"They have to know we are here," she whispered. Her sweet breath was warm on the side of his face as she leaned closer. "They must be waiting to see what we do."
Lethos shook his head. "I don't think this operates like a regular ship. They must all be below. We're about to open this door. Are you ready?"
He did not listen or look for her answer. Instead he wrapped his hand around the cold iron ring and gave a testing push. The door had give. He held his breath, hoped to feel his power flowing into him, and instead just felt like urinating, then shoved the door inside.
The stench of blood rolled out of the yawning darkness. Lethos stepped back, covering his mouth and nose, expecting an attack or something to fly out of the darkness. Yet nothing came. No sound followed. Nothing but the wide blackness of an opened doorway faced them. He looked to Valda, her expression still shadowed beneath her hood. Yet she had shrunk back from the doorway, her hand bright against the hilt of her sword.
"You can go first," she said.
Lethos stared into the darkness and swallowed hard.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lethos fought the urge to cough when the stale and grotesquely sweet scent of blood rolled over him from the black doorway. Deep in his mind a bestial snort greeted the odor. Lethos was too nervous to fight with the bull within, instead fearing his first steps into the yawning darkness before him. It was as if he were stepping into a prison cell. He gave one glance back at the stark silver-painted world of moonlight. Valda stood behind him with her small hand on his back, either to force him through or encourage him. He decided upon the latter. She now wore her shield on her left arm but her sword remained sheathed. Behind her the masts and rigging of the ship broke up the starry night into jagged patterns.
The soft soles of his black boots, lifted from Norddalr's armory before leaving for this ship, made little noise as he ventured into the dark. He left the safety of the pool of light spilling in from the opening and stepped into complete blindness. His hands ranged for something as he took tiny steps into the darkness. After several shuffling steps, his hands found a railing at the same moment his foot came to a drop off. He tested it with a slowly extended foot and touched the top of a stair.
He nearly shouted with excitement, and felt as if he had traveled a mile through hard terrain. Behind him Valda's fingers barely brushed his shoulder, as if she were ready to spring away the moment some creature of darkness devoured him in a single bite. That was a visual he decided to put out of mind. Instead he moved confidently onto the top step and beckoned Valda to follow. The stairs creaked and groaned as he worked his way down. The railing was smooth and cold beneath his hand. After about ten steps they came to a landing, and now a cool bluish light flickered from below. He could see the stairs continued down past this first deck.
"How far down do you think he is?" Valda asked, huddling against his back.
"This is too high yet. He's lower, but I'm not sure how low. I can usually see his location in my mind, but ever since he was struck with that arrow I've not had as much precision. Maybe if we pass him, I will feel he is higher. So we can adjust."
"Tell you what. Whenever you want to be vague, just give me a confident lie."
"I'm telling you, I can't ... never mind. Let's go lower."
Crossing the first deck made his heart thunder, expecting Avulash to sweep out at him as he passed that landing. All he saw was a long, narrow hall lit at intervals with a glowing blue light. It was not fire, but it flickered with the unsteadiness of an open flame held in an iron sconce. In the darkness of the stairwell he wondered how the crew navigated without light. Maybe this was part of an elaborate trap for him and Valda. Each step creaked and popped, but with the lack of any life in the ship, he was less concerned. Even Valda no longer grasped his shirt from behind. They continued down four more short levels.
"This is the deck," Lethos said. He felt Grimwold's presence like a pair of unseen eyes upon his. The back of his head tingled and the ache in his chest sharpened. The wretched scent of blood, to which his nose had grown accustomed, now bloomed in the darkness. He could taste the copper on the back of his tongue. At the landing, another narrow hall led off into the dark with a single blue flame to cast a pool of light at its center.
Valda was counting something invisible in the air when he turned to her. She started shaking her head beneath her hood. "This can't be the deck. This should be the lowest bank of oars. Unless they're using your friend as a rower, he must be lower than this. They'd keep prisoners at the bottom deck."
