The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  Ves nodded. “Yes, indeed, that is our father. We are on a—pilgrimage—to see where he grew up.” She paused a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. “You see, after the war was over, Father moved back with Mother to her homeland—the Glittering Isles. Ruka, Maya, and I all grew up there. None of us has ever even been to Thac. We really wanted to see where Father was born and raised. So—here we are.” She finished with a wan smile.

  Silence hung over the group as Aksel pondered Ves’s explanation. Rodric Greymantle was indeed one of the greatest wizards of all time. He had been a member of the Wizard’s Council, the body that rules over the entire magical community of Thac. Still, that had been nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, during the time of the Thrall Wars. When the war was over, Rodric disappeared. It was assumed that he had been killed in the last great battle with the Thrall Masters, but his body was never found. Since then, sightings of the mage had been reported from time to time around Thac. Most people chalked it up to fanciful imaginations, but if what Ves had just told them were true, it would explain a lot.

  Lloyd finally broke the silence. “If your father was around during the Thrall Wars, wouldn’t that make him over a hundred years old?”

  That was something Aksel had been wondering himself. There were a number of possible explanations, but he was curious what Ves’s answer would be. She appeared very uncomfortable with the question, though, not answering immediately, instead gazing down at the ground in front of her. Surprisingly, Glo came to her rescue. “It is more than possible.”

  “How’s that?” Lloyd asked.

  “A great wizard would have access to spells of considerable power. That being the case, he might very well have made himself immortal.”

  Ves glanced back up, her expression one of clear relief. She smiled gratefully at Glo. “Yes. It is as you say. Not complete immortality, but both he and Mother will live a very long time.”

  Glo appeared impressed. “Interesting. I would love to know the particulars of the spell he used for that. Perhaps I could meet your father someday?”

  “Perhaps,” Ves responded. She was still smiling, but her tone was evasive.

  Aksel felt they had heard enough. It was time to bring the conversation back on track. “So you girls all have special talents, such as talking to animals?”

  Ves nodded. “Yes, we can talk to animals.”

  “And dolphins!” Maya added exuberantly. She stopped dancing around and put her hands together in front of her. She then began to bob her head up and down, mimicking the marine mammals.

  “And dolphins,” Ves said, smiling patiently at her younger sister.

  Dolphins! Something clicked in Aksel’s mind. Maya had said something about seeing the sunken ships—about her dolphin friends pointing them out to her. At first he thought it a fanciful tale, but what if it wasn’t? “So you swim underwater with these dolphins?”

  “Oh, yes!” Maya cried. “Ves and I are good, but Ruka is the best! You would think she was a dolphin if she wasn’t—”

  Ves cut her sister off harshly. “Maya! That is quite enough!”

  Maya’s mouth hung open as she turned to look at her older sister. Abruptly she closed her mouth, folded her arms in front of her, and sat straight down on the sand with a “Humph!”

  Ves realized that everyone was staring at her and began to flush with embarrassment. She tried to cover it with a transparent effort to straighten her dress. Maya sat where she was, her head turned away from her oldest sister. Ruka, on the other hand, stared directly at Ves with a look on her face that screamed I told you so. Aksel glanced at Glo, but the elf merely shrugged in response. Lloyd appeared mortified at the sudden outburst.

  Ves finally managed to regain her composure, although her face was still a bit flushed. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “Sorry for my outburst—but Maya can get a bit carried away sometimes.”

  Maya remained silent, still turned away from her older sister. Aksel was not quite sure how to respond to all this. Ves had been calm and collected since they’d met. Albeit, that was only an hour ago, but this sudden outburst seemed drastically out of character. She obviously didn’t want anyone hearing what Maya was going to say. He could not help wondering what it had been.

  Glo finally responded to her, his voice equally soft. “We are sorry if we have offended you. We are merely trying to find out who, or what, is responsible for the sinking of these ships.”

  A thin smile crossed Ves’s lips. “You have not offended anyone. It is just—we are a very private family. We are not used to discussing personal matters with anyone else.”

