“Of course they are. There’s no one to oppose them. A few of the villages have held firm against them, but it’s only a matter of time before the Norsik tribes band together. Then they’ll be unstoppable.”
Lorik took a long drink from his cup of ale, finishing it off. He had expected the news to be bad, but it was worse than he imagined. He wasn’t sure what good he could do, but the thought of turning back and leaving Ortis to be invaded by the Norsik turned his stomach.
“Thank you for the news,” Lorik said.
“You watch yourself,” Wallace said.
They both stood up and shook hands.
“If you get back this way, come share a cup of ale. The next one is on me,” Wallace said.
“Thank you, I will,” Lorik said.
He left the tavern and went for a walk through the village. He needed time to clear his head and think about what his next move would be. Obviously, sailing through the Sandah Gulf was a dangerous prospect. The gulf was as long as half of the western coast, but so narrow at some points that a person could see across it on a clear day. The currents were often treacherous, and the people living along the southern coast were Ortisian, but often not friendly. A lifetime of living under the threat of Norsik raiders crossing the narrow gulf made them wary of anyone they didn’t know well, regardless of nationality.
A better option would be to get horses and ride north, but that would cost a lot of money, and Vera simply wasn’t able to make that type of journey, not for a while yet, anyway. People in the small village were friendly. Lorik bought a jug of strong wine for Vera. He also found a thick blanket. The quilt Alyster gave her was warm, but the further north they traveled the colder the nights would get. He didn’t want her to have a setback.
When he got back to the ship he gave the wine and blanket to Vera. Stone poured her a small cup of the wine and she sat up, sipping it. Then she fell asleep with the thick blanket under her to soften the rough wooden deck.
“We need to figure a few things out,” Lorik told Stone once Vera was asleep. “First off, how is she doing?”
“Good,” Stone said. “She’s got a long way to go before she gets her strength back, but she seems to be improving.”
“All right, let’s go talk to Yulver.”
They left Jons watching Vera. The sailor’s arm and shoulder were healing, but he still couldn’t row or do most of the jobs on the ship. Entrusting him with an important task, even if it was just watching Vera sleep, seemed to boost his spirits.
Yulver had purchased stores for the ship and was waiting on the dock for them to be delivered. He was drinking ale and watching the sun set slowly out to sea when Lorik and Stone found him.
“You two headed to the tavern?” Yulver asked. “We need to start rounding up the men.”
“We’ll get them soon,” Lorik said. “First we need to make some decisions about sailing north.”
“You change your mind?” Yulver asked.
“No,” Lorik explained, “but I did get some unsettling news. It seems the Norsik are raiding across the Sandah Gulf without any resistance. Chances are they’ve even begun to settle in some of the villages on our side of the coast. I’m not sure sailing up the gulf is the best idea.”
“You get this from a reputable source?” Yulver asked.
“Wallace, over at the Sea Spring.”
“He’s a good man,” Yulver said. “I wouldn’t think he was given to gossip. So what do you want to do?”
“We need to travel over land,” Lorik said.
“It’ll take twice as long,” Yulver said.
“And Vera won’t be able to ride for at least a week,” Stone said. “I don’t even want her in the back of a wagon.”
“I agree,” Lorik said. “But what if we sail north as far as possible without actually running up the gulf? That will give Vera some time to heal and shave a little time off our travels.”
“Ange Point is at the mouth of the gulf,” Yulver said. “It’s a good-sized city. I can drop you there.”
“How long will it take to reach Ange Point?” Stone asked.
“A week if the winds hold. It should be an easy voyage.”
“It sounds like a reasonable plan,” Stone said.
“I agree,” Lorik said.
“Most of our trade goods were ruined by the storm,” Yulver said. “I’m not sure how you’ll get horses.”
“And we lost most of our coin in the storm as well,” Stone added.
“We’ll deal with that once we’re there,” Lorik said. “But there’s no sense sailing through the gulf and getting everyone killed before we reach the Wilderlands.”
They helped Yulver load the new sailcloth he had purchased onto the ship, then Lorik went back to the tavern to round up his volunteers. Most were drunk, but none gave him any trouble. They were young men, eager for adventure, and so far the trip hadn’t disappointed them.
They sailed north just as the sun began to disappear and soon the stars were shining brightly overhead. It took eight days to reach Ange Point, sailing due north without stops anywhere along the way. They could see the city in the distance when the sun came up on the eighth day. Vera had grown steadily stronger. She and Stone walked around the limited deck space several times each day. Riding horseback would be a challenge for her, but it no longer seemed to be an impossible task.
The sunrise was red and there were low clouds over the city. As the sun rose higher it became apparent that the clouds were actually smoke from fires in the city. Lorik found Yulver.
“That’s not normal, is it?” he asked the wizened sea captain.
“No,” Yulver said, squinting. He raised a spyglass and tried to make out exactly what was happening in the city.
“Are they under attack?” Lorik asked.
“I don’t think so,” Yulver explained. “It looks like the attack is over. The city is in ruins. Most of the harbor is burned. A lot of the buildings, too.”
“Was it the Norsik?” Vera asked.
