Djeri swore softly. He should have noticed that all of their supporters had waited for that second ferry. He and Tarah had been so focused on their plans that he had let Leroy and Mel herd them onto this ship alone. It would be another fifteen minutes before they reached the far shore and at least another thirty minutes longer before Shade and the leadership arrived. That was plenty of time for Mel to stage something and no one on the boat would tell the truth of what happened.
“Be ready,” he whispered. Tarah nodded, both hands gripping her staff.
As the second ferry’s lights faded to the east, the deck of the boat was plunged back into darkness. Djeri grabbed a short pole from the edge of the deck and moved with Tarah to stand by Neddy. Tarah crouched to make herself less of a visible target.
“Hey lovers,” came Leroy’s voice from the darkness to Djeri’s left. “Where you at?”
Tarah and Djeri glanced at each other, but said nothing.
“Yeah, I think its time we had us a good chat,” said Mel, somewhere to their right.
“I think they’re over by their stupid mule,” said Merba.
Djeri brought the pole down low, his muscles tense. The question was what to do? Should they try to talk their way out of this? If he and Tarah struck first, they could take down many of the smugglers by surprise. But they were outnumbered eight to two and dwarves were hard to subdue. One shot from a paralyzing rod and Tarah would be out of the fight. Djeri was pretty sure he had built up enough of a resistance that he would only be subdued temporarily, but it wouldn’t take long for someone to bind him.
Tarah suddenly stood, taking the choice out of his hands. “What do you want, Leroy?”
There was a shuffling in the darkness as eight pairs of boots walked their way.
“Well here’s the thing,” Mel said, stepping close. “We don’t like you two.”
“I was talking to Leroy,” Tarah replied.
“I agree with Mel,” Leroy said.
The only thing Djeri could think to do was try to delay the confrontation. He decided to try being reasonable. “I’m sorry you don’t like us. I can see that’s partially our fault. I know we haven’t tried too hard to be friendly.”
“We don’t want to be friendly,” Leroy said.
Being reasonable was going to be hard. “Then what do you want from us?”
“We want you gone, humie,” Mel said. Djeri could just barely make out the hilt of the Ramsetter sticking up over his shoulder. The lights on the western bank were coming into view. “Just havin’ you ‘round makes the rest of us look bad.”
“I don’t think Shade will let us leave,” Tarah said. “Leastways not until we find our quarry.”
“Maybe not,” said Merba, her voice almost as deep as the men. “But if you tried to escape and got yerself killed, he wouldn’t care too much.”
“We don’t need you,” Mel agreed. “We can find it all on our own.”
“They’ll know,” Tarah said, her voice full of contempt. “Shade and Donjon both. They ain’t stupid. They know you have it in for us. No matter what story you concoct, they’ll see right through your plot. If we die, you’ll have to answer for it.”
“Dag-gum it, she’s right,” said one of the others. “If’n we don’t find the rogue, the blame’ll fall on us.”
Good, Tarah, Djeri thought. Give them doubts. “Hey, you don’t have to like us,” he said. The lights of the dock were getting closer. Just a few minutes more and they would be off the ferry. “You just have to put up with us long enough for us to catch the beast and then we’ll be gone. You’ll never have to even think of us again if you don’t want to.”
“We can call a truce,” Tarah said, building on what Djeri was trying to do. “From here on out, until we get the rogue, we stay out of each other’s hair. What do you say?”
There was a moment of silence.
“Nah,” said Mel. A sharp pop rang out and Tarah stopped moving.
Djeri jumped forward, swinging his pole up from the darkness. He felt the end catch Leroy in the side just as another pop sounded. Djeri’s body seized up and he fell to the deck.
“You son of a dog!” Leroy said, wheezing. “My rib!”
“What’s that sound?” asked one of the ferrymen. One of the lanterns turned slightly and Djeri saw the narrow, droopy-eared face of a gnome standing precariously on the railing. His voice sounded slow, like the voice of a drunken man. “Hey, you all right? I heard a pop-pop.”
“We’re fine,” said Merba. “Just a scuffle’s all. We’re just messin’ around.”
“Leave them alone, Cletus,” said another of the ferrymen. “It’s none of our business.”
