On deck, Lexin was in a completely different situation. At first, the storm engulfed them and the wind whipped at them. It made the sails snap and tore his hair free of its tie. He heard a shout and turned to see Cearan at the opposite rail. Cearan wore a fierce grin as he hung tight to a rope of a sail. The ship hit a wave and it broke over the deck, wetting everyone close to the rails. Cearan roared with exhilaration at the sea’s challenge, and then shook water from his hair.
Lexin laughed and then returned to his own rope, following the direction of one of the Kestrel’s deckhands.
Several hours later, Lexin was soaked to the skin and his clothes clung to him. The rain drove in stinging sheets, almost blinding him as it hit his face. Cearan and Merrick had gone down to the hold area where the horses were kept. The occasional whinny from a frightened animal was heard over the screaming of the wind.
Lexin’s excitement at the beginning of the storm turned to concern. Now the tingle of fear ran through his veins.
The ship reared up a steep wave and shuddered as it hit the peak and flew down the back of the swell. The ship vibrated beneath his feet as it fought its way through the sea. Lexin braced against the pitching of the ship, pulling hard on a now slick rope as a raised sail tore loose at one side. He pulled hard with two other men, feeling the strain in his shoulders and down his back. He silently thanked Arahtok he was not the man in the rigging, tying the sail back in place.
The storm raged at them for another hour and then finally subsided, blowing itself out almost as fast as it had appeared, leaving the sea choppy.
When Lexin returned to their cabin, he was blue with cold.
He closed the door behind him and noticed Cerise was not on the disheveled bunk. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light and saw her huddled on the floor by the chamber pot. Her hair was damp with sweat and she looked wretched. He knelt beside her and smoothed her hair. “Cerise, are you alright?”
She answered by moaning and moving to retch again. Lexin held her until she was finished. When recovered, she moved to lie down on their bunk, after he brought her water to rinse her mouth.
The ship had finally sailed into calm waters and shouts could be heard above decks as all the sails were raised and the Kestrel leapt forward once more. No longer needed, Lexin stripped out of his shirt and sat to remove his boots with some struggle, the wet leather not cooperating. His breeches followed and he took a piece of linen and dried himself.
“Are you alright now, love?” he asked, not bothering to redress after he hung his breeches over the back of a chair.
“I’m much better now,” Cerise answered tiredly. “How are the horses?”
“They all have some scrapes and bruises, but they are settled,” he replied as he dried his hair. Having gone from soaking wet to just damp, he climbed into bed and fit his cold body against her. “Rest yourself now, ehmar. You must keep your strength for the babe.”
Cerise shivered at the chill of his skin. “God Lexin, you’re an ice cube. Keep your feet to yourself.”
Lexin sighed as her heat seeped into him. “We were not blown off course by much. The ship’s master thinks we will see Raparia by the day after tomorrow,” he informed her, ignoring her complaint. “Once we get there I will find a healer for herbs to calm your belly.”
He realized then he was talking to himself as he pulled the blanket further over the both of them. She had already fallen deeply asleep.
The foursome was led the horses from the ship to the stables of an inn where Lexin had found rooms.
Perhaps because they had flown from Europe to the United States, or the many times they had been trailered, Raven and Mitch trotted beside Cearan and Cerise as if out for a daily stroll. Marlhowh and Merrick’s gelding, Fox, and the two pack horses stumbled along the cobblestone streets still regaining their land legs. Marlhowh looked as miserable as a horse could muster, which of course, made him extremely touchy.
Raparia was a large port city, even larger than Trevess. The docks were noisy with many voices in several languages shouting as cargo was loaded or unloaded. Various seabirds added their cries to the din.
The group made their way into the crowded city streets from the docks. The buildings weren’t many storied, three or four floors at the most, but the old stone structures crowded against the street. The cobblestones were slick in places with things Cerise chose not to think hard about. Once she slipped and almost fell, but Lexin’s quick grab of her arm kept her on her feet.
