The High King: A Tale of Alus (44 page)

A cry in the night awakened Terris from his dreaming immediately. The dream of his distant wife and children would have to wait until he found out what was going on in the joint camp of the Marisians and Sileoth. A cry of warning during wartime could mean nothing good.

Brushing his dark hair back from his face, Terris readied himself for trouble. Grabbing up his sword and scabbard and sliding his old, worn, leather jerkin over his bare chest, Terris stuck his head carefully outside. Men ran to and fro in complete confusion. The former king shook his head and stepped into the aisle between his tent and the ones ten feet across from him. More than a dozen Marisian soldiers were within shouting distance. Terris drew a deep breath and ordered, "Form up!"

The men nearest him stuttered to a halt in surprise. All eyes drew to the man generating authority. Fifteen men slowly approached to form a line before him. Terris nodded. "Sergeant," he began by singling out the only man of any rank, "begin moving down this line of tents and rouse the troops. Have guards set for each tent while the rest of their platoon gathers armor and weapons. Afterwards, they will await instructions or repel any enemies who may enter. Have every other tent send a man down each line intersecting this aisle to do the same. Now go."

The sergeant saluted as years of military training led him to do what was best for the army, even if it meant obeying a virtual outsider. Terris pointed to the soldier directly before him. "Where did the first sounds come from, soldier?"

"In the direction of the wizards' tents, sir." "All right, you men are with me. Let's go." As Terris went where he believed the most

trouble would likely be, he pulled more of the soldiers into fighting preparation. Ordering those he spied to get their fellows in line as he had told to the sergeant previously, Terris hurried and strengthened the men around him. Drawing another half dozen soldiers already calmed and being led by their sergeant towards the wizards' camp into his band, he soon found chaos of an even greater and more deadly kind.

Fires and soldiers in unknown cloaks and armor had spread from a center held by the wizards' tents. Terris formed his men into two squads led either by the sergeant or himself as they shouted, "To arms Maris! To arms Sileoth! The wizards are attacked!" and more soldiers joined them quickly. The dark garbed assassins tried to flee into the less organized parts of the camp as Terris and the soldiers quickly sought to catch them up in their expanding net of men.

It was hard to judge numbers, but Terris guessed that there were nearly thirty of them. He couldn't believe that their security had been that lax. It was a point that he realized was not completely accurate as a pair of men dropped onto the ground only a few paces away. A gargoyle landed as well after depositing his two passengers and drew a spiked mace from his belt to back the assassins before him.

Eyes narrowing, the former general met the pair of men fearlessly. Flashing his blade and leaping to block attacks from both sides, Terris saw both pairs of eyes react in surprise. They were good, however, and, after they stepped back once to recover, the two men fought as one. Complimenting each other's attack, Terris would have lost quickly had he not brought the other soldiers with him.

Assassins are often cowards and these two were not unique to their ilk. Seeing the others circling to help Terris, they fell back to the gargoyle's sides. The giant creature snarled and swung his mace threateningly at the former king.

Terris held his arms outspread long enough to warn his drafted troops to hang back. He doubted that any of them knew how to deal with a gargoyle one on one. The human wasn't even certain that he knew them well enough to do so. Showing no uncertainty, Terris ordered them to flank the enemy on either side. "I'll handle the gargoyle, men. You attend to the assassins."

The soldiers never even blinked at his orders, though all feared his life would be lost in the effort. With their numbers, even a gargoyle could be brought down though with a cost of most of their lives. If he was willing to sacrifice himself for them, so be it. They would always remember such a brave act.

Such were their thoughts, but Terris had ceased to worry. Releasing thought to action as he had trained men to do for so many years, the former general moved with the agility of a youth. The gargoyle swung his mace aiming for Terris's head, but the man had moved beneath the reach of the weapon. His blade glanced off the creature's thick hide as he jabbed for its side. The assassin on the right thought the moment right to attack as well. Swinging his blade with a deadly grin, the man's spark faded quickly after Terris let his blade carom off the gargoyle. The carom added momentum and strength as the blade tore through the assassin's forearm and chest.

Rolling to the cleared side, the gargoyle could not hit his moving mark. With a cry of pain, the gargoyle felt that flashing blade strike the vulnerable tendons behind his left leg. Terris stood and struck the creature's wing as he finished his sweeping strikes. Again the gargoyle screamed. One wing bled from a cut that nearly severed the leathery skin into halves.

