Song of Echoes

by R. E. Palmer

  ‘Lucky for us they did.’

  ‘Lucky to be sure, ma’am, and thankfully the Archon had the wit to keep at least one ship on the west coast seaworthy, giving us permission to take her out when we had time.’ He lowered his voice and nodded to the main deck. ‘And I hope your soldiers are better on dry land, then they might have a chance of taking back Drunsberg.’

  Elodi gasped. ‘You know about the siege? And the purpose of this mission?’

  ‘Oh yes, ma’am. It’s all the talk on the docks. Not good at all if we lose the mines. Especially, with things being as they are these days.’

  She groaned inside. The Vice-Archon had said they would not release the news, fearing it would lower morale. How had a fisherman come across the news so soon? And what of the invasion fleet? It would be difficult for the elite forces to go unnoticed as they traveled to Caermund. If news of their movements reached the wrong ears, they would struggle to make the landing at Umnavarek. She turned to Horace. ‘How did you find out?’

  Horace shrugged. ‘Everyone knows, ma’am. Maybe one of your young guardsman spoke to a local in West Haven, but it’s common knowledge all the same.’

  ‘I see. Thank you, Horace, I think I will take your advice and head below deck. I have a few matters to ponder.’

  Elodi soon came to enjoy life onboard the Celestra. Sea Mist and the draft horses seemed comfortable. The weather had been kind, allowing them to make excellent progress to reach the coast of Darrow sooner than Captain Blunden had expected. The Celestra creaked and groaned, but had remained true to Horace’s word, seeming to know the way. Elodi’s young guards had become accustomed to the waves, and their spirits had risen as their rations had stayed down. For her part, Elodi enjoyed imagining how the Celestra must have looked in her prime. She had run her fingers along the carvings on the cabinets in the grandly named stateroom, pondering those who would have stood in her spot during the ship’s long history.

  But this was no time to linger on the past. The immediate objective of re-taking the mines with a small, inexperienced force had to be addressed. With her limited resources, Elodi believed a blockade to be the most obvious course of action in order to starve the raiders into taking rash action. She could not stomach the thought of sending young men to what would surely result in their certain death if they tried to storm the town. But as Wendel pointed out, they had no idea when the last delivery of supplies had been made. Not to mention the dangerous task to move men north of the Drunshead Gate through territory held by the enemy. And the captain of the Archonians, Gundrul, could not rule out re-enforcements arriving from the north, while they had little hope of the Archon allocating more guards. Elodi began to question whether the Archon wanted the mines back, or if the mission was a ploy to remove her from Archonholm.

  Elodi studied the stern-faced men around the table in the stateroom. At her side sat Wendel, appearing to relish the challenge. They faced Gundrul and his four sergeants. Of these, only Gundrul and one other had served in Drunsberg. Gundrul had the look of a man who had seen and done much in a long and eventful life. Thick, gray hair covered what she took to be a wise head sitting on his broad shoulders. Despite his age, his bronzed, thick arms suggested strength and an ability to handle a sword. But Elodi took hope from the deep furrows on his brow. Gundrul was a thinking warrior, one she trusted would not rush in with a reckless show of bravado — his age bore testament to that.

  Re-assured, Elodi took a breath. ‘Thank you, gentlemen. We’ve had enough time to think about a strategy, now it’s time to bring them to the table.’ She read the first lines of her notes. ‘The initial report from Drunsberg stated the raiders had three ballistae firing bolts of fire. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of any being destroyed.’ Her eyes recalled the panicked scribbles of the last message. ‘As you know, the most recent communication revealed something none of us wanted to hear. We don’t know who wrote it, but one thing is obvious; they were in a state of despair. If a wyke leads the raiders, who knows what we could be up against.’

  Gundrul placed his hands on the table. ‘With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t think a mere wyke could cause despair amongst the guards at Drunsberg. What did he do? Make it rain? Give them a nasty cold? In all my years of serving the Archon, I’ve come across only one, and I have to say, the tales make them out to be far worse than the pathetic creature I met.’ He folded his arms. ‘My men may be fresh out of the barracks, but I’m confident they can take care of a wyke. All the dangerous sorcerers are long dead, ma’am. It had to be down to the heavy weapons and their sheer numbers.’

