Dragon Through Darkness

by T R Kerby

  She could be dead. Maybe that would be better than this.

  Chapter 9

  "Time to go." Randir heaved Caeth into the boat as the torch bearing crowd closed in on the dock. Caeth lit with a grunt on the two sentries and his head thunked against the seat. Randir swung Erien across the opening as Tegedir untied the rope and used an oar to shove away from the dock.

  Randir sat beside him and they put their backs to the oars. Much too slowly, it drew away from the pier.

  "Shhhh." Tegedir stopped rowing and they drifted into the darkness. The crowd on the dock congregated around the stack of supplies. A lone man walked the pier's length and stared into the moonless night. The torch he raised didn't cast enough light to expose the rowboat.

  Randir sensed the man's gaze probing the night. Thank Alimarae for a moonless sky. The gentle sea rocked the wooden boat like a mother at the cradle. Apparently deciding nothing was stolen, the crowd dispersed, leaving two new sentries behind. The man left with the others, looking over his shoulder as he went.

  The oars entered the water with no sound and they floated farther from the dock. "How are we getting on board without being speared like fish in a barrel?" Randir asked.

  Tegedir tipped his head toward the still form in the bottom of the boat. "Our new friend will help us."

  "He doesn't look helpful."

  "He will be."

  "I can't swim," Erien said.

  "Don't fall in," Randir said.

  "Your mate is an ass," Erien told Trinn.

  Ahead of them, lanterns swung above the Advantage's deck. No one was visible. "Maybe they're asleep," Trinn whispered.

  "Wake our pet," Tegedir said.

  Trinn sloshed water across Caeth's face. He sputtered and lurched upright.

  Tegedir yanked him forward until he was inches from his face. "Your Captain wants a dragon egg. For some reason, she sent you to be sure she got it. We're using her ship, and you're helping us. Any part of that you don't understand?"

  Caeth shook his head.

  "The gag is coming off. If you cross us, Trinn here is severing your spine with her sword and seeing if you float. Clear?"

  Caeth nodded again, and Tegedir removed the gag. Caeth licked his lips and swallowed several times. "Nasty."

  "Behave, and you won't have to wear it."

  The rowboat bumped against the ship. Randir stared at the vessel's steep sides, blocking the stars like a cliff. It was a long way up. Completely defensible from four people in a rowboat. "If this goes bad, go over the side and under the boat," he whispered. It would offer some protection until the flaming arrows lit the boat on fire. Then they'd have to let go and drown. Fun times.

  "Hail them, Caeth," Tegedir said.

  Caeth whistled, three short chirps and one drawn out note.

  Randir tensed. That could mean anything.

  A moment later, a shaggy head popped over the railing, lantern held high in a thick fist. "Caeth? What are you doing here? Where's the Captain?"

  "She sent us on a mission. We need Advantage to get there. Drop the ladder, Aldo."

  Was Aldo the man's real name? He showed no negative reaction, but that didn't mean anything.

  "Who's with you?" Aldo leaned out for a better view.

  A second man appeared beside him."What's going on?"

  "Caeth's back with company. Says Cap' sent him," Aldo said.

  A superior officer Randir judged. He'd have to get control of him first.

  "Drop the ladder, Mate," Caeth said. "Murdoc sent us on an errand."

  A moment later, a rope ladder fell from the dark and whacked Randir on the head. He shrugged his way free and glared at the women as they grinned.

  "Trinn and Erien first," Tegedir said. "They'll disarm you. Let them. We need them to sail this thing." He caught Caeth by the nape of the neck. "You and I go last."

  Trinn and Erien mounted the ladder as Randir steadied it. Two men lifted them the last few feet. Randir strained to hear, but no sounds of distress reached him.

  Randir glanced at his Commander. Tegedir's eyes caught the faint glow from the lanterns. "Go ahead," Tegedir said. "Right behind you."

  Randir inhaled as his gaze followed the flimsy bit of rope toward the star littered sky. He wiped his palms on his leggings and gripped one of the rungs. Cactus was more comfortable. The rowboat plunged as he stepped onto the ladder. The rope folded beneath his weight and swung against the ship, cracking his knuckles on unforgiving wood. He sucked in the curses and climbed. The uncooperative ladder folded and flopped, alternately threatening to bind him or drop him.

