“I have prepared some food for you,” he continued when his guests didn’t react. “After you have all eaten, I would like you to feel free to roam the ship. You are our guests, but as a precaution we will hold your weapons until you are at your destination. Is that clear?”
“Who are the oracles and what do they want with us?” demanded Harran. He was not pleased with the abduction.
“You will soon see,” answered the skink.
“You must have a better answer than that, skink scum!” raged the dwarf.
The skink warrior raised a scaly hand. “Please! You will gain nothing by violensse! My charge is to see you safely to the oracles’ island. I was given no other information. You were seized in the manner dictated by the oracles. Their reasons are their own. Besides, would you have come had I requested it? I think not.”
“We wouldn’t have believed your story any more than we do now,” retorted the dwarf.
Then know this!” hissed the skink. “My race abhors magic as does yours. We do not wield magic. The oracles do, and it is they who control what is happening!”
“Then why are you involved?” asked Kazin.
“We have a debt to pay,” said the skink. “I will say no more on this subject.”
Kazin nodded.
The skink turned to leave but seemed to remember something. He turned back. “By the way, my name is Olag. Ask for me when you need something.” He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Harran spun on Kazin. “Why did you let him go? We could have seized him and taken over the ship!”
Kazin shook his head. “Not if what he said is true. The oracles are known among the three classes of mages. Their magic is something of an enigma. Even I can’t understand their magic. Seizure of this ship is pointless.”
“Is that where we are?” asked a groggy voice from one of the cots. It was Sherman.
“Let’s wait until everyone is awake and then we’ll explain,” said Kazin.
The door opened and a different skink warrior appeared with a tray and set it on a nearby table. Another one followed, putting down a tray containing a large pitcher of water and some glasses. They both left without saying a word.
“Friendly bunch, aren’t they?” asked Sherman.
The food smelled good and the aroma permeated the room. The remaining members soon woke and joined the others in a surprisingly delicious meal. They were all famished. Not a crumb was left when they had finished. Even the burning sensation in Kazin’s stomach seemed quenched.
The mage filled them in on their predicament, and Zylor reacted as predicted, raging and threatening to kill every skink warrior on the ship with his bare hands. It took several minutes to calm him enough to discard the idea.
“I think we should make the most of this journey,” said Kazin. “Maybe if I tell the oracles about the serious mission we’re on, they’ll let us go. Or better still, they might even help.”
“Those are high hopes,” muttered Harran, “especially if they’re in league with the skink warriors.”
“Being in league and being used are two different things,” admonished Sherman. “Remember what the soldier at the Tower of Hope said; ‘They have no allegiances.’”
“We’ll see soon enough,” muttered the dwarf.
“I guess we might as well see the ship,” said Kazin finally. “The more we know about what’s going on, the easier it will be to decide on a suitable course of action.”
“We should split up,” said Milena. “They might not be able to spy on us as easily that way.”
“Good idea,” said Kazin. “Sherman, you come with me. Milena, you take the others and see if you can find where the weapons are stored. Report back here in an hour. Don’t try to take them, just find out where they are.”
“What’ll we look for?” asked Sherman.
“We’re going to have a chat with our host,” said Kazin.
The two groups exited the room and went opposite ways down the narrow corridor in the ship’s hold.
The path Kazin and Sherman took led them to a set of dark, wooden stairs leading up to a hatch.
“I suspect this goes to the deck,” said Sherman.
Kazin nodded. He started to climb but Sherman gently stopped him. “Allow me. I’m your body guard, remember?”
Kazin grinned and stepped back to allow the big warrior up the stairs first. At the top Sherman flipped a latch and swung the hatch outward. There was the rush of wind and the sky appeared above them, overcast but no longer foggy.
Sherman peeked out and called down, “All clear.” He pulled himself on deck and after a cursory check pulled Kazin up after him.
They stood on deck in the fore section of the ship. Behind them the bow sliced gracefully through the waves. In front of them was a multi-layered deck with the center dropping below them and the far deck rising to their level again. In the center of the far deck rose a cabin-shaped structure with a large window on top overlooking all the decks. Below that were two windows separated by a door in front of which stood two skink warrior sentries. They were armed with mini crossbows and short knives were strapped to their waists. Upon seeing Kazin and Sherman, they drew to attention.
Walking across the deck were several other skink warriors, casually going about their business. Some cast wary glances in their direction but continued as if there were nothing amiss.
“That’s strange,” commented Sherman. “There are no sails.”
Kazin glanced around in surprise and realized that Sherman was right. He should have noticed it himself.
“There isn’t even a crew of sailors,” said Sherman. “At least, they don’t look like they’re sailors, seeing as they have no sails to manage.”
“Olag must have been telling the truth, then,” said Kazin. “The part about the ship being magic, anyway,” he added.
“That building back there has two guards in front,” said Sherman, pointing. “Do you think that’s where the weapons are being kept?”
