by William King
The giant clutched at him. Knowing that being caught in that bear hug would be certain death, Kormak let himself drop, still clutching the hilt of his sword. The downward tug of his weight pulled the blade free.
Another huge missile cleaved the air. A ballista bolt protruded right through the chieftain’s neck. Kormak saw Terves’s crew had rotated their weapon to cover the deck. They loaded another bolt. Kormak threw himself forward, chopping with his blade. The giant chieftain, off-balance, topped backwards into the sea.
Serena had called back her elementals. With full sails, the galleon leapt forward leaving the drowning giants behind. The crew raked their targets with ballista bolts and fireflasks until nothing moved on the surface of the sea, save the gulls that had come to feast on floating flesh and the sharks drawn by the scent of blood.
Chapter Fifteen
“We cannot thank you enough, Admiral,” said Frater Rik, as they waited for the boat that would carry him and the last of the survivors back to Port Wrath. “None of us would be alive today if it were not for you and your crew.”
“You can thank the guardian,” said Zamara with mock humility. “He is the one who convinced me there was a chance. Without him, we would not have known to look for you.”
The priest turned to Kormak and said. “The Holy Sun sent you to us in our hour of need.”
Kormak accepted his blessing. “Perhaps, Frater. Perhaps.”
“Rest assured our prayers will be with you in the coming days,” said Rik.
Kormak glanced at the open ocean beyond him and the sun sinking in the direction of Terra Nova. He thought about Vorkhul and his sarcophagus; he thought about the bodyguard who might have tried to kill him. He thought about Burk and his master Orson Waters. “I fear I am going to need them.”
“You have nothing to fear, Guardian,” said the priest. “Walk in light.”
His words filled Kormak with a warm glow. Just for that moment, he felt that he could.
“It’s time to go,” said the priest, clambering into the sling to be lowered to the boat.
The townsfolk stood on the pier for a long time, waving at them as they set off. Serena set her elementals to work, and the galleon headed towards the setting sun.
Kormak stood beside Rhiana, hand in hand, watching the sun sink. “You look happier,” she said.
“I am,” he said, and smiled and kissed her. For the moment, he felt at peace.
The changeling looked around the small cabin and at the huge man who filled it. He had adopted the shape of one of the sailors during the long night march, leaving the man’s throat-slit corpse amid the bushes of the woods. It was too dangerous to return in the shape of Burk.
“You failed,” Orson Waters said. “The guardian is still alive.”
The changeling shrugged. “There will be other times.”
“The guardian suspects. It is written all over his face. He will be on his guard and he is a wary man.”
“No one can be wary all the time.”
“He will mention his suspicions to the merwoman, and to the admiral as well. It would be best, I think, if nothing happened to him until he is on land again. There is no escape from a ship on a transoceanic voyage.”
“Are you frightened?” the changeling asked.
“I would be a fool not to be of such a man.”
“I am starting to agree with you.”
“You begin to learn wisdom,” said the merchant.
“Indeed,” said the changeling. He disliked the smirk on the merchant prince’s face. By the time he finished this journey, he would settle matters with Orson Waters, as well as the Guardian Kormak.
THE END
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About the Author
William King lives in Prague, Czech Republic with his lovely wife Radka and his sons Dan and William Karel. He has been a professional author and games developer for almost a quarter of a century. He is the creator of the bestselling Gotrek and Felix series for Black Library and the author of the bestselling Space Wolf books which between them have sold over nine hundred thousand copies in English and been translated into 8 languages.
He has been short-listed for the David Gemmell Legend Award. His short fiction has appeared in Year’s Best SF and Best of Interzone. He has twice won the Origins Awards For Game Design. His hobbies include role-playing games and MMOs as well as travel.
His website can be found at: www.williamking.me
He can be contacted at [email protected]
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SWORD OF WRATH
COPYRIGHT © WILLIAM KING 2016
