Hammers in the Wind

by Christian Warren Freed

  “My people? These men and women risked their lives to save royal blood,” Bahr growled.

  He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Ionascu and what was left of his men marched down to the docks. This is about to get interesting, Bahr thought. There was no way he could have prepared himself for what happened next.

  Harnin stepped forward, ensuring his men had a clear field of fire. “This is the last time I say this, lesser son of kings. Hand over the princess.”

  “I said no.”

  Bahr’s words sealed his fate before his mouth closed. A single bead of sweat broke free and trickled down his right cheek. He watched Harnin’s face flush crimson. Both sides tensed in anticipation of a battle none wanted. A sharp wind gusted through. The piercing cry of gulls broke the silence. Harnin moved first.

  “Archers!”

  Windows in every building burst open. More than fifty bowmen nocked and took aim at the meager band of sailors and mercenaries. Dorl Theed felt his heart jump into his throat.

  “The princess comes with me. If you or any of your men wish to contest this by all means, do so. Give me a reason to kill you,” Harnin gloated.

  There was frenzy in his eye. Bahr almost cringed from the intensity. He had no doubt that Harnin had gone mad.

  “What is this? He is the king’s brother, not some common dock rat!” Maleela sputtered.

  “Princess, I take orders from your father, not you. This man has no favor in the eyes of the court. Come quietly and we can forget all of this and go to bed,” Harnin replied.

  “If I refuse?”

  He smiled, cruel and calculating. “What makes you believe you have a choice? Get over here now or your friends pay for your insolence.”

  Her eyes widened with the realization that Harnin meant what he said. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Ionascu came forward. “Let the girl go with her uncle, you one-eyed bastard. She deserves that much.”

  “Keep your mouth shut. I expected better from you, Ionascu.”

  Bahr, surprised by Ionascu’s endorsement, tried to take advantage of the situation. “Let the others go, Harnin. They did what I asked of them. If anything I am the one you need to hold accountable.”

  Harnin made to reply when Ionascu suddenly pitched over in a drunken stupor. He smiled and made his move.

  “Fire!”

  Bow strings thrummed. Arrows whistled through the air. Three of Ionascu’s men fell dead in a spray of blood and screams. Ionascu’s own shout was lost amid their startled cries. A maniacal laugh burst from Harnin’s throat as three score heavy infantry surged forward with sword and pike.

  “Don’t go for your weapons,” Bahr shouted to his friends.

  The last thing he wanted was to die now. Fingers of dark blood crept toward his boots. He held his hands up and waited for the soldiers to place him in cold metal shackles. Even the formidable Gaimosian went without a fight, though the implacable rage threatened to consume him.

  “Captain Bahr, you and your confederates are hereby accused of heresy and treason against the king. I sentence you to life in confinement and I hope you rot in the darkest dungeons.” Venom dripped from Harnin’s voice. He eased close to Bahr. “I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. Take them away!”

  THIRTY-THREE

  “That went well,” Dorl mocked.

  Nothol Coll rolled his eyes. “Knock it off, Dorl. We all could have ended up like those mercenaries. Bahr did the only thing he could to keep us alive.”

  Dorl Theed raised his arms and shook the chains for effect. “This is alive?”

  “We’re not dead yet,” Skuld threw in from across the room.

  “We might as well be. No one has seen Bahr since we got thrown in here. Harnin’s not going to let us leave here alive.”

  They hadn’t put up a fight when Harnin ordered them arrested and the decision still didn’t sit well. The guards took turns beating them along the way, Ionascu especially. Beaten and chained to his knees in a cell across the hall, the former spy wailed his misery. He was the last of his men and deemed a traitor for helping Bahr. Harnin hadn’t even bothered with an explanation before turning his back on the former captain.

  Once their eyes adjusted to the murk they found the cells beyond disgusting. Human filth stained the floor and lower walls. Soiled straw lay scattered around them. Bones and dead rats were everywhere. Dorl Theed knew he was a dead man as soon as he was thrown into the cell. This was the sort of place where men went to die. They quickly lost track of time. No windows, no fresh air, the cell was buried far underground. Night and day were obscure concepts. They still hadn’t been fed and were given just one bucket of fetid water.

