Rise of the Serpent (Serpent's War Book 2)

by Jason Halstead

  Namitus nodded, pleased with what he heard. “Sounds like you’re the right man.”

  “My Lady won’t be none too fast with that many people. I expect they’ll be getting in the way of doing what needs to be done.”

  “I wondered about that. Do you have any recommendations for another boat we can charter? Deliver us and hang around long enough to see to it we don’t need a ride back.”

  “Don’t need a ride…are you planning to get yourselves killed, one and all? Payment’s going to be up front, in that case!”

  “The opposite, actually,” Namitus said. “We’re going to take the castle and send the splisskin packing.”

  “You’re mad!”

  Namitus grinned. “More and more people think that.”

  “Easy enough to see why!” Harlon shook his head and glanced at his boat before turning back to them. “Look, out of respect for what her father done for her, I’m going to warn you. Rumor tells of something real big flying in and out of that castle at night. Bigger than any bird has a right to be.”

  Namitus nodded. “Can you outsail that?”

  Harlon laughed. “Hardly!”

  “Then you’ll want to drop us off and sail hard and fast to get a head start.”

  “Namitus!” Allie hissed. “A word?”

  “Only one?”

  “No!” She glanced at Harlon when Namitus didn’t show any signs of walking away. She sighed and continued in spite of his naked interest. “We can’t fight a dragon, even with the Vultures.”

  “The Vultures?” Harlon asked. “That’s your band of warriors?”

  “You know of them?” Namitus asked.

  He nodded. “Only of. Heard of them, that’s all. Didn’t think they were still around. Rumor tells they used to serve this far west, but traveled east before I was born and haven’t come back since.”

  “We made it worth their while.”

  Harlon’s eyebrow rose. “All right, I know a few desperate men with boats. I’ll see what I can put together. It won’t be cheap, though. Can you afford it?”

  Namitus pressed his lips together before asking, “How much?”

  “Pay’s up front—I wasn’t joking about that. You can pay me when you load, though.”

  “Right, but how much?”

  Harlon’s eyes lost focus as he ran the calculations in his head. He grunted and said, “You’re asking us to risk a lot. Not just our lives, but our livelihood. Three hundred gold, and I’ll pay the others.”

  “Three hundred?” Amra gasped.

  Namitus nodded and dug into his pouch. “Done. I’ll give you a hundred now as a retainer.”

  “You…” Harlon trailed off and stared at the pouch Namitus held out. “What’s to keep me from running away with it?”

  “You helped before and you remember Allisandra, Gor, and the elves. They speak highly of you and from what I’ve seen, you’re not the sort to run off on me.”

  Harlon snorted. “A hundred pieces of gold is awfully tempting.”

  “Not as tempting as three hundred,” Namitus said.

  The sailor laughed and slapped his thigh. “Damn me if you don’t have me there! Sorry, ladies, I’ve got the tongue of a sailor and not enough sense on dry land to keep it to myself.”

  “We’ll be by before first light. Our plan is to attack in the morning.”

  “Attacking a castle with twenty men.” Harlon shook his head. “Tell you what, leave what gold you still have on my boat and if you survive, I’ll do the job for a hundred.”

  Namitus smirked. “A gambling man?”

  “Only on a sure thing.”

  Namitus nodded. “I’ll take that bet.”

  Harlon grinned. “I expected you might. Almost don’t seem fair, taking money from a fool.”

  Namitus winked at him and turned away. “Come on, let’s see to one last thing.”

  “What?” Amra asked.

  “If I have to take you with me, you need to be protected. Armor, for all three of you.”

  Gor grunted. “Good idea.”

  Namitus turned on Gor. “You’re not lying about the treasure beneath the castle, are you?”

  The big man shrugged. “I don’t think so. Last I knew it was still there, but it’s been awhile.”

  Namitus nodded. “I hope not,” he said. “Or we’ll have more than just an army of splisskin led by an angry dragon to fight.”

