She smiled weakly. “Eels? But you’re so big.”
He chuckled. “Not all mermen are as large as I am. I’ve been told I am huge. As for the eels… they’re even bigger. We do ride other animals too. One of my friends prefers to ride a shark whilst another rides a giant seahorse.”
“A giant seahorse?”
“Oh, yes. They can get much bigger than the ones you land-dwellers know of.” He grinned. “Have another apple. You will need your strength for tomorrow when we continue.” Perhaps he would be able to catch a rabbit tomorrow – if any were still alive. The smarter animals would still be hiding. “Try to get some rest. At the pace you can travel, it will take us another three or four days to reach Averton, maybe longer. However, you are not heavy. If you ride on my back, we can make it there much sooner.”
“Will that be okay? You won’t get tired or hurt carrying me?”
Blue Scales smirked and flexed his muscles. She giggled. “Do not worry. Now that I am healed, I can easily carry you the rest of the way.”
* * *
Blue Scales sat up. The sounds of combat drifted through the air. Amy must have heard them too because she looked up fearfully. She’d been on the verge of falling asleep, but any trace of tiredness was gone. In its place was the wary alertness of the hunted. Blue Scales got to his feet and grabbed his trident. “Stay here. I will be back.”
“But…” He could see the thoughts swirling through her mind. She had already lost her family and her village. If something happened to him, then she would be alone again.
“Do not worry.” He was all too aware of the figure he cut, his broad frame all but blocking the moonlight as the firelight glittered off his scales. “A dragon could not kill me. I can handle some bandits. I promise I will return. Wait here.”
She nodded, and he loped through the darkness, glad for his keen eyes that could see even in the dark, poorly lit depths of the ocean. He followed the sounds of battle until he reached an area beside the river. A group of men had surrounded a woman and a wounded man. From the way they were leering at her, their intentions were clear. He bared his teeth. Scum. Moreover, he knew the couple. The woman was named Alice, and she’d been a ranger with the caravan. Her husband, Colbert, was a former soldier turned mercenary. They must have survived the attack somehow, but Colbert was barely conscious and clearly in need of healing. Had he been well, Blue Scales had no doubt the pair could have easily handled the bandits. As it was, Alice was limping, and there was no way she could fend off the group and protect her husband at the same time. His eyes narrowed. This would go no further.
With a thunderous roar, he burst out into the open and slammed into the closest of the men. Blue Scales was seven feet tall and more than three hundred pounds of hardened scales and pure muscle. The bandit was dead before he knew what hit him. As the others turned in startled terror, he swung his trident. The weapon struck with punishing force and scattered the group.
“[Water Spear]!”
Spears of water rose out of the river and lanced into the panicked bandits. The remainder turned to run and he slew two more before Alice put arrows in the remaining three. As the last of them toppled to the ground, Blue Scales knelt and began to search their bodies for anything of use. He would not shed any tears for these men. His lips curled up into a faint smile as his search revealed something useful. One of them had a healing potion.
“Blue Scales!” Alice cried. “I’m glad to see you survived! I wasn’t sure anyone else had.”
He handed her the potion. “Drink it. It should heal your wounds.”
She shook her head. “Colbert needs it more.”
“He is too badly wounded for the potion to heal, but do not fear. I can heal him if we get him into the water.” Blue Scales gathered anything else useful into a sack and then lifted Colbert up onto his shoulders. The man was fairly tall and broad-shouldered for a human, but Blue Scales had no problems carrying him. He dangled him into the water and used [Healing Water] to handle his injuries. It was not as powerful as the magic that had healed him, but the gods of the Deep did not favour Colbert. Eventually, he lifted a much wetter but far healthier Colbert out of the river.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” They clasped arms. “Thank you.”
“It is fine.” Blue Scales scanned their surroundings. “I don’t sense anyone else nearby, but have you run into anyone other than those bandits?”
