By Blood Betrayed (The Kingsblood Chronicles) (45 page)

The other lizard, quickly aided by additional comrades, tossed Kess over the side, arms flailing. He bounced off the railing, his arm bending at an impossible angle with a terrible snap, before sliding over toward the death waiting in the sea. “NO!” shouted Lian, sweeping his blade about his torso wildly, forcing the closest lizards to duck.

Lian, aware that he was about to join the young gunner, was surprised to see a full yard of arrow shaft suddenly appear in the throat of a lizard standing between himself and the captain. Yarek was calmly reloading his bow, a distracted and calm expression on his face.

Lian didn’t worry that the shot might have struck him in the confusion of the melée, since he knew that he would have certainly been killed if the lizards had been able to grab him. Gem’s magics would take time to weave, and the poison of the “man o’ war” had proven to be very fast-acting indeed. Immediately, Lian leapt into a frontal kick at the remaining lizard standing between himself and the three other men, slashing downward with Gem at the same time. Using her as a makeshift lever, he finished his vault over the slippery lizard, slamming into the back of one of the mercenaries’ opponents. The swordsman took advantage of that lizard’s surprise to stick it in the throat, and Lian hastily formed up with the two better-protected warriors.

“That was close,” he said, exacting a hearty laugh from the swordsman beside him.

The foredeck was now empty of defenders save for Snog, who had climbed out onto the spar, a structure Lian had learned was called the “widowmaker” because of the number of sailors who fell to their deaths from it. There, the lizards could only reach him one at a time, and the goblin could effectively defend himself. Smiles, the sailor who loaded for the goblin, had been tossed over into the deadly waters. As Lian watched, the goblin drove his current attacker into retreat with his magical dagger, then threw one of his deadly throwing knives into the back of another lizard. It screamed and fell over, blood spraying from an arterial wound.

The situation on the main deck was also grim, though most of the two crews were alive. The sheer multitude of unarmed lizards was pressing them back onto the hold covers, and Lian feared that they’d give way under the weight of the crew. The lizards had managed to extinguish half of the lanterns, and the night grew darker and darker. The three goblins, Lian, and a few of the mercenaries were able to function in the deepening gloom, but he heard more than one angry warning to “watch out were you’re sticking that thing.”

The scream from the forecastle’s doorway drew everyone’s attention due to both its suddenness and sheer volume. A white shape leapt from the shadows of the doorway, throwing itself onto the nearest group of lizards with a terrible ferocity. Lian saw one lizard literally ripped limb from limb by the horrible, pale thing which had crawled up from the depths of the ship.

“What in the hells?!?” cried Cedrick as he slashed at the hand of a lizard who was trying to get a grip on his bodyguard’s shield. From his position, the figure must have looked like an apparition.

Lian conjectured that it was most likely their mysterious vampire stowaway, but he kept quiet. The swordsman on his right shrugged as he spitted a lizard with his weapon, saying, “Don’t care, cap’n, so long at it kills scaleys.”

Behind the white form of the miniature vampire, a black-and-grey tide poured from the open doorway. Rats by the hundreds streamed out, driving directly toward the lizards and attacking them with an insane fury. Although the rats weren’t as deadly as their mistress, the lizards were terrified by the onslaught, retreating in a blue tide to be cut down by the blades of the crewmen.

The lizards tried repeatedly to grab the small form of the vampire, but every attempt resulted in lizards hurled headlong into bulkheads and even the mainmast. The fury of the vampire’s attack rivaled, or even surpassed, the sheer power of Gilaeshar’s attacks, and it was all the more terrifying coming from such a small package.

Yarek ignored the vampire and the carnage taking place on the foredeck, spending his arrows in the fight going on around the wheel and
Searcher’s
captain. He took careful aim each time, never releasing a shaft until he was completely ready. Lian, at first, cursed the little man for taking so long to fire each shot, but he rapidly reversed his opinion when he noted that each time Yarek fired, a lizard fell, not to rise again. The bowman accounted for five kills, and then a sixth as Lian spared the overall situation another glance.

