5
I stopped where a stand of pines started to give way to tag alder and signaled for Kai to hold up. We didn’t want to go this way. Tag alder grew in wet ground, in tight, tangled thickets, so the going would be slow and noisy. And considering our Osterway friends were only a few hundred paces away, any sudden shift in the wind could blow the racket of our passage right to them.
Flint came back from the left, closer to the lakeshore. She held her tail up straight, meaning she’d locked in on a better route. Her tail was more than something that described her moods—Flint used it to communicate with me, and what I called a raised flag meant she’d scouted a path different from my own. We reoriented ourselves and started forward again, skirting the alder swamp.
I wanted to get to grips with these Osterway assholes, and any route that was faster was superior, in my mind. Taking the ships, sacking and robbing Kai’s cabin, wantonly slaughtering at least a half-dozen animals in a way any decent hunter would find outright obscene . . . fuck them, they needed to pay.
I glanced at Kai. She’d packed away her broken shotgun and brought out a wicked-looking crossbow. I had no doubt what she’d be willing to do to get back her family’s heirlooms—especially her mother’s bracelet. Good.
We started along the strip of land between the alder swamp to our right and the lake to our left. It actually made for a better approach than I’d hoped. We’d hear anyone thrashing their way through the alder long before they could get close to us, so that would only allow them to come at us from directly ahead. We made good time along a sandy ridge that split the swampy wetlands from the lake itself; it was an elevated path that might as well have been built for running. Sand and fallen needles deadened our footfalls, so I concentrated a little harder on listening as we moved, counting on my tech to let me hear anything before it heard us.
The trees opened up ahead. Beyond, I could see straight into the bay where the ships had laid up. One was still at anchor. The other two were sailing east. They must have gotten underway at daybreak, having decided to split their force. Tactically, that was good for us; it left a much smaller force to deal with.
She crept up to me. “They’d better not be sailing off with my stuff—”
We both twitched, eyes flickering right as a sharp noise broke the stillness. Something had just snapped an alder switch.
I tilted my head, listening. Another crack. Then, several fainter ones. A splash. It could just be an animal. But another snap split the air, followed by an even heavier splash and a sharp curse.
Kai looked at me. “People.”
“Unless animals have learned to cuss.” I scanned the terrain around us. The alder swamp was to our right, and ahead, along our course, was the bay, so this ridge also swung to the right. We should be able to move between whoever was bashing around in the alder and the ship.
I looked at Flint and pointed the way we’d come. “You stay back, girl. Watch our backs.” In this close ground, I didn’t want her leading us toward men who likely had guns.
I nodded to Kai and we started forward again, following the crest of the sandy ridge as it bent to the right and south. Flint hung back. We saw nothing but pine trees as we crept forward. Then there was a break ahead. The ridge was cut by a ravine. When we got close, I could see why. A small stream flowing out of the alder swamp had eaten its way through the ridge as it sought the lake. Well off to my left, on the lakeshore, I could hear distant voices and the rattle and clump of wood. That was probably the crew of the ship working on a new yard, one made from a tree harvested along the shore, maybe even from among the tallest of these pines. Whoever was making a racket among the alder was a lot closer. The stream actually formed a path into the thicket, so they were probably following that. For what purpose, I didn’t know, and didn’t really care.
“I think they’re coming back this way,” Kai hissed.
She was right. The snaps and cracks were getting closer, and I could hear the slosh of feet through water and more cursing. Alder swamps were miserable places to walk—wet, full of things that wanted to poke and tangle and gouge, and infested with blackflies and mosquitoes. Whoever they were, they’d undoubtedly stick to the stream on their way out, it being the easiest way. That meant they’d pass right by us.
I looked at Kai. “Let’s wait for them.”
She nodded, and I sketched out a quick plan. We would ambush them where we were as they emerged from the swamp and entered the ravine. I was pretty sure there were no more than three or four, and we wanted one of them alive for sure, so we arranged ourselves accordingly.
