Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  82. Orders

  I walked forward towards the body of Norris to stand next to Pare. I looked at the gathered men who were looking at us in a stunned silence. I said to them, I am Lord Darmot Kromwell. You can surrender now and face trial for your crimes or you can join him in the afterlife. I almost expected them to toss down their weapons and give up. I never in a hundred years would have expected them to try to fight. That is just what happened though. Four of the men came rushing forward with weapons drawn, I stepped in front of Pare to protect him from the rush. Holding up my shield I waited for them to come. While I expected Windfall to start shooting from my right, arrows also started hitting them from my left side. Where there shouldn't have been anyone standing. I yelled to Pare to check and see who was behind us as I fought off the men in front of me. I cut two of them down by the time I saw the figure in white running forward to join in the fight. 'Looks like Bryce and Michaels followed us.' Pare told me as I cut down a third.

  As the bandits continued to file out of the tower, Michaels and I cut them down. Only one man did not put up a fight. The rat faced man still squatting down next to the fire, rocking back and forth watched as we continued to fight. I kept expecting him to attack but he never moved. Other than the rat faced man, the men who followed Norris fought us to their last breath. I never knew this until much later but it would seem the jail cells in Klassen have a very bad reputation. The cells are underground and always damp. Combine that with the smell of fish constantly hanging in the air, it makes for a rather unpleasant stay. The men we fought that day would have rather died than spend any time in those cells. After the last man fell, I told Pare to check out the tower. The rest of us gathered around the fire, standing over the rat faced man. I asked him who he was as he looked up at me and tilted his head to the side as if he did not understand the question. I went down to one knee and asked him who he was again, looking at him. 'My home, mine. Mean men give food. Give me drink. I share home. Mean men gone now, my home, mine.' The rat faced man sunk lower to the ground, putting his chin between his knees, his eyes now locked on the fire.

  I assumed that when Norris and his men took over the tower, they never knew about the squatter. There were three levels in the tower. The first floor held food stuffs, tools and weapons. The second level was filled wall to wall with cots. There was one large bed that I assumed belonged to Norris. The top level Pare found a pile of rags that the rat face man used for a bed. The rat faced man had been living in that old tower for only the gods know how long, it was next to impossible to tell. We found a chest full of coins that was going back to Klassen with us. I then found the one thing I wanted, a shovel. The four of us went about the grim task of taking care of the bodies that were posted outside of the tower. They were good men who died in service to their country, they deserved a proper burial. Michaels saw to all of it once the holes were dug in the ground. The bodies of Norris and his men were all burned and they were still burning when we were leaving the tower on our way back to Klassen.

  Once we had our horses I told Pare and Windfall to start heading back. I needed to talk to Bryce and Michaels. Once the two of them were gone I just looked at the two men and waited. I then asked why my orders were not followed. The two of them just looked at each other and then back to me. 'Well sir, you just told us to make sure that the men were moving out on time to make it to Rohloff.' Bryce had a half assed grin on his face while he spoke. 'You never said we had to go with them. We gathered the men together, told them your orders and then came after you. They are good men and they will make it on time. The ship should be loaded by the time we get there.' I then looked at Michaels and asked him what he had to say. 'I could not let you go off into danger without me. You must reach the island or we are doomed to fail.' I asked him what in the hell he meant by that. 'I only know what the good god has told me. If you are not with us when we land on the island, we will fail.' I tried to assure him that I wasn't that important. Even today, I still have no idea what he meant by that.

  With one minor stop in Klassen to drop off the chest of coins with Sheriff Tomas we were on our way to Rohloff. I told Tomas that he shouldn't have any problems with bandits in the future but he should still see to the man left in the tower. I didn’t like leaving him all alone out there. He needed help. Help that we couldn't give him at the time. Michaels went back to riding ahead of us with his banner held high. We caught up with Windfall and Pare about an hour outside of Rohloff, his horse had lost a shoe and they were walking. Windfall ended up riding double with Michaels and I had Pare on my back once again. 'Did you yell at those two? I am sure they just wanted to help. Are they in trouble? Are you going to put someone else in charge? I don't know if those guys would listen to me so you better pick Windfall to be the leader.' I turned about best I could to look at the halfling asking him what made him say that. 'Well when you sent me and Windfall away, he told me you were going to outline the chain of command to them. To make sure that they understood who gave the orders. Speaking of which, I don't see a chain on you? Where is it, can I see it?' I just laughed at my small friend and continued to ride.

  We arrived in Rohloff and made our way to the docks. The ship was loaded with the supplies we had brought along, the men were waiting and outside of finding a very irritated Ebbit waiting for us things went smooth. When Windfall asked him what was wrong he said 'I've got an army of angry ogres marching through my head.' I laughed and told him he shouldn't have had any of that ale. 'Yer sticking me on a ship for three months, I needed that drink lad.' We boarded the ship and set sail just after high noon. The captain of the ship was a man by the name of Giles. He had been the captain of the 'Chosen One' for seven years. Before we had been on the water an entire day he asked me how much I valued Pare. While most of us were just trying to get settled into our small rooms aboard the ship, it seemed Pare took that time to introduce himself to everyone on the ship. He asked questions about every aspect of the ship and life at sea. From what I understand, he came close to getting tossed overboard more than once.

