It was Coral who broke the silence. “There is more you should know.”
Elias kissed her on top of her head. “And what is that?”
Coral hesitated for a moment, then gently climbed off of his lap. She leaned against the wall of the shelter, and pulled her knees up to her chest. “There... there was only one prophecy from the gods. The prophecy that a warrior from over the sea would come to our aid.“
Elias sat up. “What do you mean? Didn't your gods say that you would bear the son of the one who would rid the islands of the pirates?”
Coral shook her head. “Not exactly. The first part of the prophecy is true, spoken from the gods to my father, their speaker. The second part was spoken by the speaker, that the warrior was to get a prize for being our savior. I was to be that prize.“
Elias's pulse rose in his ears. He could feel his stomach twist, and he suddenly felt sick. “So, the whole proof that I was the savior because you felt it. That was a lie.“ It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Coral nodded. “Yes. We chose you to fulfill the prophecy. My father and I thought that if we could find a warrior, and I could bear him a son, then we would be able to rid our land of the invaders.”
Elias sat on the edge of the shelter, staring into Coral's eyes in the flickering torchlight. “So you're telling me that all of this over the last year, our spending time together, your affection, our whole relationship, it was all just a lie to keep me hooked? To keep me baited and fighting?”
She nodded again. “That's how it started.”
Elias turned, looking out toward the sea. “I see.”
Coral moved over to him, Setting a hand on his shoulder, she said, “oh, Elias, I never meant to hurt you.“
“No, you just meant to deceive me. I should have known it was too good to be true.“
Coral shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. “No, no it was true!”
Elias stood, brushing her hand off of his shoulder. “No matter. We'll be wrapping up our campaign here shortly.” His pulse thundered in his ears, and his stomach felt like it was trying to claw it's way out through his throat. “I'll be gone when we're done, and you won't have to cater to a freak anymore.”
“No, Elias, it isn't like that!”
“No need to keep up pretenses anymore. I'll fight your war without them.“ Elias took his boots and tunic off of the floor of the shelter and picked up his sword by the harness. “I have an attack to plan. Goodbye, Coral.“
As he walked away from the hut, he could hear Coral sobbing over the sound of the waves.
~ ~ ~
Marl was seated at the table, a cup of wine in his hand, when Elias entered through the trapdoor. The seer looked up at Elias as he approached the table. When he saw Elias's face, he sat up straighter. He set the cup down and clasped his hands in front of him. “I see.“
Elias growled. “Do you now. So do I.”
Marl sat still, looking at Elias. “You must understand our position. We had no way of knowing if the reign of the slavers would end in our lives.”
Elias clenched his fist, his vision tingeing red. “So you whore your daughter out to lure in someone who could do your dirty work for you.“
Marl stood swiftly, knocking his chair over. “Measure your words carefully, Elias,” the older elf snapped.
“I have measured them as carefully as you have measured yours.”
Marl froze and glanced down. “And what is it that you are planning to do with that?“
Elias looked down and saw that his sword was in his hands. He didn't remember drawing it, but there it was, the tip leveled at Marl's chest. He was still about ten feet away, but the message was clear. His breath came heavy and fast, and his vision was clouded even more by the red tinge of fury. Raising the sword above his head, he brought it down on the table, shattering the thick timber, cleaving it in half with one blow. He wrenched his sword free, kicking debris away from himself.
Marl had dodged away from the strike and landed on his backside, his back against a wall. Elias pointed the sword at him. “I am going to Greenreef tonight. I expect to see you there in the morning. You and I will see this war to the end, and then I will leave your islands.“
Marl just stared back at him, not saying a word. Elias turned and descended through the trap door and down the ladder. As he exited the lodge, there was a crowd gathering outside. Coral was sprinting towards him, but Jayd caught her by the arm, pulling her in and wrapping her arms around her.
