Gone But Not Forgotten, page 9
part #2 of The Jaxon Grey Chronicles Series
Before any of the crew could strike at the serpent, Svix broke position and tackled Captain Banes to the deck. They rolled around on the deck for a moment, then all hell broke loose and the two crews had at one another. The serpent, trying to avoid the tumult, coiled around the mast and watched from above, picking off pirates that came too close to its position.
"They are fighting!" I shouted, though I still watched the battle through the eyes of the snake, "They are being cut to pieces!"
"To the ship!" commanded Kinto; and Fitch, Quiva, and Laxiter responded without hesitation. The seamen were followed closely behind by the rest of us. Montaug was forced to pick me up and carry me over his shoulder, though, so that I could still watch the battle through the serpent’s eyes.
Back on the ship, both sides had suffered casualties, but the pirates dominated with their far superior numbers. In the end, only a handful of the River-Rapt's crew still stood. Bodies now littered the deck of the ship, mostly from our own crew. I couldn't see Captain Ellios anywhere, and Svix, who was among the remaining survivors, was still fighting Captain Banes in a savage duel on the upper deck of the ship.
The thick cane that Captain Banes had been using for support was now being wielded to parry blow after blow, thwarting Svix's continuous attacks. In between one of these exchanges, the pirate captain ripped the handle from his cane, revealing a slim, sleek sword. He was then on the offensive, using both the sword and sword-case to assail a violent combination of thrusts and slashes upon the white-furred sailor. Svix could do nothing but try to defend himself against the onslaught, and he did so desperately.
On the lower deck, where most of the fight had calmed down, a bloody figure suddenly erupted from beneath a pile of bodies, issuing a ferocious war cry. It was Captain Ellios! He picked up one of the bodies that had covered him and hoisted it over his head. The surrounding pirates, who had been watching their captain duel with Svix, now turned their attention to Captain Ellios. No sooner had they started toward him than the body he lifted was being hurtled at them. It crashed into several of the pirates, who then fell back into even more pirates, knocking them all to the deck floor.
In the momentary lapse in battle, Captain Ellios made a break for the upper deck. At the same time, more pirates came rushing over from their ship to aid their shipmates. They fell upon Captain Ellios, pulling him down to the wooden planking of the deck, and he was soon lost beneath their slashing and stabbing.
On the upper deck, still locked in battle, was Svix and Captain Banes, both refusing to give up any ground.
I watched through the eyes of my serpent as Montaug continued to carry me. The serpent descended from its high vantage point on the mast and proceeded to block the stairwell to the upper deck. The serpent sank its large fangs into the neck of the first pirate that tried to come up the steps, while simultaneously grabbing the next pirate with its lengthy tail and flinging him over the railing into the river. It released the other pirate from its jaws, sending the body falling backwards and rolling limply to the bottom of the steps. The rest of the pirates stood back, reluctant to be the next to ascend the treacherous stairwell.
I tried to turn the snake back toward the duel, and it responded to my will without delay, as if its body were mine. What I saw next was not pleasant. Svix struggled to stay standing, his sword on the deck by his side, while Captain Banes stood in front of him, withdrawing his blade from Svix’s torso. He removed it slowly, twisting the handle as he did so, and then wiped the bloody sword clean on Svix's white fur.
I watched with horror as he reached down to snatch the amethyst necklace from Svix's neck, but I, or rather the serpent, struck at his arm and bit down with vicious force. Captain Banes reeled back in pain, clutching his arm. He drew a dagger from his belt and tried to cut the serpent free, but the snake, sensing the danger, released its teeth from the captain’s arm. Even before it released, it was wrapping its tail around Captain Banes’ legs, trying to trip him. It would have worked, too, had his pet panta not pounced at the perfect moment. The small jungle cat landed on my serpent’s head, scratching and clawing at its face. It made me blink involuntarily, and I lost sight of them.
I was now back in my own eyes, and was suddenly overcome with extreme fatigue; completely exhausted. Seeing through the snake's eyes apparently came with its drawbacks.
We were now almost to the river bank, hidden from the narrow stretch of beach by tall grass and shrubbery.
"Get down," I cautioned our group, "before they see us!"
"We must hurry!" Quiva protested.
"It’s too late.” My voice was harsh and filled with grief. "They are already dead. All of them."
"No!" he roared, and I feared his volume would attract the pirates. Kinto, however, was wise enough to throw a four-fingered hand over his shipmate’s mouth mid-cry and drag him to the ground. A moment later the rest of us followed in suit.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stymie the recurring images of my dead comrades.
“We must not let them die in vain,” said Kinto. “We must save ourselves now so that we can fight another day. We will have vengeance!”
“Aye!” whispered the other seamen fiercely.
Pharon grabbed me by the shoulder, a pained expression written upon his face.
"She lives," I said, anticipating his question. "They took Nadina and Mya hostage aboard their ship."
He breathed easier at this, but his worries were far from relieved. “The heathens will pay for this!” he hissed. “Every last one of them!”
