Hammers in the Wind (13 page)

“Land!”

The call echoed over the frosted decks of the Dragon’s Bane. Most of the surviving mercenaries crowded the bow, eager to see the calming effects of the nearing shore. A singular sentiment echoed in them all. They wanted off the boat and the choice of disappearing completely if things went sour. No one wanted to be the next to die.

Bahr stomped on deck. He looked haggard from the lack of sleep the murder had produced. There’d been no breaks in solving the murder. Suspicions rose across the boat. Boen had been forced to put down three fights between passengers and crew. Tensions ran high and Bahr had no solutions. Rekka Jel and the wizard were proving to be of little worth in the matter. The greater part of Bahr wanted to put the mercenaries ashore and head back to Chadra.

Bahr gazed out towards the eastern shore. It took a moment of careful scanning but he was satisfied that the northern tip of the Murdes Mountains lay off to his starboard. They’d made land close enough to Dredl to make him happy. Better, they didn’t have to worry about crossing into Pell Darga territory. Another hour or two and they’d make port. Delranan was far behind. The closest rule was that of the city-state of Rogscroft. He frowned. Rogscroft was a potential enemy. Bahr recognized the fact they needed to be careful from here on out.

“Dorl!” he called out. “Round up the others and have them meet me in my cabin.”

Dorl obeyed, silently wondering what had sparked this new round of meetings.

Bahr waited for Boen to close the door behind him. He was the last to enter.

“Our focus changes once we hit land. Dredl is a neutral port but we will be under the constant scrutiny of Rogscroft. We have no friends here, no allies. Do nothing to provoke any sort of attack or our lives are forfeit.”

“We can handle ourselves well enough,” Ionascu said for the men under him.

While Bahr approved of the man taking charge, he wasn’t clear of the motive. Men like Ionascu almost always had a second angle of approach. He was still dangerous, even with some of the wind taken from his sail.

“I’m sure you can, though it is not the conduct of your mercenaries that concerns me. I’ve had suspicions King Badron is preparing Delranan for war. If that is true, Rogscroft is the only viable target. My….king has long envied the city. That makes our task all the more hazardous.”

“What makes you think the army is coming here?” Ionascu asked. A tinge of nervousness hinted his words.

He regretted the comment immediately. Talk like that was the surest way of revealing his true reasons for being on board.
Just like Bahr nearly slipped by saying my king
. Ionascu idly wondered what that was all about. He needed to stay focused, especially now. The good captain had a secret he didn’t want people to know. The spy smiled. He’d get to the bottom of that sooner or later and the game would shift back in his favor.

Bahr was hesitant to explain his reasons for what he knew. Doing so would just give the spy more time to panic and he needed calm heads all the way around.

“Some would claim an army has no use unless deployed to the field. The Wolfsreik is the strongest army in northern Malweir but they haven’t been tested in nearly a decade. Their blades have grown rusty while lesser kingdoms’ grow sharper,” Bahr told them.

And I know Badron better than any man alive. He’ll stop at nothing to expand his empire, no matter the cost. He’d even sacrifice his own flesh and blood in order to advance. An empire wouldn’t be enough for him
.

“Perhaps you know more than the rest of us,” Ionascu slyly suggested.

Bahr didn’t take the bait. “Perhaps I do. That doesn’t change the obvious. If it is war ahead we need to avoid contact as much as possible.”

“We’ll be watched from the moment we touch ground,” Boen put in. “Strangers are never accepted easily. If it is war, the leadership here should already know, in which case our problems will become simplified.”

“Simplified?” Dorl exclaimed. “How do you figure that? We’ll be wanted men the moment the harbor master logs the Bane in.”

“Then stay on the boat,” Rekka Jel said in her straightforward manner.

Nothol Coll stifled a laugh with the back of his hand.

Dorl’s face reddened but he stayed quiet. The foul look he gave his best friend was enough.

