by PT Hylton
Abbey couldn’t help but worry about that very thing. Tensions had been high between the two groups ever since Elliot’s people discovered there was a Stone Shaper among Syd’s crew.
She couldn’t imagine what must be going through Gideon’s mind. He’d finally found the Tall Grass Raiders he’d spent most of his adult life searching for, and now the leaders of his crew were privately meeting with them?
They were gathered in Elliot’s home. As strange and wonderful as this reunion was, it was time to learn the facts.
“Who goes first?” Elliot asked.
Syd answered immediately. “You. No offense, but we’ve heard some very troubling stories. We need to know what you and your friends are up to.”
Elliot nodded slowly. “I understand. It’s just... I’m not sure where to start.”
“How about ekkja?” Abbey suggested. “You shouted the word when you were trying to stop your friends from fighting. What’s it mean?”
He smiled. “It’s an old Barskall word. It means ‘widow.’ It started as a joke. Ragnar brought us here, and now that he’s gone, we’re ekkja. Over the years, it’s what we’ve called ourselves. The others have recently taken to calling us Tall Grass Raiders, but among ourselves, we’re always ekkja.”
“That’s a strange joke,” Dustin said.
“Aye, Storm Caller, that it is. But we’re a strange people. We’ve had to be, in order to survive.”
Syd touched her brother’s hand. “Start at the beginning. Tell us about Ragnar and how you came to Gren. Dahlia said Ragnar demanded you as part of his surrender to Elias. Is that true?”
Elliot nodded. A dark expression appeared on his face. “I hadn’t been with Thunderclap long, but I suppose I’d proven myself. I’m not proud of the things I did aboard that ship. I was a Storm Raider. Looking back on it now, I suppose I was so obsessed with proving myself to Captain Tor and Dahlia that I justified my actions to myself.
“I fought with all my strength whether we were raiding on the Lost Isles or fighting Ragnar’s warriors on Barskall. When Ragnar surrendered, Captain Tor told us we were going to transport Ragnar and some of his people to Gren. As far as I knew we were going to drop them off and then I’d sail back to Holdgate with Thunderclap. Imagine my surprise when we reached Gren and Captain Tor ordered me thrown off the ship. He told me I belonged to Ragnar now.”
“Damn!” Abbey exclaimed. “That’s cold.”
Syd looked at Sigmund and Hekla. “What about you two? You fought on Ragnar’s side in Barskall, I take it?”
“Proudly.” Sigmund held his head high. “And I’d do it again. The man was a true leader. He turned down Thunderclap’s offer of help because he knew too many civilians would suffer at the Storm Raiders’ hands if they became involved in the conflict. He never expected they’d offer help to his enemies.”
Dustin frowned. “And yet he demanded Thunderclap provide him with slaves, including Elliot.”
“And his first move when he got to Gren was to attempt to conquer it,” Abbey added. “Let’s not pretend he’s a hero.”
“The truth is a bit more complicated than that,” Elliot argued. “He knew he was coming to a foreign land where the Barskall were reputed to be savage warriors. If we were going to survive, he knew he was going to have to carve out a place for us. In truth, we were blindsided by the existence of Stone Shapers. All the legends we’d heard about Gren involved giants. We’d never heard anything about stone magic.”
Abbey glanced at Syd and saw that her friend was hanging on her brother’s every word. It was going to fall to her to play the skeptic. “So you’d have us believe all Ragnar’s actions were noble? That his war against the Stone Shapers was self-defense?”
Elliot held up a hand. “No, I wouldn’t go that far. Look, the man was a warlord. I’m not saying he was a hero. He did many terrible things. What I am saying is that he won me over. I was a captive with every reason to hate him, but he had an undeniable genius on the battlefield I came to respect. And he was willing to do anything to keep his people safe. After a time, I willingly fought by his side.”
“Ragnar could be brutal to his enemies, but he would do anything for his friends,” Hekla said. “Working together, we held out against the Stone Shapers far longer than we had any right to expect.”
