Exodus: The Windwalker Archive: Book 3 (Legends of Agora)

by Michael James Ploof

  Chapter 27

  Joining Forces

  Gods, gods stirring. Wasted lands once green. Smoldering mountains once proud. Waters black which once ran clear. An ancient of the deep rises. The mantle of darkness beckons.

  -Gretzen Spiritbone

  The early morning brought a hard rain. Thunder woke Talon from a dreamless sleep in the final minutes before the dawn. He shot straight up, panicked and not knowing where he was. Lightning ripped through the dawn, illuminating the outline of a silver hawk on the thin walls of the small leather tent. With a sigh Talon lay back down, rubbing his bleary eyes.

  Shortly after, Han began barking orders, calling everyone from their tents to begin breaking down camp. It was a miserable affair, as there would be no hot breakfast, and the pelting rain left them instantly sodden and weighed down with water.

  Han instructed them to wait with their mounts while the rain passed, as he was not keen on venturing into the clouds during such a storm.

  Three hours later, the clouds finally parted, and the soggy riders mounted their hawks and set out. They flew north beyond the coast and then west along the strait, knowing that the Skomm ships would have already passed by.

  Shortly after midday, they came upon the two ships.

  Talon was met with many cheers as he landed on the deck of Freedom. Soon the rest of the riders landed, some upon the rail, and others high in the mast beside the crow’s nest. The ship creaked and complained against the weight of the birds, but she held all the same.

  Talon called a delighted-looking Crag to help him with the treasure chest, and the man gleefully hefted the big box onto his shoulder and laid it down on the deck like a babe.

  “Men,” said Talon, proudly standing beside the box. “I give to you McGillus’s trea—”

  “The cheese!” came a bloodcurdling scream. Gammond came running from below deck, flailing his arms and looking every part the madman. “Not the cheese! It’s mine!”

  Argath blocked the way, and Gammond slammed into him, bounced off, and landed on his back. He scrambled up like a spider righting itself, and drew his sword.

  “Get away from the cheese!” Gammond screamed. But then he reeled back and flung the blade overboard. “Get a hold of yourself, man!” he then cried as Gill.

  He began thrashing about, and all eyes locked on the one-manned struggle. Gill-Gammond clawed at his own eyes; one hand tried to get a hold of the other, and both legs tried to trip each other at the same time. The result was a spitting, sputtering, cursing Skomm rolling around the deck trying to tear out his own tongue.

  One of the crewmen stepped up then and slammed the butt of a sword against the madman’s head. He went down like a sack of potatoes, but then, to everyone’s surprise, Gill leapt up and proceeded to pull out his pocket watch and wipe off the face.

  “Say, good man, thank you for assisting me with that lunatic,” he said.

  Argath shook his head, trying not to laugh at the spectacle. “Can you control yourself, sailor, or do I have to put you back in the hold?”

  “Of course not, Captain Argath,” said Gill with a flourish. “Please, carry on. I do believe that Gammond will be sleeping it off for quite some time.”

  Argath stared long at the man, but at length he nodded to the sailors behind the madman and turned back to Talon and his chest full of treasure. “Well then, open it up!”

  The crew gave a cheer, and Talon proudly pulled back the lid. Shocked and delighted exclamations swept across the deck as the Skomm pushed and shoved to get a closer look at the diamonds.

  “Feikinstafir,” said Argath, and others agreed heartily. He bent and took up a fat diamond, marveling at its beauty as beams of sunlight split into a thousand points of multicolored light.

  “About them diamonds,” said Ash, snapping everyone back to reality. “They be a dwarven heirloom that need be returned to the mountain.”

  “Yes,” said Han. “We will discuss that and many things shortly. Captain Argath, Zilena, might Talon and I have a word?”

  “Of course,” said Argath, never taking his eyes off the precious stone. He slowly returned it to the chest, and Talon shut the lid.