  Tegedir and Caeth shrank beneath him, while the row of heads above him grew closer. This looked simple when Trinn and Erien did it. Must be his heavier weight. He reached the railing and two large men snagged him. They hauled him over the rail with little concern for his comfort. The spotless deck was fine grained and polished to a mirror reflection. Having his face stuck to it gave him a unique perspective. Someone knelt on his shoulders as another stripped his weapons. He winced as someone grabbed his crotch. "Hey!"

  They stood him up and lashed him to the mast. Two sailors held Trinn and Erien. Unhurt, but mad as wet cats. Someone must have searched them, too.

  Five men. Two holding the women, two dragging whoever came up the ladder on board, and one watching the show with crossed arms and a scowl. Caeth hadn't lied. Randir grunted. Miracles do happen.

  Caeth's head appeared and the two sailors helped him on board with more concern for his welfare than they'd shown Randir. The scowling officer acknowledged the boy with a limp salute.

  Tegedir bent his elbow over the rail and extended his hand to one of the men. When the man took it, Tegedir jerked him over the side. His surprised scream ended in a splash.

  Trinn and Erien drove their fists into their attackers' groins and caught their throats as they doubled up.

  Tegedir swung over the rail and kicked the other man in the chest, sending him reeling into Randir.

  Randir stuck a leg behind him and the man sprawled onto the deck.

  Tegedir knocked Caeth down and held his sword to his heart.

  The tall officer observed the entire event with no sign of either aiding or fleeing. He clapped lazily. "Impressive display, but none of this was necessary."

  His bedraggled man flopped onto the deck like a landed fish.

  "Goddess help me," the officer said. "What has the Captain gotten us into this time?"

  Randir didn't suspect the man wanted an answer to his question.

  He spoke to the soggy man and gestured toward Randir. "Untie that one and give them their weapons back."

  Randir flexed his fingers as the ropes came loose. The man he'd tripped glowered and got to his feet.

  "I am First Mate Cirrus. You may call me Mate or Cirrus, makes no difference to me." He addressed Tegedir. "Since you lead this rabble, would you please call them off my men? We'll take you wherever the Captain needs you to go, but realize this ship is not built for open water and great distance. She's a fine shore hugger. Nothing more."

  Tegedir stepped away from Caeth as Randir reclaimed his own weapons. Trinn and Erien seemed reluctant to release the men they pinned to the deck. Tegedir dipped his head and they climbed off and gathered their blades.

  "Tell me, my guests," Cirrus said, "to what horrific place are we headed now?"

  Chapter 10

  Thera clutched the cloak and peeked around the curtain. One man occupied the main cave, poking wood into the fire. She hurried past him into the morning light. Outside the cavern entrance, Deru and Brannon sat in the sun constructing pebble buildings and assailing them with stick soldiers.

  Murdoc rested one shoulder against a tree and gazed through the surrounding woods. Her eyes shifted sideways when Thera stopped beside her, then resumed scanning the forest.

  "Thank you," Thera said.

  Murdoc's brow furrowed. "You're a little girl with no business playing adult games. Go home."

  That was not th
e response she'd expected. What had she expected exactly? Concern? Compassion? "How did you know?"

  Murdoc rolled her eyes and snorted. "He watched you for days. Slack-jawed cretin."

  Thera hadn't noticed the unwanted attention from her would-be rapist. She'd grown complacent when no apparent threat presented itself.

  Deru laughed behind her, his voice carrying into the treetops. He seemed unaware of their precarious position. This was a grand adventure for him, one long play session with new friends. She envied him his ignorance.

  She'd been like Deru, happy in the snake's cage. That illusion was gone. A wisp blown away by a mighty wind. These men could cut her throat whenever the notion struck them. Or Murdoc could.

  "No one will stop you," Murdoc said. "Leave when you want."