A loud snap, then a man shoved his way into view, pushing aside alder and cursing. Two more followed him. They were clad in rough, grubby, and somewhat ragged clothing; two were armed with carbines, and the third with a nasty-looking ax, but all had their weapons slung. It still wasn’t clear why they’d entered the swamp—maybe they thought it was an easy way inland, to do some hunting—but now it was clear they just wanted out.
Perfect.
I gave a soft whistle. The rearmost of the men apparently heard it and looked around, frowning, but didn’t stop bashing and sloshing his way out of the swamp. The next instant, Flint erupted from where she’d been lying among some bushes and ripped out his throat in a shower of blood.
The other two started to react, going tense, eyes widening as they turned toward the horrible spectacle of their friend dying. Then Kai’s crossbow bolt slammed into the second man, penetrating his skull with a crack like breaking pottery, the point punching out the other side in a spray of gore. I barely noticed it, though, since I was in motion. The third man clutched at his carbine but had barely started to get it off his shoulder before I was on him, driving one fist into his gut, then chopping the back of his head with the other. He dropped like a sack of rocks and I stepped on his head, forcing it down into the mud edging the stream.
“Don’t move,” I said, “don’t try to fight back, and definitely do not shout, or I will let Flint here kill and eat you. Understand?”
The man gasped and gurgled. I took it as a yes.
We brought our prisoner back the way we’d come, stopping where we first encountered the alder swamp. He did his best to look defiant, but there really wasn’t much fight, especially when he got a good, clear look at Flint. Kai produced a rope and tied him to a tree, her rope and knot-work quick and efficient.
“Okay, asshole,” I said, squatting in front of him. “Here’s how this works. We ask you questions. You answer them. Do that, and you just might live through this.”
The man, who was wiry and looked sunburned, glared—or tried to. I could tell he was someone with a bit of authority, used to intimidating whoever his underlings were into doing what he wanted. Trouble was, we weren’t exactly underlings.
“Egnor’s gonna gut you for this,” he rasped. “This is his show, so—”
Kai’s boot smacked into the side of his head. I heard his teeth snap together.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re gonna regret this, we’re gonna pay. Is that, like, a script or something you fuckers memorize in case you’re captured?”
The man scowled up at her then snorted and spit. It didn’t come close to hitting her, but Kai glared and raised her foot again.
“Not necessary,” I said to her, putting my hand between her boot and his face. “Not worth the effort.” I stood. “If he’s not going to cooperate, why don’t you and I just go make some tea. Flint’ll finish up here. Flint?”
She padded from where she’d been lounging, behind the tree and out of the man’s sight. He gasped as her face filled his view, her jaws gaping. It was his first really good look at her.
I turned away. So did Kai.
“No! Wait!”
We turned back. The man yanked himself as far back from Flint as his ropes would allow. Flint just grinned at him, drooling. Her gums were pink, her fangs white. Seconds later, the stain on the man’s breeches was yellow.
Drooling was a nice touch.
“Who are you? And I don’t mean your name, because I don’t care. I mean you—all of you, on those ships.”
“We . . . Venari hired us. She’s sending forces this way. She’s after something out west. We’re supposed to . . . to get the lay of the land. Report back on what her—I think she calls them Huntsmen, what they’re going to be up against.”
I glanced at Kai. Mercenary raiders, employed by Osterway, to scout westward in advance of their most elite forces. What was this Venari up to?
I looked at the man. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
I sighed. “Okay, Flint, you can—”
“Wait!” He licked his lips. “Shit . . . look, we weren’t told much. What might they run into, and what sort of tech is there. That’s what—his name was Egnor, I think—that’s what he said. He was especially interested in the tech. They even sent a couple of their own—a man and woman. They went right into that town, Water . . . something.”
“Watermanse.”
“Yeah! Anyway, they went right into that town, pretended to be traders. They were really interested in tech. Not food or anything like that. Hightec.”