“How’d you do that?” Syd asked.
“We struck from the shadows, often at night,” Elliot replied. “We hit our enemies hard, and then we ran away. The bow became an important weapon, since it allowed us to attack from range. Fighting a Stone Shaper up close is suicide, but if you surround him and fire from a distance, he’s as easy to take down as any other man.”
Sigmund nodded his agreement. “Our goal was to claim some territory in the north. A place with access to the sea that was defensible. And, yes, we attempted to drive out some locals to make that happen. In the end, we pushed a bit too far south.”
“How’d they finally take Ragnar down?” Abbey asked.
“With trickery.” The disdain was thick in Sigmund’s voice.
“They asked to meet under a white flag to discuss peace,” Elliot said. “It turned out to be a trap. They ambushed us at the meeting. Most of Ragnar’s men were captured. We three were among the lucky few who escaped.”
“But that’s only half of it,” Hekla said. “While we were away, Thunderclap attacked our settlement, burning it to the ground and killing those who had stayed behind.”
“With our leader taken and most of our allies dead, we had no choice but to flee into the woods,” Elliot told them. “And we’ve been there ever since.”
“Wow,” Syd said. “It’s amazing that you’ve survived this long.”
Abbey leaned forward and looked Elliot in the eyes. “It is. But it doesn’t explain what you’re up to now. Why are you raiding Stone Shaper villages?”
Elliot and Hekla exchanged a glance before he answered.
“That’s a complicated question, which we’ll answer shortly. But first, we want to hear your story. What are you doing in Gren, and why do you have a Stone Shaper with you?”
Syd answered, detailing a brief history of their adventures. She told them how they’d taken down Thunderclap and how Abbey had killed Captain Tor. Sigmund and Hekla practically cheered when they were told about freeing King Elias’ secret Storm Callers and vanquishing his fleet. She told how they’d captured Dahlia and how she’d bargained for her life.
Finally, she spoke about their meeting with Chief Magnus and how he’d given them seven days to find the rebels.
“And we made it with four days to spare.” Dustin grinned.
Elliot was silent for a long moment when Syd finished. “I never thought I’d see you again. It’s incredible! And I want more than anything for you to understand what I’ve been doing here for so many years.”
“I want to understand,” Syd said.
“Good. Because the next part of the story is going to be harder to believe.”
CHAPTER TEN
The next time Edvard came to The Foggy Day, he brought two other guards with him.
Most of the crew laughed as the Stone Shapers approached. To them, it was evidence of how badly Benjamin had shaken Edvard. In their current situation—living aboard a ship waiting for a fight they were pretty sure was coming and which they would almost certainly lose—they considered this a small victory.
But not Benjamin.
The blacksmith understood what was at stake. By showing his magical abilities, he’d tipped his hand and thrown away one of the few advantages they had. Now the Stone Shapers would press him, hoping to learn more.
Still, if it lifted the spirits of his crew, it wasn’t all bad. He’d done his best to keep the stormship sailors busy, leading daily combat drills, spending time talking to each of them, and giving them unnecessary tasks.
He was running out of ideas for work to give them, though. Every inch of the ship was spotless, and he wasn’t enough of a sailor to know what else might need to
be done.
Benjamin was also spending more and more time with Viktor’s friends, the three Barskall Storm Callers. He wanted to fully understand what they could and couldn’t do just in case it came down to a fight.
When Edvard and his two companions, a man and a woman, approached the gangplank, they were met with laughter.
Melwin called out to them as they climbed aboard. “Had to bring some friends, did you? Guess you didn’t have the stones to face us alone.”
The other sailors roared with laughter at that one, and even Benjamin couldn’t help cracking a smile.
“Enough,” Benjamin called to the crew. “We’ll treat our guests with respect.”
For now, he didn’t need to add.
When Edvard came aboard, he didn’t acknowledge any of the comments the crew had made, and he didn’t introduce his two colleagues. Benjamin played along, ignoring the other Stone Shapers. He took them belowdecks to see Dahlia, then brought them back up when they said they’d seen enough.
