The rest of the demon horde was falling back again, their chattering and wailing was an unnatural sound that made Jute’s blood run cold, but he felt a sense of satisfaction seeing the fallen, broken bodies of his enemies.
“Not bad for a one-armed madman,” Babaz said.
“Thanks for the help,” Jute grumbled. “I didn’t expect the big one to nearly squash the life out of me.”
“I knew you were too stubborn to die,” Babaz said.
“I have a new strategy,” Jute said. “I say we move forward. We can go slowly, but let’s advance on the beasts.”
“It will show them we aren’t afraid,” Babaz said with a grin. “I like it.”
“And every step will bring us closer to escaping these hateful caverns forever.”
“Dwarves!” Babaz shouted. “We move forward!”
Jute led the way, walking slowly. They had to step over the dead and they finished off the dying who were slowly trying to haul themselves away. The effect of their advance on the Groslings was even greater than Jute had expected. The creatures were obviously unaccustomed to anything that didn’t flee from them. To his great surprise and relief, the Groslings fell back as the dwarves moved forward.
“Would you look at that,” Hammert said. “They’re retreating.”
“Not a total retreat,” Babaz said.
“A tactical one,” Jute said. “They haven’t given up.”
“They know something we don’t,” Babaz said.
“Or they think we know something they don’t.”
It was impossible to know what the Groslings intended, but for several miles they kept pace with the dwarves until they came to a much larger cavern. Babaz thought they intended to spread out and surround the dwarves, but instead the demons fled.
“I don’t like this,” Babaz said. “What would cause them to retreat now?”
“I don’t know,” Jute said. “But we don’t want to be caught out in the open.”
“How much farther until we find a way out?” Hammert asked.
“Still a few hours,” Jute said. “We have to push the pace as much as possible.”
They quickened their pace, but many of the dwarves were simply unable to do anything more than an assisted walk. Some were even being carried along on the backs of stronger dwarves. Jute was worried, but also proud of his kin. They were a hardy folk and he knew that none of them would give up.
They passed through the larger chamber into a tall-ceilinged rectangular room. It reminded Jute of the feasting halls he’d seen in castles made by men. There were several dark alcoves on the chamber’s left side. Jute couldn’t tell if they were simply shadowy nooks or if they were tunnels leading to other caverns.
They were halfway through the hall when the first rumbling roar echoed up from behind them. It was a stuttering cry, too loud for even the horde of demons to have made, but different from anything the dwarves had heard in the underworld.
“What was that?” Hammert said.
“I’ve never heard anything like it,” Babaz replied.
“We have to keep moving,” Jute urged. “At least it’s behind us.”
“I’ll take a group of fighters to the rear,” Babaz said. “You have to lead us out. We’ll make sure whatever that was doesn’t catch up.”
“Fine,” Jute said, “but don’t do anything foolish. We’re all getting out of here.”
Babaz nodded, but Jute could see the grim determination in the bloodied dwarf’s eyes.
“Let’s keep moving,” Jute shouted, as Babaz and Hammert gathered men together and moved to the back of the group.
The feeling of danger was like a weight pressing down on Jute. He needed to get the dwarves out of the caverns as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t simply wish them away. They had to keep moving and hope whatever had made the stuttering roar wouldn’t catch up with them.
Chapter 15
They set sail early the next morning. Many of Roleena’s crew were sick from drinking too much on leave or trying to rid themselves of the fleas, mites, and other vermin they’d picked up in Hamsbury, but the pirate queen didn’t care. She sent the men up into the rigging to unfurl the sails and the two ships under her command made good time through the long, narrow stretch of Brimington Bay. The next day they turned north and sailed out into the open waters with a strong wind at their back and a bright, clear sky overhead.
Roleena’s leg was still growing, but it wasn’t flesh—at least, not human flesh. The skin was green and scaly. She had to adjust the pad on her wooden leg just to be able to walk, but she hobbled up to the command deck to oversee their progress. The ship was racing across the small waves, the wind whipping her long hair around her face and the crew shouting as they handled the ship. Roleena thought it was a beautiful, harmonious day. Everything seemed to be just as it should be, right up until the moment that Slice stabbed the guard beside her in the back. Bynes used all his considerable strength to bash the other guard over the head, and in less than a second Roleena knew she was in trouble.
“Times are changing, Captain,” Slice snarled as he waved his long knife in her face. It was wet with blood, and his normally bloodshot eyes looked clear for once.
“You finally found the courage to face me,” Roleena said in an icy voice. “I should have cut your miserable throat long ago.”
“That’s why you aren’t fit to be captain. You don’t have what it takes to do what needs to be done. A woman,” Slice shouted to the crew, who had stopped their work and were watching his every move, “doesn’t have the courage to lead a ship of men.”
The crew shouted out their agreement.
“You deserve to die for being a haughty wench, but don’t worry I don’t have plans to kill you.” Once again he turned and addressed the crew. “What should we do with her?”
