Lost Empire (10 page)

There stood Najus wearing dark green britches, a tan buttoned shirt with long sleeves, and black leather vest. On top of his head sat a black hat folded in on one side, rimmed with a gold band and silver buckle. He stood there in silence, seeming like he was waiting for Eric to speak first. “How is the girl?” he finally asked—a simple, harmless question that didn’t match his hard stare at all.

Eric pondered the nature of the innocent question as he took his time deciding how to answer. There was no doubt Najus was a clever, worldly man whose every word most likely had a double meaning. But the real question was...whose side was he playing on? He was a man of business and in all likelihood didn’t take sides, but that didn’t necessarily mean he could be trusted. “I’m not sure, to be honest with you.” He turned and gestured toward the three of them. “Those two have been tending to her the entire time. For now, I thought it was best to just stay out of the way.”

Najus peeked over his shoulder, then nodded his understanding. “A wise decision, I’m sure. Come; walk with me. Let’s leave them to it.”

Eric glanced back over his shoulder. He could see Jade applying brown herbs from a small bag hung around her neck. He had seen her use those same herbs on herself once. Wounds that should have taken a week to heal were mostly gone in a day. He allowed himself a weak smile at the thought of Athel benefiting from that miracle cure, and could only hope her results would be similar. “Sure, let’s go.”

Najus lead them through the main room where a few men were still hanging around, each sparing no more than a glance toward the two as they marched up the steps. It seemed Eric had more than earned their respect. Funny how feelings of respect and fear could be so easily interchanged. “I assume you’re not afraid of a little rain,” said Najus with a wink.

The heavy rain now contained small bits of hail and seemed to blow in all directions at once, swirling in tight circles like mini tornadoes. Tiny bits of ice bit hard into Eric’s face as they moved toward the side railing, but he made no effort to shield himself, and flinched only here and there when one hit him squarely. The ship was rocking hard now as it bobbed up and down at uneven angles. Wave after wave seemed to launch upward, exploding in a burst of white with each crashing assault. Black clouds blanketed an angry sky as they seemed to roam in different directions against the greenish black background.

Eric leaned back against the rail. His roaming eyes fell upon the mast where Athel had been lashed merely an hour ago. His stomach lurched, forcing him to turn and face the angry sea with white, foaming waves bursting high into the air. The two of them looked to be standing at a bar in a warm inn, as opposed to being in the middle of a raging storm being blasted by the elements. Strangely, Eric found this to be far more comfortable than sharing a warm room with his closest friends. For now, anyway.

Najus spoke into the roaring wind as his eyes scanned out across the endless sea. “I have to say, lad, you’ve earned my respect. You saved her life, you know. Even though the situation was truly a matter of life or death, few men would have done the same. I can’t imagine where your head must be right now.”

Eric scoffed defiantly. Of course the act had cut him as deep as any blade. Part of his humanity had been crushed forever. Not just for committing the vile act, but also for having to sell the emotions as if he had enjoyed it. The grizzle seamen had to believe he had wanted to do it, to push it past the limits of their own dark desires to the point where the wretched dogs even felt sorry for the girl. It had been the only way to ensure their anger toward her wouldn’t resurface again. But these dark realities were now his and his alone, to keep buried deep in his heart, never to be a burden on the ones he cared for, and certainly not to be shared with a man he hardly knew, a man whose true intentions were still not yet clear.

Eric threw his head back with a snort. “The girl is still indebted to me. She has valuable talents I won’t have wasted at the bottom of the sea. Simply put, she’s worth more to me alive than dead. If and when she no longer proves useful, I’ll throw her into the sea myself.”
By the Gods, where does this end
?

A half smile turned up a corner of the captain’s mouth as he stood there in the storm with both hands pinning his hat tight to his head. His shirt and pants rippled wildly as they flapped away in the hurricane- like winds. “Very well then. Have it your way,” Najus shouted over the increasing winds as he turned away and started back towards the stairs. He then stopped and turned back briefly. “You know, you remind me of myself when I was young. I don’t think I would have trusted me either. But I offer you word of warning, lad. You can’t hide a heart as big as yours any easier than I could hide a mountain.” He paused a moment as Eric eyed him curiously, still not sure what to make of the smooth-talking mercenary. “You know, Queen Ilirra went to great lengths to ensure your safe arrival in Shangti. I don’t know all the details, but I would never doubt her motives. All I know is an extraordinary woman thinks you are something very special. Go inside and get some rest. Don’t worry yourself about this little...setback. Being a friend is not something one does only when it suits them. She was your friend before, and I trust she still is. Good night, Eric.”

Eric watched the man glide back down the stairs before turning his attention back to the angry sea. The massive ship seemed to be no more than a toy for the breaking waves to toss and throw at their will. He hardly noticed as a driving wind hammered bits of rain and ice across his quickly numbing face. Lightning crackled across the sky every few seconds, illuminating the deck in a series of bright flashes. It was clear his attempt to appear cold and detached from the incident hadn’t fooled Najus at all. Luckily, it also seemed that Najus had no intent of using that against him. No matter, as long as the rest of the crew had believed his ruse...

A hand on his shoulder broke him from his trance. He whirled around to see Jacob standing there with his usually spiky hair now soaked and matted down flat. “I can see you’re enjoying the fine weather and all, but perhaps you might want to come back inside before you...oh, I don’t know...die,” he shouted over the whistling wind.

“
How is she doi—”

“
She’s fine,” his friend said, giving him a playful punch in the shoulder. “She is tougher than you and I combined. More importantly, she’s alive...thanks to you. But I’m not sure how much longer you’ll be able to make the same claim unless you come back in right now.” Now for the first time really feeling the cold sinking in, Eric didn’t need any more coaxing than that.