  Elodi’s pulse quickened. Why should these world-weary men take any notice of what she had to say? But the Archon had entrusted her with the task, regardless of his motive, therefore the responsibility lay on her shoulders. Elodi held up a hand. ‘Please, Captain, we cannot ignore the fact these raiders overwhelmed a force thrice the size of ours on this ship.’ She held his gaze. ‘And the soldiers at Drunsberg were more experienced, and in possession of the mine, not to mention a hundred or more miners in reserve.’ She clasped her hands and looked at the other faces around the table. ‘I have to assume the raiders had something new, something our men did not expect, or had not encountered before. And I suggest’ — she glanced back to Gundrul — ‘something of which we have no knowledge. Was it only the use of the ballistae? I think not. Surely, these weapons were of limited use once they’d taken the town. Yes, they could storm the entrance to the mines with them, but, as you know, once inside they would be impracticable in the labyrinth of halls and tunnels. Yet, the last message tells us the mines have fallen into the hands of the Ruuk.’

  Elodi waited for a response from the men around the table. They listened! And still they sat, as if waiting for her to continue. Heartened by their response, she obliged. ‘Gentlemen, from recent events I have had the misfortunate to witness, and new knowledge coming to light, I am certain the unknown we’re up against is a powerful wyke of old, and one worthy of the dark tales you will have heard.’

  Gundrul leaned back. His eyes wandered across the knotted wood of the tabletop as if searching for a hidden message. Elodi waited. After a full minute, he nodded to himself and raised his eyebrows. ‘Then, if this wyke of yours is as you say, ma’am, stealth is our only course of action.’ Elodi heaved a silent sigh. Gundrul turned to each of his men in turn. ‘But powerful or not, these creatures still have to rest sometime. We can be sure the scoundrels under his command will help themselves to the ample stocks of ale, so I would act at dawn, ma’am. We send two men over the barricade when his forces will be out cold. They open the gates, let us in, and we dispatch most of the swine before they can find their swords.’

  His sergeants nodded their approval. But the plan was not enough to convince Elodi. ‘Can we be sure the raiders are as ill-disciplined as you believe? They did, after all, take the mine.’

  Wendel spoke before Gundrul could answer. ‘Ma’am, we have another option.’

  Elodi turned. ‘And what would that be?’

  He straightened. ‘I’ve read all the documents relating to the mine.’ Wendel glanced to Elodi. ‘Now you can appreciate why I insisted on bringing my records.’

  Elodi smiled. ‘I do, Wendel. Please, go on.’

  ‘It’s not known to many, for obvious reasons, but there’s an old tunnel we could exploit. I suspect cobtrolls dug it long before the mines came about.’

  Elodi’s hopes rose. ‘Tunnel? And where does this tunnel surface?’

  Wendel ran his hands along the table's edge. ‘There’s a small, concealed entrance half a league south. We could gain access to the older parts of the mine long abandoned. But bear in mind the cobtrolls were smaller than us, and while we have widened parts, it would be difficult for someone even of your height, ma’am.’ He nodded to Gundrul. ‘And nigh on impossible for the captain and for half his men.’

  ‘But the other half?’ Elodi sensed an opportunity. ‘Could we gain the advantage deploying a force behind
the raiders?’

  Wendel stroked his chin. ‘I would defer to the captain, ma’am.’

  Gundrul sat back. ‘If I had a company of men experienced in fighting in such conditions, then I’d say yes, but with these young lads, ma’am, I can make no promises.’ He turned to Elodi. ‘They can handle a sword and give a good account of themselves in a one-on-one fight. But this is different. You need an old head on your shoulders for a mission such as this. At best they might free hostages, that is, if the raiders spared any of the defense force, but—’

  ‘I could lead them, Gunny.’ Gundrul turned to the sergeant on his left. The captain cleared his throat. The sergeant followed Gundrul’s gaze to Elodi. ‘Oh yes, sorry.’ He straightened. ‘I could lead them, Captain.’ Elodi tried unsuccessfully to prevent the grin spreading across her lips.

  Gundrul clasped his hands. ‘Ma’am, this is Cubric, but if he insists on being informal, then everyone calls him Cub’ — he narrowed his eyes — ‘including the men under his command.’

  Elodi smiled. ‘I have no issue with being informal, Captain, so long as it means we get the job done.’

