The Serpent Cult

by F. P. Spirit

  “We found it! We found it!” Maya cried with delight. The little girl grinned up at them as she spun around in the water, making pirouettes.

  “Bring it aboard!” Ves called down.

  They all headed toward the rear of the vessel, except for Seth and Martan. The halfling had a suspicion about the crate that had been thrown overboard, so the duo veered off to see what was missing among the crates they had salvaged. When they reached the cargo winch, Ruka was already waiting below. The Captain commandeered Lloyd to help man the crank, then dropped the line and had Ruka tie it around the crate. They had just finished hauling it up when Seth and Martan rejoined them.

  Seth’s eyes swept the area, and then he spoke in a hushed tone. “Just as we suspected, it’s gone.”

  Aksel let out a deep sigh. “Looks like you were right.”

  Rochino shook his head in resignation. “Aye lads, and that means we have a spy on board. On my ship!”

  Sure enough, the crate that had been tossed overboard was the container with Maltar’s seal on it. Yet the seal on the crate was still intact. Glo felt relieved. “Thank the gods they didn’t get what was inside.”

  Seth was not so easily convinced. “Maybe, but that crate didn’t just throw itself overboard. I still think we should search the ship.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” came a voice from behind them. Glo glanced over his shoulder and saw Ruka striding across the deck, still dripping wet. Maya pranced gleefully behind her, grinning at the sailors as they went by. “Because if I have to chase down another crate, someone is going to be very sorry.”

  Rochino broke out into a broad grin. “I like your style, lass.” That was no idle threat. Ruka and her sisters were not anyone you wanted to anger. “In the meantime, I suggest you keep a good eye on this container of yours.”

  The suggestion sparked an idea for Glo. He grabbed Lloyd by the arm. “I have an important job for you.”

  “What is it?” Lloyd sounded rather uncertain, given his present condition.

  Glo led Lloyd over to the crate with Maltar’s seal on it. “We need you to sit on Maltar’s crate and guard it. If anyone comes near other than us or the Captain, you have my permission to swing first and ask questions later.”

  Lloyd broke out into a broad smile for the first time since he had been blinded. “With pleasure!” He drew his swords and sat down on the crate, listening intently around him. Ruka watched him for a few moments, then nodded to Glo in approval. At the same moment, someone grabbed him by the arm. It was Ves.

  “That was very thoughtful of you, Glolindir, and prudent as well.”

  Her close proximity and the sparkle in her eyes made him suddenly rather uncomfortable. He could feel the warmth rush up into his cheeks. Luckily, Seth saved him from having to reply.

  “Yeah, yeah, if you want to be prudent, have your sisters surround the boat with those dolphin friends of yours. That way we’ll know if anything else ends up overboard.”

  Ves regarded the halfling for a moment, and then nodded with approval. “Excellent idea, Master Seth.” She waved her sisters to follow, leading them to the nearest railing. The entire crew stopped what they were doing as the three sisters gathered there. They all watched as the three of them dove overboard.

  Rochino wore a wry smile beneath his black beard. “That’s quite an interesting diving crew you’ve got yourselves there.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.” Seth rolled his eyes heavenward.

  Imposter

  The large vessel rocked from the force of the explosion

  While the three sisters set up a perimeter, Seth, Aksel, Martin, and Glo began a thorough search of the ship. The foursome went room by room, but discovered nothing until they made it to the ship’s vault. Unhindered by any lock, Seth had the vault open in a matter of seconds. Inside, they were horrified to find the dead bodies of two men. Neither corpse was clothed. They quickly headed top-side to inform the Captain. When they reached the main deck, they found Rochino surrounded by a crowd of sailors. Everyone was excited, talking all at once. There was so much noise that Glo only heard bits and pieces of what they were saying. He caught the words “dead body” and “strange girls.”

  Abruptly, Rochino’s loud voice rang out over the others. “Alright! Alright! That’s enough! Back to your stations!”

