This chapter describes Drustina's stratergy to discover the pirates and then defeat them. In the end, she captures them.

The Angry Mermaid 46.

Or

Y Morforwyn Dicllon.

Mabina. The youngest daughter and Twin to
Drustan Her twin brother.
Grandpa Erin the twins grandfather.
Giana The twins grandmother
Caderyn The twins father.
Herenoie The twins wise and beautiful mother.
Morgaran The Twins oldest brother.
Aiofe The twins oldest sister. Famous for her beauty.
Tara The twins second oldest sister. Famous for her grace.
Feidlim Twins aunt (Caderyns’ beautiful sister.)
Mogantu Twins uncle (Married to Feidlim.) Chief of the Gangani tribe.
Brun. Twins 2nd cousin and the Acaman clans’ blacksmith.
Feorin. Twins second brother. Also training to be a blacksmith.
Rhun Feidlims’ son and Feorins’ favourite 1st Cousin. (Both red-heads.)
Arina Child of a Demetae fisherman, (rescued by Aiofe, Drustan and Mabina.)
Penderol Dumnonii Minor chief.
Udris Young Dumnonii warrior.
Dryslwyn High chief of the whole Celtic nation. Dwells in Brithony.
Bronlwyn Dryslwyn’s wife (and queen.)
Magab The moor who taught numbers.
Eric Saxon galley slave rescued from Corsair pirates.
Carl Another Saxon galley slave rescued by Drustan.
Torvel Celtic galley slave rescued from the same captured corsair ship
Arton. Turdetani Chieftain Holder of Gibral Rock.
Carinia Arton’s wife.
Isobel. Arton’s adopted daughter.
Appotel King of the Turdetani Tribe. (Southern Iberia.)
Bramana Queen. (Wife of Appotel)
Pilus King of the Capetani.
Shaleen Pilus’s queen and sister to Bramana.
Pedoro Lord Marshal of the Southern border region.
Lady Shulaar Lord Pedoro’s wife.
Taan. The scullery maid.
Isaar. Pedoro’s oldest son.
Ferdie Pedoro’s 2nd son
Sular Pedoro’s 3rd son
Gontala Pedoro’s youngest son.
Shenoa Pedoro’s only daughter.
Portega. Tyrant King to the west.
Portua. Portega’s grandson.
Jubail. Old Fisherman.
Mutas Magab’s younger brother and usurper.
Walezia King of Malta.
Alviar Megalomaniacal bishop of Carthage. (Hates Drustina.)
Ethelia Female healer who treats Drustina during her pregnancy.
Seripatese Drustina’s faithful horse.
Astos & Amitor Minor royalty who govern Alexandria. King and Twin Queen.
Meronee Nubian Queen of Nobatia The northern Kingdom of the Nubians.
Horam The Egyptian master Boat builder.
Muraa King Astos’s male partner.
Tuk Makurian general.
Fantu. Makurian Captain.
Irene Emperor Leon’s only child.
Leon Byzantine Emperor.
Zano Byzantine general who defeats the Bulgars with Drustina’s help.
Urthos The Gaul elected captain of the 4th ship. Ex Barbary galley slave.
Horus Horam the boat-builder’s son.

A week after talking to the king of Pola, the new ship was ready. The captain was elected from amongst Drustina’s band and Urthos the Gaul was chosen. Eric and Carl could both vouch for him for they were present as galley slaves in another galley when Urthos’s ship was captured. He had put up a terrific fight and the Barbary admiral had been impressed so he offered to spare his life and make him a galley slave. Later after they were freed by the Iberians, Carl had asked him why he hadn’t chosen death. Urthos had answered that he had a wife and child back in Gaul and he would never give up hope of seeing them again unless he died. Drustina could understand Urthos’s view. With Drustina it was all about recovering her family’s lands, with Urthos it was about recovering his family. As it had been for many other wanderers and adventurers, Drustina’s expedition from Byzantium had provided Urthos with a perfect opportunity to get back to Gaul without running the gauntlet of the Middle Sea and whatever animosities might cause problems on the long passage back to Gaul..