  Glo’s expression was sympathetic. “I understand. Please be assured, we do not wish to pry into your personal business. We merely need to recover any sunken cargo that we can. Because of your special talents, you three are far better suited for underwater salvage than any of us.”

  Maya had turned around and was watching Glo with clear interest. Ves also stared at him, but remained silent as mixed emotions played across her face. Ruka eyed the elf skeptically.

  “Would it be possible, then, to enlist your aid?” Glo asked his tone tentative.

  Ves’s response was hesitant at best. “I’m not sure...”

  “How much?” Ruka cut her off.

  Glo appeared as surprised as Aksel at the girl’s sudden interruption. They all spun to face her. “How much what?” Glo asked.

  “How—much—are you willing to pay us for our services?” Ruka spelled it out for him.

  Glo’s eyes shifted to Aksel, clearly unsure how to respond. Aksel had to admit, this was an unexpected turn of events. Ruka had wanted nothing to do with them. Now, at the mention of payment, she was suddenly interested in their mission. Perhaps she was indeed just like Seth. Aksel shrugged his shoulders and addressed Ruka. “What would you say to 5% of the finder’s fee?”

  “How is that calculated?” She stared at Aksel intently, a strange light in her eyes.

  “It’s one twentieth of the fee for whatever we can salvage. The more cargo we recover, the more we get paid.”

  Ruka’s expression remained passive, but the light in her eyes grew brighter. “That sounds interesting.”

  Ruka turned to Ves, the two exchanging glances. From the intensity in her eyes, it was obvious that Ruka wanted to do this. It was also equally obvious that Ves did not. In the end, Ruka won out in the silent exchange. She broke off their staring contest and turned to face them. “Alright, we’ll do it on one condition.”

  “What is that?” Aksel asked.

  “Since we would be doing most of the work, I think 50% is more in order.”

  Aksel raised an eyebrow. For a young girl, she sure knew how to bargain. She was not altogether wrong, though. The three sisters would indeed be doing most of the work.

  Aksel shrugged. “You make a fair point. Tell you what—one third and we’ll send Lloyd down with you.”

  “We will?” Lloyd asked, clearly surprised by the offer.

  Aksel gazed at the young man. “Don’t worry. I have a spell that will let you breathe underwater.”

  Lloyd’s face lit up. “Cool.”

  Aksel turned back to Ruka. She seemed to be mulling it over in her mind. Finally, she nodded. “Alright. Deal.”

  “Excellent,” Aksel said. He felt relieved that things had been settled so smoothly. “Still, before we can begin, we need to check out that lighthouse.” His mind thought ahead to what they might find there. “It would be better if the Boulder were with us,” he mused aloud.

  “The Boulder?” Maya giggled, her previous anger seemingly forgotten.

  “Yes,” Aksel told her. “He is our stone golem.”

  “And you named him The Boulder?” Maya shrieked in a high-pitched voice. She abruptly fell backwards onto the sand and grasped her stomach. Snorts and giggles erupte
d from her mouth as she rolled around back and forth. “That’s... funnier... than... Raven...” she managed in between breaths.

  Aksel and the others watched the young girl with amusement—all except for Ves. She appeared quite displeased with her little sister’s display. She remained silent, though, most likely not wanting to reprimand Maya again after her previous outburst. When Maya had finally laughed herself out, she sat back up. Between the occasional giggling she said, “The Boulder... he is almost to the shore. The dolphins told me just before lunch.”

  Aksel smiled down at her. “Thank you.” It seemed these girls talents were coming in handy already. This might just work out after all. He got up from his sandy seat. “Then let’s walk back down the beach.”

  A short while later, the companions and their newfound friends returned to where they had left their rowboat. They did not have to wait long until the Boulder appeared out of the water. The stone golem slowly trudged out of the surf and waded up onto the beach. Once there, the creature stopped, waiting for its master’s next command. Maya ran down and circled the golem. She looked him up and down, holding her tiny hand to her chin. When she was done, she nodded her head approvingly. “Boulder. It suits you well.”