The air was thick with the scent of rotting fish and the waste and refuse of many people. Beginning to feel seriously green, Cerise was glad when Lexin led them deeper into the city and further from the crowded waterfront section.
In the center of Raparia, the buildings opened up to wider streets. With less crowding and fewer buildings, Cerise, to her relief, inhaled fresher air.
The inn that Lexin found was clean and comfortable, the food hot and delicious, and the beds soft.
Cerise made her way to the common room late the next morning. She found Lexin and Cearan at a corner table, talking with a curious looking male elf.
He was smaller than the ones Cerise had met, this one with dark skin the color of rich honey. The elf’s face was tattooed in an intricate pattern of what appeared to be leaves and vines, as were his arms, which were visible in his sleeveless brown tunic. His long, dark hair was randomly plaited with feathers and tiny shells in the braids. He looked up at Cerise with a suspicious glare when she came to take the seat next to Lexin. She noted the deep brown of the elf’s eyes, so dark they were almost black.
Lexin covered Cerise’s hand with one of his own. “Stay still and quiet, ehmar and I will answer your questions later. Our new friend here is rather jumpy.”
Cerise nodded as Lexin squeezed her hand affectionately and then returned his attention to the elf. He did appear rather uneasy, darting nervous glances around the room and sitting perched on the edge of his chair.
The men resumed their conversation, the Werre men speaking in fluent, elegant Elvish. The elf male spoke a similar language, but his words were a more slurred sounding dialect.
The elf’s part of the conversation was animated, but Lexin and Cearan remained calm and even firm when things didn’t appear to be going their way.
Finally, an agreement seemed to be reached and the dark-skinned elf touched his forehead with two fingers and nodded. With a parting word, he left the table and then the inn itself.
Lexin and Cearan both gave audible sighs of relief as Cearan motioned for a serving girl.
“May I ask now what all that was about?” Cerise asked after the men’s drinks and her breakfast had arrived.
An odd expression crossed Lexin’s face, one of caution and hedging.
“Lexin,” Cerise prompted, her eyebrows raised slightly in warning. That might have worked on Drace once, a few years ago, when he wanted to withhold information. Not so now, and especially not a Werre male. Lexin’s expression closed visibly and Cearan’s face was impassive as well.
Cerise’s gaze went from one man to the other and back again. Frustrated, she blew a loose hair from her face and began to eat.
After taking a healthy swallow of his ale, Lexin leaned back in his chair. “That was a Wilder elf, Cerise. Wilders are as their name implies. Fen has agreed to take us into the Burning Woods. It would appear they are having some trouble with a neighboring people. I was not very clear of whom he spoke. He wanted weapons in exchange for taking us there, but I will not aid in whatever petty wars they are having.”
Cerise’s eyebrows went up again. “First it was a disagreement, and now it’s a war?”
There was a strangled snort from Cearan who quickly covered it with a cough.
“Cerise,” he said after clearing his throat. “We will go to Burning Wood, find Greer, convince him to return with us, exchange some coin with our guide and return. ‘Tis simple now, so do not fret yourself.”
“Exactly, ehmar. We will r
eturn to you here in less then a moon’s turning,” Lexin added.
“What?” Cerise exclaimed, setting her fork down.
Cearan rose abruptly, muttering something about supplies and Merrick.
A niggle of unease tickled the back of Lexin’s brain. By the gods I have misstepped this time, and my brother, curse the coward, he’s just escaped out the door, he thought. He said, “You are with child, Cerise. It would not be safe for you to travel there. We are not familiar with these lands. It will be hard enough as it is.”
She bristled.
He leaned over and took her hand in both of his. “Cerise, this is not your former world. This you must remember.” His gaze was intent but his tone was gentle. “You have already seen that on the journey thus far.”
Cerise returned his gaze and covered their joined hands with her free one. “I have waited my whole life to find the one person who completes me. I refuse to let you go on without me. I understand the risks and I accept them, but I’m going with you. If you leave me, I will follow.”