Secondly, to have tried to return to Gaul as a single individual working his passage from Constantinople through the Middle Sea all the way to Marsa at the mouth of the River Rhone would have been a very high risk journey.

He had a much better chance among a large band of adventurers and traders. He also had worked particularly hard during the rigours of the Prypiat Portage and Drustina concluded the vote had thrown up a good man to be captain of the new, fourth ship.

The little flotilla was deemed ready so after many preparations and plans, Drustina slipped away first to arrive in Gdyn several days before the following trio of ships. They had prepared to rendezvous back in the estuary of the Vistula at a prearranged time. By that time Drustina hoped she would have had some concrete information.

In the bilges of The Angry Mermaid Drustina had secreted several ingots of copper painted to resemble gold. At a distance they would appear to be gold to any curious eyes looking from the quay.

Additionally, The Angry Mermaid also carried some dressed stone from the quarries near Warsaw. This was to give the Mermaid the appearance of being heavily laden thus making her slow and clumsy.

The crew of The Mermaid ensured no visitors were allowed aboard to add to the mystery concerning the cargo and the voyage. When they arrived in Gdyn, Drustina presented her royal letters of marque to the ports’ Burgomasters. The king’s signature endowed her with freedom from taxes so she and the Angry Mermaid were immediately allowed access to the trading compound and the duty free quay. This privilege alone drew immediate attention to her visit for not everybody arrived in Gdyn with a royal letter of marque. After presenting her credentials to the custom house Drustina immediately set about looking for an additional cargo to get the Angry Mermaid ‘full and down’.

As her ‘final destination’ was meant to take her ship out of the Baltic and onwards to the ‘Western Seas’ she had a wide choice of cargoes and after examining some charters she retired to her ship to discuss her thoughts with her sister Tara and the mate, Horus the Egyptian boat-builder’s son who had accompanied her all the way from Alexandria.

“So what’s the plan,” Tara asked quietly to avoid inquisitive ears from overhearing their conversations.

“Well we need a high value cargo that doesn’t take much space for The Mermaid will already be pretty low in the water. The idea is that when she departs, she looks slow and clumsy but the high value cargo will attract the pirate’s interest. Once we clear the port we can ditch the low value cargo and bring her up to her fighting weight and speed.”

“Seems a pity to ditch dressed stone,” Horus remarked. Why not leave it ashore when we rendezvous with the others in the estuary of the Vistula. They are carrying stone as well to add to a new quay the king is planning in Tzew, the town just above the estuary. If we alter the Mermaid’s name and rig, nobody will recognise her because we passed down the river at night.”

“Good thinking Horus, we’ll do that. We originally planned to ditch it, but selling it is a far better idea. We’ll also get some good money for the stone because it’s already dressed.”

The next day Drustina returned to the trading exchange and contracted to carry an expensive shipment of Amber to the City of Kalin just across the bay.

This was an ideal cargo and charter because it took The Angry Mermaid across the whole bay of Danzig and close to just about every possible location where the pirates might have a lair. Meanwhile, Horus had played his part by going ashore and seemingly getting drunk in the bars.
When Drustina met him later at a prearranged bar, he listened to her voyage plans and spoke loudly of the preparations they would need. He spoke loudly to sound drunk and used his first mate’s status to discuss the ship’s preparations. Drustina ‘tried’ to quieten him but it was all part of the subterfuge. Horus loudly slurred his words.

“We’ll have to go shlowly. She’s heavily laden with shtone and that Amber ish an expensive cargo. We should get a good price in Kalin!”

Drustina flashed an angry look and cast around nervously as she appeared to scold Horus.

“Hist man. D’you want everybody to know our business? Come on; let’s get out of here before everybody in bloody Gdyn knows our affairs!”

