Chaos Descending (7 page)

“No, the morning should be soon enough. And there were some wild animals on the trail. I don’t think it’s safe to travel on foot.”

“Canines or something like them?” Zollin asked. He went on when Quinn nodded. “We encountered them too. Did they attack you?”

“They would have, but the horse smelled them. I got lucky, to tell you the truth. They had moved in behind me and I didn’t know it.”

“That is so strange,” Zollin said. “I could sense that they were intelligent. I’m afraid they might be magical creatures.”

“They use magic?” Quinn asked, his voice betraying his fear.

“No,” Zollin said. “But there are some animals and creatures that only wake up when magic is being used in the world. It’s sort of like a bear waking up from hibernation.”

“And they’re smart enough to coordinate their attacks?”

“It would seem so. It might be smart to take a hunting party after them if you can round one up.”

“I’ll do that. You got room for your old man to spend the night?”

“Just a chair by the fire,” Zollin said.

“Sounds like heaven to me.”

The next morning Quinn woke to the smell of bacon frying nearby. The sun was streaming in through the cottage windows, and Brianna was cooking breakfast. She had sliced some bread and laid it out on a platter with eggs and bacon. But what Quinn really wanted was the mug of steaming coffee that was also on the platter.

“Good morning, Papa,” Brianna said.

“Papa?” Quinn asked.

“What do you think? Could our baby call you Papa?”

“That child can call me anything it wants,” he said with a smile. “I’m thrilled for you and Zollin, not to mention me.”

“Zollin told me about Mansel. Is he going to be okay?”

Quinn stood and stretched. His back ached and his eyes burned with fatigue. He guessed he had slept maybe three hours, but it would have to be enough.

“When Zollin gets there he will be. It was a damn close call, though.”

“Why would that miner attack Mansel?”

“Kurchek’s been stewing for a fight ever since he came to the village. Most of Trollic’s men moved on, but not all of them. A few are still working in the Upper Range. None of them wanted Kurchek, though. He’s stupid and mean. I guess he figured on taking Mansel out and then I’d be easy pickings.”

“He was wrong about that,” Brianna said.

“Maybe. I’m getting old. Did you know I’m going to be a grandfather?”

“I did know that,” Brianna said happily.

“I am so proud of you, girl. Your father would be too. If you have a chance to see him, you should.”

“We’ll probably stop at Orrock. The letter we got last winter said they were staying there.”

“Good, they should know about your good news. Anyway, Mansel gave as good as he got. I think he could have killed Kurchek but he didn’t. Took his eye, though.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Mansel fought him off with a knife wedged in his arm. Don’t think I could have done that.”

“Me either,” Brianna agreed.

“Let’s hope we never have to find out. Where’s Zollin?”

“He left already,” Brianna said, setting the platter of food on Quinn’s lap.

His stomach growled and he realized he hadn’t eaten since Zollin and Brianna had told him about the baby. And that had mainly been ale with only a little bread. Taking care of Mansel and then riding out to Zollin’s cottage had erased any thought of food from his mind. But he was hungry and grateful for the food.

“Already?” Quinn asked. “When?”

“The dragons came at sunup. Zollin and Ferno left shortly after. We didn’t think the village would appreciate two dragons in the vicinity. They don’t trust me for the most part anyway, and Sorva isn’t really comfortable around people. It’s better this way.”

“The townsfolk who are afraid of you are fools,” Quinn said. “Sorva’s that big black one isn’t it?”

“Not as big as Bartoom,” Brianna said.

“Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re probably right. Another black dragon flying over Brighton’s Gate might shake things up a little too much.”

Quinn ate his breakfast and drank the coffee, which more than anything else made him feel better. They were just tidying up when they heard dragon wings flapping hard above the cottage. The huge green dragon landed softly not far from the cottage, and Zollin jumped down.

“How’s Mansel?” Quinn asked as he and Brianna came outside to meet Zollin.

“He’s fine now. That miner nearly ruined his arm,” Zollin said.

“But you healed it?” Brianna said.

“I had to rebuild it, but it’s fine now. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble with it.”

“I’m sure Nycol is relieved.” Quinn said.

“She seemed to be. They’re both resting now. I don’t think she got much sleep last night.”

