Into The Darkness

"My lord, you need not order me." Cornelu drew himself up to stiff attention. "I volunteer my leviathan and myself," Delfinu bowed. "Commander, Sibiu is fortunate to have you in her service. But I will not take advantage of your courage in this way, as if I were a cold-blooded Unkerlanter or a calculating Kuusaman. The odds of success do not justify the risk… and your wife is with child, is it not so?"

– Sir, it is so," Cornelu said. "But I am not with child myself, and I took oath to serve King Burebistu and his kingdom as best I could. What the kingdom requires of me, that shall I do."

"This the kingdom does not require of you," Delfinu said. "I have n desire to make your wife grow old a widow, nor to make your child gro, up not knowing its father. I will send you into danger: indeed, I will set you into danger without a qualm. But I will not send you to almost certain death when no good to king or kingdom is likely to come from [..i..].

Cornelu bowed in turn. "My lord, I am lucky to have you as superior. Unlike the no-" He stopped, unsure how Count Delf would take what he'd been on the point of saying.

Even though he hadn't said it, Delfinu figured out what it

"Unlike the nobles in the Kauman kingdoms, ours are supposed to k a little something before they put on their fancy uniforms? Is that you had in mind, Commander?" To Cornelu's relief, he laughed.

"Well, aye, sir - something on that order, anyhow," Cornelu a ted.

"Kaunian blood is older than ours, which makes them take mor( in it than we do," Delfinu said. "If you ask my opinion, being old, makes it thinner, but no Kaunian has seen fit to ask my opinion."

[..trait so stiff her if I odds not nd I hat e no ow send t cer om,it. as my Delfinu it was. o know at what admit re pride der only..]

"For my part, I confess to losing very little sleep over theirs. Personally, I feel more sympathy for Algarve, but I know my kingdom's needs come ahead of my personal sympathies."

"Myself, I have no great use for the Kaunian kingdoms," Cornelu said, "but I have no use at all for Algarve. Did King Mezentio get his hands on us, he would squeeze till our eyes popped out of our heads."

"Since I think you are right about that, I can hardly argue with you," Delfinu said. "But, for the time being, I cannot in good conscience send you forth against the Barian ports, either. Enjoy your time off duty, Commander, and keep in mind that it is not likely to last."

"Very well, my lord." Cornelu saluted again. "I think I'll draw a bucket from the rest crate and pay Eforiel a visit in her pen. She'll think I've forgotten her, poor thing. I don't want that."

"No, indeed." Count Deffirm returned the salute. "Very well, Commander, you are dismissed from my presence."

The chamber in which the large Leviathan Services rest crate sat had a strong fish smell. The smell would have been much stronger had the rest crate been other than what it was. Cornelu reached in and drew forth a big bucket full of mackerel and squid, all of them as fresh as when they'd been pulled from the sea. He lugged it down to the wire-enclosed pen where his leviathan slowly swam back and forth, back and forth.

Eforiel swam to the little wharf that jutted out into the pen. She stuck her head out of the water and examined Cornelu first with one small black eye, then with the other. "Aye, it's me," he said, and reached out to [..pat Ine ena..] of her tapered snout. "It's me, all night, and I've brought you presents."

He tossed her a squid. Those enormous jaws came open. They closed on the squid with a wet smacking noise. When they opened again, the squid was gone. Eforiel emitted a soft, pleased grunt. Cornelu fed her a mackerel. She approved of that, too. He kept tossing her treats tin the bucket was empty.

He had to show her it was empty. "Sorry - no more," he said. Now the noise she made, though like nothing that could come from a human throat, was full of disappointment. "Sorry," he repeated, and patted her again. She didn't take his hand off at the wrist - or his arm at the shoulder.

She was a clever, well-trained beast.

Commodore Delfinu had as much as ordered Cornelu to have an [..annrl..] time while he wasn't assailing the Algarvians. After taking the empty bucket back for scrubbing, he headed away from the harbor, off to the quarters he shared with his wife. He could think of no one in whose company he would sooner be.

Costache was baking when he walked in; the spicy smell of cakes made the small, square rooms in which they lived seem anything but military.

"I'm glad you're back," she said. "I didn't know whether Delfinu would send you out or not."