Horus ‘staggered’ to his feet and Drustina supported him like some patient partner well used and inured to her partner’s drunken antics. However, under the drunken facade they carefully studied the two priests who had followed Drustina into the bar. Drustina turned despairingly to the holy men and lamented her partner’s behaviour.

“He always gets like this before a voyage but he’s a dammned good seaman. Once we are on passage and he sobers up, he’ll be okay and we’ll be on our way. It’s going to be a slow passage though. We’re heavily laden.”

“Do you want our blessings?” The older priest asked.

“That would be nice. We’ll be leaving in the morning after the Amber is delivered to us for transport.”

Drustina knew she would be expected to pay the priests for a blessing but she also knew that priests tended to be garrulous and would quite possibly talk about The Angry mermaid’s plans. If the news wasn’t already all around the compound, it soon would be. A totally strange ship that was slow and heavily laden with stone plus an additional valuable consignment of amber would be a perfect victim. There could hardly be a richer and easier prize for the pirates.

With the morning came the amber accompanied by an escort and this was followed by two rapacious priests. After the Amber was loaded next to the rumoured ‘gold’, Drustina smiled to herself with satisfaction as she noted the glint of avarice that betrayed the priest’s intentions when they noticed the briefly exposed treasure. She paid her coin for a blessing then the crew ate a meal before setting sail while the priests could hardly contain their excitement as they scuttled away trying not to expose their impatience to inform the pirates.

“I never did trust priests,” Drustina muttered softly to Horus and Tara as they chewed their food.

“Come on then let’s be away and make every appearance of being a slow, clumsy, dangerously overloaded ship.” Horus replied as he finished his food.

The well prepared crew did just that and The Angry Mermaid departed from Gdyn making every appearance of a poorly crewed and badly handled barge. Even Seripatese contributed to the image as she staggered and caused the Mermaid to roll perilously close to a seeming total capsize. This set up a false shout of despair from the supposedly incompetent crew and greedy eyes watched hungrily as they anticipated an easy night’s pickings. Already a fast horse was galloping out through Gdyn’s north gate to tell of the intended victim.

However, as darkness fell, The Mermaid did not steer ENE to Kalin but instead steered SE back to the estuary of the Vistula and the prearranged rendezvous with her three sister ships. On meeting the other ships in Tzew they quickly discharged the stone the following day and turned a considerable profit. With all four ships relieved of their burdens of stone, the flotilla was now a highly mobile and well armed force. Any pirates stupid enough to attack them would receive a fatal shock. As the sun set, four silent shadowy shapes slid silently down the Vistula and into the bay to spread out so as each ship was just in sight of an arrow fired flare. This covered a span of some forty to fifty miles, virtually the depth and width of the Bay of Gdania. It didn’t take long for the pirates to take the bait. The flotilla was deliberately sailing very slowly playing the ‘broken wing’ trick and The Angry Mermaid was holding the western pivotal hinge.

In the dead of night, as The Mermaid virtually drifted under minimal sail, Arina heard the soft lapping of a bow wave as an unknown craft was making way through the darkness. It was showing a single light which thus gave The Mermaid’s crew no indication of speed or course. Drustina behaved as any conventional ship would. She took off what little remaining way there was and The Mermaid sat still in the water. Then there was a woman’s voice calling.

At first nobody could make out the words but as the unidentified craft ghosted closer they could finally make sense of the high pitched screams for assistance. Drustina, Arina and Horus exchanged knowing glances and silently motioned the crew to their allotted battle stations. Even if it was a genuine distress, no harm would ensue. Then as the cries for help grew distinct and clear, Horus called back. They chose to use a man’s voice to make The Angry Mermaid, seem as an ordinary vessel with a man for a captain

“What ails you?” Horus bellowed.

A man’s voice would not raise the approaching ship’s suspicions and the ruse worked. The strange ship approached steadily as the woman’s voice explained that they had some injured crew and was there anybody who could render assistance.

