Oracle (Book 5) (12 page)

Kendril gave the beast an affectionate rub on his muzzle. “You’ll feel better once you’ve got your hooves on dry land again, I promise.”

Simon flicked his tail, and gave Kendril a gentle nudge.

Kendril’s face darkened. “I haven’t told them. There hasn’t been a chance to.”

Simon gave Kendril a reproving look.

The Ghostwalker sighed. “Alright, I haven’t
made
a chance. It’s just Marley and Tomas, boy, and neither of them need to know. It would be different if it was Joseph or Maklavir or—” He stopped mid-sentence, unable to say the final name. “If any of
them
were here right now.”

Simon brayed softly.

“That’s not fair,” said Kendril sharply. “Joseph told me to go, and Eru knows he didn’t want me anywhere around Kara. Not after what happened. And Bronwyn was on the run. I’m a Ghostwalker, Simon, you know that. The mission always comes first. That’s what we signed up for.”

Simon lowered his head with a whine.

Kendril scratched his mane. “I know, boy,” he said in a whisper. “I miss them too.”

From above decks came a shouted call.

Simon lifted his head up.

Kendril gave him one last pat. “Land. You’ll be out in no time, pal. Just hang in there.” He turned and headed back to the deck.

The long gray shape of land was just beginning to form to the east. Spitting rain was pelting the boat. The sky above had quickly clouded over.

Kendril shuddered and pulled on his black gloves. He watched the crew for a moment, then noticed Marley coming up behind him.

“Oh, my aching back,” the old sailor said. “I’ve been sleeping on a sack of potatoes, Mr. Kendril.”

“Oh, quit your complaining, Marls.” Kendril instinctively checked that his flintlock pistols were snug in their holsters. “Besides, how often do you get passage on a sea voyage without having to work your way across?”

Marley scratched his scratchy white beard. “Sure you have that right, Mr. Kendril. And I don’t mean to complain none. But I’ll be happy enough even to have a decent hammock to put my aching back into.”

Kendril took a deep breath of the salt air. “I’m with you there. I wonder if any of the inns in Redemption have a genuine feather bed?”

Marley gave a good-natured shrug of his shoulders. “Sure as I don’t know, Mr. Kendril. I imagine we’ll find out soon enough.” He peered through the pelting raindrops at the gray coastline that was growing steadily larger. “Ah, Jothland. Been a while since I laid eyes on it. A cold land with cold people, they say. Rain and rocks and trees aplenty.”

Kendril stared straight ahead, but didn’t reply.

“Here now, what’s that there?” Marley pointed off the port side of the vessel.

A tumble of white blocks stood on the top of the nearby cliffs. Time and age had stained them almost brown, and many were cracked and broken. Still, their great size was evident. Even in its ruined condition the stack of old stones stretched several dozen feet high.

Kendril cast an appraising eye at the blocks. “That’s the old Rajathan lighthouse. There are ancient ruins all over Jothland, all the way to the Wall and beyond.”

Marley cocked an eyebrow. “This was their homeland, wasn’t it? The Rajathan Empire? You’ll forgive my ignorance, sir. I’m just a humble sailor, after all. Not much schooling.”

Kendril hid a smile. “Yes. The Rajathans were a great people once. Until the First Despair came and destroyed them.” He nodded towards the growing coastland. “The Forbidden City is inland, hundreds of miles from here. Ruined temples, manor houses, great markets. All overgrown and abandoned, haunted by wolves and vultures.”

Marley made a sign against evil across his chest. “The Forbidden City? They say the place is haunted with the spirits of the dead. There’s a curse on that place, sir, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Kendril gave a pensive nod of his head. “I suppose so. But there’s beauty and grandeur too.  Even in its fallen state, The Forbidden City burns itself into your mind. Makes you wonder how much we have really advanced over the centuries.”

Marley gave a nervous laugh. “You talk almost as if you’ve seen the city for yourself, Mr. Kendril.”

Kendril glowered at the coast, but didn’t respond.

“That’s because he
has
, Marley.” Tomas stepped up next to them, his approach as silent as a cat’s. “Haven’t you, Kendril?”

Kendril’s face twitched with irritation. “Once. A long time ago.”

Marley’s face drained white.

