‘Remove water from any of us, a ship, an elf. . or a human, and all that remains is dust,’ he said.
The bell at the helm rang and Esteren’s voice rang out.
‘Ready to bring us about, heading north by north-west,’ he ordered. ‘Stand by. Selas, get up to the forward nest. I don’t want to collide with any wreckage. Bosun, you are not in position. Let’s come around, wait for our passengers and head on. Tell Takaar he is not to employ that casting on any of my timbers, under any circumstances, or he’ll feel my boot in his arse.’
Esteren’s chuckle was as loud as his voice.
‘Good work, everyone. Now let’s get north.’
Chapter 10
It is a strange thing indeed to speak face to face with those whose names and deeds are noted in our history books.
Stein, Mage of Julatsa
It was full night and calm had returned to the diminished elven fleet. Only topsails, jibs and spankers were running to keep speed low and manoeuvrability high for the skeleton crews during the hours of darkness. The first mate of the Soul of Yniss doubled as the helm. The crow’s nests were empty.
Services had already been held for the lost, and as they drifted across the waves, dirges and prayers for those to be committed to the sea and Shorth’s embrace would continue until first light. Combined with the creaking of ships’ timbers, the rush of the sea, the ripple of sailcloth and the lonely call of stray gulls, the elven voices lent a surreal quality to the darkness.
In the captain’s cabin of the Soul of Yniss, on a rug woven in a likeness of the stone apron of the temple at Aryndeneth, sat Auum, Ulysan, Esteren, Takaar, Drech and Stein. They had been served a herb and boar broth and now had plates of fruit, sweet leaves and steaming broad-based mugs of earthy root tea before them.
They had barely spoken a word, choosing to listen to the songs and chants, occasionally joining in or mouthing silent prayers of their own.
‘We should get to it,’ said Esteren. ‘I don’t know about you, but I require sleep before dawn.’
‘We’ll try not to keep you,’ said Auum, a glint in his eye. ‘So, Ulysan, let’s go through the numbers, depressing as they are.’
Ulysan swallowed the remains of his drink and reached for the jug, talking while he poured and set the jug back down.
‘We lost a single TaiGethen, Gyaam’s Blessing lost four, Spirit of Tual lost two. None of us lost a single crew hand or Il-Aryn adept. That’s the good news. Obviously we lost Capricious. Thirty-seven crew lost including the captain. Eight TaiGethen lost. All the Senserii survived. Twenty-eight Il-Aryn lost.’
Drech hissed in a breath.
‘And the wounded?’ asked Auum.
‘Mainly minor injuries, not a great deal to worry about. The majority were caused by the sinking of Capricious. They range from cuts and bruises to severe sprains, breaks, and we have two nasty sword injuries. The surgeons aren’t going to lose anyone and Stein says he can speed healing along.’
Auum inclined his head to Stein, who shrugged.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Auum. ‘Esteren, Drech, Takaar. We have all lost valued friends and comrades. To lose a ship and so many of those on board is a bitter pill, but we have kept an invasion force from our shores.’
‘We all knew what we were getting into,’ said Esteren. ‘But thank you nonetheless.’
‘A full list of names of the fallen will remain in the captain’s cabin,’ said Ulysan.
‘Why did so many Il-Aryn die but so few TaiGethen from the same vessel?’ asked Takaar, his face grey with exhaustion and knowledge of the losses he had suffered.
‘And no Senserii,’ said Auum sharply. ‘You know the answer. Please do not try to cause a conflict where none exists.’
Takaar’s face closed still further.
‘Could have saved more. Should have saved more,’ he muttered.
‘Perhaps it’s time you got some rest,’ said Auum.
‘Don’t patronise me,’ snapped Takaar. ‘You want me out of the way so you can plot, is that it?’
Auum felt the aches of the day’s exertions more keenly all of a sudden. He kneaded the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger and tried to remain calm.
‘Gently,’ whispered Ulysan.
