Soldiers of Ruin

by Stephen L. Nowland

  “Woulfe, what are you doing back here?” asked the closest officer, Sir Denholm himself. The captain’s shrewd, pale eyes and steely demeanour had not changed in the weeks since they had sailed with him. Ronan’s cocksure stride vanished when his former commander addressed him.

  “Sorry to trouble you, Captain,” Ronan said. “I was wondering if the Redoubtable was available for a quick assignment.”

  “Are you speaking for yourself, or for someone of station?” Sir Denholm inquired.

  “The duke needs us to head out to sea for a few days,” Ronan explained. “It’s an important matter, actually.”

  “May I know the destination, or do you require one of His Majesty’s vessels simply to go sightseeing?” the captain asked, putting down his quill and standing before them.

  “I think we should talk about this privately,” Ronan said, lowering his voice somewhat.

  “I see,” Sir Denholm replied brusquely. “I also see that you are still travelling with Mister Wainwright and his associates. Can I infer from this that the matter at hand may put my ship and crew in danger?”

  “A little, yeah,” Ronan replied laconically. Sir Denholm glanced at Aiden and the others, apparently sizing up the situation internally before answering.

  “Walk with me,” he finally ordered the entire group, gesturing outside as he fetched his blue longcoat and wide-brimmed hat from the stand next to the door. Ronan cleared a path for him as he stepped outside, and they fell into place behind him as he strode casually along the pier. Aiden and Sir William stayed close to the front of the group, to help explain the situation.

  “I heard the princess was attacked on the way to the castle on the night of our arrival,” Sir Denholm said, glancing around at Aiden briefly. “I was not impressed with your conduct in this matter, Mister Wainwright, not impressed at all. It was only by the grace of God that she was not captured or killed in the encounter.”

  “Fortune favoured us that night,” Aiden agreed, “but enough of the past — we have a pressing matter to deal with, if you’re able to help. If not, we need to seek passage elsewhere.”

  “Very well, let us speak plainly,” Sir Denholm concurred, turning to regard Aiden and the others. “This is as much privacy as we will get, short of boarding the Redoubtable.”

  “Sir Denholm, I am Sir William Bryce-Clifton, of the Order of the Rose Eagle,” Sir William greeted the captain. “A long-time friend of mine and aide de camp to the duke, Sir Godfrey Davis, took it upon himself to travel to the Isle of the Dead in search of an object we have been hunting for some time. He has not returned, and we fear the worst.”

  “I am familiar with you order, Sir William, though I did not think there was anyone alive to carry on its ancient traditions,” Sir Denholm remarked. “As to the plight of your friend — I respect that you would follow in his footsteps, as it were, to rescue this man. In doing so, you would have me risk my ship and crew in the treacherous waters of the Isle, to say nothing of the potential threat that may linger there? I am not given to needless superstitions, Sir William, but I tell you in truth that nobody returns from that blighted place.”

  “Nevertheless, we must go,” the old knight stated firmly. “If your concerns preclude your participation, we shall find some other means to travel there.” Sir Denholm seemed to be impressed with this statement, for he nodded to himself and turned to look out at his ship, anchored out in the bay.

  “I have been a member of the Order of Aielund for nearly fifteen years,” he remarked thoughtfully. “Notions of undertaking great quests in service of King and Country always seemed foolish and archaic, but when confronted with someone willing do exactly that, I find myself overcome with a desire to throw caution to the wind and become that which I always belittled. Your courage does credit to your ancient order, sir, and my hesitation shames mine. Tell me — how long has Sir Godfrey been missing?”

  “Nearly a week, according to the duke,” Aiden supplied.

  “A week… it might as well be a lifetime,” the captain muttered under his breath before turning to face the entire group. “You are all of one mind on this matter?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Pacian muttered.

  “Yes, we are set upon this course,” Nellise said, ignoring him. “We understand the risks involved, Captain.”