“Oh get a hold of yourself,” Kendril shot back at the sailor. “Maybe I’m cursed and maybe I’m not, but at least I didn’t call on Eru to strike me dead with lightning.”

Marley cringed back and threw a quick glance up at the glowering sky.

Trees appeared on the shoreline, clustered on the tops of the tall gray cliffs. They were the tall, green firs and pines common to Jothland. The ocean crashed and heaved on the rocky shores in great frothing white explosions. The rain increased in tempo, rattling hard on the deck of the ship.

Tomas pulled up his hood against the driving rain. “There it is,” he said with a nod of his head. “Dancing Harbor.”

Ahead and to the left there was a large opening in the otherwise impassible cliff walls. As the ship sailed closer the gap became larger and more pronounced. It curved in to the east, making a wide passage. The rocks at the base of the cliffs were covered with the long, gray shapes of sea lions. Chittering cries in the thousands came from swarms of seabirds that covered the side of the cliff itself.

Kendril swallowed. There was a swell of uneasiness inside him. Now he knew what it must have been like for Maklavir that day they had crossed over into Valmingaard from Merewith.

“You think we’ll find her in Redemption?” Tomas asked, almost casually. “It’s not a big town, from what I remember.”

Kendril nodded his head, pulling himself back into the present moment. “No, it’s not. Nothing like New Marlin. If she’s holed up somewhere inside the walls I think we can ferret her out easily enough.”

Tomas watched curiously as the ship began to turn into the mouth of the harbor. “I can’t help but wonder why she would come here at all.” He turned his head to gaze at the bellowing sea lions as they sailed past. “This is practically the back-end of civilization. Not a lot of places to hide.”

“She didn’t come here to hide.” Kendril felt a tightness in his throat as he watched the familiar approach to Redemption loom ahead. “I think it’s connected with the Despair. She knows something, and we’re going to find out what it is.”

Marley gave a moan from behind them.

Kendril turned around in surprise. He had half-forgotten the old man was there.

“Despairs and demons,” the sailor muttered. “It’s my own death you’re dragging me to, Mr. Kendril, and no mistake about that. “

Kendril sniffed. “If it’s any consolation to you, Marley, I’m fairly certain that if I’m dragging you to
your
death than I’m also dragging us to ours as well.”

“Well I know that makes
me
feel better,” Tomas said snippishly.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to lie,” Kendril said with a grin.

“Not lies. Sarcasm. Totally different.”

Kendril looked ahead. The entrance to the rocky harbor curved to the right, heading south. Just around that bend, he knew, would be the first glimpse of the town of Redemption.

A tall, fortified manor appeared on the hill as the ship made its way around the bend. It was gray with age, but was still magnificent.

Marley gazed at the large house. “I’d love to be the bloke that lives in
that
place.”

“The old Ravenbrook estate,” said Kendril tightly. “It’s abandoned now.”

Tomas glanced over at his fellow Ghostwalker. “Ravenbrook?”

Kendril strolled restlessly on the deck, watching the curving harbor entrance restlessly. “One of the two main families that built Redemption. There, you can see the old Ravenbrook saw mill there.”

A large, run-down wooden building had appeared on the hill, just down the slope from the estate. A long, flat grade ran down the hill from the mill to the rocky beach at the water’s edge. The remains of several shacks and wooden buildings clustered around the edges of the grade.

Tomas inclined his head. “What’s that?”

“The old log road,” Kendril said darkly. “That’s where they would move the logs down into the water.”

Tomas arched an eyebrow. “You seem to know a lot about Jothland, Kendril.”

Kendril didn’t respond.

The ship swung to the right. Rain rippled off the gray water of the harbor. Gulls screamed in the whipping wind.

And there was Redemption.

The town itself was up on a large hill that dominated the harbor. It was surrounded by a palisade wall, thick heavy logs with sharpened tops. Tall, round towers were positioned strategically along the wall itself, providing points of defense. The roofs of dozens of buildings were just visible over the top wall. Smoke curled and drifted up from numerous chimneys, dark and gray in the cold air.

The harbor was just a collection of long, weathered docks. A cluster of old warehouses stood on the rocky beach. The path that ran from the dock up towards the town on the hill was covered by wooden walls like those that surrounded the city, providing a covered connection between the harbor and the town itself.

Tomas looked up to the right of the town towards another manor house that was half-hidden behind some tall evergreens. “Whose house is that?”

