As they came alongside the Stormdancer, Stelios was leaning forward over the railing and didn’t look happy.
“Aiden, I swear by the Circle, that’s not how you observe!” Stelios yelled across the short distance. The boys watched him, and he seemed to be favoring one leg. The other had a boot off, and a heavy bandage which the guard captain wasn’t putting any weight on it.
“Sorry, Sir!” Aiden called, moving closer to the railing. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch those things eat you or your men. Did you get hurt?”
Stelios grimaced at them for a long moment, his eyebrows pulled low in anger but finally he nodded. “Yes. One of those things decided to see if my foot might melt off. It got on my boot. I got it off almost in time, but it was close.” Stelios took a deep breath, glancing behind him. There were several soldiers and crewmen moving about the decks, giving water or helping others below decks to some of the rooms. Most of the standing soldiers were the crossbowmen who had stayed on the Stormdancer. “I’ve got about twenty-five men left to help Trelakor evacuate his ship. This one will be easier because the deck isn’t listing. We’re going to try to keep them off with crossbows and the needler on that side.”
“Sounds like a plan. From where we were, it looked like your initial rush caused them to begin spitting. That was a disaster.”
Stelios got a haunted look on his face for a moment but finally pointed back towards the coastal town slowly being enveloped by the gathering dusk. “I want you to go scout out the village. Find out if there is anyone left alive or anything else you can find. When you finish, come back here. The other two skimmers should have caught up by then, and we’ll decide what else we can do. Hopefully, most of the people have fled inland.”
Aiden nodded at the Captain’s words. “Anything else?”
“Yes!” Stelios said, yelling as they began to pull away. “No more heroics!”
Aiden pulled away without answering. They’d come here to save people, and if needed, they would do what they must.
Chapter 13
Aiden flew the skimmer in low over the town, though not too low. They didn’t know how far those creatures could spit their acid and wanted to avoid being a target. The town itself was made up of several low, cobblestone buildings with sod or slate roofs. A few of the buildings were made from lumber, faded to a silver-gray from wind and weather. As the small skimmer slid first over the docks and then further inland, they could clearly see the devastation, and not a few of the creepily waddling creatures made their way through the tiny, mud-soaked streets.
Most of the docks were wrecked or burnt through, and they could see numerous holes in the walls of the houses closest to the ocean. Aiden didn’t think the creature’s acid was so much to blame as it was their strength. Even as he thought this, he watched one of the creatures push its way out of a wall, collapsing part of the roof and sending cobblestones cascading into the street as it shrugged its way to freedom.
Despite the gathering dusk, there were many fires burning. Some were huge, encapsulating and devouring some of the larger, wooden buildings and providing dancing shadows which gave the scene a hellish cast.
Aiden moved the skimmer slowly through the air as Markam and Gavin looked down on the terrible scene below. There weren’t signs of inhabitants or farm animals. Aiden was fairly sure if there had been, it would not be a pleasant sight. As they moved from the water, there were fewer and fewer of the creatures crawling through the shadows and bones of the town. It didn’t appear the things moved quickly on land, but the only way to test that out was to land, and Aiden wasn’t going to do that.
“Aiden, go that way,” Gavin said, pointing off to the right. There was a large building up on a cliff overlooking the water on the extreme edge of town, and there seemed to be lights in the window and torches flickering in the deepening twilight. Aiden turned his skimmer in that direction, and it didn’t take them long to find out where the townsfolk had retreated.
As they drew closer, it was clear the place was built to shelter the townsfolk. The east coast of Terek faced the Laguna Straights which, while protected by the Terek navy, still received its fair share of pirate raids that required most towns to have a place they could retreat and defend if need be.
The people of Ravenwood Cove had built their refuge in a good location, with a difficult winding path up to an isolated plateau. Aiden could see a few creatures working their way up along the path, but they were under constant fire from above. Despite lighter weapons, Aiden could see the foremost creature riddled with bolts and arrows try to turn and retreat, but it was too late. Even as it did so, two of its fellow fell on the weakened creature and began eating it alive.
The area on the plateau looked to shelter a good number of people and animals. The monsters were terrifying in the ocean, but at least they were not agile on land. For the moment, it looked like the defenders were able to keep the creatures from making their way up the path but he wondered how much ammunition they had.
“I’m going to land,” Aiden called forward, beginning to lower the skimmer towards the plateau.
“Okay, Aiden, but take it slow.” Markam said, “The defenders are probably skittish, and they don’t see many skimmers out this way.”
Aiden nodded and lowered his ship within sight but not, he hoped, within range of the crossbows. He knew the men had seen them when he heard cries of astonishment, along with not a few weapons raised in their direction. Popping his shield on, he cautiously stood up and waved, calling over to the defender if they could approach.
The men and women on the plateau gathered for a moment, conversing with each other before one red-haired woman finally stepping forward and waved for them to approach. Despite his shield, Aiden was happy to see the crossbows lower.
