The swift-moving current boiled beneath the Venjekar’s keel, hurrying the ship along with it. The Torgun dared not try to use the oars, for the boiling water would rip them out of their hands. Skylan and the Torgun warriors crowded in the prow of the Venjekar, watching the ogre ships in the bay ahead and speculating on what the ogres would do once they saw them. Acronis stood by himself, watching the death of his city.
“Look!” Wulfe cried. “Another dragon!”
Skylan whipped around, the terrifying thought in his mind that the Vektia had come back. A ship sailed through the debris-strewn waves of the harbor. There was something odd about the ship, but it was certainly no dragon.
Skylan’s heart was still thudding in his chest.
He gave Wulfe a shake. “No more of your lies! Go below before I toss you overboard!”
“But there is a dragon,” Wulfe insisted.
Acronis stared at the ship and said in puzzled tones, “It is a small war galley, with a single bank of oars. Or, rather, it should have oars.” His brow furrowed. “There’s no wind to speak of. And yet she’s moving fast.”
Skylan stared at the ship until his eyes ached. No banks of oars extended out from the ship’s hull, sweeping over the water in beautiful synchronicity. No rowers strained at their task.
“How do you know the ship has a dragon?” Skylan asked Wulfe.
“I can see it,” said Wulfe. He glanced up at the Dragon Kahg. “And so can he.”
Skylan looked up at the Dragon Kahg and saw him watching the war galley.
“We can tell for certain,” said Acronis. “The spyglass that Zahakis used when he was on board your ship. Is it still here?”
“The magic seeing glass?” said Wulfe eagerly. “I know where it is!”
He ran off and returned in a few moments, spyglass in hand, wrapped in cloth. Acronis put it to his eye, then handed the glass to Skylan.
“You better look at this,” he said.
Skylan, somewhat hesitantly, held the glass to his eye. At first he could see nothing but water, and then the ship came into view, so close that it seemed it must ram them. He jumped and nearly dropped the glass. He lowered the glass to see the galley was still some distance away.
He looked again, focusing on the ship’s prow—the long graceful neck and fierce head of a dragon. And there was a familiar figure standing at the prow, one hand on the neck of the dragon.
“It’s Raegar,” Skylan said, lowering the spyglass. “The galley has a dragonhead prow.”
“The galley now has a dragon,” said Aylaen. “Kahg told me. Her name is Fala. And the Dragon Kahg says he will not fight one of his own kind.”
Raegar’s ship was closing on them rapidly from the east. Warrior-priests crowded the decks.
“Maybe he’s going after the ogres,” said Sigurd.
Skylan turned to look at Treia, who leaned on the rail staring out at the galley, her face aglow, her cheeks flushed, her lips parted.
“No,” said Skylan. “He’s coming for us.”
“I say we stand and fight the whoreson,” said Sigurd grimly.
“He must have fifty warriors with him,” said Skylan. “We are seven. And a dragon who won’t help us.”
He looked to the open sea. The tops of the waves spattered with gold as the sun goddess, Aylis, cast her light across the water. To the west was the open sea and home. But to reach the sea, they would have to sail past a hundred ships filled with ogres who were undoubtedly angry at being robbed of glory and loot. Some of the ogre ships must have spotted the galley for several ships were starting to turn to meet it.
The ogres could not yet see the Venjekar, which was concealed by a spit of land thrusting out onto the bay. The current would soon carry them into their view. Skylan tried to put himself in the boots of the ogres. What would they see? Two human ships sailing out after them, two ships bearing dragons.
What would the ogres think except that the humans and their dragons were coming out to finish them off? And perhaps that was Raegar’s plan. After he seized the Venjekar, he would have two dragons to send after the ogres. And he would once more be in possession of the Vektia spiritbone.
And in possession of the secret!
Skylan looked over to where Treia had been standing. She was no longer there. She must have gone back down to the hold. Probably to change her clothes, make herself pretty for her lover when he captured them.
