The Crown Of Yensupov (Book 3)

by C. Craig Coleman

  “So long as it doesn’t try to attack the boat, we’ll mind our own business and hope it does the same,” Saxthor said. He instinctively put his hand on Sorblade’s hilt.

  “All this splashing in the dark is wearing on my nerves,” Tonelia said. “How do these things live in this endless decaying soup. The smell alone should kill them.”

  Bodrin nodded.

  Toward morning, a water-dragon rose from the depths, reared up out of the water, and hissed. It scanned the boat from recessed red eyes and snorted fire from its nostrils. Only the oars seemed to keep it at a bay. The monster circled the boat, flippers slapping the water periodically.

  “The one that attacked the boat before came up under the oars,” Bodrin said. “This beast seems intent on getting past them.”

  It shot fire at the oars.

  “Eat this!” Hendrel shot wizard-fire at the circling water-dragon and seared one eye. The creature shrieked and dove under the water. Bubbles boiled up from the depths. No one slept; everyone scanned the black water for signs of the beast, surfacing again, but it didn’t. By dawn, they were all exhausted.

  “Dragons at night, then flies showed up with heat and humidity when the wind dies down in the morning,” Tonelia said. “Is the water getting thicker with that goop?”

  “We must be approaching land,” Bodrin said.

  “We need to find the Akkin River on the border with Prertsten when we do reach the swamp’s western shore,” Saxthor said. “We’ll take turns sleeping and rowing to keep on course.”

  Just at dusk, they spotted an island.

  “What’s that on the island?” Hendrel asked.

  “Looks like a building, a hut” Tournak said.

  “Solid ground,” Tonelia said. “My legs are cramping from sitting in this tub so long.”

  “At least the island looks larger than the others we’ve landed on,” Bodrin said. “This one has a few live trees, not just the dying sticks we’ve seen before. There’s a bit of grass and some low bushes, too.”

  Approaching the shore, they rowed around it watching the building.

  “Anyone there?” Saxthor said.

  “Looks to be a maybe a two room stone building with a grass thatch roof,” Bodrin said. “Anyone living there could hear us.”

  “Someone’s been there recently or the thatch roof wouldn’t be in good shape,” Saxthor observed.

  “How could anyone live there?” Tonelia asked. “I don’t see a garden, or room to grow much on this small spot. It’s not big enough to support livestock.”

  “It might be a watchtower or a place of exile,” Tournak said. “Be careful.”

  “Well, we have to stretch our legs,” Saxthor said. “Bodrin, you and Tournak check the building. Watch your backs.”

  They poled the boat up to the shoreline. Bodrin and Tournak jumped off with their swords in hand and crept up to the building.

  “Anyone home?” Bodrin asked.

  “Don’t kill me.” A wrinkled, darkly tanned man with tangled, gray-streaked hair and beard was coming out of the building with his hands raised. “I have no weapons, have mercy.”

  The adventurers surrounded the man, quaking at the sight of so many people. He just made quick glances at them. “You’re not the orcs that sometimes bring me food. The orcs tease, beat, and threaten me.”

  “No, we’re not orcs,” Bodrin said. He lowered his sword.

  “Take what you want.”

  “What’s made you so afraid?” Hendrel asked.

  “How did you get here, and how do you survive?” Saxthor asked.

  Tonelia watched Delia’s reaction as she sniffed the man. The dog didn’t bark at him, but she seemed confused and edgy. Perhaps his fear causes her confusion, she thought. Who can tell? At least the man isn’t hostile.

  Twit was too seasick from the last days on the water to care what the dog did. He flew up on a tree branch, ate a bug and slept.

  The man began to straighten up. “I came from Heggolstockin a long time ago, several years. I think I’ve seen many seasons of change here. I’m not sure. I tried to hike out of the swamp, but halfway in, the water rose and trapped me.”

  “Water rose fast then?” Tournak asked.

  “Yes,” the man said, turning quickly to face Tournak behind him. “I was floating on a log about to starve, when orcs in a boat found me. They were going to kill me, but their leader stopped them saying their king might have a use for me. I had no chance of escape. They brought me here. I think this was once a farmhouse or maybe a guardhouse, but when the waters rose, I was cut off.”