  “You mind bringing this into the captain’s quarters?” Talon asked Crag.

  The big man gladly lifted the treasure box, eyes alight and dancing with wonder. Talon, Han, Zilena, and Argath followed him into the captain’s quarters, and Argath quickly poured four glasses of rum.

  “Thank you, Crag, that will be all,” he said.

  Crag glanced regretfully at the chest one last time before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

  “Please, have a seat,” said Argath, indicating the lounge area to the left of the big desk.

  There was a sofa against the wall, along with four plush sitting chairs set in a semi-circle around a short table, upon which sat many volumes of nautical books and scattered maps. Talon and Han each took a seat on one of the plush chairs, while Zilena sat cross-legged at the end of the sofa. Argath handed them each a glass and raised his.

  “To new allegiances!”

  Han and Talon repeated the cheer.

  “Tell me about this allegiance that your king has proposed,” said Argath, taking a seat at one of the chairs as well.

  Han sat to his right, and set the empty glass on the table before clearing his throat. “Yes, the allegiance. My king has taken a keen interest in you all, namely Talon. He sees what you have done, and he sympathizes with your plight. In his great wisdom, he sees the nation that you might become, he sees in it an ally. You see, a Skomm revolution has always been on the minds of Shierdonians, and indeed, the rest of Agora. Your people have been our slaves for centuries, and there are many among us who think that it is wrong.”

  “Your king among them?” said Argath. “Then why is slavery still legal in Shierdon? Isladon is the only nation to change its laws in this regard.”

  “Yes, well, these things take time, you see. The Skomm are an integral part of many of the lord’s livelihoods. And the lords are integral to the strength of both the king and the kingdom. If the Skomm were freed today, the economy would suffer badly. But trade with Volnoss would make up for the loss of the Skomm slaves.”

  “And all you want from us is the head of the Timber Wolf chief?”

  “And that of his son, yes. Winterthorn has stood in the way of this treaty for far too long. It is time that he is dealt with once and for all.”

  “Why not just take him out yourselves?” said Argath.

  “Because we need to know that we have the allegiance of the successor. It must be Kreal Windwalker.”

  “And what do you think of all this?” Argath asked Talon. “Can you fight alongside your father?”

  “The question is whether or not he will fight alongside me. But I think that his want to be chief will outweigh his disdain for me. I will convince him. My concern is Akerri. Before any of this is attempted, I want to make sure that she is safe.”

  “It will be hard to extract her without gaining the attention of the Vald,” said Zilena.

  “I don’t care if we gain their attention. Akerri is getting out first. Then I will deal with Winterthorn.”

  “Between the stealth of the riders, and your magic, Zilena, the dark elves stand no chance,” said Han. “We go in quick and we hit ‘em hard. By the time the smoke clears, they won’t know what happened.”

  “Akerri cannot be harmed,” said Talon.

  “I will do what I can to protect her from the dark elf,” said Zilena. “But you must understand, there are no guarantees.”

  “I understand. You just do what you can to free her from the dark elf, and I’ll get her out of there with Brightwing.”

  “What part will the gladiators play in this plan?” Argath asked.

  “I do not believe that it is necessary for you to risk your men,” said Han.

  “Dragon shite, we’ve got a stake in the outcome, we’re going to help.”

  “This is not an invasio
n,” said Han. “It is a delicate mission that calls for stealth and, all due respect, more power than your men possess.”

  “Listen, General, before you came along and kidnapped Talon, we had everything handled just fine. The king of Shierdon isn’t calling the shots here.”

  “Stop,” said Talon. “He’s right, there is no need to risk more lives than is necessary. Zilena and the riders will help me to extract Akerri, then I will return to challenge the chief. You land a force on Volnoss soil, and none of them will ever return. We’ve only got a handful of real warriors; they will be needed to protect the ships.”

  “And what are we to do?” Argath asked. “Sit on our hands and wait?”

