Kal Moonheart Trilogy: Dragon Killer, Roll the Bones & Sirensbane (5 page)

BOOK: Kal Moonheart Trilogy: Dragon Killer, Roll the Bones & Sirensbane
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She cleared her throat. ‘Land Ahoy!’ she croaked.

Rafe gave her the thumbs up and dropped down so that he was hanging from the spar by his legs. He cupped his hands to his mouth and bellowed:

‘LAND AHOY!’

 

* * *

 

The
Swordfish
tacked along the coast for the rest of the afternoon, and evening was falling by the time they reached the port of Balibu. The town had a seawall like Amaranthium, but it was wooden and strung with colourful lamps. The seagate was left open: either the locals didn’t fear an attack from the sea, or perhaps they didn’t think that a shut gate would make that much of a difference.

Kal gripped the rail as they sped towards the dock. Dead Leg appeared on deck at the last minute and gave calm orders that all but the topsails were to be struck. ‘HEAVE-TO!’ the boatswain shouted, with an edge of panic in her voice. Rafe looked terrified as the crowded jetty got nearer and nearer. Dead Leg, however, remained calm through it all; he gave Kal a wink and nodded at two of his sailors. They threw out the anchors at the last possible moment and the
Swordfish
slotted neatly sideways into a gap between two smaller brigs. Water slopped all over the jetty, causing a man to spill a basket full of crabs, but otherwise the thrilling manoeuvre was executed perfectly.

The crew waved Kal and Rafe off as they descended the gangplank. Rafe, dressed once more in his armour, turned back to face the ship, gave a theatrical bow and raised his sword in salute. The crew whooped their appreciation. Kal waited patiently for him to finish taking his leave. The night was warm and balmy, and the docks were busy: fishermen finishing up their day’s work mingled with the emerging nightlife. Music and singing could be heard emanating from several of the dockside taverns.

Kal looked out to sea. The moon lit the horizon, but there was no sign of Benedict’s island gold mine. It must be farther out than she imagined. As she looked around, her eyes fell on a colourful mural painted on the side of a nearby inn: a grinning skull-like feminine face surrounded by flowers. Vuda; the god of dark magic. Kal felt a chill run down her spine.

‘Where are you going to be staying?’ Rafe asked her.

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I was going to play cards until dawn at the Croc, then hire a boat in the morning to take me out … ahem,
bird-watching
.’

Rafe looked at her like she was mad. ‘Really? Well, I have a whole floor to myself at the Discovery Inn. They have big copper baths full of steaming soapy water. I also heard that they serve up a mean seafood platter. Why don’t you join me for supper? The Senate is paying.’

Kal thought about it for at least a second. ‘Okay,’ she said.

 

* * *

 

Kal took her glittering knife blade and pried open another oyster shell. She devoured the meat greedily, the salty liquor dribbling down her chin (which was, up until that point, clean and scrubbed after a hot bath) and almost spoiling her plain grey woollen dress.

She noticed Rafe’s eyes on her, and deflected his gaze with a question: ‘So who do you think killed the governor then?’

Rafe spread his palms. ‘Senator Godsword thinks that a dragon killed him.’

Kal acted like she was surprised. ‘A dragon? Why would a dragon want to kill the governor of Balibu?’

‘The Senator told me he’s worried the Dragonites might have finally discovered the secret to summoning and controlling dragons,’ Rafe said. ‘Godsword and the governor were good friends, apparently, so he’s taking the governor’s death as a personal threat: it’s no secret that Godsword wants to stamp out that crazy cult.’

Ben and the governor would have to be close
, Kal thought,
for the governor to overlook Ben’s gold shipments
.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘you might get your shot at a knighthood after all. What’s your plan?’

‘I might have a walk up to the governor’s burned-out villa later,’ Rafe replied. ‘You know … to look for clues.’

‘Sounds exciting,’ Kal said. ‘Maybe I’ll tag along.’

The cook, a fat black man in a greasy apron, came over and interrupted them. ‘More shrimp, my friends? They’ve been out of the sea no more than a couple of hours; it would be a crying shame to put them on ice.’

Kal nodded eagerly, and the cook filled her plate.

‘Do you ever stop eating?’ Rafe asked in astonishment.

‘You never know where your next meal is coming from,’ she answered through a mouthful of shrimp.

‘Why are you here, Kal? I don’t think it’s for bird-watching. What is it that you really do?’