  Aksel could not help but smile. Maya was positively delightful. The smile quickly faded from his face, though. They had work to do. He also strode down to the Boulder. “Well then, let’s get started.” He commanded the creature to head to the isle of the lighthouse. The golem slowly turned and trudged back into the surf, this time in the direction of the tall building. “Well, that will take a while,” Aksel noted with annoyance. “I should have just sent him directly to the lighthouse in the first place.”

  Glo gazed at him with a wry smile. “We can’t all be perfect.”

  Aksel let out a short sigh. “I guess you’re right. No use second-guessing myself.” He turned to Lloyd. “Let’s get the boat in the water and head over ourselves.”

  Glo offered to give Lloyd a hand. The duo walked over to the rowboat and grabbed it from either side. Together they lugged it out into the water. They held the boat steady, allowing Aksel and Ves to board. Ves turned out to be quite nimble, leaping into the rowboat without assistance. Meanwhile, Maya and Ruka waded into the surf. The two young girls insisted on swimming over themselves. Lloyd and Glo climbed on board and manned the oars. Ves seated herself next to Aksel in the aft of the boat.

  Maya and Ruka pulled out far ahead. They swam like fish toward the lighthouse isle. As they fell behind, Ves turned to face Aksel. “Please forgive them. They are both a bit exuberant.”

  Aksel shrugged. “They are still rather young.”

  “Yes, they are,” Ves said with a faint smile.

  Aksel watched the two girls as they approached the lighthouse isle. His gaze then wandered toward the tall structure beyond. He silently wondered what they would find there. Well, we will know soon enough.

  The Deserted Lighthouse

  A stone the size of a human head headed straight for the little girl

  The companions moored their boat at a small dock on the south side of the isle. The lighthouse appeared deserted. There was no sign of life, other than a few gulls flying overhead. Ruka and Maya were yet to arrive. The two girls treaded water a short distance offshore, surrounded by a group of dolphins. The aquatic mammals made clicking noises and Maya echoed them back.

  Glo watched in amazement. “Guess she really can talk to dolphins.”

  Ves stared at him coolly. “Maya is quite conversant in their language. We all are.”

  She had become quite aloof since her outburst. It was a stark contrast to the friendly young woman they had met only hours ago. Glo was convinced it had to do with her family secrets. She had distanced herself to keep them from learning anything more about her and her sisters.

  Lloyd watched the girls with keen interest, oblivious to Ves’s unfriendly attitude. “What are they saying?”

  Ves regarded Lloyd icily for a few moments before replying. When she spoke, her tone was still quite cold. “They are talking about the strange stone man at the bottom of the ocean. He is walking toward the island with the tall building on it.”

  A broad smile spread across Lloyd’s face. “That is amazing. It must be so cool to speak with animals in their own language.”

  Glo could not help but smile. Lloyd was a veritable gem, always finding joy in the diversity of others. Even Ves appeared affected by him. Her expression softened, the beginnings of a smile crossing her lips. Perhaps with enough time she’d realize they meant her family no harm. Ruka and Maya finally bade their dolphin friends farewell and swam to shore, joining the others at the end of the dock.

  A small dirt path wound its way up the small, rocky hill on which the lighthouse stood. Aksel led the way up the path, the others falling in behind. The tall structure rose high above them, framed by the deep blue sky. The top of the lighthouse was enclosed in glass and capped with a bright red roof, housing the great lantern that guided ships away from the reef. A red catwalk encircled the tower just below the lantern room, blocking the view through the large glass windows. Smaller windows were built into the sides of the lighthouse, appearing at regular intervals from the top to the base. These were all closed and dark. At the base of the building stood a single ironbound wooden door. It was locked tight, and knocking produced no response.

  Glo cast a wry smile at the others. “Where’s a good lock-pick when you need one?”

