by J Seab
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Willow’s nose twitched.
She blinked her eyes open and took a deep breath.
There was a light pall of smoke drifting about them. She sniffed again. Wood smoke, there was a fire somewhere.
She sat up and jostled Geldane.
“Uh, what?”
“Wake up, Geldane. There’s a fire.”
Alarmed, Geldane grabbed his bo and scrambled to his feet. “Where? Is it near? Do we need to get out of here?” He jerked his head about, searching.
“I don’t see it, but I definitely smell it,” Willow said. “Must be drifting in from the west, over there,” she said, gesturing to their left.
Geldane took a step in that direction, his bo clasped in both hands. It was strangely quiet, the usual chorus of forest critters absent. Geldane sniffed the breeze, peering about. “I don’t see anything, either. I’ll go take a look.”
“Wait up,” Willow said, groping for her shoes. “I want to come with you, and,” she said, pointing at his bare feet, “don’t you think you should put your boots on first?”
He glanced down. “OK, yeah, sure.” Geldane sat back down, pulled on socks and boots, and then stood. “Yup hup, let’s go,” he said impatiently.
Willow finished lacing her shoes, picked up their pack, and stood. “Do you think there are campers here? Somebody with a boat?” she asked eagerly.
“I don’t know. Seems like it would have to be a pretty big campfire,” Geldane said, wading across the creek. “Here, I’ll carry the pack. Let’s work our way north to the shore. Maybe we can see the fire from there.”
They continued north, winding their way past a plentiful assortment of saplings clustered around mature trees like children clinging to their parents.
The drift of wood smoke thinned as they neared the shore, its clinging smell pushed away by a strengthening breeze. Willow felt stronger; the nap had done a lot of good but it was much longer than she’d planned. The day waned. The sun was low in the sky and the light seeping beneath the trees was already beginning to fade.
A short time later, they noted a brightness ahead and heard the splash of wave against rock.
They increased their pace.
Willow stepped out of the trees onto the top of a cliff face. The ground broke sharply to a shallow shore some twenty meters below. A lone pine clung tentatively to the edge, leaning acutely, a tangle of exposed roots desperately trying to prevent the tree’s fall into the broken rocks below. Geldane joined her.
The island made an abrupt bend to their left. A rocky, tree-lined shore extended for a couple of kilometers to a high ridge that thrust deep into the sea to the north like the scaly arm of an earth giant, grasping with thick fingers at what lay beneath the water. A sandy beach arched deeply into its base.
“Look, a boat,” Willow said with relief.
“And a big bonfire,” Geldane added.
A long ship with a single mast stood anchored in the natural bay, its dinghy pulled partway onto the beach. Several figures moved around a stack of brush and branches that burned furiously farther up the beach. Several other figures were working within a cleared area, cutting logs and fitting them onto a building that was taking shape under the trees.
“Who are they?” Geldane asked.
“I don’t know,” Willow said, turning and heading toward the encampment. “Let’s find out. If we hurry, we can reach them before it gets too dark.”
“Wait,” Geldane said, his concern evident.
“Wait?”
“There’s something not quite right about this,” he said, pulling her back. “What, for example, is that big L-shaped structure in the bay? It looks to be half submerged, like it’s floating.”
Looking more carefully, Willow noted the structure just barely floating above the surface. It ran straight out from the southern shore for nearly a hundred meters and then angled to the east, almost enclosing the space occupied by the ship. “Could it be a floating dock of some sort?” she suggested.
“Maybe,” Geldane said, unconvinced. He suddenly started. “Whoa!” He pointed. “There, farther out. Aren’t those our two orc friends?”
Willow’s heart skipped a beat. She squinted but could detect nothing but some ripples far out in the sea. “I don’t see anything.”
“Come on, let’s get back into the trees. I don’t want them to spot us.”
“What’s wrong?” Willow asked grabbing at his arm to hold him, her eyes dancing with concern.
“Even if those aren’t our orcs, there are no identifying pennants on that ship. Where’s it from? It’s too big to be a fisher. It doesn’t look like a cargo boat, it’s too sleek and narrow. What is it doing here? And those men,” he continued, “those aren’t simple sailors. They have swords.”
“Swords?”
“Yes. Look at that one over by that fallen tree, the one who’s hacking off its branches. That’s no ax he’s using.”
Willow tried to make it out, but the distance was too great for her eyes. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, I’m certain,” Geldane said with a hint of asperity.
“Glancing into his eyes, she said, “I guess what you’re suggesting is that caution is in order. Is that right?” she asked while trying to mask the tremor in her voice.
“Yup hup. Let’s go, stay behind me.”
Keeping just inside the trees, they made their way west. Geldane forged ahead, turning his head occasionally to check on Willow.
The sun sank to touch the horizon, deepening the shadows. Soon, they could hear shouting as the men on the beach struggled with their tasks. They were close now. The pall of smoke thickened, stinging nostril and eye.
Geldane crouched behind the thick bole of a tree, motioning Willow down. Willow waved urgently, trying to suppress a coughing fit, her eyes watering. “I’ve got to get out of this smoke,” she whispered, moving up beside him.
“Go back upslope, there,” he whispered back, lips close to her ear, his arm pointing to the left. “The air is clearer that way. I saw an outcropping a little way back. Shelter there. I’ll meet you.”
“What are you going to do?” Willow asked anxiously.
“I’ve got to get closer. This is the best way.” He reached into his pocket, withdrew a handkerchief and tied it about his face. “Go.”
Willow quietly cleared her throat and wiped at her eyes. Geldane was fully in protective mode. She knew there was no point arguing. “Be careful,” she admonished, placing a hand against his cheek. “I’ll take the pack.” She slung it across her back. Keeping low, she crept up the slope, angling back the way they had come. She glanced back once. Geldane was already disappearing into the trees ahead, using his bo to push aside a scattering of thorny brush.
She quickly located the rock outcropping and climbed up behind it. The air was relatively clear there. She took several deep, slow breaths, clearing her lungs. She wished she had more of that cool water but that was not to be.
She climbed up to a notch and peered over the rock.
Thick streamers of smoke drifted below, barely discernible in the deepening gloom and she could clearly hear the shouts of the men working below. She settled in to wait for Geldane, her thoughts agitated, confused. Were they just being silly? Swords? They were probably only machetes. Geldane’s imagination was running amok again. Probably only an exploratory team from the Warves, some hardy Warvers who built a sturdy ship to brave the seas. They liked to run around in desolate places searching for the remnants of old settlements. What else could it be?
The regular shouting of the workers was suddenly shattered by a strident yell. More followed, converging toward a point at the edge of the clearing below. She raised her head and tried to see what was happening, her heart pounding, but darkness had descended.
She could see nothing but the gloom of forest and rock beyond her small shelter.
The yelling increased in volume. Sounds of clashing metal echoed off the rocks accompanied by grunts of pa
in.
Then everything became ominously quiet.
Willow buried her face in her hands, fearing the worst.
Chapter 12