by PT Hylton
“He also stations a few of his Stone Shaper guards in each village,” Hekla interjected. “The guards rule the villages with an iron fist.”
“Or a stone fist,” Dustin joked.
Hekla smiled. “That too. When the inland Stone Shapers come to check on them, the guards give them this dried fish as a gift. Thus, the inland Stone Shapers are convinced everything is good.”
“It’s sick, really,” Sigmund said. “We’ve seen so many villages starving, and these people are forced to hold onto this dried fish and pay it as tribute to the inland Stone Shapers rather than using it to feed their families.”
Abbey thought about that for a moment. When they’d visited the village, Gideon had talked about how the villagers were resentful they had to pay tribute. Abbey had assumed he’d meant it was tribute to Magnus.
“So let me get this straight,” she said. “You attack these villages and steal their tributes to the inland Stone Shapers…why?”
It was Elliot who answered her. “We hope that if we steal enough tributes, the inland Stone Shapers will realize everything is not going as well as they have been led to believe in Magnus’ realm. We hope it will cause them to investigate further.”
“Sounds like a longshot,” Dustin said.
“It is. We know that. But it’s the best one we have. For over a decade after Ragnar’s capture, we did nothing but hide. Eventually we decided we had to help.”
“When we attack the villages, we only hurt the Stone Shaper guards,” Sigmund pointed out. “We’re trying to help these people. After we steal the fish, we secretly distribute it to other hungry villages. Ones without Stone Shaper guards to steal it back.”
Syd looked at her brother. “Okay, I understand what you’ve been up to, and it’s noble. But you’ve done enough. Come with us back to The Foggy Day.”
Abbey’s eyebrows shot up at that. “Is that a good idea, Captain? If Magnus sees Elliot... Well, he doesn’t seem like the forgive-and-forget type.”
“More like the crush-and-dismember type,” Dustin said.
Syd frowned. “We’ll find a way. We always do.”
Elliot shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not leaving Gren. Not while Magnus is in charge. If you’d seen the things I have, the way he’s starving these people, you’d feel the same way.” Suddenly his eyes lit up. “That’s it. You should come with us.”
Abbey was almost afraid to ask. “Come with you where?”
“On a raid!” There was excitement in his voice now. “You can see how we take the tribute, and you can see how we give it to a hungry village.”
Abbey opened her mouth to answer, but Captain Syd spoke before she could.
“We’re in.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Abbey waited behind a tree, watching for the signal.
“You sure you want to do this, Abbey?” Dustin asked quietly.
She shook her head. “It’s a bit late to ask that now, you damn idiot. We’re thirty seconds from raiding this village.”
“I know that. What I mean is, are you sure you believe their story?”
She looked to where Elliot was hidden thirty yards away. She couldn’t see him through the trees, but she knew he was there. “I believe them. To go through all this just to steal some dried fish? He has to be telling the truth.”
“Maybe.” The Storm Caller didn’t look convinced.
“Besides, this is our chance to make sure their raids are what he said. We’ll find out if they leave the civilians alone and only attack the Stone Shapers.”
Earlier that morning, Abbey had asked Elliot if he wanted to use Dustin in the raid. After all, fog and heavy rains were the classic tools of Storm Raiders.
He’d declined, saying, “I don’t want anything to limit my visibility.”
That had made her feel better. If Elliot had visibility, so would they. Syd, Dustin, and Abbey were there to observe. They wouldn’t be taking part in the raid. Syd was crouched near Elliot in the thick of the action.
Olaf, Fannar, Clemens, and Viktor had stayed behind in Baer Gigur, as had Gideon. The Stone Shaper could move freely around the camp, but his stone had been taken and he wasn’t allowed to leave. He’d been furious ever since they’d entered the camp, angry that Syd and her crew weren’t helping him capture the rebels even after Abbey had explained the reasons behind what they were doing. Ten of Elliot’s ekkja had stayed behind to guard him.
