by K. T. Tomb
What did you do? Jarreth bellowed at Sunny, and only got a lifted lip, and a gleam of an over-sized incisor as a response.
Within moments, the trees were alive, and the camp was swarmed. They fought, but in the dark, and burdened as each person was with armor and shields, they were quickly overwhelmed. Haervey, true to his word, bulled forward behind his shield, and knocked a number of the attackers back. Bellowing his outrage at seeing his fellow crew members disabled one by one, he flung his shield at the closest target he could find, and drew his great-sword. A massive, two handed sweep of the blade disemboweled two of the bestial humanoids directly in front of him. He followed the swing through, adjusting the arc of the blade slightly upwards and it bit deep into the ribs and spine, directly below the arm, of a third attacker that leapt at him from the left. The sword lodged between vertebrae, and as the mortally wounded beast fell to the ground, Haervey’s sword was pulled from his hands. He quickly drew the two short, thicker-bladed cutlasses from his sides, and fell into a rhythmic dance of slashes and parries, riposts and stop-thrusts as he began carving a path toward the edge of the barrier.
Soon, the way cleared, and he was almost home when a crushing blow caught him from behind. One of the natives that he had previously knocked down with his shield threw himself into his leg. He felt hot blood gush into his boot. He felt an odd tear and his hamstring rolled up underneath the skin, hobbling him. He turned wildly and hammered the cross-guard into the assailant, feeling fluid and blood gush across his hand. He began frantically limping forward, but four of the others that were down and not dead leaped on his back. He felt teeth tear at his ring mail, and the combined weight crushed him to the ground. Something collided with the side of his head, and the world got darker by the second, until the light faded away.
Take them out of here, the beasts’ commander said. Bring them to the dwelling. We will deal with them there.
What about this one? one of them asked.
He is as good as dead—leave him where he fell. Perhaps his skeleton will be a warning if others follow.
One by one, the crew members were shouldered onto the beasts who, as silently as they had arrived, vanished into the forest.
Haervey awakened to the snarl of a large gold and black cat. Wondering how he is alive, he fumbled at his belt for his knife, and the leopard stepped over him, and stopped with her belly above him, straddled his prostrate body, and growled even lower in her throat.
He turned his aching head to the side, looked straight underneath the leopard’s throat and saw a monstrous bear.
I was almost food for that? he thought to himself.
It’s a good thing I like that Ri of yours so much. When I felt her mind vanish to nothing but a spark, I had to come see what happened. It appears you and your pride did something to infuriate the Aptoree.
“Yae kin ‘ere me though’s?” he asked out loud.
It is so much easier for me to understand you if you just think your words at me, the leopard replied. You have a strange… way of saying words.
Aye, I can think at you, if you prefer, he communed to the beast.
We need to get you out of here, the leopard said. Can you walk?
I can hardly breathe, Haervey replied. My leg is ruined, or it feels that way. I need to get back to the ship. Will you help me?
Perhaps if you would just acknowledge that being on four legs is better than two, you wouldn’t have this problem. Haervey was astonished at the leopard’s sense of humor. Yes, I will help you.
My thanks, he said. What should I call you?
Dapple. Call me Dapple. Let’s get you up. She slid under him, and lifted with incredible strength until Haervey was on his good foot. She stepped up next to his bad leg until his hand was solidly on her back. Let’s go, and with that she took a slow step forward. Haervey gimped along with her, stopping to rest every few minutes. They encountered no one.
By the way, she said, did you know one of your eyes is dangling from your head?
I thought it was funny that I could see the ground and straight in front of me all at once, he replied glibly. Find me a still pool of water that I can see my reflection in. She quickly led him off the trail, and into a quiet glen where there was a clear, deep pool. Haervey sat down, and quickly pushed his eye back into his head with a shout of pain. He then stripped himself, and climbed into the water. He hissed as the cold water stung in the myriad of cuts, bruises and tears he had all along his body.
Is my belt still over there? he asked Dapple.
What is a belt? she replied.
