Scorpion Mountain (10 page)

Thorn regarded him quizzically. “I think you're selling her short,” he said. “I'd take two to one on her anytime.”

chapter
sixteen

S
everal days later, they turned east, and sailed through the gap that was known as the Narrows of Ikbar. The two headlands, one marking the southernmost extremity of Iberion, the other the northernmost of Arrida, were visible on either horizon.

As they entered the Narrows, the constant wind from the north, which had accompanied them down the coast of Araluen, became fluky and sporadic, as it was masked by the Iberian headland. The sail surged and flapped and Hal was contemplating setting the crew to the oars when the gap widened, the wind stabilized and they sailed into clear air again.

“Do you think this Ikbar person was really thin?” Ulf said, with mock innocence, trying to recommence the nonsense dialogue they had snared Gilan into on the previous occasion when they had passed the Narrows. But the Ranger wasn't falling into that trap again. He eyed the twins steadily until they realized he wasn't going to bite.

Instead, Wulf searched for a new point of contention.

“It's a strange language, this Arridan, isn't it?” he said. His brother had no idea where he was going with this, but he sensed another leg pull and agreed instantly.

That, in itself, was sufficient to warn the others that the two had something up their sleeves. Ulf and Wulf never agreed on anything, unless they were seeking to make fun of a third person.

“Very strange,” Ulf said emphatically.

His brother continued. “I mean, look at the lack of variety in their names. We're hunting a man called Iqbal, and this demi-semi-wemi god, or whatever he was, that they named the Narrows after, was called Ikbar.”

“I see your point,” Ulf replied promptly, although he most certainly didn't. His brother continued to expound.

“Wouldn't you think they could have come up with two names that weren't so similar? I mean, there's only two letters difference between Ikbar and Iqbal. That's very odd, I think . . .”

“Very odd indeed,” Ulf agreed.

Stig and Hal exchanged a glance, waiting to see if any of the crew would bite. But Lydia squashed the debate conclusively.

“That's rich,” she said, “coming from two people called Ulf and Wulf.”

Several of the crew laughed. Ulf and Wulf were taken aback by her logic. For a moment, neither of them could think of a reply. Then Wulf said:

“That's totally different. It doesn't matter that our names are so similar.”

“That's right,” said Ulf, nodding emphatically, and looking to his brother for a further explanation.

“Because nobody takes any notice of Ulf, so who cares if his name is a poor cousin to mine,” Wulf concluded. In the absence of any discussion with the rest of the crew, he was content to start yet another argument with his brother. Ulf, predictably, rose to the bait.

“Nobody takes any notice of me?” he said indignantly. “What brings you to say that?”

But Wulf said nothing, looking through his twin as if he wasn't there.

Ulf's face reddened with anger. “Did you hear me? Explain yourself!”

Wulf jumped, in mock surprise. “Oh, I'm sorry,” he said. “I wasn't taking any notice of you, just like the rest of the world.”

“Ingvar?” There was a warning tone in Hal's voice. The big boy was seated amidships and he looked up now.

“Yes, Hal?”

“Have you ever wondered what it looks like when you throw one of these idiots overboard?”

Ingvar nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have,” he said. “The sound of the splash is quite edifying but I've always wanted to actually see one of them hit the waves.”

“This could be your lucky day,” Hal said. “Put on your spectacles.”

Ingvar reached into his side pocket and produced the wrapped spectacles. He slipped them on, then took a minute or so to tie the restraining laces that Hal had fitted to them. He looked up, glanced around and beamed. He was still enjoying the novelty of being able to see his surroundings in greater detail.

“Ready, Hal,” he said. But Ulf and Wulf had wisely fallen silent, retreating back to their post by the sail trimming sheets, as if to remind Hal of their importance when it came to maneuvering the ship.

“Maybe later, Ingvar,” said Hal, hiding a smile. Ulf and Wulf busied themselves making minor and totally unnecessary changes to the sail trim.

Lydia laughed softly. “Look at them,” she said. “Just as quiet as two little mice—until they get another stupid idea through their heads.”

“Sail!” called Edvin, who was the duty lookout. He'd been standing in the bow of the ship, scanning the horizon in a hundred-and-eighty-degree arc to either side. Now he was pointing to port, at a point halfway along the ship. As the strange ship continued to move west, the point changed to farther astern.

“Going about to port!” Hal called. He could see the ship now. Her sail was a small white square on the horizon. The crew moved to their sailing stations and he brought the ship through the eye of the wind and onto the opposite tack, so they were heading toward the other ship. Edvin hauled himself up onto the bulwark, steadying himself on a stay, and shaded his eyes for a clearer look at the newcomer.

“Can you see what she is, Edvin?” Hal called. There was a pause, then Edvin shook his head.

“Not very big, Hal. I'd say she's probably a fishing boat.”

“Not a fighting ship then?” Hal asked. In these waters, the ship could be anything from an innocent trader or fishing smack to a vicious corsair, crammed with men, ready to overwhelm any passing ship.

“She looks like a coastal trader. There only appear to be half a dozen men on deck.”

“Could be more hidden below, of course,” Hal said. He wasn't unduly worried. If the approaching ship turned out to be hostile, he was confident his crew could take care of any mischief they might be planning. “Stig, Ingvar, ready the Mangler, please.”

The two moved forward and unlashed the canvas covering over the Mangler—the massive crossbow mounted in the ship's bow. Ingvar opened the ammunition locker behind the weapon and selected a standard bolt. He stood ready with it. Stig, meanwhile, had dropped onto the operator's stool and was swiveling the Mangler to bear on the approaching ship, walking it round in a small arc with his feet.

