Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) (13 page)

Vera came ashore and helped the wounded men. The flour was useless on board the ship, so they made plans to stay the night and bake some bread. Lorik and Stone lit fires in several of the small homes. There was no inn or bakery, so Vera cooked in several of the small clay ovens they found in abandoned homes. She showed the volunteers what to do, and the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent baking bread and loading fresh water onto the ship.

The next morning they set sail. Two days later they came to another village, this one overflowing with Norsik. Lorik wanted to stop, but Yulver wouldn’t hear of it. There were too many Norsik to attack outright.

They sailed on for another hour, then Lorik convinced Yulver to beach the ship for the night. The shoreline was composed of sand and tiny round rocks, worn smooth by the constant waves. The ship ground to a halt several feet from the water’s edge. Yulver had his men go ashore and tie lines to the larger trees to keep the ship from floating away when the tide came in.

Lorik and the volunteers hiked back toward the village. Vera had not supported the idea, but like Stone she kept her thoughts to herself. Lorik was convinced that something had to be done in the town. They took up a position on a slight rise where they had a good view of the town, but far enough away that they wouldn’t be noticed.

“There’s got to be at least a hundred raiders in that town,” Stone said. “And I don’t see any Ortisians.”

“You don’t know that for certain,” Lorik said. “They could have captives in the town, just like they did at Ange Point.”

“I doubt it,” Stone said. “They’ve taken over this town and they’re using it as a staging point to raid further inland.”

“All the more reason to stop them now.”

“We don’t have enough men, Lorik. They outnumber us almost ten to one.”

“We don’t have to fight them head on,” Lorik said. “But we can put a cramp in their plans just the same.”

“What are you thinking?”

“How about we wait until they’re asleep and then burn the town down around them?”

“They’ll have sentries, Lorik. We’ll get caught.”

“Don’t be so negative,” Lorik said. “We’ve got a little time before sunset. I’ll think of something.”

They watched the town for the next hour. It was hard to make out much from their distance, but they could tell that the Norsik seemed confident. If they had heard of Yulver’s ship and the freedom fighters on board, they didn’t seem worried.

“They’re overconfident,” Lorik said once it got dark and he was explaining his plan. “I say we go in after they’re asleep and kill them.”

“That’s foolish,” Stone said. “We can’t ask these men to risk their lives for nothing.”

“I wasn’t thinking about asking them to risk anything. I thought just you and I could do it.”

“Are you mad?”

“No, I’m thinking clearly. The two of us could get past whatever sentries they have. We’ll go in quietly and kill them quietly. We could kill most of them inside an hour. They’ll be asleep, remember?”

“It’s never that easy,” Stone argued. “Even if we get in without being caught, it would only take one cry to rouse the guard. We’d be overwhelmed in minutes.”

“So we’ll have to be careful.”

“No we won’t,” Stone said. “We aren’t doing it. You can come back here after we get to Fort Utlig. You can bring down two hundred men if you like, but going in there alone is suicide.”

“We can’t let these beasts loose on the countryside. They’re like rats, Stone. Once they get in your cellar, getting them out is almost impossible.”

“Two men taking on a whole town of Norsik raiders is impossible.”

“Why? We’ll be hitting them when they’re at their most vulnerable.”

“Your axe isn’t very subtle,” Stone said.

“I won’t even take it,” Lorik said, drawing a dagger from his belt. “You put one hand on the man’s mouth, the other hand stabs him in the heart. He dies without making a sound. Then you move on to the next raider. It’s simple.”

“It’s never been done.”

“So what? There’s probably never been a need to do it before,” Lorik argued. “You can’t use traditional tactics at a time like this.”

“Outlaws don’t even kill an entire town,” Stone said.

“That’s what makes this plan so perfect. No one would expect it.”

“I’m not doing it,” Stone said, trying to sound firm.

“Okay, I’ll do it by myself.”

“You fool, you’ll get yourself killed.”

“You can’t live forever.”

Lorik set the watch and then gave instructions to wake him a few hours before dawn. Then he rolled himself in his cloak and went to sleep. Stone tried to sleep, too, but it was impossible. He knew Lorik’s plan had merit. It was so audacious that it just might work, but failure meant death, and Stone didn’t like working himself into a corner. He’d survived plenty of tough fights, but he had never taken on an entire village of fighting men.

