Act 5.2
Sarah slowly dragged herself from the deck as she watched her lord stand his ground and take on the throng of slavers.
She has always been a keen observer, ever since she was brought to the cathedral from the slavers camp, she would always watch as the men in armor trained. After she became an adept and even after she became a sentry in the inquisition forces, she could always estimate others merit. She would work thrice as hard and twice as long to improve and merit her rank. She was first to every tourney and would watch from her post as royal knights trained in the barracks. She knew every renowned warrior and she could easily rank herself among them. She lacked brute strength, but she offset it with her armor and choice of weapon, she had speed and stamina and honed her abilities to near perfection. She could assess any battle and put herself in the most favorable of positions. In the last two years that the inquisition became the sole law enforcers of kingdom, she had fought and won in every part of kingdom, but these last 3 days they awoke her sense of restlessness. In a fair fight she could humble every other inquisitor or even a royal knight. Could match both Lomu and Reza in single combat, could have danced around and tired out the commander of northern garrison Amir and even imagined challenging legendary general Mikele for superiority, but Lord high inquisitor? A man standing before her was in a league of his own. Ybagin was a head taller, no wider than her, garbed in black fitted armor and voluminous burgundy cape; with an ornate sword he was causing more deaths than the entire battlefield around them. Her master was a one-man punitive force and she marveled at the way he doled out punishment. For over two years she saw him ride from one part of the island to the other cutting out corruption and malice with blade or word, but every time it was a new experience and always a lesson. And it suddenly struck her that she had lied to him twice, she had helped his enemies escape and single handedly was the cause of an unavoidable rift between two kingdoms, with every second his assailants' numbers diminished moment of her judgment approached. As it stood judgment was half a dozen blade strokes away. She knew that should she stay she would die before her family was avenged; Reza need only reach his kingdom he would be untouchable. She mustered her strength and yanked the blade from her side. Clenched her teeth and burst into full on sprint towards Reza’s ship. She felt pain, her abdomen was breathing fire, but one glance at her master glaring at her gave her all the stamina she needed. She jumped over and landed on the deck of the other ship.
Reza and the captain had already dislodged his ship and were making progress to get out of the bay through the reefs, with Reza steering and captain giving directions. The entirety of the main deck was eyeing the corpse pale woman that had just landed on their heads. The crew slowly started to surround her, but by this time someone else also boarded the ship. For as the ship passed one of the reefs Lomu launched himself from its outstretched spire and landed next to the rudder, splitting the captain while landing.
Now Lomu and Reza stood side by side not as comrades linked by years of friendship, but as men who were only linked by a thin steel between them. Lomu’s blade greeted the bruised cheek underneath the broken eye, only then did Reza turn from eyeing Sarah and acknowledge the last-minute addition to his retinue.
Lomu- you look how I feel.
Reza- (half whispered) Lomu?
Lomu- I want to know why! Why do all of this?
Reza- Because it is mine!
With those words Reza swiveled the helm and caused the ship to turn, Lomu unsure of his footing had to make a few steps back and brace up; time that Reza used wisely to draw his blade and attack him and kicking him down below to the deck and almost into the open hatch that led into the hold, as lighting flashed Lomu saw that the hold was brimming with caged slaves. Reza returned to the helm to avoid any reefs, one eye or two he was still the best helmsman.
Lomu got up as some of the men rushed towards Lomu, abandoning Sarah where she stood. In seconds Lomu was surrounded by Reza’s crew of slavers.
Reza- I wanted mine! Not given, not granted, but taken and earned through blood sweat and toil! Something that cannot be taken, by scornful father or petty brothers! I am not you Lomu, I cannot be dutiful just to avoid being pushed aside and punished! You and I are the same, we are pawns in other men's games. I decided to set up a game just under the board while you decided to reach for a promotion and become invaluable, Well…… how is that going so far?
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
While Reza continued his soliloquy, Lomu fought for his life. 6 men with swords, chains and nets were not the odds that would daunt him, not today.
Lomu- what would happen if they had caught you with your precious cargo!