  The sailors slowly dispersed, grumbling as they went. As the crowd thinned, Glo caught sight of the Greymantle sisters on either side of the Captain. He motioned for the others to follow, then pushed forward through the slow-moving throng. When they reached the center, they halted abruptly. The Captain and the sisters stood over yet another dead body. The torso of the corpse was half-naked, a sheet of canvas draped over the lower half. Rochino wore a pained expression on his face. “He was one of my officers.”

  Ves’ face was filled with sorrow. “We found him tossed over the side.”

  Seth cast a quick glance around then whispered, “We also found two more bodies in your vault.”

  “In the vau...” Rochino slapped his hand over his mouth silencing himself. He, too, glanced around then spoke in a hushed tone. “Two more of my crew? Dead?” Seth merely nodded. The Captain’s face went pale. He took a few moments to collect himself before speaking again. “Any idea who they were?”

  Aksel shook his head. “I’m sorry. Their uniforms were gone as well.”

  Rochino’s expression slowly changed from one of shock to anger. “You fellows were right, we have an imposter on board—and when we catch him, I’m going to personally gut him and hang him from the yard arm.” When he finished, his eyes fell on the sisters. “No offense, ladies.”

  Ruka did not miss a beat. “None taken, Captain. In fact, I just might help you gut him.”

  Rochino’s mouth dropped open, but then he grinned. “Lass, you’d make a fine sailor.”

  Before she could reply, a familiar voice called out from across the deck. “Glo!”

  It was Lloyd. He still sat on Maltar’s crate, his swords drawn. Nothing appeared amiss around him, but looks could be deceiving. Glo turned back to the others. “I’ll see what he needs.”

  Rochino gave a curt nod. “You go ahead. I’ll get things taken care of here, and then I’ll check out the bodies below.”

  “You go ahead, Captain. I’ll stay here,” Aksel offered.

  “As will I,” Ves chimed in.

  “That would be... most appreciated.” Rochino bowed his head for a moment, but Glo noted a hint of moisture well up in his eyes. He then spun around and took off across the deck.

  “Glo!” Lloyd called again.

  “Coming!”

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. “I think I’ll join you. I’m curious as to what’s got him so stirred up.”

  “So will I.” Ruka fell in beside them.

  Maya took a step after her sister, but Ves reached out and placed a hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “We will stay right here.”

  Maya folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “Aww, what fun is that?”

  Martan knelt down next to the little girl and unslung his bow. “Would you like to see how this works? It’s a bit damaged, but if you’re careful, you can draw the string.”

  Maya’s face lit up as she reached for it, but then stopped herself and looked up at Ves. “Oooo, can I?”

  Ves nodded, casting a grateful look at the archer. “Go ahead.”

  “Martan one, Glo zero,” Seth said under his breath.

  Glo glared at the halfling. “What was that?”

  “Oh, nothing.”

  Seth sauntered away across the deck toward the waiting Lloyd. Ruka’s eyes fell on Glo, a short, closed-mouth laugh escaping her lips, then she took off after Seth. Glo shook his head and followed. When he caught up with them, Seth was already interrogating Lloyd.

 
; “Shhhh.” Lloyd moved his head from side to side, glancing around with unseeing eyes.

  Glo scanned the nearby area, but there was no one else around. “It’s okay, Lloyd, we’re alone.”

  The young man nodded then spoke in a hushed tone. “While I was sitting here, I overheard a couple of the sailors talking. They were complaining about another sailor not knowing what he was doing.”

  “Interesting,” Glo mused. “Did they indicate where this fellow might be?”

  Lloyd nodded. “Matter of fact, they did.” He leaned forward. “He was fumbling around with the port rigging over by the mizzen mast.”

  “And that would be exactly where?” Seth asked pointedly.

  “The left side of the rear-most mast,” Ruka answered smugly before Lloyd could speak.

  Seth gave the girl an acid look, but declined to comment.

  Glo had to stop himself from chuckling. “Thank you, Lloyd—that is a great help.” Lloyd beamed with pride in response to the compliment. “Now stay put while we look into this.”

  “I’m going to go scope out that part of the ship,” Seth said.

  “So am I,” Ruka added.

