Adrift

by J F Rogers

  “Thank you for that valiant rescue last night. I hate to imagine what might’ve befallen us had it not been for you.”

  “Please, don’t mention it.” Seriously.

  “If you’ll excuse me.” He pivoted to leave, but a guard approached.

  “We caught them trying to sneak up on the east end,” the guard said.

  “Evan! Cahal! Sully?” Heads down, they stood with hands tied behind their backs. Dirt smudged their faces and matted their hair. Why was Sully with them?

  A couple more guards strode by with Wolf and Shimri.

  They glanced my way as they were swept past. I followed them into the courtroom where Kagan and Rowan stood.

  Valter stopped short, his mouth ajar.

  One of the guards gasped. “Princess!”

  “Princess Arabella?” another said.

  “What is all the commotion?” Kagan asked.

  “Sir Kagan.” The guard bowed. “We found these men bringing a longboat ashore on the east end. What shall we do with them?”

  Kagan bowed slightly toward Rowan and motioned for her to reply.

  “Release them.” How regal she sounded.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.” Evan bowed. “We have a ship. Please, come with us.”

  “To what end? To where shall we flee?”

  “The land to the east,” he said.

  Kagan rubbed his chin. “Your Highness, if they have a ship, we should convene with the pech as planned.”

  “With these minuscule forces? And what of the women and children? Are we to bring them into battle as well?” She inclined her head to Evan. “Pray tell, what is the situation ashore.” Her voice, her stance—so authoritative. Shoulders back. Head high. She must’ve been trained for this and, like riding a bike, had never forgotten.

  Evan’s shoulders drooped. Pain twisted his face. “It’s a bloodbath, Your Highness. We’re uncertain of the death count. Many were taken captive and are being held in the castle. The fasgadair were boarding the ships.”

  “And how did you escape?”

  “Regent Kagan banished us. Our ship was already out of port.”

  “Then why aren’t you currently aboard your ship headed east?”

  Straightening his stance, he met Rowan’s gaze. “We couldn’t abandon Fallon, Your Highness.”

  “I see.” She threw me a quick look. Like we shared a secret. The friend I’d made was still there. Just putting on a show. “And the fasgadair. What are their numbers?”

  “Countless.” Evan stepped forward. “I understand your desire to reclaim your kingdom. But first, you need to find more support. The monsters decimated your army. Fallon was able to fend off the first attack to this fortress, but the ocean has merely slowed their progress. They will come.”

  He knew what I’d done to the ships? A pang twisted my gut. At least now I knew they were fasgadair. Or…mostly fasgadair.

  “Let them come.” Kagan motioned toward me and laughed. “Let them keep coming. Fallon will take them out, one by one. The princess will have her country back.”

  Evan bowed. “I’m sure Your Highness has considered every possible scenario. But the fasgadair will regenerate under water. What will you do when they swarm your shores? Will Fallon have to set them on fire repeatedly until guards can come remove all their heads? Those guards will likely become paralyzed. And what if the fasgadair decide to wait you out? They have a kingdom. You have a stronghold. How long will your supplies last?”

  Kagan scoffed. “We sha—”

  Rowan put an arm out toward Kagan, stopping his retort. “Thank you, Evan. We shall take your warning under advisement. Please allow me to meet with my council to discuss the matter, then give my father a proper funeral. We shall join you later.”

  Gasps filled the room.

  “The king is dead?”

  “My father has been dead for nearly seven years. I won’t dishonor his memory by allowing him to remain in such a state a moment longer.”

  Sully cleared his throat. “Your Highness, may I approach?”

  When she beckoned him forward, he tripped, then righted himself. “Might I see the king?”

  “For what purpose?”

  “To do what only God can do. What your potions, sorcerers, and priests could not.”

  ****

  Those Rowan allowed to enter the king’s chambers crowded the room. Sully stood by King Aleksander’s side and raised his hands skyward. “Almighty God, reveal Yourself to these people. Show Your power and compassion. No one else on this earth or in the heavens could raise this man from this state. Only You, O God Most High. Restore King Aleksander to the crown You bestowed upon him. Show the people of Bandia Your power and glory, so they might honor You and praise Your name alone.”