Kal decided to be honest. ‘I’m a freelancer,’ she told him. ‘I investigate things and sort stuff out for people who may not want to go through the official channels: the opposite of you, I guess! But that doesn’t mean I do anything wrong or immoral; I just try to fix up complicated situations.’

Rafe nodded. ‘I see. A problem solver, huh?’

Kal gave him a wolfish grin. ‘More like a problem
exterminator
.’

 

* * *

 

The governor’s villa—or what remained of it—stood on a low hill overlooking the harbour. The second storey had completely collapsed, and only a few scattered piles of fire-blackened bricks gave any indication that there was ever a building here at all. The governor’s charred skeleton was lying on its back in the middle of the terrace garden, its arms above its head and its jaw wide open as if frozen in a terrified scream.

‘He doesn’t look like he died a happy man,’ Rafe commented.

‘No,’ Kal agreed. It was after midnight, but the tropical heat was still oppressive. Kal had changed into a loose shirt and leather skirt, but still she couldn’t shake off the prickle of a sweat. She sniffed the air; behind the heady smell of the surrounding jasmine trees and fever grass, there was a hint of something else that Kal recognised …

‘Brimstone,’ she said.

Rafe looked around as if expecting to see a dragon right there behind him. ‘Brimstone?’ he said. ‘I guess that proves it then: a dragon did this.’

Kal knelt down in the rubble. ‘Not necessarily.’ She picked up some broken pieces of terracotta. ‘This fire was
set
.’

Rafe came over. ‘How can you tell?’

She held up three of the broken pieces, and fitted them together to make a small globe. ‘I’ve seen these before. Filled with petrock and brimstone, they make a very effective
firebomb
.’

Rafe drew his sword suddenly. Kal looked at him in alarm. ‘Someone is coming,’ he said. ‘More than one person: a large group.’

Kal drew her shortsword; the moonlight glimmered as it caught the edge of the blade. ‘I don’t hear any—’

A group of figures stepped into view from out of the shadows of the ruins, surrounding Kal and Rafe. A dozen black-clad men, their faces wrapped in headscarves that concealed all but their eyes. They all carried swords of various lengths and styles.

‘Keep your back to me,’ Rafe whispered to Kal. ‘Let them come to us.’

Kal wasn’t happy. Her natural reaction in a big fight would be to start causing chaos; make herself a moving target and stir up some confusion. She didn’t have time to argue, though—the newcomers charged in to attack.

Luckily her instincts were faster than her thoughts. She twisted her body to avoid the strike of an assailant who had appeared in front of her. In the same movement, she whipped her own blade around in a wide semi-circle, forcing her attacker back. She over-extended herself, though, and he lifted his sword for an overhead blow that Kal surely wouldn’t have chance to avoid …

… but then he stopped, sword held high. His belly had split open following the scratch that Kal had given it. The man stood still in confusion as his hot, steaming innards slithered down his legs. Then he collapsed in a stinking pile on the ground.

The next attacker tried to reach Kal by thrusting his sword across the body that lay between them. Kal had found the flow of the battle by now, though. Her body and mind were loose and relaxed, ready to take advantage of her enemies’ mistakes. In an easy, unhurried movement, she sliced her opponent’s sword arm off at the elbow. He screamed and fled into the darkness.

Kal looked around for the next attack. It didn’t come; the ruins were silent once more. She turned around and found Rafe standing over a pile of at least five bodies. His armour was splattered in blood, and his face and hair were dripping red with it too. He looked more like a terrible demon than a heroic knight.

‘My hero,’ Kal said with a smile. She wiped the blood from his eyes. ‘Now let’s see who these fellows are.’

She went and ripped the headscarf off the body that was the least mangled.

Rafe gasped when he saw the face beneath. ‘Good grief!’ he exclaimed.

Kal leaned in for a closer look. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘that’s something new!’

 

 

 

 

 

 

III.iv

 

The Croc

 

 

 

Rafe stared down at the face of their fallen attacker. ‘Sorcery!’ he exclaimed.

Kal looked even closer. ‘Let’s not jump to conclusions,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s a mask.’ She took her knife and poked about the face—jabbing around the eyes and under the lips.

‘It’s not a mask,’ she said eventually.

The face was ashen grey, with watery yellow eyes and a flat nose. The ears were large and bat-like, but what had made Rafe react was the teeth: the canines were pointed. Not filed down to a point, but elongated like the fangs of a wolf.