Kazin shook his head. “That’s probably the wheelhouse. If the ship is magically propelled, that’s where the magic will be.”
Sherman looked around. “We’re sure moving fast. The wind is coming from the front, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing us down at all.”
“Magic,” said Kazin in response. He started working his way down to the lower middle decks. “Let’s see if we can find Olag. He must know more than he let on.”
The two friends stopped on a lower deck and intercepted a skink warrior who was passing by. “Where can we find Olag?” asked Kazin.
“Follow me,” ordered the skink. He beckoned them to follow and led them aft until they came to a short flight of stairs inset into the higher deck above. The skink knocked twice at the door on this level. It opened slightly, revealing a shorter, lighter skinned skink. The skinks conversed briefly in their native tongue, which consisted of numerous hissings, and the smaller skink closed the door.
The other one turned to them and said, “She gets him.”
A moment later the door opened and Olag appeared. Kazin knew it was he by the brown belt he wore.
“Please! Come in!” said Olag cheerfully.
Unlike a lizardman, whose face was pinched and tight, a skink’s face was more that of a frog, with wide lips and a large mouth. The eyes were still like that of a lizard, but protruded from the head considerably more than that of their cousins. Their hands and feet were still clawed, but their fingers and toes were webbed, allowing for better swimming. Starting at the top of their heads and running down their backs were spiked fins resembling those of a fish. But the most unusual feature on these creatures was the narrow red gills that ran down the sides of their necks and down the front of their shoulders. It was with these that they were able to breathe underwater.
Ol
ag led them to a comfortable looking room with ordinary furniture common to a captain’s quarters.
“Please, sit,” said Olag, gesturing to some chairs at a table in the center of the room. “Can I offer you something? A drink, perhaps?”
“No, thank you,” said Kazin, accepting the chair. Sherman sat down beside him and quietly shook his head.
“Then the food I had prepared was enough?” asked Olag.
“Yes, thank you,” said Kazin uncomfortably.
“Where are the others?” asked Olag.
Sherman looked up. “None of your—!” He broke off abruptly as Kazin jabbed him with an elbow.
“None of them felt like coming out on deck,” lied Kazin.
“Ah, so they are not comfortable with us, yess?”
“You can say that again,” muttered Sherman.
Kazin gave him a sharp glance.
“I understand,” said Olag sadly. “Our people have never gotten along too well.”
“It is said that your people have no allegiances with anyone,” said Kazin. “It’s no wonder no one trusts you.”
Olag hissed loudly. It took Kazin a moment to realize the skink was laughing.
“Well spoken, human!” said Olag gleefully. “Would you like to hear why that is?”
Kazin nodded.
“Very well,” said the skink warrior. He seated himself across from his guests and called the short skink. She appeared and he introduced her as Grilla, his maid. He asked her to bring him some tea and then turned his complete attention to his guests.
“Hundreds of years ago,” he began, “our people, the lizardmen—which we once were—came to a disagreement. It was shortly after the dragon wars were over. Some lizardmen declared that magic was what we needed to rebound and defeat the humans and their allies. Others said it was the reason why those races wanted us destroyed in the first place. This rift grew until one day a revolution broke out. One side was in favour of magic. The other wasn’t. The side against was initially more numerous, but we found that it was almost impossible to get close to our magic-wielding adversaries. Many were killed. Those who remained were forced to take up long range weapons such as bows. Unfortunately, by then it was almost too late. Demoralized, many switched sides, turning traitor to those who were true to their cause. Those who were left of the non—magic supporters were banished from the mountains.
“Those who were banished soon returned, victims of discrimination and slavery by the humans and elves, who wouldn’t share the land with them. They begged assistance from their former brothers. At first they were denied and we were on the brink of another war.”
“Weren’t they just defeated?” asked Kazin. “How could they possibly hope to succeed?”
Olag smiled. “They had no alternative. They needed to fight for a home. They were dead either way.”
Kazin nodded.
Just then Grilla appeared with a tray of tea and three cups. Without asking, Olag poured some tea into each glass and pushed them toward his guests. Kazin and Sherman accepted and Kazin immediately took a sip. He was amazed at its quality.
“Then the lizardmages responded,” continued Olag. “But not in the way the non-magic lizardmen had hoped. The lizardmages wanted one condition in exchange for their assistance. They wanted the non-magic wielding lizardmen to agree to never bear arms against them again. The non-magic lizardmen hastily agreed, eager to avoid a fight. After they signed the agreement, they allowed the lizardmages to do their magic, however reluctantly.”
Olag pointed to himself. They turned those lizardmen into us, so that we could live in the sea, apart from the other races.”
Kazin’s jaw dropped. “I had no idea!”
Olag smiled grimly. “As you can see, it wasn’t a very pleasant change. The skink warriors, as they were now called, were very upset. But the lizardmages in the mountain claimed they had done their part of the bargain, and that we must hold to ours. The skinks were furious, but nevertheless held to their part of the bargain. They dejectedly departed the mountains, vowing to find another way to retaliate.
