Final Voyage of the Remora

by Richard S. Tuttle

  * * *

  Dawn was still hours away when the six men quietly gained the stairway at the Aranak Dunes. The stealthy men crept up the stairs to the second floor and moved silently along the corridor. The leader of the group signaled with his hand as the group of assassins gathered in front of Tedi's door. The leader gently slid a key into the lock and slowly turned it. An almost imperceptible click sounded as the lock disengaged. The leader stepped back and nodded to his men. One of the assassins eased the door open to reveal the darkened room beyond. Dim light from the flickering torches in the hallway spilled across the threshold, but it was still too dark to see their victims.

  The assassins drew their swords and started filing into the room. Unexpectedly, cries of pain and surprise arose from the first two men into the room. The leader frowned in concern as those ahead of him continued to enter the room. Suddenly, the door to the next room in the hallway flew open. A tall warrior dressed in black raced through the doorway with a long two-handed sword in his hands. The sword swung towards the leader's neck before he realized what was going on. He opened his mouth to scream a warning, but he never had the chance to utter a word.

  "Leave one alive," Garth called to Tedi as his sword swung into the next assassin at the rear of the line.

  Screams split the air, but they died out quickly. In seconds it was over and the moaning of one wounded man remained to break the silence.

  "Gag him," commanded Garth. "We don’t want to wake the neighbors."

  "You assume that they haven't already heard the noise," Natia responded. "I suspect that they have, but I don't think they will be venturing out to investigate."

  Tedi gagged the wounded assassin and dragged him to his feet. The man's eyes were wide with fear and his limbs trembled in terror. Tedi pulled the knife from the man's chest, and the assassin closed his eyes in pain and gasped behind his gag. Garth reached into the room and grabbed the assassin roughly. He dragged him into the hallway and forced him to grasp the severed head of the leader.

  "Take that back to Cracker," Garth ordered the assassin. "Tell him that we want our goods returned by dawn, and he is running out of time."

  Garth gave the assassin a shove towards the stairs and the man hobbled painfully with one hand pressed to the wound on his chest and the other holding the head of the leader by its hair. The Knights of Alcea waited until the man was well underway before entering Tedi's room.

  "You were right, Natia," Garth said. "This Cracker cares about appearances to keep the city in line. These bodies should cause a bit of a problem for him."

  "We are going to leave them here?" balked Tedi.

  "I secured a room at another inn," nodded Garth. "We will migrate over there for the rest of the night so we can get some sleep. Button will remain out monitoring the caves, and Bitsy will keep a watch on this place just in case Cracker decides to return our things."

  "You don't really expect that to happen, do you?" asked Natia.

  "No," Garth replied. "Cracker is going to need at least one more lesson before he begins to see the wisdom of pleasing us. Get your gear. We need to get some sleep for tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

  * * *

  The wounded assassin was carried into the meeting chamber where Cracker and his captains had gathered to await the results of the mission. Several of the captains gasped in surprise as the man was carried into the chamber, the head of the leader still clutched in his hand.

  "What is the meaning of this?" snarled Cracker.

  "He couldn't make it all the way here," said one of the escorts. "I don't think he is going to live. He was told to deliver the head to you and tell you that they want their goods returned by dawn."

  "Is he the only one to return?" asked Speedy.

  "They killed all of the others," nodded the escort. "He said he thought that the marks were waiting for them."

  "Get him out of here," bellowed Cracker. "Get him out of my sight."

  "Who are these people?" one of the captains asked after the escorts had carried the dying assassin away.

  "That is what I want to know," Cracker replied as his eyes glanced at Speedy for an answer.

  "I don't know," Speedy replied. "I took them for merchants. None of this makes any sense. We both have been through the pack several times, and there is nothing in there worth dying for."

  "They feel it is important enough to kill for," retorted one of the other captains. "I will try one of my contacts with the Federation garrison. Maybe they can shed some light on their identities."

