by Jack Massa
"Now the game is over," Beryl repeated, one knife in her fist, the other floating as she willed.
Amlina squeezed the Cloak tight against her and cast out her will in a frenzy. From all over the chamber bottles, vials, and instruments leapt from shelves and tables and flew at Beryl. An aura of force sprang out to protect the Archimage. But a glass beaker found its way past Beryl's shield and smashed her forehead, dazing her, drawing a trickle of blood.
Seizing the chance, Amlina darted forward, calling Beryl's dagger to her hand. But Beryl recovered her senses in time and swept the knife away, just before Amlina could touch it.
The two witches stood close now and Beryl got hold of Amlina's coat sleeve and flung her to the floor. Amlina tried to roll free but Beryl dropped on top of her. The knife in Beryl's hand moved toward Amlina's throat. Amlina gripped Beryl's wrist with both her hands to hold the point away.
"Now, little Larthang," Beryl purred. "You have often seen me drink the blood of sacrifices. You know how I savor the first drops, when the rush of terror is strong."
Amlina's arms quivered with strain as the dagger descended.
"I've waited a long time," Beryl said, "to taste your blood and your terror."
Amlina strove to clear her mind of panic so she could augment her failing strength with shaping force. But Beryl's green eyes seared her will, and the panic grew. The dagger's point touched her neck below the jaw, stinging as it pierced the skin. From within Beryl's collar the treeman watched, slavering.
Then Beryl hissed and jumped up, whirling.
Draven and his mates were pouring through the chamber door.
"Stay back!" Beryl screamed.
As the Iruks staggered, fighting her command, Beryl snatched up the Cloak and retreated. Amlina lunged to grasp at her ankle, but Beryl sprang free.
The Iruks were coming on again as the Archimage stopped, a few paces past where Amlina lay. With the Cloak tossed over her shoulder, Beryl loosed one of the necklaces she still wore—two lengths of twisted gold wire joined to a large purple gem.
"Throw your weapons," Amlina shouted, searching frantically for Beryl's discarded dagger.
But before a spear could be launched Beryl touched the two ends of gold wire in front of her forehead. The purple stone flashed, emitting a violet aura that instantly enveloped Beryl and the Cloak.
Two hastily cast spears struck the sheath of light and disappeared.
"Keep back." On her knees, Amlina thrust out her arms to restrain the charging Iruks.
"No, come and take me," Beryl taunted from inside the luminous sheath. "Charge into the wall of severing light and annihilate yourselves. Why do you hesitate? Your caution only postpones your demise. For I will hunt you down, each of you that raised weapons against me. And I'll not give you so quick and merciful a death as this, I promise you. Remember that and ponder it often. All of Glimnodd cannot hide you from me."
While she spoke the light intensified, becoming so brilliant that Amlina and the Iruks had to shade their eyes. Then with a last silent flare the aura vanished, leaving only a dull gleam on the floor and the scent of something burned by fire.
"Where did she go?" Draven asked.
"Through a Gate of Spaceless Passage," Amlina answered wearily. "It will take her wherever she wills. Possibly back to her fleet at sea—or even to Tallyba itself. She would choose a place safe from pursuit. Such travel is hard, and she will need days to recover."
"Then we've lost the Cloak," Lonn muttered.
"Yes." Amlina touched the small puncture on her neck and looked dully at the smear of blood that reddened her fingertips.
"You are hurt." Draven peered at the wound with concern. "But not badly."
Amlina looked at Brinda's cut and the blood that stained Lonn's harness. "You'll both need tending and soon," she said. "Let us leave this place."
"Yes," Draven said. "But on the way we will stop in those treasure rooms."
"Very well," Amlina said. "But hurry. I will meet you there. I will choose my spoils from among the serd's books and devices."
The Iruks left the chamber, picked up their discarded capes and quivers, and tramped down the steps to the icebound moat. The destroyed drogs were decaying quickly, black forms shriveling, ichor bubbling as it evaporated in noisome trails of steam. The Iruks collected the few unbroken spears, then proceeded to the treasure rooms.