“That way was found a few years later, when the lizardmen came out of the mountains with their allies to make an assault on some nearby human settlements.”
Olag sat back. “Can you imagine what it must have been like the first time, as the lizardmages and their allies came out of the mountains to clash with the human armies below? They see the skink warriors approach—and give cheers of joy, knowing that they were bound by agreement not to bear arms against them. They assumed the skinks were there to aid them. Imagine their astonishment as the skink warriors fired their bows and crossbows, weapons they were familiar with, into the ranks of their allies, completely decimating them and exposing the weaker lizardmen to the humans’ front lines!
“Imagine the reaction of the humans, now superior in number, thinking that they were being aided! They charge toward the lizardmages; only, to their dismay, the skink warriors fire into their ranks as well, evening the odds! How sweet it must have been to have revenge on both enemies at once! On one side, the humans and their allies, who treated them poorly, and on the other side, the lizardmages, whom they were obligated to avoid with their weapons! The agreement never said anything about helping the enemies of the lizardmen! Without their allies, the lizardmen were exposed and weak. With the skink warriors raking the humans with arrows, the balance was held. As long as both sides were evenly matched, they would fight on. The more who died, the better. Finally the lizardmages retreated, as did the skinks, knowing the battle was done.
“A representative of the lizardmen contacted our people some time later, claiming we had reneged on our agreement. But he was told to check their dead. Not one was killed by a skink warrior’s arrow. They couldn’t argue with that! Nevertheless, the lizardmages threatened to find us and wipe us out completely. But they would have had to turn themselves into our form to find us underwater, and that they weren’t prepared to do! From then on, skink warriors did what they could to hinder both humans and lizardmages.”
“That explains your peoples’ appearance in the latest battle against the Tower of Hope!” said Sherman. “You were there to prolong the battle!”
Olag smiled. “I’m glad to see my people are still doing their job. It’s been several generations since we’ve had a chance to do battle.” He looked at the humans’ worried faces before him and his smile was replaced by a concerned frown. “No offence intended, of course.” His smile immediately returned. “We are temporarily allied by a power superior to our own. I assure you, I and my crew bear no malice toward you or your friends.”
“I hope that will remain so,” said Sherman warily.
“As the oracles wish,” responded Olag.
“One thing puzzles me about your story,” said Kazin after a moment. “Your people retaliated over their physical change. Surely that was a small price to pay to have a safe place to live?”
Olag hissed. “Safe place? We have many dangers in this new world of ours!”
“Like what?” asked Sherman. “I don’t know of anything threatening living in the water.”
Olag hissed again. “You live on land! How could you know?” He shook his head. “First of all, there are the mermaids, who don’t like newcomers any more than the humans did.”
“Mermaids?” asked Sherman. “You’re joking!”
“Yess!” said Olag. “Land people like yourselves who see them usually never return! In any case, we’ve had many pitched battles between our people. They strike at our communities and then swim quickly away, too quickly for us to follow. So far none of our people have been able to find their lairs upon which to counter strike.
“Then there are the pirates, but those we can handle. Indeed, they’re more useful than we had originally suspected. Many of them are convinced their loot is safe among the Ha
unted Shoals. We often lie in wait for them and wait for them to stash their hauls. After they leave, we seize their cache of goods for ourselves. We don’t always take it, though. After all, we want them to come back again. Some pirates even act as go-betweens to help us exchange goods for currency and vice-versa. What better way to finance our people without coming out in the open?
“Finally,” continued the skink warrior with a frown, “there are the oracles. They are not to be trifled with. Whenever the never-ending dispute between ourselves and the mermaids gets out of hand, the oracles draw both parties to their island to make us do penance by doing various chores for them. If we’re lucky that is. If we’re not, we have to be in each other’s presence and try to get along. Have you ever tried to get along with a mermaid? Flying with boulders tied to your ankles is easier!”
“I didn’t even know mermaids existed until now,” said Sherman.
“Be thankful,” said Olag distastefully.
“How long before we reach the oracles’ island?” asked Kazin. “We’re on an important mission and a delay could prove disastrous.”
“We’ll be there this evening,” said Olag. He drank the last of his tea. “I enjoyed this little chat,” he continued, rising, “but I’ve got some other things to attend to. If you’ll excuse me.”
“What did you find out?” asked Milena later when the mage and warrior returned to their room.
“You first,” said Kazin.
“We found the room with the weapons,” said Harran.
“But it can’t be entered,” said Milena. “The magic is similar to mine, but much more powerful.”
Kazin nodded. Then he and Sherman related the events that transpired in Olag’s room.
“That explains a lot,” said Harran thoughtfully. “But it still doesn’t help us decide what to do next.”
“We’ll have to wait until we see the oracles,” said Kazin. “Any comments?” He looked at each of the companions.
“I hope they’re worthy opponents,” grumbled Zylor. He was obviously distressed at being prevented from fighting the skink warriors.
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 31