  Gundrul relaxed. ‘Well, as you can probably guess.’ He nodded to Cubric. ‘This skinny fellow could easily sneak through a cob’s tunnel with room to spare.’

  Cubric grinned. ‘We have a saying in Kernlow, ma’am, if it ain’t nailed down, the big man will eat it. That’ll account for my wiry frame. And by big man, I’m talking about our dear old, Lord Kernlow.’

  Elodi laughed for the first time in a long time. ‘I guessed as much. I’ve had the honor of meeting him. He’s quite the—’

  Wendel stiffened. ‘Ma’am?’

  Elodi turned; she knew that face. ‘Thank you, Wendel.’ She leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. ‘If a small company of men make it through this tunnel, what course of action could give us the advantage?’

  Cubric raised his hand. ‘If I could make a suggestion, ma’am, Captain.’ Gundrul nodded. Cubric leaned on his elbows. ‘As you know, I’ve done service at Drunny… Drunsberg, three times in fact, and I heard some interesting stories from the miners.’

  Gundrul groaned. ‘Do we have time for this?’

  ‘I’ll be brief, but if I may, ma’am, this could be important.’

  She nodded. ‘Please, do carry on.’

  ‘There’s a detachment of miners who carry out exploration beyond the deep seams. It’s unpleasant work owing to the cramped conditions and fear the tunnels could collapse at any moment. Many of these men are from my region, owing to our size, so I got to know them well.’ He lowered his voice. ‘And here’s the thing. One told me how they used to open new seams. They used a black powder that when exposed to a flame would explode like a dropped oil lamp, but with such a blast it would crack open the rock. The miners call it Shreek’s Rage on account of the noise and destructive power. Think what we could do with that.’

  Elodi frowned. ‘Do you know of this powder, Wendel?’

  He kept his eyes on Cubric. ‘It’s not been used in decades. The powder’s too volatile, caused many accidents and, sadly, casualties. Hence, it was disposed of, ma’am, dumped at the bottom of the ravine.’

  ‘Ah, but not all of it.’ All heads turned back to Cubric. ‘One cache was stored so deep, no one was willing to risk bringing it back to the surface. I’d say at least a dozen barrels are still in a cave down there, if we could find—’

  ‘What would we do with it?’ Wendel rubbed his brow. ‘Ma’am, this is an extremely dangerous substance, even if we could locate this cave, would it still be useable after all this time, and if it is, can we use it without killing all those brave enough to have made it through the tunnel?’

  Cubric shuffled in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Well… now you mention it, I once saw a chap light the stuff.’

  Wendel choked. ‘The realm prohibited its use long before you served at the mines.’

  ‘Err… yes, that it was, sir, but a man has to relieve the boredom of the long, dark hours below somehow. You could still find small amounts of the powder in places, and they’d set it off, just for fun like. It’s easy, and judging by the small pile that nearly blew out my ears and brought down the ceiling, I’d say a few handfuls would be more than enough to take out a good number of those damn raiders, and possibly even this wyke fellow.’ He clasped his hands and pulled them apart. ‘Boom! Those we don’t blow to pieces will be scared half to death, perhaps long enough for the rest of our force to storm the town. And if we could set it off close to the wyke, if we don’t kill him, we could trap him under rubble.’

  Gundrul smiled. ‘You may have said something useful for the first time in your life, Cub.’

  Cubric beamed. ‘And it’s only taken fifty-odd years, eh, Gunny… Captain.’

  Elodi patted the table. ‘It’s a start, gentlemen. I’ll send a bird to Calerdorn to have a map of the mines ready for when we arrive.’ She turned to Wendel. ‘Unless…’

  ‘No need, ma’am’, Wendel pulled a sheet from his files and handed it to Elodi. ‘I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but it’s the most up-to-date chart in my possession.’

  Elodi examined the network of dotted lines delving deep under the mountains. She passed it to the captain. ‘If you and Cubric can locate the cave with this powder, we may fashion a workable plan.’ Her stomach surged towards her throat as the ship climbed an enormous wave, then sank as they plunged down the other side. A bell rang on the deck. Elodi clutched the table. ‘I think that concludes our meeting for now. We shall convene this evening for further deliberation.’ She glanced at the blank faces opposite. The bell continued.

  Wendel addressed the men. ‘Lady Harlyn wants another meeting this evening to discuss the plan.’

