Death Flag

by Richard Haygood

  The pirate leading Alyanna around finally seemed to get control of the situation, and the clanking of chains told him that they were moving once again. Moments later, they passed onto center stage and stepped into the torchlight where Garin stood waiting. Regardless of what he wanted, his eyes fixed onto Alyanna the moment she passed into the light. Her arms were bound in front of her by a thin chain that was being used as a lead, she had a gag stuffed in her mouth that was tied around her head, and she looked as disheveled as anyone he had ever seen. Her silvery hair was a complete mess full of ratty knots with stray wisps that trailed off everywhere, her skin was smudged with dirt and filth like she had been drug through the mud and washed in the rain, and her clothing looked like it was barely hanging on. He had absolutely no idea what she had been through, but his heart broke at the sight of her—until he caught sight of her eyes. There was nothing but fierce defiance in those frosty-blue wells, and every bit of it was being radiated out toward Garin. Whatever they had done to try and break her hadn’t worked, and Madison was as confident of that fact as he had ever been of anything in his entire life.

  Madison started laughing. He just couldn’t help himself. The moment he realized what a miserable failure they had done, it just spilled out unwanted. If they were hoping to trail her in front of him and have him simply give up like a lost little puppy for fear of her being harmed, they had failed. If they had tried to break her prior to carting her off to the goddess, they had failed. As far as he was concerned, they had just delivered her to him. They were just saving him the extra work of having to chase them down while they headed east.

  Garin grabbed her by her hair and twisted her around in front of him, not even bothering to take the chain leash from the man holding it. He forced her to look directly at Madison, and he refused to let her turn away when she tried. She struggled against his control for a brief moment, and Madison thought for certain that he was going to strike her, but he didn’t.

  “Is this what you were looking for?” Garin taunted with a wicked grin. “Yes, I think it is. She’s been such pleasant company to me.”

  “Oh, man!” Madison called out, refusing to take the obvious bait. He stared directly into Alyanna’s eyes. “Looks like you didn’t do a very good job breaking her, Garin! You should have asked if you needed pointers! I made all your men break after the first few minutes!”

  “What are you doing?!” Fox hissed from behind him. “That is my daughter!”

  Garin clenched his teeth together before saying, “Nonsense! Obvious lies!” he shouted back confidently. “No pirate would ever betray another or the code! They know what would happen if—” He cut off when he realized the verbal trap he had just walked into. His face turned red, and Madison watched his fist ball up even tighter in Alyanna’s hair, causing her to wince in pain as she was lifted up onto the tips of her toes.

  Madison planted his sword into the ground in front of him for the second time and leaned forward onto it expectantly as if this were the most interesting show he had ever seen. “Go on!” he shouted back encouragingly. “Tell me! What would happen if some dirty traitor broke the code?” He glanced over at the quaking sailor, the same one who had originally called out Madison, and realized that the poor man had just caught up with what was going on. He already had his shaking hands up defensively, and he was starting to back away. Madison threw his head back at the sight and laughed.

  The veins in Garin’s neck stood out like cords, but he finally relented and gave in. Madison had backed him into a corner in front of his people, and there was no way he was getting out of it. He dropped his hold on Alyanna, allowing her to collapse onto her knees, and pulled the impossibly-large, wicked-looking sword from his side. The sailor screamed in alarm as Garin turned toward him, but he was far too slow, and there was nowhere for him to go. The man backpedaled into the darkness, and Garin stalked him.

  Madison didn’t wait to see what happened next. He vaulted forward the moment the giant took his first step away from Alyanna, ripping his sword out of the ground and pushing himself into a sprint. All he could do was hope that the three behind him saw him move and reacted in time. He had no plan. He had no idea how they were going to get out of the camp. They were completely surrounded by pirates, and there were at least a thousand men in the camp around them. The odds of surviving the next hour, much less the entire night, were impossibly low. But this was the best chance he was going to get to close the distance between them without having Garin threaten Alyanna directly, and he had to take it. This was the best he could hope for.

  His boots pounded across the hard-packed ground as he raced toward Alyanna. She looked up at him from her knees, and Madison watched her eyes grow wide as she realized what he was attempting to do. She twisted her head to the side, peering out into the darkness after Garin, and then began struggling to push herself up off the ground. He heard a chorus of shouts go up from those watching on the sidelines, but it all blurred into an infinitely loud and impossible noise that he tuned out. In that moment, nothing else mattered to him except reaching the silvery-haired girl in front him. He’d figure everything else out after that.

  Alyanna pushed herself toward Madison, and she only made it a few shambling steps before the man holding the other end of the chain remembered that it was in his hands. He ripped back on it and twisted his body around at the same time, trying to stop her from running away. Pulled by the chain wrapped around her wrists, her arms flew around her body, and she spun around impossibly fast, collapsing forward into the dirt, unable to break her fall. Madison altered his course just slightly and made a beeline toward the pirate holding the leash. He was apparently going to have to do something about that man before he could reach Alyanna; otherwise, he’d be doomed to a repeat performance of what just happened.