Kai knelt down. “So why raid my cabin? Take my stuff? None of it was Hightec.”
He blinked at her. “What? What cabin?”
She scowled. “You don’t even fucking remember? Few days ago, back along the lakeshore—”
“Oh. That cabin. I didn’t go ashore. We were just told to check out everything. Grab everything. Bring it back with us. The stuff from that cabin is with the rest of it on the biggest ship. Everything we found, it’s there.”
Kai puffed out a frustrated sigh. The biggest of the three ships had already sailed off. “Why take those ships? And who’s crewing them?”
The man shrugged. “Easier than walking. Faster too. Crews are still on ‘em. They’re the ones sailing.”
“Let me guess,” I snapped. “Not willingly. They’re fucking slaves now, right?”
“Look, I don’t decide this stuff. I just—”
“Do what you’re told, yeah, yeah.” I turned my scowl toward Kai. “The final refuge of a true scumbag . . . just doing what they were told.”
Kai scowled right back. “So just let Flint eat him.”
The man yanked against his ropes. “No! Wait!”
I put up a hand, silencing him, but kept my eyes on Kai. “I said he might just make it through this alive if he cooperates. And, he’s been cooperating.” I turned back to him.
He bobbed his head, a pathetically enthusiastic nod. “Yeah, I have!”
“Okay, so one more question, then. Where were you going from here? Where are those ships bound for?”
“Up the coast, about a day’s sail to the east. There’s a supply dump. A base. It’s meant to support their forces, I guess, when they finally come this way. Guarded pretty good. We’re supposed to go there, drop off whatever we found, tell ‘em whatever we know. After that, I’m not sure. That’s all I was told.” He licked his lips again. “Please, that’s all I know!”
I nodded. “I believe you.” Standing, I said to Kai, “Let’s go.”
“Wait! You said I’d live if I cooperated!”
I slung my pack. “You’re fucking alive, right?”
“But you can’t just leave me here!”
“I sure can. Anyway, you’ll eventually get yourself free, if you work at it. Might cost you some skin, working out of those ropes.” I started to lead Kai and Flint away, then stopped and said over my shoulder, “Oh, and when you do get free? I’d strongly suggest you just go home. Because, if we find you with the Osterway assholes again, I will let Flint eat you alive. Doubt any payout’s worth that.”
We walked away, leaving the man desperately struggling against his bonds.
We’d already dragged the other two bodies into the alder swamp, where they’d be almost impossible to find. The one we’d left tied up was far enough away that if their friends came looking for them, all they’d find was questions without answers.
We made camp back where we’d spent the previous night. I’d considered trying to take on the crew of the lone ship, but decided against it. There really wasn’t much to gain, and it might compromise any attempt to find out what these Osterway thugs were up to. What we really needed to do, I thought, was make our way to that Osterway base further to the east and see what we could learn there.
Kai agreed, because that was where her family heirlooms would be, and she was determined to get them back.
As darkness fell, we sat much the way we had the night before—Kai stretched out on her bedroll, me sitting beside the fire, Flint prowling the darkness around us, watching out. For a while, we made small talk, until Kai just went quiet. I saw her eyes closed, her breathing slow and regular, so I crept away from the fire. Flint followed me, but I held up a hand and whispered, “You keep watch here, girl. I’m going for a swim.”
Flint turned and padded away. The Osterway raiders were over a klick away; even if they did come looking for their lost men, or figured out they been killed and hadn’t just disappeared, I doubted they’d do much searching now that night was falling. But if they did happen this way, Flint would be on top of it. And I knew Kai could take care of herself.
I made my way to the lake a couple of hundred paces away. The little, rocky headland blocked any view from the bay where the ship was anchored, and on this side of it, the water formed a small cove. I stripped and eased myself into the water. A layer of chill enveloped me, making me gasp a bit and shiver until I got used to it. It was much warmer, though, than where the lake was deep; there, a man could go hypothermic in minutes, even in the midst of glory season. I wondered what that was like, freezing into death by exposure while picking up a sunburn. Had to be one of the most ironic ends I could imagine.