Lexin pulled his hands free and sat back in his chair. He clenched his teeth and struggled to control his temper. He held her gaze for a while, then finally pushed his chair back and stood. His tone was flat. “Make sure you have all you need by the evening meal. We leave at dawn.”
“Lexin,” Cerise pleaded She stood and laid a hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean to make you upset with me. It’s just that…” She ducked her head to hide the sheen of tears, unable to finish.
Some of the tension left Lexin. “I know, ehmar, but this is dangerous business. I do not think you fully understand that. You have been spoiled by the security of a place in which you no longer dwell.” He patted her hand gently and then left her to finish her meal.
Chapter Seventeen
Scales rasped across the stone floor within the mountain Morenta. Silver eyes opened as the great ice dragon, Nimbus, woke and shook the last of the dream vision away.
Hunger tugged at him and he knew he must hunt soon, before he could cast the magic he would need. With his mind, he felt for the whereabouts of his daughter Azure, who had been away to the north, past Bellmore. Unable to mind touch with her until he was stronger, he quit trying and came to his feet.
Leaving the recesses of his sleeping cave, he went to the ledge and overlooked the vastness of the plains. He then rose to his hind legs and unfurled his wings, sunlight shimmering over his iridescent white scales. With a mighty leap, Nimbus was airborne, rising effortlessly into the morning sky.
Finding a large herd of bison beasts at a watering hole, he hunted, taking two of the huge buffalo within moments. Later, he landed by a slow-moving river to drink and remove traces of the blood of his kills.
Satiated, he allowed himself to ponder the vision he had seen and he lifted his head, breathing a mist of icy fog into the summer heat.
Nimbus was a Guardian and he had been given a warning from the gods of help needed. Most likely those in need were not even aware of it yet. And even with the help of others, he might not be successful. Such was fate.
Airborne once again, Nimbus sent out a mind touch to another, summoning her to his mountain.
Lexin watched as Raparia disappeared around a curve in the river. Unease trailed down his back as his gaze took in the others on the large barge, finally settling on Cerise. She was looking upriver with a faint smile on her lips as the wind tugged hair loose from her braid.
He went to check the horses at the rear of the vessel and rubbed the nose of one of the packhorses. All of the animals were quiet, calmly picking at hay in front of them.
Lexin shrugged off the uneasy feeling, chalking it up to being surrounded with unfamiliar territory and people.
Six huge men poled the barge, heavy muscles straining to keep the ship in the center of the river; unknown humans doing nothing to contribute to his feelings. He shook his head slightly and went to help when the leader ordered the single sail raised. Working the pole gave him something to do and relaxed him somewhat.
Cerise came close and watched as he pushed. “How long do they think it will take to get upriver?” she asked.
There was a pause as Lexin pulled the long, heavy pole free of the river bottom. “Three days, if weather holds fair,” he answered. “How do you feel?”
“I was a little queasy at first, but I’m fine now,” she answered. “Don’t worry about me.”
Lexin sent her a warm look as he shoved his pole down again. “You carry our babe. ‘Tis not fair to tell me not to worry.”
Cerise smiled in response. “Where is your little friend?” she pondered out loud.
“Toward the front, keeping into the shadows of the cabin,” Lexin answered as he pulled the pole free once more.
At the front of the boat there was a low cabin, merely a raising of the floor of the deck that kept supplies dry. Lexin secured one narrow bench for a sleeping area for Cerise underneath it.
Cerise caught the flicker of a feather from one of the Wilder elf’s braids, the only thing to give away his location.
“I see him,” she murmured.
“Do not seek Fen out or speak with him,” Lexin ordered softly, without breaking his rhythm.
Cerise was about to ask why when the heavy sail finally caught the breeze and the vessel shuddered. Slowly, the barge began to move upriver under the wind’s power.
Lexin gave a grunt of surprise when he almost went overboard, his long pole not finding the river’s bottom.
