The Dragon's Breath

by James Boschert

  “Are you sure?” Talon asked him.

  “You cannot see it from here, but I could see the entrance of the channel from up in the mast. It will appear within a short while.”

  Talon issued orders to Waqqas, who called them out to Abdullah and the crew, who jumped to do his bidding. The ship heeled just a little, and the sails flapped, then bellied as they took on their new course.

  The ship surged forward, the only sounds being the water hissing past the hull and the creak of stays. Talon had issued orders for strict silence from everyone on deck. It had surprised him that the men were so respectful when he issued orders. He had remarked on it to Reza, who’d laughed.

  “Talon, my Bother. You always did underestimate your ability to lead. You have demonstrated on more than one occasion your bravery and leadership. Why would they not respect you?”

  “I am not a real captain, nor am I a real navigator. I have always left that to others of more experience,” he’d said.

  Reza had put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I think you will become both in a short space of time, Brother.”

  Talon drew comfort from his words, and focused on the present. Now he could see the split in the land mass and realized that they were heading into the channel.

  “We must stay in the center of the channel, Captain,” Hanji whispered. “There are sand banks along either side that could trap us if we do not.”

  Waqqas heard him and ordered the steersmen to make a small correction. Before long they were deep into the channel, and all the noises of the jungle at night could be heard. The call of the howler monkeys and the grunt of wild pigs in the mangrove swamps came clearly across the water to the men on the silent ship, along with the smell of rotting vegetation and rank, salty water. The smell of land, Talon thought to himself, and wrinkled his nose. The open sea always smelled cleaner, just as did the air of the desert.

  It seemed only a short while before Hanji touched him on the arm and whispered, “We must take down the main sail and move over to the port side, Captain. There is an inlet over there. Have you noticed the curve to the starboard side of the channel? We will find ourselves in the harbor if we continue much further.”

  To low-voiced commands the Sea Eagle’s main sail was taken down, along with the foresail, leaving only the after sail to catch what wind there was. The ship moved very slowly towards the port side coast, and then Hanji touched his arm again. “Here Captain! We must drop anchor here!” His tone was urgent.

  The order was called forward and the crewmen at the bows eased the anchor stone into the water. None too soon, as the sand was only ten feet below the keel. Talon looked across at the dark mass of the jungle in front of them. How was the party ever going to find their way through that forbidding forest at night?

  Hanji had said he would be glad to guide the party along the pathway that would take them up to the back of the palace. Reza came up to collect him and to warn him.

  “Anything at all that makes me suspicious, you will be the first to die,” he told the frightened man, who nodded emphatically. “As God is my witness, Master, I shall not betray you,” he stammered.

  Reza and Talon embraced. Just as he turned away, he saw Rav’an and Jannat come on deck, approaching them in the darkness. Talon could smell their scent in the heavy air as they came closer.

  “You would leave without saying goodbye, Reza?” Jannat whispered to him. He seized her in a tight embrace. “Be safe, my warrior,” she murmured into his shoulder with a catch in her voice.

  He kissed her and embraced Rav’an, then went down to the main deck where the crew were already climbing down the side to the two boats, which had been lowered before they came to the channel.

  Talon stood on the steering deck next to Rav’an and Jannat, watching them pull away. Strong men rowed the boats with the oar locks wrapped in sacking to muffle any sounds. Reza was taking ten men with him, which would leave Talon shorthanded if they didn’t come back, but less than ten would have handicapped the enterprise. Hanji had told them there were twenty to thirty men at arms in the palace. Once again, the element of surprise was needed for success to be theirs.

  Talon, Rav’an, and Jannat stood by the port rail, staring in silence into the darkness long after the boats had vanished. They didn’t hear anything of the landing a few hundred paces away.

  As though divining his thoughts, Rav’an touched his hand with hers. “It is hard, but you made the right decision, my Talon,” she said. “I shall not sleep until our brother and his men are back with us. God protect them this night.”

