Prepare your firebombs, came Zilena’s voice in his head, and presumably, the minds of the others as well.
Talon reached into the saddle bag to his right and carefully took out the apple-sized explosive. He knew little about such things, but had been told by Han that he need only drop it upon something solid with enough force to set off the sparking mechanism inside.
Zilena banked left toward a group of three ships farthest from shore and dropped the first of the bombs. Han let his loose soon after, followed by Haze, Ash, and Flick. When he had determined to be directly above the ships, Talon dropped his as well.
He craned his neck to see the result as the silver hawks continued on deeper into hostile waters. Many of the bombs hit their targets, engulfing large sections of the decks with flame. A large plume of billowing smoke rose into the night, and the riders dropped their bombs on another group of ships. Again the fires raged, and the surprised and furious cries of many Vald echoed across the waters in the wake of the thunderous booming.
As they turned around for another pass, Talon spotted Freedom engaging the first of the ships. Her cannons fired one after another, and subsequent explosions rocked the enemy vessel. Freedom continued on and Redemption finished what they had started. By the time they had engaged the next ship in line, the first one was already sinking beneath the cold waters.
Talon dropped the last of his fire bombs as Zilena led them on a pass over the center of the armada. He watched, delighted by the damage they had caused the fleet in only two passes. Then a streak of light caught his eyes and he instinctively jerked the reins as a fireball shot through the air from one of the ships and came at him. Another glowing orb came from Zilena and intercepted the fireball only a few yards from Talon. The explosion temporarily blinded him as Brightwing gave a cry and flew through the fire and smoke. They came out unscathed but for a few smoldering feathers, and Talon searched desperately for the other riders. He spotted Zilena when a spell streaked from her hand and fell like a meteor through the sky, hitting one of the ships below and snapping its main mast in half before continuing on down through the deck and setting the ocean aglow.
He couldn’t help but fear that Akerri was on that ship. If not her, then it was the dark elf himself.
A cry snapped Talon’s attention to the south, and he had only a moment to jerk Brightwing’s reins to the side to avoid the creature coming at him. Brightwing barrel-rolled as Talon tried to keep an eye on the passing beast. Its shimmering, scaled hide was dark green and oily. Leathery wings twice as wide as a silver hawk’s carried it swiftly around in a tight arc, and it began to bear down on him. Upon the beast’s back rode a dark-skinned elf. In his right hand he held a crackling ball of light.
Dive!
Talon instantly heeded Zilena’s command, pushing the reins and ducking low against Brightwing’s back.
The crackling spell seared the flapping end of his cloak, and a flashing explosion erupted above him. He didn’t look back until Brightwing had leveled out. Searching the sky above and behind him, he saw only a thick cloud of white smoke, illuminated by constant flashes like lightning, which projected the silhouettes of Zilena’s hawk and the dark elf’s beast caught in the throes of battle.
Talon searched the ships for any sign of Akerri as he flew overhead, still camouflaged by Brightwing’s feathers. Freedom and Redemption had torn through the outlying ships and were now headed straight through the main body of the armada. Cannons blazed on both sides of the ships, and the harpoons twanged sharply.
Zilena’s aerial battle continued to light up the night as Talon frantically tried to locate Akerri. He knew that it had been she who shot off the first spell, for the dark elf had been flying on a mount of his own.
Suddenly her location became apparent as a ball of fire erupted from one of the ships nearest the shore and hit Freedom on the starboard side.
Talon steered Brightwing toward the ship and withdrew his timber wolf trinket. As he drew closer, he finally saw her standing behind the aft rail of the Vald ship. Her blood-red hair stood on end, as though a hot wind emanated from her very being, and her eyes gleamed like hot embers.
“Akerri!” he cried, trying hurriedly to unstrap himself from the saddle.
He got the buckle loose and pulled back on Brightwing’s reins as the hawk came upon the ship.
“Chief, come to me!” said Talon before leaping off the saddle and flying through the air toward the ship.