“No, I don’t suppose she did.”

“You didn’t either,” Zollin said. “Why don’t you stay here for the day? We need you to look after things while we’re gone, anyway.”

“I’ll keep an eye on the place, but I need to go back. Something needs to be done about those creatures.”

“What creatures?” Brianna asked.

“The same ones that we encountered on the trail,” Zollin said. “They attacked Quinn, and Ollie said that Brynar lost a cow. Its hard to believe they weren’t the cause.”

“Ollie was at Mansel’s?” Quinn said.

“She brought them food. And news about Kurchek.”

“Is he causing more trouble?” Brianna asked.

“No, he's threatening revenge. Buck bandaged his eye, but they didn’t think he’d ever see out of it again. Then they helped him back to his room. By sunup he was back in the common room, complaining about breakfast.”

“Well, I doubt he'll be a threat for a while yet,” Quinn said. “I won’t lose sleep worrying about him.”

“And we shouldn’t lose any more daylight,” Zollin said. “It’s good to see you, father.”

“And you, son. Take care of my grandbaby.”

“We will,” Brianna said.

“We’ll be here waiting when you return,” Quinn said, and he saw a look cross Brianna’s face that he didn’t recognize, but it was gone in an instant and Zollin was embracing him. He stood back and watched the two of them hurry to the dragons who were waiting patiently nearby. Brianna jumped into the air, her body spinning in a summersault that was higher than any person should have been able to leap. She landed lightly on the big black dragon’s back, settling herself quickly as the huge creature’s wings unfurled.

Zollin rose up into the air magically, a sight that still made Quinn’s jaw drop. Zollin was slower to get settled on the huge muscular shoulders of the green behemoth. Quinn wasn’t certain, but he thought perhaps Ferno had grown even larger since the last time he’d seen the dragon. That had been over a year before when Zollin and Brianna had returned in triumph to Orrock. He waved as his son took to the air, and then watched the dragons fly out of sight. The small farm was quiet with everyone gone. Quinn looked over to his horse, which was still tied to the post near the back of Zollin’s house. It looked at Quinn nervously and then dropped its head to munch on more grass.

Quinn yawned and thought about going back inside and getting some more sleep, but then decided against it. Instead he saddled the horse and led it away from the house. There would be plenty of time for sleep, he decided, once he had checked on Mansel and learned more about Brynar’s missing cow.

Chapter 7

Roleena loved mornings at sea. She made it a habit to rise before dawn each day, partly because she didn’t trust her crew not to kill her in her sleep, and partly because she loved to watch the sunrise from the command deck of her ship.

The
Crest Dancer
was truly her ship. She had taken control of it, faced down the mutinous crew and then won their allegiance. The ship’s former captain had been a weak man. Roleena knew that when he allowed the wizard Zollin to leave the ship without consequence. Roleena’s blood boiled whenever she thought of the wizard. He was hardly more than a boy, just barely into manhood, and probably more to blame for the chaos in the Five Kingdoms than people thought. Some were calling him a savior; others knew the truth. He was an instigator. Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went. At sea, men would call a man like that a jinx and be rid of him forever by casting him overboard, but the captain had done nothing. Not when the huge black dragon had attacked them and ruined her leg. And not when Zollin summoned a sea creature to their ship, further endangering the entire crew.

Roleena had looked the captain in the eye when she killed him. She had been close enough to smell the oil he used to keep his thinning hair slicked back and out of his eyes when on deck. She had gone into his cabin, lured him close, then slipped a long, thin dagger between his ribs. The fat fool had soiled himself before dying, and Roleena had been forced to air her new cabin out for two whole days before she could stand the smell.

All Roleena had needed to take the ship was the help of one small group of disgruntled sailors. Slice, the ringleader with the horrid scar across his cheek, had thrown in his support when she announced what she had done. The other passengers on board had been set adrift in the ship’s longboat or given to the crew as playthings. The crew had taken to the pirate life quickly and quite happily. She had known they would. They were men, after all, separated from their families and any real sense of morality. They were like sheep in that regard. They would follow a strong leader, and Roleena ruled her crew with a quiet rage. None dared cross her openly, and once Slice’s band vocalized their support, the others were quick to follow. Then it only took a successful raid and the spoils that followed to convince them that serving Lady Roleena of Shupor was a much more appealing offer than crewing a trade ship.

