Elrin took the stairs to the bottom. A dry hinge squealed and light flooded in. A shadow moved above and Elrin ran from the stairwell, his footfalls echoing through a dim corridor. The door shut and all was dark again. The dagger lost its glow. Elrin held it in front of his face and tried to will it to life. If anything, the blade appeared to be blacker than the darkness around it.
With slow steps and his hands waving in front of him, Elrin shuffled forward, kicking into some crates and stumbling over a broom. Blood pounded in his ears, covering any sound his pursuer might have made.
The walls of the corridor opened out into a larger chamber. The air was thick with rotting straw and dung. His eyes and nose watered in the stale air. High above was a sliver of light. It had to be the hatches he saw on the deck. He searched for something that would lead him up to the light, arms swinging in wide arcs, desperate to bump into a stairway and not his quiet pursuer.
Elrin’s hands closed around a wooden rung. He scrambled up a ladder and onto a landing, probing around for a door handle, anything to get him out of the festering dark stench. He found a metal bar and twisted. Nothing happened. He pushed and jiggled it, but it didn’t yield. He pulled and it gave a little; the scrape of light grew. He heaved down with all his weight and light exploded through the hatch. The young Calimskan shielded his eyes from the sudden glare. It bit down, splitting the darkness to reveal the pursuer, squinting below.
Elrin was trapped up on the platform. “What do you want?”
The man kept walking forward. “You must follow me, I have a message from Jaspa. Come down the ladder.”
Elrin edged over the railing getting ready to jump. If he jumped and caught onto the open hatch, he could pull himself out. Delik told him to run, so that’s what he would do.
“Don’t jump! You wont make it. I’ll just put the message down here.” He reached into his coat and removed a scroll. “See, I’m walking away.”
Something moved in the shadows behind the man as he edged backwards. Minni must have followed them. She would know if the messenger was truly one of Jaspa’s allies. Elrin climbed down the ladder. She might need some help restraining him if he turned out foul. The shadow struck out and the man was knocked down and dragged into a dark corner, yelling for help.
Elrin walked to the scroll and picked it up. “Minni, I know you’re there. Don’t hurt him, he might be one of Jaspa’s men.”
A wet crunching sound came from the dark corner, something was feeding, something ravenous. The shadows moved again and Elrin caught a glimpse of fur and feathers, a monstrous beast. Its hooked beak tore strips off the man’s body then it lifted its eagle head from feeding to inspect Elrin. Intelligent eyes narrowed and it shrieked with such furious intensity, the young man involuntarily screamed back and bolted for the stairwell.
The beast shrieked so loud, Elrin couldn’t judge if it had moved or was tight on his heels. He didn’t want to check. The Calimskan put everything he had into his legs and pelted up the stairwell and out of the cabin. He doubled over, hands on his knees, lungs heaving. The shriek sounded again, blaring out of the open hatch. Elrin raced over and pulled the lever beside the hatch. The lid slammed shut leaving the monster shrieking alone with its unfortunate meal. Elrin ran from the ship, backtracking through Kobbton with anxious looks behind him, worried the beast may break out and take to the sky to hunt him down.
Delik was waiting for him at the head of the pier where the guesthouse was moored. “What happened to you? You’re bone white.”
“The man chased me,” Elrin gasped for air. “I thought I’d lost him after the fish mongers ... but he followed me into this ship ... It was too dark ... I got lost and I—”
“Easy, lad! Take a touch to breathe. Let’s head back, I’ll put on a brew.”
Elrin recounted his story inside the safety of the guesthouse as soon as his lungs allowed.
Delik slapped the table. “So Kobb’s wrangled himself a griffon. What’s he up to?”
“It was terrifying, that messenger mustn’t have known.”
“Let’s hope his death was worth the message. Bloody fool could have signalled us some other way.”
“Here,” Elrin passed the rolled up paper.
Delik spread it flat on the table. Neat black symbols were interspersed with Jandan script.
“What kind of writing is that?” asked Elrin.