Drustina shared a knowing nod with Arina and Horus as they agreed. The stranger could be using this ploy to get close enough to board them under the pretence of transferring somebody off The Mermaid who might have medical knowledge or transferring their injured crewmember onto Drustinas’ ship.

“Let them approach,” Drustina instructed Horus as she prepared to set sail and sweep around the approaching ship to put it between her and her companions, Carl, Eric and Urthos whose ships lay to the south of The Angry Mermaid.

Horus invited the stranger to come in closer then explained it would be better if the approaching ship came around to the Starboard side where there were better facilities to transfer the injured man. Thus had The Angry Mermaid prepared a trap if the distressed vessel was a pirate-ship.
With a practice born of long voyages together, the Mermaid’s crew stood silently to their stations as the ‘distressed’ vessel cautiously followed Horus’s request to manoeuvre to the southern, starboard side. This manoeuvre also put the Mermaid upwind and thus able to hold the manoeuvrability advantage. Drustina and Horus watched the ship like hawks then to their delight, there was a short break in the rain clouds and the moon briefly illuminated the other ship.

Drustina gave a soft growl as she noted the other ship’s high freeboard and slender lines.

“She’s no merchantman!”

“No, she certainly isn’t,” Horus agreed, “so what now milady?”

“Let her come closer, Drustina ordered as she eased her own rudder to spill more wind from her sails. The more ‘becalmed’ the Mermaid looked the more tempting a target she became. Soon the Mermaid was virtually stopped and the ‘distressed’ vessel approached even closer. It was only as a second shaft of moonlight silhouetted the other vessel’s officers, that Drustina recognised the profile. There was no mistaking the unique and memorable nose of the priest she had met in the tavern the previous night. Urgently, Drustina tugged furiously at Tara’s arm as her older sister steered the ship with long remembered skills from her days sailing around Lleyn and Fon.

“Keep her about ten to fifteen fathoms off for about half an hour while we edge closer to Carl and Eric, let’s get these people further out into the bay so that they will find it harder to duck for cover if they really are pirates. We stay just far enough apart as to prevent them boarding en-masse.”

Tara nodded as the rest of the crew, led by Horus, waited patiently, hidden behind the gunwales. Horus shouted across the closing gap.

“We need to check you out. It has been reported that there may be pirates in the vicinity. I am going to fire a fire arrow into the sky to illuminate your ship. Are you agreeable to that?”

In truth, the fire arrow was a signal to Eric and Carl to close with The Angry Mermaid. It was a single arrow for if it had been two arrows, Eric and Carl would have answered it and Drustina did not yet want to give the game away. The priest’s vessel agreed to the arrow and the bright light from the arrow flew high into the air. The other vessel showed a large covered cargo of what looked like bags covered with a tarpaulin. It gave the ship every appearance of being a loaded merchant vessel and there were few signs of a crew except for a couple of smallish figures attending to the ship and the group of what Drustina presumed to be officers standing at the stern.

“She looks honest, I’ll grant her that.” Horus smiled cynically.

“Yeah, but what’s under that tarpaulin?” Tara replied.

Drustina nodded her own suspicions and measured the closing gap with an experienced eye as she turned to Horus.

“That’s close enough, run a parallel course for a while until we can see Eric or Carl approaching.”

This done they stood off for a while until the other ship became impatient and a shout came over the narrow gap.

“Our injured crewmember is failing, he needs help.”

Horus stalled then shouted across.

“Our doctor is preparing a place for him. We won’t be much longer; we do not have much space on this vessel.”

This seemed to placate the other vessel and they proceeded thus for a short while longer. Then the lookout in the bow spotted the anticipated reinforcements. He signalled silently to Drustina that Erics’ ship was approaching. Drustina spoke to Horus.

“Pretend you think that Eric’s ship is a pirate and call their attention to it. See what happens.”

Horus grinned; a sudden, unexpected change in circumstances would surely cause the pirates to react one way or another. Horus called across.

“Beware, there is another vessel approaching from the south! They might be the pirates that are believed to be operating around here.”