  “I need you to provide a distraction,” said Talon. “Lay waist to the harbor with those dragon’s breath rounds. That will give us the time we need to deal with the dark elf.”

  Argath settled and seemed placated by the proposal. Indeed, his eyes took on a devilish glean. “I like your mind, Windwalker. Very well. Freedom and Redemption will hit the harbor. We’ll give those bastards a lightshow they won’t soon forget.”

  “Then we are in agreement,” said Han. “Let us set a course for Timber Wolf Village, and may the gods be with us.”

  Chapter 28

  Volnoss

  Waters alight with fire. Vald ships burning. Phantoms stalk their prey, hidden by darkened feathers.

  -Gretzen Spiritbone

  They sailed west long into the night, reaching the western edge of Volnoss early the following afternoon. The plan was to hit the village that night. Until then, the ships would stay back, and Talon, Zilena, and Han would learn what they could from the air.

  The weather had been unpredictable for the last two days, with rain falling one moment and then sunshine splitting the clouds the next. By the time Talon mounted up for their scouting mission, the rain had returned, though it was a light rain, and not unpleasant in the late summer heat. Han had planned for Zilena to ride with him, but the princess was adamantly against it, saying that he could either give her a different hawk to ride else give up his own. In the end he agreed, and asked Flick to lend his hawk. The young man eagerly agreed, enamored as he was with the elf princess.

  The closer Talon got to Volnoss, the more his dread grew. He knew that he was disguised by the silver hawk feathers, which had changed to mimic the gray, overcast sky. But still the fear creeped in with every mile. He told himself to be brave, and reminded himself of the magic that he possessed. He had survived sixteen years on Volnoss without the aid of a magic ring, spirit wolf, and silver hawk, with them he should have been confident.

  He reminded himself of this and many things as the island grew out of the northern horizon, and soon they were passing over the spot where he had so often fished as a boy.

  They flew northwest over the small forest of pine separating the village from the rocky shore. They kept low, gliding just over the treetops, and continued on across a short field to the outskirts of the village.

  Vald went about their activities below, unaware of the hawks flying overhead. Han led them around the village slowly as Zilena was trying to gauge the location of the dark elf, and did not want to get so close that she was noticed or felt by the foe.

  Fly east, now! Came a voice in Talon’s head.

  Han must have heard Zilena as well, for he instantly banked a hard right and began a steep ascent. The three leveled out and flew sided by side with Talon in the middle.

  “Was it the dark elf?” Han yelled over the wind.

  “Yes. Near the heart of the village.”

  “Did he sense you?”

  “There is no way of knowing. I doubt it, however, unless he was searching. I pulled back as soon as I noticed.”

  “Was Akerri with him?” Talon asked the princess.

  “I believe so. Come, we have learned all that we needed to know. Let us return to Freedom.”

  Han agreed and led them back to the ship, where the crew was waiting expectantly.

  “What else did you learn?” Talon asked, catching up to Zilena after they had dismounted.

  “The dark elf is much more powerful than I had first thought. I must prepare,” she said, continuing quickly to the captain’s quarters.

  Talon stopped and called to her, “What should I do?”

  She stopped at the door and looked to him gravely. “You should do the same.”

  “I’ve never seen her like this,” said Han, stopping beside Talon. “Whatever she felt from the dark elf, it can’t be good.”

  “She said nothing of turning back. We are going along with the plan.”

  “You’re a fearless one, aren’t you?”

  “No, not fearless. I’ve known fear my whole life, and I’ve never felt it more strongly than I do for Akerri.”

  Han’s face became kind, and he put a hand on Talon’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back, lad. Mark my words.”

  Talon went down to his private quarters and prepared for the coming battle, dressing himself in the armor that Azzeal had given him upon his departure from Elladrindellia. The metal and leather armor was a perfect fit for him, and allowed for maximum flexibility, while at the same time providing coverage of his entire body. He flexed and moved around, testing the agility that it provided. Happy with the results, he strapped his twin daggers to his belt and sheathed his short sword.

