The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  “We moved the boat over the shipwrecks to speed up the salvage process,” Glo explained. “They’ve already been to the first two ships. The third one is right below us now.”

  Aksel’s eyes swept across the empty boat. “Um, Glo? Where’s the cargo?”

  “Gone.”

  Aksel arched an eyebrow. “Gone? What do you mean gone?”

  Glo quickly told them about the destroyed Ravenford containers and the missing contents.

  “Yeah, why am I not surprised?” Seth smirked.

  Glo smiled wanly in response. “Anyway, Ves, Martan, and Lloyd are down below at the Zephyr. Ruka and Maya headed out to the last ship, the Lucky Coin. Hopefully they have not been scavenged yet.”

  “I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Zephyr,” Aksel mused, “but maybe the Lucky Coin. After all, it only went down two days ago,”

  “How about you two? Find anything of interest?” Glo changed the subject.

  “Just a couple of trinkets,” Seth replied nonchalantly. “We’ll show them to you later.”

  Abruptly, the boat nudged forward.

  “Hold on!” Glo cried. “It looks like we’re going on another ride.”

  Oh, no, not again! Aksel braced himself. The boat turned around in a wide arc and began to head south again. Luckily, it was a lot smoother than riding dolphin back.

  As the boat sped up, Seth stood up in the bow. He spread his arms wide and cried, “Wahoo! Not bad! Not bad at all!”

  “Looks like you were right about the Zephyr,” Glo observed.

  Aksel nodded. Ves wouldn’t be having them moved if there was any cargo to load on board. He glanced over toward the shore. “Anyway, things should be getting interesting up on the cliff.”

  “He sent The Boulder up to greet the goblins,” Seth added over his shoulder. “Something tells me they aren’t going to like the welcoming committee.”

  Glo chuckled softly in response. “Somehow, I don’t really feel sorry for them.”

  A short while later, the dolphins veered off and the boat came to a stop. Glo estimated they were about a half-mile south of where they had previously been. The Endurance was moored about a half-mile further south. The second rowboat was now only about a hundred yards away, and closing fast. They had not been stopped more than a minute when two figures broke surface. It was Ruka and Maya, and they both were holding onto cargo crates.

  “There’s a few more down there,” Ruka cried as she swam over towards them.

  They were not small containers, Glo observed. He estimated them to each be 3 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet. He also saw writing on the side. On closer inspection, he clearly saw the word Ravenford.

  “Looks like you were right again,” he told Aksel. “Two days was not enough time for the cult to scavenge the wreck.”

  They managed to load the crates onboard without tipping the rowboat over. This was mostly due to an incredible display of strength on Ruka’s part. The two girls then dove under once more. They both resurfaced a few minutes later, each with another crate, just as the second rowboat pulled up to them. With the help of the sailors, the two crates were easily loaded onto the rowboat. Then both girls dove under again. They resurfaced a few minutes later with just one more crate. Glo noted with surprise that the crate had Maltar’s seal on it. That must contain his pendant! They had found it. Maltar would be pleased. Well, about as pleased as he ever could be, Glo amended wryly.

  The last crate was loaded onto the sailors’ rowboat. Once done, they manned the oars, turned the boat around, and began rowing back toward the Endurance. Lloyd, Martan, and Ves surfaced just as Maya and Ruka rejoined them.

  “Nothing on the other boat?” Ruka called over to her sister.

  “Just smashed crates again,” Ves confirmed. “Looks like you had some luck, though.”

  “Third time’s a charm!” Ruka grinned back at her sister.

  Technically, it was the fourth time, Glo noted, but he wasn’t going to quibble over it.

  Lloyd and Martan climbed aboard and wrapped themselves in waiting towels. The girls, however, remained in the water. Three dolphin fins appeared behind them. Each girl grabbed hold of a fin and hitched a ride as the aquatic mammals pushed the boat back down the coast.

  Aksel perched atop one of the crates. “I was starting to think those girls were part fish.”

  Lloyd grinned. “They may not be as fast as a dolphin, but they could easily out-swim any of us.”