  Aksel’s response was equally glib. “We don’t need a lock-pick. We have a Lloyd.” He held his hands out toward the door. “Lloyd, would you care to do the honors?”

  Lloyd cast an uncertain glance at Aksel, but stepped forward nonetheless. He put his ear to the door and tapped on it in a few places. “Seems fairly solid—probably two inches thick.” He paused for a moment as if considering his options, then finally stepped away from the door. “You might want to step back,” he called over his shoulder.

  Everyone took a few steps back. The young warrior fell into a fighting stance, but with his left foot forward. Further, he did not draw his blades. He stood completely still, drawing in slow, deep breaths. All of a sudden, he lashed out with his back foot. It was a swift motion, almost too fast to follow. His right foot slammed into the door with terrifying force. There was a loud crack and the thick wood splintered. The large door hung there for a moment, then the entire thing fell backward into the lighthouse. It landed with a resounding thud.

  Maya clapped and giggled. “Ooh, he’s pretty strong.”

  “Yeah, not too bad,” Ruka said in a grudging tone.

  Lloyd grinned sheepishly, his hand going to the back of his neck. “Hope that wasn’t too much.”

  Ves actually smiled for the first time since her outburst on the beach. “I don’t think so. I’d say that was just right.”

  Lloyd’s face reddened at the praise.

  The interior of the lighthouse, now visible through the open doorway, appeared rather dark at first. On closer inspection, dim light could be seen filtered down from above. Not a sound came from beyond the doorway. The lighthouse appeared to be deserted.

  Lloyd stepped forward and drew his swords. “I’ll go first.”

  The others followed, filing one by one through the open doorway. Glo went next, then Aksel, with the three sisters in the rear. They found themselves in a circular room with the base of a staircase directly across from them. On either side of the stairs was a door leading further back into the lighthouse. The staircase wound its way up the inside wall of the lighthouse, to the lantern room far above. The top of the stairs was hidden in shadows, barely visible to even the keenest of eyes.

  Aksel spoke in a hushed voice. “Let’s be care—”

  Before he could finish, Maya danced past all of them out into the center of the room. “Oh this is big,” she cried, twirling around wi
th delight. Her voice echoed off the walls, sounding fainter and fainter as it traveled up the empty chamber.

  The eerie sound drew Glo’s attention to the dark shadows far above. Did something just move up there?

  “Maya, get back here!” He heard Ves cry, but Glo’s eyes were locked on the upper stairwell. Abruptly something appeared out of the darkness. It was whitish-grey and semi-circular—it was also getting bigger. Abruptly the realization hit him—it was a stone!

  “Look out!” Glo yelled, pointing upward. To his horror, more stones fell into view.

  Lloyd immediately spurred into action. The young warrior spun around and vaulted toward Maya but he was too late—the rain of stones had already reached them. A few hit the floor with loud thuds, but one in particular caused Glo’s heart to jump into his throat. A stone the size of a human head headed straight for the little girl.

  “Maya!” he cried instinctively reaching out for the girl.

  Time appeared to slow. Maya spun around to face him, a quizzical expression on her face. Lloyd continued to plow forward, closing on the young girl. The stone sped toward its unsuspecting target. Just before Lloyd could reach her, the rock connected with the little girl’s shoulder. Glo felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He cringed, expecting to see Maya’s shoulder shatter. Yet, instead of crushing her side, the large stone shattered into pieces.

  Glo’s eyes went wide. What the...

  Before he could finish his thought, a small grey blur slammed into his outstretched arm. Pain lanced up his limb and into his shoulder. It felt as if he had been hit with a hammer. Glo dropped his arm, and grasped it with his other hand.

  At that same moment, Lloyd reached Maya and scooped her up off the floor. He cradled the little girl in his arms and kept on going toward the back of the lighthouse. Glo watched through a haze of pain as the duo hurtled across the room. Stones continued to rain down on them, Lloyd shielding the little girl with his body. At that moment, Glo caught a glimpse of Maya peering over Lloyd’s shoulder. She was giggling!