Rise of the TaiGethen e-2

by James Barclay

  ‘Swim with your arm in the air.’

  ‘I’ve got a much better idea,’ said Auum.

  They swam slowly and gently, hidden behind the rainforest debris that washed continually down the Ix from the Cerathon Falls a few hundred miles to the south. Auum and Merrat perched their pouches of mushrooms atop knots of vines and branches.

  Approaching the lead barge, Ulysan and Elyss slipped away into the shadows of the craft’s hull. Auum abandoned his float as he reached the fourth barge. Merrat’s cell was heading for the eighth and twelfth barges. Auum rested a hand on the hull, the mushroom pouch caught between his thumb and forefinger.

  Lights ringed the gunwale rail, pooling weakly on the open forward deck, which was filled with soldiers attempting to sleep. Guards wandered along the rail, their eyes on the banks of the river some hundred and fifty yards to either side. They knew what lurked in the water. Not one of them trailed a lazy hand in it.

  Auum worked his way towards the stern, past the mast to the cargo stays, where dozens of barrels, sacks and crates were lashed to the deck a beneath a timber rain hood. The tiller deck was behind them, three steps up and surrounded with its high rail. Four men stood there talking, looking along the length of the barge and directly across the cargo.

  Auum tossed the pouch in among the nearest sacks and waited, looking upstream. He could make out Ulysan’s head at the prow of the lead barge. Of Elyss there was no sign until her head broke the surface and the pair of them began moving along the length of the craft.

  Gently, as if propelled by the merest breath of wind, the barge began to turn towards the bank, pivoting on the stern anchor. A single shout of alarm sent men scurrying about the deck. Orders to raise the sail echoed across the river and Auum saw men hauling on the anchor rope only to discover it untied. When the barge was at almost ninety degrees to the others, Elyss released the aft anchor as well.

  Above Auum, the deck had come alive. Men ran down to the prow. The tiller deck emptied, scowling sailors marching forward, leaving one looking suspiciously down at the spot where his anchor rope disappeared into the dark water. Auum heard raucous laughter and a few cheers from within the barge, over which furious shouts and orders fought to be heard.

  Auum moved quietly around to the rear of the tiller deck. The guard was still staring down, almost daring his anchor to shift, when Auum saw the merest shadow in the water, about three feet down, heading for the rope. He smiled.

  Something flashed up the rope, using it to propel herself out of the water. Elyss slammed into the guard, a dagger thumping into his throat. He made a low gurgling sound, cut off when he hit the deck. Auum stared over at the fifth barge, fifteen yards away in the gloom. No one had seen her.

  Auum moved silently onto the deck, keeping himself low. Elyss was kneeling over the body, her hands slick with his blood.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘There was no other way to do it. But they’ll see this, won’t they?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Watching all those humans has given me a better idea than all this stealth nonsense. Watch for my signals.’

  Elyss nodded, wiped her hands on the soldier’s leggings and moved forward along the port side of the cargo. Auum retrieved the pouch and crawled over the cargo, beneath the rain hood, sniffing at the lid of each crate and barrel, seeking dried meat. He found it in four barrels, all securely lidded and three sealed. The fourth had been opened. Auum used a knife to lever the lid up and sprinkled mushroom shavings over the salted meat strips, mixing it in with a hand.

  He replaced the lid; next, grain. The humans had a bizarre fondness for barley soups and stews, and it would be stored in sacks. Auum crawled back down to the deck, motioning Elyss to return to the tiller.

  Another loud commotion broke out: Merrat’s Tai must have begun their attack. Auum smiled and began checking the sacks. Three were open and roughly tied at the neck. Auum glanced down the length of his barge. Men were walking back down the deck — one was waving soldiers back to their mats with little success. The other three were marching with some purpose towards the tiller.

  Auum’s time was short. He grabbed the thin rope from the neck of a sack and tipped the mushroom into the top. He scooped it under the surface and pushed the rope back round the neck, hoping it would go unnoticed. Ahead, the trio were splitting up to walk either side of the cargo. Two were coming Auum’s way; so much the better.

  He looked behind him. Ulysan was now on deck with Elyss and both of them had seen the approaching danger. Good. It was impossible to ignore this opportunity to inflict more damage on the enemy… and as for their own escape, they’d just have to make that up as they went.

