Into the East Trilogy

Chapter 4:

Chapter 4:

Deirdre found a place in the bow of the small boat. It wasn’t that small, at thirty feet, just smaller than she cared for. The more movement she experienced on the open water, the more tired she became. No amount of excitement concerning their upcoming adventure would keep her awake.

The launch was not built for comfort. There were no cabins with beds for guests to lounge about on. The best things she could find to lay her weary head on was the stores in the rope locker.

It was dark below decks. That was all right. The dim light hid the dirt she was certain covered the mooring lines. She cared little. The clothes she wore were… unfitting for a lady, uncomfortable, and above all, they seemed to chafe in all the wrong places.

She would need to speak to her niece, or maybe Phoebe could create her a ladylike suit. Not so tight-fitting and frankly revealing. If she was going to be expected to run off into the general population dressed like a miner, or maybe more like one of those western gunfighters she read so many penny dreadfuls about…

As long as she didn’t encounter anyone from proper society on this little adventure. Not that that was likely. Society from the British Isles did not cavort in this part of the world. Perhaps Egypt, but never Palestine, unless to visit Jerusalem or the Holy Land on some pilgrimage. The age of adventure was alive and well with men running off to explore what have you, but Deirdre preferred the finer things in life. Not that anyone would recognize her with the horrid concoction the count required her to smear over the surface of her entire body.

Unsure of the count’s plan she agreed to travel along to keep Helena safe. Helena would have joined the adventure if Deirdre wasn’t there to protect her interests. That’s how the count trapped her. Smooth words came from the scoundrel. The overwhelming concern for her niece outweighed the concern for her safety, and the rascal played her heartstrings just like a virtuoso.

The hemp rope was scratchy. No matter how she lay, some bare flesh found the well-used rope and caused an itch. At least they could have provided a blanket or two down here for guests.

There came a light rap at the door.

Strange, Deirdre thought. “Come in,” she said. Not knowing who to expect.

The door creaked open. Phoebe and Krushna peeked their heads through the opening.

Krushna asked in her most perfect British accent, “May we come in? We brought blankets.”

“Oh, good lord, yes, please.” Deirdre stood playing the proper host to the cramped rope locker.

The two women shuffled in, blankets folded in arms. Handing one to the older woman, she was immediately disappointed. These were not blankets fit for humans. The woolen weave was scratchier than the hemp. Deirdre wouldn’t dare use these for horse blankets. They would be more likely to cause saddle sores rather than protect the mount. She folded up the offered blanket, turning it into a cushion. At least it offered some padding.

“Phoebe dear… when we return to the ship will you be kind enough to design me something… more befitting a lady? I’m not sure I’m cut out for this design you made for Helena.”

“Of course, let me see if I can’t fix this to make it more comfortable.” Phoebe stood and offered her hands for Deirdre to stand.

With help and bracing herself against the bouncing of the craft over the waves, the Chinese seamstress went to work retying laces in the back. Deirdre could breathe easier with each adjustment.

“Helena is much… shorter than you. The straps were set to her size. I will see if I can’t make you something more fitting your… station if you like. Any specific color?”

“Black is so slimming, but I feel a rogue about to break into a house,” Deirdre replied.

“We are technically just that.” Krushna had squirreled away into one of the darkest corners of the compartment. “And if you are caught, I believe your title will do you little good. This is not your blessed United Kingdom where your kind reigns supreme. I doubt your title will mean little to the Ottomans.”

Deirdre’s temper flared a little more than it should have. It must have been the situation that dented her normally stoic exterior. She knew Krushna had issues with the empire Britain had created over the centuries, but she had stayed to herself most of the time since Florida. This was the first clash over the subject.

“How should you know how the aristocracy will be treated?” She regretted her words almost immediately. Her life might depend on this woman, she needed to stay on her good side. From the rumors she’d heard about the ship, she was a first-class fighter, nearly on par with Helena. Before she could apologize…

“Europe is not the only place with a class system. There is one deeply entrenched in my region as well. I’m sure our Chinese friend can tell us the same thing.”

Phoebe squinted up from her work. “Oh, I was born in America, like my father.”

“Yet there are times when your accent is very thick… like you just stepped off the boat.” Deirdre tried to turn to look at her, but with both her arms over her head, it made the move impossible.

Phoebe continued, “That is my father’s idea. Being from China, there are certain expectations about you before you even open your mouth. Most people can’t comprehend too much out of the ordinary, out of their comfort zone. Better to not hit them with too much at once.”

Deirdre held back a grunt when some straps were tightened. “But you can speak Chinese?”

“Technically, I can speak Mandarin and Cantonese, they are very different… also English and a little German.”

“German?” Both Krushna and Deirdre looked on in surprise.

