The Bondwomen – Voyagers
Part Three
By Tang.
Sophia blinked awake and reached to the waterskin to refresh her dry mouth. As she sat up, feeling rather stiff and curious as to how late it was, she became aware that now something else had changed. Even down here she could make out more footsteps on deck and the windows showed another vessel was alongside them. From where she sat Sophia could see part of the mast and sail, both a light tan shade. It had to be a much smaller, or at least lower, vessel than either the ‘Tanith’ or ‘The Vixen’. As she came fully alert again Sophia realised the others in the cage were all already awake.
“What’s that?”
“A Dasma ship.” Anya responded.
“Dasma?”
“Yes, they’re pirates and smugglers from Estriana. I’m not surprised Captain Lizzie’s in league with them. The tribes of Estriana send their young women to sea while the men work the fields and hunt. I’m sure there are former Dasma pirates among her crew.”
“So they’re not trying to steal from her in turn?”
“Their ships are faster and they’re a ferocious breed but I doubt that even a handful of their ships would challenge a pirate caravel. Lizzie’s got too much missile strength, she could pick them off long before they were in grappling distance.”
“And now your crossbows as well.”
“Yes, but they’ll be simply added to what I imagine is quite an extensive armoury. Merchant ships fight back and a pirate ship laden with booty is not that fast moving. There are many reasons for them having decent weaponry.”
“So why are the Dasmas here?”
“Well, pirates aren’t free to dock in just any port. They need go-betweens sometimes, to sell them food, ammunition, that kind of thing. I am sure Lizzie would not be averse to selling them part of the cargo she has captured. There is more than enough to go round and she might prefer a half decent price out here and to lighten her load rather than lugging it all across the sea to a more uncertain market. Textiles and other made items make a good price in Estriana, so the Dasma can also turn a solid profit. I imagine, though, that the most valuable commodity they can trade is information. The Dasma are fast moving, they get around much of the coastline of the whole Latchader and if they alert Lizzie to some worthwhile targets it could help her pick up her next booty much easier than having to hunt it out for herself.”
Suddenly the ceiling above them opened and Sophia heard the small capstan bringing the cage back up on to the deck. She wondered what they were going to witness this time. She remained concerned about what was happening to Constance and just hoped that whatever the pirate had given her blocked out the memory of what she had once been. In fact, it turned out that one of the first people Sophia saw as the cage locked into place on deck was Constance, or Bella as maybe she should now call her. She was there standing next to Lizzie, simpering and rubbing her leather-clad body up and down the side of her mistress who occasionally ‘rewarded’ Bella with a grasp of her breast or by sliding her hand between Bella’s thighs. Bella seemed to have no desire to escape and Sophia wondered what Lizzie had additionally done to her to make Constance wish to remain Bella and more than that, so eager to offer herself to the pirate.
Now Sophia noticed the additional women on deck. These had to be the Dasma. They were lean, tanned women with long hair bleached by the sun. They wore a uniform of rather ragged pale tan leather, seemingly all cut from the same creature. Each had a light, sleeveless shirt, tied closed by thongs at the front and a short skirt which presumably did not inhibit movement onboard ship. Some wore flat-heeled boots of the same leather; others were barefoot. They were distinguished by various items of jewellery combining various shells, leather thongs and bracers.
The Dasma seemed curious of the people in the cage and came to view them as one might the exotic animals kept on a nobleman’s estate. They bared their teeth at the bondwomen, clearly seeing in them a threat however trapped behind bars they were for the moment. One Dasma walked across with Lizzie. From the silver rings on her fingers and laced into her hair, Sophia gathered she was Lizzie’s counterpart for the Dasma. Was she looking to buy Sophia or the merchants from Lizzie and extort ransom for them herself? Sophia kept her eyes down hoping not to attract attention and that the Dasma would concentrate on the more profitable Jenbors.
“Let her go.” Sabetha shrieked at Lizzie.
Sophia looked up suddenly. Clearly her friend was still upset about what had happened to Constance and remained convinced there was something she could do about even though she was a prisoner herself. Lizzie just chuckled and Bella laugher along with her, seemingly not understanding the joke but so besotted with Lizzie that she sought to please her by joining in.
