Orbs of Wisdom, page 2
Dayum’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll address my daughter as Captain Rivlen, boy, and I suggest you turn your lust toward the serving wenches, before you irk the wrong person and find yourself deader than my prize fish.”
Dayum stepped back into the foyer, and the door thumped shut.
Jak slumped in defeat.
Malek pointed toward the courtyard exit. “I’ve received a report that the gateship will be ready to depart shortly.”
“That didn’t go as well as I’d hoped,” Jak admitted, falling in beside Malek and making sure Shikari came along.
“Since you are not known to the admiral, and you haven’t a reputation that precedes you, it’s unlikely your praise of his daughter will have meant much.”
“Yeah,” Jak said glumly. “I wish you had praised her.”
Admittedly, the retired admiral hadn’t seemed dazzled by Malek’s deadly zidarr-ness either. During his years of service, he’d likely worked with numerous zidarr.
“He did not ask for my opinion. It would also be difficult for me to offer glowing praise right now, given that Rivlen hasn’t served Uthari with her entire heart and soul.” Malek slanted Jak a long look.
Jak had a feeling Uthari had found out that Rivlen hadn’t done all she could to keep Jak from building the kerzor and sticking it in Tonovan’s head. And that he’d told Malek all about it.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, my lord,” Jak said circumspectly, “but you seem to have made some choices lately that would suggest you’re not heart-and-soul Uthari’s loyal zidarr anymore either, at least when it comes to certain professors.”
Given that the Zidarr Code forbade relationships, Jak had been surprised to realize his mother and Malek were spending time together as more than friends.
Malek appeared more morose than offended by the statement. “I would not give myself glowing praise now either.”
Jak? his mother’s voice sounded in his head. The gateship is ready to go.
I know. We’re coming.
He quickened his pace. With his mother’s health on the line, and the future of humanity at risk, they dared not delay.
Between the portal standing upright and lashed to the narrow deck and Jak’s increasingly large dragon sprawled in front of it, Malek marveled that the gateship hadn’t tipped over and plummeted to the ground far below. Neither dragon nor portal weighed a great deal, but having the ancient artifact that the ship was meant to fly through balanced on top of it was asking for trouble.
If they ran into any storms, Malek would have to use magic to protect the vessel and its load from the wind. How the gateship would navigate underwater, he didn’t yet know, but Lieutenant Vinjo had been banging and clinking at the portholes and spreading what smelled like pine pitch over the seams since well before dawn.
You are prepared to leave? Uthari asked from the deck of the Soaring Eagle, one of twelve mageships being readied for their own journey.
A full day and night had passed since Captain Rivlen’s report about the fortress. The lack of updates since then suggested the Star Flyer and the two mageships that had flown south with it had been destroyed. Either there had been no survivors, or the dome-jirs had been too damaged for communication. Both scenarios were grim, and Malek felt like he was shirking a duty by not going with the fleet to face the dragons and their new fortress. But he had another assignment.
I am, Your Majesty. Are you certain you don’t wish to accompany us? Malek gestured to the deck of the long, narrow vessel, though he expected Uthari to reject the offer. Uthari wouldn’t find Shikari an appealing shipmate, and Malek couldn’t imagine his liege riding on something so pedestrian and lacking in comforts. He was surprised Uthari wasn’t taking his yacht this time, though it was possible he didn’t want it damaged—or destroyed—by dragons. If Jadora is successful in finding a way to get rid of the parasites in your bodies, she would be able to deliver the treatment much more quickly if you were with us.
Thus far, neither Uthari nor Jadora appeared changed by their microscopic invaders. The parasites were, Malek reminded himself, a different species from the bacteria he’d been infested with on Nargnoth, but the similarities were enough to prompt him to make comparisons. When he’d been exposed, less than a day had passed before he’d started losing his composure.
