Quinn took a blow from a cutlass on his own sword before thrusting the point of his double edged short sword into the man’s face. He still had his dagger, which he held with the blade pointing down so he could swipe it backhanded at his opponents. There were three men around him now, circling slowly, each with a cutlass. Quinn feinted toward one man, then darted toward another, ducking under the third man’s clumsy attack to stab one pirate in the leg. Then he tucked his shoulder and rolled across the deck, bringing his dagger down into the first assailant’s foot. The man screamed and dropped his weapon, falling back with his foot still pinned to the deck. Quinn rose quickly, turning toward the third pirate, who was hacking at him like a child with a wooden sword. Quinn parried the blow and then launched a high counterstrike that was intended to catch his opponent off guard, but then he slipped and the pirate swung his weapon in a desperate lunge to take advantage of Quinn’s misfortune. Quinn let himself fall, knowing that if he struggled to stay on his feet, he would be caught off guard. He hit the deck hard, and the pirate succeeded in slicing a gash in his shoulder before Quinn was able to thrust his sword up into the man’s groin.
Mansel saw Quinn fall. His heart was in his throat, but there was no way he could help his mentor. He was engaged with one pirate who was wielding two daggers and there were more coming across the planks behind him. Mansel feinted to one side and then thrust his sword to catch the man as he tried to dodge away. The point of Mansel’s sword penetrated the pirate’s gut in a shallow flesh wound, causing him to leap backward in pain. The pirate attempting to leap off the plank toward Mansel caught his foot on his compatriot’s head, knocking the wounded man unconscious and causing the leaping man to fall headlong on the deck.
Mansel didn’t wait for the man to get up, instead he drove his sword into the pirate’s back and then jerked it free in time to slash it across the abdomen of the next pirate running across the planks. There were constantly more men coming on board. The pirates had successfully laid four planks across the rails of the two ships. The pirates on the outside planks were able to avoid Mansel and Quinn, which they seemed perfectly happy to do. The sailors of the Nightingale met them as best they could. All around Quinn and Mansel was chaos, the screams of the wounded mingled with the battle cries of the men they fought. Bodies began to once again pile up on the deck.
Quinn was struggling to his feet when the next pirate came at him. Quinn merely held his sword out and the pirate, trying to stop, ended up sliding onto it. The man had a cutlass and Quinn snatched it from him before jerking his sword free again. The cutlass was heavy compared to Quinn’s short sword, even though they were about the same length. The cutlass was a tool as well as a weapon. It could cut the thick ship lines with a single blow and even be used as an axe in dire circumstances. It had a thick blade with a blunt, straight edge. The opposite edge was honed and curved around to meet the other edge. There was no real point on the end of the sword, and the handle was simple wood with a plain iron finger guard.
Quinn used the cutlass to block the clumsy attacks from the pirates. The weapon grew heavy in his hand and after several strong blows he let the cutlass fall to the deck, preferring speed over defense. The deck was slick and there were bodies piled around him, but Quinn still found a way to move among the chaos, his sword darting back and forth as it slung blood and gore. The one weapon Mansel had that gave him the greatest advantage was his shield. More often than not, the pirates’ weapons lodged in the shield’s thick wood, leaving the attacker defenseless. Mansel’s sword was also longer than the cutlasses and axes the pirates used. The double-edged blade was like an extension of Mansel’s arm. It was well-balanced and extremely sharp, allowing Mansel to keep his attackers at bay.
As the battle went on, the pirates tried to avoid the planks that Mansel and Quinn fought in front of. But when a lull in one side occurred, they simply shifted over and cut down the pirates trying to get on board around them. It quickly became apparent that none of the pirates wanted to fight the trained warriors, preferring to seek the Nightingale’s sailors because they were easier opponents. But the pirates were outnumbered and soon overwhelmed. On the other ship, the captain was screaming at his crew, trying to get them to board the Nightingale. The pirates were resistant after seeing so many of their comrades fall.
“Smash the planks,” the Nightingale’s captain shouted.
Blood was running from the captain’s nose, but he had held his ground at the ship’s helm and even killed some of the pirates with his decorative sword.
“Smash them,” he kept shouting. “Get us free, men. Cut us loose.”
Mansel picked up one of the fallen cutlasses and helped hack away at the wooden planks that were holding the ships together. The wood from the planks was brittle and broke apart quickly. The pirate ship veered away, and then came more fiery arrows. This time the projectiles were aimed at the hull, but it was soaked with water and blood, causing those that fell there to sputter and die. The captain sent his sailors up into the rigging once again. They unfurled the sails, which were scorched and burned through in places, but the wind filled the tattered sails and the ship’s speed increased dramatically.
