Red Seas Under Red Skies: The Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Book Two (Gentleman Bastards 2)
6
‘I chose forty-four prisoners, originally,’ said Stragos. They stared at the Windward Rock in the light of the morning sun. A boat of blue-coated soldiers was approaching it in the distance, presumably to relieve the current shift of guards. ‘I had the second cell vault cleared except for them. All the orders signed ‘Ravelle’ are plausible, but upon scrutiny, the signs of forgery will become evident. I can use that later as a handy excuse to arrest several clerks whose loyalties aren’t . . . straightforward enough for my taste.’
‘Efficient,’ said Locke.
‘Yes.’ Stragos continued, ‘These prisoners are all prime seamen, taken from ships that were impounded for various reasons. Some have been in custody for a few years. Many are actually former crewmen of your Red Messenger, lucky not to be executed along with their officers. Some of them might even have past experience at piracy.’
‘Why keep prisoners at the Rock?’ asked Jean, ‘In general, I mean?’
‘Oar fodder,’ answered Caldris. ‘Handy thing to keep on hand. War breaks out, they’ll be offered full pardons if they agree to work as galley rowers for the duration. The Rock tends to have a couple of galleys’ worth, most of the time.’
‘Caldris is entirely correct,’ said Stragos. ‘Now, as I said, some of those men have been in there for several years, but none of them have ever had to endure conditions like those of the past month. I have had them deprived of everything from clean bedding to regular meals. The guards have been cruel, disturbing their sleeping hours with loud noises and buckets of cold water. I daresay by now that there isn’t a man among them who doesn’t hate the Windward Rock, hate Tal Verrar and hate me. Personally.’
Locke nodded slowly. ‘And that’s why you expect them to greet Ravelle as their saviour.’