Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) (3 page)

Lorik burst through the door. The common room fell silent as surprised faces looked up at him.

“Get your knives,” he said.

“What are you talking about?” Vera said angrily.

“The fight promoter is planning to kill Stone,” Lorik said, while watching the street from the doorway to the inn. “He just tried to kill me.”

“That’s blood on your shoulder and stomach, isn’t it?” Vera demanded.

“I expected as much,” Stone added. He was still seated, trying to wolf down his meal. “Vera, gather our things. I told you to let me win the fight, Lorik. You’re as stubborn as a mule sometimes.”

“Losing isn’t in my nature,” Lorik said.

“No, but getting your friends into trouble seems to be.”

“Oh, quit your squawking and let’s go.”

“We aren’t leaving,” Vera said. “I told you not to do this, Lorik.”

“I’m not doing anything but trying to save your lives,” he argued.

“We can’t stay here,” Stone said. “Tobiah is not the kind of man to take losing money lightly. And he has a lot of supporters just now. They’ll all have lost money when Lorik beat me today. The bastard won’t have trouble finding men to hunt us down.”

“Fine,” Vera said. “We’ll leave town, but we don’t need to go with Lorik. I told you he’s going north to fight the Norsik.”

“If we leave on our own it won’t be safe,” Stone argued.

“He’s right,” Lorik agreed. “You don’t have to go with me to fight the Norsik, but you shouldn’t strike out on your own yet. It isn’t safe.”

“How did I know you were going to do this?” Vera said, tears welling in her eyes. “Somehow I knew you were going to drag us into something bad.”

“I’m not dragging you anywhere,” Lorik said, his voice rising. “I’ve done all a man can do to help you. I don’t want you to be unhappy, Vera, but I need you to be safe.”

Just then Selber and Jons appeared at the inn. Lorik swung the door open and they both hurried inside.

“Damn,” said Jons. “I told you he was wounded.”

“It’s nothing,” Lorik said.

“See,” Selber added. “Just a scratch is all.”

“Glad to see you two made it,” Lorik said, interrupting their bickering. “We’ve got to get back to the ship with Vera and Stone.”

“Well, that may not be as easy as you think,” Selber said. “I saw that snake who stole my money slithering off to find more help. We might run into a crowd of angry outlaws.”

“If we’d just gone back to the ship after the fights were over,” Jons said, “we wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.”

“But my friends would be in danger,” Lorik said. “Now, what’s the best way for us to slip through the village without being noticed?”

Stone joined the other men after finishing his meal. He was still moving gingerly, favoring his right side.

“How bad is it?” Lorik asked him.

“It’s just a bruise,” Stone explained. “It hurts, but it isn’t serious.”

“Has Vera seen to it?”

“Not yet, but she will.”

“Where are your weapons?”

“Vera will bring them down in a moment. Why is she so mad at you, anyway?”

“I was going to ask you,” Lorik said.

“She’s been tense, but that’s not surprising. Griff caught up with us a week or so ago, but we had already learned that the king had sent all his troops south. The roads aren’t safe and neither are most of the towns. We’ve been here almost two weeks now.”

“I’m sure this isn’t what she imagined when she left Hassell Point,” Lorik said, his eyes still on the street outside. “How’d you get mixed up with this Tobiah person?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Stone said. “I just needed to blow off some steam. We’ve been cooped up in one inn or another every since we left you. Don’t get me wrong—Vera is great company—but I was restless. I had thought we’d find a nice place and settle down, buy a farm or start a business, but everyone is terrified. There are bands of outlaws roving everywhere. No one is safe.”

“I expected as much. I can’t imagine what has gotten into King Oveer’s head. He’s basically left the entire kingdom to outlaws and raiders.”

“And the Norsik?”

“Aye, the slavers are having a heyday, I suppose.”

“And you’re going to fight them?”

“I’ll do whatever I can,” Lorik said.

“I hate to break up the reunion,” Jons said, “but we need to get back to the ship.”

“Vera will be down in a minute, then we’ll go,” Stone said.

“Stone, meet Jons and Selber. They sail with Yulver. Stone is a friend of mine.”

“Aye, you fought like friends in the Pit,” Selber said. “I thought you were going to kill each other.”