  Auum pressed himself hard into the shadow of the cargo. Humans were blind and these two men wouldn’t see him unless they stepped on him. He drew a dagger and held the blade close to his body, hiding the shine. The deck was only wide enough for one man. The pair didn’t stop talking as they hurried on, gesturing angrily at the barge behind them and the commotion ahead of them.

  They were four paces from Auum when he stood to block their path, shouting in the ancient tongue of the elves, ‘ Flethar kon juene bleen.’ Make the river red.

  Auum leapt forward and flashed his dagger across the first man’s face. He threw up his hands up to defend himself. Auum reversed the blade across the backs of his hands, stepped in and jabbed an elbow up into his throat. The man began to choke, his eyes widening in fear as Auum spun on his left leg and cracked his right foot into the side of his enemy’s head. The move was quick. The man lost his balance and plunged into the river.

  Auum did not pause. He ran at the second sailor, straight-kicked him in the stomach and shoved him hard on the shoulders as he doubled over. The man scrabbled for a hold on the ropes tying the cargo. Auum swept his dagger down, severing a finger. The man cried out and fell sideways into the water. It was only a matter of time now.

  Auum paced past the cargo and on to the open deck. To his right, Ulysan was moving past the falling body of the third sailor and mirroring Auum’s advance. Elyss was behind him. Ahead, the enemy were just waking to the fact they were under attack. Shouts echoed across the river. Men surged to their feet, seeking weapons and armour.

  ‘Get in, and get out,’ said Auum. ‘We have business elsewhere. Tai, we strike.’

  One of the humans in the water gave the long scream of a man suffering a thousand bites, while Auum sprinted into the heart of the enemy. There had to be almost a hundred soldiers on board, living in a cramped chaos that could only aid the TaiGethen. As many scrambled away as squared up to them, peering into the half-light of the gunwale lanterns.

  Auum lashed a foot into the face of a soldier who was still searching for his sword, sending him spinning away towards the side of the barge, where he knocked a lantern into the river. The water had already begun to boil with piranha. Down in the water, a man was screaming to be saved, his screams alerting those on deck that to fall in was to die. Auum’s smile was bleak. The risk for the TaiGethen would be just as great should any of them be cut before they returned to the water.

  Ulysan flew through his peripheral vision, both feet thudding into the chest of a big soldier, who crashed backwards into another hiding in his shadow. Elyss moved in behind him, her twin blades carving cuts into her enemies’ exposed bodies. Auum pivoted on his right foot and swept his left high, across his face. His heel caught his target on the chin, knocking him down, and Auum stepped forward. He drew a blade with his left hand, sliced open the man’s buttocks and threw his victim over the side.

  Auum rolled to his right. A blade split the deck behind him, missing his left shoulder by a whisker, then he was back on his feet, too fast to track. Two men were ahead of him. He jumped high and kicked out with first his left then his right foot. Both connected hard, his left smashing the warrior’s nose across his face, his right making a mess of his target’s lips and teeth.

  Auum landed between them, dropped his left shoulder and shoved one overboar
d. Simultaneously, he kicked out with his right foot, cracking it into the knee of the second man, smashing the joint backwards. Auum moved past him, hacking a blade deep into his neck.

  He moved fast to his Tai. Ulysan butted a burly soldier in the face and the man staggered back towards the starboard rail. He reached out and grabbed Ulysan’s arms, his weight overbalancing the TaiGethen. Ulysan pulled back but his heels were slipping on the blood-slick deck. Auum couldn’t get there in time. Ulysan was heading for the frothing, screaming water where crocodiles were already gathering to join the feast.

  He slithered closer still, desperate for a way to escape his fate, his eyes wide. The soldier’s ankles struck the rail. Ulysan jerked back but the soldier’s grip was too strong. Auum heard a yell as Elyss’ blades hammered down one after the other, severing the soldier’s arms near the elbows. He plunged into the water, blood spewing from the stumps, too shocked to even scream as the water closed over his head.

  Ulysan staggered back a pace before finding his balance again. He was vulnerable. Auum moved to his left, hacking both blades into the gut of a soldier who thought he’d seen an opportunity. Ulysan nodded his thanks. Elyss moved to his other side.

