Sword of Wrath (Kormak Book Eight) (14 page)

* * *

S
houts came
from the far end of the beach. The thunderous sound of waking giants bellowing at one another rolled across the beach. Men screamed taunts and war-cries. From outside the gate came a roar, and the sound of massive feet crunching on sand.

“It is time to go,” Kormak said. The prisoners nodded. Most of them were bunched up around the gateway. Women huddled together with children. Men waited on the outside of the group. A few carried sharpened sticks or bits of stone, or whatever feeble weapons they could gather. A few hung back, too scared to move. Kormak thought they would gather their courage when they saw everybody else make a break for it. If they did not, there was nothing anyone could do for them.

He leapt forward. His dwarf-forged blade slashed through the ropes holding the gate. The men raced forward, throwing their way against the barrier. It toppled to earth with a thud and everybody halted, standing there whey-faced as if they could not quite believe what they had done.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” Kormak shouted. “Head to the west, up the hill path. Scatter into the forest if you can’t do anything else. Get away from here now, if you want to live.”

That was all it took. With shouts and screams, the tide of people flowed out through the broken gate. Some swung left, some swung right. A few ran directly towards the ship. A giant emerged from behind it, saw the escaping people and shouted in confusion, as if it could not quite believe what it was seeing.

Kormak raced towards it, shouting a challenge. Rhiana and Urag fell into place at his side. The giant loomed above him, towering like a cliff-face and brought its massive club thudding down into the sand. Kormak ran between its legs, blade raised, slashing. Urag was right behind him, chopping with a poisoned axe. Rhiana slashed at the creature’s ankle, going for the hamstring.

The giant aimed a blow at her. She leapt nimbly aside. Kormak scrambled back to strike at the giant, trying to get its attention. Urag struck once more. The giant whirled around confused by so many targets, bellowing in a debased dialect of the tongue of the Old Ones, shouting for help, that the prisoners were escaping.

Urag cast his axe, taking the giant directly in the throat. It continued to yell, its voice a croak, as it pulled the axe free and dropped it. Blood dribbled from the wound and down its legs from the multiple cuts.

Kormak aimed his blade at where the main artery would be on a man’s left leg, and sliced. Blood fountained. The giant doubled over, clutching at its leg, putting its neck within range of Kormak’s blade. He stepped in close and sliced at the jugular. A massive arm swept around, too big and too fast to be avoided. It caught him in the chest. Sparks danced before his eyes. The force of the impact sent him flying.

He hit the sand rolling, came to his feet groggy and dazed. He saw the giant rolling on the ground, lashing out with its leg, trying to kick at Rhiana. Urag had run to pick up his axe, was grubbing frantically in the sand for it.

Kormak glanced around. Most of the people were out of the pen, scattering around the beach. They moved in confusion, some heading up the slopes which Kormak and his companions had come down earlier. Some had made their way to the far side of the beach, and were trying to escape that way. Most were following instructions and heading towards the west in scattered parties.

All was confusion. The giants were uncertain as to whether they were being attacked by escaped prisoners or a new force. The prisoners frantically tried to escape.

Kormak sensed a blur of motion to his right. A blade stabbed at him out of the darkness, greenish poison darkening its length. Burk’s face hung above it, pale and mask-like in the gloom. There was something quite inhuman about the blank expression it held as its owner tried to commit murder in the dark. Kormak parried. Burk’s movements were swift and sure. The point of the blade attempted to slither around the parry. A man less quick than Kormak would have died.

The guardian stepped to one side and let the blade pass. He lashed out with his left fist and clipped Burk on the side of the face. Kormak used the moment he gained to swing his blade up and then lunge. It bit home. Burk grunted. His eyes widened as the blade gauged along his arm. His fingers opened and his sword dropped. Kormak stamped his boot down on top of it, pinning it.

At that moment, a massive roar sounded to his right. The ground shook. Kormak stood unwilling to take his eyes off his foe but equally unwilling to commit to the combat again.

Burk’s gaze slid in the direction of the sound. His eyes narrowed, and he sprang backwards and away into the darkness and chaos. Kormak glanced around. Both Rhiana and Urag looked at him, as if unsure of what they had just witnessed.

A huge chieftain lumbered out of the dark. He wore a helmet carved with the horns of some great beasts from the Snow Wastes. A cloak made from the fur of polar bears hung from his shoulders. A necklace of huge fangs hung from his neck. By custom, the giant had killed those bears himself in a solitary hunt. The chieftain raised a huge horn to his lips and blew it. The thunderous sound rolled across the beach; all of the giants began to fall back and rally to their leader.