Lonn all but forgot the pain in his ribs as he and his mates rummaged through the temple's abundant wealth. The Iruks crowded their fingers with rings and their arms with gold bracelets. They stuffed their harnesses with jewels, found sacks and filled them with coins.
The mates were bundling together all they could carry when Amlina arrived with a large iron-bound book in her arms. The witch set the book down long enough to fill her purse and pockets with gold, saying she would make Captain Troneck and his crew a generous return for all their trouble.
"A pity we can't fill the holds of the Plover with this loot," Draven laughed. "Not that it matters. We'll carry away enough to last all our lives."
"Your joy should be tempered by this," Amlina said. "Beryl was not threatening idly. She does mean to hunt you now as well as me. Her pride will not permit any enemies to go unpunished."
"We're not afraid of her," Lonn answered. "She's the one who fled. "
"Her head was injured," Amlina replied. "She was outnumbered, and her shaping powers had been strained by much use. Next time she will not retreat."
"Neither will we," Lonn boasted. "We are Iruks, fearless. And now our klarn is whole again."
His sentiments were echoed with enthusiasm by his mates. Even Glyssa smiled.
The Iruks hoisted the treasure sacks on their shoulders and followed the witch from the serd’s lair. As they stepped over the broken fragments of the stone door, Amlina halted, peering up the tunnel in the direction they had come.
"I have a strong impression," she said, "that the Prince-Ruler Hagen is at this moment above us, searching through the temple with several score of his troops."
"I would not be surprised," Eben said. "We might easily have been spotted coming into the temple."
"Or Beryl might," Amlina agreed. "My bundled trinkets are still in the audience hall. I do not like to leave them, but I don't think it's worth the risk of going back. You did say, Glyssa, that this tunnel leads down to another exit, on the water?"
"Yes," Glyssa answered. "It's not far."
Ahead of them the passage narrowed for a distance, then curled to the left. Amlina and the Iruks climbed a set of steps carved in the rock, then crossed a wide, rugged cavern. Down a second flight of steps they passed through a thin cleft and emerged in the open air.
Epilogue
In the Countless Arms of the Sea
The fiery stars of Glimnodd winked and glittered through the arms of the cloud spiral—which had begun to fray, dispersing with the wind. The Iruks and the witch Amlina stood on a narrow strip of beach, black gravel laced by rime. At their backs the sheer promontory of the Long Acropolis sprang up a hundred feet or more to the grand plaza and its ring of temples. Before them, the ice of Kadavel's back harbor glistened with witchlight.
They stole along the deserted shoreline until coming to a small inlet, where a row of fishing skimmers lay dragged up on the shingle. A few huts and shacks stood nestled on an overhanging crag, one of several small fishing settlements that hugged the cliffs of the back harbor. But no one was up at this hour to spot the intruders as they loaded their treasure into one of the boats. The prows were all chained together, but it took Eben only a few seconds to open the padlock with the point of his dagger. At Amlina's insistence, he locked the remaining boats back together, and left a garnet necklace in place of the craft they were taking.
The Iruks dragged the boat over the gravel and pushed it out onto the ice. The fishing skimmer, smaller than the cargo boats of that name that plied the Shipway, was just large enough to hold them and all their loot. Draven and Karrol unreefed the sail an
d hoisted it on the short mast, while Eben took charge of the tiller.
Lonn's side was throbbing now, and he was content to let the others sail the boat. When he started to shiver in the frosty air, Amlina made him put on Draven's wool cloak in place of his own, which Glyssa still wore.
Eben steered directly out from shore, until the bulk of the Long Acropolis and the lighted domes and steeples atop it were veiled by glimmering mists. Then he pointed the skimmer southwest, heading around the western tip of the city.
By the time the boat entered the Shipway south of Kadavel, Lonn was shivering constantly. The ache in his side had sharpened and swelled to fill his chest and belly. Brinda was leaning on Karrol's shoulder, holding her arm and wincing. Near fainting with the pain, Lonn thought he heard the word "poison" murmured in connection with Beryl's sword-drogs.
