"Why park the wagon way over here?" asked Morro. "There is already a fire ring over in the center of the clearing."
"It keeps the wagon out of the light put off by the fire," smiled Tedi. "Help me gather some wood so we can get a fire going. Don't stray far from the edge of the clearing, though."
Morro raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t ask why. The two warriors wandered off and returned with armfuls of dead wood. While Tedi built the fire, Natia arranged four sleeping mats under the wagon before tending to the horses. Morro filled a pot with water and carried it to the fire ring. Sometime later Garth walked out of the woods and joined the group. By that time the tea was already prepared, and Tedi was cooking the meal. Garth sat on the log with his back to the wagon. He indicated that Natia and Morro should sit opposite him.
Keeping his voice low, Garth spoke to Natia. "Look off my right shoulder," he ordered. "There is a large tree at the edge of the clearing which has a sturdy perch designed just for you. It will give you a clear view of the entire campsite without the light of the fire shining on you."
"I see it," Natia replied. "Is that my assigned spot?"
"It is," nodded Garth. "Morro, if you look off my left shoulder, there is a tree for you, too. The plan is for us to sit around the fire and enjoy the evening for a couple of hours until it is good and dark. Then, one by one, we will decide to go to bed. When your turn comes, walk casually towards the wagon. There are four mats laid out under it, and there are blankets on top of the mats. Take off your boots and pack. Put the pack under one of the blankets and place your boots so they protrude from under the blankets. The idea is to make it appear as if we are asleep."
"A pack is not all that much like a body," frowned Morro.
"It won't matter," replied Garth. "There will be little light shed on the wagon. I intend to keep the fire stoked until I retire, so the bandits will be hard pressed to see into the darkness by the wagon. When they finally do decide to attack, I suspect they will use arrows to skewer our sleeping forms. If they do decide to get closer and use knives, they will already be exposed when they make their move. Either way the deception will have worked well enough."
"Which trees will you and Tedi be in?" asked Morro.
"We will be on the ground," answered Garth. "We are not going to get all of the bandits from tree perches. Tedi and I will be circling around behind them."
"Behind them?" frowned Morro. "You sound as if you know which direction they will come from."
"We will know," replied Garth. "Bitsy is out in the woods right now keeping track of the bandits. If you hear a tiny bell ring, that is the signal to get ready for the attack."
"It sounds as if you have done this before," Morro commented with amazement.
"A time or two," Garth grinned. "The important part is to remain safe while killing as many of the enemy as you can. Leave your perches only if you are in danger up there."
Morro and Natia nodded in understanding, and Tedi served the meal. For several hours the warriors sat and talked as if they were totally unaware of being watched. With a nod from Garth, Natia was the first one to feign the call of sleep. She toddled off, and Morro followed a few minutes later
"Don't forget your myric quills," Garth said quietly to Tedi. "You will have the eastern half of the campsite, and I will take the western."
"Has Bitsy reported in already?" Tedi asked.
"They are coming in from the north," Garth nodded. "When you get to the wagon, release Button. She can spot targets for you, but remind her to remain quiet."
"I didn't see Bitsy come in," commented Tedi. "I must be losing my touch."
"She didn't come into the campsite," smiled Garth. "I asked her to create a small fairy light high above the bandits when they arrived. I saw it about ten minutes ago. She has instructions to use her sleep spell on any bandits who try to flee with the horses."
"You have thought this out," smiled Tedi. "I guess I should go to bed now. We wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting."
Garth said goodnight to Tedi and then stoked the fire again. When the flames were roaring nicely, he rose and walked into the darkness towards the wagon. A few minutes later he stealthily strode barefoot under the tree that Morro was perched in. He kept going straight for a long time before he angled back towards the campsite on a line that would bring him close to the northwest corner of the perimeter. In the darkness he waited silently for the attack to begin. The forest remained quiet for another two hours as the bandits waited for the merchants to fall into a deep slumber. An unseen voice called out whispered orders and Garth heard the movement of men through the woods. A moment later a tiny bell pealed and everyone froze. A few soft muttered curses drifted in the night air, but they could not be heard near the wagon. The bandits stood silently waiting to see if the noise aroused anyone. When all remained quiet, the order to move in was whispered. Half of the bandits stole stealthily into the clearing while the other half remained hidden in case something went wrong.
Garth didn't wait for the snap of the arrows that he knew was soon to come. He picked a myric quill out of the quiver and fed it into the reed. Coming up behind the group hiding in the trees, he put the reed to his lips and blew the quill into one of the bandits. As the man was pitching forward, Garth was already feeding another quill into the reed. As Garth sent the second quill into a bandit, he saw another bandit fall to Tedi's quill. The rest of the hidden men shouted in alarm, but it was already too late to break off the attack. The six men who had moved into the clearing released their arrows at the sleeping forms under the wagon. As soon as they did so, an arrow slammed into the chest of one of them, and a knife sliced deeply into the neck of another. The bandits were totally confused as to where the attack was coming from. While the arrow had struck one of the men in the front of the chest, shouts from the rear indicated trouble behind them.
"It's an ambush!" shouted one of the bandits. "There are no bodies under the wagons. They are in the trees."
