Free The Ways of Mages: Two Worlds by Catherine Beery, Andrew Beery Page B

careful in her line of work.
    A commotion from the quarter deck caught her attention. Several of the men on deck were pointing toward something in the distance. With an agility that bespoke an active lifestyle she bounded up the deck steps three at a time to reach the quarter deck in a mere handful of strides.
    "Report." She commanded as the captain turned to give her his respectful attention.
    "There appears to be something bobbing in the water about half a measure off our port side... One of the lads thought it might be a man."
    "Well, we're here to gather intelligence. If there is a man out there he will be as good a place to start as any... Bring the ship about and see if you can make a better determination of what exactly is out there."
    "As you wish, my lady." the man said with a bow.
    "Willaim, you can can the 'my lady' gruff. It's bad enough I have to put up with that in court. Here, I am just JayDee."
    "Old habits die hard my la... JayDee." The old man smiled in a fatherly way.
    "Nevertheless, they need to die. I can't function if people know who I am... You know that, old friend."
    Turning toward his first mate the captain yelled "Bring her about... Let's be seeing what's out there... Be smart about it lads." Turning towards a nearby boat hand "Jingles... Shake a leg and get down to the execs cabin... Roust Doc Harding and get him up here... If there is a man in the water we're going to be needing him fer sure."
    "Aye capt'n." The man quipped while ducking below decks.
    "Man Ho... Man Ho!" The watch yelled down from the cro w’ s nest just a few minutes later.
    "Drop the sails and pul l’ er up beside him... Gentle like lads... No point in finding him out here only to be kill'm with the dern boat."
    As they pulled the sleek cruiser up beside the man it became evident he was strapped to some type of flotation device.
    "Jingles... See if you can get a hook around him."
    "I'll try captain but he looks to be a big boy... We might need to go for a swim to tie a line around him."
    "You volunteering, lad?"
    "Me? Hell no... Begging the captains pardon ser... But I ain't had a bath in four months and I see no reason to spoil a good thing."
    "Men." JayDee signed before diving over the side in a well-executed motion... And much to the continued consternation of Willaim.
    "Lady... I mean JayDee... What in God's green earth are you doing?"
    As she swam over to the figure in the water she yelled back up to her friend and mentor... "In case you missed it, we are in the middle of the ocean... So God's green earth has very little to do with it... And, unless I miss my guess, you're going to be very interested in who this man might very well be."
    Captain Willaim turned to his exec... "Fer God's sake man! Don't just stand there... Toss her a rope!"
     
    ***
     
    When Grim opened his eyes some hours later he found himself alone in a strange room. The sway told him he must be on a boat of some type. He was somewhat confused as to how he got to be where he was, but for the moment he seemed to be safe... Exhaustion won the day and he found himself falling back asleep.
    Doctor Harding was an older gentleman with little use for boats. He clutched the railing and tried with all his considerable medical prowess to control the unsettling urges inflicted on his stomach by the incessant rolling of the ship in the gentle swells of the Caspian sea.
    Still somewhat green, he turned to face the lady he was currently calling JayDee. "As I said... He definitively has the look of a Holden but frankly, unless I miss my guess, he's been ill used for some time. He's dehydrated and there are signs of malnutrition that would not come about from a short stay in the water. Add to that the number of scars... Some of which are only beginning to heal and I would say this is a man use to combat and very likely torture."
    "What do you think happened?" She asked the doctor.
    "Hard to say .” He responded with a shrug. "I suppose he'll tell us when he wakes up...