  ‘Quick,’ said Auum. ‘Let’s take one more.’

  The TaiGethen cell turned and sprinted for the tiller deck, sheathing their blades. Arrows began to fly as soon as they were clear of the enemy, skipping off the deck and whistling past them as they ducked and jumped. Beside them, the water was alive with flesh-eating creatures. Screaming bodies thrashed and blood topped the foam.

  Auum reached the tiller deck, leapt on to the rail and dived out as far as he could, his body entering the water with barely a ripple. He cleared the blood frenzy and trusted to the remains of the salve to shield him. He opened his eyes. Silvery bodies flashed past to either side of him; the river seemed choked with them. He could see the great shapes of crocodiles moving fast, their tails driving them through the water at stunning speed.

  Auum swam hard, breaking the surface and powering towards the bow of the fifth barge. Ahead, he could see the last of the twelve barges drifting into midstream, its anchor lines detached. He saw men gathering on the shore, pointing and hollering advice and he could see chaos on another barge, presumably the one Merrat had attacked. A third barge had managed to raise minimal sail and was moving down the line to lend aid.

  His target barge was crowded with men yelling out instruction, order and support. Almost all were armed but none even considered entering the river. Archers elbowed their way to the bow and took aim at the water. Elyss was driving on past Auum, Ulysan was a few strokes behind.

  Auum dived below the surface once more, just in time. An arrow fizzed into the water, its fletchings brushing his forehead. Auum looked for and found the anchor rope. He swam towards it, seeing Elyss’ body flicking towards the stern of the craft, a dagger held in her teeth. He watched her angle her body and still her movement as a huge crocodile powered past her.

  The beast loomed up on him, an evil black shadow in the gloomy moonlit water. Arrows criss-crossed in the water seeking targets, and one nicked the corner of the crocodile’s eye, bouncing off its scales. It turned its head and changed direction so fast Auum could barely track its movement. Auum’s blood chilled. He swept his legs hard, driving himself faster towards the barge, the reptile closing on him at a horrifying pace. Auum grabbed the anchor rope. He pulled himself towards it. His vision was full of dull green. He got his other hand on the anchor line, and then a foot, broke the surface and ran up the taut rope.

  The crocodile surged out after him, propelled by speed and anger. Auum leapt high, past the gaping mouths and wide eyes of the soldiers crowding the deck. He twisted in the air, drawing his blades and executing a perfect back flip. The move gave him a brief view of the crocodile, anchor rope in its mouth, landing square on the deck, flattening some and scattering the rest into the water or across the deck. Timbers cracked. The beast hissed.

  As he spun through the air Auum looked down, seeking clear deck. He landed four paces from the bow, his blades already slicing out and forward. Ahead, the crocodile thrashed and snapped its jaws. Men were pushing back, trying to get away from it. More fell into the river.

  The crocodile rushed forward. Its huge tail thrashed left and right striking men clear off the barge and into the water. The reptile’s jaws opened wide and shut with appalling force. There was a scream, a fountain of blood and a body was flung into the air. Men turned to run, only to find a TaiGethen warrior waiting for them. Elyss and Ulysan climbed over the starboard rail. Their blades worked hard. Auum moved forward, adding to the confusion at the bow. The crocodile was heading back to the water, a wailing victim in its mouth.

  Auum turned and ran towards the tiller deck, his Tai with him. Panicked men parted before them. TaiGethen blades licked out, slicing deep into flesh. Nimble feet tangled clumsy human legs. Bodies sprawled across the deck or fell into the frothing water.

  ‘Lanterns!’ called Auum.

  He ran to the gunwale, sheathing his blades and pushing a frightened soldier over the side. He snatched up a lantern and hurled it at the cargo. The glass shattered under the rain hood and spread burning oil across the dry crates and barrels. Elyss and Ulysan followed his lead and soon six lanterns had been broken across the cargo, flames already licking up, heat building rapidly beneath the hood.

  On the tiller deck, men stood with nowhere to go. The skipper was at the tiller, keeping the barge in midstream. Two others hefted long swords.

  ‘Elyss, tiller. Ulysan, drop kick.’

