CALL THE BANNERS
Dalla's heart rate doesn't slow down until she's on the open water in a "borrowed" sailboat, far past the place where royal agents realized they had the wrong girl and forced Miranda Harkon to her knees.
As that realization as well as the sick feeling over Miranda's death sinks in, Dalla comforts herself with a few basic facts.
One: This sailboat belongs to her family's fishing industry, meaning she technically didn't steal it.
Two: As she is half Flint, it is also technically not illegal for her to fly Flint banners. And as House Flint is enormous and has a southern presence, it won't raise alarms if someone sees it.
The only thing she did steal was Thias' flimsi, and that was almost too easy to call stealing. Her brother had been so upset that when Dalla walked into his room supposedly to say a few condolences, he didn't stop staring at the gray-green sea that will soon become Miranda's grave if it hasn't already. The north gives their dead back to the salt gods.
Over the feeble condolences said past the lump in her throat, Dalla grabbed the folded bit of flimsi out of the jerkin Thias had thrown onto the back of a chair and slipped out of the Hold. It killed her not to hug Cade or kiss little Lana's forehead or tell Thias she was going to find the people who did this to Miranda and make them pay. But her father's right: the less others know about this, the safer all of them will be.
She takes out her comlink and uses the screen as a glowlamp to read the flimsi.
If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. - Mina and Dane
The first two numbers are listed under Dane's and Mina's first names, so she nixes them. The last one, though, is labeled "Lux."
She punches this one into her comlink and crosses her fingers while it connects.
The rings go on for what seems like hours, and Dalla's sure the frequency's been reassigned or disconnected or Lux just plain won't answer when the line crackles to life. "Identify yourself," a male voice raps out.
That doesn't sound promising. "Is this Lux Bonteri?"
There's something that sounds like two men arguing on the other side of the line, then a clambering sound and the same male voice repeats "Identify yourself!"
The voice doesn't sound like she remembers the Bonteris': Dane with his gentle orders and Mina with her songs. But she has a feeling this speaker isn't like to give third chances.
"My name is Dalla Blackwell," she swallows. "If Lux Bonteri is there or he can hear me, I am invoking the banner oath our houses swore."
The silence is deafening.
"I don't know if you have access to the HoloNet news or if you've heard somewhere else, but earlier this morning King Rash contacted my family with news that he has my cousin Kason as his prisoner." she swallows hard. "In exchange for Kason's safe return, he orders that my father consent to a marriage alliance between him and myself. I'm … significantly younger than Sanjay Rash, and I know he doesn't want me for any good reason and I wouldn't be safe in this arrangement. My father considers the marriage a slight to northern honor and refused the deal, but if Rash isn't listening to us. If he has Kason he also has my family over a barrel and it's only a matter of time before he gets his way, with my father's consent or without."
No one speaks into the line, but no one yells at her either and Dalla takes that as a good sign. "I ask only for refuge from this contract and Rash's men. Please. He's old enough to be my father. He's already sent kidnappers after me when we refused to comply and it's by dumb luck we evaded them. Said kidnappers killed a girl when they accidentally took her in my place and House Blackwell won't sacrifice any more young lives for this. House Bonteri has been a great friend to us, and I'm willing to help you and your cause in any way I can, be it through my own efforts or that of the -."
"I recognize the banner oath."
She inflates with hope.
"As the last member of House Bonteri, I realize the long-standing friendship between our families," This voice is new, gentler than the one who demanded identification. He sounds like the man who told her she was brave while he pushed her nose back into place. "And unlike the Rashes, we aren't in the business of ending friendships."
Dalla could weep with joy. "Lux Bonteri?"
"Dalla Blackwell," Lux replies. "I don't believe we've met."
"We haven't. I just wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
"Is this connection secure?"
"To the best of my knowledge." She never was a tech whiz. She'll have to pick up an unregistered comlink once she gets to shore, but right now this is her best bet.
The "identify yourself" voice speaks up. "Looks fine."
"Good. Dalla, where are you?"
"On the water." That's a vague enough answer.
"Traveling south?" Lux doesn't wait for an answer. "Is your vessel equipped with any locator or homing beacon?"
"No." And she checked the hold for a brother or cousin or anyone else who thought stowing away was a bright idea.
The argument on the other side of the line reignites. Something about honor. Something about thinking carefully. Something about too big a risk. A female voice yells "what else are we supposed to do, Saw? Send her a wedding present?"
"We supposed to sign our death warrants instead, Steela?"
It probably isn't a good idea but Dalla speaks up anyway. "Rash is demanding my father's navy as a dowry. If he gets it, he'll have the hundreds of ships in the northern fleet. All of them are filled with fighting men. Between all the northern houses, there are enough to overwhelm the entire city of Iziz."
"The north hates the Rashes. They won't work for them."
"They will if Rash has me." It's a certainty. The north fears the crown, but they love the Blackwells. If it means protecting Dalla they - and Marlon - will do anything.
There's a rustling like someone's covering the comlink receiver with their hand, but all it does is garble the words a little.
"You need to think carefully about this." This voice sounds like an older man.
"There's nothing to consider." Lux snaps. "Marlon Blackwell protected my family's assets after my parents died. I'm honor-bound to help his family when they so clearly need it."
"Or we're talking to Rash's queen! She could be a spy for the Separatists."
