The High King: A Tale of Alus (5 page)

Vizier Krulir entered the outer chamber of Lord Merrick's private suite. He found the ruler looking over a lovely view of the inner courtyard below. The sounds of soldiers practicing near the tower could be heard as their swords clashed. At his entrance, Merrick turned from the window to face his advisor.

"What news have you for me, Krulir?" the lord questioned demandingly.
"News, sire?"
"You always have news for me when you disturb me like this, and since I noticed a squad bringing in prisoners earlier, I assume that you've come to explain their existence. Now go on."
"As you wish, m' lord. The squad that you spied earlier is the one that was dispatched to the Aramathea holdings. Apparently, the gargoyles missed a few of the servants and even the Aramathea girl while at the farm. The soldiers found this group trying to hide the girl from us. The sergeant chose to bring them to you and to relay the news that the raid also missed the other two Aramatheas, Simon and Gerid. They were not present when the demons attacked and hadn't returned before the soldiers left."
Lord Merrick snapped angrily, "Have the sergeant slain for disobeying orders. He wasn't even smart enough to remain behind to take the other two. I said no survivors, but I feel somewhat merciful today. Since they are already here, I am sure that you can find places to fit healthy slaves. Any that are too old can be slain with the sergeant. Correct?"
"As you wish, sire. The sergeant is already awaiting execution in the dungeon as we speak. I'll arrange to finish with the slaves immediately. I assume that the Aramathea girl should be placed among them?"
"Of course," the lord affirmed. "I also would have you send word to Kar'esh to meet with me immediately. If the beast and his followers can't do their work properly, I'll be damned if I will bring any more of them over.
"Did you happen to bring any favorable news, Krulir? Perhaps word from one of our spies has returned about the strength of our neighbors?"
"Our soldiers continue to train vigorously for the future conflicts, sire. As yet, however, the spies haven't relayed information about Maris, Cadrienne, or Caldor. Give them just a little more time, m' lord. In the meanwhile, our generals have even more time to prepare a proper assault without our enemies’ knowledge."
King Merrick growled softly, "I grow impatient, Krulir. It is time that I take what will be mine. Have the sorcerers prepare to bring over more of Kar'esh's minions, just in case. We may need them in the future despite their incompetence. Now go. Your continued presence only serves to annoy me, old one."
The vizier left his lord to his grumblings and did as he was told. He would go to watch the execution of the sergeant. It would please him to see someone else suffering a worse fate than he for once. Merrick was like a spoiled brat much too often for Krulir's taste, but he knew that it wasn't too high a price for the power that was his as a result.
The man's mouth smiled tightly. The brat did have great ambitions though. He did admire that about his lord. One day he just might rule all the North Continent. That is if he didn't cause Kar'esh to kill him first.

The bells sounded odd as they rang in the harbor in the gray fog of early morning. Cardy and his wife had prepared a light breakfast for the men and then sent the three travelers to the dock where the Patar, a sixty foot merchant vessel with masts disappearing into the fog, had moored the evening before. There had been very few people on the street at that hour, though with it still closed in the gray light of pre-dawn perhaps their eyes just couldn’t find them. White painted buildings which were the most common in Alistaire, blended into the gray leaving little else to see besides. The cries of sea heron and gulls could be heard as the early rising birds began their day's work of food scavenging undeterred by the gray. The streets and docks were lined with dozens of the creatures eyeing the men for easy scraps.

"Ahoy, there," a voice called from the shadowy bulk of the Patar when they arrived before it. "Who goes there?"

"Ahoy yourself, Caleb," retorted Cardy who had been their guide through the fog. He led the others to the gang plank leading to the deck. "I've brought three men who'll be traveling along with you this trip. Permission to board now, ya lubber."