The priest had been watching The Angry Mermaid and failed to spot Eric’s ship as it sped towards them. Now the situation was critical. As he located the approaching third vessel it was obvious it meant business. He cursed and swung the tiller to bring his ship close to The Mermaid as he shouted at the covered the ‘cargo’. When they were less than five fathoms apart, the tarpaulin was swept aside and suddenly two score of heads appeared fully armed. For an answer, a score of heads appeared from behind the gunwales of The Angry Mermaid and the pirates realised they had a fight. What they hadn’t expected was the sudden surge of speed from The Mermaid that took her away from their approach and presented her high stern that prevented the pirates from any hope of boarding her.

The sudden and unexpected action by the priest had betrayed their intentions and Drustina deemed it proper to fire first. This she did by ordering a salvo of fire arrows to be fired at the pirate. Her crew quickly ignited their arrows with the precious flint and pyrites then within seconds a bank of ignited arrows appeared as if by magic, primed and drawn to be fired. There was a curse from the larger vessel and it turned clumsily to make an escape but it was too late. Eric’s vessel was now approaching from the pirate’s starboard quarter while further off; Carl was closing to shut down an escape to the South east. Even further off, Urthos was now heaving into view and the pirate priest finally realised he had fallen into a well prepared trap. With a most ungodly curse he took a knife and plunged it into his own heart. The crew of the Angry Mermaid stared stupidly as the man crumpled to the deck. Tara turned to Drustina and asked.

“Are they all as crazy as him?”

Drustina shrugged.

“He probably thought we were going to execute him anyway. I’m more concerned about all those other crew members. Don’t forget, we’re still outnumbered.” She turned to Horus.

“Hail them again, ask if they’re prepared to surrender; tell them we’ll give them quarter.”

“We’d best wait until the others get here Ma-am. Then there’s no risk. Remember you’ve got your children still hidden in the bow cuddy.”

Drustina considered Horus’s caution and smiled inwardly. A year ago she would have plunged in full tilt and given no quarter, now, she had unconsciously and unwittingly hesitated. She asked herself if it had been the presence of her own children and silently admitted to herself it probably was.

‘What it was to be a mother,’ she wondered and turned thoughtfully towards the bow where Tara had already gone to check the toddler twins. Then her thoughts were returned to the immediate situation when there was an answering shout to Horus’s powerful bellow. To everybody’s surprise it was a woman’s voice. The high, reedy voice cried back nervously. Fear cracked her articulation and it was obvious to all on The Mermaid that the woman was terrified.

“What quarter d’you offer us?” The woman cried.

Horus turned questioningly to Drustina for all on The Mermaid had recognised the woman’s fear.

“Perhaps you’d better answer Ma-am, you know, a woman’s voice ...”

Drustina nodded and called back.

“If you accept surrender I will give you my word that you will not be harmed. I am Drustina of the Gangani Celts, child of Caderyn, who is child of Erin. I am captain here and I give you my oath you will not be harmed.”

The woman seemed to hesitate then turned to another second figure of similar size. They talked briefly and by their gesticulations it was obvious they were arguing. Drustina became suspicious and ordered her men to re-ignite their arrows. This show of force brought an immediate response. The woman screamed fearfully.

“Mercy!! Do not burn us!”

“Then ask for quarter. You have ten seconds and look to your south. You will see that our companions have also drawn their fire bows.”

There was a brief furious argument then two figures overpowered the second figure and the first voice called again.

“We will take quarter but beg you do not harm us.”

Drustina became a little angry at their doubting her word and called across impatiently.

“Do you doubt the word of the Lioness of Carthage, for it is her tail you have pulled and I am she! Now. Identify yourselves!”

“And explain why you are all wearing black to hide your faces!” Horus added for good measure.