Auum nodded. ‘It’s just that you look exhausted, as I feel. After what you did today you have every reason to be asleep already. There’s nothing to plot, Takaar. We just need to go over our next moves. We don’t need to be sidetracked by pointless debate about who saved whom and who didn’t and why. It’s done. Accept that everyone did everything they could.’
Stein cleared his throat noisily.
‘It isn’t pointless to the dead.’
‘It is especially pointless to them,’ said Esteren. ‘Please, Takaar, let this rest.’
Takaar waved his hands in a shooing gesture. ‘Yes, yes, brush it under the rug. Never mind the dead. Never mind if they could have been saved. Never mind who chose to live, letting others die.’
Auum sprang across the rug and pulled Takaar’s face to his, hands on the mad elf’s head.
‘Then let’s lay it out for you so you can grasp it, shall we? Because everyone but you has worked it out.’ Auum’s eyes bored into Takaar’s, who held his gaze unflinching. ‘Your ship was sunk because the barrier came down. The shamen worked out the weak point was the mana threading and concentrated all their efforts there. When Stein told you this, you chose to attack him rather than warn Drech to fortify the threading. The shamen targeted your Il-Aryn the moment the barrier was down because they were easy targets, on their knees, disoriented and tired.
‘My people got as many as they could over the side, but it was too late for the rest. And your twelve Senserii rescued one elf between them: you. Perhaps you’d have done better casting your clever new trick then, rather than saving your own skin.’
Auum moved back to his place in complete silence, righting a bowl he’d knocked onto its side on his way to Takaar. He sat and drank the remainder of his infusion.
Ulysan whispered in his ear, ‘Gentle, just as I advised. Well done.’
Auum suppressed a smile and looked at Takaar, who appeared stunned. He was muttering under his breath, deep in conversation with his tormentor.
‘We do have some good news as regards our landing capacity,’ said Esteren carefully.
Auum nodded his gratitude. ‘The boats we captured were worth the effort, I take it?’
Takaar lurched to his feet.
‘I think perhaps I will take my leave,’ he said. ‘I find my exertions have sapped my strength more than I thought. A shame the fact that I have saved the expedition a full day has gone unmarked, but these are the wounds true genius must often bear.’
Takaar shambled out. Esteren followed him, bade him restful sleep and shut the door behind him.
‘Anyone who laughs is going over the side,’ he said.
‘What was the point of that, Auum?’ demanded Drech. ‘He’s fragile enough as it is.’
‘Not fragile enough that he won’t bolster his own sense of injustice,’ said Auum. ‘No one calls the actions of the TaiGethen into question.’
‘It’s a dangerous time for him,’ said Drech.
‘When isn’t it? Remember what I said: he’s your problem, so keep him in check. Look at the power he wields. What happens if he decides to turn it on us? Stein was lucky he was physically attacked rather than turned into so much dust.’ Auum shook his head and turned back to Esteren. ‘When do we make landfall?’
‘We’ve got to sail halfway round Balaia when we sight land,’ said Esteren. ‘So get comfortable. We’ll be there in six days, at a guess.’
Auum blew out his cheeks. ‘Still, no time like the present. So, skipper, talk to me about getting us on dry land. Drech, I advise you to go and look after your patient. Stein’ll fill you in on our plotting.’
The wind changed direction steadily, and by the time Balaia filled the horizon cold air was funnelling across the deck, strengthen
ing by the hour. Auum pulled his cloak tight around him and stared into the gathering twilight, wondering when they’d set foot on foreign soil.
‘Warm enough?’ asked Ulysan, coming to his shoulder.
‘Barely,’ said Auum.
‘Nice cloak,’ said Ulysan.
Auum knew where this was going and he smiled. ‘Thank you.’
‘Looks just like the one you said you wouldn’t need when I was adding it to your kit.’
‘There is a remarkable similarity.’
‘In fact I recall you being really quite dismissive and sarcastic about it.’
‘Surely you have somewhere else you need to be?’
‘No, no, nothing pressing. Now you said, ‘‘The day I wear that cloak other than for ceremonial reasons is the day Gyal’s tears cease and the rainforest dies.’’ I wondered if you wanted to amend that statement at all?’