"It's yer ship, grandfather. Of course, ya can come aboard."
"C'mon now, boys," the old man said motioning for the men to follow.
Simon hesitated briefly at the sight of the plank as it rose and fell with the motion of the waves. The board was only slightly wider than his waist and carrying a bag of clothes and gold coins didn't make the walk any easier.
A man stepped down the plank confidently and greeted Simon gruffly, "Here Let me help ya with that. Ya must be a land lubber, eh?"
"A what?" Simon asked as he surrendered his bag and carefully followed the sailor up the shifting board.
The man chuckled, "A land lubber, someone who has only lived on land. Let me guess. This is yer first voyage, right?"
"Uh, yes," he replied as he grasped the rail of the ship gratefully and pulled himself onto the much more solid deck. He exhaled with relief. Simon turned to find Gerid carrying both his large satchel and Janus' pack. His brother smoothly crossed the plank and set the burdens on the deck.
"Nicely done," Cardy congratulated trying to hold in his laughter at the other two. "This one holds little fear in him, eh, Simon? Well, I hope your stomachs handle the motion of the sea well enough as well then. I did think to bring you boys a little gift to take along with you though."
"Oh, please, Cardy, you've done enough for us already," Simon began.
The old man chortled, "No, trust me. This one you'll want, my boy. I give it to all my travelers and most wind up using it." He passed Simon a brown bottle of pills. "If your stomach gets troubled by sea life, take one of these in the morning, noon, and evening before you go to bed. A sorcerer from the Taltan Continent devised these years ago to quiet stomachs against rolling waves. You've never sailed, boys. You may very well need them."
"Thank you, Cardy, if you insist."
"You are most welcome."
"Cardy, ol' man!" a new voice cried from the fog shrouded deck beyond them.
"Dernick, ya ol' salt!" he retorted as a large, bearded man approached and gave him a large hug. The old man turned to Simon. "Simon Aramathea, this is Captain Dernick. He's a son-in-law of mine, but don't worry he's still a qualified captain, as well."
"But my marrying your daughter, Sofea, had no influence on your making me a captain did it?" Dernick questioned with a laugh. "You would have done anything to get rid of that girl. Admit it."
Cardy feigned a wound, "I love all my daughters. Just because I'd had to get rid of four of them, I wouldn't say that I was totally desperate."
Dernick moved towards Simon and shook his hand strongly. "Now that we have these boys suitably worried, Father, let's get them settled below. Your daughter wants me back as soon as possible. It's been too long between visits again. So who are these with you, Aramathea?"
"My brother, Gerid, and our former shepherd, Janus Tolmin."
"Glad to know all of you. Well, you all still look tired. Let's get you some bunks and you can all get settled in."
"Well, I wish that I could come with you, boys," Cardy sighed, "but my family wants me to stay home and run the business. Have a good trip and a good start in Talman."
"Thank you again, Cardy," Simon replied and shook the man's hand one last time. "We really appreciate all that you have done for us."
"Appreciate nothin'. I need you to get yourself settled and back in business again. I'm losin' vital revenue without ya. You get up there and send word when you're back in business. You hear me?"
"Every word, sir," Simon answered with a laugh. Cardy left the deck then leaving them to Captain Dernick.
As the captain led them to a door in the cabin built on deck, he said off-handedly, "You might want to keep those pills handy, Aramathea. What my father-in-law said is true about the sea. Some travelers find it rather unsettling. I don't want to be cleaning up after a group of land lubbers all trip."
"I don't think that we'll have any problems, but I'll keep them nearby," Simon assured him.
The captain laughed at his innocence and said, "Come on."

They had set sail after the sun had risen long enough to dispel the fog. The travelers were quickly on deck and watched as the land slowly faded away behind them. Gerid and Janus moved off after a time. Simon watched as his brother did what, perhaps, he did best, make friends. By the end of the first day, Gerid and Janus had talked the sailors into teaching them how to sail.

Simon had taken to watching the waves and then the others and eventually back again. After a time, he tired of that and moved below deck to find a book that he had purchased in the marketplace from one of the rare dealers in such merchandise even in such a big city. He returned to the deck and found a place to sit and read out of everyone's way. The day passed slowly and eventually the man noticed that the gulls following their boat had finally given up the pursuit of food with this ship.

"They thought that we were a fishing boat," one of the sailors answered his question. "Once far enough away from land, they realize that we're not gonna give `em lunch and they head back toward shore for other chances."

When the gulls had all finally departed and the land had faded into the sea, Simon realized that at this point all their ties with his former homeland we're now broken.

Simon awoke to an awful rumbling in his stomach. It had been so upset that it had woken him in its urgency. He ran quickly up the steps, and out of the cabin. Arriving at the ship's railing, Simon began to vent the remains of his evening meal.

"Ah, it's begun," Captain Dernick's voice chuckled from behind him.
Somewhat recovered, though still feeling immensely ill, Simon turned to find the man holding the bottle of pills in one hand and a canteen of water in the other. "Tell me these things really work!" Simon cried pitifully. He took a single large pill and swallowed it with a mouthful of water.
"Stay up here until you truly think that it is safe," Captain Dernick cautioned with good natured laughter and returned to his post beside his helmsman.
Simon realized, as he sat down exhaustedly upon the deck, that he didn't think that he liked sailing anymore. After half an hour, the pill had kicked in fully and he fell asleep where he sat.
In the morning, Simon found that Janus was also sick. Taking another pill before trying a light breakfast and sharing it with Janus, he found that the adage was true. Misery truly did love company. He could hardly hold back the petty wish that Gerid would join them in their misery.
His brother proved hardier than them though as he continued to strengthen his knowledge of sailing even as he learned more about the twenty crewmen. Simon was reduced to watching and reading in the bow of the ship or talking with the equally sickened Janus. They were still too ill to be of much company for themselves yet though.
As he took his third pill of the day, Simon hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

Simon awoke late in the morning to the sounds of the crew's excited voices and the quick thuds of running feet atop the deck. He pressed the sleep from his eyes and forced himself to get up and find out what was occurring. The pills had made him groggier than normal, so it was a struggle just to awaken.