Drustina nodded her acknowledgement to Horus. She had forgotten to ensure there were no surprises. The men automatically drew their bows as the crew of pirates refused to show their faces.. For a brief moment Drustina’s crew were tense but Drustina was made of sterner stuff. She had faced danger many times before and even the sudden appearance of forty pirates did not un-nerve her. They did not have bows and Drustina knew The Mermaid was a faster, more manoeuvrable craft. Drustina had also realised the other ship was prepared for boarding, not for a ‘long-range’ fire-fight. Once again, in those few brief instants, Drustina had weighed up the situation and determined her advantage.

She ordered her men to slacken their bows. This action obviously relieved the other woman who ordered her crew to sheath their swords. Horus shouted at them to unbelt their swords and after a brief nod from the woman who appeared to have been second in command, the whole pirate crew unbuckled their sword belts. Drustina smiled at Horus.

“My God Horus, they seem keen to surrender. What sort of pirates are these who surrender without a fight?”

Horus chuckled and shrugged.

“We’ll soon find out Ma-am. Look, Carl and Eric are closing quickly.”

“Tell them to stand off. She’s our prize.”

“But Carl has the rowing boat. He can send men to investigate.”

“Tell him to send the boat for me. I will check this pirate ship myself. There’s something odd about that crew. Why do they fear exposure more than being burned to death with fire arrows?

“Shall we wait until daylight Ma-am?” Horus suggested. “Look, Dawn approaches.”

“Hmmm. Good idea Horus. Yes, we’ll wait. When it’s light enough, I’ll satisfy my own curiosity then you can tell her to follow us to Kalin we’ll make it by noon even with her slower speed.”

“What! Are you saying you’ll board her alone?” Horus protested.

“Well, they won’t take me hostage Horus. My sword will see to that. Besides, there will be four ships marking her card.”

“What makes you so confident?” Horus pressed.

Drustina smiled a little condescendingly then tapped her nose.

“That crew, Horus; I believe they’re all women.” Drustina whispered. “That’s why they were loath to show their faces. Their head covers look like nun’s habits.”

Horus peered thoughtfully then turned with a grin to Drustina.

“My God ma-am, I believe you are right. It’s hard to tell by their stature because there are no men for comparison.”

“Exactly; the only man amongst them has just killed himself. It’s only when I remembered the difference between that suicidal priest and the other officers that I realised. He was not a particularly tall man yet he towered over all those black crows seemingly flocking around him. The only explanation is that they are all women. Look carefully at how they move.”

Horus studied them briefly then nodded.

“I believe you are right. Unless it’s some sort of trap. You know, they are the bait but hidden even lower there are men.”

“Well we’ll see soon enough. Here comes Carl with the boat.”

Carl slid the little ‘jolly-boat’ alongside The Mermaid’s quarter and Drustina clambered down a knotted rope to join him. She explained her suspicions and Carl grinned.

“You always were a crazy boy and your change to being a girl did nothing to alter that. You are still a wild woman but I trust you to defend yourself. If they are all women, then you shouldn’t have any trouble.”

He set to with the oars and Drustina watched his powerful muscles rippling under his bronzed, weather-beaten hide. Within moments they had crossed the gap and Carl grabbed a rope that the pirate ship had thrown to them. Drustina easily climbed aboard and stood confronting a woman with blue eyes who showed little fear. For a moment Drustina was unsure what to make of the woman’s seeming bravery then the woman spoke in a harsh cracked voice.

“You come alone! A woman alone! Have you no fear of death?”

“I see no threat of death,” Drustina smiled a little evilly,” I can defend myself. Now who are you and where do you come from?”

The woman’s eyes fell to Drustina’s well worn scabbard and the dull shine of a much used Toledo blade within it. She shrugged despairingly then sighed.

“It matters not who we are or whence we come. We are doomed now. Where are you taking us?”

“I’m asking the questions,” Drustina replied softly but with clear authority hardening her voice. “Now, again please; who are you and where do you come from?”

“We are from the convent at Hel. We were nuns.”

Drustina did a double take then realised the women were all garbed in dark hooded garments that had probably started life as nun’s habits.