Elias strode through the crowd, feeling the eyes on him as he made for the path to Greenreef. The moon was still bright enough in the sky that he could see very well. He swiftly left the torchlight of the village behind and forged into the dark. When he was too far away to hear the commotion in the village anymore, he fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and cried.
~ ~ ~
It was still dark when Elias reached Port Greenreef, but the streets were lively nonetheless. This city never entirely slept, and the crew at the dock worked all hours to keep the warships stocked and in good repair. The campaign against the pirates had been good for the port's economy, and every man or elf skilled with a hammer or chisel had all the work they could do. He could see the lights on the ships that were anchored farther out in the bay to make room for those in greater need of repair.
His temper had waned by the time he reached the city, and he was exhausted. He made for the tavern where he and Coral had stayed during the early part of their relationship. Inside, the tavern was filled with patrons eating and drinking. Jonas sat on a chair, his boots up on the table, and Jenna sat in his lap, smiling and laughing. They both looked up, startled when he came in, and a hush settled over the room.
Jenna hopped out of Jonas's lap. “Elias, what's wrong?”
His face must have betrayed him. “I am tired.”
Jenna rushed over to him. “Come with me, this way. Jonas, bring bread, meat, something to drink.” She turned back and pointed at him. “Not whiskey or ale. Water.”
She led Elias up the stairs while Jonas headed for the bar. Elias could hear the chatter begin again in earnest as they left the room.
Once Jenna got him into a room, she sat him down on the bed. “What's wrong? What happened?”
“She played me. The entire time, she was just playing me. Using me for her father's war.”
Jenna's eyes popped wide with shock. “What? Coral? How do you know this?”
Elias dropped his sword on the floor with a resounding clank. “She told me so. She told me that she is pregnant, then she told me that the prophecy about me fathering a son with her was complete bullshit. They made it up, used her like a tool to hook me in.“ He put his face into his hands. “And I took the bait. I took the bait and now men and elves have died at my word.“
Jenna moved to sit next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “She said that the prophecy was a lie? She told you that she didn't love you?”
Elias shook his head. “No. She said the prophecy about a warrior from over the sea was true, but she and Marl decided that they needed a prize, something to use entice the warrior to stay. That's why Marl was so keen to introduce her to me. That's why she was so close to me, so fast. I was being seduced, like a fool. Like an animal being baited.”
Jenna patted him gently on his shoulder. “What did you do?”
Elias spread his hands. “I left. I told her goodbye and left. I confronted Marl, and I lost my temper, then I came straight here.”
She stood, embracing him, pressing his head to her chest. “Oh, you man. You poor, stupid, stupid man.“
He looked up at her. “What do you mean?”
She held him at arm's length. “It was obvious that's how it started. Any fool could have seen that. But what developed after it was real. Any other fool could have seen that. She opened herself to you, bared her heart, told you the truth, and you pushed her away.”
Elias shook his head, wiping his eyes. “Our relationship was built on
a lie! What can grow from a lie?
Jenna pushed him away, walking back to her chair. “I am becoming more and more convinced that all of you warrior types don't know a thing beyond how to swing a sword and headbutt your way through life with only your principles to guide you.” She sighed. “She may not have loved you at first. You can't even admit to yourself that you love her, so what's the problem with that?”
She shook her head. “But it was obvious that she wasn't feigning it. Do you think a girl who just got attacked, like she was at that beach, wants anything to do with just some guy after that? That she would lie with a man unless she felt comforted by him?” She scoffed slightly. “Hell, I wouldn't lie with a man at all.”
“But... she lied to me. From the very start, she lied to me. She hid from me the fact that she was pregnant. She even played into the prophecy, saying it protected me when it obviously didn't.”
Jenna raised a brow. “Have you never been caught up in something, and had to go along with it because you didn't know what else to do?”
Elias's mind immediately went to that first night at the Seagate, when he was drunk. He agreed pretty readily, despite his doubts. “... I can see that.”