“Okay,” the gnome said slowly and he moved agilely down the rail.
They were close enough to the eastern bank now that the dock lights were starting to illuminate the deck. Djeri watched with dismay as Mel walked up to Tarah. Djeri strained against the spell, willing it to break. He could feel the strands of the magic start to give.
Mel tore Tara’s staff from her hands. “Well, filly, you won’t be needin’ this anymore.” The dwarf took two steps and launched the blood red weapon like a spear, sending it overboard and into the icy water.
Djeri leapt up from the deck, swinging an armored elbow at Mel’s head, but Leroy was ready for him. Another pop dropped Djeri before he could land the blow. He crashed to the deck and strong hands shackled his feet and hands.
“I’ve been saving this for you,” Mel said and shoved a stained piece of cloth in Djeri’s mouth before gagging him.
“What do we do?” Merba asked.
“We wait until the ferry pulls away. No witnesses,” Leroy said. The three of them moved off, huddling together and planning.
Djeri broke through the spell again. He sat up and scooted back until his shoulders were against the railing. He ignored the taste that filled his mouth, focusing on escape. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do besides kick out at his captors.
“Hey, pretty dwarf, you okay?” said a slow voice beside his ear.
Djeri turned his head to see the face of the gnome ferryman peering right at him. The gnome’s body was bent in an impossible manner. His feet were on the rail and his lanky form was crouched, his body hanging over Djeri at an angle, his weight suspended by a thin silvery chain that he held in one hand. Djeri couldn’t see what it was connected to.
“What’s in your mouth?” the gnome asked. “You still messing round?”
Djeri made a muffled sound and shook his head violently indicating that he wasn’t okay. The look of vague concern left the gnome’s face, replaced by a tense focus.
“These dwarfs,” said the gnome, his voice losing that odd slowness. “Are they with Shade?”
Djeri blinked in surprise, then nodded fiercely.
“Cletus, get over here!” shouted another ferryman. “It’s docking time!”
“Docking time?” the gnome said, looking over his shoulder. The focus left his face, replaced by a vacant smile. “Okay.” He pulled on the silvery chain, bringing his tall body back into a standing position and he was off, running along the top of the rail towards the prow.
Merba and Leroy walked back across the deck. Djeri kicked out as they reached for him, but they dodged his legs and Leroy punched out with a meaty fist, knocking him in the head. The two of them grabbed him by the arms and pulled him across the deck.
Djeri saw Mel and another dwarf dragging Tarah towards the front of the boat. Mel reached down with one hand, giving her rear a wicked pinch. Djeri struggled, grunting loudly and Leroy cuffed him again.
The docks reared before them as the ferry cut through the ice. Signal lights flashed and a whistle pierced the night. A great set of brakes were pulled, halting the water wheel so that the passengers could disembark. The ferrymen opened the front side of the rail and the plank was dropped into place.
The dwarves started leading their horses onto the deck, one of them pulling on Neddy’s lead. The mule looked
at Tarah with wide eyes, but there was nothing the beast could do. Once the horses were off, Djeri and Tarah were dragged down the plank and across the dock, before being pulled into the darkness, out of view of the dock lamps. They were leaned against the outside wall of a tavern and Leroy and Mel went back to talk to the other dwarves.
Soon the signal lights flashed again and another whistle rang out. The plank was pulled up and the brakes released. The ferry moved back off into the river and for a brief moment, Djeri saw the thin outline of the gnome standing on the back rail watching them.
He looked over at Tarah. She was staring off into the night, glassy eyed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands reached out into empty claws, clutching air where her staff should be. Djeri swallowed. Mel would likely kill him quickly, but Tarah . . . surely Mel couldn’t do anything too vile, not in front of the other dwarves.
Djeri shook the thought from his head. He scooted over until he was next to Tarah and laid his head on her shoulder. He hated this helpless feeling. There had to be a way to save her. He just didn’t know what it was.
The lights of the ferry dwindled into the darkness as the dwarves argued their course of action. Djeri couldn’t make out what was being said, but it looked like there was a division in the ranks between Mel and Leroy and the others. Djeri let his hopes rise. There was a difference between pranks and murder, after all. Maybe some of them were having second thoughts.
