The Song and the Serpent

“You’ve no idea how good it’s been to see you again,” Adan said as he and Layla stood together on the skeletal pier. Kian and Ryland had already returned to the ship and the last of the warriors were loading themselves back onboard. Ansel’s music had marked the end of the meal in the songhouse and it was time to return to sea.

“It’s been good to see you as well,” she replied. “It’s taken me right back to my childhood and my days at Farel. I’ve missed them, you know. I’ll miss you.”

“And I you,” said Adan.

“Please be careful in the north. These rumors are disconcerting.”

“We will be careful. We aren’t just some fishing boat or merchant ship from Alvaro.”

“What if– whoever it is– what will you do if they attack?”

“If that happens, we’ll fight them off and send them home with their tails tucked between their legs. “Difficulty can’t dissuade us from our task.”

“But why not? Why can’t you turn back?”

“This is Kian’s first trust. His father has entrusted this task to him to prove that he is worthy of the seat at Farel. He also needs to prove that he is a worthy suitor to marry Valessa, his betrothed.”

“I know why Kian needs to go. But why do you need to go?”

“I’m his bodyguard.”

Layla looked crestfallen, as if his answer wasn’t the one she was looking for.

“And also . . .” Adan hesitated as he sought the right words. “I need to do this. Kian and his father—I owe them everything. Everything I am . . .”

Adan looked over his shoulder at Kian who stood on the deck, watching the two of them.

“I need to prove that they haven’t wasted everything they’ve given me.”

“Of course they haven’t. Kindness is never wasted. Besides, Kian trusts you, and says you’re the best swordsman in Farel."

Adan looked back at her. “I’m glad you’re so certain. But I’m not. I need to prove this to myself.”

Layla opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a moment, she nodded.

“When I’m finished,” Adan added, “I’ll come visit you.”

Layla smiled again. “I’d like that very much.”

“Oy! Huin! Are you coming or not?” Kian shouted.

Adan embraced Layla quickly. “I need to leave. I’ll see you when we return.”

“Be safe,” she whispered.

He pulled free and quickly climbed the side of the ship.

“What did you call me?” he asked Kian as he leapt over the rail.

“Huin. You know, Huin the Lovestruck?”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“Well, you have would if you didn’t run off every time a bard starts playing. I had Ansel sing about him today. It seemed… appropriate somehow.”

“Them I’m glad I wasn’t there.”

“I’m sure.” Kian looked away from Adan and back at Layla, who was walking down the pier toward the village. “I think you would have related to old Huin in may ways.”

“Oh, go jump overboard.”

After a few instructions from captain Ryland, Rocco began shouting orders to direct the ship away from the pier and back to deeper waters.

The sun had begun its descent in the heavens when they began their circuit around the Island. Adan and Kian stood side by side at the port and watched the rocky coast slide slowly past them. The wind was not in their favor, so the continuous thud of the drum rolled out over the water. The oars rose and fell in unison as Adan and Kian admired the sheer cliffs bordering the east side of Enys Island.

By the time they had passed the isle, the sun had fallen so low in the west that it was in their faces, changing from bright yellow to a red and orange hue that shot beams of light through vast cloud fortresses.

Adan felt a keen sense of longing at the sight. Seeing Layla again, and then leaving so quickly had been bittersweet. He felt a desire to do something, to give himself to a task that would take his mind off of everything. But something about the sunset over the waves kept him in his stormy thoughts, as if the pure beauty of the sight provoked him to be still and feel what he didn’t usually allow himself to feel. So he basked in the warm orange glow and allowed himself to ruminate.

Kian and Adan would have taken their supper at this time, but after the extravagant meal in the song house, they had little appetite. So they admired the view as the sun dipped low over the watery horizon.

When the sun had almost vanished, Adan turned and looked east, toward the coast of Esta. Darkness hovered over the snow capped mountains visible in the distance. A pale moon hung above them, ready to replace the brilliant sunlight with a dim luminescence.

Adan thought he saw a collection of the lights near the base of one of the mountains, no doubt the fires of a small village on the coast.

Kian stretched his arms. “Well, a full day and no mistake. I believe I’m going to turn in.”

“You sound as though you actually did something besides talk and eat today,” said Adan.

“I did. It was quite a walk from the ship to the song house. Almost a quarter of a mile, I’m sure. And then I had to walk all the way back on a full stomach.” Kian wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead. “So exhausting. I’m off to my bunk.”

He turned and walked toward their cabin at the center of the ship.

“I suppose I’ve nothing better to do,” said Adan close behind him.

The cabin they shared held only a bunkbed and a small table with no chairs. After removing their sword belts and leather boots, they both clambered into the bunks, Kian on the bottom and Adan on top.