“Sail!” came a shout from the lookout on the crow’s nest at the top of the tall main mast.

Roleena didn’t bother looking. She knew she wouldn’t be able to see the ship, at least not in any detail, and besides, she had crew members who would do that for her.

“Hewy, go and see what we’ve found,” she called down to a man on the main deck.

The sailor didn’t salute or even call back that he had heard her command. He simply hurried toward a wide section of taut rigging and started climbing. Hewy was a young sailor with exceptional eyesight. Unlike the previous captain, Roleena knew her crew and had a firm grasp of their strongest skills. She had procured a very good spyglass for Hewy and given it to him. He was the only crew member aside from Roleena’s officers to have a spyglass, and he carried it like a badge of honor. He was also agile and fast up the rigging, looking almost like a spider dancing across its web as he scampered up the ropes that held the sails in place.

A few moments later the sailor was hurrying down again. Slice had appeared on the command deck. It was a trait Roleena admired. Her devious first officer always seemed to know when something was afoot. He had a knack for understanding the pulse of the ship, much like Roleena herself. And while she didn’t trust Slice, she did appreciate his eagerness when it came to piracy.

“Trade vessel, my lady,” Hewy said, panting a little as he spoke. “She’s flying Yelsian colors.”

“How many masts?” Roleena asked.

“Two.”

Most of the trade ships still plying the waters around Yelsia were smaller vessels. Since the war, there was very little trade from the other kingdoms. Rumors of ships from Ortis had been circulating, but there was no confirmation that Ortis had even survived the war. Falxis and Osla were lost, which wasn’t to say there weren’t treasures to be found in those kingdoms, but they weren't actively trading. And a ship from Ortis would have to sail around the entire continent just to reach Yelsia. They wouldn’t see those ships for a while, Roleena guessed, and probably not so far north.

Their position was just south of Tragoon Bay, which was the central harbor of the kingdom. Ships could sail up the Sheamook river to deliver goods to Orrock, the capital of Yelsia, so while most trade between kingdoms had disappeared, there were still plenty of ships sailing along the northern coast. But there weren’t many galleons with several decks and massive cargo capacity, which would be difficult for her crew to subdue and almost impossible to man—if they managed to take one. The brig they were chasing was smaller than
Crest Dancer
, which was considered a barque since she had three masts instead of two. She was wider and slower than a clipper ship, but more suited to the rough sea conditions around the points near Winsome and Skattle Point.

“Hoist the Yelsian flag,” Roleena ordered. “Make sure it's upside down this time, Hewy!”

“Aye, Captain,” the young man shouted.

Roleena turned to Slice, “Get everyone you can down below and shift the ballast. I want her listing to starboard.”

“That will give the grappling hook you built more range,” Slice said.

“And the crew an easier target. We'll only get one shot at her, and I don't want to destroy the rigging.”

“You have plans for the ship?”

“I always have plans,” Roleena said. “Now move!”

Orders were being shouted around the ship. Sails were dropped in a haphazard fashion. Down in the ship's main hold, large wooden carts were being shifted. Roleena had used their time in port wisely. She had devised a system of ballast weights that could be shifted in the hold to make
Crest Dancer
lean to one side, as if the ship were in distress. It was a ploy to draw in target vessels so that the pirates under her command could board and steal the cargo from other ships.

She felt
Crest Dancer
begin to shift beneath her, and she adjusted her weight over the wooden peg she used for a leg. Learning to walk with a fake leg was difficult for anyone, but Roleena had been forced to learn to walk on a moving deck that shifted with the sea. Despite being born into a noble household and having a promising future in Shupor, Roleena had been drawn to the sea. She loved the sense of freedom and excitement that being a sailor offered. Of course, Ladies weren't supposed to go to sea. They certainly weren't expected to command ships or lead men in combat, but Roleena had never been content to simply sit back and be a spectator in life. She wanted to live, to embrace every opportunity that came her way. She didn't respect the laws that were crafted by men in the high halls who thought of women as property, so she had no qualms about breaking those laws.