The Crown Of Yensupov (Book 3) (7 page)

Saxthor changed course to the west, but again the other boat followed.

“Now I hear two boats,” Bodrin said and pointed. “There, it sounds like another boat, coming at us from the north.”

“It’s as if the orcs know where we are,” Saxthor said.

The other boats followed for almost an hour. The clouds parted after midnight and moonlight lit up the water revealing all three boats.

“Both those boats are filled with orcs,” Bodrin said. “They’re following us for sure.”

“They’ll attack soon,” Hendrel said.

”Now that the moonlight has exposed us all, they’re rowing harder, steering directly for us,” Tournak said.

“Move to the back and row as fast as you can without tipping the boat or taking on water,” Saxthor said.

They rowed hard, but the muscular orcs harder. Water sloshed over the orc boat bows. Oafish orcs bailed out water as the bows dove into the black soup.

“The orcs are gaining on us. We can’t avoid a fight,” Saxthor said.

As Saxthor assessed their situation, everyone else stared at the approaching orcs and strained rowing.

The terrified exile huddled in the bow, mumbling to himself, not watching the orcs, like all the others.

“Tournak and Hendrel, you’ll only have one chance to hit their boats with wizard-fire before they realize we have that capability,” Saxthor said. “After the first shots, the orcs will be wary. Tournak, can you hit the boat on the right?”

“I think I can, it’s worth a try.”

“Hendrel, you take the boat on the left. I’ll steer hard right. When they follow, their turns will expose the boats’ sides. Aim for the water line so maybe you can sink one. If you miss, at least you should force them to slow down. Do so on the count of three.”

Just as Saxthor finished setting the attack plan, one of the orcs threw a spear that landed just short of their boat.

“The orcs expect us to surrender,” Tournak said.

“They’re drawing closer to us,” Saxthor said. “There‘ll only be time for one shot before the orcs overtake us. Take good aim, men. Tonelia and Astorax, splash the water with your hands on your respective sides of the boat.”

“Why?” Tonelia asked. “What good will that do?”

“Just do it, and do it now,” Saxthor said. “Okay, Tournak and Hendrel, get ready. I’m going to count to three, and steer the boat to starboard. Shoot your wizard-fire as they turn to follow. Tonelia and Astorax keep splashing until after the wizard-fire shoots, then stop and keep your hands out of the water.”

“Three,” Saxthor said, loud enough for his companions, but not the orcs, to hear. He shoved the steering oar, turning the boat hard to starboard. The boat jerked to the right. Water rose almost to the tip of the side. As he did so, the orcs followed the move, their boats exposed broadside.

Zap! Zap!
Tournak and Hendrel shot wizard-fire bolts.

Hendrel hit the boat on the left just above the waterline, knocking out the planks in a fiery explosion. Tournak hit the boat on the right, but his shot was a bit high. While it knocked a hole in the upper planks, it didn’t hit below the waterline.

Saxthor turned sharp back to port.

The orc steering the left boat turned to port to follow Saxthor, not realizing the extent of their damage. The water rushed high against the damaged bow and into the boat. The surge of water lowered the boat and more water rushed in. The boat was sinking fast. The panicking orcs scrunched to the far side, rocking the boat. It took on more water.

“The orcs are vulnerable in their metal armor,” Tournak said, as he rowed. “Short and stocky, they aren’t good swimmers, if they can swim at all canned like that.”

Panic swept the sinking boat. Some of the orcs fell into the water, scrambling to the back of the craft. The ones in the water were flailing to get to the other vessel. That boat turned away, unable to accommodate more. Almost as soon as the orcs went into the water, reptilefish appeared.

“Tonelia and Astorax, that’s why I told you to make thrashing sounds,” Saxthor said. “You’ve alerted the reptilefish to an easy meal.”

Water-dragons appeared, creating foamy, splashing frenzy in the water around the sinking boat.

“They’re circling the reptilefish, circling the boat, excited at the prospects of a good meal,” Bodrin said.