The two nearly sprinted back down the stairs. The main room was dark and empty now. All the men had piled into their shared rooms for the night. It was clear no one was going to sleep out on the deck this night. Jacob was the first to enter their room, with Eric lagging behind. The two of them resembled drowned rats, soaked to the bone and shivering like leaves. Athel was sitting up now and talking to Jade, but the sound of the door opening silenced them both.

Jacob walked right between them, reaching out and giving Athel’s shoulder a light squeeze as he passed by. “You girls better get some rest,” he said before flopping down on his bedroll laid out in the corner. The girls nodded absently, more to each other than to him, then turned toward Eric, who remained standing in the doorway. His first impulse was to look away, but he couldn’t. His eyes bounced back and forth between them, wishing someone would speak.
Say something. Tell me you hate me; that you wish I was dead. I’ll accept that. But say something
!

Jade patted Athel’s knee before standing up. Her blank expression never changed as she glided across the room and stood before him. A long, lingering silence hung in the air as she searched his eyes...his soul. He braced for the inevitable assault, but would gladly welcome it when it came. Instead, she melted her arms around him, placing her head on his chest. She showed no regard for his dampness as she held him tight. “I didn’t think you had it in you,” she mumbled into his chest.

“
You mean to nearly kill a friend in cold blood?”

“
No,” she said wearily, her face still buried deep in his wet shirt. “Never once hesitating to save a friend, knowing you would pay for it with your soul.” She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. “There are kings that don’t have your qualities.” With that, she reluctantly let go of him and laid down on her bedroll.

He removed his wet clothes and moved to lie down beside her. With an effort he forced himself to meet Athel’s unblinking gaze from across the room. Her silver teeth reflected bits of dancing light from the remaining lantern as she smiled warmly at him, then silently mouthed the words “thank you” before rolling over and closing her eyes.

Eric extinguished the lantern and snuggled in close to Jade. Both weariness and peace seeped into him as he closed his eyes. Although not quite sure he deserved it, Athel’s forgiveness meant the world to him at that moment. Then, as if to throw one last shovelful of dirt over the vile act, burying it forever, Athel’s voice whispered through the darkness, “You hit like a girl, you know.”

The playful taunt was sweet music to his ears.

****

Jacob rolled back and forth uncomfortably as he lingered somewhere between sleep and consciousness. A freezing cold sensation pulled him closer and closer to the latter before he sat up with a jolt. “What the—?” he mumbled in his state of confusion, but it didn’t take long for him to realize why he was so terribly cold and uncomfortable. His bedroll had become soaked with icy cold salt water, water that cold could only be coming from one place.

He quickly leapt to his feet, in turn rousing the others with his sudden movement. Shouts and commotion could be heard from many places at once as the stomping of running boots echoed from right outside their room. Panicked calls coming from both the deck and main room made it clear something was very wrong. “Alright guys, everybody up. Grab as much as you can before we leave the room. I’m not sure what’s going on, but we need to be ready for anything,” said Eric as he fumbled around, trying to get dressed.

The rest followed his lead as they raced around the room, stuffing clothes and personal belongings into leather bags. Athel seemed to be moving quite well now as she went to strap her half-moon blades to her back. Jacob stopped her briefly, boldly lifting the back of her shirt to have a look. The wounds were still there, but nowhere near as bad as before. The deepest lashes had scabbed over completely, while the less serious ones where all but gone. Jade’s miracle herbs had served their purpose once more. She shook away from him and pulled her shirt back down before flashing an irritated scowl.

The group firmly gripped their weapons as Eric put an ear flush against the door. Only fools rushed into battle without trying to learn as much as they could about the situation. Had pirates boarded the ship? Why was seawater leaking into their room?

Suddenly the whole ship lurched, knocking three of them to the floor while Eric was able to stay upright by clinging to the doorknob. The small leak abruptly cracked open as icy water gushed into the room. “Common, we can’t stay here!” shouted Eric as he sheathed his sword then shouldered open the door. The others followed right behind, splashing through the quickly rising water.

Just crossing the main room was nearly impossible, as the ship began to shake and vibrate with incredible force. The whole ship seemed to turn on its side, throwing them hard into the far wall. Then, with just as much force, it tipped back the other way. Jacob and Athel rolled across the floor like logs before being able to clutch the table legs that were permanently bolted down. Eric was not so lucky as he crashed into the far wall and then slid down like a wet towel.

Jade had found at least some measure of success by sticking her daggers into the floor, but her body slid back and forth like a snake on its belly. She inched her way along the floor while trying to reach the steps, pulling each dagger from the floor one at a time then moving it up a few inches before sinking it back into the wood. The bottom step was no more than ten feet away but might as well been a hundred. The ship vibrated violently, lunging from side to side, and there now seemed to be little doubt as to what was causing it.

Jacob and Athel lunged forward, each grabbing one of Jade’s feet. One at a time they inched their way across her back, making a final desperate crawl before grasping the bottom step. Then, forming a human chain, they were able to allow Jade to use the same crawling maneuver to reach the steps. Eric, not looking to hit a wall for a third time, waited for the room to tilt away from him once more. The wait wasn’t long before the trembling room tilted again. He dropped to the floor and rolled along, letting the momentum carry him close to the steps. All three of his friends grabbed a handful of clothing before he rolled past, and hoisted him into the narrow stairway.

They tried to climb the stairway, all the while grasping the banister as tightly as possible. It was still easier than trying to walk across the wide-open floor, if only by a little. “I don’t know if this is really what we want to do,” shouted Jacob from his lead position. He was the only one who had a clear look at the blackish green sky in all its chaotic glory. He looked back, seeking some sort of approval or at least an idea of what to do next. Even while using all their effort to hold steady within the swaying hall, their shoulders still bounced from wall to wall as the shaking and swaying only intensified.