It’s that long piece of leather—dried animal hide—with the big shiny square in the middle. Can you drag it over here for me?
Dapple quickly located the strange, removable part of the human’s fur and pulled it to his side.
He fumbled with one of the pouches for a moment, and then pulled out a tin jar. He opened it and almost gagged at the stench. The leopard snarled and tensed, as if to pounce.
You hold evil in your hands, she accused.
It may smell that way, but it’s not evil. It’s… medicine…. If you get a scratch, or a bite from another creature, or take a wound from an antler, you lick until the wound is clean. We—humans that is—can’t reach everywhere. This is something one of the other males in my pride makes for all of us. It does the same thing, except this particular medicine will fight infection and it will work much faster than licking.
That is ridiculous, Dapple replied. Anything that smells like that will kill you.
Let’s hope it doesn’t kill either of us, Haervey said back. Because I’ll need you to apply it to the wounds on my back.
With what? Dapple suspiciously asked.
Well, you could use your paws—just dab some on in the jar, and then rest it on any wound you see until all the wounds are covered. Or you could use your tongue, if that better suits you.
I will not be putting that in my mouth, Dapple replied, clearly affronted.
Well, it’s the only way this journey speeds up. Once you apply this, you can go hunt. I will rest for a while.
Good idea, Dapple said. I’m feeling hungry anyway. Although, that, and she indicated the medicine jar with a push of her nose, might scare off anything in the area.
That’s fine, Haervey replied. I’ll need to sleep for a while anyway. One more thing. I’ll need your help with this—you have to slice open the back side of my leg so I can reconnect my hamstring. Just a light slice, so that I can reach under, straighten the tendon, and apply a glob of medicine to the two ends that need to be reconnected. Then I’ll pass out, and you can get food.
Throughout the process of applying the salve, Haervey was in excruciating pain. However, once it was done, he laid forward, placed his head on a mossy knoll near the edge of the pool, and promptly fell into the deep sleep of the almost dead.
When he awakened, he was disoriented. He moved, and his entire body protested. His vision was restored—thanks to the salve—and he could feel his leg slowly knitting itself back together. Thank you Hugh, he thought to himself. He gingerly sat up, the muscles in his leg screaming their protest, and he saw Dapple contentedly chewing on the carcass of a small deer.
I saved the heart for you, she said.
Thank you, he replied, and gently made his way over to her. The heart was warm and he felt the strength returning to his limbs as he ate it raw.
Are you ready to go? Dapple asked.
Yes, let’s get back to the ship.
Their return journey was uneventful, and their parting was brief. As the leopard prowled away into the shadows, he thought about how much he would miss her, if he never encountered her again when they returned.
Now I just have to get this ship home, by myself. Great. Well, it’s a good thing Hugh taught me a little something. He set the rigging and the spar, and made sure that everything was in place. He took the tiller, a light breeze helped propel him forward. The prow shuddered as it neared the veil. Soon the entire ship was shaking
beneath his feet. Focused on the ship, he willed it forward with all his might, but the veil resisted. He focused even harder, pushed with every last ounce of his concentration. All of a sudden, the pull of the veil dragged the ship through. The pressure in the veil was unbearable, the boards of the ship creaked and groaned under the pressure. As the ship moved forward, the ropes snapped and one of the sails is dragged up, ripped off and blown away into nothing. Haervey’s arms were bulging as he tried to keep the ship on track. As he exited the veil, something broke loose, and slammed into Haervey’s midsection. He was knocked back, and at the odd feeling of being outside his body he looked down.
Hell, he thought, as he reached behind himself and found the board protruding from his lower back. How it missed my spine, I have no idea. Before he blacked out, he fired off his distress flare. Every ship in Vorbasse was outfitted with one. The Vorbassion flares were unique. The flare sky rocketed upwards and exploded, and in doing so it sent glowing orbs out along the four cardinal directions. Once seen, a Sentient could follow the path of the orb back to its origination point.
