by Dan Raxor
Changing his loyalties to mine would mean a secure southern province. If it wasn’t for the King being so persistent I’d just remove him from the equation and forget about needing a field commander.
“We’re nobles on a quest to petition the local lord,” Siofra said, waving us to the left through the trees. We ended up on the thick snow covered road that led to the port city. “Rather common actually.
“Look, we talked this to death while I lay there in that bed a helpless wreck,” I said with a shiver of the memory and a shivering from the cold air. “Certainly miss that Montana summer.”
“We’re fine,” Audry said confidently.
I wasn’t worried about myself. Agitated, definitely. Susanna was furious though, she was always a bit overprotective of me, and this latest brush with death left her jaded.
A quick snatch of her hand jolted the female warrior that I adored. I pulled her to my side, startling her when I hoisted her into my arms.
There was an awkward staggering walk as I shifted her frame. Her gaze locked onto me with love in her eyes. She nestled into me, letting me carry her like a princess.
Twenty minutes later and my muscles strained with me refusing to give into their complaints. Susanna’s eyes told me my devotion would be aptly rewarded.
Also, everyone’s concerns about us getting in Harun Port were unjustified.
The walls were abandoned, the sentry towers empty, and the gates wide open. Townspeople strolled on the main road, going about their day. I saw my first goat just wandering around without a care. That seemed to be the common theme here, no one cared about us one bit.
My theory they must be under a spell was dashed when people waved to me. Numerous smokestacks billowing blackness told me the citizens worked to beat back the cold. Heck, the first thing we were greeted by was vendors hawking wood chunks.
I was mystified that there was not a guard in sight. Every city had some sort of military presence to maintain order. Instead this was… it felt off.
Deciding to let it go I studied my surroundings. The buildings were a mix of wood, stone, and I even saw a mud home built on a stone foundation. The people and partial fey here were in ragged clothing with none being fat, telling me a lot about the area.
A closer inspection of the hovels revealed doors were missing, roofs in need of repair, and holes in walls. I just knew an HOA manager was rolling in their grave at the lack of any uniformity. The layout was also a giant mess with oddly shaped side roads.
“I don’t like this.” Susanna and I shifted so I could set her down.
The commoners continued to ignore us. The fact that they were at ease put me at ease. That didn’t change that I was still miffed there was no military present.
Siofra flashed a tin coin to a street child whose eyes lit up.
“Where’s the guards?” Siofra asked.
“Fightin’ ta pirates beyond ta docks,” the little boy said.
I huffed. “Why is no one concerned?”
“Been fightin for weeks,” he said in a sassy tone. He rudely snatched the coin, biting it. Siofra went to rap him upside the head, finding only air as the kid scampered into an alleyway.
I gestured to keep going and Siofra led us west through the city. When the big road stopped curving and I could see down into the main town, I was pleasantly surprised.
That section we traveled through was the city slums. This town thrived on the docks. The nicest homes between the docks and the wall we entered through. A few big buildings rested on the left, with the warehouse section on our right. In the middle it was a fight of owning the largest stone home with balcony rooftops and terraces.
Residents walked casually without panic in the streets and I spied no pitched battle on the docks. The entire city was calm, clearly already adjusted to what I viewed at the harbor entrance.
Two natural peninsulas built a half circular left and right barrier to the sea. Thirty foot towers at the entrance were hurling rocks at an enemy fleet. Those rocks were falling short and wasting time.
Neither side fired anything else. The Lornian fleet was small with a few dozen ships guarding the entrance point. The pirate fleet was larger, appearing only set on performing a blockade instead of charging the defenses.
“Your orders, Master?” Siofra asked, noticing my pause.
“Let’s see who is running the city, shall we?” I said, underhand waving them to head for the big manor not far off the docks.
The stalled battle in the distance was going to be a problem. My guess was that the enemy fleet had cut off Alexander and would also be an eventual bane to The Dauntless. Of course, it was just my luck that there had to be a Veno pirate fleet blocking my city right before a planetary war.
One thing at a time, Trevor, one thing at a time.
After seeing the port town from above, I began to understand why the slums were so chaotic. The main city had expanded well beyond its original exterior wall. The roads inside the inner city were well defined and laid out with proper planning.
Here we saw guards for the first time at a checkpoint to get to the main fortress. A middle-aged veteran in green livery waved us through as if we needed permission. The walk to the estate of the ruling lord was along nicer roads with horses nickering, carts rattling, and vendors selling all sorts of items.
It was abundantly clear that the exterior port skirmish mattered little to these folks at the moment. I tossed a coin to a begging child that looked like he barely survived the night. After getting a feel for one of the larger cities in my region I knew there was work to do here, a lot of work.
With the intense forests not far away, there was no reason for the poor to freeze to death. I frowned at the shit in the alleys that thankfully froze quickly, and the defenses against land attack were obviously lacking.
Hell, even the guards at the estate let us walk right in. A curious man in fancy armor came out of a guard shack by the time we were almost up the stairs.
“Excuse me. The lord has yet to arrive,” the man said.
“And his steward?” Siofra asked.