“Are you with the Duke’s men?” The woman asked as they came closer and touched down, watching them warily.
“Yes, we just arrived,” Gavin answered though he didn’t stand yet. Both he and Markam were ready to dive into the bottom of the boat at the first sign of danger. These people looked dirty and tired, and there was no telling what desperate people would do. Aiden could see small faces peering from between the adults as well.
“Thank the Gods,” the woman gasped, and several of the men cheered. “We’ve been under siege for two days. We sent runners to the nearby towns but didn’t think anyone would be coming for weeks.” She paused, looking around and behind Aiden’s small ship. “Are…there more of you coming?”
Gavin nodded, “Duke Terek sent out people to investigate, and they were all attacked when they came to your bay. The other skimmers are helping evacuate the ships in the harbor, or those that are left.”
“We saw them come in. There was no way we could warn them,” the woman said sadly. “By the time we thought to make a fire they might see, it was already far too late. The entire cove was bubbling with the creatures. Were you able to save some of them?”
“We did, or at least I hope we got the remaining crew off in time,” Gavin said as he climbed out of the small skimmer. “Two of the ships were still afloat when we arrived. The Stormdancer was on its way to save the second crew when they sent us out to check on the town.”
The townspeople looked back and forth at each other, clear relief on their faces.
“How soon can the Duke’s men re-take the town?” Spoke a voice from the back. There were several nods from that while Gavin gave Aiden a look. “I don’t know,” he said, frowning at the discontented murmuring he heard.
The red-haired woman turned, yelling at the crowd. “Stop it! They’re here, which is more than I can say I was expecting. I doubt they know much more about these creatures than we do, and you’ve all seen how many there are. It would take an entire army to root them out.”
Gavin nodded and waited for the crowd to quiet down and the woman to turn back to them. “It’s true; we don’t know much about them or where they came from. The people on the ships were coming to investigate, but we didn’t exp
ect an attack like that.” Gavin paused, looking around. “I’m Gavin Terek, the Duke’s son, and this is Lord Markam and Lord Aiden. We’re here to help. How many are you up here? Are there any more of the townspeople down in the town, do you think?”
The woman’s face, along with many of the others gathered around them, looked shocked at the announcement of who they were. “The Duke's son? That’s quite an honor, m’lords. My name is Amanda, the proprietor of the Ravenwood Inn,” She said, gesturing behind her at the large building. “But to answer your question, not nearly enough of us survived to make it here for safety. Maybe a hundred or more? We were caught unaware, and the homes closest to the ocean didn’t stand a chance. The rest of us were just lucky the creatures were slow. Some of the militia tried to fight, but the creatures are too large, and they spit some liquid that burns and melts flesh. It was terrible.”
One of the militia spoke then, a powerfully built but graying man. “There might be some folks over at Granger's place. She always said Ravenwood Inn was too far for them to make if pirates attacked, so built a hide under her house. Some of the families might have made to her place when the attack came.”
“How many do you think might be there?” Aiden asked, looking back over the town. He couldn’t imagine anyone surviving down there, but he didn’t want to abandon people, either.
“Hard to tell,” The woman said. “The monsters don’t move fast, but fast enough. Do you think you can take your flying ship and go look to see if they’ve broken down into the basement?” The red-haired woman pointed toward a larger stone house on the other side of the town.
“Yes, I can do that, though it’s getting dark. I may not be able to see anything, but I’ll try my best,” Aiden said. Gavin and Markam had both stepped out of the skimmer, and it looked like Gavin was trying to reach Stelios on his com unit. “Markam, if you need me to come back quickly, have someone wave a torch back and forth. I should be able to see it from there.”
Markam nodded just as Gavin came up. “Okay, Aiden, but be careful. Stelios said they are having difficulty unloading Trelakor’s ship because there’s a lot of wounded below. The other two skimmers are providing covering fire. They’ll come here next.”
“Don’t worry! I don’t plan on being melted tonight,” Aiden said, then slowly lifted his skimmer off of the ground and sent it careening off over the town towards the house the militiamen had indicated. When he got there, it didn’t look good.
There were two of the creatures patrolling outside, and one had either broken or melted its way through the doorway, widening it by knocking stones loose with its bulk. He tried to lower himself somewhat to see within, but when he did so, he attracted the attention of at least one of the brutes who began waving its huge, chitin-covered claws in the air.
Aiden cursed under his breath and pulled up. He didn’t want to risk a shot of acid even if his skimmer was immune. He’d seen what it had done to the men, even those with his armored shirt. Just like the fire, his shirts didn’t’ seem to protect from the creature's acid.
He was just about to report in when he heard the creature inside of the building begin pounding on something, and then a high-pitched screaming.