  Seth gave her a scathing look. “Whatever.”

  “Okay, but don’t do anything until we get there,” Glo told the pair. “I’m going to get Rochino. I don’t want us grabbing the wrong guy and then have the real spy get away.”

  “Can’t promise anything,” Seth responded. Before Glo could say another word, he strode off with Ruka close behind. She had a bemused look on her face as she followed the disgruntled halfling.

  Glo scanned the deck, but Rochino was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone below to the vault. Glo headed below deck, quickly catching up with the Captain. He swiftly relayed what Lloyd had uncovered. Eager to flush out the imposter/killer, Rochino led the way back on deck and up toward the rear of the ship. On the way, they passed Aksel, Ves, Maya and Martan. The officer’s body had been blessed and wrapped, and two crewmen were carrying it away to be stored below for the duration of the ride home. Glo quickly repeated what Lloyd had overheard, and what Seth and Ruka were now up to. Ves, obviously concerned for her sister, immediately joined them, as did the others. Rochino led the way across the deck to the stern of the ship and up the stairs to the rear deck where the mizzenmast resided. He pretended to give the group a tour, all the while subtly scanning the crew. At one point, he stopped and casually nodded at a sailor.

  Glo repositioned himself so he could see the man out of the corner of his eye. His back was to them, but from what he observed, the man appeared rather ordinary. He was of average height and build, dressed in a sailor’s uniform which seemed to fit him well. He fiddled with one of the large ropes that ran from the railing up to the large mast above. As far as Glo could tell, it all seemed perfectly normal, but Rochino obviously knew better. A quick scan of the deck confirmed the locations of Seth and Ruka. The pair cautiously moved from behind a stack of crates and barrels off to one side of where the man in question stood. It was then that Glo realized Martan was gone. After another sweep of the deck, he caught sight of the archer on the opposite side of the man in question from Seth and Ruka. Martan was also closing in on him.

  The companions held their breath as the stealthy trio moved in on their target. They had almost reached him when the man suddenly whirled around. Something gleamed in his hand as he lunged at the nearby Martan. A sharp gasp escaped the archer’s lips as the man stabbed him in the gut! Before anyone could move, the imposter whipped Martan around and pulled him back toward the railing, using him as a human shield. The two of them teetered there, looking as if they would fall over the rail at any moment.

  Without warning, Seth launched himself across the deck. Before the imposter could react, Seth tackled Martan out of the man’s grasp! They landed in a heap on the deck a few yards away. The imposter hesitated a moment, surprise registering on his face at having his hostage stolen from him so neatly. Then, without so much as a word, the man spun around and leapt over the side of the vessel.

  “Oh, no you don’t!” Ruka cried. She reached the railing a second later and launched herself after the murderous imposter.

  The rest of them rushed forward. Martan lay in Seth’s arms, the halfling holding his hands down on the archer’s abdomen. Seth glanced up at them. “It’s pretty deep.”

  “Thank you, Seth. I’ll handle it from here,” Ves responded, immediately kneeling down next to the fallen archer. As Seth let go his grip, she grabbed his tunic and ripped it open. The wound looked like a clean cut from what Glo could see, but it was bleeding profusely.

  Martan smiled wanly at the young woman, his voice racked with pain. “Sorry. This just hasn’t... been my week...”

  “Quiet,” she shushed him. “Lie still. And no talking until I am done.”

  “Yes... ma’am...” He tried to smile, but it was a meager effort at best.

  Yet again Ves held out her finger and brought that blue-white light to bear over the archer’s exposed abdomen. The healing energy fanned out and covered the wound so intensely that it could not be looked at directly.

  “Gods, she is powerful,” Glo whispered to Aksel. The little cleric nodded in agreement.

  At that moment, a loud boom sounded off the side of the ship. Glo saw a large column of water rise into the air a few dozen yards out. The large vessel rocked from the force of the explosion. Everyone but Ves, Seth, and Martan flew to the rail. They watched in amazement as water flowed into a temporary hole that had been blown into the sea. A few seconds later, Ruka popped out of the water. With one arm, she held onto a limp body. Even from this distance, the figure appeared a bit charred. Ves was not kidding when she said that Ruka could handle herself.