  The Tai cell sprinted on. Ulysan took the left, Auum the right. Three paces from the guards, both TaiGethen leapt, legs straight, hammering into their targets’ faces before either could raise his blade high enough. Auum landed astride his enemy, dropped his knees onto his chest and smashed his windpipe with a single punch. Elyss rolled by overhead, landed in front of the skipper and roundhoused a perfectly placed kick into his temple. He fell stunned against the rail and lay there until Elyss helped him over the side.

  ‘Enough,’ said Auum. ‘The water’s getting too dangerous now. Let’s get to shore before the piranha and crocodiles begin to seek fresher meat than humans.’

  The TaiGethen dived off the stern and swam hard for the shore opposite the enemy army, heading for the agreed meeting point with Merrat. Three barges were ablaze, their provisions lost, another two now carried poisoned food supplies. Two more were adrift. Auum paused at the bank to appreciate the chaos they had caused. The river was awash with blood and bones, although they had killed relatively few of their enemies. But that had not been the purpose of the night. Auum smiled.

  ‘A good night’s work,’ he said.

  Chapter 17

  A human will never understand the essential simplicity of the forest and he will die as a result.

  Auum, Arch of the TaiGethen

  ‘ ‘‘Build more barges’’,’ said Hynd. ‘That was what you said, wsn’t it?’

  Jeral tore his eyes from the river, the burning barges and the awful thrashing in the water. He glared at Hynd, assuming he was being ridiculed. But Hynd wasn’t even looking at him. He was staring at the garish scene, his face drawn and pale in the half-light.

  ‘Yeah.’ Jeral’s voice caught and he cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, that was me.’

  The three burning barges had not been put out yet and Jeral didn’t blame anyone for not getting any closer to the river than they absolutely had to. All three still had crew and soldiers aboard. The fires were contained, at least for now, and it looked as if heavy rain was coming. They could hope to salvage the hulls if not the cargo they carried.

  Jeral wasn’t sure what would happen now. He’d have brought all the barges to the bank and disembarked everyone for the time being. The trouble was, no one knew where would be safest — not now.

  ‘Did we know they could swim?’ asked Hynd. His head was shaking slightly and he gestured out at the water.

  ‘I
think we all assumed they could swim, Hynd. Y’know, most of us can swim.’ Jeral stood up and moved another pace further from the bank and nearer his fire. ‘But there’s a difference between going for a dip and volunteering to swim through infested waters to get at a load of humans you could easily have killed on land.’

  ‘What surprises me most is that they didn’t launch a land attack too,’ said Hynd. ‘After all, none of us were watching our backs, were we?’

  Jeral shrugged. ‘It’s all the same message. Like we didn’t know we weren’t safe out here.’

  ‘There’s got to be more to it than that,’ said Hynd, turning from the river at last.

  ‘Sure there is. They’re trying to wear us down, make us scared of closing our eyes to sleep, and it’s working, isn’t it? Now every man on those barges feels exposed and is shitting himself waiting for the next ripple to get close to their boat. Put a foot in there and you lose it, right? Can’t shoot an arrow across the deck. Can’t wash it with a spell either. You won’t catch me on one of those things now, that’s for sure. Not a fucking chance.’

  Jeral looked back at the water. Burning barrels and sacks had been pushed into the water, diminishing the fires still further. There was almost total silence. The water had ceased to churn. A couple of rowing boats were scudding between barges. Men were being transferred and the occasional glow signified mages at work, tidying up wounds. But of those who had fallen into the river, there was nothing left to save.

  In the forest the pickets had been strengthened, and everywhere you looked hardened soldiers were shuddering and shivering as if cold. It wasn’t even raining yet.

  ‘Seen anything of our glorious leaders?’ asked Hynd.

  Jeral sniffed. ‘What do you think? No doubt they surrounded themselves with mages, castings and spears and crawled under the biggest rocks they could find. No, strike that. It’s the middle of the night, isn’t it? Loreb will be pissed and won’t know anything’s happened. Killith is probably organising a sing-song or something. Pindock, now he will be under a rock somewhere with shit dribbling down his legs. What we could really do with is a word from your lot. I mean, how much further is this place? It had better fucking exist, that’s all I can say.’