  An agonized groan stopped their conversation. The cell door opened to allow a squad of guards carrying Boen’s unconscious form. His face was cut and bruised. The Gaimosian moaned as he hit the floor.

  “Take that one next,” the sergeant of the guard leered after scanning the cell.

  Rough hands snatched at Skuld. He screamed and struggled, kicking one of the guards in the groin before being punched in the side of the head.

  “Leave him alone, you bastard! He’s just a boy,” Dorl lashed out.

  The sergeant laughed. “You wait your turn, pretty boy. Lord Harnin has something special for you and your friend.”

  Dorl struggled helplessly against his bonds. Skuld was dragged away. The door slammed shut. Anger and misery charged the air. Never before had any of them felt so utterly helpless.

  “Boen,” Dorl called.

  Anienam Keiss answered, “He’ll be fine.”

  Oddly, the old man was the only one who had not been beaten. None of the others could explain it, Anienam, for his part, concealed his powers while struggling to keep his rage in check. He could have waved his hand and incinerated Harnin’s men with ease. Unfortunately that would have given his presence away to the Dae’shan. It was much too early in the game for that.

  Boen stirred, spitting blood.

  Dorl exclaimed, “Boen!”

  “Lower your voice,” he grimaced. The Gaimosian slowly pushed himself up from the pool of filth. Anienam whispered a minor healing spell.

  “Thank you,” he whispered once he figured out what the wizard had done. Raw power flowed into his muscles, sealing cuts and reducing bruises.

  The wizard nodded secretively.

  “What did they ask you?” Nothol wanted to know.

  Boen had been the first to undergo the guard’s cruelty. It made sense. Break the biggest man and the others would lose hope.

  “Nothing. They accused me of being a traitor and tried to make me confess to working for Rogscroft. The bastard even accused me of killing the prince,” he smirked.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Dorl protested. “This is all wrong. There has to be more going on here than we know.”

  “I don’t think that matters much,” Boen said as he tried to stretch out some of the soreness. “Harnin seems crazy. He has a vile taint to him.”

  “It is the influence of the Dae’shan,” Anienam said. “I can feel them nearby. They have already gotten to the king. Our cause might already be lost.”

  “What cause? We only signed on to rescue the princess,” Dorl’s protested echoed off the slimed walls.

  “Ah but we haven’t yet, have we? She’s in more danger now than she ever was in Rogscroft. Her situation is much worse.”

  The wizard’s words were harsh, yet filled with truth. All of them were in a much worse way with no foreseeable exit.

  “Nothing we have done thus far has made a positive impact on the situation, despite our intentions. It is time we stood together and fought back,” Boen told them.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Dorl replied. “This isn’t your kingdom. You can leave any time you wish and there’s not a soul who can stop you.”

  Anienam actually laughed. “Perhaps, but you really do not understand. We must all stay here in Delranan or the world as we know it will end.
Cities will burn. People will be slaughtered by the thousands. Malweir will simply cease to exist.”

  Silence crept in. They sat shackled in shock. This was the most brutally honest the conversation had gotten since they’d first left port. Anienam whispered a small spell that enabled him to see each of their faces. Dark realization settled over the group. At last. They finally understand the severity of the moment. Not surprisingly, Boen spoke first.

  “What do you require of us?” The Gaimosian was now completely loyal to the wizard thanks in large part to the healing spell.

  Anienam paused. “We must be patient. There are hidden allies here in the castle. Princess Maleela is not in as much danger as Harnin would make us believe.”

  “Wizard, even if that is true, I cannot see us escaping these dungeons unscathed. The enemy is too strong, too competent. They have been burned once and are not prone to be taken again. There will be bloodshed no matter what happens next,” Nothol said.

