CHAPTER SIX
It took them much longer to return to the beach, even though they followed their own obvious trail. On the way back, Ran and Kancho were forced to battle a never-ending assault from the mosquitoes that called the swamp home. Swatting the annoying pests as they whined in their ears and tried to fly into their mouths sapped their energy, and by the time they reached the beach, both men were exhausted. Kancho went to fall asleep under the shade of a tree. Ran noticed that Malkyr was sitting upright.
“You look a whole lot better.”
Malkyr smiled. “I feel better. Neviah and Jysal took care of me. Seems they found a root, and its medicinal properties have staved off any rot.”
Jysal sat nearby. Ran watched her as she ground up some strange roots between a flat stone and a round one. “Nice work. I take it you found what you were looking for?”
She smiled at him. “It’s not hard if you know where to look. Neviah is making a soup down the beach.”
Ran turned and noticed the thin plume of smoke for the first time. Neviah had gotten a fire started and found a few shells on the beach that she was using to boil water. Ran frowned. Where had she found water? He wandered over to ask. “Our search didn’t go so well.”
“I noticed.”
Ran pointed at the shells. “You found water?”
She shrugged. “I am quite adept at looking out for myself. Survival has been something I’ve been taught since a very young age. Even in the most inhospitable places, you can usually find what you’re looking for.”
Ran’s mouth watered as he caught a sniff of the herbs she’d added to the water. “It smells delicious.”
Neviah nodded. “Truthfully, there’s not much. But it should give us some energy while we wait for Malkyr to figure out a way to get us home.”
“You think he will?”
Neviah shrugged. “He says he can probably work out a way to get us over to that seedy harbor.”
“That would be welcome news.”
Neviah looked up at him. “And what are you on this trip for?”
“Work,” said Ran. “I thought perhaps some warlord would be interested in hiring my blade.”
Neviah smiled. “There’s no work in Nehon?”
Ran frowned. “I get bored easily.” But he wondered about the real reason he’d come on this journey. Princess Cassandra was truly a beauty, and the idea of bedding her at some point down the road wasn’t unappealing to him. Of course, he had to find her first. During their final meeting, she’d told him to journey west and find the kingdom of her father. Perhaps Ran would find something interesting to do there. He was on his own, after all. And despite the fact that his masters back at the hidden mountain temple had tentacles everywhere, they might not mind if he vanished altogether.
He frowned. No. They would come after him if he abandoned the network. Loyalty was what they demanded. It was how they ensured their own survival. And it was why they’d invested so much time in training him for his eventual journeys around the world.
“You look troubled.”
Ran erased the frown on his face and shook his head. “Just tired. First the swamp and then the woods beyond. They’re filled with bugs. I’m tired and hungry.”
Neviah motioned for him to sit down. “Come. You can try the first batch of soup and tell me what you think.”
“I’m too hungry to complain.” He waited while she used some leaves to handle one of the deep sea shells filled with boiling soup and pass it over to him. Ran peered into its steaming depths and was immediately struck by the variety of herbs and plants that it contained. He spotted something opaque floating in the broth and pointed. “What’s this?”
“Crab meat. We found some down the beach in a tidal pool.”
Ran’s mouth watered even more, and he took a tentative sip. He had to blow and force himself not to slurp the entire mixture up. “It’s delicious.”
Farther down the beach, he heard Malkyr’s shout. “Hey, you going to leave any of that for the wounded guy or what?”
Neviah smiled at Ran. “There’s plenty. You take that and I’ll see to my patient.”
He watched as she rose easily on her well-muscled legs and padded down the beach bearing another shell full of soup. Ran had encountered a lot of warriors before, but nothing like Neviah. She seemed almost unreal with how easily she affected her role of protector and yet still maintained an ability to whip up a delicious soup and tend to Malkyr’s wounds. Whoever trained her, thought Ran, they did one amazing job.
He wondered about Jysal as he continued to sip the soup. She was far younger than Neviah. Perhaps she wasn’t even out of her teens yet. And there was an air of innocence about her that seemed so delicate. Yet beneath the innocence, Ran could sense something else. It reminded him of how a beautiful day in the mountains could be shattered by a sudden storm. You might have a crystal blue sky one moment, and in the next the clouds would form and a deluge would follow. He watched her and wondered what her storm clouds might be.
“You keep staring at her, and people might wonder if you’re going to marry her.”
Ran had heard Kancho approach by the grinding of sand beneath his feet. “I thought you were catching up on some sleep.”
“I was, but there’s food to be eaten.”
Ran eyed him. “Didn’t you tell me earlier not to pay attention to my stomach?”
“Only because you were letting the entire forest know we were there.”
“I doubt that.”
Kancho helped himself to a shell full of soup and squatted next to Ran. “The real question is what we’re going to do about Malkyr. He’s wounded. Which means his ability to travel is seriously affected. If he can’t make his own way out of here, then we’re all in trouble.”
Ran chewed on the crab meat. Already, he could feel the effects of the soup hitting him. He felt more energized and at the same time, his body wanted to rest. Overhead, the sky had brightened, but not enough to let the sun shine through the darker clouds. “I suppose we can see how he is tomorrow morning.”