The skimmer sailed behind the first row of anchored ships, keeping for the most part out of sight of the city docks. At last the Iruks raised the Plover, resting quietly on the dry dock. Even as their boat pulled alongside the concrete ramp, Amlina was shouting for all hands to awaken and get the ship underway.
The mates had to help Lonn and Brinda scale the accommodation ladders. Several crewmen of the night watch assisted in hoisting the baggage on board. As the witch and the Iruks reached the main deck, Captain Troneck was stepping from the forecastle, buttoning on his coat.
"Get your men moving, captain," Amlina told him. "We must be away from Kadavel by daybreak."
"As you say, Lady," Troneck answered. "What's our course?"
Amlina glanced at the flags blowing overhead. The wind was fresh from the South.
"West," she answered. "Into the Arms of the Sea. Hurry, now. We might be pursued."
The witch led the Iruks to her cabin where they put down their weapons and sacks of treasure. She told Draven to light a fire in the stove, while she went to get medicines from her sea chest.
The cabin lurched and shuddered as the ship rolled down the ramp and slid onto the ice. Lonn lost his balance and dropped to his knees. Lightheaded, he clutched Karrol's arm as she helped him to a bench.
While Eben cut open Brinda's sleeve, Karrol unstrapped Lonn's harness. When she pulled the leather from his side the wound tore, spurting blood. Lonn gasped as a wave of pain and sickness welled darkly into his brain. Distantly, he heard Karrol calling for help as he slumped over, all perception fading.
Of the next several days Lonn remembered little. He was racked by nightmares in which his klarn was burned alive before the palace of Prince Hagen, or chased by Beryl's drogs through unending tunnels full of corpses. He would waken drenched in sweat, gagging with thirst but unable to swallow more than a sip of water down his swollen throat.
At least one of the klarn was with him each time he woke. Lonn vaguely recalled Amlina sitting beside him at times, laying cool, healing hands on his chest and forehead.
In the latter part of his illness the nightmares became fixed on Glyssa. By turns he was convinced that she was dead, or that the klarn had given up the search for her, or that the search was doomed to continue forever. Finally, in a lucid moment, Lonn became aware of someone seated beside him, stroking his head. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Glyssa. After that, he knew she was alive and with them, and he rested easier. That night the fever broke.
The following afternoon Lonn awoke. He was lying under furs, on a bunk in a ship's cabin. Draven was leaning over him, feeling the back of his neck for fever.
"Hello." Draven smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Where am I?"
"Oh, the cabin across from Amlina's. She wanted you near, so she could visit every few hours and place hands on you for healing."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Four full days plus a half. You had us worried, mate." Draven stepped over to the oil stove and returned with a steaming mug. He helped Lonn sit up and sip the broth.
"Amlina said you would probably come out of it before evening," Draven said. "She went into deep trance today, after your fever broke. It seems the swords of those monsters we fought were poisoned. Luckily, most of it had rubbed off by the time we took them on. Still, Amlina was impressed that you and Brinda managed to stay conscious so long after being wounded. Brinda had a touch of fever also, but she's fine now."
"And the rest of you?"
"Splendid." Draven grinned. "Feasting, drinking, counting our riches over and over. Karrol's eye is much better. Amlina said the patch can come off in a few days."
"What about Glyssa?"
Draven's exuberance flagged. "She's been … distant, almost dazed. She spends a lot of time staring at the wake of the ship."
"Have you talked with her?" Lonn demanded.
"Of course. She seems frightened, Lonn, but more of the past than the future. Amlina says it's natural for her to be this way, that her spirit was starved of life and that it'll take time for the life to return. She said not to worry, but to keep an eye on Glyssa, and we are of course."
Lonn settled back on the pillow. From the tilt of the cabin and the smooth glide of the ship, he could tell they were still sailing on ice.
"I take it we got free of Kadavel," he said. "Was there pursuit?"
Draven lifted a shoulder. "None that's caught us. The wind's been steady, and Amlina wove some magic. With that, and the maze of channels we're sailing through, she's confident the Prince-Ruler's lads won't catch us."