The moon rose, just a sliver, and as the temperature fell, the stars seemed like cold sparks far, far away in the black sky. A few hours past midnight, a volunteer woke Lorik. He got up, stretched, drank some water, and then checked his dagger. Stone got up as well, grumbling quietly.

“What are you doing?” Lorik asked.

“I’m not letting you go in there alone.”

“It’s better if I do; there’s less risk. Besides, you don’t believe in the plan. I’d rather not have someone with me who’s expecting to fail.”

“Shut up,” Stone said angrily, “and make sure that pig sticker of yours is sharp.”

Lorik smiled, finished checking his dagger, and then they crept silently toward the dark town.

They took their time crossing the broad expanse from the tall rise to the town proper. They saw only one sentry, who was half asleep at his post. They had no trouble sneaking past the sentry and into the town, which was as quiet as a tomb. Lorik guessed that most of the modest homes were empty, so they made their way to the town center, which was dominated by two large inns.

“We go in, kill everyone in the common room, then get back out,” Stone said. “I’m not going room to room, there’s too much chance of making noise and getting caught.”

“I agree,” Lorik said. “Let’s have some fun.”

They crept across the dark street. It was difficult to see outside, but even more dark inside the inn.

“We need to light a candle or something,” Lorik whispered.

“Sorry, I’m all out of candles,” Stone said irritably.

“I brought one,” Lorik said, with just a hint of jest in his voice. “I just need to get across the room to the fireplace and light it.”

“Let me do it,” Stone said. “Your giant feet will step on someone, I’m sure of it.”

Stone made his way slowly across the room. The Norsik raiders were everywhere, some on the tables and more on the floor. They were like shadows until Stone lit the candle. The soft light illuminated the room in a very faint light, but it was enough to make out the men snoring and a few women, too.

Lorik didn’t hesitate. He drew his dagger went to work. It was a gristly business, but his blade was sharp and it plunged into chest after chest, killing the Norsik where they lay, most without even stirring. It took nearly twenty minutes of stealthy murder, but then the only people left alive were Stone and Lorik. They made their way quietly out of the inn.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Lorik whispered.

Stone was trying to keep the candle flame hidden behind his bloody hand.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

They went into the other inn and found a very similar state inside. The feasting had been rowdy. There were broken tables and chairs, and the smell of ale and roasted meat filled the common room. Lorik immediately went to work. When they were finished, nearly fifty Norsik lay dead in the two inns. They blew out the candle and quietly made their way out of the town. The same sentry they had passed earlier was asleep on his feet now. They got back to the rise where the other volunteers were waiting just as the sky began to brighten.

“We should get back to the ship,” Stone said, his voice a little shaky.

“No, let’s stay here and see how they react to finding the bodies,” Lorik said.

“I can tell you how they’ll react. They’ll come looking for us and they’ll be mad as hell. We murdered those men in their sleep, Lorik.”

“Yes we did,” Lorik said angrily. “We killed them. We never gave them a chance, but that’s no different than what they would have done to the women and children they captured, or the farmers and woodsmen they would have killed in cold blood all across this area. We’re at war, Stone. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t fun, but it is necessary. We sent them a message and maybe they’ll heed it and go back to where they came from.”

“Or maybe they’ll hunt us down and return the favor.”

They watched for an hour as the sun came up. They couldn’t hear what was happening in the town, but they could see men running around. Their raid had shaken the Norsik, and that gave Lorik a grim satisfaction. They saw groups of men leave the town.

“Search parties,” Stone said.

“Or raiding parties.”

Then two ships left the harbor, one sailing north, the other south.

“If that ship gets to the
Dancer
before we do, they’ll kill everyone on board,” Stone said angrily.

“Then we’d better get moving.”

They jogged over the sandy dunes and along game trails. Lorik pushed the pace, knowing that Stone was right. The Norsik were looking for them, and if he and Stone didn’t get his small band of fighters back to the
Dancer
in time, Yulver, Jons, Vera, and the other sailors could be massacred.

