by B A Simmons
“He said I did what?!” Edwin shouted before he realized that Ches meant ‘embarrassed.’
“Cap’n, he can’t be serious, can he?” James said.
“Maybe the toadstool has finally gone to his head,” Duncan added.
Edwin sighed, “It doesn’t matter. We’ll wait out the storm aboard the ship. There’s no need to go ashore.”
“You’re going to have to face him,” Duncan said.
“Why? He’s just blowing off steam. By the time we come back here, he’ll have calmed down.”
“Duncan’s right, Cap’n. If you don’t face him now, when we come back again, you won’t be king of this island anymore,” James said.
Edwin was struck with the truth of what his crew told him. He would have to face Louie, and he understood this meant he might have to kill him. Yet, without a challenge, he would lose the respect of the people. No respect, no toadstool.
“Ches, if I challenge Louie, will he back down?”
“Louie a bicman an’ e knows how ta fight. E likes fightin’.”
“I don’t want to fight him at all. Isn’t there some way to avoid this?”
“Youss King Ed-win. Youss shock ’im widda spear like da beest.”
“The spear?” Edwin said, realizing that Ches had seen him use the lightning spear on the Oric. Ches had no idea the spear had lost all its power. Edwin had tried it after Rob and Doctor Morris returned it, hoping perhaps the old teacher had fixed it. Despite it not being functional, Edwin had an idea of how it might help him fight Louie.
In the time it took Edwin and his crew to reach the shore, the rain soaked through their armor and into their clothes. The wind blew in powerful gusts every few seconds and chilled them to the bone. A crowd of islanders awaited them. Standing there mostly naked, they seemed unaffected by the weather. Ches addressed them, as he felt was his duty and informed them that King Edwin did not take kindly to the threats made against him. He was cut off by a curse from Louie who brought his stout figure to the front line of the assemblage.
Both of his hands were busy hefting a large stone axe. The stone blade of a knife was tucked into the thin rope belt around his sizable waist. It was amazing to Edwin that a man could get so large on a diet of octopus and toadstool.
“Youss noking nomor!” Louie grumbled. “Youss take awda toesteww an’ leaf-us beests dat make awful noises and punchus wid-dere heads! Anden youss no like dat we ate ’em. Ches no stan’ up ta youss, but I weew!”
Several of the islanders nodded and murmured along with Louie. Most of them remained quiet, looking anxiously between the two men.
Edwin cleared his throat, “Louie, I came here and slew the big beast that ate your last chief. You celebrated with us and proclaimed me your king. I brought you the goats to help you, so that you don’t have to live off octopus. You don’t like that I take the toadstool closest to the village, but there is plenty of it on the island still. You just have to walk farther now to get it. And for all that I’ve done for you, what thanks do I get? You kill and eat the gifts I brought you and threaten to kill me. Tell me you’re sorry right now, and I’ll forgive you.”
Ches translated as best he could, but there were a few words he seemed not to know. However, it was clear that Louie understood what Edwin expected of him, for the indignation reddened his face. He growled at Edwin, spat and shouted, “I keew youss!”
Louie moved forward and the crowd retreated. Edwin lifted his round shield and drew the short sword from his belt. He looked behind him and saw that Duncan stood ready with his bow. Eugene and James were also armed and ready to assist their captain should things go badly. Edwin had no intention of dying on Fishhook, especially in such a ridiculous dispute. He would retreat in disgrace, if that is what it came to. However, he was willing to give it a go with Louie and hope that his plan worked.
Louie began shuffling and sidestepping Edwin, who turned to keep the shield between himself and the hulking threat. Every now and again, Louie lunged forward and screamed. It would have been a humorous sight, were it not for the deadly intentions the man held. Edwin remembered the training he’d had with Mark and the mercenaries and kept calm. He waited for Louie to engage and show his skills or lack thereof. After what seemed far too long for an act of intimidation, Louie lifted his axe and swung in an arching motion. The blow was easily avoided with a quick step backward. Even if he hadn’t dodged, Edwin could have blocked the axe with his shield without having to move it.
