Shadow Rogue Ascendant

by Mike Truk

  I could barely make out what was happening above them - Netherys seemed recovered, but was being mobbed by a school of silvery fish, each as long as my arm, while Tamara was stabbing a dagger over and over into the eel that enveloped Cerys.

  Iris? No sign of her.

  Forcing myself to move, I tried to swim up, to rejoin the fight. I was but a few yards above the seaweed-strewn muddy bay floor. The water here was frigid, which felt good against my wounds, but I had to swim up, had to reach my friends -

  Gritting my teeth, glad for the numbness that had enveloped me, I swam awkwardly up, moving slowly, far too slowly to be of help.

  But because of my angle as I climbed, I saw something massive falling toward us. Had Krakenia summoned another sea monster?

  My heart leaped. No, no monster - it was Pony, diving down like a flung harpoon, arms and legs pressed into a line, coming in fast - way faster than he should have been able to -

  Anacoana was just above him, her wicker helm gone, her arms looped under his own, her long, athletic legs kicking with fluid power, driving him down with some magic all of her own, for they were coming in fast, faster than even a large rock could fall, faster even than Cerys’ arrows -

  Krakenia sensed something, drew back from Yashara, and looked up.

  Too late.

  She had time to scream, her tentacles flaring out into a web of crimson around her, and then Pony punched right into her center, one huge blue hand wrapping around her neck, the other grabbing one of the two huge tentacles that grew out of the back of her head and tearing it free with a shuddering, terrible wrench.

  Anacoana released Pony but kept swimming down, faster and faster - toward me, I realized. That was strange. I wasn’t part of the fight.

  Down she came, moving with elegant fluidity, to reach my side and regard my wounds.

  “You’re dying,” she said.

  “It’s not that bad.” I considered the huge holes that were bleeding ever faster into the water. “Well, it’s pretty bad, but not terrible.”

  “Here.” She slid her hand under my tunic and rubbed it over the wounds. The blood stopped pouring forth. “A sealant. But your wounds, you’ve lost too much blood -”

  “Tamara,” I said. “Can you get me to her? She’s handy with these life-and-death moments.” The pain still hadn’t really hit. Just that awful sense of a vast and distant pressure, and a sinking feeling that I was pretty fucked.

  But not terribly fucked. I’d already survived worse.

  Anacoana looped her arms under mine and we surged upward.

  Pony was wrecking Krakenia’s shit. I laughed as we swam past them. He’d wrapped his legs around her waist, interlocking his ankles, and was pummeling the crap out of her with his huge, stony fists. Her tentacles were lashed all around him, but he didn’t seem to care.

  “That’s right!” I screamed as we flashed by them. “We brought a war troll to a fish fight!”

  Up we sped, and just as we reached where Tamara and Cerys were struggling with the eel, it uncoiled itself from around the Crimson Noose assassin and sped away, suddenly giving up the heart to fight.

  Cerys hunched over, floating into a ball, and spat forth another thick cloud of blood.

  “Tend to her,” I gasped, and Tamara nodded and swam to Cerys’ side.

  “But…” Despite not having facial features I could understand, Anacoana was clearly amazed. “You’re…”

  “Dying? Not yet.” I could feel my insides rebelling against the damage. My king troll nature already healing. I turned to stare below. Pony was sinking down to the bottom of the bay, a massive tentacle in each hand. Krakenia was a swiftly retreating shadow, trailing what might have been a cloud of ink or blood, disappearing into the dark depths of the coral maze.

  Relief washed over me, making me dizzy.

  Or maybe that was the blood loss.

  “Trouble,” said Anacoana, and I turned to see a score of lampetrapeople swimming swiftly toward us. “Of course, they only approach once Krakenia’s defeated.”

  “Shit,” I said softly. “What do we do?”

  “Nothing,” said Anacoana. She released my arm and with a subtle flick of her legs drifted forward. “I knew the price I’d have to pay when I dove down here. I have no regrets, Kellik. Good bye.”

