The Dragon Knight's Curse (The Dragon Knight Series Book 2) (11 page)

“Oh,” said Lucetta. “You’re talking about the priests, aren’t you?”

“At least one of them in Qutrios has to be a cultist.”

“It’s ingenious,” said Ghevont. “One can send messages all across Orda using the innocuous temples of day and night, and any ally of theirs like the Blue Swords can secretly share messages. Yes, that must be it.”

“Gods, you’re right,” said Lorcan. “All we did was ask a quick few questions to them, but that must have been enough to tip off this infiltrator of theirs.”

“If you were there for that long-” I began to say.

“Yes, we might have been watched ourselves, maybe even followed here. I expected our enemy to be nothing more than ordinary slavers or rogue casters, but they seem to be a little bit of everything. It’s a good thing we found each other, or we’d both be in over our heads.”

“We still might be.”

“So what do we do about the Blue Swords?” asked Clarissa. “They seem to be working closely with the Advent. Do we tell the guild about the connection?”

“That would be of little use,” I answered. “Their attack on Qutrios has already made them a target in this continent. Besides, their leadership is in Voreen. The guild there won’t have the manpower to take down the leaders of a large mercenary group, not unless it receives aid from Voreen’s military, but we already know Voreen won’t do anything that helps Alslana.”

“Ugh, that stinks.”

“Anyway, the Blue Swords are still only pawns in this. All the effort it would take to get rid of them will accomplish little, and that’s the kind of reaction the Advent want. They get to lay low while everyone else blames the Blue Swords or Sisterhood or anyone else they want, so as long as it causes more chaos and confusion. What we need to focus on is cracking their codes so we can find their base.” I looked at my father to say something, but I hesitated when I noted his wry smile. “What is it?”

“A warrior with a cool head is more fearsome than one with a hot sword. Forgive me, were you going to say something?”

“Uh, yes. Ever heard of
Summertide
?”

“That long ass poem?”

“Ghevont thinks he can translate their ciphers and find their precious grave if he has the original copy. You don’t have one handy, do you?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“We need to find it.”

“Hey,” said Lucetta. “Should we check if this temple has an Advent person?”

“They wouldn’t have needed your go-between if the Advent already had someone stationed here,” I pointed out. “You can check, but don’t scare everybody.”

“Most people don’t realize I’m scary until it’s way too late.”

“Then we go back to Qutrios,” my father concluded. “If a priest there has been collecting coded messages, then it stands to reason that he can decode them, or knows someone who can.”

“If you didn’t already spook them.”

I tried sounding more glum than critical, but Lorcan still said, “Aye, you have a point. I was careless overlooking the priesthood. The rest of my men are scheduled to return from their respite at noon. We can set sail right after.”

Lorcan woke me so that I could help with getting the ship aweigh. When I told him I knew nothing of sailing, my pirate father took it personally. He must have thought me a fast learner rather than the methodical one I really was, for he started stating the nautical terms for knots, directions, and commands in rapid succession. All this while also introducing me to his jaunty crew in the same lungful. The names were said as fast as his lessons, so I needed another round to get the names down and yet another later on to match them with the faces.

Including my father and Lucetta, there were a dozen crew members on board. The two I already met were Lilly Sundus and Athan Chamberlain. Lilly, I was told, rarely set foot beyond a pier. While not the oldest woman in the
Little Lydia
, she was viewed most like its mother figure. She conducted much of the cooking and scrubbing, and though seen as the weakest fighter in the group, could still hold her own in a brawl. Athan, on the other hand, was among the better warriors. His daunting height alone deterred most from taking on whatever group he joined up with. If violence did become necessary, then the ambidextrous pirate could counter any style with knife, spell, or bow.

The person Lorcan took the longest to introduce was Thoris Anworth. If I had to guess by appearances alone which man on the ship sired me, I would have chosen Thoris. His build resembled my own and his main weapon also happened to be a longsword, though he likewise carried a small axe for simpler enemies and jobs. In addition, he was clean-shaven and his brown eyes had a self-possession I would recognize in a mirror. My father placed an arm around his shoulders and declared him his most loyal friend, having known each other long before Lorcan became captain of the original
Lydia
.

The remaining crew was introduced with greater haste. Leo Brimsey, a balding black man of short stature, was their best all-around caster and the best candidate to give Ghevont a run for his coin when it came to babbling his mouth off. Menalcus Sheridan tried to stop himself from knocking things over with his bulbous girth or massive claymore, but he often failed. Making Clarissa drool all over herself was Aristos Kartini. His deep, sultry voice and chiseled looks allowed him to talk his way out of any situation and into bed with any woman.