The village they were raiding was larger than the last one the Tall Grass Raiders had hit, but it was still quite small. This one had four guards stationed rather than two. There was no stone wall around this village, but massive boulders sat on either side of the road at the edges of town and more of them were placed throughout the village.
Abbey waited silently, her eyes fixed on the guards nearest the stand of trees where they hid.
Suddenly a bowstring twanged and a guard fell to his knees, an arrow sticking out of his chest.
That was the signal the runners and burners had been waiting for.
The burners lit their torches as a barrage of arrows flew at the guards, and the raid began in earnest.
The Tall Grass Raiders poured out of the trees and descended on the village. Abbey kept her eyes on the ones carrying torches, the burners. They ran into town, and set small fires, throwing their torches into wagons. She noticed they weren’t randomly burning everything they saw, but were starting their fires near the guard stations.
One group of burners ran past a wagon of hay outside a home. It would have been a perfect target for a torch, but the burners ignored it, heading for the guard station on the far side of town.
The runners were close behind. Elliot and his ekkja had identified the building they thought most likely to contain the tribute for the inland Stone Shapers. It was located near the center of town, and it was one of the few buildings built from wood rather than stone.
In a village where some of the residents could magic their way right through a stone wall, wood was a much safer building material. Apparently the Stone Shapers didn’t even trust all of their own people to leave the tribute alone.
Abbey had a view of the front of the building from her position, and she saw the runners try the door. It must have been locked, because one of them started hacking at it with an axe.
“They’re certainly efficient,” Dustin said. “It’s impressive the way they plan their routes to avoid friendly fire from the archers.”
“Yes. I was thinking the same—”
Suddenly the door to the storage building flew open and a dozen men ran out, all wearing black sashes.
“Stone Shapers!” Abbey muttered.
Elliot’s shout came from the trees to Abbey’s left. “Runners! It’s a trap. Get out of there!”
But it was too late. The Stone Shapers quickly flanked the runners. One of them ran to a nearby boulder and touched it. The stone seemed to melt, and then it reshaped itself into a giant blade. It rose into the air and then fell.
The runners managed to dodge out of the way, but just barely.
Elliot called out again. “Archers, hold. We’ll just kill our own people if we loose now.”
Abbey clutched the hilt of her sword. “There’s no way they’re going to make it out of there. Dustin, I need a strong wind at my back.”
“Are you crazy? We’re not even sure these are the good guys! You’re going to risk your life for raiders?”
“They’re the good guys. Besides, saving a life is saving a life. Now give me some wind, Storm Boy!”
“Storm Boy?” He planted the tip of his staff on the ground and closed his eyes. “You could have at least gone with ‘Storm Man.’”
A moment later, a strong wind pressed against her back.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the one who talks me out of dumb stuff like this?” Abbey asked.
He opened his eyes a sliver. “What? I just tried!”
Abbey smiled. She loved torturing him with mixed messages.
> She drew her sword and channeled her magic, shifting her weight until she was no heavier than a leaf.
The wind carried her forward and she stretched her sword out in front of her, pointing it directly at the nearest Stone Shaper.
His eyes widened as he saw the woman flying toward him. To his credit he reacted quickly, touching the boulder next to him.
“Whoa!” Abbey shouted. The boulder had been transformed into a stone wall that now stood between her and the Stone Shapers, and she was speeding right at it.
Quickly, she increased her weight, and she landed face-first in the grass. Her forward momentum kept her moving, and she slid painfully to a stop.
Not exactly the heroic entrance she’d been going for.
She sprang to her feet and started to run around the stone wall, but it was already changing, morphing back into a boulder.
“Screw this,” she said. She reached out and touched the rock, now the shape of a flattened oval ten feet wide. Grabbing the edge of the rock, she channeled her magic, then lifted the massive object which now weighed no more than her sword.