  I held my breath. The room silenced as if someone hit a mute button.

  The king’s sunken cheeks swelled. A rosy color swept over his face and neck. His body filled out, raising the blanket higher.

  King Aleksander’s finger twitched. I jumped. The king blinked and turned to the crowd. His alarmed gaze fell on his daughter and softened. He reached out to her.

  “Praise God!” Sully said, and others followed.

  With tears spilling from her wide eyes and her hand hiding her mouth, Rowan crept toward her father and eased onto the side of his bed.

  “My daughter. You’ve returned.” He touched her cheek.

  “Aye.” She grasped his hand and kissed it.

  King Aleksander sat up. “What has happened? Why is everyone in here?” He glanced about. “Are we in the stronghold?”

  “Aye, Father. Much has happened. Perhaps you should rest.”

  “Nonsense. I don’t need rest. I feel fine.” He let his gaze roam the crowd once more. “Kagan? Is that my crown?”

  “I…” Kagan removed the crown he’d worn for almost seven years. The cloth covering remained. His cheeks reddened.

  Seeing him falter for the first time, I smothered a laugh.

  “Valter?” King Aleksander scratched his head as Valter stood rigid, mouth agape. “That can’t be you. You’re so…so…”

  “Old?” Rowan asked. “Father, it’s been… It’s been nearly seven years.”

  He pulled back. “Seven years? But you—”

  “I’ll explain everything.” She nodded to the crowd. “Please leave us.”

  Everyone filed out while Valter remained frozen. He snapped back to reality and caught me watching. We moved toward the exit. Valter rubbed his temple and motioned for me to go first.

  ****

  I sat on the edge of the bed, pulling pills off the blanket. As much as it killed me, I refrained from peeking through the hole in the wall. I had to give them their privacy. But my eyes kept wandering to it.

  I stood and began inching toward the hole. The door opened, and Rowan entered.

  “I guess I won’t be carrying you around in a sack anymore, huh?”

  She threw me an apologetic smile. The old Rowan was still there. “Aye.”

  “Is your father okay?”

  “After learning what’s transpired over the past few days, never mind the past seven years, he decided he needed to rest after all.” She giggled.

  “What happened to you?”

  She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Pardon?”

  “You were like a different person.”

  “Oh.” She waved a hand. “Years of training for such a time as this. I was mistaken to think I could turn my back on my duty. No matter what I’ve done in the past, I’m obligated to serve my country and my people.”

  “What’s going to happen now?”

  “’Tis my father’s decision. But I will encourage him to allow you to continue your quest. They never should have taken you captive.”

  “What about you?”

  “If he heeds my counsel, we will join in your quest. It may be too late to destroy the idols, but I will try to convince my father to foll
ow whatever Sully advises. After you saved me, I knew your God was powerful. Since Sully revived my father, the others should know it too. And from what I’ve seen so far, your God—our God—has a way of getting what He wants.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ◊◊◊

  KING ALEKSANDER SEEMED TO shrink as Rowan filled her father in on their current circumstances. He’d started out sitting high in his chair with a world-conquering smile. Now, he drooped in his seat like he needed an antidepressant.

  “This is much to take in.” He rubbed his temples, then adjusted his crown.

  Rowan had given him the highlights of the past seven years. Now she ripped the bandage off by telling him bloodsuckers had overthrown his kingdom.

  “I understand, Your Highness,” Sully said. “You wish to save the Ain-Dìleas. You also want to do God’s will. We missed the opportunity to destroy the idols. But God’s message is clear. We are to travel east.”

  “So, you said. Yet I fail to comprehend the wisdom in that maneuver.” King Aleksander leaned in to Sully as if Sully could see him. “Kagan’s advice to travel southwest to the pech is more logical. How can I abandon my people? What do I tell them when they ask why I didn’t return for them? How many am I sending to their deaths?”