Kancho slurped some of the soup. “Vargul is most likely dead.”
Ran looked at him. He thought about asking why Kancho thought so, but decided against it. They were both warriors. And Kancho seemed pretty sure of it. “We can’t say we didn’t try to reach him.”
Kancho shrugged. “Of course we can. We went as far as was prudent. But my reason for coming on this trip was not to have to save some fattened merchant from the northlands.”
“Why are you here?”
Kancho slurped more soup and shook his head. “Not yet, Ran. I don’t know you well enough. And something tells me that you’re not being entirely honest about who you are. So I’ll keep my secrets as well.”
Ran smiled. “Fair enough.”
The afternoon passed uneventfully. Malkyr ate more than his fair share of the soup, but Neviah didn’t complain. Jysal ventured into the periphery of the swamp a few times and returned with more roots and herbs whenever she did. These were added to another soup that Neviah created for supper. Bits of driftwood kept the fire fed, but Ran wondered how long they would be able to keep that up. The swamp would yield far less dry firewood than the beach.
As the sun started to set, the band of travelers gathered around the fire, trying to stay warm. Despite the flames, the fire seemed incapable of warding off the night chill. Jysal drew close to Neviah to share warmth. Malkyr complained about the cold.
Ran waited until the daylight had vanished before asking Malkyr. “How are you going to get us out of here?”
Malkyr smirked. “Not much I can do about the situation right now, what with this bum leg of mine and all.”
Kancho shook his head. “We cannot stay here. We are exposed to the elements. We cannot venture into the water to reach the Aqaria. That means our only option is to take to the swamp tomorrow and make for the woods beyond it.” He eyed Malkyr. “Tell us what you know of this area. Who lives in these parts?”
Malkyr’s smile vanished. “This is the land of Kan-Gul.”
Ran looked up. “The man you spoke of on the boat when we were at sea?”
Malkyr nodded. “The same. But he is no man. Some say he is beholden to some strange dark lord, the likes of which very few have even heard of.”
“What of this dark lord?” asked Kancho. “If he is a god, why trouble himself in the affairs of mortals?”
“Kan-Gul seeks to appease him through terrible sacrifices.” Malkyr shrugged. “Of course, this is all hearsay. Legends that drunken sailors spout in the taverns that line the docks. Still, no one I’ve known of has ever ventured here and returned home before.”
“If he offers sacrifices to his god,” said Neviah, “then what does he get in return?”
Malkyr fixed her with a hard stare. “You should be careful of asking questions that might earn you an answer you wished you’d never heard.”
Neviah shook her head. “I am the sworn protector of Jysal. It is my duty to know of and understand any and all threats that may arise to confront us. The whims of some strange lord in a foreign land do not frighten me.”
“They should,” said Malkyr. “It is said that Kan-Gul has an army of the undead at his command. Terrible soldiers who have risen from death to serve once more under their lord. They are unfeeling creatures devoted only to killing and eating that which they kill.”
Kancho gripped his sword a little tighter. “I have never seen a man with his head taken from his shoulder rise and walk again.”
Malkyr’s smile danced in the firelight. “Perhaps you have not seen all there is to see in this world then.”
“Perhaps, but it will be a strange day indeed when my blade severs a head and yet that foe remains alive.”
“Words are just that,” said Malkyr. “And when given around a warm fire, they are little more than sound. We will see if you are as good as you claim if we encounter Kan-Gul’s hordes.”
Kancho nodded slowly. “And I look forward to that day.”
“Well, I don’t,” said Jysal suddenly. “I have no interest in claiming the thought of such creatures does not terrify me.”
Malkyr bowed his head. “Forgive me, my lady. I never meant to scare you with such tales.”
Neviah frowned. “I’ll bet.”
“They are just stories,” said Malkyr. “Legends, if you will. As I said, they are the fodder that drunken minds conjure up in the sweaty mead halls. Pay them no mind.”
Jysal eyed him a moment longer and then moved a bit closer to Neviah.
Kancho cocked an eyebrow. “It would appear that our story time is now concluded.”
Ran nodded. “It’s better that we sleep anyway.” He looked at Malkyr. “Are you tired?”
Malkyr shook his head. “Not even faintly. I’ve been resting all day, and, frankly, I’m tired of sitting on my backside.”
“You’ll do well to stay on that backside,” said Neviah. “If you start the bleeding again, you may die.”
Malkyr sighed. “You changed the dressing on it earlier and there was no blood.”
“Yes, but you could do something to start it again. Stay where you are.”
Ran sighed. “You can still take a watch. The rest of us will sleep while you take the first shift. Wake me in two hours and I’ll relieve you. We’re not going to lay about like we did last night.”
“Agreed,” said Kancho. “We’re lucky we’re all still alive and weren’t killed during the night.”
Malkyr stretched his arms overhead. “Very well. You lot rest. I’ll take my turn same as any other.”
Ran and the others arranged themselves around the fire. As he peered into the trees, Ran saw the mist descending once more.