Exodus: The Windwalker Archive: Book 3 (Legends of Agora) (15 page)

At the height of my visions I saw clearly the battlefield of my death. I saw as well images of a great human champion. The one whom I believe to be named in the Prophecy of Adimorda. Soon our fallen brother will find us. Soon the war for Agora will begin.

-Azzeal, Keeper of the Windwalker Archive

Talon and Han returned to the camp to find both the riders and the treasure waiting for them. Night had fallen during their flight, and the fire raged beneath a wild hog on a spit. No doubt the silver hawks had made short work of the deer remains, and now waited patiently for a taste of the latest kill.

The riders came rushing over as soon as Han and Talon’s landing mounts began to rustle the leaves on the trees.

“Did you find the ships?” Haze asked.

Talon noted that Flick was there as well, which left Ash patrolling the skies. He wondered if the dwarf had seen them flying in.

“We found them alright. Half a day’s flight west,” said Han. “We’ll be meeting up with them tomorrow.”

“You must have looked like a hero to your people, eh, Windwalker?” said Haze, nudging him. “Did they drop to the deck in prayer at the sight of the hawks?”

“No, they’re not a bunch of superstitious savages, you know.”

Haze waited for the punchline, and when he saw that Talon was serious, he faked a laugh. “Sorry, I must be thinking of the Vald.”

“How about you go relieve Ash of his duties,” said Han, striding past the man toward the fire.

Talon shouldered past Haze and followed the general.

Flick wanted to know everything that happened, and Talon told the story as a flask of rum made its way around the fire. Ash landed shortly after and tore a hunk off the smoking boar before taking a seat and accepting a drink. Flick waited patiently as Ash was filled in, and then leaned forward once more when the story got back to their landing on the ships, and the meeting between Argath, Zilena, and Han. Talon told them nothing of the tension that he had felt between the general and the princess, but kept the telling formal.

Clearly disappointed by the lackluster story, Flick sat back against a slanted stone beside the fire.

Ash inquired about the two ships’ cannons and ballista weapons, and the conversation turned to more serious matters. Talon realized shortly that he had little experience in naval combat, or what it took to successfully pull off an operation like the one they were about to attempt to execute.

“Something like this is no cut and dry affair,” Han was saying. “I have a feeling that your captain will insist on landing a large force on the island, but I believe that would be a grave mistake.”

“It would be hard to talk him out of it,” said Talon.

“Indeed, but it is imperative that he keeps his numbers small, though I doubt any will be needed at all.”

“What are you saying? You think that the five of us can defeat the dark elf and save Akerri?”

“The six of us,” said Han. “We will need Zilena most of all.”

“You think she’ll be keen on helping?” Flick asked, hoping for some dirt.

Han laughed. “What do you think is between the princess and I?” he asked, squaring on the man with an interested smirk.

“I don’t know,” said Flick, blushing for the attention. “Just what dragon-shite stories Haze has to tell. He says you two were an item once upon a time.”

Han eyed Talon and Ash, though the dwarf seemed not to care, intent on the food and drink as he was.

“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” said the general.

“Bah!” said Ash, suddenly coming alive. “Then we’ll get an earful from you, won’t we?”

Han shared in the laugh. When all was quiet once more, his eyes trailed off beyond the fire, beyond the smoke hanging lazily about the treetops, as though watching a fond old memory. “I met Princess Zilena during my first mission as an ambassador to Elladrindellia. I was sent to retrieve a cure for the frozen plague that had been tearing across northern Shierdon.”

“Frozen plague?” Talon blurted.

“Yes,” said Han with a look of sympathy. “I know of your mother’s sickness, for the same one took my sister. I am sorry that we couldn’t get the cure to your people sooner.”

“You’re…you’re the one who gave it to my father?”

“Indeed, your instincts serve you well. That is partially the reason that the king has given me this mission. I met Kreal sixteen years ago this winter. I remember him as a hulking beast of a man who carried a bright, shining flame of hope and determination. When I heard that his wife had not made it, I lamented for the loss.”

Talon had no words, so heavily did the shock of revelation lie upon his chest.

“So Zilena gave you the cure?” said Flick, looking eager for the story to shift back.

“Yes, Zilena gave me the cure, much to the annoyance of the elder council, who have always preached their non-intervention dragon shite.”

If the elves had helped sooner, my mother might still be alive, and I…I would have met the measure, could have helped my father become chief after all. And all of this…

Talon’s thoughts churned. He became furious suddenly, but then, just as quickly it subsided. If all of that had taken place, the Skomm revolution would never have begun. He had followed this train of thought before, and he had thought himself over it. But with the news of his mother’s untimely death, the thoughts surged again.

