Abuud: the One-Eyed God (31 page)

Duke Graves, Duke Zalski, and Lord Clava were seated in the dining room when Duke Tredor entered. He walked over to the table and sat down while his bodyguards congregated at the edge of the room with the other bodyguards. The greetings were brisk and cold from the other councilors.

"I had nothing to do with it," opened Duke Tredor. "Why he abruptly ended the Council meeting is beyond me."

"Perhaps he was concerned with your wavering devotion," scowled Duke Graves. "How could you abandon us and side with him?"

"Who said I was siding with Everich?" retorted Duke Tredor. "Didn't I vote for the two resolutions that I promised to?"

"Yes you did," agreed Duke Graves, "but your face told a different story. Do not try to deny that you agreed to go over to Everich's side. Half the city knows about it. Why are you here?"

"I want this rift between us to end," Duke Tredor said. "Are you going to believe rumors on the street or me? I have been with you since the beginning of this, and I will be with you at the end. Now, how do we make Duke Everich allow for the nomination?"

"The way the Council is run," responded Duke Zalski, "Everich can end the meetings whenever he wants. He could make it impossible to ever get the nomination made."

"Well, whenever the nomination is made," smiled Duke Tredor, "be confident that I am one of your supporters."

"I hope you speak the truth, Duke Tredor," sighed Graves, "because this city is heading for turmoil under the leadership of Duke Everich. In case you have not been out on the streets lately, the people are starting to revolt. When they begin to pick up arms, it will be the Council that they come after."

"Wherever Duke Everich is squirreling away the tax revenues," added Konic, "we must find it and start feeding the people. If we fail in that endeavor, Tagaret will not be worth ruling."

***

Hagik rode into Toresh and headed for the palace of the mayor. He tied his horse at the front of the palace and ignored the mirthful snickers directed at him from the Dark Riders standing outside the building. He stormed into the building and entered the office of the mayor.

"Hagik," chuckled Calastano, "you look terrible. Did your men turn against you?"

"I am not in the mood for your humor," spat Hagik. "My men were killed as yours were in the pass of the West Mountains. I need more men."

"How did it happen?" Calastano asked seriously.

"They had a much larger force than we were led to believe" explained Hagik. "They tricked us into a trap and then attacked us in three separate places at the same time. We were expecting only three of them, Alex, Jenneva, and the girl, but there must have been at least a dozen of them. The best I could tell, they had two mages and at least one warrior at each of the fords. The attack on our main force would have required at least four mages and several warriors."

"That is a larger force than we have heard of them having," frowned Calastano. "How many of your men survived?"

"None," scowled Hagik. "I was the only one smart enough to summon a physical shield after the magical attack. They blew us into a river gorge with a wind spell stronger than any I have ever seen. Fortunately, I erected my shields while I was falling, because their warriors immediately began shooting arrows into the floating bodies of my men."

"Tell me what happened," prompted Calastano.

"We detected their unicorns flying a short distance," explained Hagik. "We arrived fast enough to see them on the other side of a river gorge. I sent twenty-five men in each direction is search of fords."

"That sounds like you acted correctly," mused Calastano. "What happened next?"

"The ground beneath us began to tremble," Hagik continued. "It was a powerful spell. The horse reacted of course, but the worst came from behind us. It was a wind so strong that you could actually see it. It swept us off the cliff and into the river below. Then they started killing my men with arrows. We never had a chance."

"And the men at the fords?" questioned Calastano.

"I discovered them later," frowned Hagik. "Both groups had been magically attacked. The mud of the riverbed held them fast while the water boiled them alive. It must have been a horrible death. Some were also sliced open at each location, so they must have had warriors there, too."

"Which way were they heading?" asked Calastano.

"They were heading south at the time," answered Hagik. "I do not know their destination though. I want to replenish my men and go after them."

"Sarac will have to be notified," remarked Calastano.

"I know," frowned Hagik. "I am not looking forward to his response. Loosing a hundred men in one battle will not do much for his opinion of me, but it was not my fault. Somehow they managed to conceal their confederates."