“You could stay on the boat, but the Bane sails at dawn,” Bahr told them all.

“What?”

Shock rippled through the cabin. No one could believe Bahr was willing to abandon them on hostile ground.

Ionascu exclaimed, “What is our plan for escape once we have the princess? You’ll doom us all.”

The Sea Wolf waited long enough for the uproar to calm down before explaining. A sidelong glance told him that even Anienam Keiss was concerned. Good, Bahr thought, that ought to take out some of his smugness. Truth be told, Bahr felt trapped almost every time the wizard opened his mouth. A little humility went a long way.

“My helmsman has been given explicit instructions on where to meet us. Fear not, and do not concern yourself on this matter. The Dragon’s Bane will be there.”

“How can this not concern us? We’re being dropped off in enemy territory to fend for ourselves! This is madness,” Ionascu protested.

Anger flashed hotly in his eyes. He wasn’t the only one thinking they’d been betrayed. Bahr noticed that same reluctant doubt in Dorl and Nothol. Even the stalwart Boen appeared taken back.

Rekka Jel bowed her head ever so slightly. “This is the captain’s boat. He may do as he wishes. I will prepare.”

She slipped through them and out the door before any could object.

Boen shifted suddenly. There was something about Bahr’s speech that didn’t sit right. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. “Dredl won’t be the problem. I’ve been here before. The folk are pleasant enough, after a fashion. It’s the city guard and any garrison that will make things difficult. This should be fun.”

His booming laugh echoed off the cramped walls even as he filed out to gather his meager belongings. The others all spoke their peace and left Bahr to carry out his final preparations. Their mission had suddenly become real and they needed to rely on each other if he expected to make it back to Chadra with Maleela. Bahr hoped he had collected the right people for the job.

Dorl and Nothol were the last to leave. Halfway out the door Dorl turned back and said, “At least we can get a proper mug of ale before we all get killed.”

Bahr could only shake his head. He realized their chances of success were relatively small, even with a wizard pushing senility on board. The Sea Wolf sat back down and tried to get the images of his niece out of his head.
She might be dead by now
. He frowned. That kind of thinking would tear him up inside and steal from the mission. Distractions cost lives. Bahr already had more than enough deaths on his hands, making room for more would be difficult.

Anienam Keiss finally came out from hiding and took the opposite seat from Bahr. His eyes were cold, forbidding.

Bahr wasn’t impressed. “What? No pearls of wisdom or sage advice to give before I commit us all?”

“What is there to tell a man who’s already made up his mind?” he countered.

“I think I prefer when you speak in riddles.”

Anienam flashed a thin, almost feral, smile. “I speak as I must.”

“There’s the crazy old man I know. What is that supposed to mean? I’m trying to decide if you are more of a hindrance than help.”

“A bit of both I believe.”

Bahr’s eyes narrowed to thin slits. “You know something you’re not telling us.”

He stayed silent. The only sound was the gentle creaking of the hull against the tide.

They stared at each other for long minutes. Neither gave way nor flinched. Anienam sat in quiet confidence, as if he already knew how the future was going to play out. That possibility worked to unnerve Bahr. The future shouldn’t be known by anyone; not him, not anyone. Destiny had a part to play and it was up to men to stumble into it. The wizard was an aberration to life.

“Very well. Keep your secrets. I have mine as well,” Bahr finally said. “All I ask of you is that you do your part in keeping us alive until we get back to Chadra Keep. After that you can go as you please.”

Anienam betrayed no emotion. “That has been my intent since seeking you out. Please keep this in mind: you have a great destiny to fulfill. Delranan and indeed all Malweir will have need of you, Bahr.”

“So you keep reminding me.”

Anienam bore a sad look. Could it be pity? “Right now you think only of yourself.”

“How else am I supposed to think? This has not been a kind world to me, wizard. I make no illusions about Malweir owing me, but I also know that I owe Malweir nothing. Not one damned thing.”