Tonelia looked away as the orcs struggled to fend off attacks.

The second boat recovered from the initial attack, and rowed toward the adventurers with the gaping hole in the side of their boat, showing just above the water line.

“Orcs don’t give up, do they?” Tonelia asked.

“They can just keep up with us now,” Saxthor said. “If they row too fast, they’ll create too large a water roll off the bow and sink their own boat.”

“They’ll follow us and attack us, when we land,” Bodrin said.

“They not make shore; they’d alert other orcs,” Saxthor said. “We need to destroy them while out on the water. Bodrin, Tournak, stop rowing so the orcs can catch up with us.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Tonelia asked.

“We must deal with them now. If they follow us ashore, they’ll call for reinforcements exposing us to many more. Get your swords ready.”

“If we have much of a battle, both boats will sink, and we’ll all be food for the water-dragons and reptilefish,” Tonelia said.

“They know we have wizards on board; they’ll be more cautious,” Saxthor said. “We need to sink that boat.”

“In the event we kill one of them, they’ll just throw him over the side,” Tournak said. “Orcs don’t know remorse or concern for their comrades. Killing one will lighten their boat. They’ll regain the advantage.”

“There’re more clouds coming,” Tonelia said. “Can’t we just outrun them until those hide us again, and then slip away?”

“We’ll try that first. I hope to avoid a close encounter fight. We’re too low in the water, but they mustn’t reach land and alert others. When the cloud cover blocks the moonlight, row but don’t make a sound with the oars.”

They rowed as fast as they could. The orcs kept up with them even though it was risky. Finally, the clouds swallowed the moon; the night went black. Saxthor steered the boat hard to starboard, heading west. They were all silent slipping away, hoping to lose their pursuers. When the clouds parted once more, the light revealed the orc boat was farther away, but still following on a direct course.

“Somehow, they know where we are even in the dark,” Saxthor said.

In the moment of light, Saxthor saw something else. The exile was again hunched over and muttering. That seems odd, he thought. That man isn’t muttering to himself. He’s somehow signaling the orcs. That can’t be. Could the orcs be controlling the poor man? There’s no other explanation for the orcs ability to track us through the dark all night.

As Saxthor watched the exile, realizing something was wrong, the man seemed to sense it. The pitiful creature jerked his head up and saw Saxthor watching him.

That was a red gleam in his eye for just an instant, Saxthor realized. As he bent over to grab his satchel for his wand, the exile jumped up. He shot a bolt of wizard-fire at Saxthor who dodged it.

“Cripes!” Tournak said.

Delia went crazy.

Though shocked, Bodrin snatched out his sword. He jumped to attack the exile, when the creature shot another bolt of wizard-fire. The bolt deflected off Bodrin’s sword as Bodrin stepped between Tonelia and Astorax, slashing at the man/wraith.

The creature jumped overboard as the sword grazed him. He made a desperate effort to swim to the orc boat, but the reptilefish, following the boat, attacked him in the water before he got very far. The wraith attempted to free himself from the man’s body, but a water-dragon shot flames across the water vaporizing the wraith, escaping the human shell. The water-dragon and reptilefish fought over the remains as the skeleton sank in the black water.

“That’s gruesome,” Tonelia said.

“Be glad it isn’t one of us,” Bodrin replied. He stood, staring at the frenzy, his sword, hanging in his hand.

“Why didn’t he attack us on the island?” Bodrin asked.

“Too many of us, he wanted the crown’s jewels. He probably expected the orcs to take us alive.” Tournak said.

“The orcs are catching up,” Saxthor said. “Sit down and row, Bodrin.”

As the bones of the exile sank, an orc threw a spear at the voyagers’ boat. Saxthor looked up to see Tournak grab the airborne lance. Without even thinking, Tournak hurled the spear back at the orcs. Not being as proficient with the javelin, the missile went high and came down at the stern. The orcs jerked aside avoiding the spear but it struck beside the keel, punching a hole. Water spouted up like a fountain.