  Chapter 15

  The silver fog hovered over the lake, giving Lake Silvermist its name. The fog also made Namitus feel as though they were sailing through a cloud. If he leaned forward enough on the bow and spread his wings, he imagined it would feel like he was flying. The only obstacle in sight was the peaks rising through mists from the island ahead of them. He shook the thought away and turned to the half-dragon woman beside him.

  “Do you have any idea what’s at stake here?” he asked.

  She tilted her head and took on a coy smile. Even without the fancy clothes and gaudy jewelry, she still looked luxurious. Her golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail that reminded him of how Patrina bound hers when she went into battle. The difference was the reddish tint of Lariki’s hair. She added a wink and said, “Your head if I don’t get my gold.”

  Namitus sighed. “There’s so much more going on than a purse.”

  She shrugged. “Not as far as I’m concerned.”

  He forced himself to ignore the growing ball of ice in his stomach. “Lariki, these splisskin aren’t content with only Shathas. If they were, there’d be no concerns beyond Gor’s need to right the wrongs of his past. Shathas is a staging ground—a headquarters—and they mean to use it to rise up throughout the southern reaches and crush the scattered city-states.”

  “It’s been tried before,” she said. “You found us among the ruins of Witherspur, the last great attempt at an empire in the south.”

  “Yes, but they seek more. And they won’t stop until they have put every human, elf, dwarf, and every other person without scales to the sword.”

  Lariki glanced down at her tattooed arms. “Guess I’m safe then. Perhaps they’ll hire us to do what they can’t.”

  Namitus cursed and stared out at the lake. He shook his head before turning back to her. She was wearing her coy smile again. Was she teasing him? Not in a flirtatious way, but like a cat batting a mouse around. “What happens when they’ve no one left to kill? Then they will turn to you.”

  “Or spread north,” she said.

  “Is that the life you wish to lead, serving inhumane masters for your love of gold? They won’t settle for killing soldiers; they will butcher innocents as well. The old, the young, the weak. Warrior and mother with babe alike—they will show no mercy.”

  “If this is coming, it seems to me like being on the winning side is the best place to be,” she pointed out.

  Namitus’s scowl turned to a smile as memories of some of Alto’s impossible feats came back to him. He remembered the time when, deep under the mountains of the Northern Divide, Alto challenged a knight of the Silver Dragon to single combat. A fight he could not hope to win, at that time. Rather than fight the knight as was expected, he’d tackled him and thrown them both off the bridge they fought on and into the underground river. He’d sacrificed himself so that his friends could run away and live.

  Of course, Alto had survived his chilly underwater adventure, thanks in no small part to Thork showing up at the right time in the right place, but no one save the saints could have guessed at that.

  “You’re smiling. Do you see my reasoning?” Lariki asked.

  Namitus chuckled. “No, I was remembering the feats of a friend of mine who believes quite the opposite. Once I may have felt as you do, but now I know better. Now I understand that there are people and causes worth fighting for. And, if need be, worth dying for.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll let you know if I ever find one.”

  Namitus stared at her a moment before saying, “I know what you are.”

  She turne
d. “Excuse me?”

  “Just as I have the blood of the elves in my veins, you have the blood of dragons in yours.”

  She scoffed and glanced at her tattoos. She opened her mouth but Namitus shook his head.

  “No. I saw you fighting. Your hands become talon-tipped claws. Your skin hardens into proper scales. I’ve never seen the like of it, but I have met other half-dragons. One sits the throne of Shazamir after we killed his father, a full-blooded dragon ruling in the guise of a man. Another rules the city of Peltarch, to the north. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were relatives of yours, come to think of it.”

  Lariki drew herself to her full height and stared down at Namitus. He’d never noticed just how tall she was before. Not as tall as Garrick, his northern friend, but close enough he began to wonder at the sanity of challenging her openly.

  “You would be right,” she said. “The king is, or rather was, my grandfather. My father had a thing for a serving maid and rushed her off to safety before he was killed so that my grandfather could take on his semblance and rule for another generation. As far as I know, he never knew of my mother or that I existed.”

