The noble scars, p.14
The Noble Scars, page 14
“How many men did you lose today, Escura?” Zerin asked.
“Two,” he answered angrily.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but I must say I understand neither your willingness to help, nor your regret in doing so.”
“I hold no obligation to convey my reasons to you. I lost two of my men saving your lives, yet I carry no regrets. Only time will tell if you are men worth risking lives for.”
Zerin and Galvin glanced at each other, uncertain how to accept the pirate’s remarks.
“Tell me, Escura, what brings you and your men to my town?” Galvin asked.
“We had trade to conduct here,” he answered before changing the subject. “What do you plan to do with this sot?” he asked, gesturing toward the soldier tied to the tree.
“That’s a good question,” Zerin said, as he walked toward the soldier.
The prisoner stiffened as the mob of warriors closed in. Zerin rolled his dagger in his hand, staring at the man, the deaths of Mathen and Chezra forefront in his mind.
“I’m in need of answers.”
“I’ll tell you nothing,” he said.
Zerin stared deep into the man’s eyes. He seemed prepared to die.
Escura turned toward Zerin. “Are you still chasing wild dreams of kingdom secrets?”
“No, the secret I’m looking for wouldn’t be known by an underling such as him. I’m looking for something else.” Zerin turned toward Galvin. “Do you remember when we were escaping from the castle there were three guards who had the chance to stop us, but instead, they fled toward the south tunnel, one of them yelling ‘execute prime command?’” Zerin turned to watch the soldier carefully as he said this. “Your eyes give you away, my friend. Tell us what this means, and we’ll let you go.”
“I don’t know,” the soldier said.
“A moment ago, you said you wouldn’t tell us anything, so it shouldn’t matter whether or not you know. We need to understand the king’s ‘prime command.’ If you want to live, I suggest you tell us.”
“You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“You’re not afraid to die?”
“There are worse things than death.”
“Tell us what we want to know,” the giant bellowed.
“You might as well kill me now.”
Galvin stormed off, then returned with his axe. “I lost a good friend in that attack. It would suit me just fine to kill you here and now.” Galvin raised his weapon.
The soldier closed his eyes, readying for death, but before Galvin could strike, Zerin stepped in front to stop him.
“Galvin, let us speak.”
They walked several paces away. Bronchert and Hamij laughed at the soldier, who opened his eyes to realize he was still alive.
“Zerin, if he’ll not tell us what he knows, then he’s of no use to us.”
“Galvin, these times have been hard on us both. We lost Mathen and Chezra back there, and we have no idea where Nantrait is, but I won’t stoop to the enemy’s rank. I cannot kill a defenseless man like this, nor can I permit you to.”
They talked on the merits of mercy until they heard the prisoner scream.
“All right, all right I’ll tell you what you want to know, just get away from me!”
Galvin and Zerin turned to see Escura whispering in the soldier’s ear. The man was hysterical, sobbing frantically amid a puddle of urine. He was terrified like he’d seen evil itself. Escura rose to his feet, his face void of expression.
“What did you do to him?” Zerin demanded, checking the soldier for wounds.
“He’s ready to talk,” the pirate answered.
The prisoner, who had moments ago vehemently defied Zerin, was now looking to him for salvation. “I’ll tell you what you want, just keep him away.”
Zerin looked at Escura again, trying to understand how he’d turned the prisoner without touching him.
“What is the king’s prime command?”
The frightened soldier fought to gather his words. Galvin and the other pirates approached closer, forming a circle around him.
“It… it’s an order given to all guards in the castle.” The soldier’s voice cracked as he wiped blood from his nose and mouth.
Zerin gave him a flask of water. He drank heartily. They anxiously waited for him to finish, none more so than Zerin.
“The order is to execute a particular prisoner in case of a raid or prison breakout. Under no circumstances is anyone allowed to speak to him, including us.”
“Why? Who is this prisoner?” Zerin demanded. “What does he know that he must be killed for?”
