Dragon Choir (18 page)

“
Now you’re mixing me up with my old Pa again. He’ll have
memorised every word they’ve said since he was a sprout. Not
me.”

“
The Key to free us shall fall in your hand, holding a note,
but no name. Sounding the Choir—”

“
I’ve not seen a note,” interrupted Delik. “Have you? And I
believe he has a bloody name; Elrin. So don’t go on spouting their
fluff till it makes some sense.”

Minni unrolled the dead letter and faced it to Delik. “Like I
already showed you, it reads plain as day.
Elrin No Name
. Are you blind or
daft?”

“
I’d not call a dead letter a note. Don’t go pinning your
hopes just to have them dashed.”

“
That’s fine advice from you.”

“
All I’m saying is, the Muden know some things better than
others. Sure, they might be able to see it all, but the gibberish
that comes out only makes light of some of it. And I wager they
don’t tell us all of the little they know.”

“
Listen to yourself would you? You go on about gibberish while
your own mutterings are a right confusion.”

“
Clean the rot out of your ears then.”

“
Just give Elrin the chance he needs and we will find out. No
harm in an extra hand on the way; his heart is in the right place.
His sword arm needs a lot of work, though, if he sticks to one of
us he won’t be such a soft target…”

Delik let
Minni prattle on about her new pet. He recalled his father coming
home from Gren so many seasons past. He had blathered endlessly
about the Muden; their riddles set him wild with hope. Pa was the
Fist, they said. Pa would lead them to freedom. They never said
freedom would require such blooded knuckles.

“
Delik, are you listening to me?”

“
Yes, Minni. Yes, yes. We must keep him safe. I
agree.”

Coalman ran up
the stair to the quarterdeck and interrupted them. Close behind
followed a scrawny youth, black smears on his hands and cheeks.

Coalman
presented the boy. “This powder monkey found something strange in
the ship’s magazine. Thought you’d be interested.”

“
What is it, boy?” Delik waved him forward. The boy was
hesitant to talk. “Spit it out, son. I won’t bite.”

“
Powder’s cursed, won’t set to flame.” The boy hefted a powder
horn into Delik’s hands.

“
By Ona!” Delik tested the weight of the horn. “It’s as heavy
as a bag of shot.” He opened the stopper and emptied a sum into his
palm. “It’s not even black!”

“
Like I said, sir. It’s cursed, see. Me and Toppa opened a
fresh barrel. Ready for the battle like we was told. Straight away
we knew it was cursed, blood red and sparklin’. Knew it wasn’t
right and came up to me gun boss and showed it.”

“
And you tried to light it, eh?” asked Delik.

“
S’right, sir. Didn’t even fizz a spot.”

“
You’ve done well, son,” said Delik, shaking the boys powder
stained hand. “I need you to go back to that magazine and check the
other barrels. Separate the ones that are, ah, cursed. Make sure it
isn’t used in the cannon.”

“
Me and Toppa tried to shift that one we’s opened, sir.
Couldn’t budge it.”

“
Hurn,” said Delik, half to himself. That’s why they had the
ogre loading the barrels.

“
Sorry, sir?”

“
Go and ask the ogre to help you,” said Minni. “His name is
Hurn.”

That didn’t
sit well with the boy at all.

“
Off you go then,” said Coalman, without a scrap of sympathy.
“You’ve got your orders.”

The boy ran
off, likely imagining a gruesome death-by-ogre awaited.

“
Anything else whiles I’m close enough you don’t have to
shout?” asked Coalman, taking off his wool knit cap and scratching
his bald head.

“
Get the ears of all the lads. Remind them to stay their
blades if a Jandan surrenders. I want a cleaner fight this time. If
any of the crew don’t like the idea, take their weapons and put
them in the cells. Those bastards just make the Jandans fight to
the death. They’ll yield if they know they are outnumbered; less
blood the better.”

Coalman nodded
and descended the stairs as Elrin came up.

