by Hylton, PT
Fannar stared at Simon’s lively dark eyes and the hatred inside him grew. “And then you’ll use the Barskall army to attack Holdgate.”
Simon shrugged. “Perhaps eventually. It depends on how my other plans go. But Eril’s going to attack Holdgate anyway, and soon.”
“Is this why you destroyed our ship? So you could force me to do this for you?”
Simon cackled with laughter. “No! That was for a much more important reason. This is just a nice bonus.”
Fannar’s eyes moved again to the bottle of seiderdrek, which was still open on the desk.
“So those are your options, Barskall. Kill an evil warlord and save your friends, or refuse and die. What’s it going to be?”
* * *
“Kill the trespassers. Kill the trespassers. Kill the trespassers! KILL THE TRESPASSERS!”
Hekla went pale. “Um, guys? I think they might mean us.”
Dustin just shook his head. “Of all the people on The Foggy Day, she’s the one who makes it to the island?” He turned to Abbey. “Any thoughts on what we should do here?”
Abbey bit her lip as she considered that. The chant outside the strange ship was getting louder and louder. It seemed that more people were arriving. From the anger in their voices she didn’t think the crowd would be dispersing anytime soon, even if they wouldn’t desecrate their sacred place by setting foot on it.
“I guess we have two choices. Either spend the rest of our lives aboard this thing, or go out and try to calm them down.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” Dustin asked.
Abbey touched the hilt of her sword. “Then you get magical while Hekla and I start stabbing.”
Hekla nodded slowly. “Would this be a good time to mention I left my sword on The Foggy Day.”
“Wonderful,” Dustin muttered.
“Sorry I didn’t stop to pack before jumping off the ship to avoid a fiery death.”
Abbey held up a hand. “Would you both focus, please?” She walked toward the door, taking one last look at the map etched on the bulkhead, freezing the image in her mind. “When we get out there, I’ll try to talk to them. Dustin, be ready with the magic just in case.”
He tapped his staff against the floor and the metal rang. “You know I will be. I’m getting pretty good with lightning.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
With that, she led the way out onto the deck.
When she reached the rail, she stopped and waited for the others. The chanting petered out as the people saw her.
“Huh,” Hekla muttered. “I’m just going to go ahead and say it: this is really bad.”
The crowd in front of them looked even larger than it sounded. But more disconcerting than the size of the crowd was the way they were dressed. Their clothing varied, but every one of them wore a dark hood pulled down over their eyes.
Abbey scanned the crowd looking for a leader, but the hoods made them all look equal. There were men and women, tall and short, thin and wide, but none of them seemed to be elevated over the others.
She cursed softly in frustration. It would have been far easier to reason with an individual rather than an entire angry crowd. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
“Hello, everyone. As you may have guessed, we’re not from around here.” She paused, staring into the crowd to gauge their reaction to her words, but all she saw were the shadows under their hoods. “On behalf of my friends and myself, I’d like to apologize. We had absolutely no idea this was a sacred site. If we had known, we would have never gone aboard. I, for one, have learned a valuable lesson today.”
She glanced back at her friends. Hekla nodded enthusiastically and motioned for her to continue. Dustin just shrugged.
Turning back to crowd, she continued, “I think this is a great opportunity for us to come together, and…”
She trailed off when she heard the chant starting. It began quietly, near the back of the crowd, but it quickly picked up steam. “Kill them. Kill them. Kill them.”
“Okay, maybe we’re not all on the same page here.” Abbey held up her hands, as if that would calm them. “Dustin, maybe it’s time for the fallback plan now?”
In an instant the Storm Caller was at her side.
He planted the end of his staff on the metal deck, and his eyes went blue-green.
“Hekla!” Abbey motioned for the Barskall woman to stand on the other side of her.
“Ready?” Dustin asked through clenched teeth.
“Am I ready to face off against a hundred furious hooded zealots? No,” she put one hand on Dustin’s arm and the other on Hekla’s, “but let’s do it anyway.”
Hekla tensed. “Wait, what are we doing?”
“Follow my lead,” Abbey replied.
A powerful gust of wind flew out from Dustin, slamming into the crowd and carving a path through the middle of them.
As soon as the blast hit the crowd, Abbey tightened her grip on her friends and channeled her magic, reducing their weight as well as her own. She climbed onto the top of the rail and leaped as far as she could, carrying her friends with her.
With their reduced weight they made it nearly halfway through the crowd before they landed, touching down in the gap Dustin’s wind had created.
The moment they landed Abbey let go of her friends, returning them all to their normal weight. She sprinted through the gap, hoping she’d clear the crowd before the hooded men and women recovered from their surprise.
When she reached the edge of the gathering, she kept running. She risked only one quick glance over her shoulder, confirming that her friends were on her heels.
She followed the path of least resistance, heading downhill toward the beach they’d washed up on only an hour before. The shouts of the crowd followed them closely, but Abbey tried to ignore them. She didn’t want to fight these people, who were angry only because they felt their sacred site had been desecrated.
She would if she had to, but she didn’t want to.