  Outside of a minor incident when passing through Toryth Vol the first month on the ship was quiet. Windfall and I spent a lot of time on the deck of the ship. He had brought with him two practice swords made from bamboo. The man is fast as a viper and strong as an ox, when he landed blows on me it was something I regretted. Still it was a good way to pass the time. From what I understand, some of the men took to betting on our fights. Not that they had anywhere to spend their coin where we were going. When I wasn't having the snot beating out of me by my old mentor, I took the time to get to know the men who were going to be with Bryce. One late night while standing top side one of the men named Wayne came to me. He stood there silent, waiting for me to say something. When I asked him what it was that he wanted, he just looked at me and said he wanted to tell me something. As I told him to go ahead, he stepped forward placing his hands on the rail.

  'Things were not going well for us. The SOMA troops were hitting us hard and fast. Those devils from Katja lor can fight, I will give them that much. Even if they were fighting for the coin, they fought with a passion that I can almost admire. I was afraid that day, afraid we were going to lose. I knew there would be no pity from them. They would have killed us to a man if they were able. I still don't know why we let so many of them run. Anyway, I thought we were going to die. Had things stayed the way they did, we may have. I remember watching you bring in your men. Charging down that hill, most of them didn't even have armor but they were there. Fighting for their home with all that they had. The sight of you and your men coming to the aid of the king... It is something that has always inspired me. We did the impossible that day. Most of the men that I served with that day talked about your unit. Full of farmers and drunks, unfit to put on a uniform let alone pick up a weapon. We were all sure you were just going to be run over. Honestly, most of us just hoped you slowed the enemy down enough for us to hold the line. Yet you won and by joining with us, we were able to rout the last o
f the SOMA troops. That is why I am here now. I believe in you sir.'

  I told him he was giving me too much credit and that I had a lot of help that day. While the grin was in my heart, I did not let it show on my face. I then told him that if it wasn't for Pare, we would have lost that day. That we very well may have all died to a man. When he asked me what I meant I told him he would have to find out for himself. I encouraged him to talk to Pare about what happened that day. Pare loved telling the story of being a dragon and each time he told it, it was just a little bit more fantastic than the time before. He had an odd look on his face as he walked away from me that night but said he would seek Pare out. It was a rather cruel trick to play on the man but I knew Pare would love the attention. Truth be told, I was worried about the attention he was getting. Pare and Miri were never more than five feet apart, all of their time was spent together. Touching hands when they thought no one could see them. Looking back, I was happy for my small friend. I was happy that he found someone that he could love. If only I could have seen how wrong things were going to go. If only I could have prevented the pain he was going to feel.

  83. Wind

  As we were closing on two months at sea, I started to wonder if I would ever feel dry land under my feet again. I am not a sailor, this much I am sure of. I never quite got used to the rocking of the ship, the constant sound of wood creaking as we were propelled through the water. I started to feel confined and more than a little crazy. I know I wasn't the only one who was feeling it. Tempers were short and a life of military discipline was the only thing that kept the men from snapping. More than anyone though, it seemed to affect Eli the most. The Arcadian scout had already made this trip once before. As we drew closer to the island, his mood worsened. Not for the reason I knew though, as it turns out Eli wasn't who he appeared to be. I found him on the deck of the ship, gazing up at the night sky. When I first saw him it appeared he was talking to himself or lost in prayer of some kind. I was worried the man was having some kind of mental break down. I called out to him and waited. He was oblivious to my voice so I moved closer and called out again. The second time he seemed to jump a bit and turn towards me.

  'I am sorry Captain I was someplace else for a moment.' I asked him if he was feeling ok, if anything was bothering him. 'Yes, I am fine. I just feel like we are crawling, going so slow. No ship sails fast enough for me.' I thought about it for a moment, a faster ship would have been nice. I then asked him the question that was on the mind of more than one person on the ship. Why he was going back to the island. 'This is going to sound strange but I am doing this because of my mother. My mother is a good woman. She told me there is trouble on the island, she told me I had to help. I thought for sure my part was done when I woke up in Arcadia yet my mother told me I had to come back with you; to see it through to the end. To make sure the right thing is done.' Right at that moment I felt something, something that put me out of sorts. The question was on my tongue but my mind would not let me spit the words out. I wanted to ask him what the right thing was. What was it that his mother expected and why she had such a strong opinion on the matter. I never expected to learn the answer. I then asked him how old he was. 'I honestly don't remember. Mother is the only family I know; she and I talk about everything.'