  "Do it quickly," agreed Cracker. "Dawn is fast approaching."

  The captain with contacts in the Federation army nodded and slipped out of the chamber.

  "You aren't thinking about actually returning their stuff?" frowned Speedy. "It may look like junk to us, but I am more positive now than I was before that we have found something very valuable."

  "I don't particularly care what you think," retorted Cracker. "It is my men that are dying. If we can't kill these people, then I want them out of the city as soon as possible."

  "I have never seen you give in to threats before," scowled Speedy. "You act as if you think they can wade through hundreds of us to get their stuff back."

  "I didn't say I was returning anything," snapped Cracker, "but when dawn arrives, it will be their move to make. I do not think they will sit idly in the common room and wait for one of our messengers to appear. I want to know who they are before then. Only then can we devise a plan to ambush them."

  * * *

  Bitsy saw the Federation soldier climb the stairs at the Aranak Dunes, and she followed him. The soldier walked to the battle scene and stared at the bodies before stepping over them and entering Tedi's room. He searched the room carefully and found nothing at all. Moving to Garth's room, he found that also empty. The soldier left the room and ran down the stairs, and Bitsy returned to keeping a watch over things. Half an hour later the soldier returned with an officer. Bitsy recognized him as the captain that had walked Garth out of the stockade. He also stared at the bodies for a few moments, but he didn't bother to enter the rooms.

  "How did you find out about this?" the captain asked the soldier. "This is not an area where you would patrol."

  "A citizen came into the stockade and reported it," lied the soldier. "I came and verified the complaint before waking you. I thought you would want to know."

  "And now I know," the captain said as he stared suspiciously at the soldier. "Go and get some help to have these bodies cleared out of here."

  "Who are these people, Captain?" asked the soldier. "What is going on here?"

  "Merchants," the captain answered as he stared at the headless corpse. "They had something valuable stolen from them yesterday. I knew that they would try to get it back, but this makes no sense. Why would the bandits return again? Do they think there is more to steal?"

  "Merchants?" balked the soldier. "Merchants don't deal this kind of damage to thieves."

  "These merchants obviously do," Captain Takir replied as he noticed all of the swords tossed about. "I expect we will find more bodies before this situation is over. Besides, I don't think these thieves came to steal anything. I think they came to deal death to the merchants, but the tables were turned on them somehow. Thieves don't normally carry swords around the city. It slows them down and makes it harder for them to mix in. These men came to kill."

  "Where do you think they went?" asked the soldier.

  Captain Takir almost answered the question, his mind distracted by the placement of the bodies as he wondered how the merchants knew the attack was coming. Fortunately, he caught himself in time.

  "I know where to find them," scowled the captain. "You concentrate on getting this cleaned up before the other patrons awake. I don't want the citizens hearing about the massacre at the Aranak Dunes."

  The captain turned and left the crime scene, and Bitsy wondered if he truly knew where the Knights of Alcea were staying. Just to be safe, the fairy flew ov
er the two sets of stables and into the room where the Knights were staying. She landed on Garth's arm and the warrior awoke immediately.

  "The Federation army has discovered the attack scene," the fairy reported. "I think Captain Takir is on his way here."

  "Well done," Garth replied as he rose and strapped on his weapons. "Go back and keep a watch there. When dawn arrives, come back here."

  Bitsy saluted Garth and darted through the window. Garth walked to the window and gazed out over the stables. He did not see any sign of the captain hopping the fence that ran along the alley and figured that the officer would walk around the block. Garth slipped out the door of the room and padded down to the common room. He sat where he could observe the front door, but also where he could hear the rear door. He only had to wait a few minutes for Captain Takir to enter through the front door. The officer didn’t see Garth at first as he crossed the room and headed for the stairs.

  "We can talk quietly here," Garth said in a voice just over a whisper.

  The captain was startled, but he tried to hide it. He walked over to the table and sat opposite the Knight of Alcea.

