The Pirates of Pacta Servanda (Pillars of Reality Book 4) by Jack Campbell Read Free Book Online Page B

Lady
called to his helm, grinning. “Those rocks that discomfited one of our enemies are the breakwater for Julesport, Lady Mari! I knew they must be somewhere near. Oars have their place, and I know the Mechanics use their steam, but with all respect for your arts, to me sails are what a proper ship should depend upon.”
    “You make a strong argument for that,” Mari said, smiling with relief. “Jules herself couldn’t have done better.”
    The captain beamed at the praise comparing him to the legendary sailor. “You would know if anyone, daughter of Jules,” he declared, bowing low to Mari. “Having you aboard has no doubt brought the favor of Jules to our voyage, and if I may say so, I have never been so glad to have honored Mechanics and honored Mages as passengers!”
    Mari laughed, since she knew that commons had never before been glad to have Mechanics and Mages as passengers, though it was not hard for Alain to see her embarrassment at being linked to the famous seafarer. “How far are we from Julesport?” Mari asked.
    The captain pointed ahead. There the rocks of the breakwater rose higher and were capped by a stone fortification and lighthouse that seemed designed to withstand any attack and the mightiest of gales. “That marks the entrance to the harbor, Lady! Welcome to Julesport!”
    * * * *
    Despite the captain’s announcement of their arrival, in fact it took quite a while to first wear around the end of the breakwater and then make their way against the wind into the crowded harbor. The
Gray Lady
’s crew was kept busy adjusting and trimming the sails, while the captain kept his attention on the many ships and boats that the clipper had to avoid while threading her way to an anchorage.
    That left Mari with nothing to do but lean on the rail and watch the slow progress of the ship into the harbor. They only needed to stay long enough to take on food and water before sailing south toward the one destination no one was likely to suspect, the Broken Kingdom of Tiae.
    She had a hard time relaxing after the tension of the recent battle, instead worrying about what other challenges they might face even here at Julesport. The stack of a single steam-powered ship was visible on the far side of the harbor. That would be a Mechanics Guild ship, since no one else was allowed the use of boilers as propulsion. Everything else was under sail, under oars, or at anchor. Every time the wind shifted sails flapped, spars shifted, and booms swung as sailors on dozens of different vessels of widely varying size adjusted to the vagaries of the breezes. To Mari it looked like a huge, complex machine with scores of independently moving parts, each pursuing its own path, yet all in a strange kind of harmony in the service of some greater purpose.
    She would have to create something like that if she were to overthrow the Great Guilds. But that would be impossible to do alone. After so long of just barely surviving with just her and Alain seemingly against the world, it was very comforting to know that she had friends here ready to help.
    Mari looked around, seeing most of her companions, but noticed that two were missing. “Where are Mage Asha and Mechanic Dav?”
    Mechanic Alli looked innocently off to the side, Mechanic Bev rolled her eyes, and Mage Dav, as usual, betrayed no feelings at all even though Asha was his niece. Alain looked around, as if startled to realize the other two were not on deck.
    It took Mari a moment to realize what their reactions meant. “You’re kidding,” she said. “They’re together belowdecks? Mage Asha and Mechanic Dav met for the first time in Altis. They’re already that close?”
    “At the moment they’re probably very close to each other,” Alli said, grinning.
    “And,” Bev added dryly, “probably trying to disprove the Exclusion Principle.”
    Alain looked at the Mechanics. “What is the Exclusion Principle?”
    “The law that says no two objects can occupy the same