‘He looks like a cross between a human and a goblin,’ Kal said. ‘What do they call them in the old legends—
hobgoblins
?’ But they both knew that was impossible; there had been many reports of assaults on humans by goblins—and even on goblins by humans—but no offspring had ever been produced.

‘Whatever it is, it’s a monster,’ Rafe said. ‘Monsters inside the walls! And you know who commands the monsters.’

As if in answer, the horizon suddenly lit up. Far out to sea, an orange glow flickered for an instant, then died.

Rafe named his nemesis through gritted teeth. ‘
The Dragon!
I have to go and rouse the guard.’

Kal put a hand on his blood-soaked steel-plated shoulder. ‘Wait,’ she said. ‘The local militia are lazy drunkards, who right now are most likely sleeping with their arms around a bottle of rum. They aren’t going to appreciate being dragged out of bed just because you saw a strange light out to sea.’

Rafe tried to pull away. ‘I have the authority of the Senate behind me! They’ll do what I tell them. I need men on the walls, I need a chain of water buckets …’

‘Rafe, please.’ Kal tried to calm him. ‘People have been seeing things and jumping at shadows for weeks out here now, and yet the town is still standing. We need to separate the rumours from the facts before we raise the alarm.’

Rafe stopped. He ran his hand anxiously through his long hair. It came out bloody. ‘So where do you suppose we go to look for answers?’

Kal smiled. ‘As it happens, I know just the place. But first, we have to get you cleaned up.’

 

* * *

 

The Crocodile Casa
was a narrow, low wooden building near the docks. The interior (including the card tables, chairs and the long bar that took up all of one wall) was all constructed from bamboo, while fig trees, vines and bright red and yellow jungle flowers provided the decoration. There was a pungent cloud of spicy smoke in the air that mixed with the more natural—but altogether more unwelcome—scent of body odour.

The gaming den was crowded. Kal felt Rafe bristle beside her. ‘Relax,’ she said. ‘Remember the story of Banos and the King of Thieves?’

‘Of course. Banos disguised himself as a robber and lived among the thieves for a year,’ Rafe recalled. ‘He waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to kill the king.’

‘Right. Well think of this as your latest chance to emulate your hero. Be patient. Play the part. Let’s go and get a drink.’

Kal led Rafe to the bar. The man behind the counter looked up with a bored expression that didn’t change when his eyes met Kal’s. She and Rafe had dressed plainly and concealed their weapons. Kal ordered three glasses of sour mash bourbon. She gave one to Rafe, sunk one straight away, and took the other with her as she crossed the busy room to the opposite side, where a girl sat counting gaming chips behind a caged-off enclosure.

‘You’d better tell us what games are running before we decide how many chips we’ll need,’ Kal said to the girl.

‘Sure thing, Miss,’ she replied. ‘We got tables over by the door that you can join for five crowns. Over in that corner are the twenty-crown tables, and we have some fifty-crown and hundred-crown games running up the top end.’

Rafe stepped up to the slot in the cage and slid some gold over to the girl. ‘Let’s play some cards then! Give us five crowns worth of chips each.’ He turned to Kal. ‘My treat. And you can keep whatever you win.’

Kal laughed. ‘You already treated me to dinner!’ She was surveying the noisy action. ‘I think I recognise some of the players at the top table,’ she said to the cashier. ‘Who’s the big guy with his back to us?’

The girl glanced around and leaned closer to the bars of the cage to reply. ‘That’s Gron Darklaw. He’s a strange one, Miss. Hasn’t been coming here long. Buys his chips with chunks of raw gold. Drinks and drinks, but it never shows, except that it seems to make him bet more fierce, like. But he tips us well. He talks of wanting to be our next governor, too.’

‘Interesting,’ Kal said. ‘Is that a hundred-crown table too?’

The cashier shook her head. ‘It’s a private game. They’re playing with around a thousand crowns each.’

‘Give us a thousand chips each too, then,’ Kal said, ‘and we’ll go and see if they’ll let us join in.’

Rafe choked on his bourbon mid-sip. ‘Senator Godsword’s funds don’t stretch
that
far, Kal’ he spluttered.

She gave him a sharp look that said,
I told you not to mention the Senate in here
. Then she pulled a piece of paper from the pouch at her belt and handed it to the girl behind the cage.

BOOK: Kal Moonheart Trilogy: Dragon Killer, Roll the Bones & Sirensbane
11.34Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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