  "You were expecting me?" Captain Takir asked with suspicion.

  "Sooner or later," shrugged Garth. "I am pleased that you didn't arrive with a squad of soldiers."

  "Tell me about it," replied the captain.

  "Not an awful lot to tell," replied Garth. "We told the thieves that we wanted our goods back by dawn. Instead they sent assassins to kill us. We didn't take kindly to that."

  "There was a head missing from the corpses," frowned the captain, "and a trail of blood down the stairs. Is one of your people hurt?"

  "No," Garth smiled thinly. "We sent a messenger to Cracker to ask for our belongings. He appeared to have a problem retaining all of his bodily fluids."

  "Bold," the captain said with a raised eyebrow, "but dangerous. I do not remember any assassinations since I arrived here. It would appear that Cracker has taken quite a disliking to you."

  "He knows how to get rid of us," Garth replied.

  "I suspect he is thinking of a different method than you are," quipped Captain Takir. "Seriously, Cracker has a lot of men. You can't possibly survive a war with them. Why not just forget your trinkets and move on?"

  "I can't do that," declared Garth. "I will get my belongings back."

  "I suspected as much," nodded the officer, "but I don't want the streets of Olansk to be a battleground."

  "Your career would not suffer if the population of thieves in this city declined considerably," smiled Garth.

  "And how would you recognize a thief versus an ordinary citizen?" frowned the captain. "I can't bank my career on your ability to tell the difference."

  "I think you can," retorted Garth. "I have one of my people watching the caves. Since the assassination attempt, only one thief has ventured out."

  "And where did he go?" the captain asked with concern.

  "To the stockade," replied Garth. "I suspect that Cracker is trying to find out more about us."

  "I suspected as much," nodded the captain. "I was suspicious when one of my men just happened to come across the scene of battle at the Aranak Dunes. Tell me what you have planned."

  "I would prefer not to," replied Garth. "I want you to be able to say that you had no advance notice with a straight face. If there is one spy among your soldiers, there are probably more. I can promise you that the bloodshed on the streets of the city will be minimal."

  "Then you plan to enter the caves?" questioned the captain. "It is a maze down there. You will never return."

  "Then I would not be causing you any more problems," Garth responded.

  Captain Takir stared at Garth. He was not sure why he was even talking to the merchant. The odds of his speaking to Colonel Thrackton on his behalf were small at best, but even less if he died fighting Cracker's people. Still, there was something about Garth that the officer admired. He was not sure what it was, but the merchant reminded him of the mentor he had had when he first joined the army.

  "Alright," the captain eventually said. "I will not pursue this questioning any further, but I must warn you. If you kill an innocent citizen, I will string you up personally, and that goes for the people with you as well. Think hard before you act."

  Garth nodded, and the officer rose and left the inn. The Knight of Alcea sat quietly for a while in the empty common room before returning to his room. By the time he entered the room, the sky had already begun to lighten. He woke the others and waited for Bitsy to report in. While the Knights of Alcea prepared for a day of covert warfare, Bitsy returned and Garth sent her out with new instructions.

  "What is the plan?" asked Tedi when he was ready to go.

  "Bitsy and Button are together now," answered Garth. "Button will continue to keep watch on the caves and notify us when any of the thieves emerge. Bitsy will map the caverns so we don't find ourselves stuck in a dead-end tunnel."

  "We are going in then?" asked Kalina.

  "Not right away," answered Garth. "I think Cracker needs a few more nudges until he understands that we are not going to just go away. Button will capture the images of any thieves leaving the caves and show us what they look like. While Bitsy is mapping the caverns, we will capture the thieves in the city and send them back with messages for Cracker. I think three or four should be enough to do the trick."

  "I am not fond of the idea of sending the thieves back home," frowned Tedi. "Sending parts of them back to the caves is closer to how I feel right now. We will end up fighting the same men when we finally do enter the caves."