  The questions were there in my mind but nothing short of a miracle could get them to be spoken. I was worried about the man. He was an experienced scout for the Arcadian army. He had to be close to forty years old yet he spoke as if he was younger than me. I told him to get some rest and I tried to return to my room. Just before I went below deck, I looked back at him. He was there, facing the stars, speaking to himself again. I started to wonder if I was the only one on the ship that wasn't insane. I love my mother but the way he carried on seemed to be a bit much. At the time I wondered if maybe going back to face his captors was taking its toll on his mind. I shook my head as I went down the steps to my quarters. I thought about getting some sleep before the sun came up and heated up the cabin. I looked down the narrow hall and saw a man standing outside of my door. He had what looked like a crate of tools at his feet and a shining cutlass hanging from his hip. As I walked down the hall he turned towards me, he had an eye patch over his left eye. 'You Kromwell?' he asked me. I told him yes and stopped short. I wasn't sure what he wanted and I wasn't going to get close enough for him to catch me with that weapon.

  'Name is Alexander, first mate. The Captain sent me down to find you. He would like to see you in his quarters, now.' I just nodded at the man and made my way back up topside. The captain’s quarters were at the rear of the ship. I could see the light under his door as I walked up to it. I knocked on the door and waited for him to call for me. The door opened up slowly after a moment or two. I walked in and was a little shocked to see the captain on the far side of the room behind his massive desk. 'Please, close that on your way in.' I did as he asked and noticed something strange. There were magical runes on the door frame. I then looked around the room; there were charts of the sea, charts of the stars and other things I did not understand. I then saw the book case, while I am no expert on the matter I know spell books when I see them. 'Come this way sir, I have something to show you.' On his desk was a map that showed the location of the island, it was perhaps the only map in the world that showed it. 'We are currently here.' he said pointing to a map, inches from anything else at all. 'To the west here is a small island chain, very small. Pirates like to hide there from time to time. We may pass close enough by them to draw unwanted attention. I wanted you to be aware of this should something come to pass. In another day or two we will be well beyond any of the normal routs ships use, to put it in terms we can both understand, we are just to bloody far away from the rest of the world. The world that matters anyway.'

  I asked him if there was anything we could do to avoid it. 'Well if you want to add a few days to your travel time I guess that would be alright but I don't like it. We have the wind right now, if we go too wide we may lose it and it could cost us a week or more'. I didn’t like the sound of that. I told him that he was the captain and I would trust his judgment. I then asked if there was anything he needed of us. 'Well, you did bring more than a few trained fighters on board. I would like some help defending the ship should it come down to it.' I told him that it wouldn't be a problem and that I would put the men on standby. 'Very good, I would however recommend that your men only use light to no armor. Anyone that falls over in those tin suits you men wear, well let’s just say I think it would be wise to avoid anything too heavy.' I started to protest and thought about being pulled under the water by my armor, death would be swift and unavoidable. As I started to leave his office my eyes passed over his book case one more time. I turned and asked him if he was a magic user. 'Well, I have been known to dabble in the arts but I wouldn’t say I am a wizard.'

  His answer was good enough for me. Before I went to bed that night I tracked down Michaels and Bryce so I could give them the good news. Add what could be weeks to our trip or risk an attack by pirates. Bryce would only grumble about it and Michaels did not seem worried at all. 'Solarth will watch over us' was all he could say. If nothing else, you could not question his faith in his god. As I lay down to sleep my mind drifted back to Eli and his strange behavior. Not in a million years could I have seen what was coming. In the end it was just another reminder that I am just a small man in a larger world. That I am not as important as I think I am sometimes. While I do my best to make my part of the world, a better place. It doesn't begin to amount to much more than the pile of gold in my vault. While it has value, it doesn't change the world. True change comes from the acts and deeds a man commits.

  I had a dream that night. I dreamed of being a child, back in Eystlund. In my dream I watched as other children my age were out flying kites. I so wanted to go out there and play with them. I wanted to build my own kite and fly it alongside of theirs. My father always refused to let me as he said it was a waste of time and materials. 'Parchment
and cord cost money, not only that you would waste your days out there in the fields when you could be doing something productive. Learning something to help propel you towards your future. I will not be here forever Darmot. When I am gone you will have to take over and look after your mother.' I remember that was the summer I started to learn the elvish language. Only in my dream I was allowed to go out there and fly my kite. It was plain, brown and ugly to behold yet when it was up there in the sky, its beauty would make your heart soar. When I woke up that morning I was watching it fly away in the wind. That was the morning we found the burning ship.

  The call came down from the crow’s nest, smoke on the horizon. As we drew closer, the smoke grew thicker. The entire ship from the water line up was in flames. What was left of the main mast was leaning to the right, it had started to sink. Captain Giles had a looking glass much like the one I had in my pack. I was standing next to him when he saw the name on the ship, The Waldrop. 'Strange name for a ship' he said. Perhaps it was the dream from the night before that brought my father and his business to mind but it was a name I knew. Merchant ship, I told him, it makes a run from Eystlund to Manchrist three times a year. 'How do you know this?' he asked me. I told him that my father was a merchant in Eystlund and they had carried his cargo out before. That seemed good enough for him. 'Alexander, take some lads out on the long boat. See if you can find anyone alive.' I watched as the man with one good eye started shouting out orders to the crew, sending several of them running. They were gone no more than thirty minutes, they were only able to find one man still alive and he expired before they returned to the ship.