck, getting things in order to have the ship ready to sail on its own again.
"So...what are they doing?" Varric asked, a little uncertain of what the sailors apparently knew but he didn't.
"They're going to get their captain back," Marian replied, a smug look on her face. "One way or another."
