Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey
All rights reserved.
No part of this story may be reproduced in any
form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and
retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. Chapter Thirteen: A Way Out
The town sat silently upon the shore of the island, where
the ocean whispered the sound of its steady waves from the darkness that
concealed it. There were no lights in that place as the place was dead. Only
toward the center of town could light be seen, for the leather soldiers had
decided to make camp there as long as they were upon the island. Arius was
dismayed about the amount of hostiles that had moved to the island.
The raping of a hanging sign against a chain-link fence
sounded to their right due to the wind. Arius imagined a dark creature to leap
out from the darkness as soon as they passed by the ally, but all remained
still. Brockumus was ahead of him, and surveyed the area for their destination.
The beach was just around the corner, for he could see a sudden blackness in
the distance. Docks were consumed into the abyss.
Around the building, they made way toward an old boat house
sitting off of the water. Jayvolni was supposed to be inside as they had
communicated through the wheel upon arrival to town. This would be tense, for
he would have to work with those who thought him a traitor.
The door to the boat house creaked open, and Brockumus led
the way in, glancing to the left and the right. A boat sat in the middle of the
room where ocean water calmly swept back and forth bobbing the boat up and
down. A large door sat in front of the boat closing it off to the vaster ocean
beyond. At first the place seemed empty,
but then Arius felt someone lurking in the far shadows across the room.
“Were you followed here?” Jayvolni asked, uncloaking himself
from the shadows.
“No,” replied Brockumus. “Where are Dueson and Ruekrow?”
“Gathering essential supplies. We can leave as soon as we
have them.”
“So the boat is good to go?”
“I patched it up, but it needs fuel. Hopefully the brothers
will be able to locate some.”
“What about everyone else,” Arius chimed in. “We won’t leave
without them.”
“The others will be here,” replied Brockumus. “Thorim is
shortly behind us. It’s Rie and Grem I’m unsure about.”
Brockumus had contacted Rie shortly before arriving to town
in order to persuade them to meet at the docks. The two mercenaries were
reluctant to cooperate however as they had decided to take matters into their
own hands. Apparently their ship’s beacon had been washed ashore, but the
leather clad soldiers had seized it before they could. Rie and Grem planned to
steal it back, but that meant waiting upon the island even longer.
“I heard over the wheel,” said Jayvolni. “They think they
can retrieve the beacon.”
“It’s dangerous, but without it I’m afraid we would be
stranded here forever.”
“I must say, I doubted the reality of finding it,” said
Jayvolni. “But even so, we can’t stay here for long. If they don’t make it back
by morning, then I’m afraid we have no choice but to leave.”
“That’s a lot of ground for them to cover,” said Arius. “Is
there any way we can pick them up.”
“I have a feeling that as soon as we get into the ocean,
we’ll want to get as far away from here as possible. I don’t want to leave
anyone behind, but the two decided to go on their own, and thus far don’t seem
in want of aid.”
“To be fair,” began Brockumus. “It was you that first broke
up the group.”
“We needed a way off of this island before things got too
dangerous, and now look at where you are.”
“I suppose they will be saying the same if they get back
with the beacon.”
“If,” emphasized Jayvolni.
Brockumus let out a deep sigh before asking, “what can we do
to help?”
Jayvolni turned his eyes down as if perplexed by the
question, but staring them back in the eyes he replied, “Find out where Dueson
and Ruekrow are at, and help them bring back supplies. What we need more than
anything is fuel, so that is the real chore.”
“Sounds good,” Brockumus glanced toward Arius.
The two left the boat house where Arius moved
his gaze to the distant moon which now glistened over the ocean waters. Before
the clouds had masked its glow, but now it was left bare. Arius gripped his
rifle, and wondered how much they would sacrifice just to save their own lives.
Would they leave some behind, or would they pull through as a team? These were
mercenary men however, and they knew little about teams. Be sure to check out my book, Ground of Oam, here.
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