  Aksel watched with keen interest as the sisters practically flew over the sea. Their mastery of water is impressive. Add to that their unnatural strength and near invulnerability—his eyebrow suddenly shot up. That’s it! Aksel believed he knew the sisters’ secret, and if he was right, it was huge. No wonder they don’t want anyone else to know. Aksel cast a glance at Glo. The elven wizard eyed the sisters with a shrewd look. Perhaps he had reached the same conclusion. Still, Aksel decided to remain silent about it. The sisters had chosen not to share their secret and he had resolved to honor their choice.

  The little cleric spun back around on the crate, turning his gaze toward the shore. The top of the cliff, previously filled with tiny goblin dots, was now empty. There was no sign of the goblin army, nor The Boulder. “I wish I knew what was going on up there.”

  They quickly came up on the Endurance. Thanks to dolphin power, they had caught up to the other rowboat and now ran beside it. The tall ship towered above them, its main mast reaching high up into the sky. They were about thirty yards off her starboard bow when, without warning, the main mast burst into flames.

  “Would you look at that!” one of the sailors cried.

  A moment later, a bolt of lightning hit the deck. It was accompanied by a loud thunderclap.

  “But there’s not a cloud in the sky!” another sailor yelled.

  Glo knew better. That was not cloud lightning—that was a spell. Glo scanned the skies, quickly spotting three black-robed figures circling above the burning mast.

  “Up there!” Glo shouted, pointing at the black forms. The three figures circled the large mast twice more, then abruptly flew off in the direction of the shore.

  Lloyd shot up out of his seat. “Oh, no, you don’t!” He grabbed his cape and cried, “Fugere.” The warrior abruptly rocketed into the air after the receding figures.

  “Look, Ves!” Maya cried, “Lloyd can fly! You would think he’s one of...”

  “Hush!” Ruka hissed, cutting off her little sister.

  Lloyd moved swiftly across the sky on an intercept course with the three figures. His blades were drawn, poised to strike. Abruptly, one of the mages flipped over and pointed an arm at him. A strange black light encircled the warrior’s head. It only lasted for a moment, but afterwards Lloyd slowed down and flew erratically.

  “They’ve blinded him!” Aksel cried in dismay.

  Glo also recognized the spell. Lloyd had no chance of catching the black mages now. Worse, he had no way of getting back to them safely.

  “I’ll get him!” Acting on impulse, Glo reached into his bag and pulled out a feather. He made a quick motion, then spoke the same word Lloyd had used moments ago. “Fugere.”

  Glo felt his body lift up out of the boat. It was awkward at first, and he almost lost his balance. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. The first time he attempted to fly was only two days ago. That hadn’t gone so well. He had barely gotten off the ground when he started to wobble. Glo panicked and flipped completely upside down. At that point, he had dove for the ground, swearing never to fly again. Yet now he had no choice. Lloyd was in trouble, and Glo was the only one who could help him.

  Pushing down his nerves, Glo thrust his arms out away from his body. It worked, stabilizing him as he rose into the air. Now, of course, he had to reach Lloyd. The warrior hovered in midair, completely disoriented, swinging his bla
des wildly. Glo hardened his resolve. He leaned forward, aiming his body toward his frantic friend. He wobbled again, but this time did not panic. Instead, he mimicked Lloyd, pushing both hands straight out in front of him. It definitely helped. Glo steadied himself and moved faster, quickly closing the gap between himself and the sightless warrior. When he was about a dozen feet away, he stopped and shouted, “Lloyd! It’s me! Glo.”

  “Glo?” Lloyd cried nervously. “I can’t see!”

  “I know,” Glo yelled back. “Put your blades away, and I’ll help you down.”

  “Okay.” Lloyd gulped and sheathed his weapons. He hovered quietly until Glo finally reached him.

  Glo took Lloyd’s arm, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “It’s okay. I’m leading us back to the ship.” Too bad he didn’t feel as confident as he sounded. It must have worked, though. Lloyd visibly calmed as Glo guided him toward the Endurance.