There were shouts and laughter. Almost every suggestion was lewd and often followed with gestures that turned Roleena’s stomach. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen but she knew she would never allow the men of her crew to have their way with her.
“You see,” Slice said. “Women have their place, but it isn’t on the command deck. It’s on their knees.”
He stepped forward, still brandishing his bloody knife, clearly expecting to intimidate her. Instead Roleena drew her own dagger, a thin, razor sharp weapon that she kept tucked into her wide leather belt. She quickly stabbed the blade into Slice’s stomach, sending him reeling backward. His accomplice lunged for Roleena, who dashed backward, but she lost her balance and fell. She still had the dagger in her hand and had every intention of finishing what she started, but she was too close to the ship’s rail. Her hip smashed into the wood, sending a shockwave of pain shooting through her body. Her legs flew up, their momentum propelling her backward.
Roleena’s heart flipped as she seemed to hang in the air for a terrible moment, then she was falling. The stern of her ship flashed before her eyes and then she splashed into the warm, salty water. Roleena could swim and tried to rise back to the surface, but her clothes weighed her down. She knew she had only one chance to survive and her hands clawed at the buckle that held her wooden leg in place. The straps came free easily, and the wooden limb floated upward. Roleena held tight and let the wood pull her slowly toward the surface. She had to wrench off the boot on her good leg, and pull off the thick belt around her waist that was weighted down with hidden pockets filled with gold.
Finally her head broke the surface and she gasped for air. Above her the ship loomed like a monster with a hundred heads. The sailors were pointing and laughing at her as the ship sailed on. They hated her, but her own loathing burned hotter and deeper. The wooden leg that had been her burden for over a year was now the one thing she could cling to as her ship sailed away. It wasn’t buoyant enough to support her out of the water, but clinging to it she knew she wouldn’t drown.
The sea wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t smooth either. The wind had churned the water into three- and four-foot waves
. There was enough motion that when she bobbed down the ship was lost from sight until she was lifted back up. Despair filled her heart. She didn’t fear death or anything in the ocean, but seeing her beloved Crest Dancer sailing away was worse than losing her leg. She was so focused on her ship that she forgot about the merchant vessel they had taken on their journey south. The Eagle’s Cry was bearing straight for her. She heard the waves crashing against the bow behind her as a dolphin raced past. Turning, she thought for a moment that the second ship was coming to her aid. There were sailors gathered at the bow, leaning out over the rails pointing and shouting, but they weren’t trying to save her—they were going to run her over.
Without thinking, Roleena dropped the wooden leg and let herself slip below the surface. She could swim, but she’d never been over fond of being in the water. She couldn’t explain the strange urge that now drew her down into the green depths. She opened her eyes as she drifted and discovered that she could see underwater; not the blur of burning sight one normally experienced underwater, but a clear penetrating vision that could make out the creatures down in the dark waters far below. She turned and swam deeper, avoiding the barnacle-crusted keel that was rushing toward her. Roleena had never felt so fast or agile in the water. On instinct she kicked out with her missing leg and felt her body shoot down under the ship. She raced around and came up behind the four-masted merchant ship. As her head broke the surface she took a breath but was surprised to discover that she wasn’t desperate for air. The physical exertion seemed so minimal she thought she could have stayed underwater much longer.
The sailors hadn’t discovered her behind them yet and the thought crossed her mind that she might be able to climb aboard the ship, possibly even take command. But an instinct she couldn’t explain called her to stay in the water. She felt comfortable in the sea. In fact, she felt more secure than she had since she was a little girl.
She dove back down under the water, letting the ship sail away as she glided through the silent deep. All around her were fish, great schools of glistening silver fish flashed past her, chased by dolphins, and further down she saw the occasional shark. There were all types of sea creatures and as Roleena floated through the water, propelled by an occasional kick from the new growth on her missing leg, she was awed by the beauty and her own ability to hold her breath for such a long period.
When she came to the surface she was on a swell and facing land. She was only a few miles out from shore. She knew she could make the swim easily, although she never would have dreamed of being able to swim for miles before falling overboard. But she didn’t want to go ashore. She wanted to stay in the water, to feel the freedom and strength she’d always longed for but never experienced in any other way.
Hours passed and Roleena alternated between floating and diving down to explore the watery world she had discovered. Her new leg grew at an astonishing rate in the seawater. By afternoon it was as long as her original leg, but it wasn’t a leg, not in the normal sense. It looked like a thick, muscular tentacle with small fins along either side, and propelled her through the water at speeds she had never dreamed possible. The dolphins played with her for a long time, chasing and dodging one another. They taught her to leap out of the water, twirling and flipping before diving back down into the sea. Eventually they moved on in search of food and Roleena was joined by larger sea creatures. Huge, blue-skinned whales rose up around her, leading their young and singing a song that reverberated through the water.