Kian was snoring lightly within moments, and Adan turned over on his bed, listening to the sounds of the oars outside.

Thud. Thud. Splash! Thud.

One oar stroke to every three beats of the drum.

Thud. Thud. Splash! Thud.

The soporific noise began to lull Adan to sleep.

Thud. Thud. Splash! Thud.

Adan’s eyelids slowly crept together until shut.

Thud. Thud–

“A ship!”

Adan’s eyes flew open.

“A ship ahead of us!” The cry from outside could be heard across the vessel.

Adan jumped down from his bunk and grabbed his sword belt.

Kian sat up in bed with a start and threw the cover off as Adan slipped into his boots.

“What the devil?”he muttered as he jumped up and grabbed his sword belt. They could hear a commotion outside their cabin. The drum beats had stopped.

Adan flung the door open and stepped outside quickly.

The moonlight was gone. A dark cloud had hidden its pale gleam and surrounded them in darkness. He heard scurrying on the deck as the warriors tried to look ahead.

Adan walked to the prow, where several men strained to see the approaching boat. He could see firelight ahead of them, less than a mile away, and he could barely make out the white shape of a sail above the torches. Even as he looked, another orange light sprang up next to the first one, about a hundred paces away from the original ship.

He felt cold fear settle in his stomach.

Two ships.

Whoever it was, they were already outnumbered.

“Man the oars!” Rocco’s loud voice rang through the darkness. “Warriors to your places!”

With a flurry of boots on wood, the men returned to the benches along the sides of the ship and gripped the oar handles. Adan and Kian were left standing at the prow.

“What are we looking at?” Captain Ryland strode from the rear of the ship and addressed the two of them.

“I’m not sure,” said Kian. “Two ships. I can’t make out their standard, but they meant to surprise us. That much is clear.”

Ryland came to stand by them and the three of them examined the ships. As they looked, the cloud that had covered the moon slid away and the spectral light shone down on the approaching vessels.

Ryland squinted at the sight. “What in Accenoah–?”

The ships had rowed close enough for their sails to be more visible in the moon and torchlight. Instead of a canvas sheet, a standard was revealed in the twofold lights. A red serpent, with mouth open and fangs bared, wrapped its body around the form of a man. At least, the form looked something like a man. Two humanoid legs, arms, and a torso, but the feet were furry and clawed, like a bear's paw. The hands were talloned like a bird of prey, and the head was that of a wolf.

The white moonlight shining from above and the red torchlight flickering underneath gave the image an eerie first impression.

“Do you recognize that flag?” Kian asked.

Ryand shook his head. “Never in all my years of sailing have I seen that mark.”

“So you’ve no idea who they are?” Adan asked.

“No but we’re about to find out.” Ryland raised his voice. “Warriors, keep your weapons ready to hand.”

Metallic sounds rang out in the night as swords, axes, and other armaments were drawn. Adan saw a handful of warriors leave their post to find where they’d left a weapon lying.

Adan put a hand on his own sword hilt and gripped it tight. He felt his heart beating wildly and tried to control its reckless speed with slow, deliberate breaths.

Kian turned to Ryland. “Do we have a plan?”

Ryland shook his head again. “We’ve no choice but to try to take them one at a time, but they have the wind on their side. That’s why they were able to come so close without us hearing them. No need for oars.”

“So how do we engage them one at a time?”

Ryland looked at Kian. Adan saw a smile touch the burly captain's face. “Rocco has some tricks up his sleeve. We’ll see if he can’t make it happen.”

The drum at the back of the ship began beating and Rocco bellowed for the warriors to row again.

Ryland walked back to the rear of the ship where the second in command stood at the rudder. Adan and Kain followed, Adan wondering how Ryland could look so calm and tranquil. Adan felt as if he might lose the meal he had enjoyed on Enys Island.

For a moment, the only sounds were those of the wind on the waves and the beating of the drum. No shout or call came from the two ships as the wind filled their ghastly sails and bore them closer. The closest craft, the leftmost of the two, had drifted so close that Adan began to make out the figures on deck.

Tall men with spears in their hands and strange helmets stood as still as stone along the sides of the ship. As they drew nearer, Adan could make out their armor in more detail. Flowing tunics of red, purple, and gold were covered with chain main coats. The torchlight gleamed on the polished rings and the helmets each man wore. A large spike protruded from the top of each helmet, and although the helmets had no face guard, their faces were covered with cloth wrappings, so only their eyes were visible.

The appearance of the enemy warriors did nothing to reveal their identity. They were unfamiliar, alien, and otherworldly.

The vessels drifted closer together. Adan noticed that they were making for the left side of the closest ship. No doubt Rocco hoped to place one enemy ship in between their ship and the other vessel, so the first craft would be blocking its brother from the attack.