  Halfway there, Lloyd’s normally curious nature kicked in. “Glo, when did you learn how to fly?”

  Glo chuckled. “No, Lloyd. What you do is fly. Me, I flail around through the air like a beached whale.”

  A smile spread across Lloyd’s lips. “You just need practice—but either way, thanks for coming to get me.”

  “Anytime, my friend. Anytime.”

  Diversion

  If I have to chase down another crate, someone is going to be very sorry

  Lloyd and Glo landed rather awkwardly on the mid-deck of the Endurance. The young elf sprawled across the surface like a fish out of water. Not Lloyd, though. Despite being blinded, the young warrior managed to roll through the landing and end up on his feet. Glo slowly got up onto his hands and knees and swept the deck with his eyes. Luckily, no one seemed to notice their less-than-graceful arrival. The crew was busy with a water brigade, passing bucket after bucket from the sea to the flaming mast. Captain Rochino oversaw the line and urged his men on. “Faster! Faster, unless you want to limp all the way home!” Thankfully, the fire was almost out. The crackle of flames died down, replaced by the hiss of smoke. The mast looked blackened in spots, but appeared otherwise intact.

  “Sorry about that landing,” Glo cried over the commotion.

  Lloyd grinned. “Hey, I’m just happy to be on a solid surface!”

  Glo could not help but smile at his friend. Leave it to Lloyd to make the best out of any situation. He got up and helped Lloyd over to a pile of crates, sitting him down on one of the larger ones. He then watched the brigade finish its work. A short while later, the fire was completely out. Some of the sailors remained behind to clean up, but Rochino dispersed the rest of them back to their stations.

  “Lloyd! Glo!”

  Glo spun around and saw Aksel rushing across the deck toward them. He was followed by Seth, Martan, and even Ves.

  “Lloyd!” Aksel stopped in front of them and took a deep breath. “What were you thinking?”

  Seth snickered as he walked up behind them. “Heh. You said Lloyd and thinking in the same sentence.”

  Lloyd’s face turned red. His hand went to the back of his neck. “Guess I really wasn’t.”

  Aksel sighed. “Well, what’s done is done.”

  Glo noticed that Ruka and Maya were not with them. He turned to Ves. “Where are your sisters?”

  “Ruka decided to stay with the crates till they are loaded on board. I’m sure they’ll join us soon.”

  “I can go check on them,” Martan offered.

  Ves smiled demurely at the archer. “That would be nice.”

  Martan nodded, his face reddening. “Be right back.” He took off at a run back the way they came.

  A soft laugh escaped Glo’s lips. Martan was quite obviously smitten with Ves. Frankly, he couldn’t blame him. She was beautiful, intelligent, and classy, a hard combination for any man, or elf, to resist. Further, she had saved the archer’s life. Her attention to Martan had bothered Glo at first, but it was probably just as well. His thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice. “That was one heck of a landing!” Glo spun around to see Rochino striding toward them.

  “I didn’t think anyone noticed,” Glo admitted, still embarrassed at his inept arrival.

  The Captain stopped in front of them and let out a hearty laugh. “Trust me, lad, any landing you can walk away from is a good one!” The laugh abruptly died on his lips. Rochino bent in front of Lloyd and waved his hand in front of the young man’s eyes. “By the Gods man, what have they done to you?”

  “Blindness spell. It’s only temporary,” Glo explained.

  Rochino stood up and cleared his throat. “Well then, I’m sure we’ll have you fixed up in no time—especially with your cleric friend over here.” He nodded at Aksel.

  Aksel, however, wore a pained expression. He turned to Ves. “You don’t have a cure for the blindness spell handy, by any chance?”

  Ves’ face fell. “No, unfortunately not.”

  Aksel grimaced. “I’m really sorry, Lloyd. I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with it until the morning.” Lloyd sighed, a look of resignation crossing his face. Aksel’s expression grew more pained. “I swear, it will be the first thing I do.”

  “Don’t worry, lad,” Rochino said cheerfully, “the day’s already half over anyway.” Lloyd managed a lackluster smile in response.