Kendril stared bleakly at the shape of the stone manor house. “That’s the Blackstone estate.”

“The other major family in Redemption?”

Kendril shrugged. “Last time I was here, anyways. The two families have been at odds for generations, each fighting the other for control of the town and the lumber business.”

“Looks like the Blackstones came out on top,” Tomas commented.

There was another cluster of logging and mill buildings near the top of the hill, just west of the town walls. Another long grade, like the one near the Ravenbrook estate, swept down the hillside towards the water below.

This one, however, was muddy and slimy with constant use. Even as they watched, several logs were being slid down the hill into the churning gray water of the harbor. The wooden shacks and buildings that sprouted on either side of the log road bled smoke into the sky from numerous chimneys. Figures moved in and out of the alleys and across the log road itself.

Tomas gave the shanties and cottages a frowning glance. “Looks like the bad side of town.”

“About right.” Kendril crossed his arms. “Cheap inns, poppy dens and cock-fighting rings with plenty of liquor mixed in. A log road tends to attract the dregs of society.”

Tomas glanced over at Kendril. “You think Bronwyn could be somewhere there?”

Kendril shrugged. “Not really her style. She’s always seemed to be drawn more to wealth and power and those who wield it. Still, coming to Jothland at all seems a little strange for her. She must have some kind of plan.”

Calls sounded across the deck as the ship prepared to dock.

Kendril turned back to Marley. “Get the bags, Marley. And make sure Simon is okay. He might still be a little seasick.”

The old sailor bristled. “You don’t have to order me around like some kind of Guild eunuch, Mr. Kendril. I ain’t your slave, you know.”

Kendril cocked a weather eye up at the stormy sky above.

Marley gave a strangled curse and scurried off towards the hold.

Tomas gave a disapproving shake of his head. “You’re really enjoying torturing that poor man, aren’t you?”

“He’s not nearly as fun as Maklavir, but he’ll do in a pinch,” Kendril said. He watched as the ship pulled into the long pier. “Besides, I could never get Maklavir to carry bags for me.”

Within minutes the ship had docked, and a gangplank had been thrown down.

The docks were pretty bare, and mostly utilitarian. Wet stacks of lumber rested on the rocky beaches, and longer logs floated in the harbor itself off to the west of the piers. The smell of dried kelp, salt water, and burning tar was thick in the air. The sound of shouting loggers, the ragged chorus of cutting saws, and the constant banging of hammers filled the rocky beach and echoed off the wooden warehouses.

Tomas swiveled his head around as he looked at the scene. “Let’s hope we don’t have to stay here very long,” he grumbled.

Kendril didn’t respond. He drew the hood of his cloak well over his head, casting a dark shadow over his face. He flipped out each of his pistols in turn, shielding the weapons from the rain with his gloved hand while he checked the powder and flint.

Tomas noticed the move. “Expecting trouble?”

“In Redemption,” Kendril said without a trace of irony, “it’s always best to expect trouble.”

It took several minutes to unload everything from the ship to the dock, with Marley complaining bitterly the whole way.

When it came turn for Simon to disembark the ship, the mule stopped and obstinately refused to get near the sling and hoist. No amount of heaving, shoving, or pushing could make the beast see any kind of reason, and supplies intended for the warehouses began to back up on the deck of the ship, along with the muttered curses of the impatient sailors. Finally Kendril produced a mushy apple that convinced the beast to be strapped into the sling.

Tomas gave his fellow Ghostwalker a questioning look.

Kendril gave a knowing wink. “Always like to keep an extra apple in reserve for emergencies.”

Tomas shivered in the rain. “That and pistol cartridges?”

If Kendril detected the sarcasm, he didn’t show it. “That and pistol cartridges.”

Marley staggered off the boat, panting comically as he carried several large bags. “My back is killing me, Mr. Kendril. I can’t carry all this. It’ll be the death of me if I do.”

“Really?” Kendril stepped over to the man. “Let me take some of it for you.” He reached down and snatched the metal whale gun from one of the packs, then slung it over his shoulder. “There.”

Marley licked his lips. “You’re a real gentleman, you are, Mr. Kendril,” he said drily.

“Think nothing of it.” Kendril started to walk down the rain-soaked pier. “Oh, and get Simon too.”