Part Fifty-Four
Laurel shook the bones in her hands and then tossed them to the cloth spread over the decking. She gazed down to the cloth and noted the position of the various bones and their relations to each other.
"Well, what do the bones say?" Duma demanded.
Laurel made no answer.
"You have to ask her more politely than that," Kato told Duma. "Do you want to be turned into something unnatural?"
"She could not do that really...could she?"
Kato made a knowing expression and Duma could not tell whether the Halfling was pretending to know Laurel had the power, actually knew, or just pretended.
"Do you need another reading?" Fei asked quietly.
"I see...some things, but I do not wish to say, because I am not sure how to interpret this. I will do another reading to clarify the issue. Laurel took another small pouch from her basket. She shifted her position and drew another square of cloth from this pouch. The cloth was spread before her, near the first. Laurel then poured a collection of polished and engraved stones into one hand, from the pouch.
Laurel shook the stones in her hands and then dropped them onto the vacant cloth. She stared at the stones intently.
"What are these?" Duma whispered. "Quartz?"
"Rune stones from Master Novern's shop. I have been practicing with them. They work very much like the bones."
"I heard of a Witch that could read entrails," Kato whispered.
"I met an Orc who claimed to read fortunes in entrails," Duma said. "It was years ago. He is dead. I am really quite old for an Orc. We most often die in battle."
"It is a most unfortunate time for you to have a life crisis," Beryl said. "Have no fear of dying. Believe me, nine may seem old for an Orc when a war is recent in history, but they can be very long-lived. We all seek a peaceful resolution to the mysteries and queries we have encountered."
Duma shivered, though he did not feel very cold. He was feeling often on edge, as if a Pit Demon was always just behind. He could only assume it was his fear of unknown things to come across the river. "Maybe you could do a reading for me," Duma whispered, voice wavering.
Beryl reached toward Duma and combed his fingers through his hair. It calmed Duma only a little. It also made him embarrassed that others could see how disturbed he was...how weak. He shrugged and Beryl with drew his hand. "You do not have to become an enemy to any of us, Duma," Beryl said. "Somehow, the matter will be worked out."
"Smith will do as he says. We will not like the price he asks, but it seems once the price is paid he will do right in protecting and honoring us while we are aboard his ship. Murphy will possibly offer passage free of charge, but there will be trouble on the ship. Murphy will put his own ship and crew before us.
"Which is lesser of two evils?" Kato asked, "Paying the price we do not wish to pay, or risking trouble during the journey?"
"I do not like The Smith," Duma confessed.
"Kato and I should meet him," Beryl said. "I do not believe your story. He likely used the same tricks stage magicians or confidence men might. He likely did not know anything about you until you reacted."
"I trust that you may be correct, Beryl," Laurel said, "but he must be well informed about certain things to make such guesses to begin. He must know much of Orcs and of Dale's activity in the war."
"I said that one fought for the other side. If he worked for the minions of the Dark Lord east of the river, then it is quite likely he knows there is a mad red-haired Elf that all Orcs fear to face. Guessing that that particular Elf would be Duma's father was just lucky. It only shows he has some understanding of Orc breeding. Duma does not look Westerner, and if some Northern Orc had simply had his way with an Elf-maid, not only is the chance she would have carried the child to birth slim, but it is entirely improbably the child would be male. You do look different than other Orcs, Duma."
"But...that would mean...many former servants of the Dark One may know...they know about the females and males!"
"We must not assure Smith of this. Perhaps he only guesses, but he must have at least a suspicion that something changed among the Orcs. We do not know the precise date when the former White began his experiments. We do know that there was some contact between the Orcs of the east and west during the war. There could be male and female Orcs older than just two years old. There could be some as old as Duma. Why...it could even be true that some Orc studied you closely and happened to tell the Wizard about the one that was halfelven..."
"No. I do not wish to believe that," Duma said. "It could have happened some other way. I was taken by Nimrod soon after being brought into the mines and always covered afterward."
"That leaves Orcs who saw you in the wild to go to the Wizard," Kato pointed out, "but Duma may also be correct. It did not have to be him. The Wizard may have come upon the logic of spilling manseed with that of his Orcs to make a new breed in some other way."
"Perhaps we risk going with Murphy. It seems that this Smith will be honest after a fashion, but he will likely make every attempt he can to gain information from us, if we are on his ship. We do have secrets. Laurel, do you see a very terrible risk with Murphy? We all know how to defend ourselves, and though crossing the river without a ship is inadvisable, it is not impossible. If we only get part of the way across, the horses might be made to swim the rest of the way. We will likely come to land further downriver than we would plan, but it could be done with lives intact."