“Can’t imagine who else could have done it, but I can’t make anyone out yet. We’re still too far away to get details.”
It took another hour before they got close enough to see that the city was completely overrun.
“It’s worse than we thought,” Lorik said. “If the Norsik are entrenched in Ange Point, there’s no way for us to land and get the supplies we need.”
“We could go back to one of the harbors further south,” Stone said.
“None are big enough to have what we need. We might find a few horses, but certainly not enough for all the volunteers. We need weapons, too, and rations for the trip.”
“So what are our options?” Vera asked.
“We can keep sailing,” Yulver said. “The gulf might be tricky, but I can get you to the Wilderlands.”
“I’m sure you can,” Lorik said. “But we still need supplies to make the voyage.”
“And weapons in case we’re attacked along the way,” Stone said. “I think our best bet is to sneak into the city and see what we can salvage.”
“We need to make a show of turning about,” Lorik said. “I’m sure we’re being watched. If it looks like we’re running they won’t expect us to sneak back into the city.”
“You want to turn back south and sail down the coast?” Yulver asked.
“That’s right,” Lorik said. “Until we’re out of sight of the city.”
“Then what?” Vera asked.
“Then Lorik and I disembark and sneak back into the city tonight,” Stone explained.
“We’ll get supplies and weapons,” Lorik added.
“And I’ll sail back to meet you in the dark?” Yulver asked.
“If you can manage it,” Lorik said, smiling.
“I could thread a needle with this ship,” the sea captain boasted.
“Good. We’ll find a way to get the supplies out to the ship once you’re in harbor, but you can’t move north again until after sunset.”
“Y
ou’re both insane,” Vera said. “That city is overrun with Norsik raiders. You can’t just go to the market and trade.”
“We’ll be careful,” Stone said, looking happy for the first time since Vera got sick.
“Besides, we won’t be alone,” Lorik said. “We’ll take the boys from Hassell Point with us.”
“I don’t like it,” Vera said, a little of her old fire returning. “You’ll probably all be killed.”
“It’s not an ideal plan,” Yulver said. “But we do need supplies.”
They spent the next hour sailing back to the south. They saw a few Norsik ships, but none left the harbor to pursue the Dancer. They were small vessels, ideal for crossing the gulf but not for sailing on the open sea. Lorik and Stone shared the spyglass as the ship turned back south. They left the handling of the ship to the sailors and focused their attention on what details they could gather.
Once they were too far to see anything of value in the city, they began to make their plans. Lorik still had his battle axe. It was a big weapon, ideal for open battle, but not for stealth or speed. He decided he would have to leave it behind. It was midday before they came to a small cove and weighed anchor. Most of the crew, including Vera, disembarked. Getting their feet on solid ground felt good, and they spent the afternoon lounging near the shore.
As the sun began to set Lorik and Stone led the volunteers into the countryside. They moved east, going inland for more than a mile before turning north. It was fully dark before they reached the outskirts of the city. There were no sentries, no sign of an organized military guard or occupation of the city. Lorik hadn’t expected the Norsik to be prepared for a counterattack. They were most likely feasting and drinking. The Norsik were raiders who were used to hitting a town or village, looting as much as they could, and then running back across the border. Word must have reached the western tribes that the Ortisian troops were no longer protecting the villages. Now they had settled into the city of Ange Point to enjoy their conquest.
“What’s the plan?” Stone asked as they stopped just outside the city.
They had been moving through the countryside, but now they were hidden behind a small cottage that was only a stone’s throw from the city proper. They could hear noise, but nothing that stood out. They knew there were people in the city, but that was all.
“It really sticks in my craw to let the Norsik bastards off without a fight,” Lorik said.
“But we don’t even know how many are still here,” Stone argued.
“I know, I know,” Lorik said. “We need food and we need weapons. We can stop and refill the water barrels just about anywhere, but we need bread, cheeses, and meat if we can find it.”
“Most of the animals will have been slaughtered already,” Stone said.
“Or shipped back,” Lorik agreed. “But perhaps we can find a few places that haven’t been looted yet.”
“What about weapons?” Stone asked.
“I think there should be some in the smithy. It should be relatively easy to search there. Why don’t you take the volunteers to find weapons, then meet me back at the harbor.”
“You’re going by yourself?”
“I’ll take a couple of these boys with me, but the chances of us getting caught are higher the more people I have with me.”
“The storehouses will most likely be guarded,” Stone agreed. “Be safe.”
They went in two different directions. Stone took his contingent of men, ten in all, straight into the city, but Lorik stayed on the outskirts. He found several homes with root cellars. Some of the homes had been burned, and the skeletal remains of the homes had collapsed down into the cellars. Those that were intact had only a few items left inside. Lorik gathered anything jarred or dried. He soon had two handcarts full of foodstuffs and led his volunteers back toward the harbor.
There were Norsik wandering throughout the city, but they were easy enough to avoid. None of the invaders seemed to be expecting trouble or on the lookout for enemy forces. But at the harbor there was a small group of warriors guarding the three Norsik ships. They wore thick headpieces made from long strips of fabric that they wrapped carefully around their heads. They also wore tall boots and baggy pants that tucked into the tops of their boots. For weapons they preferred short, curved swords and small round shields.