  Elodi went to rise. ‘Yes… thank you, Wendel. And could one of you please find out why that bell—'

  A young crewman burst through the door. ‘Excuse me, ma’am, gentlemen. Blowers… Captain Blunden says we should prepare for a storm.’ He pointed back through the door. ‘The sky to the north has turned black.’

  Elodi ignored Wendel’s request to stay. She had to see for herself and rushed out of the stateroom. Up on deck, the sun still shone. A light rain fell, but one look north revealed this was just the vanguard for the storm to come. Her jaw dropped along with the Celestra as she dipped into a shallow trough.

  Night reared up ahead of its time. The northern horizon had gone, as the black sea merged with storm clouds, ready to vent their fury at the fools beneath them. The ship rose, then dipped as the first waves fleeing the squall slammed into the bow. Men scrambled up the main and mizzen masts, frantically taking down the billowing sails. Elodi stumbled and staggered her way to the helm. Horace and Blunden had already lashed themselves to the rigging with thick rope. They fixed their eyes on the clouds and failed to notice her presence until she spoke. ‘Can we ride this out?’

  Blunden’s mouth gaped before he could answer. ‘We’ll… have to, ma’am. We’ve no chance of outrunning it.’ His face passed into shadow as the clouds shut out the sun. He yelled to the men on the mast above. ‘Get them mainsails down or they’ll drag us to the bottom as soon as the storm strikes.’

  The wind strengthened, hurling icy rain at Elodi’s back. She searched for the coast. ‘Could we make it to land in time?’

  Horace shook his head. ‘Be worse off, ma’am.’ He jabbed his finger. ‘We need to head out to sea. We’ve reached the coast of Noor.’

  Elodi pointed to the shore. ‘What about Eldamouth? Or Seransea? Could we make port?’

  ‘Wouldn’t want to risk it, ma’am. If we get it wrong, the rocks will tear the old girl’s hull to shreds and throw us to the mercy of the sea. And if we’re not smashed to pieces on the rocks, we’ll meet our doom trying to climb the cliffs.’

  Elodi turned and wished she had listened to Wendel. The towering wall of clouds climbed to the very ceiling of the world, seeming too heavy for the sky to constrain. Below them, terrified white hor
ses, whipped into a frenzy by the tempest, dashed towards them on violent waters. Elodi grabbed Horace’s shoulder as the ship climbed a wave. She yelled into his ear. ‘What do we do?’

  His eyes stayed fixed on the threat ahead. ‘Keep up our speed and head straight at it. That way we hopefully won’t capsize.’ Horace grappled the wheel. ‘But we do have one thing in our favor, ma’am.’

  Elodi stumbled as the Celestra rode the next wave. ‘We do?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Horace grunted. ‘Our weight. We have, let me see, with your men and our crew, one-hundred and twenty men, plus your horses and supplies. Might just stop us capsizing.’ Horace stared down the deck. ‘But it’s all down to the foremast. If it don’t hold fast, we’re done for.’ He chewed his lip. ‘It ain’t going to be an easy ride, but that’s our best chance.’

  Blunden yelled above the rising wind. ‘Ma’am! Get down below! That’s an order. Disperse your men across the decks and get them tied down. Secure everything that means anything to you, so it don’t wash overboard. Then fasten yourself to a stout pillar. Windows will get smashed and there’ll be plenty of water crashing through. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.’

  Elodi needed no order. She grabbed Horace’s arm. ‘May the Three be with you both. Good luck.’ The men nodded grimly and checked their ropes. Elodi staggered across the deck as a towering wave struck the Celestra. She grabbed the railing as the stinging spray sought to snatch her from the deck. She gawped into the dark waters below; an enormous creature moved beneath, gliding as if undisturbed by the commotion on the surface. Elodi watched it head towards the coastline — she wondered whether she would see Calerdorn again.

  28. Firelight & Demons

  ‘I’m out.’ Jedrul lifted an arm with the chain hanging free. He grabbed the other end and pulled it taut. ‘Who’s for throttling a Ruuk neck or two?’

  ‘Hand me that spike.’ Roold wrestled with his ankle. ‘One more to go and I’m with you, brother. Take a peek outside while we finish.’ Toryn gritted his teeth as he prized open the clasp wide enough to pull his red-raw ankle free. Roold nodded at him. ‘Nice going, lad. Nander? You lot? How’s it going?’