“We had to put on a convincing show,” Lorik said.

“You couldn’t tell I was taking it easy on him?” Stone added.

“Someone could,” Jons said, his tone serious. “That fight promoter was none too happy about the outcome.”

“His name is Tobiah,” Stone said. “He’s as nasty as they come, but he prefers slicing throats from behind over open confrontation.”

“We beat some of his thugs, but odds are he’s off recruiting more,” Lorik said.

“Here comes Vera. What’s the plan?” Stone asked.

“We need to get through town and to the harbor,” Lorik said. “Any ideas?”

“I know all the best brothels,” Selber said, “but I never paid much attention to anything else.”

“I think I know which areas to avoid,” Stone said. “I’ll go first. Lorik, you stay close to Vera.”

Lorik looked at Vera. Her mouth was pressed into a hard, thin line. She had a pack slung over one shoulder and another held close to her stomach with both hands wrapped around it. She had already given Stone his matching knives. They were connected to a simple leather belt with rawhide strings, which he tied around his thighs. The knives sat low on his hips and the handles had arched, brass knuckle guards.

“All right,” Stone said, “let’s get moving.”

They filed out of the inn, everyone looking for any signs of danger. The quickest route to the harbor led straight past an inn that Tobiah and his companions were known to frequent. Stone planned to take them as far as possible from the narrow streets that led to the harbor. They moved quickly, letting Stone move out in front of them. He wasn’t limping, but he was still favoring his right side.

“I guess I have you to thank for injuring Liam,” Vera said sharply to Lorik.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said sheepishly.

“If you had just let him win we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What is your problem?” Lorik said angrily, but keeping his voice low. “I didn’t plan any of this.”

“You just can’t seem to keep yourself from dragging Liam into trouble,” Vera hissed.

“You aren’t making any sense, woman.”

“You just had to fight Thuryk’s raiders,” she said. “I told you to leave Grayson alone, but you wouldn’t listen, and the next thing I know we’re all in mortal danger from Marsdyn’s gang. Now here you are again, wounded and bleeding all over the place, not to mention dragging us away from the one place we had found a little peace.”

“I didn’t make you leave Hassell Point,” Lorik said. “And I didn’t send the king’s soldiers south. I’m not sure how Stone fighting every day in the Pit is a peaceful life, but I’m sorry that I ruined that for you.”

Vera didn’t respond, she was breathing heavily as they hurried along. Lorik would have offered to carry the packs for her, but he needed his hands free in case he had to fight. Plus, the packs, which were full of clothes, offered Vera a little protection if they had to fight their way to Yulver’s ship.

They rounded a corner and could finally see the ocean. The small village, like many of the seaside communities, was made up of fishermen, merchants, ship builders, and the people who catered to the many sailors that passed through the harbor. The outskirts of the village were made up mostly of small cottages and simple workshops. The group of four men and one woman were so far unmolested as they skirted the town, but getting to their ship required that they move along the wide street, paved with thick flagstones, that separated the wooden loading docks from the town proper. There was no cover and no way to hide their movements on the long avenue.

Stone paused once he could see the ships at anchor in the harbor. Most were small or midsized fishing vessels. There were a few ships like Yulver’s, smaller trade vessels that turned a profit by sailing closer to the Sailor’s Graveyard than the larger merchant ships.

“What ship are we headed for?” Stone asked.

“The
Dancer
, that sleek vessel with the dragon head on the prow.”

“Damn, I was hoping it would be closer,” Stone said, pulling Vera close to him.

“We can walk out and get one of the smaller boats to ferry us over,” Jons said. “That would be safer than all of us walking out to the quay.”

Lorik thought about that suggestion. The harbor was wide, and several long, wooden docks had been built that enabled the ships to sail right up to the platforms to load and unload cargo. The
Dancer
was anchored a short distance from one of the wooden docks. Normally, they wouldn’t need a boat to ferry them across the water. The
Dancer
could easily dock next to one of the wooden platforms shortly before setting sail, but Lorik didn’t want to wait that long to get on board. Nor did he want to stroll along the harbor road and then out onto one of the long wooden docks. It would be too easy to be ambushed or trapped on the docks, and with Vera along, he knew Stone would never take that chance.

“I think that’s the best plan for now,” Lorik said.