Four guards
followed, escorting the redeemers. They were filthy from sitting in
the cells below deck. With hands bound and mouths gagged, neither
struggled with their escort. In the bright mid-morning light their
cowls glared white, burning the black star into Delik’s eyes. A
white afterimage of the star blocked his focus wherever he looked.
He rubbed his eyes trying to remove the white glow.

“
Get those cowls off!” Delik rubbed his eyes to remove the
white glow fouling his vision. “Throw them to the sea.”

A guard
obliged, stripping off both cowls with rough handed pleasure.
Delik’s vision cleared, revealing a cruel faced man in white robes
and a cowering youth in red. The middle-aged man’s severe eyes
appraised them while the boy hung his shaven head, keeping his eyes
on the deck.

“
Why so calm?” asked Delik.

The older man
stepped forward jutting his bearded chin out, straining at the gag.
His dark hair, olive skin and sharp nose gave him away for a
shiner. He’d strayed a long way from home. Probably another poacher
banished from Calimska and taken in by Jando. A convert no doubt,
redeeming the sins of the masses, whether they liked it or not.
With a white silk robe, this man was not just any redeemer. He
would have the ear of the high priest, the head of the Council.

The boy kept
still, his dark brown skin glistening with sweat. He wasn’t Jandan,
nor Calimskan; Delik had no idea where he was from, up north
perhaps. His hazel eyes were nervous, submissive. The rust red
linen tunic he wore reflected a lack of authority; he was an
acolyte, or a personal slave. Given the absence of weapons and
armour he was likely a magic user of some sort. Being attached to a
redeemer in any way made him a dangerous prospect. Either of these
men could spawn chaos with an arcane whisper, but one might be
willing to cooperate.

“
If either of you mutter a spell or so much as wiggle your
fingers we’ll lop your damn heads off. Right lads, ready your
blades and let the boy speak first.” Delik motioned for the younger
man’s gag to be removed.

The boy
flicked a fearful glance at his superior and the older man shook
his head, yelling into the cloth that stifled his mouth shut. A
rebel guard pressed a sword against the priest’s neck and he
quietened, staring death at the acolyte while the petrified youth’s
mouth was unbound.

Remaining
silent, the boy in red took a step back and bowed to Delik.

“
Listen here lad, we’re not pirates. We took these vessels to
free the people on those galleons out to sea. We’re part of the
rebellion against the tyrants of Jando.” Delik paused to let it
sink in.

The gagged
redeemer tried to speak again, but a guard clipped his muffled
concern short, swatting the back of his head.

“
Did you enjoy your imprisonment below? I bet not.” Delik
pointed out across the sea to the Jandan ships. “Those ships are
full of men, woman and children, packed into cells like those you
were in.”

The boy
dropped his eyes from Delik. His mouth was free of the gag but he
wouldn’t speak, cowering with his shoulders slumped like he was
expecting a beating.

“
If you help them,” said Elrin, walking forward and touching
the scared boy’s shoulder. “You will be free too.”

The elder
redeemer rushed at Elrin, but was held back by the guards. He
strained in his bindings, shaking his head and biting the gag.
Three guards wrestled him to the deck, but his eyes, wild with
rage, made the boy cower and tremble with a helpless whimper.

Delik
understood the situation at once. Minni had her bow trained on the
redeemer. She’d end him soon if Delik didn’t intervene. The Reik
woman never had much to say to these dogs; nothing a sharp point
couldn’t express with more meaning.

“
Take the old man away,” ordered Elrin. “He’s terrifying the
boy.”

The guards
didn’t budge at Elrin’s say so. Delik gave a nod and the old dog
was dragged away.

Elrin offered
a hand to get the boy to his feet. “Those Jandan ships out there
are about to be taken by pirates. We want to save them, but the
pirates are going to get there first. Do you know a spell that
would help?”

The boy
hesitated, casting fearful eyes over his shoulder.

“
We’ll keep you safe from the old man in white,” Elrin put his
arm around the boy, who tensed, bracing for punishment. “And don’t
mind that grumpy old shankakin. He lost his dolly
overboard.”