  Namitus bowed his head. “I’m sorry to hear of such tragedy.”

  Lariki shrugged. “It is the way of things. I am here, and he is not. I would not be here if it weren’t for him.”

  “You are truly a mercenary at heart,” he muttered.

  She shrugged. “Yes, but as long as your gold proves to be true, I’m your mercenary.”

  Namitus sighed. “I suppose that will have to do.”

  He turned to leave but she caught his arm and stopped him. He glanced down, surprised and alarmed at the strength of her grip.

  “If you change your mind, let me know. I’ve seen you fight. The Vultures could make a place for you.”

  Namitus’s eyes widened. He pulled his arm free and fought to suppress his shudder. “I’m ashamed to believe that I once thought like you.”

  Lariki shrugged, not bothered by his dismissal in the least. She turned back to stare at the thinning mists. “Makes you want to spread your wings and fly, doesn’t it?”

  Namitus walked away. He couldn’t go far, but far enough to take a seat beside his more stable companions. He sighed and stared down at his hands until Allie reached over and placed her hand on his and squeezed it.

  “We heard,” she said and released his hand. “You’re a good man, Namitus. You do remind me of my father a little. Thank you for helping us.”

  “Yes,” Corian said from the other side of the boat. “Allisandra’s right. I’ve heard you talk and talk, and I challenged your right to do what you’ve done with us, but you’ve proved true time and again. Men like yourself and Gildor have truly opened my eyes. I may never share the views of my people again, but I thank you for making me a wiser person.”

  Jillystria grabbed her brother’s hand and squeezed it as she smiled.

  Amra nudged him and whispered, “Don’t you think you should tell them? About…you know?”

  Namitus frowned and glanced at her. She nodded again and took the opportunity to grab his hand and squeeze it. He had to fight off a chuckle. Was she acting out of jealousy?

  “For your own peace of mind,” she added when he hesitated.

  Whether her actions were an excuse fueled by jealousy or not, she had a point. He nodded and turned back. “Jillystria, Corian, there’s one last secret between us you should know.”

  “What?” Corian asked. He sat up straighter and the lines in his brow deepened with concern. “What secret is this?”

  Namitus pointed at him. “You, it turns out, are my uncle. Well, great-uncle, to be precise. And Jillystria, that makes you my grandmother.”

  The elves stared with open mouths, trying to process what he said.

  Namitus nodded. “It’s true. Lilliandara is my mother, but I spent my time with her family until I was old enough to set out on my own. I don’t remember her ever coming to see me, though I’m told she did when I was a babe. I sought her out on my own when I was old enough, but seeing her was enough. I never spoke with her.”

  “Why not?” his grandmother asked.

  “I saw the love my parents shared for each other and for the music they played. I also saw how all that they owned they had on them, including their instruments. Had I been a part of their lives, everything would have been different. The stresses I saw others go through would have ruined the magic they made together.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks. She climbed to her feet and walked across the deck to stand in front of him. She hesitated until Amra gave Namitus’s hand another squeeze and let go of him.

  “I did a terrible thing,” she whispered. She dropped to her knee and reached for his hands. “Lilliandara and you should never have had to grow up as you did. I bowed to the pressure of my parents and my people, and I hope that you can forgive me.”

  Namitus opened his mouth, ready to make a joke and try to avoid the awkward situation. He hesitated, wondering if perhaps this wasn’t the best time for avoidance and deflection. Humor was how he survived, yet this time perhaps it was misplaced. He glanced around and saw Lariki standing at the bow and staring at the approaching island. The mists had nearly burned off, showing that their time was down to minutes instead of hours.

  Something Lariki had said stuck with him. Not just her amoral approach to right and wrong, but admitting to her own chaotic upbringing. He nodded and turned back to look into the scared eyes of his grandmother.