  “The murder of the mercenaries makes no sense to me,” Anienam told them, his mind already beyond their conversation.

  Dorl asked, “I thought Ionascu was the king’s man? Why would Harnin do that to his own people?”

  “We could have been wrong. Perhaps Ionascu was just another puppet,” Boen suggested.

  Political intrigue made him uncomfortable. Gaimosians were born to live open, honest, and honorable lives. Delranan was a hive of the exact opposite. Any ruler willing to casually shed the lives of so many of his own people whispered of madness. Boen would have left already if not for Bahr and now the wizard.

  Anienam shook his head. “I do not think so. The feeling is all wrong. Ionascu was not expecting Harnin’s betrayal. He might have been the king’s man at one point but he clearly outlived his usefulness according to Harnin.”

  “Are Harnin and Badron still working together or are there conflicting interests?” Nothol Coll asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  Boen asked, “Conflicting interests? To what ends? That doesn’t make sense.”

  Dorl bit off a laugh. “Not much does.”

  “I have to agree with Dorl,” Anienam said.

  “Finally.”

  A lonely, agonized scream echoed throughout the dungeons. The sell sword felt his heart drop. Skuld. Even Boen twitched. Memories of his own torture were still too fresh in his mind. Anger washed through him. He knew, deep down, that it was time for him to live up to the full potential of his people’s fearsome nickname. Vengeance Knight. Boen wanted revenge.

  “The boy does not deserve this,” he growled through a clenched jaw.

  Anienam shook his head sorrowfully. “No. None of us do.”

  “We need to break out of here.”

  A menacing laugh came from the other side of the door. Creaking open, the sergeant of the guard stalked in, much like a predator on the hunt. He clapped loudly before stepping into the middle of the chamber. Wild amusement danced in his eyes.

  “Yes, you do need to break out,” he told them.

  Dorl replied, “I’m glad we agree.”

  The sergeant stalked closer and punched him hard in the stomach. “Not a damned one of you will ever see the light of day again. I promise you that. This is where you die.”

  He walked back out. Rough hands shoved Skuld inside. The boy collapsed weeping his pain away. His body trembled uncontrollably. Spasms wracked him.

  “Next!” the sergeant called.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Harnin drank deeply from his crystal goblet. His eyes were much darker than Maleela remembered. She smelled the wine, an obnoxious flavor that crinkled her nose. Danger pulsed from the One Eye steward. She was suddenly afraid. Here was not the simple man she’d grown up with. Her mind screamed. She needed to find a way out, a desperate path to freedom. She couldn’t fathom what was happening to her beloved kingdom. It was as if her father had whipped them all into some bizarre frenzy of hatred and revenge.

  “Why the long face, princess?” he sneered, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

  She remained silent, unwilling to give him the satisfaction. He laughed at her. Bits of chewed meat flew from his mouth.

  “Your father should have had you strangled at birth. Princess, bah! You’ve been nothing but trouble your whole life.”

  Maleela looked him dead in his cold eyes and said, “I don’t know what dark powers you’ve gotten a hold of, Harnin One Eye, but I promise you everything you are trying to build will fall apart.”

  “Truly?” He leaned menacingly closer. “What makes you think that? Your friends are confined in my dungeons. None will live much longer. Your own father denies your existence and I alone hold the keys to the future. What do you possibly have that can stop me?”

  “I have faith.”

  “Misplaced, no doubt.” He finished his wine. “Do you truly believe this upstart rebellion of yours has a chance of keeping Delranan from achieving dominance of the entire north?” Harnin smirked at the shock on her face. “Oh yes. We know of your pathetic group of friends. They will be dealt with soon enough. No dungeons or shackles for them though. Each and every one shall be hung publicly.”

  “You can’t!” she shouted. A bitter combination of fear and rage clashed within her. Maleela felt sick to her stomach.

  “Please princess, explain to me why not? They are traitors and enemies of the state. A quick death is more than they deserve.”

  “My father will not agree to this,” she protested.