They reached the edge of the forest and Abbey kept going, churning her feet through the sand toward the waterline. If it did come to a fight, they could stand with their backs to the water. That would keep the enemy from surrounding them as easily, and the sea would give Dustin a few more tools in his arsenal.
She stumbled to a halt in ankle-deep water and turned to face her enemies. To her surprised, the enemy was gone.
Hekla and Dustin stopped too.
The Barskall woman squinted into the woods. “They’re still there, watching from the edge of the trees.”
Abbey could see them too now, vague shapes in the shadows. Why wouldn’t they come past the tree line?
Dustin drew in a deep breath. “Abbey, look.”
She turned toward where he was pointing, and what she saw made her hand go to her sword. “Looks like we’re not in the clear yet.”
Six figures approached along the beach. Two of the them were children, but the other four...they had the look of warriors. Two men and one woman had swords drawn. The last one, a woman with red hair, appeared to be unarmed, but she strode toward them with a confidence that made it clear she could handle herself.
“Could be they’re friendly,” Hekla said.
“Yeah, right. Just like all the other inhabitants of this island.” Dustin planted his staff in the sand. His eyes turned blue-green, and the clouds above them began to darken.
Abbey drew her sword. They wouldn’t attack first, especially since the people had children with them. But if they wanted a fight, Abbey would be ready.
She stared at the group. Something about the woman with red hair seemed almost...familiar. For just a moment she thought she saw a little sparkle of light over the woman’s shoulder, but then it disappeared.
It took Abbey a moment, but then she remembered. “Dustin, stop! They’re not enemies.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
Abbey wasn’t sure how to answer the question without sound
ing like a crazy person.
The truth was, she’d seen the red-haired woman before. She was one of the heroines Abbey had seen in her dream.
Chapter Ten
“Absolutely not.” The magistrate’s voice was firm and his face was as cold as stone.
Benjamin clenched his fists, trying to keep his anger in check. “Didn’t you hear what Jarvi said?”
“Of course I did,” the magistrate snapped. “That’s exactly why I’m saying no.”
Benjamin looked frantically at the faces around the table. The gathered Storm Captains and Storm Callers could overrule the magistrate if they chose, but one glance at those faces told him it was probably a lost cause.
It was the second day of council meetings. On the first day, Jarvi had revealed what he’d learned on his journey south: In the month and a half since The Foggy Day had been there, Algon had somehow gotten their magic school up and running. It made no sense to Benjamin. They had wanted him to be the physical magic teacher. How could they have gotten a replacement and set things in motion so quickly?
Not only that, but it seemed that this physical magic user had taken to the seas. It was an open secret in Algon that they were responsible for the burning of the Undertow, and that any Holdgate ship which crossed into their waters would face a similar fate.
“I don’t understand,” Benjamin had said on that first day. He’d been quiet for most of the meeting since he wasn’t a Storm Caller or a Storm Captain, but he had to ask this. “Supposedly this physical magic user is running the school and wreaking havoc on the open sea?”
“Apparently he brought some followers with him when he came to Algon,” Jarvi clarified. “They call themselves ‘the Faithful.’ They are leading the classes while he’s away.”
Jarvi went on to explain that Algon had also struck a pact with the Barskall leader. Both groups wanted Holdgate wiped off the map, and it was only a matter of time before they made their move.
The morning of the second day, the magistrate had reconvened the council and Benjamin had somehow once again scored an invite. This time he was not remaining silent.
“The Foggy Day is out there, somewhere near Algon’s territory, and they have no idea the Algonians are targeting stormships. We need to send a stormship to find them.”
The magistrate sighed. “Benjamin, I understand you’re upset. Your daughter is on that ship.”
Benjamin clenched his teeth. “You understand? Really?”
The magistrate’s voice was cold when he answered. “Yes. If you’ll recall, my son was murdered not long ago on Captain Tor’s orders. So, yes, I understand being concerned for the wellbeing of your offspring.”
Benjamin looked away. “I… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about your loss.”
The magistrate waved the apology away. “I’ll explain one more time. Holdgate is facing a very serious threat, both at sea and on land. We have to keep our stormships and our fighters here. Sending out another stormship to find The Foggy Day would be foolish. They could just as easily be destroyed before they found The Foggy Day, and then we’d be down two ships. That may sound harsh, but we need to be practical.”
The former blacksmith drew a deep breath to calm himself before responding, “Abbey saved this city. I would think the city might want to at least try to do the same for her in return.”
“I understand the sentiment, but a sentiment is all it is.”
Twenty minutes later the magistrate dismissed the council. Benjamin was so torn up with worry and anger that he didn’t hear much of what was said during the remainder of the meeting. He only realized it was over when the men and women around him started to stand.
He made it all the way to the street before someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Jarvi and Captain Roy behind him.
“Are you all right?” Jarvi asked.
Benjamin nodded. “Just angry. And concerned. I trust Abbey to handle herself. She’s been through a hell of a lot, but something about this has me worried.”
“Still,” Captain Roy said, “you have to admit the magistrate has a point.” He paused, then smiled. “But we’re three old men. It’ll take more than a little logic to stop us.”