They couldn’t see the gulf from the trail they traveled on. Lorik didn’t want to risk traveling in the open and being spotted by the Norsik, but not knowing if the ship had passed them easily, or if they were keeping pace, made Lorik push his band even harder. They made it back to the clearing in record time, but the ship was just as fast. Luckily they came out into the clearing near the beached ship just as the Norsik ship was coming into view.

“To arms!” Lorik shouted. He was tired and breathing heavily, but the relief he felt at having made it back to the ship in time gave him a sense of euphoria.

The sailors were up and moving around the small camp. Vera and Yulver were on the ship, making sure everything was ready to continue their trek up the gulf.

“I want sailors on this side of the ship,” Lorik barked. “Volunteers on the far side. Spread out at the shoreline. Protect the ship at all costs.”

Lorik and Stone vaulted up into the ship and were met by Yulver and Vera.

“This is getting to be a bad habit with you, Lorik,” Yulver complained. “I doubt that ship is here to parley.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Lorik said.

“Are you both all right?” Vera asked.

“Yes, we’re fine,” Stone said. “How many men do you think they have on that ship?”

“No more than two dozen, I’d say,” Lorik said. “Maybe less. They sent out four groups of ten on land. And they’ve crewed two ships, plus they wouldn’t have left the city without some sort of guard, not with raiders on our side of the gulf.”

“Well, I guess that’s even odds,” Stone said.

“They should concentrate their attack here,” Lorik said. “If they can disable our ship, they’d have us trapped and then could bring in more men to bolster their numbers. We need to get Vera off the ship.”

“I’ll see to it,” Stone said.

He left to escort Vera onto the beach. Lorik looked back and saw Stone giving her instructions. He hated the thought of something happening to them and Vera being left all alone. He hoped she would be strong enough to flee if they were captured or killed.

“I signed on to bring you up here, not to have you fighting and endangering my crew at every turn,” Yulver said. “And if something happens to this ship, you’ll be better off dead.”

“I know,” Lorik said, not really paying attention.

He was focused entirely on the ship that was slowly approaching. They had beached the
Dancer
in a small cove. The tide would be coming in soon, but there wasn’t enough time to get back into the water and beat a hasty retreat.

“What’s their plan?” Yulver asked.

“I don’t know,” Lorik said. Trying to attack from the water made no sense, Lorik thought. The Norsik would be at a huge disadvantage going into the water, and unless they used bow and arrows, which the Norsik weren’t known for using, they wouldn’t be able to do much from a distance.

“Well, you better figure it out. We need to be one step ahead of these bastards.”

“I know that,” Lorik said. “Just be quiet a minute.”

“I think I know what they’re doing,” Stone said. He had just returned to the ship after making sure Vera was safe on the beach.

“What?” Lorik asked.

“They’re keeping us here,” Stone explained. “They sent out small parties to find us. They don’t have to engage. The others will return having found nothing, but when this ship doesn’t return, they’ll know where we are. The other ship will come and more raiders will come by land. We can’t stay here.”

“How much time do you think we’ve got?” Lorik asked.

“I have no idea, but I would think at least two more hours,” Stone replied. “It would take that long for this ship to return and report to the others. And then another hour for the raiders to get back here.”

“So what do we do?” Yulver asked.

“Are we ready to set sail?” Lorik asked.

“Almost, but we’ll have to wait for the tide to lift us off this beach.”

“That’s okay. How many crewmen do you need?”

Yulver put five sailors to work. They had to reload the supplies that had been used on shore and make sure everything was battened down. Meanwhile, Lorik and Stone put the rest of the crew and volunteers to work on the beach. They cut small saplings and then carved one end of each pole into a point to make crude spears. They weren’t the best of weapons, but they would be useful to hold off a boarding party.

“It’s the same plan,” Lorik told them. “They’ll use grappling hooks to engage us. The only difference is this time we won’t be able to outrun them using the sail. They’ve got us wedged into too close to shore. We’ll try and row past them, but odds are they’ll cut off our escape. So, when they pull their ship close to ours, at the very last minute, we’ll raise these spears. They won’t be able to cross to our ship without getting impaled. We won’t be able to stop them all, but we don’t have to. We just need to make it too costly for them to take us out. They won’t risk too many lives and I don’t believe they have a larger crew than we do. Once we’ve repulsed their first attempts to board us, we’ll drop our spears, cut their lines, and make a break for it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to board their ship and take them all out?” one of the volunteers asked.