It would only take a moment for them to form a disciplined company, and when that happened, the escapees were doomed. Frantically, Kormak glanced around and saw a large fire burning on the beach. He raced over to it, hauled a burning log from its midst and headed towards the ship.

Rhiana and Urag and some of the others saw what he was doing, and did the same. They carried the glowing logs towards the boat and tossed them at it. The smell of burning emerged from the ship. Flames licked around it. The giants realised what was happening and raced forward, the chieftain bellowing at his crew to put the fire out.

“Scatter and get out of here!” Kormak yelled. “It will take them some time to dowse the flames. Get away!”

He shooed the folks away from the ship. Seeing a horde of giants racing towards them, they did not need to be told twice. They ran. The giants ignored them in the teeth of gathering flames. They raced towards the waves scooping up water in barrels, shields and massive hands, returning to their ship.

Kormak and the others jogged towards the slope. It looked like they had bought themselves some time, but would it be enough? And where was Burk?

T
hey reached
the meeting place beyond the brow of the hill, a straggling line of women and children and tired, frightened men. Frater Rik was there, and Karla and her little boy. It looked like about half of the escapees had managed to find this place. Kormak hoped the rest were safely away in the woods or on the other side of the bay. He kept his eyes open for any sign of Burk but the bodyguard had not reappeared.

Zamara waited along with the marines and the nobles. His grim expression lightened when he saw Kormak and Rhiana. He rushed across to greet them, flanked by Terves. His laughter boomed out. “You did it. I had my doubts, I don’t mind admitting, but you got them out.”

“We’re not in the clear yet,” Kormak said. “We need to get back to the
Pride of Siderea
.”

Zamara nodded. “If need be, we can come back and rake the ship with ballistae and alchemical fire. They won’t get off the island so easily now.”

“The main problem is how we’re going to get back to town. The men are tired, and we’ve got women and little children. It’s going to be a nightmare finding our way back through the forest in the dark.”

Rhiana produced the green pearl from inside her jerkin. Its eerie glow flickered out and lit their faces in ghastly green. “We can see,” she said.

“Get everybody together now!” Zamara bellowed. “We’re moving out before those big bastards down there realise where we are.”

Tired as they were, no one gave him any argument.

* * *

“
I
t wasn’t so bad
,” Zamara said, as they marched along the path. “We made our way down the hill, snuck up on some of the giants and unloaded our crossbows into them. They were sleeping and taken completely by surprise. If we’d pushed the battle home to them, we might even have won.”

The claim was pure bravura on Zamara’s part. There was no way the giants would have remained surprised for long. He doubted the soldiers would have stood their ground in the teeth of a determined rush by their huge assailants. It was asking more of them than most men could bear.

“We poisoned a few at least,” said Sergeant Terves. “And we only lost a couple of the lads. I saw Hanar flattened by one of them, and poor Leroi reduced to pulp and splintered bone by a club.”

They fell silent for a moment. “Still. It could have gone a lot worse.”

The line straggled away behind them. Soldiers carried little children on their shoulders or hung them in emptied backpacks. Women clutched infants to their breasts. Stumbling with weariness, men followed the winding trail in the pearl’s green glow.

“How long till they are on our trail?” Zamara asked Kormak in a very quiet voice.

“I don’t know. They might not be able to pick up our tracks in the dark. They might take some time to put out the fire on the boat.”

“That was quick thinking,” Zamara said.

Kormak turned and counted the people. How many people had they lost? Too many. Still, the majority were clear. If only they could stay ahead of any pursuit until they got back to the port, he might get them all out yet.

* * *

“
W
here are the bastards then
?” Terves asked. They had trudged through the forest all night, moving fast as they could over the broken ground. “If they were coming, they should be here by now.”

“Just be grateful they are not,” said Kormak. “It’s almost dawn. We’ll have daylight soon and unless I am not mistaken, we’ll hit the port.”

“It’s not like our luck to hold so good,” Terves said. “I can’t help but feel that fate has some dirty trick left to play on us yet.”

“Soldiers like to grumble,” said Kormak.

“I am a marine, sir, but I take your point.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not right,” Kormak said. He glanced back over his shoulder. Any moment he expected to hear the heavy tread of giants reverberating through the forest. So far it had not come.