"Well, there's every chance you're wrong. But I am certain of what I know." Lethos sniffed and turned from her. "He's down here somewhere. Neither of us have any idea how this sort of ship is constructed, so the rowers could be anywhere."
He stepped into the hall as if he had vanquished a dragon, head high and chest out. No one had ever struggled to look up into his eyes, yet in this narrow hall he could lift his hand to the ceiling. He was just half a thumb taller than Valda, and she even expressed her surprise at the tight space.
"The storm riders were thin men, but tall," Lethos said. "I guess they don't come down here."
The narrow confines intensified the blood scent. The bull spirit that lurked within swished its tail and snorted again. Unleashing that beast in this small corridor would simply never work. He'd be crushed into the tiny space. He tried to steer his mind away from it, but the more he tried the more he kept envisioning the mighty bull and all its glorious strength. In truth, becoming something so huge and powerful was his ultimate childhood fantasy brought to life. Having always been small, he had dreamed of growing up into one of those massive brutes that could smash bullies into paste with one fist. Perhaps that was what Amator had drawn upon when he had transformed him. Like all immature dreams, the reality was much more a curse than a boon.
"What are you doing?" Valda hissed at him. Her hand seized his shoulder and drew him back. A door was half-opened, and he was about to barrel through it while lost in his thoughts. His heart flopped in his chest.
"Sorry," was all he could say. His ears burned as he faced the door. It was heavy wood reinforced with beams bolted across it. An iron ring served as its handle, dull and gray, and the door was opened about a hand's width. More of the strange blue light filtered into the hall from that room, only this light was stronger. He took it for a positive sign. "I can feel Grimwold's presence behind this door. It's stronger now. I can almost see him."
He lied about seeing Grimwold, figuring Valda would enjoy the certainty that comes from visual confirmation. Yet at the door she had lost all her bluster and in the dim blue light seemed to be shrinking. They had come this far, four decks deep into an enormous and empty ship with enemies hiding somewhere. No time to back out now. He put his hand to the door, paused, expecting Valda to say something, then pushed it gently open.
The door swung in with a small creak, revealing a layout he could not have imagined. Directly before him a ramp led down to a wide room that seemed to span the entire length of the ship. Running along both sides of this and going straight up three decks were platforms like theater boxes in the richest cities of Rao-Kharos. Forests of long, white oars were shipped on each level, hanging by chains and filling those decks to the point no one would be able to move through them. At the center of the room to his right another blue flame glowed in a metal sconce to cast the scene into a strange shade of blue.
"Well, where is he?" Valda said, pressed against his back. "I don't see anyone."
Lethos felt Grimwold as strongly as if he were at his side. He expected to find his friend at rest in the center of the wide, corridor room, yet this was empty but for indeterminate litter hugging the corners. He blinked hard, but still he saw nothing.
"You won't find him here."
The voice boomed out into the silence, sending both Lethos and Valda stumbling back toward the door. The scent of blood, again forgotten due to its pervasive familiarity, filled the wide space. At the opposite end of the
deck, Avulash emerged from the darkness. He no longer wore his strange armor, having traded these for a light blue, loosely fitting shirt and plain black pants. His sword, however, hung casually from his hip. His fierce eyes glowed in the dim light.
"You sense his blood," Avulash said as he continued forward. "Blood is the source of life and power, and where all magic ultimately resides. The blood of the Manifested is unique. A rare component capable of building so much."
A commotion rose from all the decks surrounding them. The oars began to sway and clatter against each other, as shapes moved excitedly to the edges of their decks. Lethos estimated at least a hundred figures crowded the edges as if ready to watch a play. None of them were tall, each struggling to look over a companion's shoulder or to peer over the rails. Yet they were heavily muscled and naked to the waist. Their flesh was all colored a dun red but for a stripe of black that ran down the centers of their bodies, from their faces down into their waistbands. Their hairless, hard-lined faces leered down at him, though none made a sound. Not a laugh nor a word was spoken from the masses.