  Just then Martan rejoined them. “Crates are all loaded and your sisters are on their way up.”

  “Sisters? You mean there are more of these charming young ladies floating about?” Rochino stared openly at Ves.

  Aksel’s eyes shifted between the two. “Oh, where are my manners? This is...”

  “Ves!”

  The cry came from over the side. It sounded like Ruka. Ves whirled around and ran for the deck rail. Martan and Seth were right behind her.

  Glo turned to Rochino. “Captain, can you keep an eye on Lloyd?”

  Rochino nodded. “Sure, lad. You two go ahead.”

  “Thanks!” Glo and Aksel both said as they rushed after Ves.

  “Ves!” the cry came again. She leaned over the wooden railing and yelled down. “What is it?”

  Glo and Aksel reached the rail and peered over the side. Ruka treaded water next to the ship’s hull below. Maya floated beside her.

  “Someone threw one of the containers overboard! We’re going to get it now,” she cried up to them. Before Ves could respond, both girls dove under and disappeared.

  Ves wore a puzzled expression. Her eyes flickered over the group around her. “Why would someone throw one of the crates overboard?”

  Why indeed? Glo mused. Who on board would have any reason to throw a crate over the side? Unless... Glo raised an eyebrow as the answer dawned on him. He motioned everyone closer. As they all drew in, he spoke in a hushed voice. “Well, we know the Serpent Cult has already scavenged the other three ships...”

  He was interrupted by a familiar gruff voice. “What’s going on?”

  Glo spun around and saw Rochino leading Lloyd over to them. He motioned them in close, then brought them up to speed. “The Lucky Coin would have been next if we hadn’t gotten there first. So, what if the attack on this ship was a diversion?”

  Aksel stroked his chin. “A diversion? If so, to what end?”

  “To get a spy on board,” Seth hissed.

  “A spy?” Rochino repeated perhaps a bit too loud. His eyes went wide, his hand going to his mouth. He glanced over his shoulder but any nearby sailors appeared to be minding their own business. Satisfied, he turned back to the group and whispered, “Not on my boat!”

  “Trust me, Captain, it’s easier than you think,” Seth said, keeping his own voice down. “A good spy is a master of disguise. He would take on the guise of someone else on board.”

  Rochino fixed him with a stare. “Look, lad, I make it my business to know e
very man in my crew. If there was an imposter on board, I would know it!”

  “Even with all the commotion going on?” Seth smirked, folding his arms across his chest. Rochino scowled at the halfling, but Seth continued, unperturbed. “Think about it. Have you had a chance to look over everyone in your crew since the attack? What if someone snuck on board and waylaid one of them while everyone else was busy?”

  Rochino appeared pensive as he considered the possibilities. Seth was right. Still, the halfling’s familiarity with the subject gave Glo pause. Seth seemed to be as knowledgeable about spies as he was about thieves and cutthroats. However, this was neither the time nor the place to delve into Seth’s sordid past. “It all makes sense, otherwise why the attack by those mages? There was little real damage to the ship, and they flew off before we even gave chase.”

  Aksel nodded. “So then it was all a mere distraction, designed to allow someone to get at those crates we just salvaged.”

  “And all this just for that pendant you mentioned?” Ves asked.

  “Maltar’s pendant,” Aksel corrected her.

  “Maltar? He’s involved in all this?” Rochino’s face turned dark at the mention of the wizard’s name.

  “Yes.” Glo regarded Rochino with curiosity. Maltar was irritable at best, but that did not warrant the grim look on the Captain’s face. What does he know about Maltar that we don’t? He explained to Rochino about the pendant that had been shipped on the Lucky Coin, and the crate they had found with Maltar’s seal on it.

  Rochino mulled it over, his expression turning grim. “Well now, if Maltar is involved, then I am beginning to understand all these dark goings-on.”

  Glo raised an eyebrow. He was about to ask Rochino what he meant by that, but just then, a sudden cry reached them from the waters below. Peering over the rail, they saw Maya and Ruka had resurfaced, the latter holding onto a crate.