The snow fell like cascading flakes of gold in the lamplight and, as the conversation ended, Djeri saw grim looks on the faces of the opposition. These were veteran smugglers, Djeri realized. Murder wouldn’t be something they were unfamiliar with. Sure enough, the dwarves seemed to reach the same conclusion. Five of them walked aside to stay with the horses while Mel, Leroy, and Merba returned with a gleam in their eyes.
Mel drew the Ramsetter while Leroy tapped a thick cudgel in his palm. Melba lifted a bow and notched an arrow and, for the first time, Djeri realized that she was carrying Tarah’s father’s bow.
“What we was debatin’ was whether to let you loose and then kill you or kill you first and then pose you like you was tryin’ to escape,” Mel gave him an evil grin. “I chose number two.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Djeri thought he saw movement on the river, but the sword tip coming at his chest was of far greater importance. Mel rested the tip of the Ramsetter on Djeri’s breastplate and pushed slowly. The magic blade pierced through the armor like it was made of wax. Djeri could feel the cold steel rest against his chest.
“I guess we just need to figger out how long to tell Shade this fight took. Was it over quick, or did we have to wound you a lot first?” Mel said.
“They’re perty tough,” Merba said. “I say it took lots a hits to take ‘em down.” She fired an arrow into Tarah’s shoulder pauldron. The tip pierced the leather, but bound up in the material underneath and hung loosely. “Dag-gum! What’s that ugly armor made of?”
“Next time do a full draw,” Leroy advised.
A shout echoed along the river and Djeri’s eyes moved back to the dock where to his astonishment, he saw a figure approaching out of the snow-filled gloom. A tall form was running towards them along the top of the icy chain. Djeri’s eyes widened. It was the gnome ferryman.
Cletus was bent over, his arms sticking out straight behind him as his legs churned. His progress was slowed because the chain was moving in the opposite direction, yet he didn’t look winded. His face was filled with focus and determination.
“What’re you lookin’ at, humie?” Mel said with a snarl. The dwarf whipped the blade out to the side, tearing through Djeri’s armor and cutting a narrow furrow in the skin of his chest. Mel turned to look at the river and gasped as the gnome ran up the chain and jumped onto the wooden planks of the dock. “The hell?”
The gnome went into a flurry of motion. He spun a long silvery chain in one hand and Djeri saw that there was some sort of metal ball on the end. Cletus darted towards the cluster of dwarves and horses. With a flick of his wrist, the chain shot forward, the ball burying itself in the back of one of the dwarves’ head.
The dwarf dropped and the gnome was among the rest of them. He was a flurry of fists and palms and knees and elbows. Dwarves cried out, staggering to the side, one of them falling unconscious.
The gnome slung the chain around one dwarf’s head and yanked downward, bringing his knee up to collide with the dwarf’s face. One dwarf swung an axe at the gnome’s back. Cletus leaned to the side, dodging the blow, and sent the chain towards the dwarf’s neck. There was a splash of blood and the dwarf dropped his axe to clutch at his ruined throat.
Djeri realized that the chain was two weapons in one. There was a ball on one end and a blade on the other. Cletus was a gnome warrior, and he was brilliant.
The dwarves backed away warily now, some of them limping. They brandished weapons and Mel and Leroy went to join them. Merba drew an arrow back on her bow.
The gnome stayed in motion, but he left the dwarves alone momentarily. With two spins of his chain, he sent the bladed end out, hamstringing two of the horses. The animals screamed, kicking and jerking. One of them fell, knocking another horse into the water. The other horses scattered, running into the city, all except Neddy, who trotted a short distance away before working his way towards Tarah and Djeri.
“Stop him, dag-blast it!” Leroy cried.
Merba fired an arrow. The gnome’s spinning chain caught the missile in mid-air, sending it spinning off into the snow.
“No arrows!” the gnome exclaimed.
He darted towards Merba, who was hastily trying to notch another arrow. Leroy stood in Cletus’ way, his paralyzing rod aimed at the gnome’s chest. The dwarf fired with a loud pop.