  “They left you here for years?” Bodrin asked.

  The man spun again to face Bodrin as though he feared someone sneaking up from behind.

  “The orcs abandoned me here and went to report their find to their higher-ups. They come back by, from time to time, leaving me some nasty food and supplies. There’s just enough to keep me alive. I thought I’d never see a human again.”

  “What do they keep you alive for?” Tournak asked.

  “I don’t know. I just survive here from day to day. You must take me with you.”

  “How do you feed yourself if the food runs out?” Tonelia asked.

  “I catch the reptilefish sometimes when they wriggle too close to the island in the mud. There’s a deep-water spot close to the island’s far end, and I can sometimes beat the water like something thrashing. They come to attack it and I spear one. Sometimes a bird will land on the island, and I eat him, too.”

  “We weren’t sure if those reptilefish were edible or not,” Tournak said. “We’ve never seen them anywhere but in this swamp.”

  “I think the Dreaddrac’s king created them somehow. How else would they have a lizard’s head and a fish’s body? I eat them, though, when I have to. They have dark flesh and a muddy taste, but they’re food.”

  “Do you know how far it is to the western shore?” Saxthor asked. “Do you know where the River Akkin is?”

  “Must be about a day’s sailing to the west or southwest.”

  The bearded man followed each of them in turn around the island, apparently afraid they'd leave him. When Tonelia brought the supplies ashore, the exile clapped like a child seeing food again. He wouldn’t leave Tonelia’s side, while she cooked.

  “Don’t keep bothering her,” Bodrin said. “We’ll share our food. Stay with Tonelia, Delia.” Delia wagged her tail and panted obediently watching every detail of the food preparation. She moved between the stranger and Tonelia.

  At least I’ll be safe with Delia at my side, she thought.

  Bodrin shook his head and joined Saxthor and Tournak touring the island.

  “What do you think of the man?” Saxthor asked.

  “He seems to have a genuine story,” Tournak said. “He looks like he’s been left here quite a while.”

  “Yeah, he’s been too long away from ladies, too,” Bodrin said. He smashed a stick hard against his leg, snapping it.

  Saxthor looked out across the water. “Something bothers me about him, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe we just need to make him wash and cut that beard.” His face lost its gleam. “We’ll have to take him with us. He’ll tell the orcs everything, when they come with food. Don’t know why they left him here, but he’ll tell them men came over the water.”

  “He’ll turn us in for food,” Bodrin said through a slight snarl.

  “It wouldn’t be right to leave him here,” Tournak said.

  “He gives me the creeps,” Bodrin said. Saxthor and Tournak looked at Bodrin, who looked back at the man beside Tonelia.

  They all ate and the half-starved exile ate all leftovers.

  “It’s been a long time since I had people food even if it’s prepared from dried stuff.”

  Bodrin was disgusted. Fruit bits, stuck in the man’s beard, jiggled as he talked through a mouth of half chewed food. The group packed up.

  “We’ll take you with us, but you need to go clean up first,” Saxthor said. H
e looked at the others, “Well, it’s a small boat.”

  The man jumped up, beamed at each of the travelers, then started down to the water to wash.

  “Here,” Bodrin said. He handed the man his knife. “You’ll need this for the beard.”

  The man looked confused. Bodrin stroked the knife blade beside his face to indicate shaving. The man grinned, took the knife, and ran to the water to wash and shave.

  Bodrin watched him, keeping an eye on his knife. After the man cleaned up, he ran into the hut and brought back his few possessions, tied up in a piece of cloth. He waited by the boat for his position.

  Passing the man as he was getting in the boat, Bodrin repossessed his knife and returned it to its sheath. The grinning man’s head bobbed up and down as each person boarded the craft. He then got in the bow, taking Delia’s favorite spot.

  They poled out into deeper water and started rowing west. The exile stared ahead across the water. The adventurers rowed most of the day and into the evening.

  “We must be close to land,” Saxthor said. “I wish we could see it. We’ll have to row on in the dark. Be careful of treetops in the water.”

  *

  Not long before midnight, they heard noises.

