Last time on Raiders of the Middle Seas Part 14
He heard a rumbling sound off to the side of the cave mouth.
“Oh my Lord.” Leland breathed. “Back! We need to go! Dump your last batch and bring fire with!”
“The bonfire is not ready Captain!” Bugsby cried. “It will die out in twenty minutes!”
“That won't matter! They are burrowing out the side!” Leland shouted. “Run!” He grabbed the pirate captain’s collar and followed his own advice, dragging the pirate behind him.
Raiders of the Middle Sea 15
The going was hard in the sand but Leland just set his sight on Nich’s tracks up the sandy shore to where it crossed the center of the island.
Soon enough he had caught up with the two men bearing the chest. Leland slowed and looked around. It seemed as though everyone was here.
“Good.” Leland said. “Everyone is here.” He said to nobody in particular. He walked alongside Nich. “Two men change with Nich. Let’s keep close together. Keep your lights on!”
The men did not have a chance to reply as the night air was split with blood curdling screams of animal fury from the direction of the caves.
“Oh by the old Gods and the new!” One sailor cursed.
“There is only the Lord of Light!” Bugsby growled at the other man.
“Well, maybe you’ll soon go meet him Buggsy.” The man retorted.
“We need to get moving!” Leland cut the argument short. “Lets go!” The men moved briskly, but they kept a tight formation as they walked.
“Give me that.” Leland held his hand out and took one of the nearby sailor’s torches, he didn’t even bother checking who it was, and the man followed his instruction promptly. Leland threw the torch into the high grasses and sure enough, the sun-dried tall grass caught alight like dry tinder and began to spread.
They went onward. One of the men had fallen over and hurt his ankle but his comrades helped him to hop along as quick as they could. A tiny light appeared before them and Leland never thought he would be so happy to see the King's Dart in his life. The moonlight bathed the beach in pale light but this did not seem to be an obstacle for the creatures that were following them.
The men brought their yellow light with them and it was then that Leland became acutely aware of the wind.
He craned his neck back to look at the skyline, from his left came a massive dark shape, blotting out the stars as it came. “It’s going to rain! Move!” Sailors cried in dismay but they increased their pace. Leland kept a firm hold on the pirate captain, leaving him to his own devices could lead to anything. Then he realized something.
“Nerod!” The pirate did not seem to be listening and was breathing hard from the exertion. Leland shook the man. “Captain Nerod!”
“What?” The pirate was pulled from his reverie.
“How did you escape the island last time?”
“I… I ran… then I swam out, holding on to wood that I found…” The pirate did not get further, nor did Leland have time to ask him where exactly he had found wood to make a raft with on this deserted island. A crashing sound came from Leland’s right but he couldn’t see what was happening.
With a bestial scream something collided with the men that were helping the injured. The men were yelling and Leland heard the sound of steel colliding with something hard.
“To the water’s edge!” Leland led the way. Their pace slowed when they reached the foreshore, stumbling over clumps of seaweed. “Face the island! Backs to the sea men!” Their company turned and that’s when he saw them. A chill traveled up his spine as he caught sight of their hunters in the moonlight.
Running low on the ground on all fours, there were dozens of the creatures. They did not bark or roar, instead they had high pitched screams that was part hiss. Leland could see another set of limbs or mandibles held close to the head. There was no neck and the head portion of the creatures was a mess of moving parts that he couldn’t identify.
The beasts ran around the edges of the yellow light cast by their brands and circled back and forth. But Leland noted that they did not attempt to go near the sea. The beasts screamed and crooned amongst each other and Leland had the uneasy feeling that they understood each other.
They were frightfully intelligent.
A long strand of something shot from one of the creature. It did not reach, being shot from too far outside the firelight, but Leland had time to see a sharp barbed spear attached to something ropy and wet. The tentacle was retracted but the sight of this slowed their progress. The men did not want to go near it. Then three more of the javelins were shot out and retracted.
Leland squinted at the creatures. They could not hope to hit a target at this distance. After every attack they needed to stop to pull their strange apparatus back into their maws. Leland took a brand and boldly strode forward towards the creatures after another volley was ineffectively shot at the men. Behind him, Nerod resisted his advance on the rope Leland held in his other hand, but he tugged the man forward after him.
The beasts couldn’t retreat and when the light hit the beasts they screamed in high pitched pain. The wet red and purple skin on the creatures blistered and convulsed as the light shone over them. The nearest began to stumble away, retracting their spear-like protrusions.
Leland stomped on the nearest of the tendrils, well away from the spiked tip and walked along it, halting the creature’s retreat. He held the brand before him and the creature’s screams increased in pitch and volume as its skin blistered and split. He was maybe five meters away from the creature when it shuddered and was still.
The effect on the other creatures was a full retreat well away from the light.
Leland looked down at the burnt creature and its sickening appearance. Tendrils and mandibles were spread in profusion around its mouth. Its eyes were large and might have been black, but all four of them had popped under the light of the flames.