“I don’t know.”
Before Zerin could accuse him of lying, Escura approached the man.
“No, no don’t touch me. I swear I don’t know who he is.”
The soldier’s cries for reprieve failed to temper the pirate. Escura knelt beside the screaming soldier, dagger in hand.
“Escura, stop!” Zerin said. “I believe him.”
Escura stood to face Zerin. “Don’t be a fool. Leave me to do what I do, and we’ll know for sure.”
“No!”
“Bloody Belth, man, even I can see this information is important. If you haven’t the stomach to do what must be done, then go hide somewhere, and I’ll take care of it.”
The pirates laughed at Zerin until he pulled out his sword and stepped in between Escura and the soldier. “This is my prisoner, Escura, and I’ll deal with him as I see fit! He has fulfilled his obligation to me, and now I’ll fulfill mine.”
The pirates postured behind Escura in anticipation of a fight before easing at the sight of Galvin, who had stepped in behind Zerin.
“What are you doing?” Escura demanded.
“I’m letting him go, as promised,” Zerin said.
“What?” Escura yelled, exchanging a glance with Galvin, who was equally puzzled.
“Zerin,” the giant responded, “do you realize we may have to fight this man again? We only serve to strengthen our enemy by letting him go. He may live to kill one of us.”
Zerin cut the ropes that bound the soldier’s feet and hands as if he hadn’t heard either one of them. “This man has been trained by a butcher and a tyrant. He knows cruelty and oppression. I’m showing him another way.”
The soldier stared into Zerin’s eyes, bewildered by his enemy’s sympathetic words. He glanced at the giant and the pirate, whose gazes he understood.
“Go now!” Zerin commanded.
The soldier ran off as quickly as he could but stopped at the lip of the valley to look back at Zerin before disappearing into the woods. Zerin turned to face the group of men, including Galvin, whose looks told him they neither understood nor respected his decision.
Choosing to ignore them, he approached Escura. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing,” blurted the pirate.
“How did you get him to talk?”
Escura slowly leaned toward Zerin. “I told him I’m partial to the taste of live innards.” He smirked at Zerin, and then backed away.
Zerin paused for a moment, wondering whether the pirate was actually capable of eating a man alive, but he thought it best not to scrape the depths of his depravity.
“Well, what now? Where do we go from here?” Galvin asked.
“We have to get back to the ship,” Bronchert said.
“Aye, Captain,” Hamij added. “We’ve wasted enough time here. Our place is elsewhere. Let these land dwellers wallow in the filth of their politics and let us be on our way.”
“What say you, Zerin?” Galvin asked.
But Zerin was not listening. He gathered water from the creek and snugly fastened his scabbard, occupied with his own thoughts. “I must know who this prisoner is in the castle. I’m headed to LionBerg.”
“Are you mad?” Galvin asked incredulously.
“These obsessions with secrets and prophecies will be the death of you,” Escura added.
“Zerin, this could be nothing.”
“No, Galvin. What we have now is nothing. We have no army, no rebellion, and we’re wanted men in our own land with no future. This prisoner may have information that brings us hope.”
“You mean it will bring you hope,” replied Escura.
“Zerin, this is reckless,” Galvin added.
“I know, but at the very least I have to rule it out as nothing. But if it carries the importance that I think it does, then it will be exactly what we’re looking for. I won’t ask any of you to come with me. I’ll do this myself but bear this in mind—there is nowhere we can hide. We’ll be hunted everywhere we go, even the sea. Bardek will send his troops throughout the entire kingdom looking for us, but the last place he’ll expect us to be is in LionBerg again. If we’re successful getting into the castle and getting to this prisoner, we might discover the very secret that undoes him. And if we’re lucky, we might get a chance to kill Bardek himself.” Then Zerin turned directly to Escura. “And possibly the wizard!”
“Zerin, Bardek is heavily guarded, and I’m not even sure the wizard can be killed,” Galvin replied.