The guard flustered, glancing into the estate. Siofra flashed a viscount ring I’d given her. The guard led the way for us into the moldy building that stood two stories tall. A cat chased a mouse and Rivinia groaned when she stepped in something that went squish.
I sighed, trying to stay positive about this… rustic city.
“I’m Heb, welcome to Harun Port, Viscount. Steward York will be happy to see you,” Heb said, leading us up a large set of stairs.
We shifted by paintings of the sea with a few statues of water fey and leviathans. A big single door held a sign over it at the end of the hall. Count - a blank plank - Court. A single guard raised amused brows at our approach.
The door was opened for Heb, allowing me to view the room.
Finally, I found the chaos I expected. A dozen nobles in winter clothing were shouting at a man behind a table on a dais. The young man was not idly taking the screaming either, shouting in return at the nobles.
Our arrival stirred their attention with a settling silence. The room had pillars dividing it, a small dance floor in the middle, a large balcony in the back, seating tables on the sides, and then the lord’s seat at the raised podium.
Siofra parted the nobles, confidently heading for this York fellow. I followed in her wake, stealing the warm seat Siofra lifted the man from.
All at once they went to talk.
Whoosh!
Ice magic encased the whole lot. I unfroze them a moment later. “I’m the Hand of the King. You will call me Master or Master Trevor. Failure to do so will lead to your death. Is that understood?” I asked, seeing bobbing heads.
There was one man who seethed, speaking his mind. “My taxes aren’t paying for the fleet ta do nothin!”
“So… I really want to burn you alive and give you a slow death. Except, I actually agree with that sentiment. A lord should defend his home, and there was a horrendous lack of defe
nses here,” I said, folding my fingers under my chin to rest my head.
“Sorry for my outburst, Master. The city relies on the sea for its productivity,” the noble said and I smiled.
“Of course, I’ll make you fine folks a deal. Bind to me and I’ll remove the enemy fleet today,” I said confidently.
York cleared his throat. “Master, they’ve been at the breach for over a week now. I’ve tried to draw them in for a fight but they are content with holding a blockade.”
“I saw the city and it looks prosperous and intact. For that, you get my gratitude. For the lack of defenses at the exterior wall you get ten lashes,” I said and the pleading started.
Siofra didn’t need to freeze him, mostly because Heb and his guards dragged him off. To get lashes I supposed. So nice when others worked for you.
“Rivinia, bind them. Siofra, Audry, Susanna, and I will go remove this threat. Rivinia is the Master in my absence, don’t like it - I’ll burn you,” I said, leaving my seat that Rivinia quickly occupied.
Without wasting any time I headed out of the courtroom finding the answers I wanted. Alexander wasn’t here and there was a power vacuum that York failed to fill.
“I have a great plan,” Siofra said and Susanna smiled. I found them agreeing amusing. Once outside the estate Siofra continued with, “Yes it’s something you’d like.”
“Delightful,” I chuckled. “Always wanted to be in a sea battle.”
They both eyed me with half smiles. “Alright what’s the plan that has you both mischievous.”
“Pleasuring for reward?” Susanna asked and Audry snickered from over my shoulder.
“They’re always just wanting sex,” she commented.
I shrugged. “I kinda was out of service lately and just ready to have fun again, so yeah. I’m a bit remiss on pleasuring my toys. We’ll fix that when I dominate these sexy ladies of mine into telling me the plan.”
“Nope, gotta wait,” Siofra said and Susanna chuckled. “And yes, Master, I realize I’m playing with fire.”
“And ice, he is quite fond of using ice now that he learned it,” Susanna said, keeping the banter going.
“Fine, fine. I was going to finish inside both of you… but -”
They halted and spun to face each other. After giving cute nods, they both said at once, “The plan is…”
CHAPTER 49
Lornia - Harun Port
5th day of the 2nd year of King Partel’s Reign
The bitterly cold wind whipped at my face. I was completely lost, shivering, and pissed off. There was nothing on the horizon to tell me where we were, only the black void of darkness. Even the clouds above kept the moonlight away.
Thankfully the eagle-fey carrying me could see in the dark and was following Ciyin for the enemy fleet.
Ciyin was the pack leader who was half eagle-fey, half human. She was leading this brazenly foolish plan and I hated the idea.
She didn’t even assure me this would work either. Ciyin figured it was a folly idea as much as I did. If it weren’t easy to call off I’d be far more concerned.
A flickering light in the distance shimmered, at first it was merely a tiny dot on the horizon. This gave me hope the winter winds would be over soon.
Ciyin honed in on that location, speeding our flight. The single light became a dozen and then a hundred torches burned below us.
As we neared, I was finally able to make out the silhouettes of the enemy ships bobbing up and down in the water. Our approach went straight over the mighty behemoth flagship.
With a slow spiraling we descended for the creaking ship. Ciyin exited her turns, diving swiftly with a sword glinting in the night.
The sleeping soldier in the crow’s nest should have stayed awake. I watched his head bob with the boat’s rocking. I could even hear his snoring as Ciyin neared her prey.
Her dive allowed the tip of the blade to slice into his neck, alerting him with widening eyes that his time in this world was over.