"I don't know what you're about," Lethos said, looking back to Avulash. "But you had best return Grimwold to me, or this time I will not stop until I've sent this ship to the bottom of the sea."
He expected derisive laughter. His threat sounded lame even to himself. Yet Avulash only narrowed his eyes at him as if Lethos's threat were genuine. "The blood of a Manifested is a boon I could not have anticipated before arriving here. I have plans for his blood and yours. Yours especially is interesting. I will make a welcome for the return of my king greater than anything imaginable. See what mere drops of Manifested blood infused into flesh can produce in the hands of a master."
Avulash raised his hand, and Lethos sensed Grimwold stronger than ever. He could see him through the darkness behind Avulash, a vague form drawing closer. But this was bigger than a human. Slipping from the shadows behind Avulash came a giant shape of a strong, naked man. He stood at least ten feet in height, his skin a sick blue in the strange light. He took clumsy steps that shuffled across the floor which creaked under his mass. Yet most arresting was his face. It was like something seen in a dream, recognizable as a face but hazy and indistinct. All the features were present in the right spots but somehow he was unidentifiable. No personality or life was there, no blood suffused the skin to add color. It was as if the face were a mere painting.
"A giant by any standard," Avulash said. "And a servant more obedient than any other. This one was assembled in haste. I was eager to see if my skills had remained sharp after so long upon the fog of the ocean."
This was what Lethos had sensed. Grimwold's blood had been given to it, and Lethos felt his power reaching out to the giant. Yet it was like tossing ropes at a sheer cliff wall. Nothing would connect.
"That distraction you planned," Lethos whispered over his shoulder. "Would be convenient right now. I think we're in a spot of trouble."
He felt Valda behind him, still and wordless. All around, the squat rowers stared down with their eyes gleaming in anticipation. Avulash drew his blade and again the violet flame rippled along its edges, forming into twirling geometric shapes.
"Magical explosions would be great," Lethos said, his hands flexing for a weapon he did not carry. "Or you could turn into that angel warrior princess again. That was really, really helpful last time."
Avulash stepped closer, and the giant followed. The rowers scrambled to keep their eyes on the action. The deck creaked and popped as the giant drew nearer.
"I'd accept even a well-thrown rock at this point, right between the giant's eyes." Lethos stepped back, running into Valda. "Just standing around is not a plan. I suggest running."
Nothing triggered for Lethos, no power to predict the next step, and the bull was strangely quiet. He still assumed he possessed incredible strength and stamina, but did not want to test it out. Getting dashed over and over on the deck by a raging giant was not a plan to save Grimwold. He had counted on stealth, but had relied on his powers to carry him through a tough patch.
"Back into the hall," he said. "The giant can't fit in there."
Yet when he whirled, he ran straight into Valda. She had pulled back her hood, had her shield out and her sword drawn. Her blond hair was stark against her black clothing. Her face glowed with an intensity and hatred that pushed him back. Feet spread wide, she was not budging.
"I don't see the glowing sword," Lethos said. "We need to move."
Valda did not look at him, but shoved past to face the giant and Avulash. She pointed with her sword, and to Lethos's shock both stopped as if surprised.
"I am Valda, daughter of Eldegris. You, who slew my family, will pay their blood price with your life. I have no fear of your magic nor of your sword. I spit on both."
The derisive laughter Lethos had expected for himself now exploded from Avulash. "Phyros abandoned your father. He was no paladin, and neither are you. What you did before, I would like to see you do again. So the gods turned over in their slumber and saw you for but a flash of time. They will not see you again. They cannot see you here within my ark. Or did you not know this?"
Avulash resumed his approach, the giant following like a zombie, and the rowers craning to see what would happen next. Lethos did not understand Avulash's lecture, but the part about being cut off from helpful gods while in the ark was concerning. He thought about yanking Valda by her hood and dragging her into the hall. With luck, and luck was not the sum total of his plan, they could get to the top decks and back to their rowboat before they were killed. Avulash's sword now cast a brighter light than the blue flames, and Valda's shadow stretched long and flickering as Avulash drew nearer.