Leaving his bunk, the young man realized that he was the only one to still below the deck, except for the mate from the last steering shift of the night. When he arrived on board, Simon found the morning light stronger than he wished and was forced to shield his eyes against the bright sun's rays. The crew was moving around excitedly just as he had expected from the noise. Most were moving boxes to openings along the sides of the vessel, and, as his eyes adjusted to the sun's brightness, he found that they were quickly installing a dozen culverin.

He also noticed his brother and Janus at the aft of the ship along with Captain Dernick. Simon strode over to join them immediately. The loud snapping flutter of the sails above his head distracted him long enough for him to notice that the Patar was at full sail. It was the quickest that the captain had let her run all trip.

"So what's all the excitement about?" he questioned upon nearing the group at the stern of the ship.

Gerid pointed towards the horizon. A small, black set of sails was just barely visible to his eyes. "Pirates," the younger man explained his face's worry to his brother.

The captain nodded at Simon's questioning glance. "A little over a half an hour ago you could scarcely see them with the telescope. If they keep gaining on us like this, they'll catch us late in the afternoon."
"We can't outrun them?"
Dernick shook his head worriedly. "Not unless

they decide to give up. The Patar is the quickest ship in the Harken fleet. I haven't seen many vessels in my travels that can outrun her, but we carry cargo and theirs doesn't. The pirate ship also has ten oars to drive her on either side. They're all in use and whoever's doing the pulling is incredibly strong. Unless they can't hold their pace for long, that ship will overtake us and they're a lot larger than us. I'd hazard a guess that the ship has at least seventy men."