  Madison vaulted over Alyanna’s body with the sound of his heart drubbing in his ears. He brought his sword up above his head as he went, aiming a two-handed blow down at the poor sailor. The man threw up his arm as a means of defending himself, and it was just about the least effective thing he could have done to stop Madison’s attack. His sword bit down into the man’s forearm a moment later before driving down into his body, and Madison collided with him the second after that. The sailor went flying back, dropping his hold on the chain and hitting the ground hard before rolling over several times. Madison cast a tentative look out into the darkness for any sign of Garin, and he only just managed to pivot to the side in time to see him as he sprang into the light.

  He brought his sword up and around with a reflexive twist of his body, and Garin’s long sword clashed against it with the unmistakable clamor of steel on steel. Garin bore down on him a moment later, lowering his shoulder into Madison’s and sending him flying the same way Madison just had the other man. Madison flew back through the air several paces and landed in a heap right beside Alyanna. She was already back on her knees when she twisted around to look at Madison. Seeing her hesitation, Madison reached out and shoved her rear end with his free hand and shouted, “Run!”

  His sword snapped into position above him, blocking Garin’s attack, a nasty overhanded swing that sent reverberations racing along Madison’s arm and up into his shoulder. The giant’s muscles weren’t just for show, and he had the leverage to hammer home devastating blows. Images of him cleaving a man in two on the deck of the ship when they had first met flashed through his mind’s eye, and Madison silently resolved not to let that happen to him. Madison pushed up with all of his strength and turned Garin’s blade away from him, but the larger man used the momentum to his advantage, pulling his sword back and around before swinging it down on Madison again in almost the exact same fashion he had before. Madison rolled to the side, away from where Alyanna had disappeared, and watched as the curved blade dug down into the hard clay. Madison pushed himself up and onto his knees, casting a hopeful glance after her. He thankfully couldn’t see her any longer, and he hoped that meant she had finally wised up and made a run for th
e others.

  Garin pulled his sword free from the ground with a loud grunt, and Madison pushed himself to his feet and jumped back away from the brutish giant before he could bring that terrible sword around in yet another attack. He launched forward once again, swinging his sword in a horizontal slash that was aimed at the larger man’s stomach. The pirate’s curved sword snapped up almost instantly, intercepting Madison’s blade and stopping it well short of doing any actual harm. There was a little bit of give this time as the two swords met, and it offered Madison a small touch of hope. Garin was impossibly strong and incredibly fast, especially for someone of his stature, and that was what made him such a devastating force on the battlefield. It took a rare man to keep up with him, but, so long as Madison could find a way past his defenses or wear him out, he still a chance. The fact that his sword had even the tiniest bit of give to it meant that Madison might find a way to tire him out if nothing else.

  Madison stepped closer and to the right, following his last attack without ever lowering his blade, and lashed out with a quick kick. Garin pulled his leg back and out of the way before Madison made contact and then stepped away, completely disengaging.

  “Dirty,” Garin grunted with a devious smile. “I like dirty!” He thrust his sword forward with both hands, and Madison brought his blade up to parry the attack. The long, curved sword slid along the length of Madison’s own until he pushed it away, but Garin instantly reversed it again. The blade slammed into Madison with unexpected strength, and it narrowly grazed his upper arm as Madison danced back out of the way.

  He looked down at his arm and saw a thin red line of blood form there and begin flowing freely, and he silently cursed himself for not taking the time to put on the armor that he had become accustomed to wearing. He had been in such a rush to reach Alyanna, and so preoccupied with the hope that the others would make it out of this, that he hadn’t even thought about it. Madison could already tell that the man was an experienced swordsman, even if he hadn’t known it before. He flowed from one attack into the next with ease, and he used his superhuman strength to pull off feats with the sword that shouldn’t even be possible—exactly like that last one. Madison was going to have to play it smart, or he’d likely end up on the wrong end of that sword.

  Garin bore down on him again, bringing his blade around in a swift backhanded attack that was aimed around chest height, and Madison jumped back out of the way again rather than try and absorb the attack from head-on. He landed on the balls of his feet and sprang forward as soon as Garin’s blade passed by. He brought his own sword up for an attack, but he was stopped short before he ever brought it down. Garin reached up and grabbed Madison’s wrists, locking them both in place above his head with one massive paw and making it impossible for Madison to swing his sword. Garin stepped into him a moment later and slammed his forehead down into Madison’s face. Pain exploded out from Madison’s nose as the headbutt slammed into him, and he instantly felt a warm liquid gush out of his injured face. He sensed as much as he saw Garin shift his body, and he subconsciously knew that the giant was about to stab him through the stomach. Madison twisted his torso to the side as best as he could with his arms still above his head, and he felt the blade slide across his side of his lower abdomen instead of skewering through him. His vision flashed red as the skin was sliced open, but all that he could do was stand there, trapped and horrified, as Garin hauled back and punched him in the side of his face with a fist that still held his sword. Madison’s head snapped back as the massive fist collided with the side of his face, and his vision turned black for a moment. Garin finally dropped his hold on Madison then, allowing him to collapse down onto his knees.