For a time Roleena forgot about her desire to retake her ships, or return to Yelsia. Just frolicking in the sea was all that she cared about. But then the fish swam away from her, the dolphins and whales dove deep, and Roleena found herself alone. A feeling of dread rose up inside her and instinctively she knew that danger was approaching. She considered fleeing, but she had no way of knowing what was coming for her. Running away might just delay the inevitable and leave her exhausted if she had to fight. She was still wearing her blouse and pants, but she had no weapons to fight with. Still, she braced herself for whatever was coming, drifting half a body length beneath the rolling waves above her.
The school of merpeople was the most intimidating sight Roleena had ever seen. They came rushing up out of the dark depths below her. The males were muscular creatures, with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a shark. They had long hair and beards that looked like seaweed and they carried long trident spears. Where a human had ribs under his arms, the mermen had gills. The females looked at once beautiful and terrifying. They wore no clothing but their long, thick hair swirled around them revealing only glimpses of their pale skin. They carried no weapons, but their fingers were tipped with long pointed nails and when they opened their mouths Roleena could see rows of serrated, triangular teeth. Their lower bodies were longer and more lithe than their male counterparts, which made Roleena think of speed more than power.
The merpeople swam in circles around Roleena, many looking as if they wanted to attack, but something held them back. Finally, after almost a full minute of threatening aggression, a white-haired elder swam up to Roleena. He looked at her distastefully but he had no weapons and he held up his hands to show he was unarmed.
You are an abomination, a voice said in Roleena’s mind.
She frowned but didn’t try to speak.
You are neither of the sea nor of the land.
Roleena shook her head vigorously. She was afraid of the merpeople but she refused to show it, even if it meant that she would die in the deep.
Our people rule the sea and there is no place among us for you.
Magic destroyed my life, Roleena thought, but I have remade it.
No, came the voice. We have remade you. The Torr captured our kind and tortured us in a vain attempt to harness and control our power. The essence you passed through far inland in their stronghold revealed you to us.
Roleena remembered the dark mist in the subterranean chamber of the Torr. It had seemed much like the mysterious fog she had so often seen at sea. Now she knew why, and she felt a pang of regret for what the merpeople must have endured at the hands of the evil wizards of the Torr. It wasn’t magic, it was part of the merpeoples’ natural power, stolen from the sea in a vain attempt to expand the power of the wizards in the Torr.
We know your heart, we know your mind. We even know the task you have resolved to carry out. We will not let you forget it. That is why we have healed you and given you the gifts that allow you to survive here under the waves. You carry the seeds of magic in your ship. We have felt it. That is why we have come.
To kill me? she wondered.
To remind you of your task and speed you on your way. Magic shall not be endured in the sea. It will not taint our kind as it has the land dwellers.
I was going to use the books on my ship to help one wizard kill another, she thought.
We will help you under one condition.
What?
That once one wizard is slain, you will slay the other.
I’m not sure I can do that.
You must find a way.
How did you know I was here? How did you know what I was doing?
We know all things that happen under the waves that cover us. Will you fulfill your destiny and end the threat of magic?
I will kill Zollin the wizard, or see that he is killed. Then I will kill Branock, Roleena resolved.
Then go with our blessing.
The merpeople all moved to one side as a huge sea monster swam toward them.
This is the Graygon, and it is yours to command as long as you are on the oceans.
Roleena immediately recognized the sea creature from before she had taken control of her ship, before she had lost her leg. Zollin had somehow summoned the great aquatic beast and used it to fight off the dragon that was seeking to destroy him. The creature had a long, tubular body and huge eyes. At one end of the body were a multitude of tentacles and hidden inside the long, muscular limbs was a terrible pincer. The Graygo
n was even larger than the blue-skinned whales. Roleena felt a tremor of fear, but there was also something innocent about the creature. It wasn’t vicious by nature, but its great strength and incredible size were used by the merpeople to eradicate any magic that infiltrated the sea.
Go now and fulfill your destiny.
The merpeople swam away and the Graygon approached Roleena slowly. It extended one tentacle and she steeled her nerves as the appendage wrapped around her waist. It lifted her up to the surface where Roleena took in several long breaths. Then it pulled her back down and the two of them were racing through the water faster than Roleena had thought possible. She knew where they were going and she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her crew when they saw her rise up out of the water before them. They would rue the day they had turned on her. Roleena would have her revenge on the men who betrayed her trust, and then she would hunt down the wizard Zollin. One way or another, she would destroy them all.
Chapter 16
It took two days to reach Ebbson Keep after they left the small village on the banks of the Black River. Ferno landed on the high battlement and after Zollin slid down, flew off in search of food. The dragon’s desire for gold was still strong, and being near large settlements only tortured the green beast. Zollin watched Ferno fly away as he waited on the battlement to be met by soldiers. Duke Ebbson was a disciplined warrior and Zollin was surprised to see the tall tower unmanned. After a few moments he began to worry that something awful had happened. He wondered briefly if King Ricard had sent troops to attack the keep. It was hard to imagine that the duke and his troops wouldn’t have fought valiantly; in fact, Zollin was certain there would be signs of battle everywhere. He was trying to think of alternatives when the trap door was pushed open and a guard poked his head out.
Chaos Reigning: The Five Kingdoms Book 10 Page 12