And as if he had any doubts about Raegar’s intent, the tattoo on his arm began to burn. Skylan clutched his arm, as did the rest of the men.
“We can at least stop Aelon,” said Acronis grimly. He turned to Aylaen. “Use the blessed sword. Quickly!”
Aylean drew the sword of Vindrash from the sheath. She seized hold of Skylan’s arm and sliced into the tattoo, cutting it open. The sword flared with an angry light. The only pain Skylan felt was the pain of the wound. And that pain he could bear. Cheerfully!
“The blood will wash out the crystals imbedded in the wound, but you should soak it well in water,” said Aylean, watching in satisfaction as the blood flowed down Skylan’s arm.
“Congratulations. You are a free man.” Acronis glanced back at the galley, which was gaining them, and added somberly, “At least for the moment.”
The Venjekar had cleared the point. The muddy water of the river boiled into the sea, carrying the ship with it. An ogre ship sighted them. The Venjekar was closer to the ogres than to the galley, so close that Skylan didn’t need a spyglass to see the ogres come rushing to the side to stare. The triangular sails shivered as the ogre ship changed course.
The other men were slicing open their tattoos; blood spilled on the deck. Aylaen thrust a roll of cloth at Skylan, and he hurriedly wrapped the bandage around his arm. As he worked, Skylan explained his plan.
“Keeper will hail the ogre ship and tell the godlord that we helped him escape. He’ll warn them Raegar is coming with another dragon to destroy their fleet. He’ll urge the ogres to attack Raegar and, while our enemies are fighting each other, we will escape.”
“Will the ogres believe him?” Sigurd asked.
It was Acronis who answered. “I think you stand a good chance. Ogres revere their godlords. If he tells his people that you saved his life, they will let you go.”
As Skylan ran to the hold to alert Keeper that he was about to be re united with his people, he reflected that he was glad he had Acronis with him.
The older man and his knowledge would be useful when the Vindrasi, once more free men, sailed to their nation to recover the Torque and the Vektan spiritbone that had been stolen from them.
For the first time in his life, Skylan realized the immense importance of the Vektan dragons and the true value of the spiritbone that Horg had given to the ogres. He had known the spiritbone was sacred, but he had never fully appreciated its worth until now. If the gods of the Vindrasi possessed all five of the Vektia, they would control the power of creation. Aelon and the Gods of Raj would be forced to go find other worlds.
“Keeper!” Skylan called, sliding down the ladder in his haste. “Keeper, we’re coming up on an ogre ship. I need you on deck!”
Keeper was where Skylan had left him, sitting on the sea chest, his eyes closed, his head and shoulders slumped.
“Only a lazy-ass ogre could sleep through all this commotion,” Skylan said, laughing. “Come on! Wake up!”
He gave Keeper a punch on the arm.
The ogre toppled over sideways, sliding off the sea chest and landing with a thud. He lay still and unmoving in the water that sloshed around the deck.
Skylan put his hand on the ogre’s neck, feeling for a pulse, though he knew he was wasting his time. The ogre’s flesh was already starting to grow cold.
“Is he dead?” asked Treia.
She had been looking out through a chink in the boards, watching Raegar’s ship gaining on them, watching her lover coming for her. She couldn’t let Keeper talk to the ogres. She couldn’t let the Venjekar escape.
Treia shrugged.
“You can never tell with head wounds,” she said, and she turned back to watch the galley.
Skylan looked down at Keeper.
“Now you are home, my friend,” Skylan said softly.
He gave a bleak sigh and climbed the ladder and emerged out onto the deck. Sigurd peered down into the hold.
“Where’s Keeper?”
“Dead,” said Skylan.
There was silence. No one asked how or why. It didn’t matter. The ogre ship was bearing down on them from the west. To the east, Raegar was urging the Dragon Fala for more speed.
“So what do we do now?” Sigurd asked.
“We are Torgun. We stand together,” said Skylan.
Secret of the Dragon Page 43