Lorik and his volunteers took shelter in the burned-out husk of a house with their supplies. It wasn’t enough food for the entire ship, but it was a start. Lorik didn’t want Stone to get back to the harbor and start a fight with the Norsik warriors. Instead, he left his volunteers and snuck closer to the guards. He settled into the shadows of a large stone building not far from where the guards stood on the wooden dock. They were talking to each other, almost lounging, but Lorik knew they wouldn’t be easy to overcome. He could see them from the shadows, but they hadn’t noticed him yet. He didn’t have a weapon other than his hatchet, which was a small woodcutting axe. It was a decent weapon in close fighting, heavy and sharp enough to do real damage, but not the type of weapon that would be useful defensively, especially against the heavy, short swords of the Norsik guards.
Lorik wished he had his bow; he could have taken out two of the guards before they knew what they were up against. There were four Norsik in all, and he knew he would have to take them out very carefully. It wouldn’t do to get wounded now, as there might not be enough time to heal before he would have to fight again. And if he didn’t take them out quickly, they could raise the alarm and all of Lorik and Stone’s work would be for nothing.
Lorik decided that perhaps he could draw them away from the harbor. He went back to where his companions waited and took one of the handcarts. He pushed it slowly across the street, but made sure he made enough noise to be spotted. He hunched over his cart, trying to disguise his true size in the dark. When the guards saw him they thought he was a refugee, trying to sneak goods out of the city. They called out to him in their strange language, and two of the guards ran to intercept him.
Lorik moved between two buildings, limping like an older man until he was out of their sight. The guards were rushing forward, expecting to find a helpless old man. When the first guard rounded the corner Lorik punched him hard from the shadows. It was a straight punch, right to the center of the guard’s face, with all Lorik’s weight behind it. The added momentum of the guard made the blow devastating. Bone and cartilage in the guard’s nose were smashed, and the man’s booted feet flew up. The guard landed flat on his back and didn’t move. His companion rounded the corner and tripped on his friend’s body. Lorik was on the second guard in a flash, bringing his weight down on his knees directly onto the guard’s back. Several of the guard’s ribs snapped and all the breath was expelled from his lungs. The man instinctively lifted his head as he tried desperately to suck in air. Lorik’s hatchet slammed down into the side of the guard’s throat, severing the arteries and veins before crushing the man’s windpipe. Blood fountained into the air, black in the shadowy light. The guard gurgled for a moment, trying desperately to live, but failed.
Lorik then returned to the first guard, who was still completely unconscious. He chopped down with his small axe into the back of the man’s neck, just below his skull. The man kicked and twitched, but he never woke up.
“Looks like you’ve got things under control,” Stone said, moving out of the shadows from farther up the alley. “I was going to help you but you didn’t need it.”
“I’ll remember that the next time you’re out numbered,” Lorik said.
“Oh, don’t complain. Two unsuspecting raiders are no match for you.”
“I was unarmed,” Lorik said, in a whisper that didn’t hide his amusement.
“You have a little axe,” Stone insisted.
“I use that hatchet to cut firewood; it’s not a weapon.”
“Sure it is. It’s perfect for bashing in people’s heads, see?”
“I prefer a bigger axe, one with two blades.”
“Bigge
r isn’t always better.”
“Why not? It’s much more fun.”
“You call this fun?”
“I needed a little excitement after being cooped up with you on that damn boat for weeks.”
“Hey, you invited me.”
They both turned and peered back out at the last two guards.
“If we take them out, we can use their boats to get to the Dancer,” Stone said.
“My thoughts exactly, but we don’t have enough food yet. Did you find weapons?”
“Some, long blades mostly. A few spears. How do you want to handle those two?”
“I figured they were yours since I took out the first two.”
“Oh, thanks a lot. You know, if I get hurt you’ll have to deal with Vera.”
“In that case, let me borrow your knives. I’ll take care of them myself.”
“Hey, nobody touches my knives.”
“Well, make up your mind. Are you going to kill them or am I?”
“I’ll do it,” Stone said. He drew both of his knives from the low-slung scabbards on each hip. “Just watch and learn.”
Stone moved as silently as a panther, flitting from shadow to shadow. Lorik had trouble keeping up with his friend in the darkness. The guards were straining to see in the dark and on the verge of calling out to their companions. Then suddenly Stone struck, like a monstrous wraith looming up beside the guards. His first blow tore through the throat of the nearest guard, who fell writhing on the ground before the second guard could draw his weapon. Stone darted forward but had to skirt around the first guard’s body. The Norsik warrior was frightened and scrambled backward, running straight off the pier and falling into the water between two boats. Stone didn’t hesitate, diving right in after the guard.
Lorik knew if the Norsik surfaced he would surely call for help. Whether the other raiders in the city would hear or respond was unknown, but it was a chance Lorik didn’t want to take. There was some thrashing in the water as Lorik hurried toward the harbor. When he arrived he saw Stone scrambling up the round wooden pole that supported the harbor. The pole was covered with slime of some sort, making it slick. Lorik held out a hand and pulled his friend from the water.
Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) Page 10