Hammers in the Wind (32 page)

“Ha! I finally remember.”

Head slowly turned to the wizard with careful anticipation.

Anienam only bothered to look up when no one replied. “Is no one curious?”

“I think we’ve all been beaten up a little too much to be excited about a simple exclamation,” Dorl Theed replied. His lips were dry, cracked in a dozen places. His throat hurt from a particularly nasty chop courtesy of his torturer.

Anienam was doing his best to heal them but he had limits to what he could do. Rather than apologizing, he remained focused on his own thoughts. “The Dae’shan have nearly unlimited power. There are neigh invincible but they do have an exploitable weakness.”

Boen raised his weary head. “That being?”

“The legends are all vague on the name, but there is an ancient artifact that was once wielded to defeat them.”

“Why weren’t they destroyed?” Nothol asked. Curiosity peaked now.

The wizard paused. He wasn’t sure how much to say here, how much Harnin’s men might overhear. “Perhaps it was not used properly. I don’t know exactly. What I remember is that this is the only key to defeating the Dae’shan and saving Malweir.”

Dorl snorted. “That’s all well and fine, but we need to get out of here first.”

“I can assist with that, but my spell will only free our bonds.”

“I’ll worry about the rest after I get circulation back in my limbs.”

Boen wasn’t in the mood for the negativity. Instead he focused on Anienam’s revelation. “What does this item look like?”

“A hammer.”

“That’s it? A simple hammer?”

He nodded. “A war hammer to be certain. Legends call it the Blud Hamr, or Blood Hammer. I recall a tale about explorers being able to hear the sound of hammers in the wind. This is our key to victory, my friends.”

Dorl Theed hung his head again. He wanted to cry. The nadir of his life had finally arrived. Hopelessness stretched out from the darkness to lay claim upon the shadows of his soul and this damned wizard was yakking about some mythical hammer. How much more ridiculous could this get?

“Does the legend mention where we can find this mythical hammer?” Boen pressed.

“It does, but I do not know.”

“Your words are not exactly forthcoming,” Boen carefully said.

Anienam ignored him. “Patience is required. It is true that our enemies are many but hope is still to be had. Even now forces are moving in opposition to our foe. Victory is still attainable.”

“That’s easy enough for you to say. You’re the only one who hasn’t been taken and beaten repeatedly,” Dorl snapped off from his misery.

Nothol Coll passed his friend a cross glare.

The wizard sat quietly. True, he hadn’t been tortured, but he also devoted most of his energy towards healing his friends and working through the paths of his memory. He’d lost his grasp on sympathy long ago. Anienam believed that everything happened for a reason. There was no cause to lament bad times. Every life had dark hours. Matters generally sorted themselves out. Only this time he wasn’t so sure of the direction matters were headed.

*****

Maleela jumped at the booming sounds coming from the other side of the door. Her heart inched a little higher. She wasn’t sure but it sounded like a fight. Her initial fear was that Harnin had finally come for her neck. She scrambled, desperately searching for something, anything she could use as a weapon. Her hopes sank. She didn’t even have a glass of water. Maleela delved deep for what courage remained and prepared for the end.

The noises stopped. The lock clicked and the door slowly opened. Maleela instinctively tensed. She decided to attack. If she was going to die it might as well be with some measure of dignity. A shadow fell across the room. She let out a bitter scream and launched into an attack. Strong arms blocked her wild swings and easily wrapped her up.

“Whoa now, princess,” said a familiar voice.

Maleela’s senses swirled. Confusion slipped in. She looked up into the oddly familiar eyes of Lord Argis.

“What is this?” she stammered.

“It is me, Argis. I am taking you out of here. You have friends in the city. They will ensure your safety,” Argis told her.

Her confusion only deepened. “My safety? I don’t understand.”

“I am a member of the underground,” he whispered.

That was it. No long drawn-out speech. Just a simple admission. Argis looked almost guilty for how easy it had been. Admitting his traitorous actions was almost overwhelming. His palms actually began to sweat.

She instantly wondered if he was in league with Aurec. Maleela’s eyes opened wide. “You are one of my father’s closest friends. How can you do this?”

“King Badron is not the man he once was. He is consumed by this dream of creating an empire. Your brother’s death was the final act. He wants blood, Maleela. More than I am willing to give him.”

The older man lowered his eyes in shame. Maleela was quick to correct him. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Lord Argis. Brave men stand out in dark times.”

He thought for a moment. “Perhaps history will judge me kindly, though I believe Harnin and Badron will have my head. Come, there is no time to spare. I merely knocked the guard unconscious.”

Her ruthlessness stunned him. “You should have killed him. They will be able to identify you now.”

“Enough have died because of me. I do not wish for more blood on my hands,” he replied. “Princess, we have to go now.”

She placed her hands on her hips as a stubborn child would. “Not without Bahr and the others.”

“There is no time,” he insisted.

“Then we make time. I will not abandon my friends to die by Harnin’s hand.”

Argis scowled darkly and cast a glance at the guards. “Very well, your uncle is closest. I hope you know what you are doing, princess.”

Argis stuck his head into the empty hall and called her forward. The way was clear, though for how long he couldn’t promise. The pair moved as fast as he felt they could safely. Argis rounded the corner and nearly bowled over an unsuspecting guard coming down a stairwell. Argis smashed the hilt of his sword into the guard’s temple, knocking him unconscious.

“Hurry,” he whispered to Maleela.

They fled down the stairs. The movement reopened terrible memories of her first escape from Chadra Keep. The screams. The blood. The heavy iron smells clinging to the air. Maleela tried to suppress her shaky nerves. The memory was still too strong, too powerful for her to accept without consequence. She focused on freedom. It was the only way she was going to have a chance to redeem her past sins.