Elrin leant
away and pulled a funny face at the accolyte. He returned a bright
smile, which broke into a gurgle of laughter. The youth had no
teeth and only a stub of a tongue.

Delik
uncrossed his arms. What had those bastards done to him? The boy
noticed them staring and stopped laughing, sealing his lips in a
pout to hide his shame.

“
Bring food and water,” said Minni to the remaining rebel
guard. “Now!”

Delik cut
through the rope binding the boy’s arms behind his back. “What’s
your name lad?”

The boy
wouldn’t speak; couldn’t speak. He covered his mouth with his hand,
his sad eyes unsure where to look.

“
Do you have a name?” asked Minni.

The boy shook
his head then pointed to a pail of water near Minni. She brought it
to him and he gave her a tight-lipped smile in thanks. He cupped
his hands in the water and raised his voice in a long high note
that carried into the wind. The water rippled like it was alive
with excited fish. He splashed it onto the deck where it beaded
together forming Jandan words on the timber.

I have no
name.

Delik nudged
Minni. She punched his arm in return. Now they had two keys; this
just proved the prophecy was a load of bollocks.

“
What did that man call you?” asked Elrin.

Boy.

“
We can’t call you that,” said Elrin.

Minni knelt
down beside him. “Did that name make you feel good?”

No.

I’m a
girl.

Minni didn’t flinch.
“He was a silly
old man then wasn’t he?”

The young girl
shook her head. Without a sob or a whimper, tears streaked through
the grime on her tender face, falling into the puddle on the
deck.

“
We won’t talk about him anymore,” said Minni, putting her arm
around the girl. “Let’s talk about a nice name for you. One that
you like. What is your most favourite thing in all of
Oranica?”

The girl
thought for a moment, wiping her quiet tears away. Like a fresh
breeze, her sad face was swept aside. She waved her hand across the
puddle of water.

Beans.

“
Well, that won’t do for a name, will it?”

The girl
covered her mouth and giggled, eyes warm with honey delight. Minni
giggled with her, holding her gentle hands.

“
You have beautiful eyes you know. I think they are the most
beautiful colour I have ever seen. Your eyes remind me of something
my mother gave me when I was a little girl.”

Minni undid a
charm around her neck and placed it in the girl’s hand. The girl
examined the polished gemstone on end of the leather thong. Her
eyes gleamed with fascination.

“
I want you to have it,” said Minni.

The girl
grinned her toothless smile and altered the water droplets on the
deck.

Amber.

Delik cleared
his throat. “So, ah, Amber then, is it?”

She affirmed
with a sincere nod.

Delik knew
this scene all too well; here was yet another daughter to the
rebellion, orphaned by the damned almighty. For every pious Jandan
there was a wagonload of souls enduring injustice. “Right then,
Amber, we need to free the innocent people aboard those ships. Is
that something you want to do? Do you want to help us?” Delik
didn’t like the idea of the poor child doing anything she didn’t
want to do. She’d suffered enough at the hand of that redeemer.

Yes.

“
You’re a brave lass. Can you get us to those ships before the
pirates do? I don’t know how you work your magic, but we need
speed. Change the wind or summon a great sea lummox to tow us
along, anything. We’ll give you what ever you need.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Shot
& Splinter

Minni returned from the Captain’s quarters carrying the
belts, pouches and satchels confiscated from Amber and the redeemer
when they were captured. Amber knelt on the deck, playfully
swirling her finger above the puddle, creating liquid fish that
wriggled through the water. She was still a child, such a dear
thing. Minni wanted more than anything to bundle her up and take
her away somewhere safe. A ridiculous thought; she knew it. The
prophecy had to come first. It had to be followed or all was lost.
The Muden knew the Key would free everyone. She had been certain
the Key was Elrin, until they discovered Amber right under their
noses. It had to be one of them, but which one? Until she knew for
certain, both had to be kept safe.