I let myself float, watching the sky darken, from blue to black, while the stars came twinkling out. The only sound was the soft lap of waves against the shore. I let the calm settle over me, washing away the grime of the day. It wasn’t just physical dirt. I didn’t regret the men we’d killed today, really; they were murderous mercenary cocksuckers who would have killed us without a second thought and lost no sleep over it. But killing still leaves a stain that needs to be washed away.
I jackknifed my body, rolling forward, ready to dive. Someone stood on the shoreline, a dozen paces from where I’d been floating. I’d been caught out naked before, and I hated it.
“Cus,” the figure whispered, “it’s me.”
I relaxed. “Kai? Thought you were asleep.”
“I was. Something woke me up. I asked Flint where you were. Didn’t really expect an answer, but she led me down here.” As she spoke, she started stripping off her clothes.
“Water’s a little chilly,” I said, “but not bad.”
She pulled down her pants and stepped out of them. “I live beside this lake, remember? I’ve swum with ice on it.” She stepped into the water. “Besides, you said my feet stink. Tells me I need a bath.” The water reached her breasts and she kicked off, swimming up to me.
We floated together for a while, naked, our flesh stippled by the water and our own growing need. I let my hand cup the fullness of her breast, and even in the water, she felt warm. She was an island of soft curves in a place where there were few.
“You don’t feel dirty,” I said into her ear.
She laughed softly, pushing against me with more insistency. Our bodies began to warm to each other, and she turned to kiss me, our tongues touching, parting, touching again.
“You found one place that needs attention,” Kai said, her voice getting slower as the heat grew between us.
“Only one?”
I moved my other hand downward, touched her thigh . . . slid my fingers across her warm skin until I found soft folds . . . pushed my fingers inside
her. She gasped, a soft noise of surprised laughter. “And there’s the other.”
Her hand encircled my cock, squeezed gently. “I think you need the same treatment. If, of course, you’re willing to leave the water.” Her tongue touched my ear.
I pushed us both back toward shore then picked her up and placed her down on my piled clothes, which would have to serve for the moment. She lifted and spread her feet, opening herself to me. I lowered my head, tasting her, then pushing my tongue along the soft, swollen ridges of flesh, finally touching her hard little nub. She shuddered, a delicate series of ripples accompanied by sounds that grew to match the timing of my mouth—in, out, side to side, every sensation mirrored in her voice. As I felt her begin to go rigid, I closed my mouth tightly, using the tip of my tongue to draw a long hiss from her as she came hard, pushing up toward the sky with hips that threatened to send me back into the water.
I pulled myself up her lithe body, kissing her hard as she tugged at my lip with her mouth, and my cock with her hands. In seconds, she guided me home, a welcoming heat that closed around every inch of me while we became familiar with the sheer joy of that first exploratory thrust. She was a new world, and I savored the moment, letting my erection pulse within her before, by some unseen signal, we both began to move.
That ancient, primal rhythm took over, a wet, rhythmic slap joining the soft wash of waves, our breath growing short, strangled, and punctuated by sounds that could be mistaken for pleasure or pain. When she came the second time, my control failed under the tight grip. I came hard as she finished her own climax, the waves of pleasure ebbing away until we were left holding each other, hearts slowing to something close to a normal pace. We went back into the water, washing each other with a gentle touch that lovers know, then climbed out in full dark, guided only by our memory from an hour earlier.
“I . . .” she began, then shrugged. “Thank you. It’s nice to be touched that way.”
I buttoned my pants. “Thank you.”
“Just so you know, I don’t usually . . .” She shrugged. “Not with a guy I haven’t even known two days, anyway.” She pulled her boot onto her foot. “After a day full of death, though . . .” She shrugged again. “It’s nice to do something that’s all about life, you know?” She released a puffed-out sigh. “I’m tired of seeing the bad side. This was good.”
Legacy Page 5