If it had hit the front of the boat, the orcs could’ve moved to the back, raising the hole out of the water to prevent sinking, Saxthor realized. From the back, they can’t get the hole out of the water and still steer.

“The boat is sinking,” Bodrin said. “Good shot, Tournak.”

“Those water-dragons and reptile fish sure know when there’s an easy meal coming,” Tonelia said. “Look at them circling the boat anticipating an easy meal.”

The boat sank by the minute. One orc hurled his spear at a water-dragon, who dodged the spear and snorted fire back at him. The clouds rolled forward drawing night’s veil over the scene. The adventurers heard yelling and thrashing for some minutes as they rowed on. They sailed southwest in silence.

At dawn, the exhausted adventurers saw their first sighting of land in days. It wasn’t another island, but the mainland. Inspired by the view, everyone took turns and extra effort at rowing all morning. Just after midday, the water became too shallow to row in, so they poled through the thick, black ooze toward the reed-covered shore. Their progress slowed, but they still moved forward. All afternoon they poled through the thickening mud.

The muck slowly gave way to tall horsetails and reed beds that seemed to go on forever. Ahead, a redwing blackbird hovered in the reeds uncertain of its footing on the swaying cattail.

“It should have gone south for the winter, but it stayed in Dreaddrac’s marsh too long
,
” Saxthor said. Just then, the bird toppled into the mud.

“We should rescue the poor bird,” Tonelia said.

No sooner had it fallen than foot-long worms wiggled from the ooze and bit at the dying blackbird. About a dozen such leech-like worms crawled over the bird with teeth chewing, jerking the carcass still alive. On the boat, they could hear grinding of teeth and crunching feathers.

“I can’t believe it,” Tonelia said. “What are those things?”

“Another of the Dark Lord’s experiments, I suppose,” Tournak said.

In half a minute, the bird was gone. Black ooze swallowed the skeleton and the worms disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

“It was a lucky warning,” Saxthor said. “That’s what it was. Had one of us jumped out into the ooze to pull the boat on shore, he wouldn’t have made it back in the boat.”

“It’s too dangerous to land here,” Tournak said.

The crew poled backward to get to open water, and they rowed along down the edge of the reeds and horsetails the rest of the afternoon.

“It’s late,” Tonelia said. “We need to land, stretch our legs, and get a hot meal before dark. Who knows what will be on this shore. We need to prepare ourselves before dark.”

“Astorax, you sit in the bow since you have the best eyes?” Saxthor asked.

The others poled through what looked like the shortest expanse among the horsetails to land. The going was rough. It took them to dusk just to get to the shoreline. When they were about to get off the boat, voices stopped them dead.

“Look! There’s a deer in them reeds,” the voice said.

“Shut up, he’s gonna hear you,” another said.

Saxthor’s companions took a second to register the speech before ducking down. Astorax didn’t.

Astorax is twitching, Saxthor thought. The orcs see his antlers. It’s another lucky warning for us and a scary shock.

Saxthor could only see one tree near the edge of the swamp. The conical branch structure of the big cypress had a crippled look. One large branch twisted down. Being early winter, the delicate fern-like foliage had turned brown and most had fallen off.

“Climbs up in that tree and see if yous can see him again,” the second voice said.

“You know I can’ts climb,” the first voice said. “My legs is too short.”

“Yous can climb up far enough on that there limb to see them antlers. We needs to know which way he went,” the second orc said. “I’ll shoot an arrow in there. Maybe that‘ll scare him out of the weeds.”

“I’ll try,” the first voice said

Saxthor tapped Tournak and pointed to his bow and arrows. Then he pointed at the tree. Tournak took the idea and readied the weapon. The orc climbed up enough for Tournak to see him through the reeds. “Astorax,” he whispered, “raise your antlers just a bit for just a second.” When Astorax raised his head, the crew ducked.

“There he be,” the orc in the tree said. He pointed to the antlers.

The orc by the shore shot his arrow. As it flew through the reeds, Tournak shot the orc in the tree.