“Well, bloody well good luck to ya,” Bronchert offered.
“Yeah, enjoy yourselves in LionBerg and give our best to the king and that filthy wizard. We’ll be off now,” Hamij added.
“I’ll go to the castle,” Escura said.
“What?” Bronchert shouted.
“Captain, you can’t be serious,” Hamij pleaded.
“Go back to the ship and wait for me. If I don’t return within a week, then set sail. Keep a party south of Delraunt that I might meet with them upon my return.”
“But, Captain…”
“Go, I say!” He grabbed the hilt of his sword.
“This plan reeks of madness,” Galvin said, rubbing his head and chin, “but I’ll not let the two of you go alone. I’m in.”
“Great,” Zerin said, “but before we go, there’s something I need answers to.” He walked over to Escura, Bronchert, and Hamij, who had yet to leave. He stood two paces away from Escura, staring up into his eyes.
“What do you want?” the pirate snapped.
“I need you to explain some coincidences to me. When I was on your ship, one of your men told me of your recent route that took you through the towns of Renthem, Whallowham, and Rashene…”
“What of it?
“And now you’ve come to the town of Brakton, which means you’ve been following the exact same path as the Madman of Rashene.”
Silence blanketed the woods; Escura seemed lost for words. Bronchert and Hamij looked at each other uneasily. Galvin slowly grabbed the handle of his axe.
“It seems,” Zerin said, “that wherever you go, so does the Madman. Can you explain this?”
Escura gritted his teeth. His cheeks began to redden. “I answer to no one. I come and go as I please, and I kill anybody I want to!”
Zerin took a step closer to Escura. “If you wish to go on my excursion to the castle then you’ll answer to me!”
Bronchert and Hamij reached for their swords, readying for a fight. No one had ever spoken to Escura like this and lived. Galvin raised his axe, taking two steps toward the pirates. Zerin remained steadfast in Escura’s face, until finally the pirate spoke.
“I have personal reasons for following the Madman. One of his first victims was a friend of mine. When I find him, I’m going to kill him.”
“So, you didn’t have business affairs in my town?” Galvin asked.
“I did not!” Escura snapped, furious over having to explain himself.
There was a long silence while Zerin contemplated the pirate’s story. They stood there, weapons in hand, unsure where the confrontation was headed.
“My apologies then,” Zerin replied. “I needed to know. My condolences on your loss.”
But Escura didn’t budge.
“Is there something else?” Zerin asked the pirate.
“Yes… if you ever challenge me like that again, I’ll kill you!”
Escura and Zerin squared off for a moment before Escura turned away to grab his things. The two pirates headed off toward their ship, and the three warriors, who had been brought together by circumstances or chance, embarked toward an outcome not one of them was certain of.
Chapter 18
For several hours, the three warriors trekked through the woods’ narrow paths. They hardly spoke, providing Zerin with time to consider the merits of his cohorts.
Signs of trust and camaraderie had already emerged between him and Galvin, even though the giant didn’t share his optimism toward the quest. But Escura’s motives were still a mystery. Men like him were rarely loyal to anything other than their own cause. He seemed to exist in his own world, never laughing or even smiling. His demeanor was as dark as the blotch in his left eye, but he could certainly blaze a trail. Zerin watched him lead the trek through the dense woods, hacking his way through overgrown vines as if he hated them.
Perhaps he was thinking of the wizard. He seemed to get enraged every time Maeldroth was mentioned. Zerin could only hope there wasn’t history there that would affect their mission. However, despite an appetite for violence, Escura displayed a staunch sense of honor that had emerged at the most opportune times. If Zerin could convert him into the ally that Galvin was becoming, they would form a powerful trio.
Darkness began to fall, so a site for camp was agreed upon, each of them contributing to the construction of a small fire. Zerin shared the last of his dried beef strips that he had wrapped in leaves and tucked away in his vest pocket. Galvin couldn’t conceal his appreciation over receiving the largest portion, while Escura was indifferent to the offering.