“This is a feisty one.” The Dasma leader commented.
“Oh she’s just a lady-in-waiting, they are no harm; in fact some of them make good lapdogs.” Lizzie smiled and indulged in a long kiss with Bella.
“If you let me out of here then I’d show you that I’m more a wolf than a lapdog.” Sabetha shouted clearly furious at her treatment and humiliated at being simple a spectacle for these two pirates.
Sophia tried to hiss a warning to Sabetha to stop being so challenging and to back away and accept what was happening to her. However, Sabetha seemed deaf to anything anyone could say to her and Sophia would not speak louder for fear of being drawn into the incident herself.
“Now there’s a challenge, Marisa.” Another Dasma woman, a little younger than the leader, walked up beside her.
“Fight her if you want, Jal, I’ll not stop you.”
“And if I win?” Sabetha challenged.
“If you win? Well, then you can have Jal as your lover.”
“No, I want this pirate to let my friend, Constance, go.”
“Well, that’s not in my gift and from the look of it your friend has no desire to go, in fact she seems to have very many desires to stay. Now, come out and fight with Jal, it’ll be a good entertainment for the crew; it’ll cap a good day’s business here. The wind is rising but we have time enough for some sport.”
Sabetha now looked a little apprehensive and backed away from the cage’s bars. Sophia glanced over to the two bondwomen who were in mumbled discussion, but catching her eye Anya signalled to her with forceful gestures that it would potentially be suicide, not only for them but all of the prisoners, if she was to intervene. Sophia slumped back in the corner of the cage, her head bewildered by all the events she had seen this day. She felt a hand rest on hers and looked up expecting it to be Velnia and was a little surprised to gaze up into the face of Netali. She smiled.
“It is alright, I doubt your friend will be injured, they’ll probably just humiliate her and dump her back in here with us. Be patient, our patrols know the areas where pirates operate; they’ll have our contract registered by now and know we are on board. They’ll have the firepower to rescue us.”
Sophia was surprised to hear comforting words from someone as robust as a bondwoman, but she guessed they were as capable of showing humanity as much as anyone and, were not knights renowned for their compassion? Surely the bondwomen were similar to them in many ways; they certainly seem to have a strong code of honour.
“Thank you, I’m glad to have you here to protect us. I know it must be hard when you are so outnumbered.”
“When the right chance comes I’ll fight for you; it’s my bond.”
Netali smiled again and somehow Sophia felt that this bondwoman was expressing more than simply the terms of her contract. It was probably not surprising, being incarcerated with someone was bound to bring some affinity with them.
“Bring her out.”
Sophia looked up to see Jal ordering one of the other Dasma to open the cage. Meanwhile she was rubbing her hands in something that looked like chalk, whilst one of her comrades drew a circle on the deck. The Dasma and many of the pirates too were now gathering around in anticipation of the fight. Sophia did not believe it could last too long.
The Dasma took Sabetha’s arm but she shook herself free and strode from the cage. Sophia had to admire her courage, though she was uncertain what it was going to achieve. It was clear, though, that there was an anger in Sabetha that was not going to be sated and that she would not sit back and let events roll over her, however much danger an aggressive approach put her in.
“This is no fair fight.” Sabetha declared boldly.
“No?” Marisa asked, smirking.
“Look at her, dressed like that compared to me in these cumbersome clothes. I’d trip on this skirt before I have engaged with her.”
“Fair point. Bring Dasma clothes for her. This is going to be a sight, a pale-skinned lady-in-waiting masquerading as Dasma.”
In minutes familiar tan leathers were passed from hand-to-hand across the audience.
“Dress down there, we’ll spare your skin the sun’s kiss until you’re fighting.” Marisa said tossing the clothes down the steps to the deck below.