  If she ran to Narthan's camp now, home to the safety and protection of those she loved, she'd never be able to stand herself. Her mother told her courage was a choice. A choice she'd have to make every day, every moment. Stand strong, or bow down. "I leave when the children leave."

  "Then learn to save yourself because help may not be around next time." Murdoc pushed away from the tree. "And there's always a next time, until you decide there isn't."

  "Let me take the children."

  Murdoc looked down her nose and raised her eyebrows. "What a naive request."

  "Tegedir will bring what you need. My people will help you."

  "My god, you are thick. Let me tell you something, little girl. The minute those children leave my care, the scouts surrounding us will give the signal and your people will sweep through mine like wind through dried brush. If you learn anything from your time here, learn to never give away your advantage."

  "Have you always been this cold?"

  Murdoc stepped closer until she forced Thera to back up. The scar seemed brighter where it crossed the bridge of her nose. "Cold would have left you to fate yesterday. Consider that before you sling around your immature observations." She gathered the boys and went inside.

  Learn from her time here. Why hadn't she approached it like that from the beginning? Here was a woman who managed the impossible. Infiltrated Aernan, abducted three children, and gotten away without detection. Past an army of well-trained scouts and under the noses of several hundred experienced warriors. She possessed valuable skills. And Thera had plenty of time. If she approached Murdoc as a mentor, rather than an enemy, who knew what might be divulged?

  The silence of the woods settled over her and dampened her sudden enthusiasm. Peace used to reside in the quiet, but now danger lurked there. Things she didn't see and couldn't fight. She rushed to the cavern and sought refuge with the largest snake in the cage.

  She brushed aside the blanket door and darted inside. Her heart pounded foolishly in her chest.

  Murdoc grabbed for the dagger in her belt, then relaxed. "Beast on your heels?" She sat on the pallet next to Zila, brushing the girl's hair.

  Thera straightened her tunic and perched on the trunk. "You said to save myself next time. Teach me how."

  "Oh gods! You're a distraction I can't afford. Go home."

  "No. Please teach me."

  "Train the enemy in my own house? I don't think so."

  "I'm not your enemy. I understand your desperation."

  "You understand nothing."

  Thera knelt across from her and placed a cool cloth on Zila's forehead. "What I said was wrong. I'm sorry. You're not cold. I see your love for her."

  "Don't come at me with sappy, sentimental bullshit. Keep it up and I'll have you escorted home. I'm not training you."

  "Fine." She'd resign herself to observation. Something she'd failed at before. "Did you love Zila's father?"

  Murdoc glared and the muscles along her jaw tightened.

  Prodding the snake was probably not the wisest thing. "Did you?"

  Murdoc laid the brush aside and touched the scar crossing her face. "He gave me this and a baby I didn't want." She went to the doorway and lifted the curtain.

  "Where is he now?"

  Murdoc adjusted the sword on her hip. "I stabbed him in the eye and fed his carcass to the sharks."

  The blanket swung into place behind her.

  Chapter 11

  Tegedir spread the map on Cirrus' round table and pointed to the half-moon slice in the coast. "This is our first stop."

  "I know it well. Two days’ sail."

  "The rest of our people are there."

  "Then where?"

  Tegedir turned the page and pointed to the northern coastline closest to the volcano.

  "She's sending you for the egg." Cirrus pulled the lamp closer and studied Tegedir. Lines radiated from the corner of his eyes as he squinted. "You're the one she set out to find. The Zinotti Dragonlord."

  "So I'm told."

  "Hmpf. Didn't believe you existed. What's she holding over you to get you to run this errand?"

  "My children."

  Cirrus furrowed his brow. "She has a way of getting what she wants." He ran his finger along the jagged line representing the coast. "This is a death zone. Rocks and massive waves close to shore. Floating ice farther out. I can't anchor there. The waves will beat us to slivers."

  Tegedir snared a stool with his foot, dragged it close, and sat. He believed Cirrus, still, there must be a way. He traced a thin blue line. "What about this?"

  Cirrus bent over the map. "The Apa River? A treacherous vomiting of sediment full of shifting sand bars and unpredictable currents."