"Isn't there anything that we can do? Dump the cargo or something?"
"It wouldn't be enough to pull away from them. No, we need to pray that they tire from chasing us. They are going to be hard pressed to catch us even so after all, and pirates avoid trying to attack in the dark. It's just too dangerous. We can only hope that we get lucky."
Simon looked back at the black sails behind them and could have sworn that they were already larger to his eye and closer. He chided himself for allowing panic to color his thoughts and override his senses. The clatter of the sailors installing the cannon inspired a question. "If they're too fast and powerful, why are you setting up your weapons?"
"We may still be able to use them to save ourselves, so we're getting the Patar prepared for battle just in case. If their hull is soft looking or worn, I might risk battle in the hopes of damaging her enough to slow her down. Besides, it gives the crew something else to think about and they know that I don't just plan on rolling over and playing dead for the bastards."
Simon fully understood the need for hope, and moved away.
The sun had passed its zenith above them a few hours later. The crew and passengers had already taken their lunch, while the opportunity was still there. Simon was rereading the same passage of his current book for the hundredth time in a vain attempt to remove his mind from the dark ship still closing on them, when a cry from the crow's nest above startled him totally alert.
"Pirates to starboard!" the man cried out the alarm.
Simon jumped up to look. He noticed Dernick moving to the starboard side of the ship with his telescope. "Where?" he shouted demandingly.
"Three o'clock and one o'clock, sir!"
The captain turned the telescope towards the direction mentioned, forward and slightly away from the bow. "Damn!" he cursed as he found two more ships of galleon size moving towards the Patar from the northeast.
"How could they have gotten so far ahead of us, Captain Dernick?" Gerid voiced the question that his brother had been asking of himself.
The captain lowered the spyglass wearily. Turning slowly back to face Gerid's question, with a look of dread in his eyes, Simon thought the man looked to have aged decades in that one instant. "Carnal gulls or maybe it was all just a trap?"
"What are carnal gulls?"
The man nodded to himself as if deciding, without seeming to hear Gerid's question. "It would almost have to be carnal gulls, I think," he mumbled to himself as much as to anyone listening. Captain Madron looked at Gerid then, "They are birds that have extremely good senses and for some reason they are able to find their mates up to about a twenty or thirty mile radius. Some shipping companies use them to send messages and they're also perfect for finding ships lost after a storm as well.
"These pirates must use them to coordinate fleets to trap a fleeing ship. That's the only way that they could possibly be ahead of us and trying to line up to cut us off."
"There's still a lot of water between us," Simon interjected. "Can't you try and dodge away from them?"
"I doubt it. It's not as easy as a child's game of tag. If we lose our wind changing directions, then the ship behind us still has its oars to close in and close the gap. The ships ahead of us are tacking into the wind already and that distance that you mentioned makes it that much easier to cut off our angle in any of our best possible paths."
"Captain, surely there is something that you can do?"
"We'll do what we can, Aramathea, but, if I were you, I would prepare for the worst. I'm not giving up yet mind you, but you might as well look at the possibility."
The ships continued their dangerous game of cat and mouse. Simon had little that he could do aside from waiting. He watched helplessly as the sailors of the Patar worked their magic as best they could. Captain Dernick would shout orders to take advantage of every wind and adjustment of their enemy while the crew immediately jumped to implement the orders. It resulted in several different course changes. It often took several minutes for the less maneuverable pirate ships to react and compensate. After a time, Simon and the others could tell that, despite the captain's best tricks, the Patar would be unable to escape from this trap.
Their pursuer from behind had men in the sails and their boarding parties were ready now that there was only a few more boat lengths between them and their quarry. The two others were closing quickly on them from ahead as well. Simon could tell that short of driving through them, the Patar had lost her options of escape.
He glanced at his brother fingering the hilt of his sword. Simon strode over to the young men and shook his head. "Gerid, don't do anything foolish. There is no way that we can defeat so many. Even if you were strong enough to do so, the rest of us would most assuredly be dead. Besides, the captain believes that they are only interested in what we carry. None of it is worth fighting over, let alone dying for, boy."
Gerid nodded, "I know, but I just hate to see them get away with this so easily. Maybe if I challenged their best to a duel?"
Laying a hand on his shoulder, Simon looked up into his brother's eyes. "Unlike Merrick's soldiers, these men don't play at this game. I sincerely doubt they would be willing to give up their prey, especially when they know that we can't possibly resist them. They've won. Besides, I doubt that they would even keep their word. They are thieving pirates after all."
"Yeah, but still...."
"No, you follow the captain's lead and keep quiet. If we stay out of the way, maybe they'll just steal the cargo and leave us alone."
Then they heard the cry from their pursuer to furl their sails and prepare for boarding. Using hooks and rope, the pirates swiftly drew the two craft side by side. They were sending their men across to the Patar well before the other two warships even arrived.
A sharply dressed pirate crossed over shortly. With glossy, black hair and a curled mustache slick with wax beneath a dashing, red, feathered hat and clothes of similar quality, Simon watched the man strut confidently onto the Patar's deck. "I am Pirate Captain Seymon. You are all my prisoners. This ship and all upon it are now mine to do with as I see fit."
"You can't take this ship! It isn't mine to lose," Captain Madron declared. "Take the cargo, but, please, allow us to finish our voyage and return home. Others await our arrival."
Captain Seymon sneered. As he strode over to Dernick, the pirate drew his sword and pointed it at the man's heart. "I don't believe that I gave you a choice in the matter. What is your name?"
"Captain Dernick Madron."
"Well, Captain Madron, I don't believe that I gave you permission to speak. Did I?"
Dernick shook his head slowly saying nothing this time.
"Now that I have your attention, let me tell you a secret about what it is that I do. I, sir, am a pirate. A good one, too, I assure you. The reason that I am a captain is because my men respect me and they learned to respect me because I demand a job to be carried out fully when I give it. Failure to do so results in penalties.
"Now you, captain, are unable to decide the fate of anything or anyone. Why? Because I have removed you from your power. In fact, you can now consider yourself property for I always sell the men that we capture as slaves to the markets in the Taltan kingdoms. So don't presume that I will now change my mind for you, Dernick Madron."
"But these men don't deserve that!" Dernick protested uselessly.
The sword in Seymon's hand flashed upward in an arc. A spray of red mist flew from a gash in Dernick's throat. The man reached for his neck to try and staunch the rapid loss of blood from the wound. Dernick fell to his knees gagging on his own blood as it bled into his throat and lungs. "I warned you not to speak or try to change my mind, Dernick. I am afraid a second warning wasn't in your future. Now I give you permission to die. Don't disappoint me by not obeying my order this time." The pirate laughed mirthlessly at his morbid joke.
Simon laid a restraining hand on Gerid's wrist as he felt his brother stiffen in anger. He hated to give in to slavery, but better to be a slave with the hope of someday escaping, than to be left dead in a pool of one's own blood.
Captain Seymon cleaned his sword on Dernick's back and returned it to its sheath. "Crew of the Patar, you are hereby relieved of your duties. All right, men, shackle the sheep and put them in the hold."
As Simon felt the cold metal of the shackles and heard the click as they locked into place, his head fell forward in despair. Gerid was shackled in front of him next. When they were led across to the pirate ship, he noticed his brother almost doubled over with the realization of what his earlier actions had now brought them all to and that was slavery.