  The ground spun around underneath him as he tried to refocus his vision. The wound on his side burned with a horrible stinging pain every time he took a breath, and he could feel the blood running down his face and taste the metallic tang as it flowed past his lips.

  “That’s it?” Garin taunted gloatingly from above. “This is all the brave captain has to offer? Pathetic.”

  Madison had just enough time to suck in one ragged breath before Garin reared back with one leg and landed a swift kick to Madison’s ribs. He went tumbling over backward, and the world spun around him in a circle as he flipped over onto his back. He clutched at the wound in his side and rolled over onto it protectively, afraid that it was going to tear open even wider, while sucking in shallow breaths as fast as he could. The blow had knocked quite a bit out of him, and each time he inhaled, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs that resonated with the laceration on his side.

  Garin sighed disappointedly from above. “What happened to you? A once-great warrior fallen so low that he cannot even swing a sword properly.”

  Madison grunted in pain as he tried to roll over onto his stomach, but Garin’s massive foot landing in his ribcage stopped that from happening. He felt what little air he had managed to have left in his lungs flee from his body, and he collapsed down into the dirt on his stomach. He craned his head up to peer into the darkness, vainly hoping for any sign of the girls or Lord Fox and any indication that they were somehow still alive. Unfortunately, the torchlight was just bright enough to stop him from peering beyond its borders. There were the frenzied sounds of fighting coming from the direction he thought the gate was in, and he could only hope that meant they were still on their feet.

  “What does she see in you?” Garin mused from above. “I cannot believe that you were the same man who caused so much trouble that she had to deal with you personally. Where have you been all this time? Hmm? You do have a bad habit of disappearing without anyone being able to find you. Perhaps you will decide to tell me before I am done with you.”

  Madison rolled his eye around and peered up out of the corner of it up at the giant above him without actually lifting his head from the dirt. There was a smug, self-satisfied smile plastered on his face, and from the sounds of it, he considered the fight already won. Garin reached down with one massive hand, grabbed Madison by the back of the neck and jerked him up off of the ground as if he weighed little more than a small child. Madison sagged onto his knees without making it fully upright, and Garin’s other hand came smashing down into his face a moment later.

  “Pathetic,” Garin grumbled. “I cannot believe that I ever feared you, that I ever thought you to be my equal.”

  Garin’s fist slammed down again, striking across Madison’s face, and his vision swam for a brief moment before going dark. Somewhere, in the distance, he heard someone scream his name.

  -----

  A chill wind ripped up and down the city streets in the predawn morning causing the darkly clad man to pull the collar on his coat tighter about his neck and hasten his step. Although he had only been in the night air for around half an hour, he felt like he was already frozen to the bone. The streets were completely empty this time of night, and it was a good thing that there was no one to witness his passing. His mood was as absolutely foul as the weather, and he didn’t have any patience left for anyone gawking or watching after him.

  The source of his irritation was that he had become something of a celebrity as of late. Ever since competing in the Tournament Lasirré, his face was as famous as the king’s own, and he couldn’t so much as set foot in the streets for the past few weeks without someone following his every step and movement. It was never long before a small crowd gathered around him anywhere he went, and while that wouldn’t have presented more than a nuisance normally, there were a few things that he needed to be able to handle on his own without witnesses around to tell the tale afterward—things like what he was going to attempt to do tonight. There was also the fact that it was somewhat uncomfortable for someone who had a history that was as marred as his. He knew that it was only a matter of time until someone saw through his false identity and the forged papers that he had used to enter the tournament, but that was only to be expected. They didn’t typically let smugglers or sell-swords sign up for the king’s own tourn
ament, so naturally, certain liberties with the truth had to be taken.

  His boot scuffed against a wet stone paver that was slightly higher than the rest, and he refocused himself on the task at hand. He only had a small window of time between when the bars shut down for the night and before the merchants started lining the streets and vying for the best positions to hawk their wares come sunrise. He absolutely needed to make contact with his associates and complete his task before that time came, or he taking unnecessary risks with people’s lives.

  He ducked into a side ally that was completely shrouded from what little moonlight the night had provided, pressed his back against the wall, and waited. He was almost positive that no one had followed him, but this was the last opportunity he was going to have to make sure. After this, any ruckus would create too much noise and likely bring the night watch down on them all. After several long moments without hearing so much a heavy breath or a light footfall, and he turned and hurried down the alleyway now confident that he was alone. He stopped at door at the end and rapped on it three times, paused for two seconds, and then rapped twice more. There was a long pause and then the door swung open just an inch, though it revealed nothing in the pitch-black night.

  “It’s me,” he muttered quietly. “It’s time.”

  He sensed the door swing open more than he actually saw or heard it, and he stepped forward, beginning his descent into darkness. His nose was assaulted by the smell of must and mold almost immediately, and the scent only grew strong when the door was shut behind him. The man waiting for him struck a spark to a small cloth taper soaked in oil held in the palm of his hand, providing the smallest of lights to see by. He stood at the top of a narrow stone staircase spiraled down for several stories before disappearing into darkness, but the only reason he knew that was because of his briefing beforehand, not because of the meager light.