Back on the main deck, Edvard turned to Benjamin. “Chief Magnus has asked me to find out a little more about your fire magic.”
Benjamin grimaced. He’d expected as much. “There’s not much to know. You saw the extent of it yesterday. It’s more of a parlor trick than anything else.”
“Right. And does everyone aboard know this parlor trick?”
“Just me. That’s why the captain left me in charge.”
Edvard scratched his chin a moment. “I’d like my friends to see it. Make the fire like you did yesterday.”
Benjamin hesitated. “I’d rather not. The ship’s made of wood, and wood and fire don’t mix.”
Edvard smiled. “Just a small demonstration, then.”
Reluctantly, Benjamin created a fireball in his hand. He let it burn for a moment, then made it disappear.
Edvard exchanged a glance with his fellow Stone Shapers. The woman nodded.
“One more thing before we leave,” Edvard said. “We’ve seen you practicing with a sword on the deck. Drilling your crew in combat.”
“It helps sharpen the mind as well as the body,” Benjamin said. He was doing his best to keep this light, hoping they’d get off the ship quickly if he appeased them.
“I completely agree. In fact, I thought you might spar with me.” Edvard smiled. “In the interest of sharpening our minds and bodies.”
Benjamin hesitated. On the one hand, it would be nice to take the full measure of this Stone Shaper. On the other hand, the last thing he wanted was to escalate things further. “Perhaps another time.”
Every eye on the ship was watching Edvard and Benjamin now.
“I insist.” Edvard held up both hands, and for the first time Benjamin noticed he was holding a stone in each hand rather than just the usual stone in his right.
The blacksmith sighed. There would be no getting out of this without a fight. “All right, let’s spar. Would you like to borrow a sword?”
The Stone Shapers chuckled.
“I think not. We prefer to use other weapons.”
Benjamin drew his sword and widened his stance, preparing for combat.
Edvard’s eyes went black. “Let’s begin.”
Suddenly the stone in his left hand transformed, elongating into a spike that shot toward Benjamin’s face.
Benjamin dodged right, and the spike missed his face by mere inches. If he’d been just a little slower, he would have been impaled.
Just as quickly, the stone returned to its original form and rested in Edvard’s hand.
Benjamin grimaced. So that was how it was going to be. He’d hoped to get out of this without further embarrassing the Stone Shaper, but it looked like that wasn’t going to be possible. If it was a real fight Edvard wanted, Benjamin was willing to oblige.
“Kick his ass, blacksmith!” one of the crew called down from the quarterdeck.
Edvard smiled, his eyes dark. “Yes, blacksmith. Kick my ass.”
Now both stones transformed into spikes. Benjamin knocked the first aside with his sword even as he dodged the second.
The spikes retracted, then shot forward again. And again. Benjamin was on the defensive. It was everything he could do to avoid getting impaled.
Edvard was pushing him backward toward the starboard rail, never letting up on the attack.
This wasn’t working. Benjamin was going to have to go on the offensive or risk being impaled. He remembered what he’d taught his crew about fighting warriors with shields: it was all about sideways movement and getting behind your enemy’s defenses. This was no different.
Ducking around another assault by a stony spike, Benjamin lunged at the man’s shoulder and slapped it hard with the flat of his blade.
Edvard cried out in pain and staggered to the right.
Benjamin shuffled his feet, shifting his position so that Edvard had his back to the rail now.
Edvard let out a growl of anger, and two stone spikes shot at Benjamin’s face.
Instinctively, the blacksmith raised his hand and pushed with magic. Apparently he used more force than he’d intended.
The Stone Shaper reeled backward, hit the rail hard, and tumbled over the side.
As he splashed into the water below, a cheer went up from the crew of The Foggy Day.
The other two Stone Shapers ran to the rail and looked over. Benjamin did the same and saw Edvard flailing wildly in the water below.
“I thought he’d sink like a stone,” one of the crew-women yelled, and the other sailors roared with laughter.