  “Then I shall see you to the Isle, though it may well be the last service I perform for you, or anyone else for that matter,” Sir Denholm said. Aiden wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or frightened by the news.

  “I shall need to retrieve my armour before we leave,” Sir William noted. “We should all take some time to gather supplies before we disembark, and meet back here in an hour.”

  “I must inform you that the only reason the Redoubtable remains at anchor here in Fairloch, is because I have had trouble replenishing the ship’s complement,” Sir Denholm explained. “Strong men are hard to find in this time of war, and I shall need assistance to sail her, even the short distance to the isle.”

  “You’ve got me,” Ronan grunted. “And Aiden here’s done some time in the crew as well.”

  “I only scrubbed the deck,” Aiden reminded him.

  “And a damn fine job you did of it,” Ronan chided him.

  “If it is strength you need, then I can aid you in operating that giant wooden horse of the sea,” Valennia declared, much to the bemusement of the captain.

  “I… will take what help is offered,” he replied diplomatically, though his eyes did widen slightly at the sight of the towering akoran woman. “Very well, go about gathering your supplies, ladies and gentlemen. I shall prepare the ship to sail.”

  * * *

  Before noon had passed, the stately Redoubtable once more set sail and tacked against the wind on her way out of the harbour. The damage she had sustained during her time at war — and from their battle against the pirate ship — had been repaired, and she practically gleamed as she cut through the calm waters with increasing speed.

  Valennia was something of a novelty to the small crew, unused to having women on their ship and certainly not expecting one to join them at work on the rigging. Although she had never been to sea before, the akoran woman was a surprisingly fast learner and used her strength to do the work of two men with ease.

  Ronan had been given the position of First Mate, and made it his business to keep the crew working hard. Aiden helped where he could, even if his seamanship was a little rusty. After a few hours of hard work on deck, Ronan had informed him he could take the rest of the day off, because Valennia was able to do his job better than he could. Unable to refute the logic, Aiden descended to the cabins below for a meal and some rest with his friends.

  With a bowl of fresh, hot stew in his hands, he sat with Sayana, Nel and Pacian and spoke of idle things. Sir William had apparently excused himself earlier, most likely because he didn’t want to be in the same room as Pacian, who spent the afternoon snuggled alongside Nellise. Aiden hid a smile at the sight of them together at last, though he did wonder about the troubled expression that occasionally surfaced on his old friend’s features.

  It wasn’t until the sun started to set that Sayana excused herself from the group, giving Aiden a chance to catch her for a quick chat. He grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.

  “Do you have a moment?” he asked her as she walked up the passage outside the cabin. “There’s something I need you to take a look at.” He opened the door to an empty cabin across the hall, and gestured for her to step inside. Aiden reached inside his pack and pulled out the Lexicon, instantly catching Sayana’s attention.

  “I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough with this thing,” Aiden explained, activating the cube and summoning the ephemeral pages.

  “You can make it work,” she stated, staring at the device in fascination.

  “Yes, it’s a repository of information, including the entire language of the people who built it,” Aiden said. “There is one part in particular that I thought might b
e relevant.” He skimmed through the pages with one hand until they settled on the diagram he had found regarding Sayana’s tattoos. She looked intently at the flickering image hovering in the air above the cube for a long moment, before it dawned on her what she was looking at.

  “Is this… me?” she whispered, entranced by the discovery.

  “I’m still learning the language,” Aiden hedged, “but it does bear a striking similarity to your markings.”

  “Did they make me?” Sayana asked, startling Aiden with the thought.

  “I can’t answer that yet, Sy,” he replied gently, aware that the question of her sorcerous origin was a touchy subject. It was sometimes easy to forget the hard life she had lived prior to meeting Aiden in the wilds.

  “I’ve noticed the markings have grown over the past few weeks,” she mentioned quietly, showing Aiden her right arm. “I’m not sure if that’s supposed to happen or not.”

  “I really don’t have any more answers for you,” Aiden insisted, a little taken aback by her hunger for knowledge.