I am aware, but with Tonovan gone, I must lead the fleet myself. Even across the distance between the two ships, it was impossible to miss the coolness in Uthari’s gaze. Watch your back on this mission, Malek. You may believe those two care for you, but you travel with vipers.
Malek didn’t argue, but he knew he had nothing to fear from Jak or Jadora. He’d seen their thoughts before they’d developed the ability to hide them, and they hadn’t changed as much as one might have expected from people quickly developing great power.
Jak’s actions had been predictable. Had Malek been with him on the Star Flyer, he believed he would have anticipated the creation of the kerzor and stopped it. It was hard, however, for Malek to mourn Tonovan’s passing. His only regret about not being there to stop Jak was that Jak was now in trouble with Uthari. Malek might have invited Uthari to come along with them, but he was relieved his king wouldn’t, else he might have sought another way to ensure control over Jak. Since his plan to infect Shikari with that parasite had failed…
I know you believe you have their loyalty, Malek, Uthari continued when he didn’t answer, but people change once they develop power, and you haven’t truly known them that long. As I said, watch your back.
I will, Your Majesty.
And rest assured that I would not be upset if that engineer does not return. Uthari curled a lip at Vinjo’s back.
Vinjo was hanging from scaffolding on the hull of the gateship while he applied what Malek dearly hoped was something more effective than pitch. There was some magic about the dark substance but not enough that he was confident in its ability to repel thousands of pounds of pressure of water.
I am certain you can navigate that craft without him, Uthari added.
I am not certain I could navigate it underwater without him, Malek said dryly.
You underestimate yourself.
Malek inclined his head politely, though, in this instance, he didn’t agree. The dragon-steel weapons and the portal had been sharing visions, but he didn’t know what exactly awaited them on the water world. All he knew was that they’d yet to go through the portal without encountering dangerous enemies, and he expected nothing less this time. It would be better to leave navigating the ship to someone else so he could focus on defense.
The hatch creaked open, and Lieutenant Sasko climbed out. She glanced at Malek before heading to the railing, probably guided to the correct spot by her sense of smell. Pitch was pungent.
Wrinkling her nose, she leaned over to address Vinjo. “Are you ready to go? Professor Freedar is antsy to depart.”
Shikari roared, though he appeared to be directing the noise at a flapping flag on another ship rather than the mercenary.
“And so is Jak’s dragon,” Sasko added.
Vinjo peered up, spatters of pitch making his hair stick together in clumps, and waved a brush. A hint of magic in his bucket kept the pitch from hardening while he worked. “Yes. I can complete my enhancements along the way.”
“Are you sure enhancements is the right word for smearing black gunk on the side of the ship?”
“If the desired result is a waterproof craft, certainly.”
“It was more aesthetically pleasing before.”
“Also more pleasing to water molecules seeking entrance. Will you help me up, good Lieutenant?” Vinjo smiled at her.
Not certain how a terrene human was supposed to help up someone she couldn’t reach, Malek used his power to levitate the engineer onto the deck. “Go directly to navigation without flirting, and launch the craft.”
Vinjo gaped at him. “I wasn’t flirting, Lord Zidarr.”
“I require that he wash his hair before he flirts with me,” Sasko said. With typical mercenary irreverence, she didn’t add an honorific.
Malek thought about correcting her, especially since Uthari was still watching, but instead used his magic to usher them both toward the hatch. No doubt Jadora would call him pompous for insisting people call him lord. Perhaps the idea should have made him aware of how much he’d changed for her, but he only smiled. For some people, it was worth changing a little.
After Vinjo and Sasko disappeared below, the hatch clanging shut behind them, Malek caught Uthari’s frown and wiped the smile from his face.
Is there anything else, Your Majesty? Malek asked preemptively.
We will keep in touch via the dome-jir. Uthari squinted. I understand that craft has one now.
Oh? Malek couldn’t sense one.