  Chapter 13

  It’s hard to pull yourself back from the brink of blood loss-induced delirium and into a state of cold, sharp analysis, but the sight of some twenty lampetramen with needle-thin spears of gossamer steel did wonders for my focus.

  I moved forward to float beside Anacoana. Would that I could read her horrific face for any sign of emotion. Or that of her compatriots, actually. They hovered above The Hammer, gazing - ostensibly - at each other with their conical, fleshy heads, without eyes or eyebrows or cheeks or anything else I could read for emotion.

  Still, there was no mistaking the tension of the confrontation. What to do? Fight to defend her? Defy the will of the only beings who could help us navigate out of the bay?

  That’s when the coin dropped and I realized just how badly we’d screwed up. Or, to be less generous, Anacoana had screwed us over by diving into the water. Being caught by the lampetramen doing exactly what they’d forbidden us to do… well. Couldn’t be good. Then again, without Pony honing in on Krakenia like that…

  “Anacoana,” said a man at the front of the crowd. Or was it pack. A school? A school of lampetramen? “What are you doing here?”

  “Meloandar,” she replied, inclining her head. “I have no excuses for my behavior. I willingly face whatever punishment you decree.”

  Then, to my shock, or weird fascination, most of the lampetramen and women pushed a small stream of bubbles out of the perforations in their heads. These rose in distinct little globules. Only the two interlocutors refrained from this display. A form of communication? What did it signify?

  “What has happened here?” He spread his webbed fingers and fanned water toward his face. “I taste… blood of many varieties. Interlaced with fear. Horror. Desperation.”

  Yashara finally reached our side, having swum up with slow, powerful strokes, her statuesque body covered with cuts and gashes. “What do you want to do?” she asked me, voice low.

  I held out my hand, bidding her wait.

  Anacoana made an elaborate gesture, a shooing, or wafting motion with both hands, as if pushing water toward the distant other. “We hide nothing. We fought Krakenia, and wounded her badly. She fled the battle but moments ago.”

  Again another stream of bubbles left each lampetraperson’s head, and this time I thought I caught a pattern in how the bubbles streamed around each other.

  “I taste her blood,” said Meloandar. “Something I have never done before. How was this done?”

  “War troll,” I said, voice sounding brash even in my own ears. “Nobody expects one to drop on their head, not even underwater, I suppose.”

  The lampetraman quivered. Indignation? Curiosity? I couldn’t get a read. “War… troll.”

  “He is below,” said Anacoana, pointing out Pony who stood in the murk beside The Hammer, gazing up at us. “He nearly tore her apart. She fled his strength.”

  “You are the one who requested access to The Hammer before,” said Meloandar. “We denied it to you. Yet here you are.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” I even tried to sound apologetic. “I’m not good at giving up on what I wanted. I didn’t mean to offend.”

  Did he stare at me? Anacoana? I couldn’t tell. He just floated there, hands gently waving back and forth to hold him in position. Then he blew forth a furious stream of bubbles, and I thought I heard a subtle fluting sound at the same time.

  Those behind him responded, but not uniformly so; some mimicked his furious stream, others were more selective, blowing their bubbles forth in nuanced patterns I couldn’t follow or hope to decipher.

  Finally, Anacoana did the same, but bubbles emerged only from the small holes at the very top of her cone
.

  Tamara moved in the periphery of my vision, placing her hand on Netherys’ brow. “I have to take her up,” she whispered to me urgently, “she needs healing, now.”

  I nodded, indicating she should go. If the lampetramen objected, I’d deal with it.

  Luckily they didn’t. Tamara wrapped an arm around Netherys’ chest and kicked back toward the surface.

  “Krakenia has never been this weak before,” said a lampetrawoman from the pack. School. Shoal. “We should capitalize on this moment.”

  “Too risky,” said Meloandar. “Even wounded she is a dire threat.”

  “If we rouse the entire cargaan,” said a man from his other side, “if we all follow her, now, we could finish her once and for all. It is an opportunity. A rare one that may not come again.”

  Meloandar betrayed nothing. He could have been pondering what was going to be served for dinner for all I could tell.