  Listening to the king’s concerns, I felt connected to him. I understood the agony of making life-or-death decisions. No matter what choice he made, he’d live with regret. If he survived.

  “Tell them you chose to obey a higher authority. It’s a big step of faith—I understand. But many more will die if choose your own path.” Sully clasped his hands. “I’ve been following God for a long time.” He drew out the word long. “I’ll never understand His ways. But I don’t question Him as I did in my youth. He’s never failed me. I can’t tell you how traveling east will save the Ain-Dìleas. I can’t even tell you that it will. All I can say is you have a choice to make. Who are you going to trust? Yourself and your own human inclination? Or God?” He pointed skyward.

  “Whether or not I trust God isn’t the issue here. But do I trust that you speak for Him?”

  “Your Highness, if I may.” Kagan had replaced the crown with a strange pointy hat more befitting a priest. “You can’t be considering following Sully’s so-called god. They have a ship. Our ship. We can still meet with the pech and fight for our land.”

  “I don’t appreciate your condescension toward Sully’s God. Were your gods able to revive me?”

  “No, Your Majesty.” Kagan bowed low.

  “Please.” King Aleksander waved his hand. “Leave me to ponder this dilemma.”

  “As you wish.” Sully stood and bowed.

  Shoes clicked on the stone floor as we vacated.

  “Arabella, stay with me please.”

  “Very well, Father.” Rowan bowed and returned to the throne beside him.

  Someone needed to make a decision and get us off this rock. I rubbed a knot in my shoulder. My body was so tense. The ocean always calmed me. “Do you think they’ll let me sit on the beach?” I asked Evan.

  “Not a chance.”

  Guards tugged the heavy main entryway doors open as we approached. Night had fallen. Dang. No way would they let me out the gate. Nor would I want to. I’d keep imagining monsters crawling out of the sea. I even smelled them.

  Wait.

  “Fasgadair!” came a shout.

  “Defend your post!” a guard shouted.

  The corduroy sound blasted from archers in succession.

  “Boann’s well!” another guard cursed and darted past us.

  Another round of arrows shot into the air. A vampire lunged atop the wall and bit a guard’s throat. Crimson drops rained down, splattering on the stone before me.

  Sandor and a few other guards shoved us inside the stronghold and dropped a wooden barricade in place.

  “This way.” Sandor ushered us into the dining hall.

  They pushed the bulky table aside, rolled back an ornamental carpet, then lifted a trapdoor.

  People rushed into the room—women and children, the king, and Rowan. Sully fumbled through the crowd.

  I fought my way to him and grabbed his bony hand. “Follow me.”

  “Hurry!” a guard whispered, then addressed Sandor. “Get them to the east gate.”

  Sandor disappeared in the hole in the floor.

  “Your Highness.” The remaining guard motioned to King Aleksander and Rowan. “This way. Please hurry.”

  “Let the children and their mothers go first.” King Aleksander rested a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “You lead them.”

  She gave him a quick hug and hurried down the ladder with the children.

  Wolf pushed me to the ladder next, and Sully followed.

  We scurried like quiet mice through the passageway. I clung to Sully’s hand. Sandor held a torch high above our heads. Silhouettes pursued the light. Sully tripped, and I slowed my pace. An image of him falling in this darkness, trampled by the panicked mob, crossed my mind, and I grasped his arm tighter.

  People continued to trickle in behind us. How many had made it? Had the guards closed the trapdoor before the beasts found the tunnel? Would anyone remember them for their sacrifice?

  I sniffed what little air existed in the stuffy tunnel. No electric smell. Yet.

  The path split four ways. We followed Sandor across the way, continuing in the same direction. Sully and I slowed considerably, falling behind the crowd. A dim speck of light emerged at the end of the tunnel.

  Sandor stopped at an iron gate ahead and extinguished the light. The gate creaked. They must be letting people out. Bodies pushed us forward as I clung to Sully. Dim moonlight cast shadows on the heads around me. I was squeezed in, drowning in an ocean of warm bodies stealing my oxygen.