  “When will you?” she persisted, gazing at him with her green eyes. This question, he had been prepared for.

  “You’ll be the first to know when I find out,” he replied, flipping the lid of the Lexicon closed and dropping it back into his pouch.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Aiden stood on the bridge with Captain Sherrard just after dawn the next morning, buffeted by freezing winds as the two men stared at the bleak scene before them. After a rough night on high seas, the Redoubtable was soon to arrive at the Isle of the Dead under reduced sail. The closer they came, the more Aiden wished he hadn’t agreed to this journey.

  Jagged rocks jutted from the sea not far off shore, each one more than capable of gutting the hull of a ship, or completely destroying a smaller boat. Beyond them, the grey, rocky cliffs of the isle were clearly visible in the early morning light. No trees were visible on its uneven ground, and no birds flew in the skies overhead. Even if the place had no supernatural properties to it, these signs were enough to warn potential visitors that death awaited them here.

  Aiden hunched down into his longcoat, struggling to keep warm in the bitter winds. Soon, they would disembark in the longboat, and try to find their way to the shore amongst the deadly rocks and powerful seas.

  “In spite of appearances, the weather isn’t as bad as I had feared,” Sir Denholm remarked as he looked through his spyglass. “I should be able to hold station off the coast here for some time, though I must warn you, should conditions worsen, I will have no choice but to withdraw to safety.”

  “I understand,” Aiden replied, raising his voice against the howl of the wind. “Give us as much time as you can. I don’t know how long it’ll take to scour the entire island, but I’m not inclined to stay here more than two days in any case.”

  “Then you shall have two days,” the Captain declared. “Woulfe, prepare the longboat for departure!”

  “Aye aye, sir,” Ronan shouted back from the lower deck, automatically touching his hand to his forehead in salute.

  “Gather your companions and your courage, Mister Wainwright,” the captain advised. “Good luck to you, sir, and may you find that which you seek.”

  “Two days, captain,” Aiden reminded him as he turned to descend the stairs to the lower deck. Ronan and two sailors were busy manoeuvring the longboat into position off the port side, and when Aiden went below deck to fetch everyone else. They had watched their stately arrival off the coast, and were already prepared to disembark.

  There was little chatter amongst the group, no doubt due to the oppressive gloom of the task before them. While Valennia held the boat alongside, Sayana levitated herself into the boat and looked utterly miserable sitting there bobbing up and down in the rough seas. Aiden went next to assist the others with their gear, and so began the tedious process of loading the longboat while trying not to fall into the surging waters.

  Once Valennia had finished lowering their gear, they really began to feel the swell toss them about. Nellise found herself in the position of holding the akoran warrior’s equipment, and practically recoiled at the touch of the blackened scythe.

  “I thought you said that thing wasn’t cursed,” Aiden remarked as he took it from her.

  “I’m not sure what to think,” she muttered. “There’s something odd about it I can’t put my finger on.”

  “‘Odd’ we can live with,” Aiden answered as Valennia dropped into the longboat, completing their company. Ronan took up position at the rudder, while the rest of the men — as well as Valennia — grabbed an oar each.

  “Heave!” Ronan ordered as Aiden pushed his oar against the side of the ship so he could get it into the water. Before long, the inexperienced sailors had worked out the best way to co-ordinate their efforts and with Ronan’s leadership, the longboat ploughed through the swells away from the Redoubtable.

  Aiden lost track of time as he focused on the task at hand, pulling on his oar in rhythm with the others against the might and fury of the sea. More than once they were slammed with waves that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the tiny boat was tossed about as they closed on the shore. To his credit, Ronan managed to steer them around the biggest waves as he searched for a safe place to make landfall.