“By God! Nuns you say?”

“We were nuns. It is a closed order so nobody visits the women put away there.”

Drustina’s sharp brain was still struggling to make sense so she probed deeper.

“So explain. How do nuns become pirates? Where you stealing for God or some such lunacy.”

“We did not wish to become pirates, it was forced upon us.”

“How?”

“The priest. He was the convent’s father confessor. He gradually closed off all external contact with the rest of the town and made sure that all contact was organised through him. We could not get in touch with anybody.”

“That’s stupid. Anyway, if you’re a closed order, you would not need to contact anybody, are you not wholly self-sufficient?”

“Not wholly. The water supply is precarious. We depend upon the town’s well and the water is piped from a cistern fed by the well. Normally the well is fed by a submarine spring until the spit grew to cover it. The well enabled the town to come into being. Hel is on the end of the Sandy spit and the water is not always pure. After storms there is sometimes salt incursion and the well takes a day or so to purify itself from the spring. The sea is close on three sides but the town has slowly built protective walls and it’s on stable land now. The well is lined now and only occasionally gets polluted with salt.”

Drustina’s mind ticked slowly. If the convent was denied water they would soon die of thirst.

“So why did not one of you go into the town and explain to the towns-people.”

“The priest spread rumours that we were harbouring lepers; that we had become a leper colony and we nuns were treating them.”

Leprosy was dreaded by all and Drustina shuddered at the very thought as she persevered.

“And are there any lepers?”

“No, but the villagers believed the priest not us. The villagers shunned us.”

Drustina frowned thoughtfully.

“So only the priest could come amongst you, protected by this one god they all preach about.”

“Do not mock the almighty,” the nun cringed,” you are inviting his wrath.”

“And you are inviting mine.” Drustina replied softly.

The nun stared nervously.

“You gave us your word.”

“My word is not a licence for you to indulge your religion and the mental oppression it dispenses. So how did this one single priest manage to persuade a whole convent full of holy women to rob ships and murder innocent seamen.”

“We were starving. Without water from the town well, our fields will not grow food.”

“So no water and no help from the village.” Drustina surmised.

“Exactly. We were starving.”

“So why didn’t one of you try to escape and approach the bishop.”

“She did. She never returned.”

“So she either never reached the Bishop or he didn’t act upon her story.” Drustina surmised.

“We don’t know which.” The nun answered

“Hmmm.” Drustina paused for thought. “Perhaps this goes deeper than I first imagined.”

“We, we don’t know if we can trust the Bishop.” The nun confessed reluctantly.

Drustina sneered ironically for in her experiences she had learned she could never trust a bishop. She ordered all the nuns to remove their head covers and when they hesitated Drustina’s sword flashed free with a speed that sent terror through their ranks. The leader spoke again but much more circumspectly.

“But you are a woman!! Where did you learn sword-play such as that?”

“It matters not! Remove your head covers.”

To emphasise her determination, Drustina flicked up her sword and the Toledo blade sliced easily through the leader’s wimple. Released from its starched tension, the hooded rim sprang apart to reveal the woman’s hair. Drustina noted it was well kept and long, unusual for a nun belonging to a strict closed order. She kept her counsel though as the woman tried to recover her ‘modesty’ by pulling the sprung rims together. It was a futile gesture and to remove further temptation, Drustina sliced again to completely remove the covering. The nun’s hair flowed luxuriously over her shoulders and she struggled to bunch it into a facsimile of the tight pony-tail that Drustina was sporting.

“You’ll need a tie to hold it back ... some string or something. If you want me to uncover all the women thus, I will do so without hesitation.” She turned to the crew and repeated her instruction. “Now uncover your heads.” As they reluctantly started to unpin their wimples Drustina turned again to the leader. Are they all blessed with hair such as yours?”

The leader nodded guiltily as she finally found some small chord to secure her hair. Drustina noted that the woman was not unpretty and she wondered how the woman had come to take up with the church. Bluntly she asked the woman.