"Not impossible, but very difficult, is that not so?" Fei asked.
Beryl gave a nod. "Without a ship it would be very difficult. The current is not very fast, but the river is deep and wide enough to tire person or animal to exhaustion before they can make it in a swim. It can be done. It requires floating aids. Things that do not sink in water, even with your weight upon them."
"Could we not just go with Smith and not risk trouble?" Kato asked.
"We can vote," Laurel said. "I am sorry I cannot be more specific."
"Let us go down and find the others. We should also contact each crew again and ask when they plan to leave the harbor." Just as Beryl spoke, Tsuki came up the ladder to meet them.
"I think we should go with Murphy," he said, "We have met his First Mate and aided her in battle against some rouge Orcs and I think she may aid us in convincing him to take us as passengers. Also, she told us of the Smith, and I do not trust his background."
Kato explained to Tsuki how Laurel had done readings on the matter and how she had interpreted the meaning for them.
"I think it advisable to go with Murphy, and then to simply be prepared for any trouble," Tsuki said.
The others followed Tsuki down from the lookout and then found Dale with the other three Elves and all their horses. The vote was made official and then Tsuki and Kato went together to seek out Sati and her Captain.
The negotiations were short, and Murphy agreed to carry them for a modest fee, which he said would go toward keeping his crew fed and fairly paid for their time. He had been planning to stay at the harbor another day to take on a particular cargo, but he thought his ship could make it there and back again in time to meet those bringing the cargo.
Arrangements were made in little time. Murphy's crew took on supplies for the crossing and then their cargo of horses, gear and passengers were brought on board.
It was nearly dawn when they left, and foggy again. Under Tsuki's supervision, waterskins had been all but emptied, all their luggage had been made more secure by addition of ropes, canvas and oilcloth and the horses had been kept saddled, but free of their packs. Any layers of clothing and any weapons they did not absolutely need had been packed away, to make their bodies as free of metals and loose fabric as possible.
If the crew noticed any distrust in their appearance they made no comment. They were from lands in the south where it was warm at this time of year and sometimes donned long jackets against the cold or rain, but preferred to keep warm by continuously working when aboard their ship.
Beryl stayed below with the horses, but the others remained on the deck, carefully staying clear of the crew and the intricate network of rigging, masts and sails that caught the wind to propel the Nebuchadnezzar. Nervously, Lenaduiniel tried to keep track of how far they had traveled, but even her sight failed in the fog and she could not often determine whether they were nearer the east bank or the west. "One eight of the way perhaps, she would guess. One quarter, one third, one half.
When they supposed they might have come half way the winter sun began to burn away the fog and there was a panic from the bow, where Sati stood beside a man who held a spying glass.
Tsuki had packed away his spying glass as a precaution, and so he could not look, but the Elves soon said they could see a ship following. And then, they saw it closing on their position.
"The Smith!" some of the crew said.
The Wizard ship, propelled by its large water wheel and belching smoke and vapor into the air, continued to close in on them. It became clear that there was a rivalry between the two crews.
"I think, maybe, I see the mountains and some evergreens, or my desire clouds my sight," Lenaduiniel said. "We must have come more than halfway across. Perhaps it is two-thirds..."
"Marduk is on that ship," Dale said.
"I see only the ship," Galadhiel disagreed.
"I do not fear the ship, but I have such a sense of dread, I wager my life Marduk is aboard and that he has used his time since our last meeting to increase his Clan with rouges that have not yet found their way to the mines."
"This is my fault," Laurel said sadly. "The future was difficult to see because it always depended on our choice! If I had not told you of my reading, then we might have taken Smith's ship, and Murphy would not have agreed to take Orcs aboard!"
"And that choice would have cost us in some other way," Tsuki said firmly. "We made our choice and it is now irrelevant why we made that choice. All we can do is continue on this path until a new set of options presents itself. And then we can choose what seems the lesser of two evils, if there is no good choice available."
"To the pit with that shite, I'm about sick of all the voting and bad options! There's got to be some good way out of all this! I don't want Marduk chasing me around for the rest of my life and endangering everyone I come close to!"
"You could just kill him," Kato said dryly.
"Will they attack?" Duma asked, "Or simply beat us to the east bank and confront us there?"