  “Stop rowing and be still,” Saxthor said.

  “Was that voices?” Tonelia asked.

  No one answered. Bodrin put his finger to his lips. Then came telltale rhythmic splashes and dripping like oars rowing. The voyagers stopped their oars, remaining still and quiet.

  It’s most likely orcs, Saxthor thought. Our full boat is low in the water. We can’t fight from this little tub. He motioned for Bodrin and Hendrel to row. He tapped his ear indicating quiet, then steered the boat on a more southerly direction.

  “The other craft is still with us,” Tournak whispered in Saxthor’s ear.

  Saxthor changed course to the west, but again the other boat followed.

  “Now I hear two boats,” Bodrin said and pointed. “There, it sounds like another boat, coming at us from the north.”

  “It’s as if the orcs know where we are,” Saxthor said.

  The other boats followed for almost an hour. The clouds parted after midnight and moonlight lit up the water revealing all three boats.

  “Both those boats are filled with orcs,” Bodrin said. “They’re following us for sure.”

  “They’ll attack soon,” Hendrel said.

  ”Now that the moonlight has exposed us all, they’re rowing harder, steering directly for us,” Tournak said.

  “Move to the back and row as fast as you can without tipping the boat or taking on water,” Saxthor said.

  They rowed hard, but the muscular orcs harder. Water sloshed over the orc boat bows. Oafish orcs bailed out water as the bows dove into the black soup.

  “The orcs are gaining on us. We can’t avoid a fight,” Saxthor said.

  As Saxthor assessed their situation, everyone else stared at the approaching orcs and strained rowing.

  The terrified exile huddled in the bow, mumbling to himself, not watching the orcs, like all the others.

  “Tournak and Hendrel, you’ll only have one chance to hit their boats with wizard-fire before they realize we have that capability,” Saxthor said. “After the first shots, the orcs will be wary. Tournak, can you hit the boat on the right?”

  “I think I can, it’s worth a try.”

  “Hendrel, you take the boat on the left. I’ll steer hard right. When they follow, their turns will expose the boats’ sides. Aim for the water line so maybe you can sink one. If you miss, at least you should force them to slow down. Do so on the count of three.”

  Just as Saxthor finished setting the attack plan, one of the orcs threw a spear that landed just short of their boat.

  “The orcs expect us to surrender,” Tournak said.

  “They’re drawing closer to us,” Saxthor said. “There‘ll only be time for one shot before the orcs overtake us. Take good aim, men. Tonelia and Astorax, splash the water with your hands on your respective sides of the boat.”

  “Why?” Tonelia asked. “What good will that do?”

  “Just do it, and do it now,” Saxthor said. “Okay, Tournak and Hendrel, get ready. I’m going to count to three, and steer the boat to starboard. Shoot your wizard-fire as they turn to follow. Tonelia and Astorax keep splashing until after the wizard-fire shoots, then stop and keep your hands out of the water.”

  “Three,” Saxthor said, loud enough for his companions, but not the orcs, to hear. He shoved the steering oar, turning the boat hard to starboard. The boat jerked to the right. Water rose almost to the tip of the side. As he did so, the orcs followed the move, their boats exposed broadside.

  Zap! Zap! Tournak and Hendrel shot wizard-fire bolts.

  Hendrel hit the boat on the left just above the waterline, knocking out the planks in a fiery explosion. Tournak hit the boat on the right, but his shot was a bit high. While it knocked a hole in the upper planks, it didn’t hit below the waterline.

  Saxthor turned sharp back to port.

  The orc steering the left boat turned to port to follow Saxthor, not realizing the extent of their damage. The water rushed high against the damaged bow and into the boat. The surge of water lowered the boat and more water rushed in. The boat was sinking fast. The panicking orcs scrunched to the far side, rocking the boat. It took on more water.

  “The orcs are vulnerable in their metal armor,” Tournak said, as he rowed. “Short and stocky, they aren’t good swimmers, if they can swim at all canned like that.”

  Panic swept the sinking boat. Some of the orcs fell into the water, scrambling to the back of the craft. The ones in the water were flailing to get to the other vessel. That boat turned away, unable to accommodate more. Almost as soon as the orcs went into the water, reptilefish appeared.