He patted Cerise’s cheek after he laid the pole in brackets at the rail. “Because I ask it of you, ehmar, that is why.”
He walked to the front of the barge to join Cearan at the rail and the two bent their heads over a map Cearan produced.
The day passed quietly as the barge slowly eased up the river. The smell of the mud flats was strong and the air fairly steamed in the hot sun.
Finding a shady spot on one side of the cabin’s exterior, Cerise sat with a deck of cards she had brought with her from her former home. With two crates serving as table and chair, Cerise played solitaire, occasionally having to slap a hand over a wind tossed card. Merrick found her there and seeing his curiosity, she taught him the game.
Late in the afternoon, the barge’s crew dropped the sail and eased the vessel into a small cove. It was pulled onto a sand bar and tied securely to trees on the bank.
The horses were unloaded long enough to be exercised and were then brought back on board. An evening meal was prepared and soon afterward everyone found a place to sleep. Two of the barge’s crew stood the first watch. Fen, the Wilder elf, disappeared into the brush, presumably to find a place among the trees to sleep.
Cerise lay down on the narrow bench, falling asleep to the sound of Lexin’s gentle snoring on the other side of the cabin wall. He slept with the other two Werre men on deck.
The next morning, the routine began again. As the day progressed, the palms lining the banks began to give way to slender hardwood trees and the occasional evergreen. Some stretches of river were lined with sheer vertical granite cliffs.
Toward the end of the day, bigger trees and more evergreens grew thick in the forests, edging the river. Vines heavy with bright flowers hung from some of the trees and birds darted among them, competing with the flowers for most colorful.
Cerise spent most of her day watching the banks for glimpses of the native wildlife. Her fingers itched to have a camera to capture the images permanently. She found herself wishing she was artistically gifted.
The third morning began as the last two, but several miles upriver, the sky was turning an ominous black. High clouds could be seen over the treetops, rolling into one another. The forest on either side of the river became silent, broken only by the occasional cry of some animal. The air was humid and oppressively hot.
The three Werre and Cerise had been sitting at the bow of the barge but a sudden change in the crew’s demeanor brought them to their feet. Lexin went
to investigate.
He returned after talking with the leader of the barge crew, a concerned expression on his face. “We will be tying to the bank soon. We are to unload everything of ours immediately and take it away from the river,” Lexin said in a clipped tone as he grabbed a saddle from where it lay by the cabin. Over his shoulder he added, “He said to hurry.”
Everyone moved to follow Lexin’s example, even the elusive Fen appeared to gather his belongings. The elf gave the impression that he knew what was coming and that it was not going to be pleasant.
There was shouting among the crew as the sail came down and the poles came out. The barge was steered to the bank.
The wind increased and the smell of rain came from up the river. As the horses and supplies were being unloaded, the flow of the river lost its rippling appearance and took on the appearance of smooth glass.
The barge crew gave a collective shout and abandoned the ropes they had previously tied to two large trees. The men ran up the bank, passing the three warriors who were leading their horses away.
Lexin and Cearan exchanged surprised looks. Lexin turned and looked back at the barge where Cerise was leading her gray gelding ashore.
There were a few seconds of dead silence and then a roaring noise set birds in flight from the trees. Cerise’s horse reared and backed rapidly in panic, dragging her with him as she held the reins.
Lexin shoved Marlhowh’s reins at Cearan and headed back down the bank at a run.
The roar from upriver became deafening and a look of terror came over Cerise. Lexin ran faster but he had been almost to the top of the long slope. He slipped and went down hard on his rump, sliding to a halt. He regained his feet in time to see that a wall of water had come around the curve of the river and now bore down on Cerise.
“Cerise!” Lexin screamed as he began to run again. “Run!”
Lexin’s voice penetrated the freezing panic that gripped her. She tried desperately to get Mitch to move, but fear held the horse, his hooves firmly planted on the middle of the deck.
Lexin's Quest (Knights of Kismera Book 2) Page 12