“Perhaps not. Perhaps I was wrong and found the wrong man.”

Bahr waggled a menacing finger. “Oh no. I’m not about to play that game. You won’t guilt me into feeling what you want.”

“There is no intent for guilt, but you must be made to understand the severity of the situation.”

Bahr grunted. “Funny how the situation is adapting to suit your needs, not mine. No one is even at war.”

“Yet. You said it yourself, your brother is determined to expand his kingdom. You can’t truly believe you will be safe when that happens?”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“And waste everything? Just get on your boat and sail off until the storm blows itself out? There will come a time when you will be forced to step out of the shadows, Bahr. Become the man you are meant to be. It is the only way.”

The words weren’t stinging, but they had enough conviction to give him pause. Right now all that mattered was rescuing Maleela alive. All else was a secondary concern. He could deal with his brother well enough once they returned home. He’d also be able to think more clearly once she was safe. Hang the rest of the world. Still, he couldn’t abandon all of his friends to such a dire fate. Either decision bore terrible implications. This was not an easy choice.

Anienam remained silent and let him think. He could see the wheels turning in Bahr’s eyes. The captain was not the heartless man he portrayed. He was the sort whose natural aggression was a mask for kindness. The old wizard was old enough to trust to fate. He had faith in the future. Malweir had survived hundreds of wars in his time. Numerous petty tyrants were come and gone. Elves, Dwarves, Trolls and Goblins alike, no race was immune to the madness of dictators.

Anienam Keiss was the last of the mages, older even than his sire Dakeb had been. Time had not been kind. Friendless, the wizard wandered the forests and deserts of Malweir always trying to prevent the dark gods from returning. He often felt that there was more to life. A life he envied in normal Men. Men like Bahr.

“Very well,” Bahr finally said. “I’ll think on your words, though without promises. I don’t like your portents.”

“Fair enough. I ask only you make your decisions wisely.”

Anienam didn’t know how he was going to tell this proud northern man that his actions were going to decide the fate of the world. A dark time was fast approaching and no one was going to be safe. Anienam Keiss closed his eyes. How did one tell another that the dark gods had returned to wreak vengeance upon the world once again and he was the key to victory or doom?

Dredl was unlike anything Skuld had ever seen. Not that his experiences formed much of a basis of opinion. He knew the back streets and gutters of Chadra and the port, but he hadn’t been anywhere else. The rest of the world was still a dream. He only knew hardship and dissatisfaction. Dredl offered the potential of unlimited possibilities. Skuld found it nearly impossible to focus on any one thing. The streets were clean, well, clean enough at least. There were no signs of riffraff or undesirables lurking in the shadows. For a moment Skuld saw himself staying here and making a new life.

“Come on boy,” Boen growled from behind. “We’ve work to do before you go sightseeing.”

Skuld almost snapped back but thought the better of it when he saw the giant Gaimosian stalking up on him. Instead he sighed and bit back his retort. He hefted his pack and waited. Other crew was busy securing the Bane to the dock. Still more had gone ahead to secure lodging for the night and to scout the town. The crew went about their work with mechanical precision. Skuld was most impressed but knew better than to comment by now. The last thing he needed was another thump to the back of his head.

Boen smirked. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Skuld did his best to hide his smile. “I don’t even know what I am thinking. This is all so new to me.”

“This is nothing, lad. I’ve seen cities with thousands of people in them. Towers that touch the heavens. Never been one to care for them either. Almost as bad as the Dwarves and their damned holes in the ground.”

“You’ve seen Dwarves?”

Boen nodded. “Aye. Seen them and fought with a few here and there. Good sturdy folk but I hate their caves.”

A thousand questions sprang forth. All of Boen’s experiences and adventures must have been exhausting. He doubted he had the same level of fortitude to put himself through half as much. He also found it hard to keep the daydreams from returning. Skuld briefly imagined himself a giant swordsman dashing from kingdom to kingdom in the name of honor and justice.