“Things got a bit rocky there at the end, didn’t they?” called another.
The female Stone Shaper spun toward Benjamin. “It was supposed to be a friendly sparring match!”
“My friends don’t try to stab me in the brain with stone magic,” Benjamin said. But even as he spoke, he felt a twinge of worry. There were three more days until Abbey and the team were due back, and he’d just escalated things with the Stone Shapers.
He silently wondered what Edvard would bring with him when he returned tomorrow.
****
“You have to know a little about the geography of Gren to understand what I’m about to tell you,” Elliot began. “There have always been two types of people who live here: those who live on the coast, and those who live inland. The vast majority live on the coast, where they have access to the sea. Going back to the Mad Days—and probably before that—people on the coasts survived by fishing. Not all that different from Holdgate.”
“What about the inland people?” Abbey asked.
“The inland of Gren is almost unlivable. It’s mostly ice, and it’s bitterly cold most of the year. There were a few hearty tribes who managed to eke out an existence, and I’m told that’s where stoneshaping got its start.”
Sigmund nodded. “The people lived in caves, hiding underground most of the year. At some point a man named Tomas discovered he could change the shape of the stone walls of the cave. He taught his friends and family, and over the years they built a vast network of tunnels all over Gren. They lived underground and cultivated mushroom farms. They came up to hunt, but most of their lives were spent below the surface.”
“Fascinating,” Abbey said drily, “but if I wanted a history lesson, I would have invited my father and his friend Jarvi.”
Elliot held up a hand. “I promise this will all make sense soon. The main thing to understand is that for the people who live underground, the Way of Stone is a religion. It’s sacred. They believe it saved their lives, and the mere idea that it would be used for anything but good is abhorrent to them. However, there was one young boy among them who felt differently. He wanted to see the larger world, and he believed his stoneshaping could be a powerful weapon. He convinced a group of his friends to join him in his quest.”
“Let me guess,” Dustin said. “His name was Magnus.”
Elliot nodded. “Nice guess. Magnus convinced the Stone Shaper elders to let him and his friends leave, but the elders m
ade him promise he would only use his powers to help the coastal people. And they vowed to check up on him. As powerful as Magnus and his friends were, they were only a small minority of the Stone Shapers. If the people who lived underground ever mobilized against him, he’d be crushed.”
Abbey thought about the city of Ammaas. Was it possible it had been crafted in only one generation, or was it an existing village Magnus and his friends had rebuilt in their own image?
“As a sign of good faith, Magnus invited the inland Stone Shapers to visit the most remote villages in Gren any time to prove that even they were prospering with the help of him and his friends.”
“I take it Magnus and his friends defeated the coastal people?” Abbey asked.
“Yes,” Elliot replied. “Some of them fought on for years, but all were eventually brought to task with Dahlia’s help. Magnus and his friends called her the ‘Queen of Storms.’”
Dustin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we heard.”
Syd touched her brother’s arm. “This is all interesting, Elliot, but it doesn’t explain why you’re raiding these villages.”
Elliot nodded to Hekla. “Let’s show them.”
Hekla walked across the room and grabbed a bag from under a table. She brought it over and dropped it in front of Syd. “Take a look for yourself. This is what we’ve been stealing from the villages.”
Syd opened the bag and peeked inside, and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she handed it to Abbey.
Abbey looked into the bag, and what she saw surprised her. “Um, is that fish?”
“Indeed it is,” Elliot said. “Dried and salted for preservation.”
“You’re stealing food from a hungry village?” Abbey asked. “How’s that noble, exactly? Are you going tell us how you kick puppies next?”
“Think about it this way. To inland Stone Shapers living underground, any meat is a valuable commodity. Fish is so exotic it’s almost unheard of. When the inland Stone Shapers come to check on Magnus, they visit the villages closest to them, so Magnus has these villages stocked with dried fish and the villages are forced to present them to the inland Stone Shapers as tribute. The Stone Shapers think that if even these remote villages have extra fish, Magnus must be helping the region prosper.”