McGillus chuckled. “You ever rode a horse before, boy?” It was obvious Talon was struggling with Thunder.
“Just once,” said Talon.
McGillus told him how to use the reins and how to move his body with the horse. After a while Talon began to get the hang of it, though he thought at any minute he might be bucked off.
The group rode into Willow Wood and stopped before a grand tavern called The Sea Turtle McGillus nodded to Grimald, who dismounted and began handing out coins to the thugs.
“Thank you for your efforts, gentlemen,” said McGillus, and they began to disperse. Only two other men stayed behind, and Talon realized the others had only been hired to hunt him down.
“Tie off your horse, lad. My ship won’t be meeting us until morning. We’re staying here for the night.” He glanced at the alley from which Chief was watching them and chuckled “I don’t think they allow wolves,” he added.
Talon tied off his horse and made for the alley.
McGillus nodded to Grimald, who stayed behind to watch.
Talon produced the figurine, but Chief just gave a small bark and growled at Grimald.
“It’s alright, boy. If they wanted to hurt me, they would’ve done so by now. You rest—I’ll summon you soon.”
He moved deeper into the alley so that no one could see him send Chief back to the spirit world. When he was finished he turned toward the inn, only to come face to face with Grimald. He hadn’t even heard him walk up.
Grimald peered over Talon’s shoulder at the alley, and then offered him a suspicious glare. The captain’s personal guard carried an impressive array of weaponry—a sword hung from each hip, and two daggers were strapped to each leg. Beneath his hood were cold eyes that seemed to see everything. His face was clean shaven but for a thin pointed beard about his chin which only added to his predatory appearance.
“Inside,” he hissed.
Talon passed the man and felt a shiver run down his spine.
The inn was similar to the one he and the other Skomm had stayed in, but there were more people inside than Talon expected. Many of the sailors stared at him when he entered, some whispering to their comrades.
Grimald indicated a private booth on the right side of the tavern where McGillus was waiting. The bar was full of men and women caught up in loud conversations. The many voices mixed with raucous laughter and the band playing at the back of the room. It reminded Talon of a celebration in the commons.
He made his way through the maze of tables and up to the raised platform upon which the private booths sat. McGillus extended his hand to the opposite side of the booth, and Talon took a seat. Grimald stood off to the side like a sentinel, watching the tavern’s patrons. The captain’s other two men sat at a table close by.
“You hungry, lad?” McGillus asked, as a bar wench approached.
“I ate at the farm house.”
“Ah, beer then.”
“What can I get you, Captain McGillus?” the young woman asked.
The captain ordered two pints of the house red ale and watched the woman go, humming to himself as he admired her backside. “Best thing about sending a woman off is watching her leave,” he said.
Talon didn’t laugh.
The captain laughed and scratched his thick brown beard. “Right to business then? I like that.” He was a rough man who had seen his share of winters, and though he wasn’t close to the size of a Vald, he still stood over six feet and had an air of power about him. Those piercing grey-blue eyes had seen many men die, no doubt many at his own hands.
“You and that other Skomm slave killed seven of my men, eight if you count the guard two towns back.”
“That was self defe—”
“I’m not done,” said McGillus, calmly.
Talon shifted in his seat and held his tongue.
The beers came, and the captain gave them and the bar wench an equally hungry look.
He smiled at her and said, “Thank you…”
“It’s Marylynn,” she said, shifting and twirling her hair with one finger.
“Marylynn…” McGillus pronounced the name as if it were a delicacy. “Do you always wear your hair so plainly?”
Her face dropped, and she shifted self-consciously.
McGillus waved her away lazily. “We’ll be needing your services again shortly.” He turned back to Talon and said, “Where were we? Ah yes, your debt.”
“Debt?” Talon was confused.
McGillus took a long drink and wiped the foam from his beard with a contented sigh. “Try the beer. I sail around this miserable continent constantly, and this is some of the best I’ve found.”
Talon drank from his glass, and though he wouldn’t admit it to the captain, the beer was delicious. And took some of the edge off as well.
“I was there, lad…remember? I saw how you cut through those men. I’ve only ever seen one man fight like that in my life, and he’s standing next to you.”
Talon regarded Grimald with ever growing curiosity. The man made no acknowledgement he had been mentioned and continued scanning the bar for possible threats, hands sitting ready on his belt.
“Now, when someone like you comes along and kills seven of my men, it leaves me with only two options. One, kill them, or two, hire them. You, I would rather hire.”
“What kind of job,” Talon asked.
“The kind of job you did to my men.” McGillus downed the rest of his beer and held his empty glass in the air, signaling the bar wench.
“I didn’t mean to kill your men. I…I had no choice,” said Talon.
McGillus paused as Marylynn returned with two fresh beers. Her eyes shifted nervously as she set the drinks down. Not once did she look at Talon.
McGillus grinned at her and Talon noticed she had fixed her hair and stuck a blue flower behind her ear. It looked as though she had added some color to her face, as well, and her lips seemed to shine with some sort of gloss.
“Well, look at you,” the captain mused.