It was Louie’s next move that told Edwin just how skilled his opponent was with that axe. He swung again in the same arching motion, and Edwin lifted the shield up, just in case. Then suddenly, as the axe head passed the bottom edge of the shield, Louie punched it forward. Edwin’s shield arm acted as the fulcrum point and the top edge popped out, exposing his face to Louie’s left hook.
The punch sent Edwin staggering back. He lost vision in his right eye as the pain shot through his skull. He swung out wildly with his sword just to keep Louie back while he reset himself. Once his eyes could focus again, he saw a malicious grin on Louie’s face.
Louie began sidestepping again, and Edwin continued to pivot, keeping his shield in front of him. Louie lunged forward with a shout to test Edwin’s reaction. Edwin did his best to stay calm, though he felt his heart pounding against the leather and wood of the jacket protecting it.
Louie swung again, this time from a different angle. While the blow missed, Louie recovered quickly, not allowing Edwin time to counterattack. The next blow smashed hard against the wooden shield, sending a few splinters out into the rain. It was followed quickly by another aimed at Edwin’s legs. He caught this one on the shield as well and swung his sword at Louie’s outstretched arms, but the hefty man was quicker than Edwin would have guessed.
The axe came down fast, biting into the edge of the shield. To free his weapon, Louie yanked back hard. This tore chunks of wood off the shield and caused Edwin to momentarily lose his footing. He was lucky there were enough rocks in the mud to keep his feet from slipping out from under him altogether.
It was clear to Edwin that Louie had an advantage with the axe. He could strike out from a distance greater than what Edwin could reach with his sword. Two more hits against the shield, and Edwin knew it wouldn’t last much longer. It was time to employ his own intimidation tactic.
He placed his sword into his shield hand and reached back to his belt. He drew out the lightning spear, knowing well that Louie would recognize it as the weapon that brought down the Oric. Edwin hoped this would scare his opponent enough to make him more cautious in his attacks, perhaps enough to make Louie give up the fight.
None of the Fishhook Islanders knew that the power of the spear was no more, and many of them gasped when they saw Edwin draw it. Louie’s eyes went wide and, for a moment, he hesitated.
It was only a moment though. He brought the axe high above his head, and with another fierce shout, he charged at Edwin, bring it down with all his might. Edwin brought up his shield to meet the axe. There was a pain in his forearm as he felt the weight of the shield shift. Half of it shielded his left hand while the other half hung down on his arm. Louie stepped back, looked at the shield split in two, and grinned like an artist examining his work. He allowed Edwin to shed the broken piece of armor without more than a chuckle.
Edwin, keeping the spear in his right hand and his sword in his left, shifted his stance. He remembered what Charlie had taught him about fighting without a shield. He would have to be more aggressive now. And why not, since his plan of intimidation had obviously failed. He needed to put Louie on the defensive.
He jabbed at Louie with his sword, jabs that were parried easily with the stone axe, but allowed Edwin to get closer. After half a dozen jabs drew Louie’s attention away from the spear, Edwin shifted his body and stabbed with the ancient weapon. The prongs, while sharp, were not designed to wound flesh. Nevertheless, the blow connected with Louie’s chest and a trickle of blood mixed with the rain drippi
ng down his torso.
This seemed to incense Louie, who struck out again. Edwin tried to parry with the sword, only to have it knocked from his hand. As Louie brought the axe down again, Edwin had no choice but to close in quickly and take hold of the haft. However, his one hand was not enough to control it.
In a surprising move, Louie sidestepped again, took hold of Edwin’s right arm and turned him around. He then swung the haft of the axe over Edwin’s head and brought it back. Edwin was pinned against Louie’s chest with the wooden haft pressing against his neck. Only his left arm kept his throat from being crushed. Louie’s strength was too much for Edwin to contend with, and he felt the strength of his arms draining. It was clear that Louie intended to choke the life out of him, rather than chop him in two.
In an act of desperation, Edwin thrust the lightning spear backward over his head. The prongs went straight into Louie’s left eye. He let out a horrible scream and immediately released Edwin who fell forward and gasped. Louie danced again, but this time in pain as he wailed and howled, both hands over his eye.