There was a knock at the door. Jenna opened it, and Jonas stepped in, bearing a tray of sliced meats, bread, and cheese, as well as two carafes. “This stuff gets heavy while eavesdropping.” He set the tray on a small table, and stretched his back, wincing.
Elias slumped. He felt horrible. He felt used, manipulated, and angry, but he also felt torn. He didn't want to pursue a relationship with someone who made him feel that way, but...
He missed Coral already.
“What do I do now?”
Jonas sat down next to him. “Now, you plan out our next attack.”
Jenna handed Elias a slice of bread with pork and cheese on it. “And when the time comes, you talk to her.” She sniffed one of the carafes. “I said no ale...”
~ ~ ~
They sat around a wide, round table in the captain's quarters of the Leviathan. Delain, Jenna, Jonas, Martin, Geoff, Marl, and Elias all sat around a map of the islands, dotted with markers, knives, and stones. A small fleet of wooden ships sat gathered around Greenreef, while more sat gathered around both the Hollow Island and the Cursed Island.
Elias stood, pushing half of the fleet from Greenreef towards the Cursed Island. “We take our forces, and put them all on the Iron Oar and the Leviathan. Those ships will make landfall here,” he pushed two ships to the middle of the eastern shore, “while the others will make landfall on the northern and southern ends, where we can have them ready to receive as many freed elves as they can. The rest will meet us at the Leviathan. Once we have torched the stores and freed the sea elves, we will sail back to Rapa Matomato, here.” He set his finger on the north end of the largest island of the Greenreef chain, where they were now.
Jonas nodded. “How many men will make landfall with the Leviathan?”
Marl stood. “We have fifteen hundred warriors ready to sail, right now, each with fifty arrows and a steel spear. Four hundred of them carry swords, another two hundred carry axes. They will make landfall with the Oar and the Leviathan. On each end of the island, two hundred and fifty warriors will take to land, and aid in the fight. That will put a full army on the ground.“
Jonas sat back, regarding the map. “Our spies say there are five hundred pirates on that island, with three ships ready to sail to the Cursed Island. These ships are moored on the docks of the west shore. Hollow Island is three hours away. Why so many warriors?”
Elias pointed at a triangle near the center of the island. “There is a network of caves here. Just because we counted pirates above ground, does not mean that they don't have a stronghold underground.” He tapped the map at the Hollow Island. “If they have their ships here to resupply at the time we land, there will be many more pirates ashore. We need to be ready for them.”
Martin sat back, his arms crossed over his chest. “They still have twice as many ships as we do, and we have heard of a great weapon they have hidden in the caves. It has been said that if the weapon was used against us, it could destroy us all.“
Delain frowned. “Do we know what this weapon is?”
Marl shook his head. “All we know is that it was delivered there about two hundred years ago, and has not been removed since. The pirates themselves are afraid of it. The lead pigs into the mouth of the cave, but they never come back out.”
Jonas and Delain exchanged glances. Jonas drummed his fingers on the table. “I'm betting it's a dragon.”
Elias leaned forward, tapping the table. “If the pirates are afraid of it, then I am willing to bet that it's not under their control yet. And if it hasn't come out in the last two hundred years, then it most likely can't break free.“
Martin shook his head again. “Even if they don't have a dragon, and if they do and it's tied up good and tight, there's still the fact that they have forty ships to our eighteen.”
Geoff gestured at the map, waving his hand. “Half of them are away, raiding the mainland, or farther west. Now is the right time to hit them.”
Delain nodded. “The passage west will take about a month to get there, and a month back. The ships that sailed west left about three weeks ago... so we have more than a month before they return.“ He pushed ten ships to the western edge of the map. “The same for the ships sailing east to the mainland.“ He pushed ten more to the eastern edge. “That leaves our forces roughly equal. With the blow we'll deliver to the Cursed Island, we will weaken them further, and give us the edge. With any luck, the loss of their supplies will cause more of them to desert. We wait a month, then attack their stronghold.“
Delain pushed all of the ships towards the hollow island, surrounding it. “We can sail a ship loaded with blasting powder into their gates, breaking through it. Once it's through, we fire flaming arrows into it. With any luck at all, the explosion will destroy every ship and structure they've got. The ones that don't fall will be cleaned up by our men on the ships.”