“No.” Alice scowled. “That damn dragon. We never stood a chance.” She shook her head. “Those bandits are the only ones we’ve run into except you. If we weren’t already injured… but that doesn’t matter. Where are you going now? We can’t stay here. The dragon might come back.”
“I am going to Averton. They must be warned, and perhaps I can find more work there.” He grimaced. “I doubt any of us are going to get paid.”
Colbert’s lips twitched. “No, I don’t think we are.” He ran one hand through his hair. “By the gods, what a mess. There were a lot of good people in the caravan and many dependable warriors. To have them all wiped out so quickly…”
Blue Scales put one hand on his shoulder. “I know how you feel. There are krakens and leviathans in the Deep. Some still bear scars from dragon fire. Against such a foe, there was nothing else we could have done.”
“I know.” Colbert’s jaw clenched. “It just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Blue Scales nodded in understanding. Colbert was a capable man. It was rare for such people to feel so utterly helpless. “I also found a child. She was from a nearby village, but the dragon put an end to it.”
Alice winced. “Before we ran into the bandits, we went looking for help. We came across a huge swathe of melted earth where a village used to be. If she’s from there, I doubt there are any other survivors.”
Blue Scales had already reached the same conclusion, but he had still hoped he might be wrong for Amy’s sake. “She says she has an uncle in Averton, so I hope to see her safely to him before we part ways.”
“You’re a good man,” Colbert said. “Most people wouldn’t have bothered to help her – or us. Do you mind if we tag along? There might be more bandits around, and three fighters will have an easier time of driving them off than one.”
“By all means.” He had known them for a little over a month, and they’d proven to be good, decent people. If nothing else, as Colbert had said, there was strength in numbers. “We three won’t have much luck if we face the dragon again, but we should be able to handle anything else we encounter.”
* * *
They continued toward Averton. Amy had been wary of Alice and Colbert at first, but she had relaxed a little when she realised that Blue Scales knew them. The pair also went out of their way to be friendly, and Blue Scales remembered something they’d once mentioned over the campfire and some rabbit stew. They were eventually planning to retire and start a family – not in the next year or two, but hopefully once they’d made a bit more money and secured some long-term employment, perhaps as part of a town’s guard or as a nobleman’s retainers.
Along the way, they encountered several other groups, some friendlier than others. However, their increased numbers, to say nothing of Blue Scales’s intimidating presence, deterred anyone from causing any real trouble. With the three adults in the group all in good condition, he was confident they could hold their own. He and Colbert were both capable melee fighters, and Alice was skilled with a bow. The pair also had useful Words at their command although neither possessed the raw power Blue Scales had. True to his word, he carried Amy on his back most of the way. That allowed them to set a quicker pace, and the girl was too light to trouble him.
Another day into the journey, and they were close enough to Averton to encounter larger groups of people intent on fleeing to what they viewed as a safe haven. News of the dragon had spread, and many from outlying villages and smaller settlements had decided to take their chances in the larger town. It was doubtful Averton could muster enough to deter a trul
y determined dragon, but the local nobility must surely have appealed to the king for aid. The loss of Averton, a major trading town, would be devastating, so reinforcements were likely already on their way. Following the crowd along the road, they continued on until they reached Averton.
Passing through the gates, Blue Scales wished Colbert and Alice the best of luck and bid them farewell. They knew some of the local guardsmen, so they would try to find more work or flee the area entirely since there was nothing tying them to this place. He was sure many would do the same given the capricious nature of dragons. Without a truly spectacular hoard to hold it here, the dragon was as likely to leave as it was to stay. As for Amy, the girl had only a vague idea of where her uncle lived. It took them several tries and most of the day before they finally managed to find the right place.
“That’s my uncle’s house!” Amy cried.
Blue Scales studied the house. It wasn’t the largest building, but it was in a good neighbourhood. The fence around it was stout and well maintained, and there were a handful of servants watching them from the other side although none had recognised Amy yet. However, they were watching Blue Scales with wary eyes.