The Nightingale’s crew sent up a loud cheer as they watched the pirate ship tacking to sail away from their ship. Quinn and Mansel were exhausted, especially as the adrenaline from the fight drained away. Both had fought hard, and neither had regained their full strength after being seasick. The barrel of water on the main deck had been used to soak the wood, so they were forced to wait until a group of men could carry a new barrel up from the ship’s hold. They watched as the pirates were first searched for valuables and then tossed overboard like trash; some were only wounded, but they received no mercy from the Nightingale’s crew. The men knew the fate that would have befallen them if they had been captured, and no one seemed to care overmuch about the lives of the pirates.
“A double ration of grog, I think,” the captain said loudly.
The ship’s crew cheered again.
“What’s grog?” Mansel asked.
“It’s a very strong spirit from Tooga Island. It’s very popular on the sailing ships, although it’s sometimes mixed with other spirits, depending on what’s available. They have to ration their spirits or the crew might drink themselves to death.”
“If I don’t get a drink soon, I might die,” Mansel replied.
“I think I might dry up and blow away,” Quinn agreed.
They were the first at the water barrel as soon as the sailors wrestled it on deck. Once the barrel was pried open, they thrust ship’s mugs into the lukewarm water and gulped it down. The breeze blew across their sweat-stained clothes and cooled them down. And then they were given buckets of seawater to wash the blood and gore from their hands and clothes. Quinn groaned as he pulled off his shirt. It was stained with blood and torn where the pirate’s cutlass had gouged into his shoulder.
“That needs attention,” Mansel said, pointing to Quinn’s shoulder. “The ship’s doctor should see to it before it gets any worse.”
“It’s only a scratch,” Quinn said, looking for clean area of his shirt to hold against the wound and staunch the bleeding.
They lounged in the shade of their cabin as the daylight faded to night. The ship’s doctor was nothing more than a man with knowledge of a few home remedies, but he was experienced at sewing up wounds. Quinn was given a large serving of the ship’s grog. The spirit was strong and tasted awful to Quinn, but he drank it all anyway. His mind felt foggy after drinking the liquor and he didn’t notice the pain of his shoulder so much, even when the ship’s doctor stitched it up.
Mansel was given grog, too, and although he didn’t care for it, he drank it. He was lightheaded afterward and had trouble staying on his feet to fetch their supper from the trunk in their cabin. They ate bread and cheese, and drank ale from the small cask Quinn had brought on board. Then they both fell into their hammocks and slept.
Chapter 21
The
army finished the shrine in only three days. It stood two stories tall. On the roof there were four large statues of angels with broad wings that Zollin added and crafted using magic. The statues were decorative, but their primary purpose would be to shield anyone on the rooftop from the dragon’s fiery breath. There was also a chute on either side of the rooftop that would allow Zollin to slide down into the building’s lower floor if he needed to escape quickly.
The next major project was the retaining wall on either side of the main street. The wall was made from stones so that it would not be susceptible to fire. It stood chest high and had a lip that extended away from the street so that the soldiers could duck under it to escape the dragon’s fire. They added slots to hold their arrows and then they began working on several smaller buildings along either side of the main street. These buildings were basically round towers with a door that led to a staircase that wound up the inside of the tower. The towers had narrow windows to allow light inside the structure but also to allow the soldiers to fire their projectiles at the dragon. There were six towers built in all, and they took an entire week to complete. Then the soldiers turned their attention to repairing the other buildings around the complex. The extra work wasn’t necessary, but it gave the soldiers something to do and allowed them to sleep indoors and do away with the camp along the outskirts of the community.
Zollin and Brianna worked tirelessly every day. They moved into the shrine building as soon as it was completed. Their relationship was still strained, but both agreed that it was better for Brianna to stay close to Zollin. Just the appearance that they were lovers kept the soldiers from getting too friendly with Brianna. Zollin slept on the roof each night, just to be ready in case the dragon attacked.
While Zollin focused on using his magic to help with the construction, Brianna helped with dozens of odd jobs whenever she was needed. She mended robes, hunted in the woods to supplement the supplies they had in the wagons, mixed mortar for the masons, cleaned out the rubble from the surrounding buildings, and acted as a liaison between Commander Hausey and the reserve troops camped in the forest. Each night she and Zollin ate dinner together and talked about their day or of their memories of life in Tranaugh Shire. But through it all, the underlying tension remained. It simmered just beneath the surface until Zollin thought that he would go mad.
Sir Hausey was almost as impatient as Zollin, although for completely different reasons. He understood the tactical advantage of their defensive position, but he was anxious for action now that their defenses had been properly built. He sent scouts out on horseback, riding in different directions with orders to spread rumors of the new religious sect and to return with news of the dragon if they came across any. The beast, which had been so busy over the last few weeks, had suddenly disappeared. Some were saying that the dragon had returned to where it came from, its lust for gold satisfied. Others claimed that the beast was merely biding its time, waiting for the people of Yelsia to grow complacent before launching an attack on Felson, or perhaps even Orrock, the kingdom’s capital. Hausey didn’t believe any of the rumors. He wanted facts that he could use to plot his strategy for defeating the dragon.