Reza- I committed no sin, I took the poor and miserable of this war! fed them and sent those with no prospect to better places. I am no sinner in the eyes of your lords!
Lomu- And what about the children! What about the ones you sent to MO!
Reza- Amir is not...was not cruel, He did his best to keep them safe, Nene told me. He was a friend in need and I aided him. Would I have done less for you? Or do you think nobody knows how you frequent the cathedral? Oh Pius one! How you frolic in the pond with your precious blond flame keeper.
Lomu- You destroyed those children's lives!
Reza- What lives! Who are you to lecture me about the downtrodden? All you did was chase and kill men. Did you ever actually see what you left behind? What your family did for the sake of ending the war is far worse than what the war would have brought!
Lomu cuts down the last of the slavers and sees Reza walk down the stairs daggers at the ready. Having passed the reefs the ship is safe to drift wherever the torrent takes them, as lightning flashes over the ship two princes clash on the deck while the wheel spins out of control.
Reza- I wished only to spare you from the carnage to come, to alter your fate from that of your family.
Lomu- nothing will come, you will answer for your actions before Vance.
Reza- Oh by morrow, no-one will ever remember this day and there will be no Vance, no Dim, not even your sweet sweet Vera!
With those words Lomu and Reza clashed, half blinded and weakened against fatigued and near drowned. Both were in peak of their mastery, decades of rigorous training by the greatest warriors of their respective kingdoms produced some of if not the deadliest warriors of realm. Together they could cut through a battalion like scissors through silk. In a fair match it would be anyone's guess, but when it came to degrees of injury Reza’s wounds were more severe. Lomu capitalized on the fact that his opponent had severely limited vision and no depth perception. Lomu began his final barrage from his right over and over, again and again. Finally breaking through Reza’s defenses, disarmed him and twisted themselves until he was holding Reza over the open hatch with only a tip of Reza’s boot touching the deck.
Reza- Wait! Wait! wait!
Lomu- Tell me what did you do! and you will live to be judged by others hands.
Reza- I... snatched the prize.
Lomu- What are you talking about?
Reza- The cart, I had it send off. When you came to me earlier I sent word to my partners. and they shipped it away.
Lomu- from under the residence? that’s why inquisitors attacked! to overtake his remains.
Lomu steps back and allows Reza to stand on the deck and catch breath.
Lomu- What I don’t understand is why? What were you plan...the plans, Cardus saw your plans.
Lomu scans the deck and sees a cabin chest which belongs anywhere but on this dank derelict of a vessel.
Reza draws a small dirk from his double belt and turns to stab Lomu, but is caught by Sarah from behind stabbed in the back and yanked into the hold below. Reza falls on the large cage.
Before Reza can even catch his breath, hands shoot from under him and shackle him by the arms, legs and finally by the empty socket of an eye. He tries to scream, but when he opens his mouth two hands shoot from both sides and slowly start tearing his mouth open. Someone grabs the dirk he held in his hand and another removes a blade from his back. They start perforating him from below; All the while Sarah and Lomu keep their eyes locked on the dying princeling down below. As Sarah saw a nightmare of her childhood turn into a puddle of screams and gargles her anger was swept away, the tightness of indignant fury and righteousness evaporated and all that held her was now gone. The wound gushed once again, the pain held back by rage was now free to roam throughout her body. Darkness took her and her knees succumbed to it as well. As she started to crumble and fall hands shot up from her left and she fell on them like on tree branches, branches held firm. Lomu held her tightly and held her upright, she wrapped her hands around him, while voices from the cage called out.
As the ship drifted away others were watching them from a smoldering wreck of six ships. Lord high inquisitor lowered his spyglass and smashed it in rage.
Freed from their cage some of the liberated captives helped Lomu ease Sarah and bandage her up. When Sarah woke up, she was in the captain’s quarters, feverish though not in pain. Lomu was by the table rifling through papers as Sarah rose, Lomu had heaved a small open chest onto the table. Sarah hobbled toward him.
Sarah- what now?
Lomu- Now I go home.