He called out, careful to keep his voice from sounding threatening. A few moments later, a middle-aged man emerged. As soon as he saw Amy, he ordered the gate thrown open and hurried toward them.
“Amy!” he shouted. “What happened? I heard rumours about your village and –”
Amy threw herself at him. “Uncle Balon!”
Blue Scales allowed them some time to themselves before he spoke. “Sir, I was part of a caravan that was destroyed by the dragon. I managed to survive, and I encountered Amy soon after. Her village…” He trailed off and shook his head. Balon shut his eyes briefly. He must have held out hope that the rumours were wrong. “When she told me about you, I decided to bring her here.”
Balon drew in a ragged breath. “I… I had feared the worst. The thought that I could lose not only my brother and his wife but also my niece…” He tightened his hold on Amy. “It means the world to me that you brought her here safely. I do not know how I can thank you. I am not a rich man, but I’ve done well enough. I can –”
Blue Scales grinned and held up one hand. “A hearty dinner and some food for the road will suffice. I have made oaths and vows to protect and guard the innocent. I would be a disgrace to my people and my gods if I had left Amy unaided.”
A broad smile crossed Balon’s face. “If it is a hearty dinner you want, then you shall have it! It will be a feast fit for a hero!”
Blue Scales ate well that night and stayed until the next morning. Not long after dawn, he said his goodbyes.
“Thank you.” Amy hugged him as best she could.
“You are most welcome.” Blue Scales smiled and lifted her up, so they could see eye to eye. “My people have a saying: give to others what you would wish for yourself. I have helped you, Amy. If you wish to repay me, then find a way to help others.” He set her back down and then handed her a small charm, one of several he had carved during his time with the doomed caravan. It had survived the attack because it had been in a pouch he wore at his side. “And if you ever run into any of my people, show them this. It will tell them you are a friend of mine.”
With a smile on his lips and a spring in his step, Blue Scales walked away. Amy waved until she could no longer see him and then put the charm around her neck. When she closed her eyes, she could have sworn she heard the sea.
* * *
“Not that I mind seeing civilisation again,” Eric drawled. “And the ladies that come with it, but why are we here? There isn’t much work in this area – there hasn’t been since some dragon turned up and burned half the countryside down. I heard they finally managed to drive it off, or it could have just heard there was better territory and riches someplace else.”
Blue Scales grinned. Eric might like to wander, but he liked having a woman now and then, and women were in short supply in the middle of the forest or on missions where death was a constant danger. Besides, there wasn’t much point in having a lot of money if there wasn’t anything to spend it on. “I am visiting an old friend. It has been a few years since I’ve seen her, and I want to know how she’s doing.”
“An old friend, eh?” Eric waggled his eyebrows suggestively. It was, Blue Scales thought, a talent of his, just as much as his skill with a spear was. “What kind of old friend?”
The merman threw his head back and laughed. “Not that kind. She would be around ten years old by now.”
Eric made a face. “Ten years old? How do you know a ten-year-old girl?” Blue Scales recounted the tale, and Eric nodded in understanding. “I get it. I’d want to check on her too in your position. Let’s drop by and see how she’s doing. It’d be annoying to save someone only for them to get run over by a wagon or something.”
Blue Scales had a good memory, and it wasn’t long before they were standing in front of the same house he’d left years ago. It was bigger than he remembered, and the fence around it was new. Hopefully, it was a case of Balon moving up in life and not someone else moving in. If they had moved, he had no idea how he’d find them. However, his worries were for nought. He saw Balon through the fence and waved. The man stared for a second and then hurried to open the gate. As he walked through the gate, Blue Scales took note of the little boys who’d stopped running around in favour of staring at him in awe. There was a woman next to Balon too. He must have married and had children. Balon called into the house, and Amy appeared. She took one look at him and ran over. A lesser man might have been knocked over – she’d most certainly grown – but Blue Scales barely moved as she cannoned into him.
“Blue Scales!” The girl looking up at him was taller, but there was no mistaking who she was. She was smiling too. He hoped the years had been kind.