Nearly blinded by pain, the giant turned with a speed defying his bulk to try and smite this impudent insect. Terris swung down trying to gut the gargoyle. A thunk heralded his failed attack as the blade sunk into a more easily cut thigh. Leaving the sword sticking from the creature's leg, Terris leapt back to avoid the mace and the wielder's claws as it sought to catch him into its dangerous embrace.

The gargoyle came to a shaking halt before Terris. Alien eyes suddenly rolled back in its head. Swaying momentarily, the giant slowly fell forward to land on its face at Terris's feet. The former king spied a thick spear sticking from the gargoyle's back. Two soldiers saluted with quiet smiles and Terris returned their gestures with one of his own.

With a sharp tug, Terris reclaimed his blade from the fallen monster and led the men deeper into the encampment. The second assassin had been slain before the giant and so that left them with nothing to clean up here.

More Marisian soldiers joined his ranks as the men watched a strong leader drawing the others behind. Tents were collapsed and their fires stomped out. Wounded or unconscious men were pulled away from harm and still Terris and his men found no sign of the wizards he knew to be near. Nearly a hundred men moved beside Terris looking out for or fighting when they found an enemy too slow to leave.

It wasn't long before he found a large band of the assassins who had been left nowhere to flee. Troops from other sides of the camp had converged in varying degrees of readiness while Terris had pushed his men steadily forward. Now nearly two-thirds of the human assassins struggled to gain their freedom against more than three times their number. As Terris and his followers spied the battle, he noticed movement above them.

Seven winged fighters dropped twice their number of cloaked, Marshallan troops before descending into the mix themselves. Terris halted his men with a single raised hand. "Spearmen, forward! Swordsmen protect their sides. Cut the beasts' legs from under them and they're ours, men. Forward!"

Terris leapt ahead again meeting the closest of the giants. Using the rolling technique again, he tore out the tendons of its left leg. With a roar of pain, the creature tottered even as a pair of assassins moved to attack the man. Not even truly seeing them in his trancelike state, Terris left one gripping a handless wrist and the other doubled over trying to hold in his split stomach. Their cries of pain and anguish never touched his ears as the next nearest gargoyle roared and struck out with his mace. The blow missed the former king, but shattered both writhing assassins with the over swung attack.

Terris struck the creature's groin. A sickening splattering of flesh and blood rushed down both outspread legs. The man used two flicks of the blade to tear out the tendons of both legs of the screaming gargoyle. The creature fell to its knees in gargoyle tears as Terris' men finished both wounded giants off in short measure.

Panicking with the death of two of their brethren in less than two minutes, the remaining four attempted to flee. A pair of spears caught one in both wings and the swordsmen hacked unmercifully as it struck the ground. The men were like a pack of wolves pulling down a great stag. Terris noted another struck by a spear falter in its flight. Its brothers quickly caught him before he could fall to the pack and lifted him higher into the darkness where only dumb luck would find them.

The assassins, bereft of the suddenly vulnerable gargoyles, surrendered swiftly. They feared men who could drive away so many gargoyles let alone kill three so easily. Such men were beyond what they were willing to face. Shackles were safer and they would live longer.

The enemy thus dealt with, Terris turned his men to finding the mages, or at least the remains of them. Only six of more than a score of wizards, could be found standing. Another three were wounded and hurting. Two more would die before morning if the remaining mages couldn't use their magic to help save them. Terris knew that the golem wizards had just become nearly useless. Without them, he was not sure the forces opposing Merrick could survive.

He was pleased to see the gargoyles could be defeated when faced properly, but the dragons would not fall so easily yet. The solution could be found if they were given enough time, but he doubted that they would have that kind of time. The Marshallans had not killed all their wizards, but those who remained were too few. The golems would face overwhelming numbers from the gargoyles unless something changed.

The former king suddenly realized that his men had begun chanting. Swords lifted in salutes and shouting loudly, the men of Maris and Sileoth praised his fighting spirit. Knowing that he must do something, Terris lifted his sword and slowly turned to face more than two hundred men still chanting his name. When Terris had finished his turn, the chanting turned into one last wordless shout.

Later after the camp had become settled once more, Terris found a half dozen men standing before his tent. The former king sighed. He only wanted to sleep, but the man knew that he would not be closing his eyes until after the sun came up if Terris didn't face them now. "General Falack, Sergeant Iylin, has the enemy tried anything more for the night?"

The general looked unhappy. Terris wasn't sure if that came from the loss of the wizards or of Terris's own actions. After a moment, the man said, "They have done what they hoped to do, Lord Terris. The rest can wait `til morn, don't you think?"