She turned to the Tall Grass Raiders gawking at her. “You’re runners, aren’t you? Run!”
The runners took off for the trees where Elliot and the archers were waiting.
The Stone Shapers stared at Abbey in surprise, too, but she knew they’d soon regain their composure. She had to end this.
She clutched the rock, holding it above the guards for just a moment. Then she let it go.
The stone immediately returned to its natural weight and crashed down on top of them.
Their cries of pain and surprise rang in Abbey’s ears as she turned and sprinted back toward Elliot and the Tall Grass Raiders.
****
“This is really the reward?” Abbey asked.
Elliot smiled. “It really is. You put in the hard work, so you get to experience the payoff.”
They were headed south toward another inland village. Their raid earlier that day had been a failure; they’d been unsuccessful at stealing the tribute of dried fish meant for the inland Stone Shapers.
But they’d all escaped with their lives, and that was victory enough.
A portion of those who’d gone on the raid were now being given the opportunity to accompany Elliot to deliver the dried fish they’d stolen a few days ago to a hungry village.
Seemed like an odd reward to Abbey, but she was along for the ride.
“So, you going to tell me about those strange powers of yours?” Elliot asked her.
She was riding in the front of the wagon with him. Dustin, Syd, and a few Tall Grass Raiders sat in back with the bags of dried fish.
There was one more person Elliot had insisted go along with them: Gideon. The Stone Shaper wore a dour expression. They’d made him leave his black sash back at Baer Gigur so no one would know he was a Stone Shaper.
Abbey smiled. “Not much to tell. It’s just something I can do.”
“Huh,” he said. “And your Storm Caller? I suppose calling a wind without any seawater in sight is just something he can do?”
“I suppose it is, Mr. Curious.”
Elliot chuckled. “I’m not trying to pry. Just not something you see every day. Or ever.”
Abbey wanted to change the subject. She was only just wrapping her mind around the concept of the Etheric, and she wasn’t ready to discuss it with this near-stranger. “Maybe we should talk about those guards hiding in the storehouse. How’d they know you were going to be there?”
A shadow crossed Elliot’s face. “That is an excellent question. My guess is that we just got careless. They must have stationed extra guards in the storehouses of every village in the area. We should have struck somewhere farther away.” He glanced toward the Stone Shaper in the back of the wagon. When he spoke again, he did so in a quiet voice. “The only thing that makes me question that theory is, it seems like they’d coordinate that kind of thing with Gideon. He’s the one who's been hunting us for a year.”
Abbey considered that. “I get the feeling Magnus and Gideon aren’t exactly best buddies. Like maybe Magnus sent Gideon on the hunt to get him out of his hair. Gideon mentioned he hasn’t had the support he needs.”
“Oh, was that his excuse?”
Abbey laughed. Elliot was overconfident, in a way she found charming. Not like Olaf, who just assumed he was better than everyone. More like her father. They were men who knew they could handle themselves in tough situations.
Elliot stared down the road. “We’re almost there. It’s just around this next curve.”
“I take it you’ve brought these people food before?”
He nodded. “We figured we could either help many villages a little or help a few villages a lot. We chose the latter. This village in particular has been struggling to feed its people.”
“I don’t understand. The ocean is what, like fifty miles east of here? Couldn’t they just move to the coast and fish?”
“Not with Magnus in charge. He’s worried about too many people living on the coast. They’d outnumber his Stone Shapers. So he tells them they can’t relocate, and he sends his guards on a regular basis to make sure they don’t.”
“And they just obey him? I’d be on the first wagon for the coast the moment those guards turned their backs.”
“Then your family would pay the price.” Elliot’s voice was filled with sorrow. “These people are in a really bad situation here. There are no easy answers. That’s why we decided to take action. We were tired of watching people suffer.”
Up ahead, she saw a man standing at the edge of the road. He seemed like some kind of lookout, but he wasn’t wearing the black sash of the Stone Shapers.