The men were cheering weakly, they were exhausted and Leland knew they would not last much longer. He pushed onward towards the boat on the beach, no longer stalled by the creatures. The crew followed behind him as though he would solve all their creature problems.
He could hear the beasts communicating with each other still. He was acutely aware of the coldness of the air. A glance at the ocean, the approaching rumble could only mean one thing.
“It’s raining! Run!” He shouted and held his brand above his head with one hand and the rope on the pirate’s shackles in the other. Two men next to them carried the chest but when they got to the boat they stumbled and dumped the chest in the wet sand. “Get that chest in the boat and push off! All of us will have to fit or else we…”
“Captain!” Someone screamed.
He looked in the direction of the shout of distress and saw that two of the beasts were pushing another sideways into the light. The foremost was screaming but the others pushed mercilessly and shot out their spears at the men. The man that had screamed out was speared through his throat while the other harpoon shot over his shoulder and began contracting back towards the creature. The man was being pulled towards the beasts and his torch fell to the sand and went out. This stopped the foremost from cooking under the firelight and it retreated, limping.
More of the creatures were coming for them, slowly and in similar groups. Again Leland was most horrified at how intelligent the creatures were and ruthless. He pushed at the men and the boat. “Go! Go! Go!”
The chest tipped over the side of the boat and broke open, spilling its contents on the inside of the boat. Leland saw the glint of gold coins and other valuables but something else caught his attention. A faint source of light was being emitted from an object in the boat. He dove into the boat despite the protests of the men heaving on the vessel.
Grabbing the object he saw what looked like an oval crystal that was mounted on a short stave. He picked it up and felt some part of the brass and bronze handle move in his hand. The red orange light of the device increased and became almost blinding. Leland jolted upwards in the boat and held the light above his head.
The reach of the light source was much further than the torches and was a godsend as the rain hit them. Their torchlight went out in seconds but the creatures were thrown backwards, the light of the device pushing them away. Where it touched them the creatures cooked and blistered but the rain soothed their wounds as soon as they retreated away from the halo of light.
Leland held the beacon high and felt that they had stopped. He looked down at the awestruck faces of his men. Even the pirate captain could only stand and stare at him. “Well? What are you all looking at? Get this boat in the water and let’s get the hell out of here!”
The men didn’t say a thing and began pushing. Now that none of them carried torches there was much more power as the men pulled the boat to the water’s edge. Men began climbing into the ship and Leland leaned out and grabbed the pirate captain by the front of his shirt, the man’s bindings made it difficult for him to climb to safety.
Pulling the man close to his face he could see the man’s face was pale and his eyes wide with fright. “Well now. I could leave you behind Nerod. Then I wouldn’t need to worry about your deviousness aboard MY ship!”
The man looked up at him with despair. “No! Please no Captain! Spare me! Save me! I will not deceive you, you have my word Captain! I swear it by my clan and by the Gods of the sea!” The pirate sank to his knees which put him waist deep in the water beside the boat. The pirate clung to Leland's hand. “Please I beg of you! Nerod Ar An Barga is at your service I swear it! Until the debt is paid!”
“There is only ONE God…” One of Leland’s men muttered. Probably Bugsby again.
“Remember your words Nerod.” Leland said. “If you cross me, I swear, I will bring you back to this island and leave you here.” He dragged the man into the boat and the last of the men cast the ship into the surf and climbed aboard.
The light of Leland’s beacon stopped and the creatures charged forward on the beach but stopped at the water’s edge. He stared at them, calculating in his mind, observing. The creatures stared back, also calculating and observing.
“Do you think they can swim Captain?” Nich asked quietly, sitting next to him. The men were packed close to each other, squirming out of the way to give the two men with the oars space to paddle. At least the sea was not rough yet, but it might pick up with the wind.
“Maybe.” Leland said and kept watch. Shock and exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave. “Let’s just get to the Dart.”
“Aye Captain.” Nich said. “If you didn’t think you were Captain material before… you are now.”
“Aye!” Franco said. “You killed one of those beasts! Fearless! To the Captain!”
The men cheered and Leland smiled resignedly.
He hadn’t thought of what the men might make of his actions. He supposed it made him some sort of hero now. Exactly what the men needed. His actions with the pirate captain had also been exemplary. Nerod sat huddled in on himself and shuddering, while Leland was sitting tall and proud. The man seemed completely broken and had none of his proud bearing. Near death and abandonment seemed to have that effect on people.
They reached their ship and Leland began to think that they might yet survive out here across the Middle Sea.
Next time on Raiders of the Middle Sea
Meanwhile back in Oratiga, the City of a Dozen Arenas.
Kayden and his companions defeated the bear and won quite some renown. News of their success runs through the city. Although everyone survived this ordeal, it has put a considerable value on Kayden, Shadi and Torassh as slaves. The bestial Shi'Uzdu has now got more of a reason to keep them as assets.
What will happen to the slave gladiators?
New to Raiders of the Middle Sea? Begin Reading previous Episodes!
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 1 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 2
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 3 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 4
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 5 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 6
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 7 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 8
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 9 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 10
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 11 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 12
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 13 / Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 14
World of Kedra