Aiden looked over the side in horror. The floors inside the house were wood, and he’d seen what these creatures could eventually do to wood. Trelakor’s ships, or at least the one Aiden had seen, had looked blackened and almost melted in places. If there were people down in the basement, it wouldn’t be long before one of those monsters found its way inside and anyone down there was doomed.
The pounding suddenly became louder, and he could hear wood begin to splinter. He was out of time. Making sure his helmet was resting correctly and his walking stick was firmly in hand, he tried to concoct a daring plan. The collapsing front doorway looked wide enough from the monster forcing its way inside. If he could slam his skimmer down through that hole, he might be able to get it between the monster and wherever it was the people were. He wasn’t sure, because he couldn’t see clearly inside, but he didn’t have a choice. The screaming was getting louder and was joined by other women and children.
Gritting his teeth, he circled to the front of the house and dove down hard. He knew from when he’d used his vessel as a battering ram before that he had to hold on tight, and he braced himself as well as he could right before the now yawning cavern opened menacingly before him. He hoped he would not knock loose and land right at the feet of a hungry monster.
The sound of the skimmer making contact with the stones of the house was deafening. It slowed the skimmer but the stones didn’t stop it from bursting loudly into the large main room. Aiden couldn’t see what was going on, but he felt the ship almost immediately slam into something that gave a piercing shriek before the skimmer came to an abrupt stop and slammed into the back wall.
Despite bracing himself, there was no way for Aiden to keep still, and his body flew through the air at an angle away from his skimmer. When he bounced off of the far wall and then down to the floor, his armored shirt absorbed much of the impact while his helmet and scaled armor absorbed the rest, though not enough to keep him from being slightly dazed.
With a start, Aiden jerked. Glowby was floating right next to his head, flashing frantically. He could hear the building settling around him, and the creaking of wood in the roof. It didn’t sound overly stable to him. Suddenly, there came a hoarse wheezing cry from the other side of the room. He couldn’t see what it was because his skimmer was in the way, but he suspected it was one of the monsters and it didn’t sound overly healthy.
He watched as Glowby moved a few feet away from him and hovered over something half buried in the rubble. He coughed and made himself crawl over to where his friend was and cried out, grabbing his walking stick and pulling it free. “Oh, by the Seven Circles, I’m glad you found it, Glowby,” He said, pushing the button for the shield and watching the faint shimmering form around the stick and looking at it skeptically. “I think I’m going to need a bigger shield.”
Slowly, he turned and faced the direction from where he thought his skimmer was holding the creature against the wall. As his eyes accustomed to the darkness, he could make out its dust-covered bulk folded and crushed. His skimmer’s prow seemed to have caught it just behind its head armor and even as he watched, it gave its last, wet gasp and stopped moving.
As the skimmer and house began to settle, making less noise, he could hear movement outside. He knew there had been two other creatures just outside, and who knew how much more the noise of the crash would bring. At the very least, there was a dead one inside, and its smell might be drawing the others. He had to find the people and get out as quickly as he could.
“Hello?!” He whispered loudly, “Are you under there? I’m here to get you out.”
There was no answer, and he could well imagine that whoever was under the floor was terrified. He worked his way over to where it looked like the first monster had been trying to force its way through, and saw what looked like a partially collapsed trap door covered with scrape marks and burns from the things acid.
Aiden took his walking stick and lightly tapped on the wood, leaning down and being careful to avoid the pools of acid. “Hello? Answer me! We don’t have much time.”
Finally, a woman’s voice came back tentatively. She sounded older and somewhat irate as she answered his question with one of her own. “Who are you? What do you want?” She said in a strong whisper.
Aiden just looked down at the floor in disbelief. “Uh…to save you. We don’t have much time. There were two other monsters just outside. There could be more from all of your screaming. How many of you are down there?”
“It wasn’t me that was screaming!” Came the woman’s snappish reply. “Besides, whatever you did up there was much louder. You’ve probably brought the lot of them down on top of us, thank you very much.”
Aiden glanced at Glowby who seemed to be doing his version of giggling. He wasn’t sure, but that’s what he
felt like and he glared daggers at his friend. Now wasn’t the time to be laughing! “Uh...” Aiden said, trying to figure out how to talk these people out of their hole. There wasn’t a lot of time, and he could hear something getting closer to the front of the house.
“Uh? Is that all you have to say? Quit dawdling, there are ten of us. I hope you have some way to get us free.” Aiden heard a thunk and then the trap-door began pushing upwards. Aiden quickly began removing debris from the top of it. Glowby zipped into the hole, and his light revealed the wrinkled old face of a woman glaring up at him. Aiden reached down, helping her up and out of the hole as quickly as he could. Immediately behind her were several other women and children who stood around looking owlishly at the destruction the room had become.
“How in heavens name did you get a rowboat into my living room?” the old woman asked, frowning mightily at the offending object. She had a cane and tapped at the side of the skimmer as if the act might somehow make it disappear.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 75