Their silence might have led a passerby to suspect they were confined by awkwardness, yet the truth was far more daunting. The anticipation of the upcoming excursion to the castle had consumed their thoughts.
Until now, Zerin had nothing remotely close to a clue regarding the Secrets of Noble. The news of this prisoner hardly qualified as solid evidence, but he couldn’t stop himself from hoping, even if it led to disappointment. He would feel better if he thought his companions shared his zeal for the mission.
They sat around the fire, contemplating their forthcoming mission, when Escura sat up.
“What’s that on your leg?” he asked Galvin.
“What’s what on my leg?”
“That mark above your left knee, what is that?”
Galvin had stretched out before the fire, his battle skirt lifted, permitting the lights of the flames to flicker off the shiny surface of his scar.
“It’s a mark I’ve had since childhood. Zerin has the same mark, but on both knees.”
“And how did you get those?” he asked, turning to Zerin.
“I don’t know, but like Galvin, I’ve had them for as long as I can remember. Does that mean something to you?”
“No… no it doesn’t.”
Galvin and Zerin exchanged a glance.
Zerin stoked the blaze then lay down to sleep. As had happened every night for the last several weeks, his thoughts were invaded by visions of the veiled woman. Although the encounter had been brief, her face was etched in his mind.
They slept soundly. The night air was cool, the moss beneath them damp, but for those that had slept through worse, it was as comfortable as goose down. With the exception of the crickets, a distant owl, and coyotes in the adjacent valley, the camp was silent, until it was disrupted by cries of anguish.
“No, no, stop!”
Galvin and Zerin leapt to their feet to see Escura writhing in his sleep. Zerin leapt over the fire and shook him by the shoulders. The pirate opened his eyes and grabbed Zerin’s throat with both hands.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” he repeated.
They rolled on the ground until Galvin stepped in and tore them apart. Escura woke from his stupor but could make no sense of his surroundings. He was dripping with sweat and paler than normal. The pronounced vein that ran down his neck looked as if it would burst.
“It’s ok, you’re all right,” Galvin assured him. “You were having a dream.”
When Escura came to his senses, he shrugged off the giant’s grip and walked into the woods to clear his head. Galvin picked Zerin up off the ground.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” he said after catching his breath. “His grip is unlike any I’ve encountered. I thought he’d gone mad.”
“How bad must a nightmare be to scare the likes of him?”
Escura returned to the campsite and, without any apologies or explanations, lay down and went back to sleep.
The campsite was broken with little delay the next morning. They moved together as if they had been fighting alongside one another for years. It would take them until midday to reach the castle, giving them time to formulate a plan.
There was no mention of Escura’s nightmare. In fact, there was little discussion at all except for the odd tactical analysis of their upcoming endeavor. They stayed away from the main roads, choosing unbeaten paths that took them through dense woods and farmland.
While tracking through an orchard, Escura and Zerin broke off in search of food. They were helping themselves to some apples, fresh off the tree, when they heard growling behind them. They turned to face two mastiffs, all black except for their silver-spiked collars. Their teeth were bared, their mouths dripping.
“Let’s outrun them,” Zerin whispered, standing perfectly still.
“Go ahead, I have my own plan.”
Zerin took off, and one of the dogs ran after him. He ran around trees and up and down small hills, trying to lose the beast. The pursuit continued until the large dog pinned him up against a tree. Zerin brandished his dagger.
The other dog lunged at Escura. With a single swipe of his blade, the threat was averted. The beast hit the ground but was not yet dead. He writhed and yelped in pain. Escura stood there, watching the dog suffer before mustering the decency to end his misery. The pirate went looking for Zerin, crossing paths with Galvin, who had heard the commotion. They searched the corners of the orchard until they came over a hill and saw Zerin crouched down on one knee, scratching the huge dog under his chin. Escura and Galvin watched as the dog licked Zerin’s face.