We crawled to the edge of the riverbank, still hidden in the tall grass. My serpent unexpectedly slithered up next to me from behind. I saw its eye was cut and bleeding from the panta’s scratch. It looked terrible, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever be able to see out of that eye again. I stroked its body affectionately, “Sorry my friend. I shouldn’t have let you join in like that.” In reply it simply licked my face with its skinny blue tongue and curled up next to me contently.
We spied on the tragic scene from our concealed vantage point. There was nothing we could do. The River-Rapt was being cleared of the dead, and pirates were dragging the bodies to the ship's railing and dropping them unceremoniously into the Gnar. Interestingly enough, I didn't see Svix's body on the upper deck, or anywhere else on the ship. Captain Banes looked just as confused as I was by the disappearance.
Next to me, I could hear Kinto and Quiva growling angrily under their breaths.
"We wait here until they have gone," said Kinto, who I realized was now our acting-captain. "Then we check for survivors."
"If there are any," said Fitch grimly.
We stayed there for a time, hidden in the brush, and watched the pirates transport various goods and valuables from our ship to theirs. I also saw Captain Banes, smiling, with his pet panta once again perched on his shoulder. In his hands were the two bolts of petrified lightning that Lorthredo and Montaug had paid Captain Ellios with. The Tatoran brothers still carried the rest of the bolts with them, fortunately.
When the pirates were satisfied with their sizable plunder, they attached ropes from the Serpent of the Sea to the River-Rapt and began towing it downriver.
As soon as they were out of sight, the nine of us sprinted toward the mess of scattered bodies washing up on the narrow stretch of beach. I looked at the carnage and was sickened by the sight.
We walked among the dead, searching for any survivors, but it didn’t look like there would be any.
Just then, I caught sight of a figure washing up on the beach, trying to rise but unable to do so. I saw the figure’s white fur, and instantly I was running over to him.
“Svix!” I shouted, alerting the others of the lone survivor. I splashed in the water and struggled to pull Svix further onto the beach.
"Jaxon," said Svix, his voice faint and garbled. Somehow he was still breathing, clinging on to life, if only for another few seconds. The wound on his torso was matted with blood, and muck from the riverbed. There was so much blood, and it hemorrhaged out despite my efforts to staunch the flow.
"Jaxon," he said again, but only a whisper this time. The others were surrounding us now. Svix reached to his neck and pulled off his amethyst necklace. He then coughed up a glob of blood. "The bastard wasn't expecting a fight, eh? But we brought him one," he said, and then broke into a coughing fit, drooling blood down his chin.
"Yes, you fought well," I replied, and then poured some water into his mouth from my water-skin. "Try to rest though. You'll be better in no time."
I think I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince him.
Svix shook his head, "You are kind, but I know I will be with my ancestors soon, watching over my family and all of Mercer. To die in combat is one of the greatest honors a warrior can achieve. I would not have wanted it any other way." His voice was raspy and gurgling.
I said nothing. I was finally beginning to understand the ways of Tatorans and how much they valued battle, honor, and glory, but I found I had nothing consoling to say to him.
"Please, take this to my father, Rengar," he said, handing me his amethyst necklace with his last bit of effort. "He is the High Chieftain of the Amethyst clan, and ruler of the Mercerians."
I took the necklace, sensing its return to be of some significance. I nodded, stoic and determined, knowing my voice would give away my grief. "I will do as you ask," I replied, though I had no idea how I would accomplish this.
He coughed again, and then tried to say something, but his body was failing him and the words never came out. I sat with him for the next few moments, the others still surrounding us, and waited for him to pass. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and I swear the steely-blue color of his iris began to fade away, as absurd as that might sound.
Then Svix drew in his last breath and was reunited with his ancestors.
We remained at the site for a few more hours, silently collecting and burying our dead shipmates up on the riverbank in the dark. We knew it would be dangerous to stay in the area, but the bodies needed to be treated with respect.
Pharon was almost hysterical by Nadina's kidnapping. Even his cold Scynthian demeanor could not hide the deep pain he felt. “We have to go after them,” he said, again.
“We will,” I promised him.
After they were all buried, I said the same small blessing I had said so long ago in the underground chamber on Earth. "May your souls rest in peace and your bodies provide new life, and know, brothers, that you are loved and will be remembered."
We retrieved the slain hoffa from where we had left them in the brush and put them in the row boat. We were about to leave, when, from downriver, I saw Tzula trotting toward us. With all that had happened I had completely forgotten that it had gone off on its own. It was totally ignorant of all that had transpired. I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled loudly. Tzula, hearing the whistle, increased its pace to a sprint. When it got closer, I could see it had something in his mouth; a vegetable of some sort. It had the shape of a carrot, but the color of a turnip. Lorthredo called it a Droot, and it is apparently excellent for your teeth and gums.
Tzula hopped into the second boat, and we began making our way further down the Gnar River. It was with heavy hearts that we left the small beach, leaving behind so many fallen shipmates. I felt extremely responsible for their deaths, especially for Svix and Captain Ellios. How could I not? I had pushed for this venture, not caring what the costs or dangers might be.
Demtrius put his hand on my shoulder. He didn't say anything, but I knew he, too, was hurting.