Rat-covered lizards were plunging back into the water, and the rodents’ squeaks were punctuated by the occasional screech as one was stung by the tentacles. More of the lizards retreated, especially where the vampire carved a swath through their numbers. At some unseen signal, they all turned to flee at once, diving back into the waters from whence they’d come.

The assault was over, but there were literally thousands of rats on the deck, and a gore-soaked vampire in the tattered remains of what might have been a white nightshirt. She didn’t appear to be a day over Lian’s true age.
Sileth of the Silks
, Lian thought in awe, wondering along with the entire population of the
Searcher
, what the vampire would do.

Ignoring the terrified crew, she bent to one of the still-living lizards, affixing her fangs to it, uncaring that it wasn’t human. She fed from five in total, including the leg-shattered victim of the warhorse, who had nearly managed to reach the side of the ship before she fell upon him. While she fed, the rats tore off pieces of the lizards where they could, but seemed impelled to return down the passageway.

Arden took the time to rally his force and drag the wounded away from the vampiress. Cedrick’s mate Robin was a casualty of the battle, as was the bosun’s mate Doval. Both had been tossed into the tentacles of the man o’ war that still surrounded the vessel.

Cedrick, bereft of officers, ordered Lian to have more lanterns lit. This, the prince did personally. As he carried a lit punk around to the lanterns, the breeze freshened and the ship began to list space slightly, pulled over to the port side by the strengthening winds. Above the noise of flapping canvas, he heard a faint call for help, and rushed to the railing, yelling for assistance. Kess was clinging feebly to the side, his left arm hanging, clearly broken and useless. He’d managed to retain his grip on the side of the ship, and there had apparently been no lizards climbing up to yank him free of his precarious perch.

Without hesitation, Lian grabbed a rope and belayed it with two pins on the railing. The two soldiers who answered his call held the rope for him, and the prince lowered himself over the side to the aid of his subordinate. “Steady, there, lad,” he said, his eyes tearing at the incredible relief Kess’ survival brought.

“Sorry I missed the rest of the fun, Mr. Alan, sir,” Kess said shakily, his skin clammy to Lian’s touch.

Lian called to have blankets ready and took hold of the slightly smaller man, gripping him tightly in a fierce embrace, ignoring the mass of deadly poisoned tentacles below him. “Pull! Pull, damn your eyes!” he shouted, his voice hoarse and cracking slightly. The strain on his right arm was tremendous, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and the strain, and walked the two of them up the side of the ship and into the waiting arms of half a dozen sailors, who cheered when they saw Kess’ face.

Cedrick let the men clap the nearly unconscious man on his good shoulder before issuing orders to drop the sails. He had no intention of moving
Searcher
until he knew how badly the ship was fouled by the sea creature, or how many of his rapidly dwindling crew he was going to lose to the vampire. He signaled Lian to continue his assignment, and one of the sailors said, “I’ve got ‘im, Mr. Alan, sir. I’ll look after ‘im.” Lian smiled his thanks.

 Lian returned to his job of lighting more lanterns, and managed to be near the vampire by the time she finished her meal. Arden, flanked by the two goblins, stood by, waiting for her to turn her attention to them.

“Peace, mortal,” she said in a softly accented voice, rising from her bloody repast as if the scene meant nothing to her. “We have no quarrel as yet.” Her motions were swift and fluid, as if her skeleton was pliable. The vampire’s movements belied the tremendous strength that she had demonstrated. Her face was soaked with the blood, slime, and gore of the lizard creatures, and her belly was slightly distended from the vitae which filled it.

“What business have you here, my Lady Sileth?” Arden asked, revealing his knowledge of Greythorn’s legends. The Tiny Companion, as Sileth was sometimes called, was often mentioned in the legends of the vampire kingdom, and was unmistakable.

“My own, mercenary,” she replied, wiping some of the blood from her mouth onto her hand and flicking it aside. “I believe I’ve just earned my passage several times over.”

Arden shook his head, mastering his fear of the child-like creature. “Forgive me, Lady, but I cannot let it go at that. Your aid in the battle is deeply appreciated, as well as the fact that you brought your own provisions on board. But this is my ship, and I would know why you are here.” The two goblins were tensed behind him. Lian thought that they were likely praying the vampire wouldn’t take offense.