“My father is a fisherman. The boat next to his moorage was owned by a German. His son taught me German, I taught him Mandarin.”

Krushna asked, “Why not Cantonese?”

“It’s too damn hard. Many Mandarin speakers can’t even learn Cantonese. Mandarin has four tones, Cantonese eight, English one.”

Deirdre needed to change the subject from the British Empire. This seemed as good a place as any to move things in a different direction. “I can speak English, Italian, and some French, with a little Spanish.” She waited for Krushna to speak up.

When she finally did, it was with a sigh. “I can speak English, French, Portuguese, and several dialects from my country you have never heard of.”

Deirdre didn’t know what to say. She never expected so many different languages. She cleared her throat.

Phoebe tapped her on the back. “All finished, ma lady.” She tried to do a British accent and failed miserably.

Deirdre chuckled as she nearly fell back into her folded blanket.

Thankfully, Phoebe asked the question Deirdre was curious to know. “Why have you learned so many languages?”

“In my country, we find it wise to learn our enemies’ languages. Much easier to fight when you can understand them.”

“But not the language of the Ottomans? What do they speak?” Phoebe asked.

Krushna sniggered, looking at Deirdre. “No, they have never invaded us, so I have no reason to kill them. As for the language, I believe they are made up of many different countries. They speak many languages but mostly Turkish.”

Deirdre had that sinking uneasy feeling again, but she tried to remain the lady. “How unfortunate none of us will be able to speak with the locals if we need to.”

“If they are men, we can speak to them,” Phoebe tried to stand and look sexy, but the rocking boat made her movements more comical while she stumbled about. She fell back down into the ropes, laughing. “What languages does the count speak?”

The others grew silent, waiting for her to speak. Deirdre might know Alexei the best, but she didn’t know him that well. She had never stopped to think about the subject. She had no choice but to admit, “I hate to say, I don’t know. I have the impression he can make his way around easily enough.”

The mood had grown more somber with every passing second.

“Is he human?” Phoebe asked.

Deirdre was taken aback by such a rude direct question. Her answer came as more of a stammer, very unlike her normal self. “I… I believe he is.” She wanted to say he had never given her reason to doubt that assertion, but she had long held her suspicious. She knew Helena didn’t believe he was human either. She was unsure what the three ladies had discussed concerning the Russian Count.

“I believe he is a Rakshasa…” Krushna let her accusation trail off.

Deirdre thought it better to let the story come out naturally. Any comment she made would be tainted by Krushna’s feelings towards the British Empire.

Phoebe dropped her voice as if someone listened and said, “I’m familiar with many of the creatures of the east, yet I don’t think I have ever learned of that one.”

Krushna scooted down the piled ropes so she could speak in more hushed tones. “They are from the north. There are ancient tales written in the oldest books. The books claim Rakshasa are a race of shifters and illusionists. They live in the high mountain valleys. With their powers, the monsters can move among humans undetected. It is written, they wait until the earth is overrun with greed and pain, then they will attack and take over the world. You might know them better translated into Maneaters.”

“Those I have heard of…” Phoebe nodded.

“Maneater sounds more like Ludmila…”

Krushna scowled at Deirdre before continuing. “If the story is true and they are a Rakshasa and Rakshasi, lurking about the world, they might be the cause of many of earth’s problems. Prodding the world toward doom. Waiting for their chance to unleash their army and take over the world. They would enslave humankind, turning them into cattle.”

A tap at the door made all three women jump.

The door opened, and Alexei stuck his head in. “Ladies, I hate to be a bother, but there seems to be a German patrol craft moving to intercept us. I believe they mean to board us.”

Deirdre asked, “Can we outrun them?”

“We could probably outrun and outmaneuver the ship. However, the shells they would surely throw our way would be another matter. If you could be so kind as to hide, it would improve our chances of surviving this encounter tenfold, I am sure.” Before any of the others could comment, he pulled his head back out, closed the door, and locked it.

Krushna and Phoebe climbed the coiled ropes, dropped the metal plates that covered the portholes, and peered outside.

“It’s on this side, looks like it is coming in fast. I can see the lights of the city behind it. We are not far.” Phoebe explained the situation.

“Maybe we can swim it?” Krushna closed her metal flap and moved to inspect the overhead hatch out of the forward compartment.

“I should bloody well think not. Even if the water was warm, and we stood less than a hundred feet from the shore, I doubt I would make it.” Deirdre didn’t exaggerate.

Phoebe closed her hatch and scurried down. “There is nowhere to hide here.”

“Ladies, I have a plan, but you will need to trust me.” Deirdre reached for a roll of small twine. “With luck, this will work.”

Krushna pointed to the hatch over their heads. “That is locked. What if luck fails us?”

Phoebe cut in with a pair of fighting sticks. “Plan B.”