Another of Morro's arrows slammed home, and Natia's knife cut down another bandit. The two remaining men turned and fled. Back in the thick of the woods, Garth had pulled his sword and Tedi wielded his staff. The last three of the hidden men died quickly, and the two Knights of Alcea set their eyes upon the bandits fleeing the clearing. The bandits did not try to be stealthy. They shouted in anguish as they dropped their bows and split up as they dashed for the cover of the trees. A final arrow from Morro claimed one of the men before he could exit the clearing, and Garth's long two-handed sword cleaved the other in two. A deathly silence fell over the forest, as the Knights of Alcea remained frozen, listening for any sounds of other bandits. A few minutes later, Bitsy settled down on Garth's shoulder.
"They are all dead," the fairy reported. "There are twelve horses tethered a thousand paces to the north of here."
"Tedi," ordered Garth, "get Natia and bring the horses into the camp. We are going to empty the wagon and load our supplies onto the horses."
"Tonight?" asked Tedi.
"Right now," nodded Garth. "This is not the only group of bandits in this forest. We will abandon the wagon here and head away from the Zinbar Trail. After we have put a couple of hours behind us, we can camp for real."
* * *
Chanz piloted the Remora on an easterly course while the captain moved forward to the bow. Captain Gomery smiled happily as he came up behind the water witch who was leaning over the rail and staring into the water.
"Be careful that you don't fall over," quipped the captain. "I wouldn't want to lose such a wonderful creature to the sea."
The old hag turned to glance at the captain. The thin strands of her white hair flew in the breeze and a broad smile covered her wrinkled old face.
"Wonderful creature?" she echoed humorously. "You need to have your eyes checked by a healer, Captain Gomery."
"There is a beauty in you that cannot be seen by a casual glance," smiled the captain. "May I join you?"
"It is your ship after all," repl
ied the water witch as she turned and gazed into the sea again.
The captain leaned on the rail next to Haditha and saw a school of porpoises riding the bow of the Remora.
"So that is what you were watching," he remarked. "They also are beautiful creatures."
"And very intelligent," nodded Haditha. "I have forgotten how much I miss the sea. There is so much life and innocence out here."
"Why do you live in the swamp if you love the sea so much?" asked the captain.
"I have lived there for so long," sighed Haditha. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, and over the years I have forgotten about the sea." After a moment she shook her head exaggeratedly and said, "No, that is not true. I am incapable of forgetting the sea. It is too much a part of who I am, but I thought the swamp would suffice. And it did I guess. I am still alive after all."
"Kalina said that leaving the swamp would be dangerous for you," frowned the captain. "We are already well past the Boot. Shouldn't you return home?"
"Men," cackled the water witch. "One moment you are telling me how beautiful I am, and the next you are trying to get rid of me."
"I would never wish to be rid of you," Captain Gomery said seriously, "but I do worry about your safety. I do not think that I could accept being a part of the reason for your death."
Haditha turned and stared into the captain's eyes with a gaze of bewilderment. She reached out and gently took his hand and placed it on her wrinkled face.
"If your eyes be blind," she said sadly, "at least you can feel the truth. I am an old woman, Captain Gomery." Haditha sighed heavily and then scowled, "Break free of the accursed spell and save yourself."
"I do not understand your words," the captain replied as he lovingly caressed the old woman's cheek. "I merely said that I was worried for your safety. Why are you angry with me?"
Haditha moved away from the captain. She turned her back on him and walked to a spot on the rail several paces away. She stared off into the ocean as if nothing onboard bothered her, but a tear rolled down her cheek and splashed into the sea. The captain shook his head in confusion, but he thought it better to leave the water witch in peace. He turned and strolled back towards the helm just in time to see the eagle land and transform into Kalina.
"Haditha was correct," Kalina announced to the captain. "There are Federation ships anchored in coves below the Cliffs of Ranool and several more patrolling near Shark Point. She was wise to instruct you to sail due east."
"That is the only wise thing she has said then," the captain replied.
"What is wrong?" Kalina asked with concern.
"I do not know," sighed the captain. "I suggested that she might want to return to the swamp, and she became angry with me. I was only concerned about her welfare. I would hate to think that I would be the cause of her death."
"You care for her, don't you?" asked Kalina.
The captain shook his head in denial, but his sparkling eyes told a different story. Finally he glanced at the deck and sighed.
"I guess I do," he admitted, "but I do not understand it. She certainly isn't anything to look at, but neither am I. Still, there is an inner beauty in her that is unmistakable. I have spent my life at sea because I love the sea, and when I am with Haditha, it feels as if she is the sea. I know I am rambling," he sighed heavily, "but I can't explain it any better. She is the woman that I never thought existed."
"Let me see what is bothering her," offered Kalina.
The Knight of Alcea walked to the bow and leaned on the rail alongside the water witch. For a long time neither woman spoke, but Haditha eventually glanced at Kalina with what appeared to be irritation.
"He sent you up here to talk to me, didn't he?" she asked.
"He did not send me," Kalina replied softly. "I offered to on my own. What is troubling you, Haditha?"