Akerri saw him coming and shot out a glowing hand. The spell hit Talon as he cleared the rail, sending him spinning back through the air end over end. He landed on the rail on his stomach, with legs dangling over the side of the ship. Frantically he grabbed at the wood and found a hold.
Talon wondered for a fleeting moment why he was still alive, then noticed the acidic-smelling smoke wafting up from his armor. Silently thanking the princess for the protective ward, Talon pulled himself up over the rail. He spotted Chief easily, for the glowing spirit wolf was only a few feet away, pinning a furiously thrashing Akerri to the deck.
“Keep her there, boy. Don’t hurt her,” said Talon before giving a loud whistle for Brightwing.
Behind Chief, Vald warriors had begun charging across the deck of the ship. Talon held his ground, not wanting them to get between him and Akerri. A Vald came at him from the right with a big shield leading the way. Talon unsheathed his daggers in a blur and moved with speed and agility that startled the giant barbarian. He ran straight at the Vald and dropped to the floor, easily sliding between the widely placed legs and slashing both hamstrings as he passed. Talon came up out of the attack and moved swiftly to his left, where a Vald was starting for Chief. A long sword came for his head, and Talon ducked under the blow, coming in hard and burying both daggers in the man’s exposed neck.
He leapt back as the oncoming warriors slowed and stalked him instead. They filed onto the deck one after another, and soon Talon lost count. Behind him, Akerri was screaming like a woman possessed and shooting spells wildly from her pinned hands. Chief held her down, eyes alight with their blue glow and lips peeled back as a warning to the Vald.
Talon stood in the rain, his feathered cloak dark as the surrounding night. He whistled again to Brightwing, though his quivering lips made it hard to get the call right. His body shook with power and rage. Kyrr burned bright blue on his finger. The killings left him feeling sick, but at the same time exhilarated. He thought of Jahsin, Tyson, Marcus, Windy, Thorg, Forrest, and every Skomm who had ever suffered at the hands of the Vald. The Vald fanned out in a semi-circle around him, and he smiled upon them all. There must have been a look in his eyes, for the men stopped and tensed.
“Come one step closer and you all die,” said Talon.
Kyrr flared, temporarily blinding the Vald, and Talon felt a rush of power like he had never known.
The Vald attacked.
Talon gave himself to the ring, letting it guide his steps and his strikes. He twirled left and then right, slashing the throats of two of the Vald before they could begin to parry. He picked up a fallen Vald’s seven-foot sword and hacked at the closest man, swinging the heavy blade as though it weighed no more than a twig. The sword connected with another and shorn it in two. On the backswing, Talon beheaded the surprised man before twirling out and throwing one and then the other dagger swiftly. Two Vald fell dead before him.
“I claim Bjodja!” Talon bellowed.
The Vald stopped in their advance once again and glanced around at each other. It was barbarian tradition that any Skomm who challenged and killed three Vald would be named a Vald himself.
“I am Talon Windwalker! I was born a Vald, named a Skomm. I have killed twice the number named in the Bjodja. By your own law you must now name me Vald!”
The men looked to one in particular, a wide-shouldered man whose face was painted red and whose teeth had been filed to points. The leader eyed Talon murderously as he strode forth, getting closer than any other dared and stopping to stand before Talon
.
“I have known your father Kreal for many years. And now that I see you are Vald, I am glad to know you as well.”
Talon stood tensely, suspicious of the man’s words.
“I am Felltree of Timber Wolf Tribe,” he said proudly. “I name you Vald, as is written in the Bjodja.”
“Call off your men,” said Talon.
Felltree raised his hand, glancing to the side, and the Vald relaxed their weapons.
Talon rushed to Akerri’s side and searched for the gem that might be embedded in her flesh. She spit curses and continued to engulf both she and the wolf in crackling lightning. An arc shot out and hit Talon, and he gritted his teeth against the pain. He followed the snaking lightning back to its source—the gem embedded in Akerri’s right palm.
Talon! Zilena screamed in his mind.