‘I hadn’t expected chill of this intensity,’ said Auum.
‘It’s seven days north and it’s full of humans, what did you expect?’
‘Not this,’ said Auum.
He felt low. The thrill of the fight had long since faded leaving an endless stream of nagging anxieties behind. If he was leading them to their deaths, how would he square that with Shorth? Could they really hope to free the trapped Il-Aryn with the armies of men and Wesmen clashing? And why was he really here at all? The conflict within him concerning elven magic and its place in Calaius raged on. He wished the magic gone but had to concede it occasionally had its uses. It was the question of where it would lead that worried him most.
Ulysan was staring at the dark mass of Balaia, his arms folded.
‘So this is what lies beyond the mists, eh? So much for the old song. It’s not up to much, is it?’
‘It just feels so desolate and we’ve not even landed yet. Look at it. Nothing speaks to you of life, not as we see in the rainforest. Beeth be blessed, but I can barely even see any trees. Grass, mud and mountains. It’s horrible.’
‘Well, let’s make sure we’re not there long,’ said Ulysan. ‘Do you want to hear what Esteren said?’
‘So there was a reason for you to bother me with your unique sense of humour after all. Go on.’
‘He’s going to head east along the coast and go round that way. It’s a little longer but probably calmer, and he’s worried about another attack given what you said about Ystormun having a presence on their flagship. Less chance of that if we aren’t skirting Wesman lands. You are sure it was him?’
Auum nodded and shuddered. Despite having had the satisfaction of being able to gut the host body, the very notion that bastard could project himself into another was one Auum still had difficulty accepting.
‘Magic. It invades every part of us. What if he can project himself into you or me?’
‘You’d best ask Stein about that, but I’m guessing it’s not possible. He has some special link with those shamen, according to Stein.’
‘And that’s the crux of it, isn’t it? Stein. Not that I don’t trust him, but for all that he knows, and all that he does and says, we really have no idea what we’re going to face in Balaia, do we? We’ve set out so unprepared. He has no idea of the force that might or might not be laying siege to Julatsa, does he? His Communion can’t penetrate whatever the shamen have cast around his city.’
‘Exciting, eh?’
‘No, not really.’ Auum squeezed Ulysan’s shoulder. ‘Thanks for listening to my rambles.’
‘You just need convincing it’s worth it,’ said Ulysan.
‘Maybe. I don’t want anyone to die on that miserable rock. And they’re going to, aren’t they?’
Ulysan raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
The longboats sat low in the water and offered no protection whatever against the freezing sea spray carried on the chill westerly wind that lashed across the benches. Hoods were drawn close, faces were turned away, and those on the oars pulled hard to speed them to shore.
Auum had taken first stint and now sat forward. The swell was growing, making progress steadily more difficult, but they were under no threat of being swamped, just of freezing to death before they reached the shore. Auum willed the land closer and smiled at the irony given his fear of setting foot there.
They were about half a mile away now. Esteren and the elven ships were heading back to Korina, the capital of Balaia, to trade, restock and look as innocent as possible, a much easier task now the warriors and Il-Aryn had been offloaded. Two of the quartet of sisters had stayed with the fleet, with Ephemere and Cleress joining the raiding party. Esteren would bring the ships back to the landing point as soon as he was able.
The two Il-Aryn were in another boat, as were Drech and Takaar. Much to the latter’s annoyance, Stein was with Auum. Something about the human was compelling. He was fearless and strong-willed, unafraid to speak his mind, and Auum could respect that. But there was something else that made him fascinating, and Auum had just worked out what it was. He waved the mage forward and, when the human sat down, spoke immediately.
‘You don’t find this at all strange, do you?’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Stein.
‘You’re sitting in a boat full of TaiGethen, who remain the sworn enemies of all men, guiding a raiding party on your own country. You have no control or influence over us, just the word of a race that has no trust in yours.’