  "Could you anchor in its mouth? Let us travel inland on foot?"

  "Impossible. River and sea do not gently meet. They clash. Especially that particular river."

  "Is there no way to cross it and travel upstream?"

  Cirrus stroked his close cut beard. "Maybe. When the tide rests. There would be a short window where we might not die."

  "We have to try."

  "Even in the calmest moment, the waves are higher than our decks. Advantage might break in half. She could be slammed on the bar and a hole punched in her bottom. One mistake and we die anyway."

  "Don't make a mistake."

  "If Captain Murdoc intended for you to go this way, she would have said so. Did she tell you about Advantage?"

  "Caeth did. With some encouragement."

  "Ah. There's a reason she didn't want you to take the sea route."

  "Which is?"

  He circled a space on the map encompassing the land between the coastline and the volcano. "The Ilok."

  Tegedir searched his memory for the word and came up empty.

  "How many men with you?" Cirrus asked.

  "About twenty."

  "Not nearly enough to cross Ilok lands. You'll be lucky to survive."

  "Who are they?"

  "Dragon worshipers."

  Tegedir sat back on his stool. Could these be his people, House Drakur, who disappeared eons ago? "What do you know of them? Are they Zinotti?"

  "They most definitely are not. Ilok aren't known for their sociable ways. They are savage warriors who tolerate no weakness. They don't welcome visitors either. No one trades with them. Everything they need, they produce themselves. I have never been in their territory and have no intention of starting now."

  "This portion of the map is as detailed as the rest. Where did Murdoc get her information?"

  "I don't ask the Captain questions. I pilot her ship and stop where she says. That's all."

  "Yet you knew she searched for me."

  "A rare lapse on her part. She loves her daughter."

  "How long have you been with her?"

  Cirrus smiled although no humor touched his eyes. "Our conversation regarding my Captain is finished. We sail at dawn when I can see to exit this miserable harbor. You may rest in the hammocks below deck."

  Tegedir closed the door behind him and climbed into the night air. He leaned on the rail. The lights of Rysha Cove burned like a hundred campfires.

  Randir joined him. "Trinn and Erien are sleeping. You shoul
d, too."

  He hadn't slept well since his children's abduction. His mind wasn't as sharp as it needed to be. Were his babies asleep now? Were they warm enough? Were they scared? Thera was there. That was a comfort to him, and a burden to Randir, he was sure. "Trade off with one of the girls in a couple hours. We all need sleep."

  Randir tapped his fist to his chest.

  Tegedir stretched out in a secluded corner. The unforgiving deck helped him maintain a level of awareness even in sleep.

  Three days later, they got underway again after picking up the soldiers and supplies Aric brought to the cove. A brilliant sun flashed off the spray from the bow and wind filled the sail. Tegedir wrapped his arms around Lalaith's waist as three dolphins played alongside the ship. "They're beautiful," she said. "I wish the children could see them."

  "We'll bring them here and show them." When she said nothing, he bent around to see her face. Tears on her cheeks dried in the sea wind. He kissed her temple. "Does Murdoc's book mention the Ilok?"

  "No, and I've never heard of them. They must have originated after I went into Aernan."

  "What does the book say regarding this cure?"

  Lalaith's cloak hood blew off and her brown hair whipped free in the wind. She brushed it away from her face. "There is some evidence the treatment might work. Zinotti have a natural immunity to disease. Perhaps our blood would impart some immunity to her and help her body fight it, but I am not sure. She's so close to death. As far as the dragon egg, I cannot discern why they believe it would help. It's an egg like any other, with a yolk and a white. Or a partially developed dragon."

  "How did the Drakur speak with dragons?"

  "According to rumor, it was purely mental."

  "Hope dragons speak Zinotti."

  "Or you speak dragon." She braided her hair as they talked, her delicate fingers dancing with the dark strands.

  "Not sure where I would have learned."

  "Maybe you're born with it." She tied her hair in a complex knot.

  "I barely know how to tap into that side of myself. I've never heard any different languages in my head."

  She cupped his face in her palms. "You'll find what you need when the time is right."