“Perhaps, but I’m betting we can win this skirmish without losing any more lives. That’s my goal, so we won’t board their ship. Any other questions?”

There were none. After a couple of hours they were back on board the ship, which was beginning to rock as the tide rose and the waves gently coaxed the ship back out to sea.

“We’re floating free,” Jons called from the bow, which was closest to shore.

“All right, men, back water!” Yulver called out.

The sailors and volunteers rowed backwards for a few minutes, pushing their oars instead of pulling them, so that the long ship moved backwards away from the shore. Then, with a twist of the wheel and a command to the oarsmen on one side of the ship, Yulver spun the
Dancer
around to face the open sea of the gulf and the Norsik barge that waited for them.

“All oars, ho!” Yulver shouted.

The oarsmen worked together again, propelling the ship forward. Yulver steered away from the Norsik barge, but the flat ship followed them, cutting off their escape.

“Lorik!” Yulver called out. “You better be sure about this plan of yours.”

Lorik didn’t respond. Instead, he kept rowing and waiting for the first of the grappling hooks to fall. He had to wait only a minute. The first hook clattered onto the deck and two sailors jumped out of the way as it was jerked back. It crashed into the railing, the tines biting deep into the wood and holding fast.

“Clear the deck!” Yulver shouted.

The men moved quickly, adrenaline pumping through their veins. Vera was stationed by the mast, and everyone was armed. It was only a matter of time before they’d need to use their improvised spears, which were stowed under the railing on either side of the ship. The next grappling hook landed just moments after the first and was quickly followed by a third. The oars were stashed away, and the rowing benches were pushed to the bow of the ship.

“Ready, men,” called Lorik. The ships were getting closer and closer. They could hear the fevered shouting of the raiders, but Lorik could see the barge had less than twenty men on board. The raiders were pulling the rope, dragging the
Dancer
closer to their own vessel. Lorik knew that at any moment the raiders would drop the rope, draw their weapons and come rushing forward.

“
Tolatch
!” cried someone from the raider ship.

“Now!” shouted Lorik.

He and the rest of the men rushed forward and snatched up their spears. They barely raised their weapons in time. The Norsik were already leaping onto the
Dancer
, and eight landed squarely on the upraised spears. Their momentum drove the sailors backward. Most fell onto their backs, but the damage was done. Three more raiders were wounded by the spears and toppled backward, falling through the small gap between the two ships as the pressure from the grappling ropes was released and the ships drifted slightly apart.

The next wave of raiders were less inclined to make the plunge. One Norsik warrior made it safely across only to be met by Stone, who sliced open his throat and abdomen before the unfortunate raider could strike a blow.

“
Tolatch
!” the captain of the Norsik barge cried again. “
Tolatch, appenni
!”

This time the raiders tried to jump to avoid the spears. Six succeeded in dodging the wooden stakes, but were either attacked immediately or knocked back over the railing of the ship. Two more raiders were impaled, and the battle was suddenly over. There were only four Norsik left on their ship, and none were willing to attack.

“Cut the lines!” Lorik shouted.

The grappling ropes were severed and Lorik saw looks of relief crossing the faces of the Norsik sailors. The ships had drifted apart and with a shove of the oars, Yulver’s crew rowed away from the Norsik barge. Soon they had the sail set and were sailing north.

The crew dropped to the deck as the adrenaline faded from their systems and fatigue set in. Vera checked to make sure no one else was wounded. The plan had worked perfectly, both surprising the raiders and giving Yulver’s crew a decided advantage in the fight.

They sailed all day and through the following night. They kept a constant watch on both the shoreline and the gulf behind them. Yulver didn’t expect that the Norsik would catch up to them, but he wasn’t taking any chances. The wind held and the
Dancer
lived up to its namesake, skipping along the waves and making excellent time. It took only three more days to reach Fort Utlig, and almost everyone on board breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the ancient fortress in the distance.

“I guess we’ve made it,” Stone said.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Vera added.