Stein shrugged. ‘That’s where our relative lifespans give us such different views of the world. Men did unspeakable things to the elves and we still bear that shame. But today’s men weren’t there, weren’t even born for hundreds of years after it all came to an end. We can’t change the past, only make the future one that benefits all of us.
‘But you, so many of you, were the elves enslaved. You were caught up in the cruelty of Ystormun’s plans. You suffered personally, lost so many friends and loved ones it breaks my heart. For us it’s history, for you it’s memories.’
‘I hear you.’ Auum nodded. ‘And your current situation, on this freezing boat full of warrior elves?’
Stein chuckled. ‘It feels completely right. I’ve been preparing for this all my life, as did generations before me. The honour being mine is a reason for great pride; the necessity for it a reason for great anxiety.’
Auum smiled. ‘How much help do you really think we can be?’
Stein jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
‘Look how much help you’ve been already. Ten ships and all souls aboard taken from the Wytch Lords. That’s a big blow by any standards. You don’t see yourselves with my eyes, and I’ll tell you this. You’re fast. Don’t get me wrong, the Wesmen are good fighters, but they have no chance against you. And I don’t suppose anyone has any way of combating the castings you can bring to bear either.’
‘When do we tell him we were only fighting at half-speed?’ said Ulysan from the oars.
Stein looked from one to the other. ‘What’s he talking about?’
‘There is another state of combat,’ said Auum, glaring at Ulysan’s back.
Stein gaped. ‘Even faster?’
‘Yes,’ said Auum.
‘Why didn’t you use it?’
‘It’s tiring. We can only use it for short periods of time before having to rest, so we couldn’t risk it. In any event, it should only be employed in dire circumstances.’
‘All right, but-’
‘No more. That knowledge goes no further.’
‘Understood.’
Auum smiled into his hood, seeing Stein champing at the bit for more.
‘Time you explained what I can see on your coastline.’
Stein stared into the darkness and sighed. ‘Well, I suppose I can hazard a few guesses, although I can’t see too much. Dead ahead is Triverne Inlet, where we can find safe landing. The lights you can see to your left are the town of Jaden. The mountains stretching away from you to the right are the Blackthorne Mountains, which run the whole breadth of Balaia. Our legends say two land ma
sses were thrown together by angry gods and mountains cast up where they collided. It’s as good an explanation as any.
‘To the west, the Wesmen have their lands and live under the thrall of the Wytch Lords. To the east are the lands of man: beautiful, green, lush and welcoming. Just a pity we can’t stop squabbling about who owns what. It’ll take us a couple of days to reach Julatsa when we land.’
The flotilla of longboats rowed into the inlet a short while later with Stein directing them to a shore of mud and pebbles on the eastern side. Auum felt the grating of the keel and the boat rocked left and came to a halt. He stood, feet on the wood, and stared at the ground before him.
‘Yniss forgive us for what we do,’ he said and stepped onto foreign soil for the first time in all his thousands of years of life.
Other boats hit the beach and elves spilled out. Kit was moved fast onto shoulders, and Stein led them up a sharp rise. Cresting it, Balaia was laid out before them in the stark colours of night. Auum took a deep breath, tasting the scents of grass, flowers and animals with the pervading odour of man covering everything.
In the immediate landscape there was little but grass growing on gentle rolling rises that led away to the south and east. There were isolated stands of trees and the occasional group of buildings of human design but not a great deal else. Auum could see the lights of Jaden and the mass of buildings that made up the town. Julatsa was too distant to see, but the smoke and dust smudging the night sky almost directly south gave away the besieged city’s location.
But the dominant feature was the Blackthorne Mountains, which rose from the far side of the inlet where the land met the sea. They grew steep and impenetrable and fled away south, great sentinels of rock capped in white, dividing east from west in the most spectacular manner.
It was an extraordinary natural feature, and either side of it two peoples had grown to be such entrenched enemies that, if Stein was to be believed, only the extermination of one would satisfy the other. Or perhaps it was just humans who desired the extermination of any challenge to their assumptions of authority and ownership.
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