He whipped his head around in time to see a fireball coming for the deck.
“Chief!” he cried, bringing up his hands instinctively.
A blue streaking light went through his back and out his chest, and a glowing Chief met the spell head on. They collided and disappeared, leaving only a shower of sparks in their wake.
The dark elf suddenly landed on deck, barely ten feet away, and Talon acted quickly. He spun around as fast as he could and brought his sword down on Akerri’s wrist, severing the hand and the gem that commanded her.
Akerri cried out in her own voice and Talon moved in front of her. He raised Kyrr before the dark elf and stood his ground.
“Leave us alone!” he screamed, and to his surprise a shockwave of energy shot out of Kyrr and spread wider, hitting the dark elf and sending him over the far rail.
The cry of a silver hawk split the silence that followed, and Talon hurried to scoop up Akerri. She was dead weight in his arms as he took her up and ran to the rail, seeing that Brightwing was coming low alongside the ship. Talon timed the jump and leapt out over the ocean. He hit the saddle at a bad angle and gripped the saddle horn with his free hand, steadying them as Brightwing took to the sky.
Chapter 30
Demoore’s Patients
The dark elf influence on Volnoss is a double-edged sword. Some say that the dark elf was attracted there because of what I had done, others say that it is good that I intervened when I did, for the dark elves had their eyes on the island all along. We do not know if he was a rogue or a scout, but his presence on the island is alarming to say the least.
-Azzeal, Keeper of the Windwalker Archive
During the frantic fight, Talon hadn’t noticed that Freedom and Redemption had plowed through the blockade and laid waste to the harbor. They now sailed west, away from the island, having done their job. Both ships trailed thick smoke, but so too did they both keep sailing.
Talon steered Brightwing toward Freedom, watching Akerri closely as she twitched and shook violently. Her eyes lolled, turning from her natural blue to bright red and back again. She spoke in strange tongues, and more than once began attacking Talon.
Brightwing landed and Talon cried out for someone to help. Akerri was foaming at the mouth and clawing at herself with her one remaining hand. Crag was there suddenly, reaching up with his big hands and taking Akerri in his arms. She tried, but she could not fight against such awesome strength.
Talon glanced around, searching for the princess.
“Where is Zilena?” he asked, seeing Argath hurrying toward him.
“She has not returned. None of them have,” said the captain, looking to Akerri with concern. “The dark elf, is he dead?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’d better get her below, have Demoore look at her.”
Crag hurried to the stairs, and Talon followed close behind. Demoore was already tending to many injured Skomm, but when he saw Talon come in, he hurried to finish what he was doing and gestured to an empty cot.
“What happened?” he asked Talon as Crag laid her down.
“A dark elf put some kind of spell on her,” said Talon.
Demoore’s eyes widened, and he looked to Akerri with newfound interest. “I can take care of that arm, but I can’t do anything about the spell.”
Talon tied down Akerri’s arms and legs, and put a soft towel beneath her head to stop her from banging it on the table.
“She going to be alright?” Crag asked Talon, looking concerned.
“I don’t know, Crag.”
“We’re going to have to cauterize the stump to stop the bleeding,” said Demoore, reaching for the hot iron.
“No!” said Talon. “Zilena can help. I’ve see what elven magic can do.”
“The princess hasn’t returned. We’ve got to do something now before she bleeds to death.”
Akerri had stopped flailing about and now lay on the table wide-eyed as though dead. Her chest moving with quick, shallow breaths was the only indication that she was alive.
Talon glanced at the doorway, wishing that Zilena was with them now.
Where are you? He tried to call to her mind, but no voice answered him.
“Fine,” Talon finally told him. “Do what you’ve got to do.”
“Hold her arm,” said Demoore, taking the cup-shaped and glowing iron out of the fire.
Talon did as he was told. He couldn’t watch, however, and stared through teary eyes into Akerri’s foggy ones as he stroked her head lovingly.
The sizzle of flesh caused Talon’s tears to spill, and he told her he was sorry over and over. Demoore cleaned the wound and applied a thick salve before wrapping it up in clean white bandages.