"I am too old to handle feelings like his," the water witch replied. "I just want to enjoy the sea for another day or two before returning to my swamp. Is that too much to ask?"
"Certainly not," replied Kalina, "but do not blame Captain Gomery for his feelings. I do not think he has ever been in love before."
"And he still hasn't been in love," scowled Haditha. "I tried to explain to him that his feelings are due to magic, but how can I explain such things to someone who does not understand the ways of magic?"
"You are influencing his feelings through the use of magic?" frowned Kalina. "Why do such a thing and then blame the captain for it?"
"I am not doing it on purpose," sighed Haditha. "That is just the way my kind effects sailors. I can't control it."
"Really?" retorted Kalina. "So then all of the sailors have been bothering you with their affections?"
The water witch frowned and stared at Kalina. "Well, no," she admitted, "but the captain would probably flay any of them that left their post to pay attention to me."
"I think you are fooling yourself," replied Kalina. "Captain Gomery doesn't flay his sailors that I know of, and certainly not for what they do with their time off. Has it ever occurred to you that the captain might truly care for you?"
"Don't be absurd," scowled the water witch. "Look at me."
"I have seen you before," Kalina smiled thinly. "While I do not have the same type of feelings that Captain Gomery has for you, I do feel as if you are a close friend. Your physical form has nothing to do with it."
"Physical form has everything to do with it," Haditha snapped. "It is precisely because…"
The water witch stopped mid-sentence, and her eyes grew wide with understanding. She inhaled deeply and turned away from Kalina.
Chapter 44
Sailing Blind
Captain Gomery carried two cups of cold tea to the bow of the Remora. He leaned on the rail alongside the water witch and handed one of the cups to her.
"You spend an awful lot of time just staring at the horizon," he said in a friendly tone.
"Thank you, Gomery," Haditha smiled as she accepted the cup of tea. "I suppose I am recapturing my acquaintance with the ocean. I had no idea how much I missed it all hiding in my swamp home."
"With such a love for the sea," asked the captain, "why did you choose to live in the swamp?"
"Self-preservation," the water witch answered without hesitation. "When the water witches revolted, the Empire of Barouk threatened to annihilate us all unless we returned to work. The emperor never made idle threats, and we were forced to flee for our lives. Many of my friends took to the sea, but the emperor's ships hunted them down and killed them. I had the wild idea that I could survive in an environment that was mostly water, so I fled to the Endless Swamp. For many years I have felt smug in my choice of refuges, but now I wonder if I have thrown away my life so that I would not lose it."
"Didn't other water witches also flee to the swamp?" asked the captain.
"A few others did," nodded Haditha, "but they didn't last long. Some could not adapt to the marshes, and others could not help bringing attention to themselves. The Empire was quick to take advantage of any mistakes the water witches made. I believe that I am the sole survivor of those who fled to the swamp."
"And what of the others?" inquired the captain. "Do any of them still exist?"
"I do not know for sure," frowned Haditha, "but some of them must have escaped. If they did, though, they survived by abandoning their true nature. If only we had been capable of using our powers to fight back, maybe water witches would still ride the seas."
"Do you mean that none of the water witches fought the Empire?" asked the captain.
"It is not our way, Gomery," explained Haditha. "We are a peaceful people by nature. Violence is not something that we find acceptable."
"I am a peaceful man myself," replied Captain Gomery, "but there comes a time when you either fight or die. I prefer to fight rather than allow evil to conquer me."
"Mankind has always been violent," retorted Haditha. The water witch knew her words came out harsher than she had meant them, and she turned an
d smiled at the captain. "I wish you would break off this mission that you are on," she said softly. "There is no chance of success in it. Why sail to your death? I do not understand the need for it."
"There are thousands of people in Alcea who will die if we do not act," the captain replied. "What is the life of a dozen men in comparison to that? I have no desire to die, Haditha, and neither do any of the others, but to a man we decided that this is something that we must do. If we can succeed in destroying the Federation fleet, we will at least delay their invasion for many months, maybe forever."
"Only if you actually succeed," countered the water witch. "I know this land, and I know these people. You will never get through the Needle alive. As soon as they see your sails, they will send ships after you."
"Kalina has a plan for that," offered the captain as he pointed to the eagle swooping down out of the sky. "I spoke to her about it this morning before she went out scouting. She plans to blanket the ship in fog so that the enemy will not see us."
"Can she do that?" asked the water witch.
"She seems to think that she can," answered the captain. "Ask her when she gets here. It should only be a few minutes."
Haditha turned just in time to see the shimmering form of Kalina appear at the stern. She stared at the Knight of Alcea as Kalina strode towards the bow.
"There are warships off the coast," reported Kalina. "They are in the same position as when I saw them before coming to the swamp."
"How far off the coast?" asked Haditha.
"About fifty leagues due east of the Cliffs of Ranool," answered Kalina.
"There is a break in the barrier reef there," nodded the water witch. "It is an excellent bottleneck for them to patrol. You could not get around them to the north or the south without sailing days parallel to the coast."
"But we have no desire to get around them," the captain pointed out. "We need to pass between them and the Cliffs of Ranool."
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 54