“The kind that confuses Jandans,” said Delik, running his finger up and down, zigzagging across the page. His lips moved in silent recognition of the coded text, scrutinising the message hidden within.
Elrin leaned over to get a better look at the code himself. It was a jumble without any form he recognised. The cipher to unlock the meaning must be complicated, yet Delik read it without any reference to translate it.
“Well? What does it say?”
Delik slumped back in his chair and blew a puff of air, staring at the message.
“Delik, are you ok?”
“Hmm? Oh, I’m fine, just thinking. We’ll have to work fast.”
“What did the letter say?”
“My father says we must breakout tonight after dinner.”
“Can we do that? Where is he anyway?”
“Kobb is keeping him safe. Pa has a plan, but we should have one ready too. You stay here and wait for the others. Tell them what we know. I’ll be back before sunset.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to see what the locals have to say about Kobb. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on riding away on your griffon.”
Elrin waited for the others to return, stewing over the messenger’s death. A life wasted because he fled. Paranoia had spooked him; he had to think things though. He had his dagger and next time he would stand his ground.
Minni would be out there, shadowing Amber and Hurn, keeping them out of danger. If Minni had shadowed him instead, Jaspa’s man wouldn’t have been torn apart. She would have intercepted the messenger before it got to that. Why hadn’t she been paired with him?
Jealousy bit him and he regretted it. Amber needed Minni looking out for her. She was powerful, but still a child and Elrin was a man grown. He was responsible for his own fate and had to focus on the quest to see the bigger picture. Amber was the key to working the Dragon Choir and without her he had no chance to help his father.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Family Tiff
Fjhor and six of his tattooed warriors escorted the companions to Kobb’s latest extravagance. The festivities spread out through the town, radiating from a hulking ship in the heart of Kobbton. Glowing paper lanterns, vigorous music and well-lubricated cheer relieved the fading day. Boards and trestles were draped in bright silks and laden with a feast of fresh seafood and colourful fruits. Shells of all descriptions decorated the tables, enormous shells Elrin had never thought possible, some with spikes and others, pearlised rainbows. Ribbons and strings of pointed teeth hung overhead, the first stars of night shined high above, twinkling with the rising mood of the party.
Kobb waved to the band up on the poop deck and they bounced into a rickety jam as colourful as Kobb’s outfit. The music ended almost as soon as it began, rounding off with a flourish of percussion.
Kobb spun away from the band and called out to all his guests. “Welcome your heroes!”
A rowdy cheer went up, tankards were raised and drained. Freed slaves, desperate to express their gratitude mobbed the companions. Fjhor and his warriors stood back, they made no move to hold back the crowd pressing in. Elrin was overwhelmed by the intensity of emotion. Men and women wept with joy and thanks, placing shells and tokens of luck into their hands, tying plaited string bracelets over their arms and embracing their rescuers.
Elrin blushed with the undue affections of several different women laying kisses upon his cheeks. This is what his father must have experienced when he rescued villages from dragons and monsters. Elrin never had many friends; without a name for himself he had no guild, no fellowship. It wa
s good to be a hero. He felt strong, worthy, ready to march back to Calimska and claim justice.
Kobb was cunning. How easy it was for him to win over the freed slaves with his stolen bounty and welcoming act, gifting the rebel leaders to them as idols of hope. Elrin thought himself a fool, luxuriating in his swelling vanity. Minni and Delik had Kobb pegged. He was manipulating them with fanfare, hoping to make them more pliable by tethering them with guilt or pride. Elrin was ashamed for feeling both.
The companions accepted the welcome with grace, though Amber shrunk behind Hurn, wary of all the attention. The freed slaves resisted pressing around Hurn until a young boy ran out of the crowd and hugged the ogre’s tree trunk of a leg, looking up at the towering hulk with excited eyes.
“Can I have a ride?” he asked.
Hurn knelt down for the boy. He scrambled up Hurn’s sturdy arms and straddled his neck. Hurn rose to his feet and the boy hollered with joy, seeing the world on high like never before.