  Nellise sat at the front of the boat, shouting advice back to Ronan as they passed by looming rocks that could easily shred their tiny boat. After a tremendous effort on the part of the crew, the longboat struck the shallows as huge breakers thundered ashore around them. Valennia leaped out of the boat along with Aiden, and the two of them managed to haul it up the narrow beach enough for the others to disembark. Pacian collapsed onto the shore with waves breaking around him, seasick and exhausted from the effort.

  “We’ll make sailors out of you yet,” Ronan said to congratulate them as the group paused for breath. Pacian put this statement into doubt as he promptly threw up his breakfast.

  “If you really want to thank me, you’ll kill me now,” Pacian muttered, staggering to his feet and looking at their bleak surroundings. The first thing Aiden noticed as he looked around at their situation was the abundance of driftwood scattered along the beach, which ran for less than a hundred yards along the eastern edge of the island.

  Planks of wood and piles of rotted rope were strewn at various intervals, clearly the remains of other ships that had been caught up in the powerful seas off the coast and dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks.

  Aiden found a high rock to stand on and looked back out at the Redoubtable, easily visible off the coast of the island. He waved his arms to signal they had made it, certain Captain Sherrard could see them through his spyglass, then returned to the boat and helped the others unload.

  When the boat was empty, they pulled it further up the beach to make sure it didn’t drift away, then waited while everyone strapped on their armour for the task ahead. Aiden glanced around at their surroundings, noting the massive cliffs that surrounded the small beach.

  “I don’t see any way to get past these cliffs,” he remarked, “and this beach doesn’t seem to lead anywhere either. Maybe we should have gone around the north side and looked for a landing place there.”

  “It seems we can follow the cliffs that way,” Sayana pointed out, gesturing at a string of flat rocks in the shallows not far from their landing point. They looked slippery, but they’d allow the group to get past this insurmountable cliff and perhaps find a better approach.

  “Alright, but watch your footing,” Ronan advised, following the sorceress as she set out across the rocks. Unused to the metal armour she was now wearing, she seemed a little unsteady on her feet, but managed to avoid taking a dip in the sea. It was slow going, and more than once they were subjected to a wave of ice-cold water. They soon made it around the north-eastern edge of the island and found a more sheltered place to catch their breath.

  The sheltering came in the form of dozens of jutting rocks that protected the shore from approach by
sea, and perched amongst them was the battered hulk of a large ship, which groaned loudly with each wave.

  “I can see a path amongst the rocks, Valennia remarked after scanning the cliff for a few moments. It will be difficult, yet I believe we can ascend here.”

  “It would be far safer to get a rope up there and throw it down,” Ronan added. “I’ll take care of it.” Hefting a length of rope over his shoulder, he moved to the side of the cliff and promptly began walking up the side of it, using his magical boots to circumvent the laws of nature. Aiden and Sir William were used to this sight by now, but the others were startled by this sudden development.

  Sayana, not to be outdone, levitated upwards and soon passed Ronan, who sped his ascent and raced her to the top. When they disappeared from view, the faint sound of their voices could be heard on the wind, though the details were beyond understanding.

  “I’d give a copper jack to know what they’re talking about right now,” Pacian smirked. Presently, the end of the rope tumbled down the side of the cliff, and Valennia caught it and tied a knot.

  One by one they tackled the cliff, and it was the better part of an hour before they had finally surmounted the obstacle. Aiden looked out across the desolate plain before them, while the others prepared to move out and saw that his earlier guess about the nature of the island had proven correct — not a single scrap of life existed on the rocky surface, not even grass. Even if the place wasn’t haunted, it had certainly earned its name.

  Feeling the oppressive atmosphere close in on them, Aiden and Valennia led the way, unsure what they were looking for, although certain it would be obvious amongst the bleak surroundings. Heavy clouds were moving in from the west, and within the hour, snow began to fall, whipping around them in the brisk wind and making their search that much more difficult.

  Shortly afterward, Aiden crested a barren hill and almost jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with a huge skull lying upon the ground. It was reptilian in shape, and behind it, a massive framework of a body could be seen stretching for many yards out before them.