Azure bonds - Kate Novak [91]
Giogi felt the deck rise in a most peculiar fashion. It began sloping rather steeply down to the stern and remained that way. "I say! Have we hit a shoal or something?"
The captain glared at him with murder in his eyes. "Strike the sails!" he shouted.
The ship's first officer approached with his evaluation. "It's no good, sir. We've grounded too far. Have to wait for a change of wind to shift us."
The ship listed perilously to starboard, and Giogi was forced to grab the wheel to keep from slipping on the deck. A peculiar cracking noise came from the housing beneath.
The first officer looked at the captain with alarm in his eyes.
"Prepare to disembark the passengers, Master Roberts. Start with this one." The captain jabbed Giogioni Wyvernspur with his index finger.
"That's most thoughtful, Captain," Giogi said. "I say, but I can wait for the woman and children first. Wyvernspurs know their duty when they see it."
"Sir," the captain said. "You can disembark now in the longboat, or you can walk the plank."
Giogioni found himself lowered in the longboat. He'd been too busy fretting over his baggage as the other passengers were loaded in beside him, so it came as quite a shock to look up and find himself staring into her eyes,
Giogioni gasped, "You!"
"I beg your pardon," Cassana said. "Have we met?"
Giogi gulped. This close up he realized he'd made a mistake. This was not the lovely, mad sell-sword Alias. The woman seated opposite him was too old. Her hair was the wrong shade. Her flesh was soft and unmuscled.
"Excuse me," he mumbled. "I mistook you for someone else."
"Attractive men need never apologize for mistaking me for someone else. Provided they never mistake me again. I am Cassana of Westgate." Cassana squeezed the Wyvernspur noble's knee in a suggestive manner.
Flustered, Giogi tried to explain further. "I meant-that is, you look just like her, except older. I swear you could be her mother, er, older sister."
Cassana's eyes narrowed, and Giogi kicked himself mentally for violating a sacred rule about never telling women how old they really looked.
"This woman I look like," Cassana whispered, "Tell me about her."
Giogi gulped again. Oh, gods! Suppose she is her mother? "Well, she's like you. Very pretty. With red hair and green eyes. She's a sell-sword though, not a lady like you."
Cassana laughed. "So tell me, who are you and how did you come to know this sell-sword who looks like me?"
All the while they were being rowed to land, Cassana tried to pump information from Giogioni. He explained he'd met Alias at a wedding, that she was merely a passing acquaintance, but this did not satisfy the woman with the strange resemblance to his attacker. Unwilling to reveal the truth, Giogi began to invent details of an imaginary conversation he held with the sell-sword. Remembering Alias had rescued Olive Ruskettle, he said they had discussed music.
He grew increasingly uncomfortable in Cassana's presence. She moved alarmingly close to him and insisted on arranging his alternate travel plans to Westgate. She's just the type of woman Aunt Dorath is always warning me about, Giogi realized. Not that I need any warning-with my sixth sense when it comes to danger.
He was very tempted to ask what had happened to the halfling he had seen her with earlier, but he realized just in time that that might give away what he had overheard.
He found the answer to his question soon enough. As they rowed up to the dock, the halfling reached a hand down to help Cassana up the ladder lowered to the longboat.
"There's another boat to Westgate pulling out in an hour. I've arranged passage," Giogi heard the halfling say.
Fervently Giogi prayed Cassana would forget him in a rush to get to her next ship, but he saw her whispering something to the halfling. Phalse looked down at the Wyvernspur noble with curiosity.
If I know anything at all, Giogi thought, I know that going with that woman and halfling would be a serious mistake. I need a distraction. Something