“I want you men to relieve the deck guard,” said one of Rommil’s captains, “and you men give relief to the guard on the docks around the ship. The crew must be maintained below deck and Captain Bonifast is not allowed out of his cabin. Lieutenant, be sure to assign two men from your company to relieve the two guards in Bonifast’s cabin.”
He finished dissecting his company of soldiers and sent them on their way with their commanding officers. The captain then turned and marched back from the docks toward the shore. He passed a number of homeless urchins huddled up in various places-doorways of dock master offices and small restaurants, all of which littered the massive complex along the Calveran shore.
Among the poor wretches, covered up in their own cloaks upon the ground, one particular blind man rose after the captain had passed. He had dressed completely in black except for his head. His pale blind eyes seemed not to hinder him in the least as he moved fluidly along the floating pathway, toward the Trinity, silent as a ghost.
The man in black hid a mere forty yards from the soldiers guarding the Trinity. Then he entered the water. Up to this point, he had crept quickly and quietly among the shadows, blending like a chameleon with the darkness. The seawater remained quite warm around Macedon, and the blind beggar swam without disturbing the surface of the water in any way that might alert the guards.
He rounded the Trinity, appearing at the stern. The man pulled himself cautiously from the water, sure to minimize the sound of water dripping from his clothes as he ascended. Despite his sightless eyes, his fingers managed to find the nooks and crannies on the hull surface. He pulled himself up the back of the ship, until he was level with the windowpanes of the captain’s cabin, where he listened intently.
Levi Bonifast stirred as one of the guards kicked his boot. The soldiers had beaten him, even after the one-punch-thrashing the Rommil had given him. His face throbbed and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. A dull purple mottled his complexion.
The captain had been bound to his leather, desk-chair in the rear of the room, near three panes of glass comprising most of the back wall. One of the two soldiers in the cabin leaned down to Bonifast, examining him with disdain as his companion watched.
“Hey, Bonifast, what’s wrong? You look a bit sad to be in our company,” he said mockingly. He looked back at his friend for approval. “I’ve heard of you, ya know? They say you were once the scourge of the Four Seas, a pirate to be reckoned with. You don’t look so tough to me, though. I think maybe you made up those stories just to satisfy your own ego, eh?”
Bonifast peered up at him slightly. On his face scattered rivulets of dried blood ran from small lacerations. The captain said nothing. He wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of provoking further physical abuse. Instead, he wondered about the well-being of Gideon and Ethan. None of the guards had mentioned them at all, and they had not returned to the ship.
“Too bad about your little mission of mercy, Bonifast,” the guard said. “I suppose, by now, General Rommil is probably having those boys tortured to death. Children make the most fascinating noises when you’re peeling the flesh from their bones.”
Bonifast thrust up, toward the soldier, against the bindings on his wrist and ankles. The ropes held him fast to the chair. The soldier looked pleased. He drew back a leather-covered fist to smash the defiance out of Bonifast.
The swivel latch on the right side window popped. The pane swung open on its hinge, and suddenly the soldier found himself overtaken by a living shadow. An arm around his neck dragged him off his feet.
The attacker crossed the room with the first soldier in tow. He assailed the second man almost before the guard noticed the sudden movement in the room. A precision strike to the soldier’s trachea sent him to the floor clutching his throat breathlessly as though he were choking on a piece of food.
Bonifast watched as the soldier turned blue and then relaxed. The attacker still held the first soldier in an iron grip. A jerk of his arm produced an unpleasant snap. The man in black released the guard’s limp body to the floor in silence.
Levi hadn’t been gagged, but he was too astonished to speak. The mysterious man produced a stunted blade and made quick work of Levi’s bindings. “I’m Seth,” he whispered. “I’m from The Order.”
This was all the encouragement Levi needed. He jumped to his feet ready for action. “We must get to your friends,” Seth said, heading for the window.
It was at this moment that Levi looked into Seth’s face, into his eyes. “But your blind,” he stammered.
Seth ignored the remark. “Your friends are in grave danger, Captain.”
Bonifast regained his composure, nodding his understanding. Privately, the mysterious younger man affecting his rescue bewildered him. An untamed mop of brown curls accentuated his boyish features, but it was the pale eyes, which struck him.
Seth led the way and leaped out of the window. Levi flew out of the window after him making the slightest adjustment to his trajectory to miss Seth in the water.
Due to the care Seth had taken for silence and the lackadaisical attitude of the sleepy soldiers guarding the deck, the slain guards in the captain’s cabin and their missing prisoner would not be discovered before the next rotation.