Edwin looked to his crew. Duncan had drawn back on his bow with his aim at Louie. Edwin waved him off. He was glad to see that they weren’t about to let him die, but now that Louie was on his knees shrieking, he did not want him dead.
Picking up his sword, Edwin placed the tip of it on Louie’s neck and said, “Louie, I don’t want to kill you, but I will this very moment if you do not swear to obey and serve me.”
Louie didn’t need Ches’s translation to understand what Edwin was threatening. He quieted down and fixed his one good eye on Edwin’s face. He saw the sincerity there and bowed his head.
“I serf bicking Ed-win,” he muttered.
“I serf bicking Ed-win!” Ches said with excitement and knelt toward Edwin.
The rest of the islanders, some eager, others less so, all knelt and muttered the same oath. Though soaking wet and exhausted, Edwin felt a surge of emotion. Tears escaped his eyes at the sight of the whole island bowing to him. Over the howl of the wind and Louie’s whimpering, he announced, “I, King Edwin Johnson, swear to serve you, my people! I cannot be here all the time, but I will come as often as I can and bring you gifts to make your lives better. I promise you, if you listen to me, your lives will be better than they ever have been.”
An awkward hush fell over the crowd until Ches turned and translated, as best he could. Edwin was taken aback at the sudden outpouring—tears and cries of gratitude came with outstretched hands. If anyone had doubted his right to rule the island, they had lost all misgivings.
“A rousing speech, Cap’n,” Eugene said as they prepared the dinghy to go back to the Anna Louisa.
“Thanks. I hope it was enough for you.”
“For me?”
“For the three of you,” Edwin said, looking at his crew. “I’m going to stay a while.”
“What?”
“I’ve got to show these people real leadership, and I can’t do that if I’m always sailing away.”
“How long are you thinking to stay?” James asked.
“Just as long as it takes for you to deliver our cargo on Engle Isle and come back for me. Don’t you even think of going anywhere else without me.”
Duncan scoffed, “You plan to stay here, eating octopus and toadstool with these people for a week as a show of leadership?”
Edwin thought for a moment, then said. “You’re right. You’d better give me a barrel of oats and crock or two of pickled vegetables. Oh, and my fishing line. I’ve got to show these people there’s more than octopus to eat.”
The storm passed during the night, and by morning, the Anna Louisa was a small white speck on the deep blue of the sea. She sailed on without her captain, but Fishhook Isle had her king.
3: The Punishers
Pete and Trina stood together on the Alphina’s quarterdeck. Five pairs of men trained on the deck below them. The order of the day was close hand-to-hand combat, specifically knife fighting. Edward, known as the Toad, was the instructor. They used sheathed weapons and grappled with each other as much as they slashed and stabbed. They were all experts, at least by Pete’s estimation. Trina also found nothing but compliments to their technique and discipline.
Jacob, on the other hand, was off to the side huffing and mumbling under his breath. After Edward noticed him rolling his eyes at the demonstration, he invited him to join in the exercise. Jacob smirked as he stepped forward and accepted Edward’s dagger. After checking to ensure the leather was secured around the blade, he took up a stance with the blade pointed at the deck.
To everyone’s surprise, Edward took a knife from his chief medic, Wallace, and assumed the part of Jacob’s sparring partner. Despite the gentle pitching and rolling of the ship, the two men seemed to dance gracefully around each other. Jacob made a few quick slashes at Edward and once lunged forward with a stab downward. Each was easily dodged by the Punishers’ captain, who made no attempt to counterattack.
The dance continued for several minutes. Only once did Jacob come close to striking Edward. Finally, his patience lost, Jacob reached out with his free hand to take hold of Edward’s weapon hand. It was his undoing.
Edward moved with the speed of a rayfish and the ferocity of a hellhound. Rather than Jacob taking hold of his opponent, his own wrist was turned and a quick kick dropped him to his knees. Edward was suddenly standing over him with his knife’s point pressed into Jacob’s left armpit.
“A blade in this position will puncture your lung. If it’s long enough, your heart.”