He tried to give out a scream. His cries never escaped his lips, severing his fingers in desperation to free the blade lodged in his throat.
I watched with mild amusement as his eyes glazed over and blood oozed down his body. The fey carrying me timed the sway to land into the nest. I exited the six point harness, feeling free and chilly as my back lost the heat of my carrier.
With a cautious step I shifted to stand over the dead man. The big sway up high was giving me queasy sensations. Audry landed in the spot I was, quickly getting out of the harness.
Ciyin sheathed her sword, wishing me luck before lifting off. A minute later it was just Audry and I in the crow’s nest in the middle of the night.
“Master, which plan?” she asked as our flight of fey took to the sky. They’d be waiting above us if we needed them.
“You mean do we set the fleet ablaze from here or do we go for the glory and capture the big prize?” I asked and she nodded with a smirk. “I have no idea if the others are in position.”
“I think we should secure the ship first,” Audry said, liking the idea of adding the ship to our defenses.
Honestly, those numbskulls created this plan with one thing in mind. Capturing a massive ship to add to our side. I could resonate with that idea… if they did it. But no. It was my cold ass up in a crow’s nest feeling like I was about to get flung to the deck from the sway.
“If there is a mage, he or she will be on this boat,” I said with determination. “So… we climb down a swaying ladder in the dark… I hate this plan.”
Audry chuckled. “We’ll be fine, Master. I’ll go first.”
I watched her take the shoulder wide ladder one step at a time. Accepting my fate, I headed down into the dark night, clinging tightly with each step down.
My fixated grimace was warranted because the mast was over a hundred feet tall with no light.
The sway of the ship was not hypnotic; it was jarring. The tug of the anchor from the rocking wave had a jerk to the motion and the entire time I headed down I tried to keep from falling.
The worst flipping part was you could only go down safely when rocking forward. Every time the ship tilted back I clung tightly to the ladder.
During the discussion phase of the plan, landing on the deck would be instantly noticed. Landing in the nest would not. The sway ebbed as we neared the creaking deck, allowing for a quicker descent near the end.
No sailors patrolled the main deck for us to avoid. The fore, aft, bow, and stern lookouts never noticed two cloaked figures diving into the depths of the ship.
A steep stairwell near the mast allowed us into the belly of the ship. A single candle illuminated a dark hallway. Audry led the way, extracting a thin sword meant for precision. I pulled out the two halves of my staff that were draped across my back like a badass ninja.
After thinking about it, yeah, I was doing an epic assassin type mission. The two metallic halves screwed together, locking into place. When I was ready I nodded to Audry.
We went deeper into the ship, looking for the main hold. The elite guards, other key personnel, and important people, like the mages, would be near the top. We wanted to handle them after we secured the mass of sailors a vessel this large required.
Also… The first proposed plan had been to slit their throats, feeding them to the sea. Instead, I wanted the sailors to become prisoners of war with hard labor. We had a siege to prepare for and Harun Port was anything but ready.
The sound of grumbling men was drowned out by intense snoring that echoed up to our stairwell. I pulled power from my gem, readying a freezing spell that would last hours. We left the confined stairs for a dimly lit hallway.
A single guard sat on a barrel reading a book by candlelight. Our footfalls were so silent he never looked up when I froze him with a precise casting. I noticed his feet had webbed flippers for toes and there were slight gills on his neck.
I lifted the book out of his frozen hands, causing Audry to roll her eyes. How to rais
e chickens. I neared where his ear was frozen and said, “I can help you fulfill all your dreams. I’m from the city and can offer you sanctuary. I need some help though.”
He couldn’t answer me but his eyes showed curiosity more than fright or anger. Audry pulled lookout while I used the combination to unlock the spell that encased him.
“A Master Mage!” he whispered in excitement. “The Admiral is so screwed. Please save them.”
“Save whom?” I asked.
He pointed to the ceiling. “A floor up is the… the… pleasure slaves. I don’t take part, but I hear them crying every day with my enhanced ears. It… makes me sad.”
“I will. I promise. Right now I need to know. How many enemy mages are on board?” I asked. While I knew there would be slaves and people in horrid conditions they were a distant priority.
“None. Veno is low on mages and they don’t tell us peasants why. Our only mage is back in Zing Port for some reason,” the merman said.
I didn’t have a book of fey anatomy on me but that species was the guess. While I digested this news I gave him a longer inspection.
He was dirty with long greasy black hair. His dark eyes showed compassion not hate. He had soft skin that appeared moist. He was my height or shorter with a small frame. He seemed friendly and sincere. Even though I was here to conquer a ship, adding good workers was an option.
“Anything else we should know before I refreeze you?” I asked.
“We never get to mingle with the Admiral’s Elite. There should be a dozen or so and rumor has it, no mage can defeat them… Oh, and careful of the Admiral’s boys, they’re devoted beyond reason. One of em stabbed Marti in the thigh for saying he didn’t like the Admiral’s choice of food,” the water fey said.
“Your name?” I asked.
“Rickon,” he said with a genuine smile.
I froze him with a sigh. Hopefully he didn’t die in the ensuing battle that was becoming more and more likely. I’d feel bad if he did after helping me.