Marylynn clasped her hands and pressed her arms together, causing her already abundant cleavage to swell beneath her low-cut blouse. She swayed coyly and blushed. McGillus reached into his pocket for a gold coin, and slowly pressed it between her breasts until it disappeared.
Talon flushed.
“Be a good lass and fetch us two shots of Ky’Dren whiskey,” the captain said. His grin revealed a gleaming gold tooth.
Marylynn curtsied and twirled away on light feet.
McGillus eyed Talon with a smirk. “When people take it upon themselves to please me, wonderful things happen. I am a good friend to have.”
Talon drank deeply of his beer, trying to catch up to the captain, and began to consider the offer more seriously.
McGillus nodded to Marylynn as she returned with two big shot glasses on her tray. Talon noticed that the laces of her blouse had been taken down a notch.
“Ah, thank you, my love,” said the captain. He patted her backside as she put down the drinks.
“Thank you, Captain McGillus,” she replied with a mischievous smile.
He handed her another gold piece, but when she reached for it, he pulled it back. “This will be waiting for you in my room, which you will procure. I need two such rooms tonight.”
She pursed her lips and grinned. “As you wish, Captain.”
“Tell one of your girlfriends that the same awaits her if she might warm my young friend’s bed,” he added.
Marylynn seemed to notice Talon for the first time. She offered him a mischievous grin as well.
He blushed
“We’ll be waiting,” she said.
The captain hummed to himself again as she walked away and then raised his whiskey for a toast. “Stick with me, kid, and I’ll show you the world.”
Chapter 11
The Pit
We sail so long on big blue waters, old feet forget the feel of grass. Then finally elf turn to me, say Elven land close. Mine eyes grow with wonder. Suc
h lights, like stars, glow bright on shore. A singing rides the wind, makes old heart soar. Beautiful creatures welcome us, faces smooth, hair like silk, eyes alight with magic. Feel great power around me. The world of elves vibrates, such harmony. No stranger am I, curious elves sense mine magic. Heart torn by two, worry for the boy haunts one, other bursts with wonder. –Gretzen Spiritebone, 4997
Talon didn’t finish his second beer, remembering what happened last time. McGillus didn’t seem to care. The captain led him to his room with Grimald always close behind.
“You’ve till morning to make up your mind. If you’re still here then you’re hired. If not…well…I’m sure you’ll make the right choice,” said the captain, leaving him with his thoughts.
Grimald eyed Talon up and down before following, a spiteful smirk across his face.
Talon went in to his room and closed the door.
“Hey, big boy,” came a sweet sounding voice that made Talon jump.
He turned around to find a half-naked woman on his bed and quickly looked away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry—I must have the wrong room.” He knew he didn’t.
“Oh, you’ve the right room,” she purred.
“Look,” said Talon. He gathered her dress, which had been draped over a plush chair, and set it on the bed, trying not to stare. “You can go. There’s been a mistake.”
She started walking on her hands and knees, toward the end of the bed. “Awe, don’t be shy.”
“Please, you don’t have to do this.”
She pushed the strap off her shoulder, but he only turned and opened the door for her.
The friendliness fled from the woman’s voice in an instant as she angrily replaced her strap. “I was told I would be paid two gold for this, kid. You think I cut work early and got all dolled up for nothing?”
“Of course not, I’ll make sure you get paid in the morning. You were hired to come to my room, and you have. Now you can leave.”
The woman shuffled into her dress, annoyed, and stormed over to Talon. “I better see payment in the morning,” she said, and slammed the door behind her.
Talon locked it behind her. Finally alone, he chuckled to himself as he thought of what Jahsin might say about kicking a woman out of his bed.
Talon woke before the dawn and shot up in bed, unsure of where he was. The memory of yesterday came to him all at once and he frantically felt in his pocket for Chief’s trinket. It was still there, and Kyrr was still on his finger. He got up to check the door and found it still locked.
He returned to the bed and pondered his situation until the sun had brightened the room. When a knock came at the door, he got up and moved toward it cautiously.
“Who is it?”
No one answered.
He listened closely but heard nothing. “Who is it?” he asked once more.
A hard pounding on the door answered his call, making him jump. Cursing under his breath, he unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open.
Grimald stared at him through the crack.
“Downstairs, five minutes,” he said, and disappeared from sight.
Talon washed up in the water basin and went downstairs to find McGillus waiting for him at one of the empty booths.
“Ever had steak for breakfast before?” McGillus asked as the cook himself came out and laid two plates before them, a huge steak and two eggs on each.
Talon gawked at the delicacy. “No, mostly gruel.”
The captain laughed. “Well then, dig in. We’ve a big day before us.”
Talon was hopeful. “Are you going to let me see Akkeri?”
McGillus cut a big chunk of rare meat and chewed it loudly. “In time. For now, eat.”
Talon did as he was told and dug in to the hearty breakfast. The meat was smoky and tender but he hardly noticed. He kept thinking about Akkeri and when they might be reunited.
When half of his steak was eaten, the captain slowed down and regarded Talon thoughtfully.
“You didn’t try to run away.”
Talon shrugged. “Why would I?”
McGillus laughed. “And I hear you dismissed the woman that I sent to your room.”
Talon felt his face flush.