  “The waiting and not knowing are enough to kill me,” he muttered, as he gripped her fingers.

  “But Reza was right, your responsibilities are far greater than even before. Now you are the captain of the ship and the navigator. Your duty is to this ship!”

  Talon nodded in the dark. “You are all right, of course; but I am not good at waiting, my Love. Not like this! I pray to God that he, they, will be safe.”

  “I pray that they will all be safe,” Jannat echoed him, and shivered despite the warm, humid night.

  Rav’an hastened to wrap her in her arms. “Jannat, I shall tell you something more about Reza that you do not know. If anyone can take care of this, it will be he, believe me.”

  Talon remained on deck and kept watch. “God speed my brothers,” he murmured.

  Till my soul is full of longing

  For the secret of the sea,

  And the heart of the great ocean

  Sends a thrilling pulse through me.

  —Henry Wordsworth

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Retribution

  As the boats pulled away, Reza glanced back at the dark profile of the Sea Eagle. He noted the figures standing at the rail, then turned to focus his full attention on the coastline. The rowers pulled hard but silently towards the dim outline of the beach ahead of them. He like all his men was dressed in dark clothing with his face covered up to his eyes.

  Within minutes of leaving the ship they eased themselves over the sides of the boats into the water, trying not to make a splash, and then hastily hauled the boats up the beach far enough to prevent them from drifting away. The sea here was very calm; the only danger Hanji had warned them of was water snakes. Reza did not relish that idea very much, but it helped to hasten the men out of the water and to urge them swiftly towards the darkness of the jungle ahead.

  Then, in the middle of the sandy beach, they all stopped and stood motionless. The sand all about them had come to life and had begun to move. To their horror, hundreds of large crabs began to scuttle away from them, making a harsh, clacking rattle as they moved. One of the men gave an involuntary yelp of surprise when one ran over his bare feet. Then it was quiet again. They hastened to get off the beach; their nerves, already taut, were now jangling.

  Hanji was pushed to the front by Reza, who walked right behind him with his sword drawn in case of any treachery. The man seemed to be willing enough, but Reza was not taking any chances. Hanji had told them that the palace was on the hill almost directly above their position. Its location was west of the town, which was huddled around a large cove on the bend of the channel they had negotiated that night.

  Fortunately the rasping of the insects in the jungle hid the clumsiness of the men, who were inexperienced in moving quietly. It was dark and they were carrying heavy loads: Greek Fire pots and Thunderclap bombs, and several small barrels of the flame powder that Talon had discovered was so effective. He had suggested that it might be useful to blow things open, like doors. Reza had agreed, although reluctantly, as his whole being was tied to stealth.

  Their path was well used but very narrow, and they constantly brushed past thick bushes and trailing vines which made Reza flinch, thinking they might be snakes or some other jungle denizen that harbored designs upon him; Reza hated snakes. Things he couldn’t see in the dark scuttled out of their way as they walked, and he prayed there would be nothing dangerous to disp
ute their right of way. He began to sweat copiously in the close humidity, straining his eyes to see beyond Hanji’s dark form as they climbed the hill through the jungle.

  It took them almost an hour to make their way to a point where the jungle thinned, and they found themselves at the edge of an area where the ground had been cleared by men. They emerged from the jungle with relief to see the dark walls of the palace looming over them and the dim lights of the harbor below off to the East. So far so good, Reza thought. Their guide had not misled them.

  Hanji stopped and allowed Reza to come alongside, then gripped his arm and pointed up at the battlements. Reza looked up and could see the dark silhouette of a guard. The sentry walking slowly along the top of the wall seemed unaware of the visitors huddled at the edge of the jungle below him. The Sea Eagle men retreated deeper into the shadows.