“…of course she was punished,” Han was saying to Flick. “She was banished for a period of five years from the city of Cerushia, and commanded to not have any contact with the other races.”

“What did she do?” Flick asked, enthralled.

“She ran away with me,” said Han, grinning.

“Hah! I knew it,” said Flick. He whistled. “With an elven princess…” he said dreamily.

“Hey now, don’t let your mind go to the gutter. This is elven royalty you speak of. A lady born before your twentieth grandfather could pee standing up.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Right you’re sorry. She’s as fair and as fierce as you would expect. But she ain’t no Belldonian floozy.”

“My apologies, General,” said Flick again.

“Sir,” said Talon. “Her five-year sentence must have been up over a decade ago. Has she done something since that earned her further punishment?”

“Yes and no,” said Han. “She has remained away from her people all this time as a sort of protest against the elven laws.”

“She’s a renegade,” said Flick dreamily.

Han shook his head and finished what was left of the flask.

“Why did you two have a falling out?” Flick asked.

“What makes you think we had a falling out, Haze’s big mouth? Well, perhaps he should tighten those lips of his. Go on then. The hour is late and sunrise waits for no man. Get to sleep, all of you. Tomorrow we meet the Skomm ships.”

Talon had no complaints. It had been a long day of flying, and the night had been spoiled by the memory of his mother and thoughts of a different life. He retired to his tent and summoned Chief to watch over him and the camp, and fell into a deep sleep.

Gods, gods stirring. Wasted lands once green. Smoldering mountains once proud. Waters black which once ran clear. An ancient of the deep rises. The mantle of darkness beckons.

-Gretzen Spiritbone

The early morning brought a hard rain. Thunder woke Talon from a dreamless sleep in the final minutes before the dawn. He shot straight up, panicked and not knowing where he was. Lightning ripped through the dawn, illuminating the outline of a silver hawk on the thin walls of the small leather tent. With a sigh Talon lay back down, rubbing his bleary eyes.

Shortly after, Han began barking orders, calling everyone from their tents to begin breaking down camp. It was a miserable affair, as there would be no hot breakfast, and the pelting rain left them instantly sodden and weighed down with water.

Han instructed them to wait with their mounts while the rain passed, as he was not keen on venturing into the clouds during such a storm.

Three hours later, the clouds finally parted, and the soggy riders mounted their hawks and set out. They flew north beyond the coast and then west along the strait, knowing that the Skomm ships would have already passed by.

Shortly after midday, they came upon the two ships.

Talon was met with many cheers as he landed on the deck of Freedom. Soon the rest of the riders landed, some upon the rail, and others high in the mast beside the crow’s nest. The ship creaked and complained against the weight of the birds, but she held all the same.

Talon called a delighted-looking Crag to help him with the treasure chest, and the man gleefully hefted the big box onto his shoulder and laid it down on the deck like a babe.

“Men,” said Talon, proudly standing beside the box. “I give to you McGillus’s trea—”

“The cheese!” came a bloodcurdling scream. Gammond came running from below deck, flailing his arms and looking every part the madman. “Not the cheese! It’s mine!”

Argath blocked the way, and Gammond slammed into him, bounced off, and landed on his back. He scrambled up like a spider righting itself, and drew his sword.

“Get away from the cheese!” Gammond screamed. But then he reeled back and flung the blade overboard. “Get a hold of yourself, man!” he then cried as Gill.

He began thrashing about, and all eyes locked on the one-manned struggle. Gill-Gammond clawed at his own eyes; one hand tried to get a hold of the other, and both legs tried to trip each other at the same time. The result was a spitting, sputtering, cursing Skomm rolling around the deck trying to tear out his own tongue.

One of the crewmen stepped up then and slammed the butt of a sword against the madman’s head. He went down like a sack of potatoes, but then, to everyone’s surprise, Gill leapt up and proceeded to pull out his pocket watch and wipe off the face.

“Say, good man, thank you for assisting me with that lunatic,” he said.

Argath shook his head, trying not to laugh at the spectacle. “Can you control yourself, sailor, or do I have to put you back in the hold?”

“Of course not, Captain Argath,” said Gill with a flourish. “Please, carry on. I do believe that Gammond will be sleeping it off for quite some time.”

Argath stared long at the man, but at length he nodded to the sailors behind the madman and turned back to Talon and his chest full of treasure. “Well then, open it up!”

The crew gave a cheer, and Talon proudly pulled back the lid. Shocked and delighted exclamations swept across the deck as the Skomm pushed and shoved to get a closer look at the diamonds.

“Feikinstafir,” said Argath, and others agreed heartily. He bent and took up a fat diamond, marveling at its beauty as beams of sunlight split into a thousand points of multicolored light.