“Lydia,” said Hal, “stand by to give them a hand.”

She nodded and touched the flights of one of the darts in her quiver, reassuring herself that it would fall easily to hand if she needed to load. “I'm ready, Hal.”

“This is great!” they heard Ingvar call, as he traversed the Mangler to keep it trained in the direction of the unknown ship. “It's so much better when I can see what's happening.” In the past, of course, he'd had to rely on directions from Stig or Lydia to keep the Mangler even roughly on line with its target.

Stig turned and grinned at him. “Just remember to obey directions when we get close,” he warned and Ingvar nodded enthusiastically.

“Should we load?” Stig asked.

Hal hesitated, glancing at Thorn. “What do you say, Thorn?”

The old sea wolf pursed his lips thoughtfully, then shook his head.

“I wouldn't bother,” he said. “They look harmless enough and if they do try to start something, Lydia can teach them a lesson with the atlatl.”

“I might take a hand in that as well,” said Gilan. The Ranger had unslung the massive longbow he carried over one shoulder and was standing close to the port bulwark, an arrow nocked, ready to draw and shoot at a moment's notice.

“As you say,” Thorn said. “Between you two, they should get a very nasty surprise.”

Then any doubts they might have had as to the strange ship's intentions were dispelled.

“She's letting her sheets fly!” Edvin called. Instantly, the regular white rectangle that was the vessel's sail was transformed into a fluttering shapeless mass as her crew cast loose the ends of the ropes that held it in place against the wind. It was a sign of surrender, or of peaceful intentions. The boat was no longer under way and couldn't maneuver to attack them—or to avoid any attack they might make. A figure in the stern stood on the railing and waved a greeting.

“Looks like they want to talk. I'll come up alongside her,” Hal said. “Stefan, get ready to throw a line across to her.”

Stefan waved a hand in acknowledgment and moved to the rail as the
Heron
slid smoothly toward the other craft, aiming to come close alongside. Ulf and Wulf were poised, ready to de-power their own sail when the moment came.

As Hal judged the moment to be right, he called a rapid series of orders.

“Let go the sheets! Down sail! Send a line across, Stefan!”

The sail lost its shape and the yardarm came sliding down as Jesper, assisted now by Edvin, cast off the halyards and let it fall. Ulf and Wulf helped them gather in the billowing, flapping canvas as Stefan stood poised by the rail, the weighted end of a line in his hand, letting it swing idly back and forth, gathering momentum.

“Now, Stefan!” Hal called and the line snaked across the gap between the two craft, curving down in a smooth arc to land on the other boat's foredeck. Two of her crew, which Hal could now see comprised only five men, hauled it in and made it fast.

The way came off
Heron
as she slid alongside, then Ulf, Wulf, Edvin and Stefan bent their backs to the line and hauled the two ships together, until their wicker fenders were grating and creaking as the two hulls alternatively crushed then released them.

Hal tied off the tiller to stop it slapping back and forth with the sea's motion, and strode a few paces forward.

“What boat is that?” he called. His counterpart, at the tiller of the other ship, cupped his hands round his mouth to reply.

“We're the
Gerbil,
” he called. “We have a message for the Araluen Ranger Gilan, from
Wakir
Seley el'then.”

Hal glanced curiously at Gilan.

“That's Selethen's full name,” Gilan informed him.

Hal nodded and called back to the
Gerbil.
“Come aboard and pass your message.” Out of the corner of his mouth, he muttered to Lydia, “Stay alert, Lydia, in case this is a trick. If I give you the word, skewer him.”

He liked the sound of that word—Lydia had used it when she challenged Thorn a few days earlier. It seemed an appropriate description of what happened when one of her darts found its mark. Unobtrusively, she clipped a dart into the atlatl.

The
Gerbil
's skipper made his way forward on his own craft to the point where the two hulls met. The Arridan boat was much smaller than
Heron.
He stepped aboard and nodded to Stig, who was in the bow. Stig indicated Gilan and Hal. The other skipper strode easily aft to the stern to meet them. The uneven pitching and surging of the two hulls tied together caused him no problems. He was an experienced sailor, Hal noted.

He stopped as he came to Hal, glancing quickly to either side and taking in Thorn, Lydia and Gilan—a somewhat disparate group that left him slightly confused. Being a captain himself, his natural instinct was to address the ship's skipper first.

“I am Kav al Bedin,” he said, “master of the craft
Gerbil.
” He touched the fingers of his right hand to his lips, forehead, then lips again in the traditional Arridi greeting. Hal declined to try to mirror the greeting, choosing instead to incline his head slightly, as befitted the captain of a larger vessel.

“I am Hal Mikkelson,” he said, “skirl of the vessel
Heron.
And this”—he indicated Gilan, who was standing half a pace behind him—“is the Araluen Ranger Gilan, the man you are seeking.”

Kav turned to Gilan and repeated the ritual greeting. “My lord Seley el'then sends you his greetings, Ranger.” Gilan, like Hal, responded with a slight inclination of his head. Kav continued. “He has important news for you about the brigand Iqbal and wishes you to meet with him in the township of Al Shabah.”

Gilan turned to Hal. “Al Shabah is a small town about thirty kilometers along the coast. It's where Erak was taken prisoner by the Arridi.”

Hal raised an eyebrow. “Do you think there's anything significant in that fact?” he asked suspiciously.

But Gilan shook his head. “No. It's a convenient place to meet with him. It's the nearest town of any size in this part of the coast. I doubt he's planning any treachery. He's a trusted ally these days.”

Hal nodded. “Then we'd best get under way and see what this important news is.”

PART TWO

TABORK