“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Talon asked the healer.
“As long as an infection doesn’t set in, she will live. I can’t speak for her mind.”
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“Once, back on Volnoss. The witch doctors called it a possession. Man with Krellr demons in him.”
“What did they do? Did he survive?”
Demoore lowered his gaze and shook his head.
“She’ll be alright, Talon,” said Crag. “You just gotta pray to Thodin. He’ll help her.”
“Thanks Crag, but I don’t think Thodin is going to answer my prayers.”
“Well…I’ll pray to him. Maybe he’ll answer mine.”
“I’d appreciate that, Crag,” said Talon.
“I’ve others to tend to,” said Demoore. “Tell me if her temperature rises.”
“Thanks for everything, Demoore,” said Talon.
When they were alone behind the drawn curtain, Talon leaned in and spoke softly to Akerri.
“Can you hear me? It’s Talon. I’ve finally found you. You’re safe now. Fylkin will never touch you again. Akerri?”
She remained staring at the ceiling with those red-tinted smoky eyes. Talon stroked her face, telling her over and over that he loved her.
He thought of Chief, who had disappeared after taking a blast from the dark elf. Chief had been forced back to the spirit world before from damage and survived, and Talon hoped that with some rest he would be alright.
“Talon,” came Argath’s voice.
“Has Zilena returned?” Talon asked, hurrying from the bed.
“Han just brought her in, they’re bringing her down now,” said Argath.
Talon ran to the door and looked down the hall. General Ford and Haze were carrying an unconscious Zilena toward him.
“Make way!” yelled Haze.
Talon let them pass and followed them into the room, trying to get a better look at the princess.
“Put her over there next to the red-haired girl,” said Demoore. He bent to listen to her breathing as Talon shouldered past Haze and Argath.
“What happened? Did she kill the dark elf?” Talon asked.
“She got him alright,” said Han proudly. “But she paid dearly.”
Talon noticed the blood on the general’s hands and moved to Zilena’s side. Her eyes blinked lazily, and her dry, cracked lips made words but no sound.
“What is it?
” said Talon, leaning in closer.
Zilena touched her lips with bloody fingers.
“Water, she wants water.”
Han gently cradled her head and tipped it up as Demoore put a cup to her parched lips. She sipped the water and coughed weakly. As her head was laid back down, she glanced over at Akerri before turning a small smile on Talon.
“You found her,” said Zilena in a near whisper.
“Thanks to you,” said Talon.
Demoore pressed a cloth to her abdomen and waved everyone away. “I’ve got work to do. So if you’re not helping, get out.”
“She can heal herself,” said Talon, looking from Demoore to Zilena. She only shook her head.
“She’s got nothing left,” said Han. “Damned lucky she survived the blast that killed the dark elf. I’ve never seen such a thing.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Talon asked her.
She smiled weakly at him and whispered. “Free…your…people.”
Han led him out of the sick room, and Talon noticed that Argath stayed behind.
“We’ve got your girl back,” said Han, stopping in the hall. “Now is the time for you to hold up your end of the bargain.”
“I can’t leave Akerri,” said Talon.
“I feel for you, lad,” said Han, glancing back into the room at Zilena. “Trust me, I do. But there’s nothing you can do that the healers cannot. The Timber Wolf Vald have just suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Skomm. The people will see the chief as weak. Now is the time to strike.”
Talon knew that he was right, but he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Akerri like that. She needed him right now.
Han saw the struggle on his face and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Son, being a man means doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether or not you like it. Your people need you.”
“You’re right,” said Talon. “Let me tell her goodbye before we set out.”
“Take your time. I’ll prepare the hawks.”
Talon watched him go and turned back to the sick room. When he was again at Akerri’s side, he pulled back the curtain and took her good hand in his. He broke down then, overcome by emotion and the stress of battle.
Exodus: The Windwalker Archive: Book 3 (Legends of Agora) Page 15