Chapter Nine
Haervey woke up, feeling as if he was floating on air. His head felt pillowed on a cloud, and remarkably, he felt no pain.
Valhalla then, he thought to himself, looking around the whitewashed room he was in. Light came from some unknown source, and faded to darkness at the far end. He started to get up, and realized he was in a bed. He tried to swing his legs onto the floor, but something caught his ankles.
Where the hell am I? he thought. Then he noticed the shackles chaining his feet to the end of the bed and his hands to the rails at his side. Not Valhalla, then. Someone must have seen the distress signal, and pulled me off the water. That can only mean the Guild. That can only be bad. He looked around again, and tried to find something to use to free himself. The door opened at the far end of the room, and closed loudly.
“Ah, I see you’re awake,” someone said to him.
“Aye,” he replied in a low growl, “an’ ahm shaekled tae tha be’.”
“Well, you are a prisoner here,” the attendant replied. “You were discovered just outside a veil that is off-limits to every sailor and ship in this world. So clearly, you were somewhere you shouldn’t have been.”
“Ah wan’ tae talk to the Jarl Algoth,” Haervey said. “Other than tha’, I am nae saein’ a wor’.”
“I’ll see what can be done about that,” the attendant said coldly, and examined the warrior for any signs of lingering damage. Not finding any, he said, “You have two options—you can tell me what you were doing, or be moved to a private cell. They are not comfortable, but they are clean and dry. You will not suffer there.” He finished the statement so that it sounded like a question.
Haervey just glared at him. “Well, I take it you’re a man of your word. Fine, cell it is. We will make an effort to reach the jarl in the morning.”
A number of days went by, and the only reason Haervey knew this was because the jailer came at regular intervals with food and fresh changes of clothes, and once a bucket of water and soap. Finally, the same attendant that was in his recovery room when he awoke came down and said, “The jarl has appointed an adjudicator for you.”
“Grae’,” Haervey replied. “When is me treeal? I ‘ave tae ge’ bah,” he finished.
“Your trial is right now, as a matter of fact,” the attendant replied.
“E’en be’er. Ge’ it oe’er wi.”
He was marched up the stairs and into the center of a large, round room.
“You stand accused of being the captain of a black crew. In addition, you are also accused of being a renegade sentient. Since your ship was discovered after what had clearly been some kind of battle, and you have no crew members with you, it is also assumed that they are dead. By extension, and under Guild law, you are responsible for those deaths, and so you face the charge of murder as well. How is it that you plead?” The judge read off of a sheet in front of him, leveling the charges against Haervey.
“Plea?” Haervey said, a cool look on his face. “I plea’ nae guil’y is ‘ow I plea.” But he did not say more.
“Very well,” the judge replied. “Are you trained at all in Guild law?”
“Nae,” Haervey said back.
“Do you have an adjudicator to represent you, or would you prefer the Guild provide you one?”
“I am taeld I ‘ave an adjucator, bu’ I nae e’er me’ tha man,” Haervey said back.
“Is the adjudicator present?” the judge asked the crowd.
“I am,” the Adjudicator replied, and stepped forward to stand next to Haervey.
The trial began, and there were quite a few witnesses called to the stand. At one point, one of the witnesses said he saw bodies on the ship. The adjudicator hammered on this detail for so long, the judge almost began to fall asleep, but then the witness slipped up and said something contradictory to his previously given testimony. Then Haervey was called to the stand, in his own defense. He answered all the questions with a perfectly calm demeanor.
“Look,” Haervey said to the Guild lawyer, “I taeld yeh once: I nae am tha captain. Thae crew of tha’ ship is still alive, and we can get to them—we can rescue them—and praeve tha I am nae liar.”
At this point, the judge, finally realizing that there is no evidence to convict, ruled in favor of Haervey.
Once outside the Guild hall, “Aerl,” Haervey called, as they are leaving the chambers, “Aerl Algot’?”
“Aye?” the jarl said, and turned to see who was calling his name.
“Thank yeh fer ge’in me ou’ o’ there,” Haervey said. “Ar yeh saendin’ men ba’ tae tha waerl?”