  When he returned to the deck, he met with the others in the captain’s quarters and went over the details of the mission one last time.

  “Now,” said Zilena when the meeting was through, “with your permission, I would like to lay a few enchantments on you both.”

  “What kind of enchantments?” asked Talon, intrigued.

  “Wards of protection mostly. They will work well against blades, and absorb some blunt force, but you should still be wary of the dark elf’s magic. My blessings cannot save you from him.”

  Zilena proceeded to lay her wards upon their armor, causing them to glow slightly with a blueish tint. The feeling was like a million goosebumps upon Talon’s flesh. Out on the main deck, she similarly blessed the other hawk riders before moving on to the silver hawks.

  When her work was through, Argath gave the order to set a course for Timber Wolf harbor, and the two ships headed north toward Volnoss.

  Chapter 29

  Eyes Alight with Flame

  I put years into the creation of Kyrr, with the help of my friend by the same name. My friend died before we could finish the ring, but I like to think that a part of Kyrr still remains buried deep within the gem of his namesake ring. He was a clever one, my friend Kyrr, for he laid a spell upon the ring which makes it weaker the more it is abused, and stronger the more it is used for good. Talon could have just as easily broken the ring, but I have seen that he’s made it more powerful than either I or Kyrr ever imagined.

  -Azzeal, Ralliad of Elladrindellia, in a letter to Zerafin Eldenfen

  “Land ho!” cried the lookout from the crow’s nest.

  The call was repeated by others, and Argath stepped up onto the poop deck and extended his long spy glass.

  “Easy goes it!” he yelled to the wheelman. “Everyone to stations! Man the starboard cannons!”

  The orders were repeated below deck, and Talon imagined the many cannons being wheeled out through the portholes, and the precious dragon’s breath rounds being carefully put into position. Redemption followed a few hundred feet behind, no doubt preparing their cannons, catapults, and harpoons as well.

  It was well known that the Vald of Volnoss had only a small fleet of warships, and due to sanctions set forth by Shierdon, they had never gained the supplies needed to properly arm the ships. A few cannons reached them through illegal trade, namely from pirates, but Argath stressed the possibility that the Vald might be lying in wait. While flying over Volnoss, Talon had made a note to search the harbor along Timber Wolf Village’s western coast. He hadn’t seen anything, still, that had been nearly two days ago, and the ships could have easily gotte
n into position by now.

  Ash had been sent out to get another look at the harbor when the island came into view, and now came back with a report that countered their previous assumption.

  “They got a fleet o’ at least a dozen ships waiting in and around the harbor,” he said after landing.

  “Feikinstafir!” said Argath, slamming his fist down on the rail. “Man the portside cannons! Bring the ballista weapons to bear as well. Looks like we’re facing a blockade!”

  “If there is a blockade waiting for us, then the dark elf knows that we are coming as well. We have to abort,” said Zilena.

  “Sorry, my lady, but it’s now or never,” said Argath before turning to Han. “Looks like its plan B. Get your boys into the air with those fire bombs.”

  “Mount up!” Han called to the riders.

  Talon hurried across the deck and shouldered into his cloak before mounting Brightwing.

  “It is not unlikely that the dark elf or Akerri is on one of those ships,” said Zilena. “Do as I say, and you might all come out of this alive.”

  Flick, having again lent his hawk to the princess, strapped himself into Ash’s saddle behind the dwarf and raised his crossbow. “To battle!” he cried, and the hawk leapt from the deck.

  The others followed, with the princess soon overtaking them and leading the group northeast.

  Talon’s heart raced as they drew closer to the blockade. It wasn’t hard to see the ships bobbing in the choppy waves. Their sails hung open, full of the billowing wind. He counted thirteen ships, and though none of them were as imposing as the big slavers with their dozens of cannons, any one of them might be hiding the dark elf or Akerri.