Edward released his grip on Jacob’s wrist and extended his arm to lift him up. He continued, “You’ve got talent, but before you scoff at us, be sure you can beat us. Pride must be earned.” He turned to his men, “Punishers, are we proud?”
They responded in unison, “Pride is for the dead!”
To his credit, Jacob not only remained out on deck but began taking instruction from Edward.
It had been more than five weeks since they set out from Copper Isle to fetch the Punishers. They’d arrived at Southport after three weeks of hard sailing and had a day to load Edward and his men, their equipment, and enough food for all of them during the return voyage. Pete felt the urgency Mark had expressed to him before their departure. The rains were coming. Winter storms could sink both the Alphina and the Old Man if they didn’t make it back in time.
At least the Punishers were well disciplined. Not just in fighting, but in their deportment aboard the ships. As cramped for space as they were below deck, there hadn’t been any fights. At least, none that hadn’t been designed as training. And training was an everyday occurrence. Edward was a sight to behold. He was a head shorter than Pete, tattooed front and back from his neck to belly and down both arms, and he sported more muscles than Jacob or Mark. Yet, he smiled as often as Pete did, was polite (except when drilling with his men), and flirted constantly with Pete’s female crewmembers. While Trina turned her nose up at his bright eyes, preferring to spend more time with Pete, Lizzy and Adele were both smitten.
The ships were now approaching Forgotten Isle, where the plan was to replenish water stores before setting out for the long stretch of sea between there and Copper Isle. Yet as they approached from the north, they were signaled from the peak, which overlooked the sea on that end of the island. It was a heliograph, but it used a code that Pete did not know. Signals from Tim on the nearby Old Man told him they didn’t recognize it either. Pete called for Edward.
“Look at the peak there,” Pete said, handing the far-see to the mercenary. “Do you know what that signal is saying?”
Edward watched for a while then shook his head. “No,” he said, but then turned to one of his men on deck. “Go below and get Joshua.”
A minute later, a Punisher answering to that name approached his captain with a salute. Edward gave him the far-see and pointed toward the peak. As Joshua brought the lenses to his eyes, Pete noticed a tattoo in the shape of a serpent on his forearm
.
“Look there and tell us that signal if you can,” Edward ordered.
Joshua looked and, after a few moments, turned to his captain. “They’re asking us to identify ourselves.”
“Is it a Falcon signal?”
Joshua nodded, “I’d bet my life on it. A new code, but definitely in Iyty and based on previous codes they’ve used.”
“How do you know so much about Falcon codes?” Trina asked.
Joshua glanced at his tattoo. “We go way back, the Falcons and me. I was imprisoned as a galley slave for two years. We learned their codes to aid us in escaping.”
“We?” Pete said.
“My brother and a few others. They’re all dead now.”
“Cap’n,” Trina said. “If the Falcons are on Forgotten Isle, how will we get water? The only other place nearby is Long Beard, and it’s suicide to go there.”
“We’ll see what they’ve got there. If it’s just a small signaling crew, we can take them prisoner.”
“Yeah, because that turned out well last time,” Trina said.
“Even if they’ve got more forces there,” Edward piped in, “we can help push them off. If the Falcons are coming this far north, then they’re really on the move. Might as well challenge them here as well as on Alimia.”
“Okay, but we can’t get distracted. Alimia is more important,” Pete said.
They did not attempt to answer the signal from the peak, but rather, Edward brought a platoon of Punishers out on deck where they armored themselves and prepared for battle. Seeing no other ships in the bay on the east side, Pete set out in the Alphina’s dinghy with the platoon of men while Tim sent out his small boat to fetch water.
The only trees on the island grew on the bank of the stream, which extended up the east slope until about four hundred feet from the peak. The rest of the island was covered in three-foot-high grass and strewn with rocks and boulders.
Edward deployed his men along the tree line on each side of the stream. He led seven of them up the south side while a man he called Sergeant Pitts took seven others on the north. Pete followed close behind Edward’s group, being sure not to get in their way. The hike was steep, but the men did not seem to be deterred. Even though the hike took at least an hour, they moved slowly and methodically. Just before the trees ended, near the source of the stream, the two groups met up again.