The other married couple on board was Remwold and Athilda Osam. As the oldest and most well-versed seafaring members, Lorcan went to them whenever he encountered anything unknown in his varied travels. The ripe couple was a handful of years away from being unable to physically stand up to a competent opponent, but their casting abilities currently counteracted their slowing bodies. A gimpy foot and a bad knee on the same leg further slowed Remwold, but his proud walk never displayed these discomforts.

On the other end of the age spectrum stood the short-haired blonde Sophia McBoid. She was only four years my senior, but already had the reputation of being quite the nasty markswoman and an exceptional young caster. She specialized in trickier spells like water-breathing—which was really holding ones breath for much longer than normal—and detecting the prana of others from a distance. It was later obvious she saw Lucetta as a role model, though the older woman cared nothing for that kind of attention. I believed she would have gotten along with Marcela quite well.

The final crewmate was Yang Hur. All my father said about the soft spoken man was that one of his favorite pastimes included being alone with his thoughts. I immediately made him my best friend, even if he would never know it.

As expected from a pirate crew, they had been plucked from different lands and grew up with a different cultural landscape behind them. The only common thread they all shared was their love of the sea and the sense of freedom it gave, which my father expressed with every other sentence or deed. As both my father’s son and a fellow warrior, they all accepted me into the fold kindly enough. When it became obvious that I did not absorb my father’s lessons as quickly as he supposed I would, they lent their expertise at a slower pace.

It was late afternoon when I next spoke with a secluded Lorcan. We sat in his cramped captain’s cabin as he drank a bottle of rum behind a little desk. I took a presented cup. I ended up only sipping from it after taking my first gulp of the dark drink.

“Getting to know everyone?” he asked.

“I think getting their names down accomplishes enough for one day.”

He laughed. “Don’t think I’m trying to be pushy. Even if your vampire friend didn’t tell me, I could see you’re the loner type. I’d allow you to settle in at your own pace, but as your mother and I were never among the aloof, I know there’s a part of you that can charm people with a simple smile. You’ll need it to come out more if you want to lead men someday.”

“I’ll let you do the leading.”

“I won’t be around forever.”

“We just met and you’re already talking about your death?”

“More like my retirement. The more I think about it, the more I enjoy the idea of settling down on a little island with Lucetta and starting another family. Perhaps as soon as we find your brother.”

“I hope to see that someday, but do you expect me to lead your crew or something? Because I don’t imagine myself becoming a pirate.”

“No, no, nothing like that. I only expect that you won’t retire with me. Young warriors like yourself do not simply stay put, and you’re certainly no follower. That only leaves leading men into battle, does it not?”

“I haven’t thought about what I’d do if I live to see the Advent destroyed. To be honest, my planning has only gone as far as wondering what I’d do if the ship hits something and starts sinking.”

“Ah, don’t concern yourself with that. I’ll swim right for you.”

After forcing myself to take a bigger swig of rum, I said, “You mentioned how Mother wasn’t the loner type. What was she like?”

The right half of his face grinned. “She was either the sweetest damn thing I ever met or the spiciest. How she ended up in that snooty family, I’ll never know. Lydia was the one to drag her sister into the tavern I first met her in. She wanted adventure, she craved it. If her damn health were better, she would have made for a fearsome… well, anything she damn wanted to be.”

“Lucetta doesn’t seem jealous when you talk about her.”

“If she was alive, then she would have plenty of reason to be jealous. As it is, she understands my first love simply left its mark on me, just as her own left his.”

“Her first love?”

“Aye. A man not too different from Aristos. Made her think she was his everything only to take everything she had. Still, if that didn’t happen, she wouldn’t have become a pirate. Makes me think the gods do have a hand in how things turn out. Ah, that’s another thing about acting a little more personable. A strapping young lad like yourself will only have to throw a compliment or two and-” He struck the table with his fist. “Bam! She’s all yours. Or do you wish to someday let the woman of your dreams slip through your fingers because you didn’t want to talk a little?”

“Again, never really thought about it, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good, good. I don’t like the idea that I’ve missed out on all my chances to impart my fatherly wisdom.”

“I’d like to see how much wisdom you have with a sword.”

“Ah, I would as well. Come! We have an old stash of training poles we can use.”

We each drank the rest of our rum and stepped out. With mid-length sword replicas in hand, we made our way to the top deck. It was strange knowing I was outmatched before the sparring began. I deduced that I hadn’t been the best swordsmen in all of my fights, but I had never before allowed that reasoning to negatively affect my outlook. Not until now. Did Lorcan being my father cause this sentiment? Or did he somehow emanate this to everyone he fought? The answer didn’t ultimately matter.

For a man his bulk, he moved his feet as though he weighed a hundred pounds lighter. I still moved better than him, but the power he put into his swings went far above what I could produce. Besides the physical superiority, he had instincts honed by countless battles. Even my released corruption wouldn’t have closed the gap by much. He simply reached a level I would need a decade of combat experience to equal. Of course, if the sparring session allowed for spells I might have been able to get in a few good strikes, but without my distractions available, all I could do was deflect and dodge his swings and kicks.