  "Perhaps," agreed Garth, "but I had a visit from Captain Takir a little while ago. While he might be wiling to look the other way for a dead thief or two, he is not happy about the matter. Cracker has also established spies in the Federation army, so we need to be careful here. I would prefer to meet with Cracker in person than fight all of his men, but to do that we need to make him hurt a bit first. Let's grab something to eat before we start picking off his thieves."

  Chapter 35

  Still of the Night

  The thief strolled through the marketplace in Olansk, acting as if he was on a casual stroll, but his eyes gazed at people's waists looking for a hefty coin pouch. Natia followed at a distance, and her gypsy eyes actually saw the thief's mark before he did. An old man stood at a stall looking at pieces of fine jewelry, his coin pouch hanging out from underneath his tunic. Natia changed course and quickened her pace so that she would arrive near the old man at the same time the thief did. The thief was smooth. Even Natia had to admire the way he clipped the cord holding the purse without even looking down at it. As the thief turned abruptly to make his escape, he found Natia in his way, and she had a knife pointed at the thief's stomach. She stepped forward and brought the tip of the knife into contact with the thief.

  "I'll take that," she said quietly, holding out one hand.

  The thief's eyes darted around, but no one seemed to notice the small confrontation, and if they did, Natia was sporting a friendly smile as if she were talking to a close friend.

  "You don't know what you are doing," hissed the thief. "This town is protected from the likes of you. Step aside or you will be dead by nightfall."

  "Hand over the pouch, or you will be dead before you take another step," smiled Natia.

  The thief hesitated only a moment. It was either the pouch or his life, and he wasn't ready to die. He placed the pouch in the woman's hand expecting her to withdraw her blade, but she stood smiling at him.

  "Tell Cracker that he missed his dawn deadline," smiled Natia. "For today we will be content to have his underlings deliver our messages, but tomorrow we start killing all of you."

  The thief's jaw dropped, and his eyes grew as large as coins. He stared at Natia as if she were some type of apparition.

  "Tell Cracker we will meet with him peacefully if he wants to discuss this," Natia continued, "but we aren't going away. We will have our goods returned."
>
  Natia stepped back and sheathed her knife. The thief immediately bolted and ran through the crowd as if a monster were chasing him. Natia smiled and walked to the old man at the jewelry stand.

  "I think you might have dropped this," she smiled as she held the pouch out for him to take.

  * * *

  Fairies have fantastic endurance, but Squirt was beginning to feel fatigued as she glided down on the Remora and landed on the captain's shoulder. She spent hours searching for coconuts and levitating them out of the water. The strain showed in the tiny woman's blue face, and the captain frowned as he saw her.

  "You do not look well, Squirt," the captain said with concern. "If you are all through with the coconuts, perhaps you should take time out to rest a bit."

  "I recovered many coconuts," replied the fairy, "but not all of them. I think Keltin has been getting them past us for quite some time."

  "I would not be surprised," sighed the captain. "Do not blame yourself. It is impossible to watch all of the crew all of the time. Perhaps nothing will come of it."

  "Something is already coming of it," reported Squirt. "There is a warship on its way up the channel."

  "A warship?" echoed the captain. "Are you sure of it?"

  "It is larger than the Remora," nodded the fairy, "and they have large catapults on the deck. There are also scores of archers milling about."

  "Are you sure there is only one ship?" asked Chanz, the mate.

  "I am sure," the fairy replied. "I flew all the way to the ocean and looked for more ships, but there are none."

  "Even still," sighed the captain, "we cannot go up against a warship. How far away are they?"

  "About half a day," answered Squirt.

  "What are the current depth readings in the bay?" asked the captain.

  "The tides are just past high," commented Chanz. "We took soundings this morning, and there is not enough water for us to go anywhere that would hide us effectively. We might have been able to chance sailing east of the island last month, but a sandbar now blocks the path. The only way out of here is down that channel."