  “Tonelia and Astorax, that’s why I told you to make thrashing sounds,” Saxthor said. “You’ve alerted the reptilefish to an easy meal.”

  Water-dragons appeared, creating foamy, splashing frenzy in the water around the sinking boat.

  “They’re circling the reptilefish, circling the boat, excited at the prospects of a good meal,” Bodrin said.

  Tonelia looked away as the orcs struggled to fend off attacks.

  The second boat recovered from the initial attack, and rowed toward the adventurers with the gaping hole in the side of their boat, showing just above the water line.

  “Orcs don’t give up, do they?” Tonelia asked.

  “They can just keep up with us now,” Saxthor said. “If they row too fast, they’ll create too large a water roll off the bow and sink their own boat.”

  “They’ll follow us and attack us, when we land,” Bodrin said.

  “They not make shore; they’d alert other orcs,” Saxthor said. “We need to destroy them while out on the water. Bodrin, Tournak, stop rowing so the orcs can catch up with us.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” Tonelia asked.

  “We must deal with them now. If they follow us ashore, they’ll call for reinforcements exposing us to many more. Get your swords ready.”

  “If we have much of a battle, both boats will sink, and we’ll all be food for the water-dragons and reptilefish,” Tonelia said.

  “They know we have wizards on board; they’ll be more cautious,” Saxthor said. “We need to sink that boat.”

  “In the event we kill one of them, they’ll just throw him over the side,” Tournak said. “Orcs don’t know remorse or concern for their comrades. Killing one will lighten their boat. They’ll regain the advantage.”

  “There’re more clouds coming,” Tonelia said. “Can’t we just outrun them until those hide us again, and then slip away?”

  “We’ll try that first. I hope to avoid a close encounter fight. We’re too low in the water, but they mustn’t reach land and alert others. When the cloud cover blocks the moonlight, row but don’t make a sound with the oars.”

  They rowed as fast as they could. T
he orcs kept up with them even though it was risky. Finally, the clouds swallowed the moon; the night went black. Saxthor steered the boat hard to starboard, heading west. They were all silent slipping away, hoping to lose their pursuers. When the clouds parted once more, the light revealed the orc boat was farther away, but still following on a direct course.

  “Somehow, they know where we are even in the dark,” Saxthor said.

  In the moment of light, Saxthor saw something else. The exile was again hunched over and muttering. That seems odd, he thought. That man isn’t muttering to himself. He’s somehow signaling the orcs. That can’t be. Could the orcs be controlling the poor man? There’s no other explanation for the orcs ability to track us through the dark all night.

  As Saxthor watched the exile, realizing something was wrong, the man seemed to sense it. The pitiful creature jerked his head up and saw Saxthor watching him.

  That was a red gleam in his eye for just an instant, Saxthor realized. As he bent over to grab his satchel for his wand, the exile jumped up. He shot a bolt of wizard-fire at Saxthor who dodged it.

  “Cripes!” Tournak said.

  Delia went crazy.

  Though shocked, Bodrin snatched out his sword. He jumped to attack the exile, when the creature shot another bolt of wizard-fire. The bolt deflected off Bodrin’s sword as Bodrin stepped between Tonelia and Astorax, slashing at the man/wraith.

  The creature jumped overboard as the sword grazed him. He made a desperate effort to swim to the orc boat, but the reptilefish, following the boat, attacked him in the water before he got very far. The wraith attempted to free himself from the man’s body, but a water-dragon shot flames across the water vaporizing the wraith, escaping the human shell. The water-dragon and reptilefish fought over the remains as the skeleton sank in the black water.

  “That’s gruesome,” Tonelia said.

  “Be glad it isn’t one of us,” Bodrin replied. He stood, staring at the frenzy, his sword, hanging in his hand.

  “Why didn’t he attack us on the island?” Bodrin asked.

  “Too many of us, he wanted the crown’s jewels. He probably expected the orcs to take us alive.” Tournak said.

  “The orcs are catching up,” Saxthor said. “Sit down and row, Bodrin.”