Dale growled. "I can tell you what will happen. Marduk will plot to meet us at the other side, but some rouge he's only recently Mastered will panic and fire upon us and then the battle will already be started."
"No gift for prophesy, but I am afraid Dale does understand Orcs very well, and the rouge we encountered last night had some curious fear of things east of the river."
"Which means there is something more frightening than me there."
"Which means, Marduk will not be able to control all his Orcs easily," Duma said, "Whether they fire upon us now or not, things will not go well across the river. Not all Orcs are spawned equal."
"You say that you do not care if certain Orcs die?" Kato asked.
"I am saying that to survive in this world and time without Masters Orcs must be more than they were in the past. I have said as much before. I see it now. Those who cannot change will die, whether I wish it or not."
"I should like to prevent them taking many others with them," Laurel said, sounding stronger, perhaps over her guilt or sadness, or perhaps repressing it. "I did not pack away all my weapons."
"No!" Tsuki told her. "If you cast now they will certainly panic and fire. Let them make the first move."
"I am tired of letting them make the first move," Laurel whispered.
"If you want to make an attack against the Orcs and wipe them out once and for all to prevent your people loosing anything more to them, then you may as well ask Duma to slay me now!"
"Dale!" Duma cried, desperately. He knew that if Dale was one of those who wanted to fight the Orcs, that he must confront him, but he never really believed that he had the ability to kill Dale.
It still troubled Dale greatly that he had a child, but he knew that he did not wish to fight Duma. He could not fight him. If Duma was convinced to fight, he would win without contest. It would be a shallow victory and he would be slaying his father, but that was how it would be if Duma were convinced Dale was his enemy.
The predicted arrow came, fired by a panicked rouge Orc who believed his new Chieftain would not stay long in the east if he killed their enemies now. Lenaduiniel had been watching carefully and called out, "Arrow!"
Dale turned and saw the arrow coming right for him. Duma did not look, but moved. He threw his weight toward Dale to push him to the deck. By chance, Duma put himself in the arrow's path in protecting Dale. The arrow stuck him below the arm, where his armor did not cover. Duma felt the sting as he was ducking in attempt to find cover.
Dale caught Duma as his knees crashed to the planks below them. "Do not fire back!" Dale shouted to the others. If there was yet any way to prevent them from entering another battle, he would take it.
"It is shallow," Duma said. "The arrow traveled over long distance. I think it would have struck you in the eye. Dale, you meant to just let me kill you? What manner is that for a Chieftain to behave, wishing for death?"
"Shut your mouth! Take this armor off. Let me see the wound."
"I told you. It is not bad." Duma wrenched the arrowhead from his breast. Blood flowed down the side of his armor.
"Fool!" Dale hissed. He picked at the hooks and laces on Duma's clothing.
Around them burning arrows were raining down from the Wizard ship. Sati was ordering the crew to save the sails and then to return fire. The ship lurched as Captain Murphy turned the wheel to shift the rudder and turn them away from the attack.
"Duma, you fool. It's an Orc arrow. You've been poisoned!"
"No. Truly. I am well. Orcs are resistant to most poison."
"Duma." Dale got the armor off and saw Duma's shirt soaked with blood.
"He is turning the ship around!" Kato called down to Beryl.
"I need someone to help me set the ramp in place!" Beryl called from below.
Kato ran to Gwindor and called up to the Elf. "Beryl needs help and I am not big enough to set the top of the ramp in place.
"I will go," Gwindor said. "Leaf, watch this one!"
"You stay right beside me," Galadhiel said to the Halfling. "Half our bows were stored away, but we can help by aiding the crew in carrying water to put out the flames."
"The Captain is turning the ship! He will take us back the other way!"
"What would you have us do, Kato? That Wizard ship can turn circles about us in this sail ship. We cannot expect Murphy and his crew to face an enemy that outclasses them. They have no choice but to run."
"But..."
"Until there is one who can match, copy, or surpass such Wizardry, other captains will only be able to die or run. It may seem unfair, but it is the way the world works. We have a mission of our own that cannot be ignored, do we not?"
"Yes," Kato replied. "We are going to have to abandon the ship, is that right?"
"It is the best thing we can do for the crew," Galadhiel said as she emptied her bucket onto a flaming coil of rope.
The horses were then free and being urged up onto the deck. The flames were being fought, yet more arrows came. Some of the crew had taken injuries. Still Duma lay on the deck. Dale had attempted to suck further blood from the wound to withdraw the poison and his face was black with blood. The wound was not quite as shallow as Duma claimed and had come dangerously close to pressing between two ribs to find Duma's heart.