“About them diamonds,” said Ash, snapping everyone back to reality. “They be a dwarven heirloom that need be returned to the mountain.”

“Yes,” said Han. “We will discuss that and many things shortly. Captain Argath, Zilena, might Talon and I have a word?”

“Of course,” said Argath, never taking his eyes off the precious stone. He slowly returned it to the chest, and Talon shut the lid.

“You mind bringing this into the captain’s quarters?” Talon asked Crag.

The big man gladly lifted the treasure box, eyes alight and dancing with wonder. Talon, Han, Zilena, and Argath followed him into the captain’s quarters, and Argath quickly poured four glasses of rum.

“Thank you, Crag, that will be all,” he said.

Crag glanced regretfully at the chest one last time before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

“Please, have a seat,” said Argath, indicating the lounge area to the left of the big desk.

There was a sofa against the wall, along with four plush sitting chairs set in a semi-circle around a short table, upon which sat many volumes of nautical books and scattered maps. Talon and Han each took a seat on one of the plush chairs, while Zilena sat cross-legged at the end of the sofa. Argath handed them each a glass and raised his.

“To new allegiances!”

Han and Talon repeated the cheer.

“Tell me about this allegiance that your king has proposed,” said Argath, taking a seat at one of the chairs as well.

Han sat to his right, and set the empty glass on the table before clearing his throat. “Yes, the allegiance. My king has taken a keen interest in you all, namely Talon. He sees what you have done, and he sympathizes with your plight. In his great wisdom, he sees the nation that you might become, he sees in it an ally. You see, a Skomm revolution has always been on the minds of Shierdonians, and indeed, the rest of Agora. Your people have been our slaves for centuries, and there are many among us who think that it is wrong.”

“Your king among them?” said Argath. “Then why is slavery still legal in Shierdon? Isladon is the only nation to change its laws in this regard.”

“Yes, well, these things take time, you see. The Skomm are an integral part of many of the lord’s livelihoods. And the lords are integral to the strength of both the king and the kingdom. If the Skomm were freed today, the economy would suffer badly. But trade with Volnoss would make up for the loss of the Skomm slaves.”

“And all you want from us is the head of the Timber Wolf chief?”

“And that of his son, yes. Winterthorn has stood in the way of this treaty for far too long. It is time that he is dealt with once and for all.”

“Why not just take him out yourselves?” said Argath.

“Because we need to know that we have the allegiance of the successor. It must be Kreal Windwalker.”

“And what do you think of all this?” Argath asked Talon. “Can you fight alongside your father?”

“The question is whether or not he will fight alongside me. But I think that his want to be chief will outweigh his disdain for me. I will convince him. My concern is Akerri. Before any of this is attempted, I want to make sure that she is safe.”

“It will be hard to extract her without gaining the attention of the Vald,” said Zilena.

“I don’t care if we gain their attention. Akerri is getting out first. Then I will deal with Winterthorn.”

“Between the stealth of the riders, and your magic, Zilena, the dark elves stand no chance,” said Han. “We go in quick and we hit ‘em hard. By the time the smoke clears, they won’t know what happened.”

“Akerri cannot be harmed,” said Talon.

“I will do what I can to protect her from the dark elf,” said Zilena. “But you must understand, there are no guarantees.”

“I understand. You just do what you can to free her from the dark elf, and I’ll get her out of there with Brightwing.”

“What part will the gladiators play in this plan?” Argath asked.

“I do not believe that it is necessary for you to risk your men,” said Han.

“Dragon shite, we’ve got a stake in the outcome, we’re going to help.”

“This is not an invasion,” said Han. “It is a delicate mission that calls for stealth and, all due respect, more power than your men possess.”

“Listen,
General,
before you came along and kidnapped Talon, we had everything handled just fine. The king of Shierdon isn’t calling the shots here.”

“Stop,” said Talon. “He’s right, there is no need to risk more lives than is necessary. Zilena and the riders will help me to extract Akerri, then I will return to challenge the chief. You land a force on Volnoss soil, and none of them will ever return. We’ve only got a handful of real warriors; they will be needed to protect the ships.”

“And what are we to do?” Argath asked. “Sit on our hands and wait?”

“I need you to provide a distraction,” said Talon. “Lay waist to the harbor with those dragon’s breath rounds. That will give us the time we need to deal with the dark elf.”

Argath settled and seemed placated by the proposal. Indeed, his eyes took on a devilish glean. “I like your mind, Windwalker. Very well. Freedom and Redemption will hit the harbor. We’ll give those bastards a lightshow they won’t soon forget.”

“Then we are in agreement,” said Han. “Let us set a course for Timber Wolf Village, and may the gods be with us.”