  “Summon the cargaan,” he said at last, “and sound the gold conch. We pursue Krakenia into the labyrinth. I shall lead the eckleer. Anacoana, you shall lead the varsept once more. Deloathis, you shall lead the bulk of the cargaan, and take the center. We go!”

  The school of lampetramen broke apart in a flurry; a third of them swam with astonishing rapidity back toward the docks. Another third rushed forward, following Meloandar as he dove deep and off to the left. The others moved forward to crowd around Anacoana. She hesitated and then turned back to me.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I am returned to my people.” Even I could hear the joy in her voice. “What we have done here has brought much joy and hope. More than the outflow pipe brought despair. The scales have tipped, and I ride the wave back into power. I am given the most dangerous position, but I rejoice. With luck, Krakenia will be either be killed or driven from our bay. Thank you, Kellik. It is because of you that this has come to pass. I shall never forget my debt to you and your friends.”

  I was astounded and still light-headed, so all I could think to do was bow from the waist. “I’m the one who should thank you. You dove in and risked everything to help us. How about - instead of talking in terms of debt - we declare ourselves friends, and leave it at that?”

  “Friends,” said Anacoana, and with a kick of her feet glided toward me, hand extended.

  I took it. We shook, and then she blew forth an ebullient stream of bubbles from her face, released me, and surged past, followed by six others, the eddy of their passage turning me about.

  I raised my fist and slowly unclenched my fingers. In my palm glimmered Beauhammer’s locket.

  “Mission accomplished,” I said to Cerys and Yashara. “Let’s get Iris and Pony on the boat and the hell out of this bay.”

  * * *

  The rest of the day wasn’t as smoothly executed. Coming off our victory high, we returned to the Bonegwayne to find ourselves being evicted.

  “My apologies, Kellik,” said Maestria, standing at the top of the gangplank, arms crossed. I thought Havatier and the dozen armed sailors behind her were both unnecessary and mildly unsettling until I realized they weren’t there for us: they were bristling and looking ready for violence for the sake of everyone watching from the docks. A message to the Nautilus company.

  “Nothing to apologize for,” I said, wishing I could summon a little more flair than my dripping clothes allowed for. “You’ve been more than kind. Maybe even too kind.”

  “I’ve not found anyone who’ll take in a war troll.” Maestria raised her tattooed chin. “Not for lack of trying. But I won’t allow you to stay any longer on the Bonegwayne, so you’re out of luck.”

  I rubbed at the length of my jaw. “Understandable. We’ll figure it out.”

  Maestria didn’t take her eyes off me and my crew. “Samel.”

  The massive boatswain ambled down the gangplank, a couple of satchels and parcels hanging from one meaty fist. “Your belongings,” he said, setting it down on the pier.

  “Too kind. It’s been fun, Captain. I hope to one day share a drink with you under more peaceful circumstances.”

  Maestria pitched her voice to carry. “And I hope to never see you again, Kellik. You’ve been nothing but trouble for me since we met. Good bye.”

  “That was subtle,” said Cerys, turning to survey the docks.

  “You can’t fault her,” said Netherys, pulling the hood of her cloak lower. “We’ve become an existential threat.”

  Pony picked up the bundles and tried to pull the hood of the massive cloak we’d fashioned for him out of canvas sail a little lower over his face. I wanted to both laugh and wince at the same time. Even if we’d wrapped him up completely, his massive stature would give him away.

  “I’ve an idea,” said Tamara. “I think I know a place that’s large enough to take us in without any trouble, and disreputable enough that the owner won’t mind.”

  Pogo perked up. “Excellent thinking. Yes. Jessie’s warehouse could serve admirably. We are, after all, on excellent terms pending your signing a number of provisional contracts with her shipping company.”

  I sighed. “I was hoping you’d suggest the Mermaid, but sure. Let’s get out of sight.”

  Cerys walked alongside me. “Aren’t we effectively embroiling Jessie in our own problems?”