Dale kept Duma lying on his side and pressed the remainder of his shirt to the wound to staunch the bleeding. Tsuki came to Dale's side in a stooped walk. "How is he? We must abandon the ship."
Dale looked up, through the fire, fog, and rain of arrows. The horses beat the decking with their hooves and shrieked at the flames. The crew was desperately battling to keep enough sail intact to speed their ship.
"Dale, do you want me to take him? Quickly, wrap the wound. We must go." Tsuki gave to Dale a wad of bandaging cloth
"I will carry him," Dale said as he bound Duma's chest, covering the wound.
"Hurry, Dale. I will cover you if I can. We can jump more safely from the port side." Tsuki saw Dale's blank expression and continued, "That is left when facing the front of the ship."
Beryl was already using ever bit of control he had over the horses to force them to jump from the ship to the water. Kato was clinging to Galadhiel's back. They saw Laurel jump from the rail. Sati was there, looking at their retreat desperately and not knowing what to say.
"Do not feel you have betrayed us," Tsuki said when he came to her. "Your Captain made the choice that was best for his ship. Do not worry for us. I believe we can all make it safely to the east bank.
"Dale, I cannot control Nightmare!" Beryl called.
Dale went to the rearing horse and whispered to him. "You must be calm, Friend. There is no Dark Lord there now. There are no more whips for you. No war wagons. You will go with me."
"Secure that rigging!" Murphy shouted.
"Dale!" Sati called. She ran to swing the boom back into place, but even as she ran, the boom swung toward Dale and struck the back of his head. Dale swayed, grabbed a handful of Nightmare's mane, and then the horse leapt forward to avoid the boom. Tsuki saw Dale stagger at Nightmare's side, Duma's weight shifting his natural balance. He moved to catch Dale, but an arrow struck him in the arm. Dale fell over the side, taking Duma with him, and then Nightmare leapt after them.
It was all those below could do to swim from Nightmare's path.
Tsuki shook himself and found Beryl's hand on him. "You cannot save them now."
Tsuki glared, pushed Beryl's hand from him and ran as fast as he could for the bow of the ship. His feet barely touched every other step, and then Tsuki was up upon the railing. He dove into the water. When he came up, he could see Dale's red hair, darkened by the water, just out of reach. He could not see Duma. Tsuki could hear Nightmare whinnying nearby.
Dale woke, coughed water from his lungs and chest, and opened his eyes. He saw Tsuki trying to reach him. If he tried, he might swim against the current and reach him, but Dale knew Duma was in the water. He turned from Tsuki to look for him.
"Dale!" Tsuki called.
"Tsuki!"
"Dale! I cannot reach you if you do not try to move against the current!"
"I see him! Duma is there! He can't swim back on his own! Go back, Tsuki! I have to try to get him!"
Tsuki continued kicking and paddling against the water, trying to reach Dale, but Dale was swimming away from him. "Please, Dale!"
Duma was already shot, poisoned, and half-drown, but Dale could not just abandon him, even if he only brought a corpse back. He just would not feel right if he did not try to save him. Duma had taken the arrow for him. He shook his head, hoping to clear his vision. He knew he was not well himself, but Duma was out there in worse condition.
Tsuki could try to go after the one he loved, or he could go back and try to help his other companions. Or, perhaps there was another choice. Tsuki saw Nightmare swept past him as he trod water. He saw the trickle of blood from his arm melding with the river water.
Tsuki held his injured left arm near his body and snapped the arrow end of the shaft where it had pushed clean through his arm. He held the piece of arrow in his mouth as he wrenched free the other end and let it float away. His arm bled, but that was well enough. Tsuki began to incant as he took the arrowhead in his right hand and pressed it into the wound. He continued through the pain. "I, Tsuki, by my blood and will and by the guide that has made itself known to me, Old Rabbit, cast protection on these three lives: Dale, Duma, Nightmare; may the waters that receive my blood carry them to safe harbors."
"Tsuki!" Gwindor called out, "Tsuki! Dale! Can you hear me?"
"Here!" Tsuki called. "Gwindor, is it you?"
Gwindor swam toward Tsuki's voice. He called out again and when Tsuki answered, he continued toward him. They met soon, and Tsuki put his left arm over Gwindor's shoulders. "Can you swim?"