Sabetha stamped down the steps after them, clearly seeking to retain at least some dignity in this situation. The audience dissolved into joking and laughter until bare minutes later Sabetha re-emerged looking far different from anything Sophia could have imagined. Sabetha’s hands and face were far more weathered than the pale skin that had been concealed by the long, loose dresses she had worn. However, she seemed to carry off the scanty top and skirt of a Dasma as if born to them. With her travelling boots replaced by softer Dasma ones, her step was quieter, but still seemed as determined. Her hair was plaited and ran like a tail down her back. She accepted the bowl of chalk powder from one the Dasma and the laughs of the crowd now seemed a little muted.
Sophia, though surprised at her friend’s transformation, held few hopes for her prospects. Ladies-in-waiting did occasionally get into fights but they generally involved scratching and pinching, not coming to grips in a wrestling hold. Marisa strode into the circle and indicated the two women to line up with outstretched arms on opposite sides of the circle.
“The victor either has to pin her opponent to the deck for a count of ten or throw her entirely from the ring. There should be no attempt to draw blood or permanently injure the opponent – that means no biting, no gouging. The contest will end when one is clearly defeated or when I feel it has gone on long enough.”
“Blink and you’ll miss it.” Jal joked to the cheers of the crowd.
Marisa stepped from the circle and signalled for the fight to begin. Jal began moving slowly as if sizing up her opponent and Sophia realised that part of it was a performance for her shipmates. Then, however, Sabetha launched across the circle, springing forward like a doe to crash against Jal’s thighs and knees. Sabetha herself crashed painfully knees first on to the deck, but she had thrown Jal back skidding against the gunwales of the deck. Jal yelped as her back crashed against the rail and spluttered as Sabetha locked her hands beneath the Dasma’s kicking calves. In a moment she simply stood up, needing no strength, just using the pivot that the rail provided. Then Jal was gone, with only the sight of her feet for an instant as she fell backwards into the water. The crash in the water, followed by a stream of swear words some moments later showed Sabetha’s success.
Sabetha beamed broadly and was quickly surrounded by astounded spectators. The deck was in uproar. Sabetha, shook them off, however, and grabbing a coiled rope, cast one end down to Jal who, it sounded, was trying to scrabble up the ship’s side. However, Sabetha and soon other hands hauled her back onboard and she staggered, drenched onto the deck. The practicality of the Dasma’s clothes was shown as the water seemed to run off them in a matter of moments.
Sophia could not make out what Sabetha said over the noise of the crowd but she saw her laugh and plant a kiss on Jal’s cheek. She stood back to smile her joy but Jal pulled her back in tight and kissed her lips to the acclaim of the crowd. Sophia wondered at what would happen now, but a different nature of noise took her attention away from the consequences of Sabetha’s victory. There were shouts coming from the ‘Tanith’. Then right over the deck flew a flaming sphere. It crashed out of sight in the water beyond the bow. Sophia hurried to the side of the cage closest to where the sphere had come from.
“They’re here.” Netali said excitedly.
Sophia looked out across the calm waters to the large black shape that resembled a giant arrowhead. It was a ship but so different from any she had seen before. The two sails were not canvas but slats of polished wood that she imagined would be difficult to burn. The ship was entirely black and the deck was enclosed beneath slanting sides. Ringed around the bow were a number of bondwomen each armed with crossbows and, from a cupola close to the sail, Sophia could make out a protruding ballista. Oars stretched from the sides of the hull and kept a steady pace rowing as the ship closed. Just below the surface of the water Sophia could see the outline of a ram. This was clearly a warship, which she imagined even the combined forces of the Dasma and the crew of the ‘The Vixen’ would find tought to defeat.
On deck was chaos. Each crew ran towards their ships and Sophia tried to make out Sabetha among the all the tan leather that passed as the Dasma sprung over the side to their ships on the side farthest from the bondwomen’s arrival. It seemed like only moments since the sphere had crossed the deck but already Sophia could see the first masts of the fast Dasma ships moving away from the ‘Tanith’ using it as a temporary shield from the bondwomen’s ship. Whilst Sophia was angry that they were escaping she guessed that a single ship could not hope to hunt down the numerous nimble catamarans and instead they would focus on the main pirate ship. Sophia hoped Sabetha had had the commonsense to get below decks in the chaos and for herself and the others in the cage that they would not be caught in any crossfire as for the second time that day the ‘Tanith’ was fought over.