  “You will stay here,” Reza whispered to Hanji. He disappeared, only to reemerge at the base of the walls. Then they witnessed an extraordinary thing. Reza scaled the wall, which was about twenty feet high, as easily as though he were walking up the vertical surface. He reached the top and rolled over the parapet into the shadows, where he waited. The sentry came ambling back, glancing from time to time over the wall in a disinterested manner. He never knew what struck him down, but it was over in a moment. Reza resorted to his usual tactic. He propped the dead man up on his spear as though he were leaning against the wall for a rest.

  Then Reza beckoned the others. There was a concerted rush to the base of the wall, where every one waited, listening hard to make sure there were no alarms. Then at a whispered call from Reza, Tarif stepped out and threw a rope up to him. Reza tied it off and signaled to Tarif, who beckoned others of the team to climb the rope. When Reza had four men with him, including Tarif and Dar’an, he gave the rope a sharp tug.

  It was a signal for the remainder, with Hanji in tow, to move around the walls to the main gate and wait there. Reza, in the meantime, led the way along the wall towards the area where the main gates were located. There would be sentries posted there who would have to be dealt with silently.

  They scuttled along the wall and came onto the pavilion area. The moon came out from behind a cloud, and everyone sank into a darker shadow waiting. While they waited, Reza sniffed the air. The stink of carrion that came out of the darkened compound below was very strong in the humid air. He peered downward and was startled to see a huge shadow moving out of the darker shadows into the middle of the compound to stand near to a tree.

  The hairs on the back of his neck rose. “Pedar Sag!” he breathed. He was now somewhat familiar with tigers, having seen paintings of them as the Chinese saw them; he had even handled pottery depicting them. The Tiger was part of the Chinese culture; but Reza had never seen a live one before and it was a terrifying experience, even from the safety of the pavilion. When the clouds parted, the moon illuminated a great beast with stripes over all its body, which he estimated stood at the shoulder as high as his waist. It was looking straight up at him, its tail lashing, and then it growled: a low rumble that was as menacing a sound as he had ever heard.

  One of his men had noticed the animal too, and he gave an involuntary whimper of fear. Reza decided it was time to move and get on with what they had come for, before the men lost their nerve. Tearing his eyes away from the pacing beast below, he got up and moved quickly towards the entrance that he remembered led down the stairs towards the main hallway. There was a faint glow of light at the end of the corridor; beckoning the others to follow, he walked very silently and carefully down the stairs toward the opening. They emerged into what Reza recognized as the main foyer of the palace, where he had been once before. Lanterns were still burning in small recesses in the walls, even though it was well after midnight by now. There was a small noise at the other side of the room. Everyone froze and all eyes probed the darkness. Slowly something moved out of the darkness into the dim light of the oil lamps and began to move across the stone floor. Reza went cold with shock. It was a snake, the largest he had ever seen, and it was coming to investigate the intrusion. Without thinking he slipped his sword out of its sheath and held it in front of him.

  The men around Reza shrank back in fear and one even made to climb the stairs to get away, making a small sound of panic in his throat. Reza hissed at them to stay where they were and advanced into the room, his sword held in both hands in a strike ready pose. If this was just a python there was nothing to fear, but he would have to dispose of it before it caused more panic among his men. His own heart was pounding furiously in his chest as he watched the huge snake slithering slowly into the center of the room.

  The creature noticed him and stopped, then it rose up, and he saw what he had dreaded most. Behind its head was a spreading hood, and he knew he faced a deadly cobra. The head of the snake was not three paces away and level with his chest, its forked tongue testing the air. Reza tried to control his breathing as he had learned in the dojo. He settled his stance and watched the creature intently. His sword point was level with its head. There was not time to lose, he realized; he could feel the fear emanating from his men behind him.

  The snake drew back its head to strike. Reza made one stride forward, followed by a lightning fast blow from the side and upwards in a smooth arc. The fine steel of his sword flashed and the next thing the men behind him saw was the head of the snake flying through the air to land on the tiles with a thud and a spray of blood. The rest of the body writhed and convulsed at Reza’s feet. Behind him he heard a collective sharp intake of breath from his men. He gave a hiss of relief and lowered his sword, then he took a deep breath and willed himself to stop the tremor in his hands.