Chapter Nine
Black Smoke Rising
"This is completely unacceptable!" shouted Pharon. "Savages, all of them! Murdering and kidnapping, and how dare they lay their hands on my daughter! They should have more respect for Scynthians!" He hadn't been quiet since the tragedy. "When we catch them, I will make sure they pay for what they've done!"
"Aye," Kinto agreed. "A slow and painful death for them all!"
"Aye!" said the others.
"I don't care how long it takes. Months, even years, I will find her!" Pharon decreed.
We still needed to catch up to the pirates, and had no plan for once we did so.
"We cannot afford that much time," said Demtrius matter-of-factly. "The Tatorans are mobilizing, and my people are in grave danger."
"I will not go with you to your people until I have Nadina back in my keeping," said Pharon, "and nothing will stop me!"
"I was only saying, we must do this expediently," Demtrius replied. "I agree that Nadina and Mya need to be rescued. We are, however, pressed for time. I am sorry, but the needs of the many often outweigh the needs of the few, and my people need me. They need to be warned. If we can't locate and rescue the women from the pirates quickly, I must go north to my people."
"I don't need your help," said Pharon disdainfully. "You can go on your mission, and I will go on mine."
"We would stay with you, Pharon," said Kinto, "until every last scoundrel aboard the Serpent of the Sea has paid for their crimes in blood."
"Aye!" said Quiva, Fitch, and Laxiter in unison.
"And what say you, Jaxon?" asked Demtrius. "You would seek Mya, wouldn't you, even though that would only prolong your time here on Tatora?"
I hesitated for a moment, but then turned to Demtrius, "I am sorry, my friend, but I will stay to help her. Besides, without Pharon, there is no guarantee that your people will be able to get me back to my world."
"And we, of course," Lorthredo added, indicating himself and Montaug, "have sworn our swords to Jaxon. Where he goes, we also must go."
"Amentus' army is very large," said Montaug to Demtrius. "It will take him time to move his troops, and he doesn't know the location of your ship yet either."
"My people need to be warned as soon as possible,” Demtrius replied with more passion then I had ever seen in him. “They will not know that the army is meant for them. And yes, the Aramis' location is still a secret as far as I am aware, but who knows what new information Amentus and his confederates have come across in the past months. What if Amentus managed to capture another Dotaran? What if he’s been recording the movements of our scouting ships? Too much is left unknown to me."
"Then stay with us for now,” I interjected. “We'll be heading in the same direction for some time anyway. If we do not make any progress on finding Mya and Nadina soon, then you can go north to your ship. And, if there are no objections, I would send Lorthredo and Montaug to accompany you."
The Tatoran brothers looked at me, surprised.
"We will go with you, Demtrius, if you will have us," Lorthredo agreed after a momentary silence.
"I would be honored," Demtrius replied.
"Then it is settled," said Pharon. "Now let us find some pirates!”
"Aye!" said the nine of us, even Demtrius.
We camped on the riverbank that night, and throughout the evening we heard thunder booming somewhere far off downriver. I hoped it wouldn’t downpour on us while we slept, but we remained dry through the night.
The next morning, we continued down the river in the row boats, drawn along by the steady current of the vast Gnar River. We encountered no one on the water, though Lorthredo was convinced by the presence of the droot plant earlier that we must be getting close to a settlement.
"There, do you see it?" said Fitch, yelling over from his boat.
There was a trail of smoke rising into the sky up ahead on the southern bank of the river.
"Smoke," said Montaug, "and a lot of it, too."
"Do you think it could be the pirates?" I asked. “Do you think we’re close?”
"I can't be sure," Montaug replied. "The smoke is black, and that could mean the fires have burned themselves out, but there are too many precipitating factors to consider, such as the material burning and if any accelerant was used."
"What do you suppose happened?" I asked.
"I don't know," said Montaug, "but with pirates lurking about, I have no doubt they were somehow involved in this. We should steer clear of that area."
"But if the fires are out, then the pirates, if it was indeed them, would be long gone by now, and there might be Tatorans who need our help," I suggested. "I think we should make a brief investigation."
"Very well," he replied.
The others had no objections either. The pirates had wreaked considerable havoc, and we would do what we could to help.
We soon passed a destroyed building, burnt completely to the ground and still smoldering; a giant plume of smoke ascending from its charred remains. Its dock was torn to shreds and debris was scattered down the river. It must have been a guard outpost for whatever village lay nearby, but now it was no more than a pile of burnt rubble.
"This has to be the work of the pirates," Fitch said confidently.
"Then we are on the right trail," Pharon said with malice.
As soon as we passed the wrecked outpost, we saw many more lines of black smoke ascending into the sky further down river.
"That will be the village," said Quiva.
"Filthy pirates!" Kinto exclaimed scornfully.
"Not only do they murder unarmed civilians," Laxiter commented in disgust, "but they burn villages within their own domain. They have no honor, no loyalty!"
"Pirates care for no one but themselves," Lorthredo replied. "They don't know honor, and are only acquainted with loyalty. They are loyal to gems and jewels, to gold and silver, and to the sharp edge of a fine blade."