Jenna had remained silent, watching the plans evolve. At this point, she sat forward, pointing at the islands closest to Rapa Matomato. “What of the rest of the islands? With all of the warriors on the western ends of the chain, the eastern islands will be wide open.”
Jonas stood and arranged the remaining ships around the map. “We'll only take half of our forces west. There are eight more ships, each carrying a complement of at least a hundred warriors. Three will be here at Greenreef, at the north point, the port, and at the Seagate.“ He tapped the map at all three points, indicating their positions.
“One more at each island, near the largest village on it, where the sea elves will gather during the raid.” he tapped them each in turn, “And the last three at Taonga Tama, in case we are pursued.” He set three fingers on the map on the eastern most island controlled by the sea elves. “These will be our backup in case anything goes wrong.”
Jenna scowled. “For when something goes wrong.”
Delain sat back. “Now, now, Jenna, this is a good plan.”
She nodded, arms still crossed over her chest, “Oh, yes, it's a good plan. If everyone plays their parts, follows the plan exactly. Including the pirates.“ She stood, leaning over the map. “It's four days sailing to Kanga Motu. Four days. If they see you coming, it's only three hours to the Hollow Island. Three hours back.“
She drew a dagger from her waistband. Tapping the tip against the map, over the Cursed Island. “You have, at most, six hours to take an entire island. To get in, kill every pirate there, and load all of the slaves onto the ships.“ She stuck the knife into the table, in the center of the Hollow Island. “And that is if they do not see you coming, and send for reinforcements first. We could be going into a battle that we can't win.“
Elias sat back, looking over the map. “We've taken all of the islands back, and pushed the pirates out of their waters. At this point, the pirates sail wide around us before th
ey make their way to the mainland. They sail mostly west now, which means that we've pushed our problem off on other islands, other peoples.” He leaned forward, moving the ships back to the Cursed Island. “By taking the battle to them here, we gain resources at their expense, and in doing so we more than double our numbers.”
Jenna leveled a gaze at him. “So you're freeing soldiers.”
Jonas sat back down in his seat. “Not exactly, but I would imagine that there would be some of them keen on fighting the men that held them for so long.”
Geoff looked up from the map. “How long have they been held there?”
Marl sighed. “The island was renamed the Cursed Island after it was taken by the pirates over four centuries ago. I was a child then. They took the island, burned all the trees so that we would have no wood for boats, and added to our number when they would capture us on the other islands.”
Jenna turned her gaze to Marl. “You were there.”
The rest of the inhabitants of the chamber turned to look at Marl, who steadfastly stared at the map. He was quiet for a moment. “I was.”
“Is that why you're so keen on taking the island back? Vengeance for what was done to you and your family?”
Jonas swore. “By the gods, Jenna, lay off the man.”
Marl held up a hand. “Yes. Yes, I want retribution for what was done. My mother was slain in front of my eyes, as were my brothers. My sisters were allowed to live, though they remained behind.” He lowered his hand. “They were pretty, and I am no fool. I know what happened to them. Them and every other lass they have taken from us over the last four hundred years.”
He looked up at Jenna, his normally kind eyes almost glowing in the dim light. “I do want vengeance. And I want to make sure that it never happens again, to any of our women. To my beautiful wife or my beautiful daughter. To the priestesses that are training in their mountain shrine. To the innocent youth that knows not the whip nor the plow nor the heavy hand of the slaver.“ With each point he made, he struck the butt of his staff against the deck.
Rising Thunder (Dynasty of Storms Book 1) Page 24