That won’t make much difference, Adan thought. With the wind on their side, they’ll be able to quickly maneuver around the other ship.

Adan looked back at the second in command in time to see him whisper something into the captain’s ear. To Adan’s astonishment, Ryland actually smiled before nodding to Rocco. Then the captain pulled his ax from his belt and strode confidently to the front of the ship.

What are they planning?

As the oar strokes pulled them closer to the first enemy craft, Adan saw several enemy warriors handling coils of rope. Grappling hooks hung from the end of each rope.

Adan slid his sword from its scabbard.

When they were within a stone's throw from the first ship, Ryland lifted his ax in the air over his head and let out a roar of defiance.

Everyone on the ship joined his battlecry, and Adan lifted his sword in the air as they challenged the oncoming enemy.

The men on the opposing ship remained eerily silent, but Adan saw the warriors with grappling hooks move to the side of the ship they were making for.

But just before they could pull alongside the first vessel, Rocco shouted a command for the oarsmen to turn right. The confused warriors obeyed his command as he gave the rudder a hard pull. With a slight tilt, the ship switched directions, heading for the opposite side of the first enemy craft.

The enemy warriors gave shouts of surprise, and the ones weidling ropes and hooks fought through their own men to cross to the other side.

They missed colliding with the enemy by a few paces, and Adan saw confusion on the enemy deck. Their ship was so crowded with warriors that by the time they had reached the opposite rail, Rocco had brought them alongside their attackers.

A few grappling hooks were hastily flung over the thin expanse of water. Several of them fell short of the rail, but five of them fell among the oarsmen. The attacking warriors pulled quickly on the hooks and the oarsmen scrambled to escape the sharp snags as they dragged through the benches to hook onto the rail.

Then Adan saw Ryland, still at the front of the ship, leap onto the rail where the hooks had caught. He snatched up a shield and ran down the length of the rail, cutting the ropes tying them to the enemy craft.

Adan nearly dropped his sword in astonishment. The massive warrior ran the length of the rail without once losing his balance, swinging his ax with expert grace. Several arrows came flying from the attackers, and two of them stuck into the side of his shield, but otherwise he reached the rear of the ship unscathed.

“Take that, you mindless muttonheads!” Rocco shouted as he straightened the rudder and they passed the first ship.

Everyone let out another defiant roar and a cheer for Rocco and the captain. Now the first ship would have to turn around and fight the wind to get to them.

“We’re not out of this yet,” Ryland called over the cheering. “We’ve only bought some time. We won’t be able to pull the same trick a second time.”

All eyes turned to the second ship, which was drawing near to their right side. Once again, the only sound was the steady beat of the drum as they drew nearer to the second ship.

Adan felt as if he might burst with pulsing energy. He could hear his own heart beat and his hands were trembling. He looked at the sword in his hand, from its black leather handle to its sharp double edged blade. The weapon had been a gift from the swordmaster in Farel, the man who had trained Kian as well. Adan wondered if his years of training would save him in the chaos that was about to come. He had never killed a man before.

Don’t overthink it, he told himself. Protect Kian. That’s your task. Protect KIan.

Once again they pulled alongside the attacking ship. Once again, grappling hooks were hurled from the enemy. Over a dozen hooks snagged the rail of their ship, too many for them to cut loose this time.

“Shields!” Captain Ryalnd bellowed as arrows began pelting them from across the water.

The drum stopped beating. The oars were dropped and men took cover behind the rail and snatched up the shields lining the side of the ship.

Several more grappling hooks were thrown across the small channel. One of them hit Rocco and caught on a plate of his armor. He was forcibly dragged toward the rail by warriors on the opposing ship.

Captain Ryland leapt forward and slammed his ax on the rail, severing the rope that would have taken his second in command overboard.

Rocco stood and removed the slack hook from his armor. “Thank you captain.”

But Ryland didn’t reply. He turned back toward them with an arrow protruding from his right shoulder.

“No!” Kian shouted, dashing to the captain’s side.

The captain's face knotted with pain. “Blasted brigans!” He snarled. Then, with one quick motion, he reached up and broke the arrow where it entered his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said, switching the ax to his left hand. “It's not the first time.”

There were several thuds on the deck and Adan spun to see several enemy warriors leaping from rail to rail, boarding their ship. A ring of steel on steel signaled the beginning of the fighting on deck.

“Let’s send these fiends into the Abyss!” Ryland shouted as he ran into the press of men. Rocco drew a long, thin blade at his side and leapt after the captain.

Adan looked at Kian, who stared back at him.

“It looks like all that bodyguard business is going to count for something after all,” Kian shouted.

Adan nodded, and they both turned together.

“Stay with me, brother!” Kian shouted as they dove side by side into the fray.