  I sucked in as much air as possible. But I wasn’t getting any. I took a few more deep breaths, then couldn’t stop. The tunnel darkened, and my legs gave way.

  “Fallon?” Sully held me up. “Oh dear.”

  I slumped against him, gasping for breath.

  “Help! We need help,” Sully called.

  The group shifted, allowing Sully to guide me through to the gate. I grasped the bars, pushed my face through the opening, and filled my lungs. My breathing returned to normal. I peeked at the crowd behind me. Wide eyes stared as if my head might pop off.

  A guard crept up the beach, waving. Sandor unlocked the gate and eased it open. Like an amusement park ride attendant, he ushered a group out. The children had already gone. A few mothers remained. I didn’t see any of my friends, other than Sully. Rowan must’ve gone with the kids. But where were Evan and Cahal?

  Evan had been with me when the fasgadair attacked. I left him to help Sully. I searched for his face, but those out of the moonlight’s reach were just shadows. I’d have to go without him.

  I pulled Sully out. Guards surrounded us as we pounded sand across the beach to two approaching longboats. Wolf jumped out of one and lugged it ashore. I wanted to hug him, tell him how happy I was to see him. But we had to be quiet. And quick. He gave me a wink as he helped Sully and me into the boat. Once the remaining seats were occupied, Wolf and a guard pushed us off, then hopped in and took up oars. We floated to the ship in silence.

  The commotion on the opposite side obscured any noise we made. Dancing light brightened the sky. The stronghold was on fire. Those poor people.

  The longboat hit the vessel’s side with a soft thud. Wolf held the rope. When it was my turn to climb, he tugged my sleeve. “I’m going back for more. I’ll return,” he whispered.

  “You better.” How many trips would it take?

  Abracham helped me climb aboard. Gachen clogged the deck. My mother ran to greet me. Pepin hung back, away from the edge.

  Wolf returned for more people.

  Please, God, save them.

  Maili slipped in next to me. “Where’s Shimri?”

  I stiffened—whether in concern fo
r Shimri or just having a hard time warming up to her, I didn’t want to analyze. Not wanting to analyze it apparently didn’t stop me from trying. “He’s not on board?”

  She shook her head. Black strands too short to stay in her braid fell into her face. She pushed them behind her ear. “He went ashore with the others.”

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen him.”

  Abracham approached. “Please follow me to the captain’s quarters.”

  “No, I need to be here, watching for my friends.”

  “My apologies, Fallon. But I must insist.”

  I gripped the rail. “What? Am I now your prisoner?”

  “Far be it, child.” Abracham threw me an apologetic smile. “We can better protect you below decks from the fasgadair and others who might harm you.”

  By others, he must mean Kagan.

  Maili touched my arm. “I’ll watch for them, Fallon.”

  Wolf’s boat had almost made it to land. This side of the island was still quiet with no vampires in sight. Or smelling distance. I’d prefer not to light any on fire if I didn’t have to. And a fire might attract attention. They’d call me if they needed me. “Thanks, Maili.” I followed Abracham.

  I moved from darkness to more darkness. We weren’t allowed to light a lantern. Only a blurry light from the stronghold’s fire was visible through the window in the captain’s galley. Thank God, we got out in time.

  Someone sat next to me. “You made it.” Rowan. She sounded relieved.

  “Where are the children?”

  “In the crew’s quarters. There weren’t enough hammocks. Most of them are sharing.”

  Every nerve in my body fired, ready for action. I was desperate to flee. But I needed my friends to make it to the ship. I almost wanted to be attacked, just to have something to take my pent-up energy out on while I waited. Anything would be better than sitting here…helpless.

  ****

  My mother hung blankets over the windows, so we could light a lantern. Although still dim, it was better than sitting in the dark. Maili opened the door. “Two more boatloads arrived.” She didn’t sound happy.

  King Aleksander appeared in the doorway. Rowan vaulted into his arms.

  Kagan and Valter plodded past them and sat at the table. Kagan’s pointy hat was askew, and Valter’s hair stuck out in every direction.