“Here,” Argis called. “Your uncle is behind this door.”

Maleela struggled with suspicion. “Why no guards?”

“Harnin knew that by holding you he could keep your uncle immobilized. He did not see the danger of escape from the old man.”

The former captain of Delranan wedged the tip of his sword into the lock and twisted. He heard the soft metallic click and smiled. Argis quickly re-sheathed his sword and turned the knob. Maleela rushed past him and into her uncle’s waiting arms. She ignored the fact that both he and Rekka Jel were poised for a fight. The smaller woman stood with a knowing look, as if she’d been expecting this moment.

“Princess, hurry,” Argis hissed from the doorway.

Bahr gently eased his niece away and looked at her. “Did they hurt you?”

“Not yet. Harnin would hardly look me in the eye, much less touch me.”

Her voice dripped with disgust.

The Sea Wolf absently nodded. He turned to Argis. “Where is the snake? I’d like to borrow your sword and finish this while I am here.”

“Now is not the time,” Argis insisted.

Bahr narrowed his eyes, the kind of look he got right before he jumped into a fight. “I asked you where he is.”

Argis changed tactics. “He went down to the docks. I think he means to burn your ship.”

“What?” Bahr raged.

The time for secrets was over. Delranan already bordered on the brink of civil war. This one desperate act could very well serve as the catalyst to start the fire. “You have to know that Harnin is going to kill you all. You especially. He sees you as a viable threat to his plans. There is nowhere safe in the kingdom for you, Bahr.”

Rekka broke her silence. “Captain, there will be a chance for revenge but we must look to the princess now. She must live if the underground is to have a chance.”

“My boat. My crew. Where does this treachery end? I want that man’s head,” Bahr snarled. His muscles bunched, strained under his tunic. The hatred was building, threatening to consume him and Bahr was content with letting it go.

Argis tried to make him see reason. “Captain Bahr, there is no time! You have no friends. I am the only man in the Keep involved with the underground movement. My life is in just as much forfeit as yours. We must leave now or Harnin wins.”

Bahr eyes him suspiciously. “You’ve been a strong supporter of my brother for years. Why the change? I don’t trust you.”

“It’s true, Uncle. Argis opened the door that allowed Aurec and his men inside,” Maleela told him. She recognized the signs. Two men used to being in charge were close to coming to blows.

Something in her words stopped Bahr short. “What door?”

“The same one we are using to escape,” Argis told him.

“Bahr, you shall have your revenge by a different path,” Rekka prophetically said.

“Let’s go,” was all he said.

They decided to split up. Argis and Rekka went down to the nearest arms room to gather enough weapons for the others while uncle and niece hurried to the dungeons. The escape went relatively smooth. The handful of jailors fled upon seeing Bahr strike the head from their sergeant. Bahr snatched the keys from the dead man and unlocked the cages. His heart ached at how they limped and moved slowly. Their suffering only served to further enrage him. Only Boen passed him a glance, weary and prideful.

Anienam stopped Bahr before they left. “We must take Ionascu.”

“Why? He’s one of Harnin’s men,” Bahr protested. There was no point in taking one of their enemies.

“I feel that he has a significant role to play in our future,” the wizard smiled thinly.

Bahr wasn’t convinced. “I don’t trust him, but it’s your call.”

Anienam bowed graciously.

“Dorl, you and Nothol go unlock him,” Bahr ordered.

Dorl Theed caught the keys and begrudgingly went about his task. Bahr watched them, refraining from asking the obvious questions. Time would make things better. He shifted his focus back to the wizard who shook his head with caution. The message was clear. Now was not the time.

“Some of the guards got away. We’re going to have company soon if we don’t hurry,” the Sea Wolf told the others.

Boen rubbed his sore wrists. “I am ready for a fight. The dogs don’t deserve to live.”

“We’ve got a long way to go before we’ll be alive. Do you have enough left to make it out of here?”

Boen smiled. “I am Gaimosian. I can outlast anyone,” the big man confirmed.

“Good, because we’re going after Harnin.”

Bahr tossed him the single sword he managed to take from the dead sergeant just as the sell swords returned with Ionascu’s limp form. The man was babbling incoherently.

“He won’t make it,” Dorl insisted. “The man is deadweight.”

Anienam sent a surge of strength into them both. There wasn’t time for any extensive healing. He gave Bahr a nod once finished. The Sea Wolf led them out through one of the lesser-used passages. The old man pushed his battered group as hard as he thought they could go. Boen brought up the rear. Fortunately their route was so obscure that they made it to the door Argis and Rekka had secured without incident. Argis waited impatiently by the door. The last time he had been here was with a blade pressed to his throat by the members of the underground. This time he held the keys. He passed a glance outside and motioned for them to follow him into the forest.

*****

Harnin took the honor of throwing the first torch. He delighted in seeing the Dragon’s Bane catch fire. His men had spent hours filling the hull with whale oil and kindling. He had every intention of watching this damned ship burn to the ashes. The flames reflected hatred in his eyes. Bahr was the sole remaining obstacle to his grand designs for the future. The vice lord of Delranan watched gleefully as the flames licked higher.

A warm smile creased his face. The heat felt good in the cool autumn night. This was the beginning of his dream. It was a dream he had never internalized until that fateful night the Dae’shan came to call. No longer would he stand in the shadows of the lesser brother. Clouds of black smoke billowed as the oil caught fire. The Dragon’s Bane had been an icon on the northern seas for almost three decades. Bahr’s legend had grown partially because of his ship, making him a symbol of strength and respect. He was a hero to the common man, and Harnin wanted him destroyed.

“This is a glorious day for all Delranan,” he addressed his men. “The stigma of the old days is ended. The people of this kingdom have lived under a lie for far too long. Tonight we find freedom and the path ahead to a greater destiny!”