I perhaps wasn’t giving myself enough credit, since half a dozen people who had gathered around us seemed entertained by our display, but that didn’t ease the reality that every strategy I used was easily parried. It was as if he knew what I was going to do before I did it. In a way, I was glad to experience firsthand proof that I had the potential to become a much faster warrior. I had started learning to manipulate dragon fire ever since leaving Gremly, but that endeavor had me neglecting other aspects of my training. With a true sparring partner to go up against, I decided it might be time to go back to the fundamentals. My father and I thus spent the next few days at sea sparring between my nautical lessons and rest periods.

My mother’s smaller namesake moored itself at the docks of a small city four days later. Qutrios still rested on the other side of the continent, but the landmass’ width at this latitude spanned only about two hundred miles across. The reduced distance made it a significantly shorter journey than it would have been if we started from Dranall. Lorcan, Lucetta, and my trio was joined by Athan, Sophia, and Aristos. The others were charged with guarding the ship. In the interest of speed, we bought a small herd of horses to take us to our destination. Lorcan seemed perturbed that I was not a master rider, but he expressed his amazement when I told him I walked most of the way to nearly every endpoint I chose.

Our troop of riders trotted for a full day, stopping only for brief periods of respite.

Not long after a stop for some breakfast on the forest floor, Aranath‘s voice grabbed my attention. “We’re being followed.”

I slowed my brown horse down so that I could speak without my father overhearing. “How do you know?”

“Do you see the small flock of sparrows flying overhead? I’m certain they’ve been frequenting our sky the past few hours. There is a way to reveal whether the birds are being possessed. Toss an explosive stone in their direction and ignite it. If the explosion does not startle them right away, then their senses are muddled by a possession spell. If I were a human, I would then move to an open space and wait for my enemy to come to me.”

I made my horse stop in its tracks, letting the others in the convoy pass me. Clarissa stopped with me.

“Something wrong?”

Pulling out the explosive item, I replied, “Let’s find out. Keep an eye on the birds above for me.”

I hurled the rock fifty feet in the air and triggered its little blast. I heard other birds in the area react with squawks and flapping wings, but those in the targeted flock had an odd delay before they separated, almost casually so.

“Were you expecting that?”

Lucetta brought her steed closer to us. “What was that about?”

“We’re being watched,” I answered. “Tell Lorcan we have to get off the road. I’m heading for a hill we passed a hundred yards back.”

The hill I spoke of was scarcely a rocky mound of grass and small trees, but it offered cherished high ground. The lack of mature trees also provided a clearer view around us.

When Lorcan joined me on the hill, he asked, “You’re certain eyes are upon us?”

“I’ve survived this long trusting the voice in my head. There’s no point heading for Qutrios now, but I have my own lead in Ecrin we can check with. For now, I’d like to see if our enemy is willing to show itself or retreat. Is that all right with you?”

“I’ll give us until noon. We’ll head back if nothing happens.”

Everyone hitched their horses at the center of the hill and took a lookout point. I kept an eye on the shadiest part of the woods, setting up dragon stones nearby so I could light up the area at a moment’s notice.

I stood at attention for over an hour before I heard Sophia call out a sighting from her position overlooking the road. Telling Clarissa and Ghevont to continue watching our backs, I sprinted over to see what was going on.

The short-haired blonde had her bow drawn at a solitary figure walking up to us with an outstretched hand holding up an active ward spell, which spread from head to knee. His ambling walk struck me as odd. He dragged his feet and swayed like a drunkard. Just as Sophia asked whether she should let her arrows fly, the cloaked stranger fell on his knees and put his free hand on the ground. Four pulses of air burst around him as he summoned his allies. What three of these allies ended up being shocked us.

They were humans, something that shouldn’t have been possible if freewill had anything to say in the matter. A caster only carried the ability to summon creatures either too dumb to resist or who agreed to be bound, and few humans would allow the whim of another to determine their fates. Not to mention the long-term risks of being kept in an alien realm. The fourth being was an eight foot tall stone sprite, a faceless humanoid entity made from hundreds of peach colored rocks. They all mutely attacked in a single wave.

My father barked some orders to his men, which prompted an eruption of elements from both sides. Surges of fire met jets of water, colliding to become a gust of mist. Lightning blasted away hurled spikes of stone, and wind whirled around enough dust to create a miniature dust storm. I left the experience of the pirate gang to their own maneuvers. My focus stayed on the summoner, who hung about at the back of the pack. His magical shield remained up as he turned to stare at me with dead, hollow eyes. The veins in his face swelled with a dark purplish hue that reminded me of the corrupted I killed a lifetime ago. Yet he didn’t appear insane like they did.