The first report came back, not of the dragon, but of the woman people had taken to calling the Priestess. She had been seen not far from the compound by one of the commander’s scouts. Their first opportunity was finally presenting itself, and Hausey called his troops together, including Zollin and Brianna.
“We have to begin acting like a religious community,” he said. “If word gets out about who we really are, we could lose the element of surprise and that would be devastating. From now on, we will follow a tightly regimented schedule. Brianna will be our Mother, the head of our order.”
“She’s a bit young to be a mother,” said one of the troopers.
They had grown fond of Brianna, although none of them were willing to risk Zollin’s wrath by doing more than flirt with the young girl. She was friendly to them all, doing what she could for them, and they appreciated her for it. Being the only female in such a large company of men made it difficult for her to be herself sometimes, and although she would have liked to have opened herself to Zollin again, she used the excuse of the other men to hold her affection back.
“Shut that hole of yours, Lyam, or I’ll shut it for you,” grumbled a centurion.
“I’m just saying she’s young,” the soldier said in a conciliatory tone.
“Many religious groups use young women as part of their rituals,” said Hausey. “We’ll do the same so that it doesn’t appear odd that Brianna is the only woman here. You shall treat her with deference, is that clear?”
The soldiers all agreed, and Commander Hausey laid out their new routine. They would begin breaking ground as if they were preparing to grow their own food. They would continue to work on the compound, but only the outskirts. The workers would serve as sentries, making sure no unauthorized person went through the city unescorted.
It was a simple plan and two days later it paid off. The Priestess arrived alone, walking in tattered robes that were burned and frayed. She was met by one of the men, who offered to escort her to their leaders in the shrine. They circled around the compound and up the main street, so that the defensive nature of the community could not be seen.
Zollin now spent most of his time on the roof of the shrine and as soon as he had seen the strange looking woman with wild hair and a tattered dress, he had used one of the chute openings to slide down to the lower level of the shrine. The lower level was open on the street side so that the golden statue could be clearly seen. There were rooms in the rear of the lower level, one that Hausey used as his field office and the other that Brianna used as a bedroom.
Zollin, Brianna, and Hausey met the girl on the steps that led up to the shrine.
“Welcome,” said Brianna. “The shrine of the Uskerton is a peaceful community. I’m afraid we don’t have our guest accommodations completed yet. Would you care to make an offering?”
“I have come to warn you,” said the woman. Her hair was dirty and unkempt. Her once buxom figure was now withered. She looked frail, her dress was burned in various places, showing pink skin in some and leathery burn scars in others. Her hands were almost black from filth, and yet her eyes glistened with pride.
“Bartoom, Lord of the Highlands and beyond, will have your gold.”
“I don’t understand,” Brianna asked, feigning ignorance.
“The dragon will come for your gold. Place all the gold you have in the center of your village, and perhaps the fire god will not consume you.”
“You mean, the dragon would attack a peaceful order?” Brianna said in surprise. “Surely you jest. You look distraught. Perhaps you would feel better after a bath and a warm meal. We have wine, and tonight we shall feast on venison. Please, be our guest.”
“You have been warned,” the woman said. “Leave your gold and flee this place. Bartoom has no mercy.”
The woman turned and began walking down the flagstone lined street.
“Uskerton shall protect us,” Brianna called out. “We shall not fear.”
The woman did not turn or acknowledge that Brianna had spoken. She walked out of the compound as if in a daze.
“Do you think she’ll go into the forest?” Hausey said.
“I don’t know, but don’t you think we should question her? She may know more about the dragon than anyone else.”
“Oh, you don’t believe that he has really taken her under his wing,” Brianna said angrily. “No pun intended.”
“Under the dragon’s wing,” Zollin said playfully. “I get it.”
“You’re right,” Hausey said. “I’ll send two men to pick her up and bring her back here.”
“I suggest you have soldiers from the reserve unit do it,” Zollin said. “That way she’ll know who she’s dealing with. Besides, if she does have useful information and we don’t survive the dragon’s attack, they can take her south to answer to King
Felix.”
“What should we do to get ready for the dragon?” Brianna asked.
“I say we move the statue out exactly where we want the dragon,” Zollin said. “Then, if it comes for the gold, we can spring our trap.”
“Agreed,” said Hausey. “I’ll send men after the woman. You move the statue.”
“It would have been nice if she could have told us when the dragon was coming,” Brianna said.
“True, but maybe she doesn’t know.”
“She isn’t the dragon’s puppet,” Brianna said. “She knows what she’s doing.”
“Which is?” Zollin asked.
“She’s either faking everything, meaning she burned her own clothes and has probably never even seen the dragon, or she’s using the dragon to get something she wants.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, Zollin, it could be anything. Perhaps she just likes to see people burn. Maybe being the harbinger of doom makes her feel powerful.”
“She could use a bath,” he said matter-of-factly.
Five Kingdoms: Books 01, 02 & 03 Page 97