“You are blessed with some beauty; you could easily have had a husband! Why did you forsake normality and follow this closed life?”

“I didn’t choose, I was forced to.”

“How so?”

“My younger step brothers were jealous of my inheritance handed to me by our father. When he died, they forcibly entered me into this life declaring that I was an unworthy woman and must needs
become a nun to find salvation.”

Drustina fell silent. It was a familiar story and she had encountered plenty like it or similar. It seemed this hateful misogynistic church was even more cruelly entrenched in these parts. When she arrived at Kalin, there would be questions to answer and not by the nuns. Drustina persevered.

“I suppose many of these women have similar stories.”

The leader shrugged and nodded despondently.

“Who would chose such a restricted life voluntarily?” She replied..

“Who indeed?” Drustina added. “Well. You’d best prepare for an arrival in Kalin. I must leave it to the Authorities there to deal with you. Am I right in presuming this is the whole gang of pirates. Are there more?”

“None that I know of. We were forced to rob to feed ourselves and supply that greedy priest with any valuables we plundered.”

“So how did you do it? How did you overcome whole crews of Saxon and Norse seamen.”

“You’d be surprised how much a woman’s voice and a pretty face can bring down a man’s guard. Once we were alongside it was easy to surprise them as they let their guards down.”

“But to murder them ... all of them? Why so brutal?”

“It was the priest’s doing. He offered us salvation and absolution for our crimes and besides, dead men tell no tales. We picked our victims, or rather he did. Small ships with valuable cargoes and small crews. We don’t know how he came by his information.”

“I do,” Drustina added. “There are plenty of loose tongues in the bars of Gdan and Gdyn.”

“But what of the incoming ships? How would he have learned of those?” The leader asked.

“That’s what exercises my mind. He must have a network of spies all over the Baltic.”

“Where; in the church?” The nun squeaked disbelievingly

“Possibly ... no probably. I’m beginning to realise you are not entirely to blame.”

“But that’s obscene, to accuse the holy fathers of furthering piracy and murder.” The nun protested.

“He did it, so why wouldn’t others of like mind. I’ve met some bullies and some bigots amongst the holy men. I’m still puzzled as to how he managed to persuade so many of you.”

“We were starving in the convent. Some of our sisters died; the older ones and the infirm.”

“But what of the others? Surely not all the able-bodied women were persuaded?”

“They were after some of us were punished and put to death.”

Drustina fell into a disbelieving silence then asked generally of all the women.

“Is this true?”

There was a murmuring of confirmation for the women were still frightened. The strange woman with the sword had come amongst them like a lioness amongst sheep and they did not know what to make of her. Drustina softened her voice for she recognised they were terrified of what would befall them in Kalin. Then she had an idea.

“We will return to Hel and go to the convent. Show me the bodies of the ‘punished’ nuns and I will have proof of your involuntary subjugation. I can then make a case for you!”

The lead nun sobbed.

“What! You would advocate for us?”

Drustina shrugged.

“Who else is there?” I at least have the evidence of my own eyes and my crew’s eyes. Now if I am to find out the truth and if what you say is true then I must needs know your name.

“It’s Sister Catherine,” the nun revealed.

Drustina glanced meaningfully toward the four ships then turned to face the leader Sister Catherine again.

“Now, there are nearly two hundred witnesses over there. They will accompany you with me to Hel and I will confirm your story. We will even recover bones if we can. I do not fear death or the dead. Once the bones are presented to the court and your story proven, we can re-bury them.”

“You would be desecrating holy graves; violating the dead!”

Drustina became exasperated. It seemed the woman was more afraid of this one god and the priests than the courts. She explained patiently.

“Listen woman! You can stuff your pious hypocrisy about desecrating graves! Without hard proof it is likely the courts will desecrate your necks!”

Sister Catherine fell silent then pressed.

“Please promise me you will reinter the bones with respect. These women where our sisters and friends.”

“Of course I bloody will. Now onward to Hel!”