“Aye,” the jarl said. “You’re welcome to join us if you like, but we’re not going back to rescue anyone,” Algoth said. He added, “you’ll be under my command, and if you can deal with that, then we’ll welcome your help.”
“Yeh’ll ‘ave it. I cen shae ya where the demons attacked us, an’ perhaps yeh’ll need tae wipe ‘em ou’,” Haervey said, and revenge glittered in his eyes.
“Aye, perhaps it’ll come to that,” the Jarl said. “But,” Algoth held up a hand in warning, “I won’t needlessly sacrifice my men for a pointless reason.”
“Nae need tae worry abou’ tha’,” Haervey said, and all the while, he thought of how he could get the jarl to let him command a group of his men.
“Follow us back to Vorbasse, then,” Algoth said. “That way you can leave right from there aboard one of my ships.” Haervey agreed, and he grabbed his gear and weapons from the Guild member that logged them in and headed back to the jarl’s keep.
Within a few days, the jarl sailed in his fleet of five ships. Each ship was outfitted with a full complement of cavalry; heavy, medium and light infantry. Each ship was fitted with recorders and their helpers and apprentices; sentients and their apprentices as well. They sailed towards the veil, and Haervey’s eyes almost fell out of his head—again—as he watched the sentients all join forces to expand the veil so that the Jarl’s fleet could sail through all at once. As the last ship finally sailed through, they anchored a couple hundred yards off shore.
Back again. Let’s see if this place tries to kill me one more time. Three might be the charm, but I won’t let ‘em have the time to get a third shot in on me.
“You said that whatever is out there attacks at night, right?” the jarl asked Haervey.
“Aye, tha’s wheen thae attacked us,” Haervey said.
“Have you ever seen them on the water?” Algoth asked Haervey.
“Nae,” Haervey said. “Ah’ve ne’er seen ‘em onae wa’er, an’ mehbe if we’da saye’ out ‘ere, well, mehbe it would’ae been differnt.”
The recorders came and took Algoth off to the side, and with them are a number of the sentients.
“We think we may have found a way into the forest via one of these streams,” one of the jarl’s recorders said. “We should be ready to launch a scouting party fi
rst thing in the morning and from there we should be able to gain enough map intel to figure out what we’re up against, and if there is a stronghold, etc.”
“Ok,” the jarl said. Then he asked, “what advantage does it give us if we scout via the waterways or the forest?”
“Well sir, for one thing, it keeps our men safer. For another thing, it allows us to get our ships deeper into the forest. That gives us a better secondary escape plan. It also—if we get into something heavy—gives us a chance to bring artillery to bear—of course only if we need it,” he added.
The jarl nodded and let his captains continue discussing strategy. As soon as the sun rose the next morning, the jarl launched his scout ships. They sailed down one of the main, deeper-looking streams. Once the sun went down, the scout teams anchored their longboats in the middle of the river. They were all alert and prepared to get ambushed at any time. They made it through the night, and continued scouting up river, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Eventually they came to one of the edges of the mental barrier that Hugh marked on the map he gave Kaerl. The same map that Haervey was able to recover and bring back to the ship—back through the portal with him.
“We should turn back at this point,” one of the jarl’s men said.
“Wae?” Haervey asked. “We nee’ tae see wha’ lies up yon reever.”
“The jarl’s orders were clear—once we confirm we can get to this point by river, we turn around and sail back to the ships.”
“Aye,” Haervey said. “An’ wha’ if we brin’ wee beashties bahk’ wiv us? Wha’ if thae foolow us bahk?”
“That is an acceptable risk. You are not a commander here. Stand down now, or you will be tried and executed.”
Haervey held up both hands to signal his submission at this point. They turned their skiffs around and quickly headed back downstream. The current—mild as it was—was a major aid and they returned to the jarl’s camp just as night fell.
They reported to one of the jarl’s on-duty recorders, and then they went into the makeshift longhouse to fall sleep.