"I think I will ask permission to join up with you," offered Calastano. "We have both been given a black eye by Alex and Jenneva. I seek to rectify that situation, as I know you do."

"I would welcome the company of someone else who has dealt with them in the past," nodded Hagik.

"There is a Dark Rider here that has also lost a good deal of men to them," added Calastano. "His name is Klarg, and he manages his men well."

"Offer him the head spot of the Dark Riders then," suggested Hagik. "The only way any of us will get back into the good graces of Sarac is to eliminate Alex and Jenneva once and for all."

"The garrison commander is not here now," noted Calastano. "Why don't you get cleaned up, and I will assemble the most skilled force possible. There are quite a few of our people in town that have illustrious careers. When you are ready to resume the hunt, we shall inform the commander of our choices. He will not dare object."

"And Sarac?" questioned Hagik.

"I will notify Sarac for you," smiled Calastano. "It will be hard for him to express his dissatisfaction to you if the word comes from someone else."

"I appreciate that," responded Hagik as he wondered if Calastano was attempting to take over command of Sarac's Ravens. "Tell Sarac that I have everything under control. Our new group will not stop until we have run Alex and Jenneva to ground and ended their miserable lives."

The old scow bobbed precariously upon the swells of the confused sea, and a wave broke over the stern. The salt water surged across the deck, and Arik fought to control the rudder as the water drenched him. A brilliant streak of lightning flashed across the dark night sky, and Arik momentarily saw an image of Wylan leaning over the bow. As the image lingered inside his mind, he also saw Tedi near the forward mast tugging on the lines of the sails.

Arik waited for the loud clap of thunder to subside before he called out, "Tedi, bring Wylan amidships. Let him use the port rail to relieve his stomach. Riding the bow will only aggravate his condition."

Arik's sight readjusted to the darkness as the scow rose high on a swell. Torrents of rain were pelting the deck, and the planks were creaking more with every wave. Arik felt a tremor of fear course through his soaked body.

The storm had come out of nowhere with a speed that belied anything Arik could have imagined. They had just sighted the Island of Storms when it hit, although the island had still been hours away. Arik tried to calculate how long they had been under the massive storm and gave up. While he knew that the daylight had long ago expired, he could not figure out how far into the night they were. Determining their position was a hopeless exercise as well. The storm had tossed the old craft whichever way it wanted and without land in sight, there was nothing to use for a reference. Arik had remained glued to the tiller since the storm started. Tedi had alternated between the sails and the bailing bucket. Wylan had gotten seasick not long after the storm started, and he had been heaving over the side ever since.

"I tied him portside," Tedi said as he stumbled towards Arik. "At least he won't be washed overboard."

"You need to start bailing again," replied Arik. "I cannot find a course that will stop the following sea from crashing over the stern."

"In a minute," grunted Tedi as another wave cascaded over the stern and caught him unawares. "I need a moment of rest first," he exhaled as he drew his body up from the deck.

"Take the tiller and I will bail," offered Arik.

"No," responded Tedi. "You have more strength than I, and we will need that strength on the tiller to keep us from taking the waves over the beam. Do you have any idea where we are?"

"I have no idea," admitted Arik. "This squall has left me totally disoriented. I am just trying to keep us afloat."

"I fear that we passed the island hours ago," sighed Tedi. "Do you have any idea what lies beyond it?"

"Nothing as far as I know," replied Arik, "but I do not believe that the wind has been coming from the same quarter the whole time. I am not sure why, but I get the feeling the storm is passing us by, and we are catching the leading and trailing edges of it."

"That would mean we were blown in several directions," responded Tedi. "No wonder you don't have any idea where we are. The trick will be finding our way to the island after the storm passes."

"If this scow holds together that long," frowned Arik.

Tedi started walking the rail forward to continue bailing when another flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky. Arik stared at the sharp rocks outlined by the brilliance.

"Rocks ahead," Arik yelled. "Get the ropes off of Wylan and stay by him. We are going to run aground."

"Can you steer clear?" Tedi shouted back as he cut the ropes binding Wylan.

"I can't see the rocks anymore," yelled Arik. "I will try to come about, but I know the wind won't allow it. We may lose the masts."