Terris nodded slightly knowing a rhetorical question when he heard one.
Continuing, Falack said, "I heard what you did. I would ask that you relay what you used to slay the gargoyles so swiftly to my soldiers before morning. We will need every tool we can find to stop their renewed attacks. As you know, most of our mages are dead or useless now. The morning will tell if they will decide to crush us now or later."
"I will teach them all that I can, but it comes down to two things general. One, attack quickly and cut their tendons and wings. Two, use spears to drag them down and cause some wounds then cut them apart with our swordsmen. I also think that I have a way to even out the odds even more."
"You've discovered a way to kill the dragons?" the general asked hopefully.
"Not quite, but I have a few ideas that I would like to discuss before I try to get a little sleep."
Falack gestured for him to follow. "I would be glad to hear what you have to say, sir."

The Patahk sat quietly moored to the pirate's dock as the first of the pirate city's population began to stir. The four masted warship was also beginning to show signs of life as the crew started to conduct the minor repairs needed after the storm. It was through the first stirrings that Janus led the two privateers. Eyes drew quickly to Gerid's giant form as they moved. Discretion and a hastily tied bandana to cover his white hair were not enough to let them blend into the thin crowd.

"Are we going to have trouble before we reach the ship, Janus?" Gerid questioned quietly as his eyes watched the dangerous looking men all about them. He was not afraid for himself so much as the two men with him. Also the success of his plans would require goodwill not anger to help him along.

The smaller man glanced around and shrugged, "Not before we try to step aboard the Patahk, I would guess. I doubt that anyone will think you the famed privateer that has hurt so many of their ships just yet."