"She clearly doesn't want to be his queen. How old is this girl, sixteen? Seventeen?" the woman asks. "That's just creepy."
"You're going to judge her by a creepy marriage deal? Creep aside, she has a ton to gain from a royal marriage."
"Saw, you just don't get women," the woman snaps.
"And you've been outvoted." The muffling object disappears and she no longer has to strain to hear. "Dalla, set a course for the Iziz port but don't actually enter. Stop a few kliks before you enter the city and follow the directions I'll transmit in a moment."
Dalla tries not to breathe an enormous sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lux. If I can do anything to help you or your friends, please just say the word."
"Oh trust me, we will," Saw growls.
…
With the strong summer winds it takes three days to get to Iziz. Three days of looking over her shoulder certain royal agents are on her tail. Three days of popping caf tablets so she can stay awake and stay on course. Three days of nervously watching the sky, swearing a storm was blowing in before remembering that in the south the warmth is normal. Three days of stewing over her father, her brothers, her aunt and uncle and cousins, and what Rash will do when he finds out she's disappeared.
When she can see the towers of Iziz looming in the distance, she directs her boat to one of the tributaries, the one leading along a ruined ranch house on a high bank. Thank the gods, it looks empty except for a ruping flying around and landing in a paddock. For a second the beast looks like the sigil of House Kira, the lords of the Beast Riders and her family's semi-rivals. She's not about to bank on assistance from Lord Bremon Kira; from what Jamos said in the great hall she could run to him screaming bloody murder while Sanjay Rash chased her with the betrothal necklace in hand, and he'd just watch from the back of his ruping.
Better for no one to know she's northern at all. She's been wary of the Flint banners since she reached the mouth of the river; if Tandin's plain sails were any indication it's not uncommon to go bannerless, but she did see a few crafts flying Flint. Better safe than sorry, and if someone asks about them she'll say she's part of the mammoth clan's southern branch. That shouldn't give anyone cause for pause.
If this is the tributary Lux directed her to, the one which winds near one of the city's lesser gates, then she should find a smaller marina which largely caters to pleasure crafts. The beauty in that, Lux told her, is that without outside traffic the droid patrols are much lighter.
Not sure how well this one's going to blend in with the rest, she thinks wryly. Northern ships are among the best on the planet, but their aesthetics don't hold a candle to some of the yachts she sees on the river.
The jungle thins and the tributary takes a sharp turn toward the walls. Now she can clearly see the marina, filled with craft which wouldn't survive a single voyage during a northern winter.
Overhead, the Rash banners snap in the wind.
Dalla yanks on the collar of her shirt, thanking the salt gods she had the wherewithal to doff her leathers when she entered the river. Instead she wears the lightest pair of pants she owns and a shirt swiped from Aunt Shara's closet, the most southern thing she could find. They're probably out of style, but better to look like an out-of-touch southerner than a northerner. She's going to need all the help she can get to manage through the city gates.
You've got this. You've got this.
She pulls up to one of the docks and ties off her bowline. Never in her life have her hands shaken so badly doing this, but maybe that's good. Maybe it makes her look southern.
You couldn't be more obvious if you wrote "fugitive" on your forehead. Calm down, she commands herself. You have to get into the city before Lux or any of his friends will risk getting you. And if they're like that Saw guy, then they won't take a single unnecessary risk.
Forget about the rebels. Right now she needs to get into the city walls without a droid taking notice of her. There's a pair of them standing at the gates. And the one drawback to a small marina is that there's no crowd to get lost in.
Get a brain, Dalla. Don't look at the droids.
She looks at the water.
Remember what the crew did to you the first day you were Father's cabin girl? Do that. Throw something across the marina to distract them and just run for it.
That's probably going to be her best bet. She swipes an empty water bottle off her deck, fills it with river water to give it some weight, and when the droids aren't looking she chucks it hard into the side of some guy's yacht. Sorry, Yacht Guy. But there isn't any damage!
The droids look at each other. "What was that?"
"I don't know. It sounded like an a collision." The other says and starts toward the yacht.
Go go go go.
Dalla jumps out of her boat and speedwalks for the gate as fast as she can without looking too suspicious. The marina's small, and she can probably make it if the salt gods are with her.
"You there! Let me see your identification."
Uh-oh. "Oh, my ID?" She asks in the most innocent voice she can. "I, uh, I don't have it. It went overboard." Are battle droids dumb? She surely hopes so.
"Overboard?" One repeats. "How did it go -?"
"Hey clanker! Where's my boat?"
The droids turn their attention to a young woman wearing a helmet. "Your boat?"
"Yeah, my boat! It was right there." The woman points to an empty dock. "Where is it?"
Dalla starts backing away when someone grabs her bicep to get her attention.
"Come with us," a young man whispers and releases her arm. The voice strikes a chord of recognition.
Meanwhile the woman ups the ante with the droids. "You don't know where it is? I thought you droids are here to preserve peace and order in Iziz. If that's the case, then where's my freaking boat?"
Dalla and the young man backpedal away from the droids and then hurry away from the marina into the city gates.
"Do you know who I am?" He asks.
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Wouldn't have gone with you if I didn't recognize your voice."
Lux Bonteri smiles.
"We have thorns," he confirms. "Welcome to Iziz."
…
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