  “I can’t imagine a life better than the one I’ve had,” he said. “It is a shame that you had to endure such cruelties and pressure, but when I saw my mother, she was poor and living day by day, but she was happy. It is unfortunate that you’ve lived without your family, but as for myself, I’ve lived well and take pride in what I’ve done.”

  Her lip quivered and a fresh tear ran down her cheek. Without asking permission, she leaned forward and hugged him. Namitus smiled over her shoulder and returned the surprise hug until she let go and backed away.

  The knight of Altonia cleared his throat and blinked a few times. “All right, that’s out of the way now. Let’s get ready for what’s to come.” He turned to Harlon, who was standing at the tiller and raised his voice. “How long, Captain?”

  “Thirty, maybe forty minutes,” the captain called back. “Could have done it in near half the time, mind you, but we’ve had to run slow so that damn barge could keep up.”

  Namitus glanced at the other two boats off the starboard side of the Lady Hornet. The far boat was longer but had a shallower beam. The middle one was the barge, built shorter and with a wider beam to carry goods. Between the three boats, they carried the twenty-four men and women determined to raid the castle.

  Jilly rose and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she whispered. She hesitated and added, “It’s been more than forty years. There’s so much—”

  Namitus nodded. “There is, but it will have to wait. What’s a few more hours?”

  She sucked her lips and nodded before returning to her seat.

  Namitus turned and saw a shimmer in Allie’s eyes. She smiled and glanced away, looking to the island ahead of them.

  “Good job,” Amra whispered.

  Namitus smirked. “Glad I’ve got your approval. Now you stay with the boats. You and Jilly both.”

  “I know the castle,” Jillystria objected. “I can—”

  “Not as well as I do,” Gor reminded her.

  “You got us lost heading out last time!” Allie reminded him.

  Gor sighed and nodded. “I did, but I was still drunk.”

  “And now?”

  Gor grinned. “Other than the ales Namitus sneaks my way, I haven’t had a drink in weeks.”

  Allie turned. “What? You…”

  Namitus blushed. “I’d just met you and needed an ally to win your trust. It was back in Mira—nothing since.”

  She turned her glare on Gor.

  The warrior raised both hands, making the
oversized chain shirt hanging from his shoulders jingle. “He speaks the truth. Nothing since.”

  Allie snorted and looked away, shaking her head.

  “All right, Jilly, you and Amra will stay here. Just like we planned last night. We move fast to the gate and try hard to get through before they close it.”

  “And if they do?”

  “Then we find another way,” Namitus said. “Won’t be the first time I’ve had to climb a castle wall.”

  “Oh really? That sounds like a story,” Amra invited.

  Namitus opened his mouth and then closed it. His lip rose in a twisted smile. “Another time for that too.”

  Lariki turned from the front of the boat and waved her arms in the air, signaling the other boats. “Get ready!” she called, facing away from the island.

  Namitus nodded to his companions. “May the saints grant us speed and safety.”

  Chapter 16

  “You should come with us,” Namitus said as the Lady Hornet broke to the left and headed for the eastern edge of the harbor.

  “So you can keep an eye on me?” Lariki smirked. “I’ll fight for you until this job is done and paid for, don’t worry.”

  “How are you going to join them?” Allie asked. “They’ll be in the middle of the docks and we’re trying to avoid them.”

  Lariki turned and judged the Lady Hornet’s speed as it shot into the harbor. She nodded and turned to glance over her shoulder. “Watch.”

  “What—” Allie’s words stopped as she saw the half-dragon’s eyes flash in the morning sun.

  Lariki pulled her vest apart, snapping the laces as though they were made of single threads. She shrugged it off her shoulders and stepped out of her boots. Her pants hit the deck a moment later. Naked save for the tattooed scales that covered her from neck to ankle, she stepped up on the seat along the edge and raised her hands over her head.

  “Saints!” Namitus sputtered as she hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface. Several seconds passed before she broke through the surface again. Her arms hammered the surface, pulling her through almost as fast as the boats parted the water.

  “Did you see her—”