The boy’s mother edged to the front of the crowd, her face a mix of terror and meek resignation. Hurn knelt in front of her and plucked the boy from his shoulders, placing him in his mother’s arms. The child reached out and touched Hurn’s nose and laughed, showing his mother and urging her to do the same. Instead she leant forward and placed a kiss upon the ogre’s scarred cheek.
Kobb called out to disperse the crowd. “It is time to let our heroes make merry with me at our table of honour.” He sat himself down at the head, with his back to the band and his eyes on the festivities. Fjhor and his warriors took the companions to their seats, this time Hurn had a cushion placed for him and Tikis had a strong stool to hold his weight and allow room for his tail.
Fjhor’s men left through the cabin door behind Kobb. They appeared again a moment later, an extra pair of legs walking with them, two bare feet standing out against the warriors’ sandals. They escorted an older, bearded shankakin to his seat beside Kobb and opposite Delik. The man was the image of Delik—he could only be Jaspa Scrambletoe.
A tense quiet stretched like a drum skin over the celebration. The silence deepened in awe of who had come before them. A spark of whispers coaxed the crowd into a fire of shouts and cheers. The crowd chanted, “Scrambletoe! Scrambletoe! Scrambletoe!”
The freed slaves approached Jaspa, hoping for an audience, reaching out to touch the symbol of the rebellion in the flesh. Fjhor’s men formed a tight circle around Jaspa pushing them back.
Kobb stood upon his chair and shouted out into the crowd. “Let the feast begin!” He waved his arms to the band and they took up a bouncing tune.
Jaspa did his best to greet all who pressed against the wall of guards, though after their time in the Jandan prison holds, good food and drink was temptation enough to lure them away. The crowd dispersed to the lower feasting tables with renewed conversation and happy music building their positive mood.
Elrin waited for Delik and Jaspa to embrace, but they didn’t. Jaspa took his seat beside Kobb and Minni opposite Delik. They appraised each other, the tension between father and son souring the air of celebration.
Delik broke the silence. “Hail Father, good fortune has found you here. You’ve become quite an idol again.” His voice cracked with emotion, though his face could have been cut from slate for all the feeling it showed.
“I believe the good fortune is with these people. If it weren’t for you, they’d be dead or worse. You did well, son,” said Jaspa, nodding to Tikis and touching Minni’s shoulder, sharing a tender smile. “You all did well. I thank you.”
Minni motioned to Fjhor’s warriors. “Why all the guards? Have you been attacked?”
Kobb interrupted them, pouring wine into Jaspa’s cup, then Delik’s and his own. He motioned to the table servers to fill the others then stood upon his chair again, raising his drink high. “To Freedom!”
The crowd raised their drinks and called the same, cheering and banging the tables.
Kobb returned to his seat, his charming smile a hazard for the unwary. “Thank you for your work yesterday; every one of you. I know it wasn’t easy, but we do make a potent team don’t you think?”
Kobb didn’t wait for a reply, enjoying his own voice too much to stop. “As we sit here with a feast before us, the Jandans are setting the armada to hunt us down. Isn’t that just superb! This is what we should be celebrating, though the recently freed would be awfully worried if that was tonight’s theme. Slaves get terribly jumpy after a breakout. We’ve all been there, every knock on the door is the guard come to get you.”
Tikis drained his wine. “How can this be known?”
Kobb furrowed his brow. “Of course I know, I wouldn’t be so happy otherwise. I’d be sipping on vinegar like you lot. Where is your faith? It’s heartbreaking.”
“This is more of your bluster,” accused Elrin. “Pelegrin and Uighara might be in the belly of a serpent for all we know.”
Kobb shook his head in dismay at Delik. “See what you’ve done! Gone and soured the new boy.”
Elrin wasn’t having it, he had to keep Kobb on the point or he would digress from any real information. “What proof do you have?”