“I agree,” Stone added.

“All right, Selber and I’ll go,” Jons said. “You three wait here.”

They were hidden beside a large blacksmith’s shop. The smithy wasn’t in use at the moment. The large smokestack was quiet and still; there was no sound of roaring flames from the forge or the familiar ping of a hammer striking steel.

They watched as Jons and Selber walked confidently down the street. They looked like two common sailors, and Lorik was hopeful that if the fight promoter was still looking for him, he wouldn’t recognize Jons or Selber.

“Let me look at your wounds,” Vera said quietly to Lorik.

“They’re nothing,” he said, still watching the sailors. “Just a couple of scratches.”

“They aren’t bleeding like scratches,” Vera said. “You’re so stubborn.”

“I’ll let you look at them all you want once we’re on board the ship,” he hissed.

“I’m just trying to help,” she countered.

“Both of you shut up,” Stone said. “It’s like I’m babysitting infants here.”

Lorik and Vera both glowered at Stone, but he pretended not to notice. Lorik’s stomach growled loudly, but no one spoke. Jons and Selber were almost at the first wooden dock when suddenly a group of men came into view. They were armed and pointing at the two sailors.

“Well, that didn’t work,” Stone said.

“Why aren’t they coming back?” Vera said.

“I don’t know,” Lorik commented. “It looks like they’re in for it, though.”

“We’ve got to help them,” Vera said.

“No,” Lorik and Stone both said at the same time.

“Why not?” she asked.

“I’m not leaving you two,” Lorik said.

“That’s exactly what Tobiah wants us to do,” Stone explained. “I’ll bet he’s got more men just waiting for us to come running to the rescue. Then they’ll attack us from behind.”

“But we can’t just let Jons and Selber get killed,” Vera argued.

“We can’t help them if we’re dead,” said Lorik.

“Sometimes I can’t believe what you’re saying,” she complained. “You’re just going to let your friends die? Really?”

“They won’t kill them,” Lorik said. “This Tobiah will use them to lure us to him. Once we have you safely on the
Dancer
, we can find a way to save Jons and Tobiah.”

“He’s right,” Stone added. “We need to do this our way, not theirs.”

“All right, as long as you promise me we won’t just forget about them,” Vera said.

“I thought you didn’t want us fighting,” Lorik said. “Since when do you care so much about two sailors you hardly know?”

“It’s not about how well I know them,” Vera argued, her face flushing with anger. “It’s about doing the right thing. I would have thought you’d know that by now.”

“You’re a walking contradiction,” Lorik said in a low voice. “I’m sailing north to help people and you’re accusing me of not knowing what is right and wrong.”

“Oh, don’t get sanctimonious,” Vera said. “You aren’t going north to save anyone. You just want to fight, that’s all. Look at you, filthy, dirty, bleeding; how many men have you beaten bloody today alone?”

“Counting Stone?” Lorik said sarcastically.

“Hey, I let you win,” the young man said.

“I always thought you were a better man than this,” Vera said, ignoring both of their comments. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, Lorik, but you’re not the man I knew. Your parents would be ashamed of you.”

“Hey, whether we like it or not we have a fight on our hands,” Stone said. “We can cast blame once we’re all safe, but there’s no sense fighting with each other.”

Lorik was angry. He wanted to snarl back a reply to Vera that would hurt her as much as her comment had wounded him. Lorik’s parents had ways been supportive of him, and their death had been a difficult blow for both Lorik and Vera. They had leaned on one another heavily as they mourned, but now it seemed Vera was using his love for his parents to hurt him. He held his breath, waiting for the urge to argue to pass.

“We need to find out where they’ll take your friends,” Stone said. “Then we can figure out what we’re going to do.”

“What about Vera?” Lorik said, refusing to look at her.

“We need to find a safe place for her, just like you said.”

“And I need a weapon. My axe is on the boat.”

“It might not be the best choice,” Stone said. “If we have to fight in close quarters, your axe won’t be much use.”

“I’d still feel better having it with me,” Lorik said.

Vera stifled a mocking laugh. Stone shot her a warning look, but Lorik ignored her. Lorik was used to Vera’s quick wit, and while he didn’t necessarily like that they were fighting, he was happy to be trading barbs with her again.