  Sing’s watchdog was dead.

  “Come!” he told them, and went to the main door, eased it open a crack then peered out. The men by the gate were asleep. They all slipped through the door and sped across the open yard to the shadows next to the gate. Reza left it to his men to deal with slumbering guards. The two were dispatched with barely a sound and the gates were eased open. Despite the creak of the doors on iron hinges no one woke up, nor did anyone come to investigate. There was no change in the chorus of frogs from the jungle to alert the inhabitants of the palace to trouble.

  Reza grabbed Hanji as he slipped inside the door by the collar and whispered fiercely into his ear. “You didn’t tell me about a tiger. Nor did you talk about a Cobra.”

  “The tiger is kept secure, Master. It is used for executions. I... I didn’t know about the snake, I swear!” he whined. “There was a rumor of a monster guardian in the palace, but I never came here more than twice, so I don’t know!” Reza shook him, unconvinced. There was something here he didn’t like.

  “Where does Lord Sing have his apartments?” he demanded, while he watched his men place a small barrel against the main gate. They might need it to delay pursuit.

  Hanji pointed to a set of buildings attached to the main structures. “When I was here last time I noticed that no one went over there to the other side of the main entrance. We were told to stay away. Those are his private quarters. I’ve never been inside them. Those over there are for the servants and the guards,” he whispered pointing in the other direction, he sounded uncertain.

  At Reza’s prompting, they hastened back as a group to the main building, leaving two men by the gates. Reza lead the way to the large ornate doors on the other side, which he opened cautiously and peered through. More lanterns; some had gone out, but there were enough to light the corridor and show him arches and doorways leading off from the small foyer. It was very quiet here. He slipped through and then looked at Hanji. “Where?” he asked.

  Hanji shrugged and raised his hands. “I do not know, Master. I don’t know, as God is my witness.”

  Reza gave him an angry look and told him to wait with the others. He then spent some time investigating each of the six rooms. Moving like a ghost, he found storerooms and several bedrooms, each with a sleeping woman lying in a luxurious bed. He le
ft them, after making sure they slept alone. One room had a bronze door that was securely locked with a padlock on the hasp that defied his attempts to open it. Then he came to a chamber that was larger than the others, where the scent of a woman lingered and where there was even more opulence.

  Even in the dark Reza sensed that this was the master room. His senses were confirmed when he came up to the bed. There were two people sleeping on it, one of whom looked like Sing, while the other was clearly a woman. Both were naked, lying on silk sheets, the humidity being such that they needed no cover. Reza looked down on the bearded face of the sleeping man for a long moment, contemplating how to deal with him. It would have been an easy matter to kill him at that moment, but another idea came into his head.

  He pricked Sing awake with the tip of his sword. Sing came awake quickly enough, but stopped breathing when he opened his eyes and saw the menacing shadow standing over him with a sword poised at his throat. He raised a hand in supplication. “Don’t,” he whispered when he began to breathe again.

  Reza gestured to him to get out of bed and not to wake his partner. He nudged the compliant and naked Sing towards the door. Reza pushed him through and closed the door behind them. Sing looked frightened and vulnerable in the dim light of the corridor.

  “Who are you? What do you want?” he asked, trying hard to regain his composure. It was hard, given his nakedness and the mysterious visage of the figure before him; Reza’s face was covered by a shemagh, leaving only his eyes visible. Something about this man with a sword told Sing that this was not someone he could intimidate or command, and that was the most terrifying aspect of all. Sing was used to commanding by fear all others around him.

  “You will know when we are done,” Reza told him in a whisper.

  “I can pay you!” Sing stammered. “ You can be as rich as you like. I have enough treasure to share with you if you will spare my life!”