"Maze of channels?"
Draven grinned, spreading his hands. "The Countless Arms of the Sea. That's what this web of waterways is called. And such a place you've never seen, Lonn—one winding passage after another, all bordered by cliffs of white and silver stone. And there are grand towns everywhere. The port where we stopped for provisions yesterday was on a small isle, but the town was as big as Fleevanport. Kizier says these channels are the main sea route between Larthang and Nyssan. Oh yes, Kizier sends his regards. The little one-eye was as happy to see us all safe as if he were a klarnmate."
Lonn finished the broth, and Draven set the mug aside.
"Where are we bound?" Lonn asked.
"That's undecided. In five or six days we'll reach the open sea, then we'll have to chose. When Amlina comes out of her trance, she wants to meet with us and talk it over. That book she stole from the serd's lair is a magic book, a talking book. It's given her some ideas. She has it in mind to go after Beryl, rather than wait for Beryl to come after her. She wants us to decide if we're willing to sail with her."
"Perhaps we should, " Lonn muttered. "Better to hunt than be hunted."
"Exactly." Draven smiled as he clasped Lonn's wrist. "But we'll meet with the klarn when you are stronger—the whole klarn, Lonn. Isn't that wonderful? We are together again."
After supper, Lonn felt strong enough to rise from his bed. All of the mates came to his cabin, and they performed the ceremony to put the klarn to rest. They set their spears against the bulkhead, poured libations, and declared the hunt to be over. They sent the klarn spirit into the timbers of the ship, to guard the whole company until they called it again.
As the group spirit passed from his body, Lonn slipped to his knees. He had overestimated his strength, and the mates had to help him back to the bunk. They left him to rest, and he slept deeply.
When he woke it was night, a small lamp burning in the cabin. Glyssa sat on the edge of the bunk, staring down at him.
"How do you feel?" she whispered.
Lonn grinned. "Better, now that you are here."
"Oh, I am glad. I've been frightened for you."
"No, Glyssa. I will be well, I promise.
Tears welled in her eyes. "You nearly died, because you protected me, because I was weak in the fight …"
"No." Lonn reached for her hands, found them icy cold. "You were brave to stand with us at all, after everything you suffered."
She bowed her head. "I was afraid for so long. I had given up hope of seeing you again ..."
"It's all right, my Glyssa," Lonn st
roked her hair. "The klarn is whole again."
"Yes, I know. And yet … everyone seems so different to me. Brinda is solemn and withdrawn. And Karrol's the same, not her old self at all. Draven and Eben are elated, full of boasts about the treasure and the witch. They all seem like strangers to me … But then I realize, I am the stranger. Oh, Lonn, you can't imagine what I've been through. We tell ourselves we are Iruks, strong and fearless. But we're really so small, so easily broken and lost …. No, you can't know what I mean …"
"I do know," Lonn answered, recalling the terrifying visions he had seen when the witch first initiated him. "The world is vast and fearful, more than we can imagine, even now, and we are small and weak. And yet we are here and must live. I tell you this, Glyssa: Right now I don't care about any of that. I don't care about the treasure, or the witch, or what the next voyage might bring. I don't even care very much about the klarn. I only care that you are safe and here with me. That is enough."
Glyssa stared into his eyes, her face wet with tears. After a moment, she lifted his hands to her lips and kissed them. Then she pulled aside the cover and lay down beside him.
A deep peace and contentment entered Lonn's heart. He slept that night in Glyssa's arms, in the Countless Arms of the Sea.
Glimnodd Calendar, Map, and Glossary
Glimnodd has two moons. Grizna, the larger, has a period of 32 days. The small moon, Rog, has a cycle of 11 days. A month always refers to the 32-day Grizna cycle. The cycle of Rog is called a small-month or simply a rog.
A year has six seasons, each two months or 64 days long:
First Winter
Second or Mid-Winter
Third or Late Winter
First Summer
Second or High Summer
Third or Late Summer
A map of Glimnodd is available online at the Triskelion Books website.
Glossary
aklor - a tall, six-legged animal used as a mount in the Three Nations