Benjamin blinked hard. “Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Jarvi just grinned.
“We can’t take Thunderclap,” Roy said. “The magistrate’s right—the city needs all the stormships. Besides, it would attract too much attention. But I know of a fishing vessel we might be able to borrow.”
“Are you sure about this?” Benjamin asked Roy. “The magistrate won’t be happy. You could lose your ship.”
Roy shrugged. “I’ve never been too worried about my reputation or my career. I’ll still have my striking good looks. Besides, after everything Abbey, Syd, and Dustin have done for this city, there’s no way we’re leaving them blind out there. I’m sure I can get a few sailors to sign on, but we need one more thing…a Storm Caller.”
Jarvi scratched at his head. “I think I know of one who isn’t assigned to a ship at the moment. Though he has sort of sworn off sailing.”
“You can’t be serious,” Benjamin exclaimed.
“I can,” Jarvi said with a smile, “and I am.”
They found Viktor at his usual spot, standing knee-deep in the water on a beach south of town. The Barskall Storm Caller spent most of his time there these days, communing with the water. After returning from Gren, he’d decided he’d had enough of stormcalling in any official capacity. Benjamin couldn’t blame him. He’d spent years being forced to train Storm Callers for the Barskall king, after all.
He looked wary when he saw them, so Benjamin got right to the point.
“Viktor, we need your help.”
The Storm Caller turned toward the sea. “I don’t do that anymore. Not like you’re asking, I mean. I think I’ve earned a little peace.”
Benjamin nodded. “I agree, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
Viktor sighed. “Everything’s important with you people. It’s always a—what’s the word?—crisis. Like I told you—”
“It’s The Foggy Day,” Benjamin interjected. “The ship’s in trouble. Abbey, Dustin, Syd, Olaf… They’re all in trouble.”
Viktor hesitated only a moment before he said, “I’ll get my things.”
* * *
“I’m telling you, Dustin,” Abbey insisted, “they aren’t our enemies, but if you start throwing magic at them you might change that real quick.”
Dustin clutched his staff, his eyes blazing bluish-green for another moment. Then he loosened his grip on the staff and his eyes returned to normal. “Abbey, you need to explain what’s going on.”
“Soon. I promise. But for now, put away your weapons and follow my lead.” She glanced at Hekla. “You too.”
Hekla frowned. “It’s always talking and plotting with you people. In Barskall we fight first and figure out if they’re friends or enemies later.”
Abbey glared at her.
She sighed. “Fine, have it your way.”
The other group was almost to them now. Abbey had only a moment to figure out how she was going to convince them they were friendly without coming off as a crazy person.
She raised her hands in a sort of double wave, mostly to show that she wasn’t holding a weapon. “Hello!”
The woman with the red hair exchanged a glance with the blond-haired man with the sword.
“Don’t worry,” Abbey said as they approached. “We’re, you know, good guys.”
Dustin sighed. “Smooth.”
The red-haired woman looked skeptical. The others kept their weapons drawn, but they seemed to relax a little. They exchanged a reserved but peaceful greeting.
The red-haired woman’s name was Rhona, and the blond was her brother Alastar. The other man was named Donnon, and the woman was Estair. The children didn’t introduce themselves.
“We’re from Holdgate,” Abbey said dumbly, as if that w
ould explain their presence on this beach.
"It's not illogical to think that a Storm Raider would be with the Dark Society," Donnon said in almost a whisper to his friends.
Alastar’s eyes narrowed. “Are you Storm Raiders?”
“No,” Dustin replied, his voice a little sharp. “Why would you assume that?”
Abbey raised a hand. “We’re good guys.”
“So you said,” Rhona replied. “But we have a bit of experience with people who say they’re the good guys.”
"So you're not with the Dark Society?" Alastar asked. "Not with Lady Mowain?"
"We're not. In fact, we’ve never heard of her." Dustin leaned forward on his staff. The move was meant to look casual, but Abbey knew it was intended to keep him ready to cast at a moment’s notice. “Listen, maybe we should all just go our separate ways.”
“Not yet,” Abbey snapped. She looked at Rhona. “I know how crazy this sounds. We met each other two minutes ago, but I think we have a lot in common. I know your magic can control shadows.”
Alastar raised his sword. “How do you know that?”
Abbey stammered for a moment, not sure whether to tell the truth. But if her dreams were real—and she was now convinced they were—she had a lot in common with this woman. If she couldn’t be honest with her, who could she be honest with?
She drew a deep breath before speaking. “I saw it in a dream.”
Rhona glanced at Alastar. “Well, that’s not the strangest thing we’ve ever heard.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s true,” her brother answered.
Abbey pushed on. She didn’t care if Alastar believed her. It was Rhona she needed to convince. “Maybe I was shown that dream so I’d be ready for this moment. See, we’re shipwrecked on this island. We need help getting off.”
She briefly recounted their experiences since they’d been on the island, including nearly being killed by the cult in dark hoods.
“I’m sorry to hear about your troubles,” Estair said, crossing her arms, “but we’re not leaving. We just got here.”