Check the drawers. The officers on board that Rivlen sent along weren’t as powerful as I would have wished—or that I requested she send to guard the boy—but they’re not entirely incapable. One reported that the engineer made a dome-jir. They’ve confiscated it from him twice now, but he keeps getting it back and hiding it in niches camouflaged by magic. Find it and take control of it so he can’t report to his king or any of Zaruk’s fleet.
I will do that immediately.
Punish him if he attempts to betray us in any way.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Malek didn’t point out that Vinjo was their prisoner, whom they’d captured and forced to work for them, so it would have been understandable if he had attempted to report in to his superiors. If anything, Vinjo was betraying his people by working for Uthari. But Malek doubted his liege wanted to listen to such semantics now.
As the gateship glided away from the docks, some of the mageships were also departing. Malek had hoped for a head start, wanting to complete his mission on the other world and return in time to help Uthari battle the dragons at their fortress.
Once you’ve visited those orbs and learned how to destroy the parasite, Uthari said, continue south to join us in the Glacier Islands. I suspect the dragons have been preparing for us and that we’ll need all the help we can get. It’s unfortunate that so few of the other kings have answered my summons and agreed to send ships to join us. As we travel, I’ll try again to gather allies for this. The other rulers are shortsighted if they don’t realize the threat this fortress represents and that we must address it instead of waiting for the dragons to finish what they plan and come to destroy us.
Yes, Your Majesty. Malek politely did not point out that Uthari might have had more luck making alliances if he hadn’t ordered Tonovan to kill King Temrok. Surely, the rest of the rulers were wary of him now. It wouldn’t surprise Malek to learn that the other rulers were now planning how they would take over the Uth Kingdom if Uthari and his fleet fell in battle.
Malek lifted his head. He would do his best to make sure that did not happen.
To aid you in your journey, Uthari said, there’s a gift I recently acquired in your cabin. I have the matching one. With Thanok’s luck, they’ll help us achieve victory.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Uthari dismissed him, and Malek, curious about the gift, went below.
Lying on the bunk in his cabin was a beautiful dragon-steel longsword, a weapon similar in length and heft to the lesser-dragon-steel blade he’d carried for years.
Malek wrapped his hand around the hilt, testing it with a few swipes, and was about to thank Uthari when he noticed the sigil of Darekarin, King Darekar’s kingdom, fused in silver onto the dragon steel. Malek recalled that the king had wielded twin dragon-steel longswords when he had, in his younger days, led his fleets into battle.
Without a doubt, he knew his gift had been stolen. There was no way a king would trade away such a rare and valuable weapon.
Malek wanted to believe that Uthari had a grand plan and knew what he was doing, but he worried his king was making enemies in a time when they badly needed allies.
2
Tezi woke to her head throbbing and sand plastering the side of her face and even her tongue. When she blinked open her eyes, she found it also crusting her lashes and lodged in her nostrils. She gulped in air to blow the gritty stuff out of her nose and dragged a damp sleeve over her eyes, but her clothing was as sandy as everything else, and all she did was irritate them. Worse, the movement broke open a scab that had formed—how long had she been unconscious?—and warm blood trickled from her hairline.
Damp and sore, Tezi winced at something jabbing her in the hip. She lifted her head to peer blearily around, squinting at the light as pain reverberated inside her skull. Afternoon sun gleamed in the sky above the beach, but she shivered. It wasn’t a warm sun, not like in the jungles of Zewnath or the hot desert of Zar.
Her neck protested as she turned her head, looking up and down the beach for people. She couldn’t have been the only survivor of the wreck.
The last thing she remembered was being on the deck of the Star Flyer and using her axe to protect the other mercenaries from mental attacks from dragons before they destroyed the ship, and it crashed into the sea.
“The axe!” she blurted, patting around, terrified she’d lost it and that it was forever gone, sunken to the bottom of the sea.
But it was embedded in the sand under her. The haft was what had been jabbing her in the hip.
Relieved, she pulled the axe out and brushed off the sand, amazed that she’d managed to keep hold of it when she’d been unconscious in the water.