  Ruka dragged the imposter’s body through the water and then up the ship’s ladder. Once on board, she unceremoniously dumped the body on deck in the midst of a gathering crowd. The body was indeed charred—there was a wide black circle radiating out from the center of the imposter’s torso, the center of which displayed an ugly burn. Ruka stood back and leaned nonchalantly against the rail. “Sorry, Captain. Don’t think there’s much left to gut.”

  The crew stood gaping at the young girl’s handiwork. Seth sauntered over and leaned against the railing next to her. “Got what he deserved, if you ask me.”

  Ruka cast a sidelong glance at the halfling, the corner of her lips upturning slightly. At the same time, Aksel bent down to examined the charred body. “He’s still alive, though barely.” The little cleric held out his hands and white light began to pour down from his palms over his critical patient. As Aksel tried to stabilize him, a voice sounded from behind the group.

  “Thank you. Thank you.” Martan now sat up, Ves still kneeling beside him. He grabbed her hands and kissed them, still thanking her profusely. “You are like my own personal angel.” Ves blushed, but did not push his hands away.

  An ironic smile spread across Glo’s face. There was obviously a connection between these two. The only problem he foresaw was that Ves and her sisters had a secret. It was a mystery that Glo still hadn’t unraveled, though he had his suspicions. Whatever it was, it was not small. He suddenly felt quite sorry for Martan. The poor archer had no idea what he was getting himself into.

  Aksel still poured energy into the imposter. The man’s wounds began to look better, the charred skin already healing. Rochino stepped in front of them and addressed his men. “Alright, alright, enough lollygagging about. Back to work, the lot of you.”

  There were a few grumbles, but the men knew better than to question their captain. As the sailors dispersed, Martan and Ves rejoined them, the latter holding Martan up under one shoulder. Aksel continued to work feverishly on the imposter. Minutes flew by as they watched his heroic efforts. Finally, the burn marks completely disappeared. The white light faded, and Aksel sat back drawing in a deep
breath. He slowly stood up and turned to Seth, weariness quite evident on his face. “He’s all yours.”

  “Finally,” Seth exclaimed with a melodramatic sigh. He strode past the drained cleric with a wink. He reached into his backpack, pulled out a length of rope, and proceeded to tie up the imposter. Once satisfied with his handiwork, Seth performed a thorough search of the man. “Well, what do we have here?” he exclaimed. A knife suddenly appeared in his hand, and he cut into a section of the man’s tunic. Reaching inside, Seth pulled out a shiny, round, golden object. As he held it aloft, it dropped down, suspended from his hand on a long chain.

  Glo did a double take. He shifted his gaze toward the crate Lloyd was sitting on, then back at the pendant in Seth’s hand. “May I see that?”

  Seth held the object out to Glo, a wide smirk on his face. “Looks like that crate wasn’t so secure after all.”

  Glo ignored the jibe and took the pendent from Seth’s hand. He examined it closely. It was indeed an amulet. It had a golden outer ring, that was inscribed with strange runes. Glo knew a number of languages, but these were unfamiliar to him. The center of the amulet was jet black. As he stared at it, it seemed as if something moved in that darkness. Glo shook his head. His eyes must be playing tricks on him. He cast the spell of identification, but no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing came to him. After a few minutes, he gave up. That cinches it. This is definitely not an ordinary amulet. This is an object of power, an artifact. It had to be the one Maltar was expecting. Glo was not quite sure how the imposter had removed it from the box. The crate was still sealed tight. Obviously, the man was quite good at his craft. Glo took the amulet and slipped it into one of the secure pockets inside his robes.

  Seth had finished his search of the spy. The only other item he found was the dagger that had been used on Martan. Seth pocketed the knife and rubbed his hands together. “That’s that.”

  Rochino stepped forward, standing over the spy, his expression grim. He drew his cutlass and poked the tied up man with the pointy end. “It’s a shame you went to all that trouble healing him, lad. Now I just have to gut him again.”