"The arrow went clean through and my wound was not so close to my heart, yet, I am not certain that there is no poison in my blood. I can move the hand, but it is a most nasty wound."
"Dale? Was there any sign of him?"
"Out of reach to us. I cast a spell for him. It was all I could do. I know he was conscious last I saw him, and swimming after Duma. Nightmare is out there with them, though I do not fear for the horse's life."
"I have you. Do not fear. If they are out of reach, I can help you to shore." Gwindor raised his head and looked around. "We must be quiet now. The Wizard ship is still close, and though there is a mist close to the water, they may track the noise we make in swimming."
"I can manage, for the moment."
"It is no trouble, Tsuki. Let me help you. The others are as safe as we can expect. Beryl managed to lash the packs together and he has most of the horses on leads and under control."
"Only most?"
"Moon-shadow escaped us at some point, and Duma's mount, which was Beryl's before, was one of the first to leap and we believe she is somewhere ahead of the others."
"The horses will make noise. We should get to them. Help defend them."
"Trust in our companions."
Tsuki laughed weakly. "Laurel will cast some shroud around them."
Apart from the stray horses, Beryl was the farthest toward the east bank. He did not think one of any other race could manage his task, and many Elves would have found it difficult. The horses had an instinct to swim from the water toward land, but convincing them of which direction land could be found mid-river with arrows raining on them was a laborious task. Keeping them together and reasonably quiet was no easier. He moved from one to another, whispering to them, promising treats, checking for arrow wounds. When they came nearer to shore and the horses were weary and still frightened from their ordeal, Beryl sometimes towed their weight.
Though he had pulled ahead, as Beryl neared the shore, he saw the Wizard ship pass somewhat north and he understood that there would already be Orcs on the hunt when he made land.
Somewhere behind, Kato, Laurel, Fei, Leanduiniel and Galadhiel came with the packs. The two Elves towed as the Man and woman kicked behind, and together they propelled the awkward raft east. When they seemed clear of the ships, one in front and behind would rest while the other worked, and in doing so they hoped their combined strength would last longer. The water was cold and ever bit of clothing they had not removed weighed them down. Soon they began stripping items as they could, and Kato would collect these atop the packs, where he sat. They made as little noise as possible, and several times, they feared the Wizard ship had found them, but attacks eventually ceased, and then they knew they would have Orcs waiting for them on the eastern shore.
Gwindor and Tsuki came across Moon-shadow on their way to the east bank and then clung to the horse as they swam. Tsuki began to feel muddled as they neared shore, and said he feared he had been poisoned. Gwindor braced Tsuki's arm across the saddle and watched that his head remained above water. It was due to Gwindor's strength that either Tsuki or his horse made it to land.
In Dale's case, he would not have made it to any shore alive if not for his horse. Dale had never recovered from the blow to his head, had fought through pain and sickness to continue his search for Duma, and exhausted himself in doing so. Dale lost sight of Duma and did not know that he had come even farther downriver than the one he sought to save.
When Dale began to lose consciousness, Nightmare bit at his hair and nudged his head out of water until Dale recovered enough to throw himself across the horse's back. Nightmare's strength lasted as long as he carried Dale through the water, and then, when they reached land, Nightmare's legs weakened and the large horse lay on the ground with Dale beside him.
Duma had only fitful moments of consciousness as the river took him, until he was within the rowboat. Ugarit had almost knocked him in the head with an oar, and then she had nearly capsized the boat and lost Tashmetum in bringing Duma's limp body aboard.
Ugarit knew that if Tashmetum choked or inhaled her milk that striking her back helped to clear the passages for air, and so she struck Duma's back and called to him until he coughed water. He was not yet conscious and breathed shallow. Ugarit thought he might be dying. He had come to her from the river clothed below the waist and wearing only one bracer and blood-soaked bandages above.
Ugarit cried over Duma, shouted at him, slapped him, shook him and pounded on his chest, and somewhere in her confused ministrations, she managed to restore a measure of life to him. "Where...where's Dale?" he slurred.
"Duma! I just pulled you from the river and beat life into you and you ask where Dea-Dale is?"
"It's you...Ugarit...thanks f' savin' me...I've been poisoned."
"Arrow?"
"Ya."
"What kind?"
"Somekinda Easterner."
"Damkina knew of their poisons. She taught me, before she died. It probably is not deadly. They like to disable their prey to take subdued but alive. If you sleep, I will manage. I need to bail this water and return to rowing."
"Dale," Duma said as he fell asleep.