Kobb huffed in defence. “I have it on good authority. Fjhor here has a man in Jando. Told me just before you got here. Pelegrin is going to lead the charge. That’s nepotism for you. I thought they’d choose someone with a touch more experience, but alas, I’ve already sent their best to the bottom of the sea.”
“How can Fjhor do that?” Elrin glanced at Fjhor who was staring straight back at him. Fjhor’s tattoo rippled and Elrin had to turn away.
“Who knows? Ask him sometime.” Kobb shrugged his shoulders and Prisella raised her head from Kobb’s shirt, then disappeared again, camouflaged amongst the colourful frills. “Now, I think we should talk about defeating the armada. First, we—”
Delik cut in before Kobb could rattle on. “Does this involve you sinking defenceless ships full of slaves?”
Kobb was about to reply, but Jaspa held up his hand. Kobb was all too happy for Jaspa to handle his son’s complaints. “Look, son, we had to sink a ship and Jandan fighters had to die otherwise the citizens of Jando will begin to like us rather than fear us. The Council can only do so much without the people kicking them out. We want the dogs to come after us with all of their might. We don’t want them to leave a ship in their harbour. If we are to beat their armada and shut down the slaving lanes at sea, this is our only chance. That galleon was sunk by my order.”
Delik took the news like a slap in the face. “There were slaves on board!”
“An unfortunate sacrifice. Kobb must be seen as a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to damage Jandan property. Son, the powers in Jando don’t care about the lives, they care about the economic damage from declining growth in their supply of slaves. Council propaganda will blame the selfish pirate Kobb for stealing their free labour for his own personal gain. They will blame us for killing their men. The people will demand retribution. The council will have no choice but to send the armada. All this works in our favour. Kobb is on our side. Think of the greater picture. We had to bait the trap.”
“How can we trust him?” asked Delik, exasperated.
“I’m sure he trusts us even less.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” said Kobb. “I don’t trust you a drop, but don’t take it to heart. I feel that way about everybody. It’s a lifesaver when you’re in my trade.”
Delik and Jaspa steamed at each other.
Kobb wasn’t going to let a little family drama ruin his fanfare. “Come now, we all want the same thing. It just so happens that we are going to do it my way. Jaspa has been so very helpful. He’s quite a strategist and his comrades are so loyal. Piracy is a different game to be sure. Though, we are all rebels in our own way.”
Minni sucked the flesh from a crushed crab leg and tossed the shell into a basket. “What will you do with us after our great victory over the Jandan armada? What worth are we t
hen?”
“Oh, I know you’ve got bigger plans than that. Old Kobb isn’t going to feed you to the sharks, not when you’ve still got work to do. Let us all be honest here, shall we. We are all using each other. You want the Jandan fleet gone so the slave trade routes on the sea are no more. I want the fleet gone so I can ply my trade where I please. I have humble ambitions; I’m a merchant really. You, on the other hand, are after something more complicated. Overthrowing the Council of Jando and liberating all the slaves will serve my interests too. It’s true; I don’t care for these slaves as you do. One way or another we are all slaves. However, if you overthrow the powers in Jando ... that would help me even more. I can just imagine the wealthy Jandan elite, loading up their ships in the middle of the night and taking flight from the city of bones. The seas will be rich pickings, if you get what you want.”
Kobb selected an oyster and slurped it down. “So you must see that while I am not as self righteous and morally superior as say, Delik, I am still your only hope of destroying the armada.”
Tikis stopped gnawing on a fish head and waved it around in an arc. “These ships are not enough. These folk are not warriors. This battle is lost already.”
“A king keeps his treasures hidden, as do I. I have more ships at sea and my associates have more still.”
“More than the armada?” asked Minni.
Kobb wiped his brow with a pink silk napkin. “See here, Minella. Do you expect me to have every ship on display for your satisfaction?”
Jaspa intervened, placing his hand on Minni’s to quieten her, his voice calm against the rising frustration. “We don’t need more than the Armada, we have a better strategy.”
Delik pushed his plate away and dusted some crumbs from his lap. “Right then, we’re listening.”
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