“You’ve grown,” he said as Amy grabbed his hand and practically dragged him into the house.
“You haven’t.” She was smiling from ear to ear.
Eric chuckled. “That’s a good thing. He’s big enough already.”
“Is he a friend of yours?” Amy asked. Eric must have cut an interesting figure with his lazy smile and his spear slung over one shoulder. Yet only a fool would have missed the casual ease and predatory grace of his movements. He wasn’t as large as Blue Scales, but no one with working eyes would dismiss him as an easy foe to face.
“He is a good friend of mine. He can be a little rough around the edges, but there is no better man to have beside you in battle.” He smirked. “Although he can look a bit scruffy at times.”
Eric smirked back. “Sure, I might look scruffy, but you wander around in a loincloth.”
“I’m a merman. I can get away with it.”
“It is good to see you again.” Balon shook Blue Scales’s hand. “Can you stay for dinner?”
“Dinner does sound good,” Eric pointed out.
“Yes. We had intended to be in the area for several days.” Blue Scales nodded at the house around them. “You’ve done well, it seems.”
“The gods have been kind.” Balon ruffled Amy’s hair, and she gave him a playful scowl. “And Amy here has just been accepted as an apprentice by one of the local healers.”
“Is that so?”
Amy beamed. “Yes! That way, I can help others the way you helped me!”
“Well done,” Blue Scales replied. “The world could always use more healers.”
“Come on.” Amy tugged on his hand. “Dinner should be ready soon, and I bet you have lots of stories, right?”
“I might have a few.” Blue Scales ducked to avoid bumping his head as they passed through the door. “Life as an adventurer is many things, but boring isn’t one of them.”
“Can you tell me some stories?”
“Gladly.” Blue Scales’s stomach rumbled as the smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the air. The seas were his home, but times like this made life on land worth living. “Would you prefer to
hear one about a hydra or a sea serpent? Or perhaps both?”
Part Two – Lingering Darkness
In retrospect, Aria should have known that something was going to go wrong. She’d never been the luckiest person in the world – being forced to flee from her former comrades after being accused of heresy for the fourth time was hardly a sign of good fortune although she supposed her continued survival might be – and sailing across barren, haunted waters that were considered cursed by dwarves, vampires, and mermen was asking for trouble. She’d overheard Eric and Blue Scales talking, and anything bad enough to worry the merman was bad enough to have her on edge. She could only hope that whatever horrors had destroyed the dwarves and driven off an undersea explorer were either slumbering or had weakened over the centuries.
Of course, those hypothetical horrors were no longer at the forefront of her mind. Oh no. She had a much more immediate horror to worry about. Sea serpents were massive aquatic creatures that largely resembled their land-dwelling cousins, but they were far larger and vastly more durable. An adult sea serpent could easily sink a ship if left unchallenged, and the largest of them could threaten entire fleets. What they were facing now was far worse than a regular sea serpent. Most of those could be driven away if you made trying to sink a ship painful enough.
The shape that loomed over the ship was fifty feet long, which meant there was likely double that length or more still lurking beneath the waves. Thick, interlocking plates of bone covered a serpentine frame that was wrought entirely of more bones, all of it saturated with foul, corrupting necromantic energy. Her jaw clenched. She’d never faced a bone serpent before, but she’d heard stories. A normal sea serpent could often be driven away by some well-placed attacks to its eyes or gills. A bone serpent was nothing more than a collection of bones animated and reinforced through necromancy. It had no real eyes to attack and no gills or other soft tissue to target.
The only ways to kill a bone serpent were to either smash it into enough pieces or to find and destroy its core, a sphere that served as a focal point for the foul magic that animated it. However, the core was usually difficult to locate and always heavily protected. At a glance, Aria could already tell that the thick plates of bone that covered the monster would be difficult to get past. Moreover, there was no easy way to tell where the core was although the two most common places were supposed to be the head and the body.
Attempted Adventuring (The Attempted Vampirism Series Book 2) Page 11