Tedi raced over to the masts and cut the lines holding the sails aloft. He raced clear as the canvas flapped furiously in the wind and then slammed down on the deck. Tedi wrapped his arms around Wylan as the ship rose dizzyingly into the air and landed with a sickening crunch. Tedi and Wylan were thrown across the deck and slammed into the starboard rail. Tedi clung to Wylan as he waited for the next swell, but it never came. As the next flash of lightning tore through the sky, Tedi looked up at a sheer wall of stone towering over his head. He shouted to Arik, but there was no answer.

The scow had stopped rocking on the waves and Tedi realized that the ship was no longer afloat. He let go of Wylan and ran forward to where the gaff was strapped under the rail. He pulled the gaff free, leaned over the side, and shoved the gaff downward. When the gaff struck the ground, Tedi let out his held breath. He ran back to Wylan and picked him up off the deck. Another bolt of lightning seared the sky, and Tedi saw a small strip of beach below the boat.

"I am going to lower you to the ground," Tedi said to Wylan. "I want you to hug the cliff face and stay there until I join you."

"Shouldn't we stay on the boat?" asked Wylan.

"No," ordered Tedi. "If the waves increase, the boat could be splintered against the rock wall. We need to move along the beach and find a cove or some type of shelter."

Wylan nodded weakly as Tedi lowered him over the side of the scow. When Wylan was safely on the ground, Tedi raced for the stern and looked for Arik. He crawled around searching for Arik, but came away disappointed. He ran back amidships, unstrapped their packs, and hurled them ashore. He then lowered himself over the side, and found his way to Wylan, who was shaking uncontrollably. Tedi picked up the packs and slung them over his arms. He then reached out and grabbed Wylan's hand.

"We have to move away from the ship," Tedi declared. "I will lead the way."

As Tedi led Wylan along the narrow strip of sand, he realized that the rain was not falling on him, although he could still hear the fury of the storm raging across the water. Tedi led Wylan along the beach for over twenty paces before he tripped.

"It's a body," Wylan said shakily. "There is a body on the beach."

Tedi picked his face out of the sand and turned around. He crawled with his hands feeling the dark space before him. As his hand touched the soaked body, Tedi felt his heart flutter. His hand ran along a sheath on the body's back and he swiftly turned the body over.

"It is Arik," Tedi said excitedly as he lowered his head to see if Arik was breathing.

Arik stirred when his body was moved and he groaned softly. Tedi dragged the body close to the rock wall.

"We will stay here until we can see well," decided Tedi. "Let us hope that Arik is alright."

***

"Is this going to work?" asked Sheri as she pulled her cap down lower to hide her hair.

"Of course it will work," assured Jon. "It has to. The whole gang is waiting at the bottom of the hill."

"I really don't feel right doing this," retorted Sheri. "What if someone did this to us?"

"What do you think the Council is doing to us?" scowled Jon. "They are taxing our families so much that we cannot afford to buy food, while they have food delivered by the wagonful. Our people are starving, Sheri. We are doing what we must do to survive."

"But what if a patrol comes by?" countered Sheri.

"We knew the risks when we volunteered," frowned Jon. "We should be glad that they haven't decided to put guards on these deliveries yet."

Jon and Sheri fell silent as the market boy brought out another load of bread and slid it into the wagon. The market boy was unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching him from under the wagon. He climbed onto the wagon and positioned the bread to leave room for more food.

"This one is getting an awful lot of food," frowned Sheri after the boy returned to the market. "Which estate do you think it is for?"

"It is for the Royal Palace," chuckled Jon. "I recognized the cook's helper."

"The Royal Palace?" Sheri fought back her scream. "You can't be serious, Jon. Of all the wagons in Tagaret, you have to pick one going to the Royal Palace? Are you daft?"

"It will have the best supplies," Jon shrugged. "Why shouldn't we get the best to eat? Shh, here he comes again."

The market boy struggled with a large crate and Sheri cringed as he placed it on the ground at the back of the wagon. She bit her lip as the boy bent to get a better grip on the crate, but the boy managed to shove the crate into the wagon and left.