Ambition and Alavidha by Candy Rae Read Free Book Online

need and they respected it. Josei knew
that no person would talk about Jenna and Stasei until Thalia
mentioned it first and he knew that wouldn’t be until at least
another half tenday.
    Rodick, her
cadet year mate and Thalia were walking side by side.
    “So what do you
make of it? he was asking, “go on, you must have some idea.”
    Thalia frowned,
“I’m not sure Rodick, I mean, it was different; they were
different. Do you see what I’m getting at?”
    “But that’s
what I’ve been telling you, haven’t you been listening? Apart from
some of them wearing what can only be described as some sort of
uniform and this was the first time we’ve seen anything like that, they looked different . Almost as if they
weren’t real pirates at all.”
    Thalia shook
her head, “no they weren’t; they looked just like all the pirates
we’ve encountered these last two years, scruffier even. It was how
they were that was different.”
    Rodick wasn’t
as deep thinking as Thalia.
    “I don’t
understand.”
    Thalia
marshalled her thoughts, “let me see,” she began, “now, this is
fairly nebulous but I did get the impression that they were working
together.”
    “They were all pirates Thalia,” Rodick snorted, “of course they were all together.”
    “No, that’s not
what I mean. The second man Josei and I fought for instance, well,
he didn’t fight like a pirate. He’d been trained, I’m sure of it.
He danced, like that demonstration sword fight between the
Weaponsmaster and that visiting southern noble. Remember? During
our third year as cadets.”
    “It was
awesome,” enthused Rodick, forgetting in that instant the
conversation in hand but Thalia was not so easy to distract. As her
fellow cadets had once said, ‘once Thalia has got the bone between
her teeth she won’t put it down’. Thalia liked solving
problems.
    She put her
brainpower to work.
    “I don’t
believe this attack was a normal one,” she told Rodick after
teasing the evidence to and fro. “They acted different and there’s
the bit about them acting in tandem with the mountain bandits.” : Josei? :
    : Did you
see the flags on their boats? : he asked.
    Thalia thought
back, and struck her forehead with her fist, “the flags! Of course!
The two galleys were sporting different flags! Did you notice the
third one, the one that got away?”
    : Not
particularly, no : he answered : I was not paying much
attention but I will ask the Avuzdel who were watching. Slei might
have noticed :
    : Do that :
    Rodick had
remained silent during this exchange but couldn’t contain himself
any longer.
    “Well? What
have the flags got to do with it?”
    “”Shush. I’m
working on it.”
    Rodick
subsided.
    Slei’s answer
wasn’t long in coming.
    : Slei says
that it was purple with white splotches. His words, not mine :
    “The Renegades
of R’sair,” breathed Thalia, “and one of the others was the flag of
the Corsairs of Rkhenash. I didn’t recognise the third but it
doesn’t matter, not really.” She turned to Rodick, “don’t you see?
They came from different pirate groups! I wonder what has happened
to make them put aside their differences and to work together?”
    “Did something
have to make them?” he asked.
    “Something or
someone. You mark my words Rodick, it’s a someone and a someone
with brains too.” She paused, “a someone high up.”
    “Who?” demanded
Rodick.
    “I have
absolutely no idea and I’m not going to think about it any more.
Let others worry about it.” Changing the subject, she asked, “are
we stopping at the Supply Station tonight or is Vandiel going to
insist that we run on? I could do with a bath.”
    Rodick didn’t
know.
    : I’ll let
Slei know about your thoughts : Josei offered as he picked up
his pace in tandem with the rest of the Ryzck.
    He did, but
Slei didn’t get back to him after the courtesy thank-you and the
news that he would pass it on to the Susa of the Avuzdel.
     
     
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    The