"The way you say that, I would guess that my reputation hasn't earned any friends here."
"No friends, but some respect from your enemies."
They turned onto the long wooden dock atop its stone pylons. The ship wasn't far from them now. More of the pirates were looking the trio's way. The lack of a weapon in his hand made Gerid a little more cautious and the giant wished that he had his battle axe or even a fair sword blade to defend them at the moment. His plans seemed impossible now that he was about to attempt to implement them.
"Do you think I can convince these people to be allies instead of enemies, Janus?"
The pirate just shrugged not bothering to answer what was still a complete unknown.
As the three men approached the Patahk's gangplank, they were addressed by one of the guards on the dock. Several other pirates stood near the base of the board leading to the deck while more stood above them holding their various tools as the work stopped for the strangers' approach. "Janus? Who `ave ya got dere?"
"Men to see Captain Salazar, Jakred. Permission to board?"
The pirate scratched his bristle covered chin contemplating the giant before him. Even with standing a good foot up the angled plank, the pirate was just barely looking Gerid eye to eye. The awareness of the stranger's size seemed to make everyone that much more suspicious and wary. "Why do dey wants ta see da cap'n? If dey wants work, dey can apply in da city like ev'ryone else. Can't dey?" The guard's eyes squinted as he looked for a reaction to his rebuff.
Gerid stood calmly inscrutable as Janus replied casually, "They have an offer for the captain that I believed might be attractive, so I brought them along. Can we board now?"
Crossing his arms defensively, a broken-toothed smile slowly splitting the pirate's face, the guard shook his head. "I don' think so, boy. I been waitin' for ya to slip up since ya got here. You schemin' about somedin' wit' dese strangers shore enough, I be tinkin'."
Several of the other men nearby nodded their agreement. It was hard for outsiders to earn the native pirates' trust, though it was quite easy to lose it as Janus had warned them on their walk to the Patahk. Gerid stepped forward and the men could all be seen edging their hands towards their ever ready cutlasses and long knives. He ignored their intended threats and spoke simply, "How about bringing him out here to the deck to see for his own eyes, guard? I would gladly talk to the captain from here."
"Gerid...," Janus started to whisper warning as the pirates all began to snicker. He never finished the warning as a strangely higher pitched voice called out from the Patahk's deck.
"What are all ya lubbers doin' up here slackin' off!" the voice was commanding for all the feminine quality of it. "What are ya gapin' at? Get ta work!"
Gerid turned to Janus and rolled his eyes. "You could have at least warned me that the captain was a woman."
The smaller man shrugged, "It didn't come up."
A tall woman with braided blonde hair stepped to the peak of the gangplank. Stunning in her blouse of white and a pair of loose, tan pants, the woman faced the troublemakers below her even as she seemed to draw the sun's light to her. "What have you brought me, Janus? I don't recall sending you out for crewmen."
"I have brought an old friend to see you, captain. He has a proposition for you."
The woman shook her head. "Only if he and his friend can fight his way past Jakred and the boys. Step aside and let the men deal with this outsider quickly."
The woman stepped back from the opening in the rail and motioned for half a dozen men with drawn blades to rush down to help more than a dozen already drawing their weapons on the dock. Other pirates from nearby ships shouted out cheers and cries of "kill them" and a few even made their way down with their cutlasses ready in case they should get the chance to join in the slaughter.
Gerid moved into action swiftly. Pushing the guard named Jakred backwards to sprawl onto the gang plank; Gerid took hold of the end of the board and lifted. With a twist, several men including the guard were sent plummeting between the side of the ship and the dock. Splashes echoed from below even as the giant pulled the gangplank free and into hand.
Charging forward into a crowd of pirates before him, Gerid scattered the men like bowling pins. His movements had been so swift that none of the pirates had even had a chance to respond. Lifting the long board over his head, he threatened to throw it into another smaller group of men, who leapt back a discretionary few steps.
With their discretionary respect earned, he returned the plank to its original place and strode up the plank. Reaching the deck, several of the pirates moved to flank him and their captain. Janus and Jahkob followed directly behind even as they eyed the remaining pirates still gaping open-mouthed on the wooden dock. The captain stood calmly before the giant, arms still folded, even as she looked up to make eye contact with Gerid.
"Impressive," the woman stated with a nod. "Do you wish to work for me?" She smiled and answered her own question, "No, I would guess not. Why are you here then?"
Gerid inclined his head towards the men gathering threateningly closer. "Do you want to speak out here or should we go below deck?"
The captain eyed the men and shrugged. Turning her back to him, the woman walked toward a doorway that stood ajar towards the center of the deck. Gerid followed even as a few pirates edged closer. With an angry look from him, those same men just as quickly stepped back again.
Janus and Jahkob did not bother to come along. This was a matter best left to officers. Gerid may not be recognized as an admiral, but all could see that he was a leader. So it was that Gerid found himself below deck with Captain Salazar. She had led him to her cabin. Tastefully decorated with red stained wood and painted walls, a few paintings were fastened securely to each of the four walls, as were a couple gold reliefs. A bed with a red comforter straightened carefully atop it and a table nailed to the floor on one side of the room and a cabinet on the other, were the extent of the belongings that the woman had installed in her cabin. Though sparse for a normal home, perhaps, it was extravagant for sea standards.
The captain curled onto the bed and gestured for Gerid to make use of the cleared table as a seat. A pair of boots sat beside the bed and Gerid half noted that the woman was barefoot. A small matter, but he filed the matter away with little more thought.
"So why are you here, giant?" the captain asked bluntly. The woman looked behind her and out the open window to the water outside. It was a gesture to show that he could not frighten her aboard her own ship.
Gerid ignored the gesture and said simply, "I came to offer the pirates a chance to get more than they could ever hope to gain as matters stand."
"Bold words, but what can we not get if we wish it. We are the masters of the sea. If we want to attack a ship or a port we can. We have the numbers and the power."
"In theory perhaps," Gerid retorted calmly.
The woman looked back to him with a raised brow. "In theory? Why would you say that? We are masters of the sea. Can you dispute that?"
"Easily," he replied and stood again. Walking over to the cabinet, he drubbed his fingers restlessly against its surface. "You lack the numbers that you say you have. The mainland nations have the resources to build ships by the thousands if they wished. They have superior numbers as it is. If your people were so daring as to attack a port, every ally to that country would send its fleets to destroy you."
"Our cannon would destroy them before they could reach us."
"You can't protect all sides of this island well enough to stop a real assault and you know that. The mainland nations have just never cared enough to bother launching a full scale assault and, as for your cannons, you have lost enough ships to give the nations access to that technology. Rhearden has been building from your original plans for a year already. What makes you think that you can maintain any edge?"
The woman sighed angrily, "What is your true point? We can argue this all day long and not have a decision. Get to the point. What is it that you think that we will want?"
"Land, allies, access to the resources you lack here, new safe harbors. I know that you pirates are broken into clans. Can't you agree that any clan would become stronger from such a deal?"
"Of course, do you think that I'm daft?" the woman snarled angrily. "How can you offer us any of this? You are strong, but I doubt that you are a king."
"Not a king, no, but I wish to pick a fight with a High King. My fleet is almost strong enough to bring an army to bear that could bring this man to his knees. With the help of the pirate clans, we could take him down and you would be given land and resources in return."
"We are sailors. What need have we for the mainland?" the woman retorted though her eyes betrayed her interest.
"I have already answered that question, captain. Now I have one for you." He smiled and pointed towards the woman and asked," Do you think that your clan would be interested?"
Chapter 40- Meeting with the Night Rose