His ribs hurt from the earlier blow. His sword arm felt as if it had almost been torn from its socket. He did not think he would have the strength or speed to survive another encounter with a giant without rest.

“I am getting old,” he said aloud.

“We all are, sir,” said Terves. “And you shouldn’t be the one complaining. I have more grey hairs than you.”

They emerged onto the hilltop above the board just as the sun rose above the horizon. Below them lay the ruined streets of Fort Wrath. The
Pride of Siderea
lay at anchor beyond the harbour. It was only when he saw it that Kormak realised how much he had been dreading the possibility of the ship not being there.

The villagers cheered at the sight of it, finally believing in the possibility that they might escape. Gathering the last of their energy, they began to jog downhill towards the port. The nobles and the soldiers with them did the same, trying to keep them all together.

Kormak sat down on the brow of the hill to watch. “We’ll wait here for a little while,” he said. “Just in case.”

* * *

“
W
hat happened back there
?” Orson asked Urag in a low voice, as they trudged through the dark. He glanced around to make sure they were not being overheard. He need not have worried. Everyone was too wrapped up in their own problems to pay any attention.

The tracker showed his teeth in a mirthless grin. “You were right. He was too quick and too wary for us. And I could not risk taking a shot at him with all the giants about.”

“Where’s Burk?”

“Don’t know. He vanished when the guardian cut him.”

“You didn’t see him die then?”

Urag shook his head. “Slippery bastard is probably still out there somewhere. Unless he’s providing a snack for a giant.”

“Does Kormak suspect you?”

“Probably, but he can’t know for sure. We fought side by side back there. He knows Burk wasn’t wishing him a long life and happiness though.”

“If any other opportunity arises to kill him, take it, but not where anybody can see you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“You’d better.”

“Don’t worry, fat man. The giants might do it for us if they show up.”

“And maybe they’ll get us as well.”

“Everybody dies,” said Urag.

“I’m planning on putting it off for a long time.”

* * *

T
he cutter carried
the rearguard back to the ship. Its decks swarmed with refugees. Sailors swarmed the rigging, unfurling sails, making ready for departure. Zamara bellowed orders. Cheers came from the crowds as Kormak and the rearguard reached the ship and clambered up the netting on its sides. They ran immediately to the siege weapons on the prow and stern castle, and began to make ready.

“No rest for the wicked,” said Terves, moving towards the prow. He looked cheerful though and pleased to see all the villagers on the deck. “We did good back there,” he said.

Kormak looked up to see Rhiana running towards him. They hugged. Just for a moment Kormak enjoyed the feel of her body in his arms, then she stiffened.

“What is it?”

“My dolphin sees something big coming towards us round the headland. He does not like it either.”

“Best tell Zamara. Who knows what new deviltry will be upon us?” She nodded, and they moved over towards the command deck. Zamara gestured for them to come up.

“We’re going to have company soon,” Rhiana said. She looked at Serena.

“With your permission, Admiral,” the windcaller said, gesturing towards her elemental flasks.

“Granted,” said Zamara. He turned and said to one the ship’s officers. “Get some more lookouts aloft. I don’t want us surprised before we are under way.”

More sailors swarmed into the crow’s nests. A moment later, they were shouting, “Ship ahoy!”

Zamara raised his spyglass to his eye. “Bastard,” he said and Kormak understood why. Coming around the headland was a massive longship. It looked scorched but seaworthy. It had no sails but it was oared by nearly thirty giants.

“Mistress Serena,” said Zamara. “I would be grateful if you could get us out to sea as swiftly as possible. It appears we are pursued.”

“I’ll do my best, Admiral.”

* * *

T
he elementals roared
and howled as they gusted into the sails and pushed the ship forward.

“Get those people into the hold,” Zamara shouted. “Clear the decks for action. We’re going to have a fight on our hands unless I miss my guess.”

He glanced at the sails and sniffed the air, as if testing the winds. A look of concentration passed over his face. Kormak knew he was calculating the giant’s speed and their own, and trying to come up with a plan.

Panicked townsfolk started to throw themselves overboard. A few of the nobles and their retinues did the same. Sailors and marines began to force the crowds down into the hold. Most did not want to go and Kormak did not blame them. The last place he wanted to be during a sea battle was under the decks of a ship. One of his nightmares was drowning amid a shipwreck.

“Either get below or get into the water,” Zamara bellowed. “We can’t afford any clutter on deck. If there’s anyone but my crew on deck in thirty drumbeats, I’ll have them put to the sword.”