  “Yeah. But we’re out of options, and she’s already a member of the criminal underworld. Perhaps she has connections to the companies with which she can salvage the situation. Perhaps she has some form of immunity like members of the Family did back home. Best yet, we can figure out a place to hide from there, and move Pony to our next location hidden in the back of a cart or something. That way the whole town won’t know where we are.”

  That’s the downside to having a war troll. It made sneaking or even just getting around inconspicuously impossible. Everyone turned to watch our passage. Old sailors ceased mending their nets. Costermongers stopped crying out their wares. Bands of barefoot children stopped their games to gape. People leaned out of windows.

  “A pity Anacoana’s spell expired,” muttered Yashara. “It would have been best to have him walk along the bottom of the bay to the edge of the dock.”

  The mood was growing too heavy for my liking. “Listen up, all of you. We’ve secured Beauhammer’s locket. That’s what matters. We’ll be presenting it to him at tonight’s ball, at which point we’ll become a sanctioned team. The Nautilus company will then have to enter the ruins to find us, and good luck to them if they do that. All we need to do is stay one step ahead of them until then, which with our varied talents I’m sure we can do. All right? So cheer the fuck up. Everything’s moving in the right direction.”

  “Live and learn,” said Cerys. “Who’d have guessed that king trolls were life’s eternal optimists?”

  Tamara and Yashara chuckled.

  “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned these past few weeks, it’s that the trick to dealing with massively powerful enemies like the Family or the Nautilus company is to move faster than they can react. We’ll spend the day at Jessie’s and then relocate to another hideout once night falls. And then relocate again. We keep moving, they’ll be unable to launch an attack.”

  “Agreed,” said Yashara, “but remember that they are thinking, dynamic foes. They won’t remain frozen while we act. They’ll launch their own initiatives. Perhaps use magic of their own to locate us.”

  “They keys should help stop that,” I said. “They blanket a limited area around themselves. We’ll hang one around Pony’s neck so that he’s always safe, as he’s an obvious target to search for. I’ll keep the second, and then we’ll distribute the third as necessary.”

  “We can return to my manor,” said Iris from the back of the group. “Once night falls. Nobody will think to search for us there, and the estate’s reputation should keep inquisitive eyes averted.”

  I turned around so as to walk backwards, arms spread. “Fantastic idea. We’ll cart Pony up there once dusk falls
and lie low. Thank you, Iris.”

  The necromancer bobbed her head and smiled. “My pleasure.”

  Still walking backward, I grinned at my companions. “See? Things are falling into place. We’ve got this, guys. We just accomplished the impossible and secured a locket that’s been lost for thirty years, despite the lampetramen forbidding us to do so. And helped Anacoana return to her people. With Elsa’s help we’ll be impressing Beauhammer in short order, and then it’s a quick strike at the White Suns and we’ll be done with Port Lusander. With a little luck we’ll be out of here within a couple of days.”

  I saw some dubious nods, a few exchanged glances.

  Pogo pushed his glasses up his prodigious nose. “His optimism is irrationally infectious.”

  Netherys’ smile was both wicked and fond. “And he’s so earnest, isn’t he? Like a puppy intent on convincing you to play.”

  “As inspiring speeches go, that was serviceable,” said Yashara. “It glosses over the more dangerous aspects of the plan, like the actual strike on the White Suns, but it was still a good attempt.”

  My grin grew strained. “Can we not dissect my morale-raising speech right in front of me?”

  “I’m not worried at all,” offered Iris, tone hesitant as if unsure whether her contribution was needed.

  “We all know that,” said Netherys, rolling her eyes. “But thank you regardless, dear.”

  “Not worried,” rumbled Pony, his voice like summer thunder.

  “See? Now, that’s a vote of confidence,” I said, and finally swung around to walk normally again. “Pony and Iris believe in me. I couldn’t ask for much more.”

  “I believe in you,” said Pogo. “You are a tangible, concrete presence that I cannot wish away. How could I not believe in you?”

  “He means they have faith in him,” said Tamara, and then tskked as she realized how that could also be misinterpreted. “That they have faith in his ability to lead them to success.”

  “Ah,” said Pogo. “I would quantify my faith in his ability to do so at about sixty-five percent.”