McGillus called back over his shoulder. “Eh, Grimald? You ever heard of a man asking a woman to get out of his bed?”
The ever alert Grimald never turned from watching the room but offered a, “No, sir.”
Captain McGillus laughed until Talon thought he might throw up his breakfast. He coughed as his self-induced spell finally passed, and then pushed his plate away. From his pocket he produced a curved ivory pipe. He struck a wooden striking stick off his gold tooth, and three big puffs got the cherry burning fiercely. Soon a haze of sweet smelling pipe smoke hung in their corner of the tavern.
“You must really love this girl of yours.” McGillus mused.
Talon nodded.
“Sir, the Captain of the Guard is headed your way. Shall I let him pass?” Grimald asked.
“Of course,” said McGillus.”
McGillus indicated he would receive him, and a man wearing armor like Talon had seen in amma’s books strode up to the booth. He regarded Talon curiously, his gaze lingering for a moment.
“Greetings, Captain Remus. How goes the hunt?” asked McGillus.
The man’s long dirty-blonde mustache twitched, and his grey eyes went to Talon once more.
“We have yet to find the murderous slave. We are doing our damnedest…word came last night of a sighting out on the Greyson farm.”
“Yes, I was there.”
“Then it’s true. You caught him?” said Remus, eyeing Talon yet again.
McGillus followed the soldier’s gaze. “Him? No, no, he has been with me for months now. A misunderstanding is all. You know how they all look the same.”
McGillus handed the captain a small purse. “I appreciate your efforts, Captain Remus. You can call off the search—likely the killer is far from here by now. I assume you and your men have more pressing issues anyway.”
The soldier took the coin purse and tested its weight. “I apologize we couldn’t do more, Captain McGillus.”
The soldier took his leave and McGillus offered Talon a sly grin.
When they’d both finished eating, the two thugs from the night before met them at the door, and the five of them walked out onto the street. Morning birds sang and the sweet smell of ocean blew in from the bay. It looked like the day would be a clear one.
The slave ship was waiting for them in the harbor. Talon tried to count the folded sails, big and small, but soon gave up. Stories of the slave ships had abounded in the commons, but Talon had always thought that they were exaggerated.
The captain took in a deep breath of the sweet morning air and began walking toward the docks. Grimald pushed Talon to get going.
Talon looked back with a scowl that said, I’m not afraid of you.
You should be, said Grimald’s.
“What about my horse? I paid a lot for it and used it only once,” Talon said to McGillus.
“None to worry. The horses will be ferried out to the cargo hold before we leave.”
When they reached the docks a rowboat was waiting to take them out to the ship. Talon got in with the others, wondering if Akkeri was on the ship, and his stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing her again.
The crewmen pushed the rowboat into the breakers and jumped in when the water got too deep. Small waves crashed over the side, spraying them with cold ocean water, and Talon’s breath caught in his throat when it splashed his face.
The closer they got, the more grand the ship became.
“The Sea Queen is quite a sight, isn’t she?” said McGillus.
Talon was in awe.
As they neared the enormous vessel, he could see many openings on the side facing them—large circular windows in rows of ten. “What are those?” he asked, pointing.
“Portholes,” said McGillus. “They are closed at the moment. Should pirates
or the like give us any trouble, we wheel out our ballista and give ‘em a what for.
“Ballista?”
“There,” said McGillus, pointing to the top of the ship.
Talon saw what he meant. It looked like a giant bow and arrow. The “arrow” was more like a whaler spear. He noticed many other such weapons about the slave ship. Some of the big spears were not pointed but wound with cloth at the end, like a big torch. Other spear ends held large three-pronged hooks.
The view of the top of the ship became hidden as they approached, and the huge vessel loomed overhead. The crewmen tied off the rowboat and secured a rope ladder. McGillus went up first, followed by Grimald and then Talon.
The crew on deck gave a hearty cheer when McGillus arrived. Back in Volnoss, Talon had been amazed by Vaka Bjorn’s fishing boat crew—but they were nothing compared to McGillus’s. At least a hundred Agoran men were scattered about the Sea Queen, and when the captain gave the order to set sail they sprang into action. Men swung from one side of the ship to the other, securing lines and letting out the sails. Others shimmied up the tall masts or scrambled to secure the billowing sails. To Talon, it was quite the show.
“Move your sorry arses, you bunch of no good shytes!” McGillus hollered.
The men redoubled their efforts.
“I want this ship in Hornhollow by the end of the week!”
Talon stayed close to McGillus and Grimald as the crewmen scrambled about the deck. They walked to the stern and then below the elevated deck where a seaman steered the ship. They entered what must have been the captain’s quarters—the room was immense, with rich furnishings and elaborate woodwork. An impressive array of art adorned the walls, along with a wide variety of weapons.
McGillus strode to a desk at the end of the room. It sat before wide bay windows, offering a view of Willow Wood.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Talon glanced over his shoulder at Grimald, who stood just inside the room like a statue. McGillus moved to a cabinet and retrieved a bottle.
“Rum?” he asked.
“No thanks,” said Talon.
McGillus poured himself a drink and sat.
“Where is Akkeri?” Talon asked. “When can I see her?”
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