High above, in the crow’s nest, Yarek stood unmoving, apparently unaffected by the winds that whipped the loosened sails below his feet. His bow was drawn to full extension, and Lian knew that his target was the heart of the vampire. Lian could see no sign of exertion on the face of the bowman, and marveled at his self control.

Behind Lian, Reidar stood. Lian moved to a position beside two of Arden’s swordsmen to protect the mage should the vampire try to attack him. Lian knew that to be a futile gesture, for the vampire had shown literally supernatural speed in her assault on the lizards. She could strike the mage past Lian’s guard and be back out again before Lian could begin to react.

For an endless moment, Sileth considered the question, motionless. Lian found himself focusing on her blood-stained neck, vainly trying to see a pulse beating there. “Very well, Captain Arden,” she said without drawing breath or blinking. “I will answer your question.”

Lian noticed that she did not say
questions
, but didn’t feel it wise to point that out.

Sileth continued, “I seek passage across the Kyr-ella to your destination. One whom I seek is there.”

“Kyr-ella?” Arden asked, and was answered not by the vampire, but by the little navigator Ylen, who had emerged from the cabin, and was holding his bleeding head.

“Kyr-ella is one of the more archaic names for the Kyrian Sea, Arden,” he said, his nasal tone even more unpleasant than usual because of the pain of his injury.

Sileth nodded once and said, “Forgive my antique wording, Captain Arden.” A ghost of a smile played briefly on her lips before fading into the expressionless mask she wore.

“Why not purchase passage, Lady? We could hardly refuse you, and the accommodations would have been much more comfortable—” he paused, interrupted by her gesture.

“These comforts of which you speak hold no interest to me,” she said, “nor does begging the permission of a mortal, however
likely
it is that he would grant it.” Rising in a single movement, she turned to the passage which led into the depths of the ship.

“I will remain in my current lodgings, and you will not disturb me,” she said, a pronouncement as flat as doom.

“As you wish, Lady Sileth. You will see no one, I assure you,” Arden said, bowing to her with a flourish.

Ignoring his decorum, she replied as she faded away into the darkness of the passage, “Neither is that my concern, Captain, though the fate of the curious is often harsh.” Her words dropped to whispers and then hints of whispers, but every man and woman on deck understood every word. Lian observed more than a few shudders at the Companion’s words, and had to suppress his own.

Chapter Twenty Eight

“The Pelorian nobility boasted a heritage of Power, yet not every son or daughter was gifted with the voice required to use it. Many was the peasant whose voice was stolen by Pelorian rituals, to bestow song on those who did not deserve it.”

-- “Songstealing,” forbidden text from Volume IX of Kommath’s work

Clearly, Arden and Cedrick wished to confer about the vampire’s presence, but unfortunately there were more pressing matters to be dealt with first. A storm was blowing in, not a serious matter under normal circumstances; however,
Searcher
was entangled and listing even with her sails down.

“I’ll need some of your men!” Cedrick said, and Arden nodded, quickly assigning a half dozen of his warriors to Cedrick’s command. Armed with axes and partially protected from the stinging tentacles in their armor, the warriors chopped at those nearest to the ship, held from above by tether lines.

Lian, the only officer remaining other than Ylen, accompanied Arden forward to investigate the obstruction which held them in place. The waves were already swelling ahead of the oncoming storm.

They looked over the forward railing and found the huge body of the man o’ war draped across the bow of the ship at the waterline. The impact had crushed its relatively fragile balloon-like body, and the remains were folded around the ship like a leathery, glistening white veil. Behind the ship, the tentacles trailed for hundreds of yards, clearly visible in the strobe-like flashes of lightning heralding the oncoming squall.

“Gods, what a monster!” remarked Arden, voicing Lian’s own horror. To Lian he added, “So, do you have any ideas about how we can get that thing off the ship?”

Lian had been considering this already, and nodded. “Yes, sir. We need to clear the rudder then get the ship turned side-on to the wind. After that, she should slip free. The tentacles aren’t really entangled with the ship, they’re just being dragged behind her.”

Arden, pleased at Lian’s suggestion, said, “Run aft and inform Cedrick of your plan. If he likes it, put it into effect.”