As she cleaned it off, the double-headed blade flashed blue. Maybe it had helped her keep it in her grip. The semi-sentient weapon probably hadn’t wanted to be lost to the sea any more than she had.
Using it for support, Tezi pushed herself to her feet. Blackness encroached on her vision, and she wobbled. As she took steadying breaths, struggling for her equilibrium, she peered out to the sea, searching for sign of the wrecked ships and her Thorn Company colleagues.
She was in a cove and couldn’t see far to the east and west, but the utter lack of life or even wreckage from the ships worried her. Was it possible everyone had died far out at sea and the axe had somehow saved her?
It flashed blue again. A yes? She envisioned herself in the water, one hand around the haft as it used its magic to pull her through the waves to shore.
“There you are,” came an exasperated call from the trees above the beach.
Recognizing the voice, Tezi spun with relief.
Captain Rivlen, her usually impeccable uniform grimy with rips and stains, and her boots laced with seaweed, stepped out of the trees. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, but it was a sloppy one, especially compared to her typical style, with sand and pieces of grass lacing the dark strands.
“Captain Rivlen,” Tezi called, her voice raspy, sand still coating her tongue. She spat to force it out, but her mouth was so dry that she didn’t succeed. “Has Thorn Company made it? Where is everyone?”
“Some are in the next cove over.” Rivlen pointed to the east. “We haven’t accounted for everyone yet. All three ships were completely destroyed. I’m sorry, but it’s likely not all of your people made it. Not all of mine did.”
Tezi didn’t think Rivlen had as close a relationship to her own officers as Tezi did to Thorn Company, but she nodded in sympathy. It was hard losing anyone, and Rivlen had been the ship’s commander, so she would feel responsible.
“How did you find me?” Tezi wondered as she shambled up the beach.
Rivlen waved at her axe.
Of course. As a mage, she was able to sense dragon steel.
“I almost didn’t,” Rivlen said. “I don’t know how you ended up miles from the rest of us.”
“I think the axe helped me. I was knocked out.” Tezi probed a gash above her temple as she eyed the sky. The battle had been before midnight the night before, so she’d been unconscious for a long time.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Come on. We need that axe.”
Tezi wobbled and must have looked too bedraggled to walk on her own, for Rivlen reached out an arm to offer support.
“Sorry,” Rivlen said, “I’m a lousy healer, but a couple of the officers who made it are decent. They’ll fix you up when we get over there.”
“It’s all right.” Tezi willed strength into her knees, but she did accept the help and leaned on Rivlen as they headed toward the trees. Not surprisingly, she didn’t see anything resembling a path and wondered if it would be easier to walk on the beach, but the sand ended on the way out to a rocky point, and the jumbled and jagged boulders didn’t appear accommodating. “Thanks for coming for me, ma’am. I’ll pretend it’s because you would be crushed if I were lost, not because you need my axe.”
“The axe led me to you, but I’m collecting all the people who were shipwrecked on the beach. It’s my duty as the captain.”
“So you would be crushed.” Tezi managed a smile, though everything hurt and her lips were cracked and dry, so it was hard to maintain.
“Yes, my life would lose all meaning without you in it.” The words were dry and sarcastic, but Rivlen thumped her on the back as they walked. “I’m hoping that axe will make cutting down trees feasible. We need to build at least one mageship, even if it’s as crude as that druid raft was. It’ll be hard though. Very little has washed up on the beach and nothing as handy as toolboxes. We’re using our magic to knock over trees for wood, but few of us are proving as handy as that engineer. Too bad I had to send him back to Uth.”
Tezi could well imagine the overpowered mages heaving over trees, roots and all, with their magic and then staring in confusion at them as they tried to figure out how to craft them into a ship. The engineers like Vinjo were adept at using their magic to build, but most of Rivlen’s officers had been chosen for their ability to throw fireballs at enemies rather than because they had useful survival skills.