"I know what I am," Valda said. "I am your doom."
She leapt at Avulash, shield out and hair streaming behind. She screamed her fury, and Lethos held his breath for the lightning clash of blades. Surely she must have some plan other than suicide?
Avulash stepped back wide-eyed, but his thin blade was swift. He batted her sword aside and punched out with his left hand. He struck a blow to her temple that crumpled her at the feet of the giant. She didn't even give a cry, but just collapsed into a black pile. Suicide must have been the plan after all.
Lethos had nothing now. Avulash turned his sneering face to him, and Lethos's feet went cold. The violet sigils burned brighter and whirled faster as if winding up for a single-stroke kill. The giant stared stupidly at the body by his feet, and began to lean down. Without his powers, Lethos had to rely on what he already knew. His spy training had prepared him for something like this. To escape from a tight spot, he needed cover of some sort and a bit of confusion. He also needed to have his escape route planned and secret from the enemy. He was down on those two counts. But he knew what to do. The plan came together at the speed of desperation.
"Your blood is special, tainted as it is," Avulash said. "What Amator wrought upon you is an abomination, but it has its uses nonetheless."
Lethos sprang for the giant's legs. He counted on his supernatural strength to knock the giant off balance. The monster staggered as he collided, enough to back him off Valda. Avulash spun and laughed. But Lethos was not finished.
He scooped up Valda's shield and flung it with all his might at the blue flame. The sconce bent and the shield shattered. The blue flame poured out of the side like a liquid, but it went dark. The whole room was cast into darkness but for the violet light of Avulash's sword.
It was all he needed. Avulash predictably moved to block the doorway he had just used. But unless Avulash had been sitting in here all day, there had to be a way he entered on the other side of the room. Lethos slung Valda's limp body over his shoulder and dashed into the darkness. His footfalls were like thunder, and Avulash quickly surmised he was getting away.
"Stop him! Bring him back to me."
All along the walls shrill, sniveling voices answered the call. The red and black slaves, or whatever they were, now raised a clamor as the
y struggled to answer their master's command. Lethos, still blind, held one hand out as he pitched forward. To both sides he heard heavy thuds as the slaves dropped to the floor.
The crash into the wall hurt, but his supernatural stamina prevented what might have been a blow to knock out a normal man. He bumped along the length and found a door just as something grabbed his leg. He kicked with all his strength, and whatever had grabbed him flew away with a shriek. He yanked the door open in time for the blue flame to reignite behind him. He didn't even look back. A copy of the hall on the opposite end led to another landing where stairs led up and down.
Valda bounced at his shoulder as he sprinted, trying to not bump her against the wall. He felt the pulse on the inside of her thigh where his hand gripped her tight. Even if she was dead, he'd not leave her to become flesh for Avulash's creations. At the stairs he already heard the upper level filling with the stout slaves. Their squeaking, evil voices were now full of lively chatter.
Down. If ever there was a direction he did not want to go now.
He might be able to force himself past the slaves above, but Valda would be torn from him and he would eventually be overcome. Below was more unknown, and there could not be too many more decks. Once trapped at the bottom of the ship, he would have to face the inevitable. Yet Grimwold had to be down there. Perhaps if he joined with Grimwold and just prayed so hard that blood sprayed out of his nose the gods might rescue him. Or not.
He was already winding down before he had decided. He wasn't even conscious of the choice. Yet there was no icy feeling along his spine, no sense his powers guided him toward the right path. The stairs were dark and he took them carelessly. At the very bottom, blue lights lit the landing, and an open archway led into a dimness like light seen through heavy smoke. The squealing, cursing pursuers stopped the level above him and went silent.
That can't be good, he thought. If they won't pursue me down here, I've basically stepped in the bear trap. Sorry, Valda. I guess this was a valiant but doomed idea.
The Children of Urdis (Grimwold and Lethos Book 2) Page 13