The gnome was unaffected. He flicked his wrist and the ball end of his chain struck Leroy in the forehead. The dwarf dropped to his knees, his eyes rolling up in his head as he fell backwards.
Cletus contorted, wrapping his chain around his own body in a complex knot, then turned and thrust out his arm. The chain shot away from his body, the bladed end darting out straight like a spear.
Merba jerked as the blade pierced her throat. Djeri saw the tip burst out the back of her neck before the gnome yanked it out again. Merba fell hard to the seat of her pants. She gurgled as her hands clutched her throat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Cletus! What are you doing?” cried an anxious voice from up in the watchtower.
The gnome looked up, his face momentarily losing its focus. A series of pops rang out through the night as the three remaining dwarves repeatedly fired their spells. Unfortunately for them, all that did was jolt the gnome back into action.
Cletus spun the bladed end of the chain in ever widening circles as he weighed the three remaining enemies in his mind. Then, making a decision, he sent it out in a quick slash, taking one dwarf in the knee. The dwarf began to scream, but before he fell to the ground, the ball end struck him in the head, silencing him.
The other dwarf, not wanting to come in close, threw a spear. The gnome wrapped his chain around the pole and yanked, jerking the weapon aside. The dwarf turned and ran. Cletus whipped his chain around and sent the spear spinning back at him. The pole caught the dwarf in the back of the legs, tripping him up and sending him tumbling off the dock with a splash.
Mel was the only one left. He charged, bringing the Ramsetter in a wide sweeping stroke. Djeri winced, knowing the blade would shear right through the gnome’s chain. But Cletus didn’t try to grab the blade as he had the spear.
The gnome sucked in his gut and leapt back, avoiding the strike. He sent the bladed end of his chain around to strike Mel’s hand on the backswing, causing the sword to spin out of his fingers. The sword clattered to the deck at the edge of the dock, stopping just before it slid over the edge.
The gnome swung the ball end, striking Mel in the hip. As the dwarf doubled over, grunting, the gnome spun the metal ball in two quick arcs. Crack-crack! The b
all hit Mel twice in the side of the head, leaving indentations in the swollen knots Tarah’s blows had caused. The dwarf dropped.
Cletus surveyed the dock. The only thing still standing was Neddy. The mule was taking slow, cautious steps toward Tarah. Cletus focused in on him, walking forward, the blade spinning.
Djeri grunted loudly, chewing on his gag as hard as he could. The gnome slowed, cocking his head at the shadows where Tarah and Djeri sat. Djeri felt a twinge of pain in his jaw as he finally chewed through the gag. He pushed the filthy cloth out of his mouth with his tongue and tried to speak, but all that came out was a disturbing, “Don’th hurd ‘im!”
Cletus took a tiny sphere out of his pocket and rolled it along the dock towards the shadows. The sphere lit up as it rolled, illuminating Djeri’s bruised face.
“Pretty dwarf!” Cletus exclaimed, rushing over. The gnome touched his face. “Are you okay?” He gasped and looked at Tarah. “What happened to the pretty lady? Is she dead?”
“No,” Djeri said, finally working up enough saliva to talk. “She was just hit by a paralyzing spell. Can you undo these shackles for me?”
“Sure-!” The gnome drew back, his expression suspicious. “Wait, pretty dwarf, are you with Shade? Scholar Tobias said to kill all Shade’s men. Kill-kill! And-uh, disa . . . dissarup his plans?” He stuck out his bottom lip, trying to think.
“No,” Djeri said earnestly. “We’re not with Shade. He captured us. Letting us go would really disrupt his plans.”
“Oh! Okay,” the gnome said happily. He took a small rod out of his pocket and quickly picked the locks on Djeri’s shackles with practiced hands. “Click-click! All done!”
Djeri stood and rubbed his wrists in awe. This gnome had to be both the most slow-witted and the most skilled fighter he had ever met. “Thanks . . . Who are you?”
“I’m Cletus of house Set!” the gnome said proudly. “I like you, pretty dwarf! You’re Battle Academy, right? I like your armor. And I like the pretty lady!”
“Her name’s Tarah,” Djeri said, confused. What was with this gnome?
Tarah Woodblade Page 27