  Harnin slammed his fist on the table, making her jump back. “Your father is not here. He’s gone off to war to make a name for himself and his kingdom.”

  Maleela was defeated. Everything she’d risked her life for and fought so hard to achieve had just fallen apart. Her carefully constructed plans meant nothing. Harnin was too many steps ahead.

  “This is madness,” she whispered without conviction.

  His smile was nauseating. “Gloriously so. It is a shame that there is no place in this new world for you. I can assure you this, however: you will be the last to die. I want you to witness every agonizing death, starting with your uncle. You deserve that much.”

  The horror kept her mouth shut. Her throat was dry. Her palms were slick with sweat. A dark scream stole her attention.

  “The young always respond so well to a little torture, wouldn’t you agree?” Harnin teased once he noticed her attention.

  Skuld. “You bastard. He’s just a boy.”

  “Who is engaged in treason. Perhaps if he’d remained a common street thief he might have gone unnoticed.”

  Maleela pleaded for his life. “Let him go, Harnin. He’s done nothing wrong.”

  “Wrong is a relative state of mind. Don’t blame me for this. I am acting in Delranan’s best interests. Blame your uncle for involving the boy. You cannot hope to change my mind. Our course is set. The executions begin tomorrow.”

  Harnin One Eye motioned for the guards to take her away and went back to his meal. A chorus of screams echoing down the hallway accompanied her on the way back to her cell.

  *****

  Bahr closed his eyes, trying to drown out Skuld’s screams. He couldn’t help but blame himself. He never should have let the boy stay on the Bane. Misery racked his conscience. It was all his fault. He’d led them to the horrible fate’s waiting. Worse, all that they had struggled through had been a lie. Maleela didn’t need rescuing. She was safer in Rogscroft than she could ever be at home. Bahr cursed his brother, wondering how long he’d been planning this war.

  Nothing was as it appeared anymore. There was no way of knowing exactly what to believe. The world was crumbling around him. All his long life had been spent in search of a peace and quiet that could never be possible. He never held high aspirations, more content on being a simple sea captain than with entertaining ideations of the throne. Only now did he realize it was not enough. Fate demanded more.

  The Sea Wolf stared down at the plate of dried venison and old cheese and wondered if this was a t
rick. The others were being mercilessly tortured, possibly even murdered in the dungeons while he sat in a lavish guest room with an impressive view of the ocean. He’d been alone since capture. Not even Harnin had come to gloat. Bahr had doubts as to who was really in charge. The soft click of his door lock finished his thoughts. He turned and faced the door.

  Two guards entered, neither willing to meet his accusing gaze.

  “Just sit tight, old man,” the bigger guard ordered.

  Bahr did as instructed. There was no point in doing anything else. The odds were stacked against him. Too many armed men lay between him and freedom and he lacked the strength to wage war against his own people. Bahr bite into a strip of venison and waited. Seeing Rekka Jel shoved into the room was the last thing he expected.

  “Rekka?” he questioned.

  The guard gave her a final shove. “Save your strength, pretty. Lord Harnin has promised you to the boys once he’s had his fun.”

  Her eyes narrowed to thin slits. The door closed.

  “Captain Bahr, are you all right?” she asked once they were alone.

  “Well enough. You’re the first person I have seen since we got here. I…started to believe you were all being killed.”

  She offered a sad smile. “I have heard the screams. Do you know why they are doing this?”

  How could he possibly explain any of this? “Harnin is looking for something, but I don’t know what. Common sense says they should have killed us all on the docks.”

  “You are the brother of the king,” she said. “Surely you should be better thought of than this. We rescued the princess. Civilized lands would recognize us as heroes.”

  “Delranan is less civilized than I remember. I do not understand what fell power has caused this to happen.”

  Showing less reservation than he, Rekka snatched a wedge of yellow cheese. “You should at least eat. We will need our strength if we are to escape.”

  “Escape?”

  He admired her directness. Bahr had grown continually impressed with her deeds and actions. He liked to think that if he ever had a daughter Rekka would be the model.