When he spotted the wagon, his eyes widened. Then he turned and took off running down the road in the opposite direction.
Abbey grabbed the hilt of her sword. “We’ve been spotted!”
Elliot let out a loud laugh. “Would you relax? Man, you’ve been fighting too long. He’s not our enemy. He’s going to tell his friends the good news that we’re here.”
The Raider leader was quickly proven correct. As they rounded the curve and entered the small village, the man was running through the street, knocking on doors. Even from the wagon, Abbey could hear his excited voice. “They’re here! Elliot’s here!”
Elliot pulled the wagon to the side of the road and everyone climbed out. Syd helped Gideon out of the wagon since his hands were bound.
It wasn’t long before the villagers began crowding around Elliot and the other Tall Grass Raiders. One look at them confirmed that the villagers were underfed. It was especially obvious among the children.
Abbey felt a twinge of worry. With all these villagers and so little food, would a fight break out?
But she soon realized that the villagers weren’t clamoring for the food at all. They were genuinely excited to talk to Elliot and his friends. And when the time to hand out the food arrived, the villagers were methodical about making sure everyone got their fair share.
They stayed in the village until sundown, talking with the people, helping them with odd jobs, and playing games with the children. Abbey learned a fun game that involved hiding in the woods on the edge of town and attempting to sneak to a tree designated “goal” without being spotted by the other team.
Since she was a foot taller than most of the children she got caught every time, but the children’s laughter gave them away just as often.
The villagers offered them dinner, but of course they refused. They weren’t going to use up these people’s meager resources.
When it was time to leave, the process took nearly twenty minutes. Every man, woman and child in the village wanted to give each member of their group a hug or a hearty handshake before they left.
Syd clapped Elliot on the back before they got on the wagon. “You’ve done well, big brother. I would have loved you no matter what, but it’s good to see you’re not the monster the Stone Shapers claim.”
/>
“Well, that’s good to hear.” Elliot turned to Gideon. “Do you understand why I wanted you to see this?”
There was a long pause.
“Yes, I understand.” The Stone Shaper’s voice was heavy, and he didn’t meet Elliot’s eyes. He sat down in the back of the wagon and closed his eyes.
Elliot turned to Abbey. “How about you? Do you understand why this trip is a reward now?”
She considered how to answer the question. In truth, she couldn’t think of a single afternoon that had been more fulfilling. There was a grim joy in battle, in defeating evil and crushing one’s enemies. But seeing the children’s glee and the gratitude on their parents’ faces was a whole new experience.
And yet, it somehow made the fire to avenge the wrong burn even more brightly inside her.
She looked at Elliot. “I do understand. I understand that we have to do more for these people.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Thank the seas you’re back, boss,” Clemens said as Abbey climbed out of the wagon. “I think the raiders are about to kill Olaf.”
Abbey sighed. She’d hoped to have some time to think before she met with Elliot and his friends again, but it looked like that was not going to happen. “What did he do?”
“It’s not one thing. More like everything. First he told them why their houses were built wrong. Then he told them he could devise a more effective raiding method. Last I saw, he was off showing their archers the proper way to hold a bow.”
Abbey shook her head. “Point me to him.”
She found Olaf near the edge of Baer Gigur in a stand of trees. He was speaking with someone, but in the dim light of the torches she couldn’t see who.
“So then I looked up and saw Dahlia on a ship docked across from us. I knew if she set sail, we’d all be in real trouble. I couldn’t let her escape and get back to the Barskall fleet. For a moment, I was stumped.”
A female voice answered, surprise in her voice. “You? Stumped?”
“Yeah, but just for a moment. Then I remembered Abbey could reduce her own weight, so I told Dustin to give her an updraft, and I told Abbey to fly over to the ship and grab Dahlia. She seemed a little nervous, but I told her I’d be over to help in a minute. And that was when I first had the idea of Dustin and Viktor using their powers together against the Barskall fleet.”