Saiyun knelt on the cabin’s rickety floorboards, taking long, slow breaths and trying to maintain his strained connection with Jado. His summon was almost all the way to the beach, and the distance was testing his focus. “Nothing yet,” he said, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Don’t push yourself,” Bill said gently, the only other one in the room. The rest of them were down in the cabin at deck level, waiting for news. “Don’t do anything to risk the connection. If you can’t talk to me while you’re trying to listen in, don’t. Just tell me when it’s over.”
Saiyun sat as still as he could, listening to the distant roar of the surf through Jado’s ears. After hours of waiting, a new noise caught his attention. The rumble of heavy boots marching in step and the sound of orders being barked. He took a deep breath and willed his senses into Jado’s body.
A cold sensation washed over him and threatened to break his concentration. But he pushed through the shock and opened Jado’s eyes. Jado lay half-submerged in the spring, shrouded by a tree that had toppled over into the water. Hidden by the water and the leaves, he was practically invisible. Putting him there had been Bill's idea; no one would look for him underwater, and the soldiers were certain to stop to fill their canteens in the spring. Jado’s eyesight was not made for distance; at best, Saiyun could make out human-shaped blobs at the edge of the shore. The blobs had shades of blue and white, and each carried what looked like a short pole. Some stood guard while others filled their canteens, and then they’d switch. It was hard to tell, but Saiyun counted ten or eleven of them by the shore.
While Jado may have had poor eyesight, its ears were just fine. Shame no one was speaking in a language Saiyun knew. There was some stern talk and some laughter, so they certainly weren’t terrified to be on their mission. Saiyun kept listening in hopes of catching something understandable. Then suddenly the blobs stood up straight, and Saiyun heard the rattle of muskets being put to shoulders. A new voice gave a sharp command, and the soldiers marched out of sight down the hill. Two new blobs colored white and blue, the other a bright red, approached the shore. There was silence for a moment, and then the white and blue blob began to speak in Gray.
“I want to take this opportunity to voice my opposition,” said a man’s voice with a rough, clipped accent.
“Is this the same opposition our dear Captain has been voicing?” said the red blob in a woman’s voice. It was quite high in pitch and had a mocking quality to it. “Because I’m sure I could repeat it back to you by now. ‘We’re putting the ship at risk by being well outside the scope of our original mission’. Does that cover it?”
“He’s not wrong, your Eminence,” the man said through gritted teeth. “We were only supposed to scout out the coast, not go chasing after a tall tale.”
“But it wasn’t a tall tale,” the woman said fiercely. “The Emerald Arrow is right there, just through the woods. Do you have any idea how valuable that wreck is?”
“I was there when you questioned the prisoners too,” the man replied. “From what we found in their hold, the only thing valuable there was tin.”
The woman let out an irritated sigh. “This is why Azun put me in charge. Because neither of you have any imagination. Forget treasure. Those cannons are worth their weight in gold and then some. Our forges can’t match anything made in the Haodei Emperor’s time. There are a hundred of them, maybe more stored away below decks. A hundred of Haodei’s cannons could slaughter an army, level a fortress, or even arm a fleet. They are worth this little diversion.”
“Even so, that’s not what I want to speak to you about,” said the man. “My men aren’t ready for this. It’s too soon.”
“I see this as the perfect chance to test their mettle,” replied the woman. “An eccentric Vao scholar and his bodyguards should be a very stimulating challenge for them. Besides, my summons will be there to help them, and if we get into any trouble, we can call on my pet for help.” The woman let out a whistle, and she was quickly joined by a new blob, colored bright blue.
The man took a few steps back. “Don’t call that thing a pet,” he snapped. “You should have left it in the hold.”
The woman let out a laugh. “One minute you think we don’t have enough men to manage, then the next you criticize me for fixing the problem. You command your men. I’ll handle my summons. And my Korav.”
The connection snapped and Saiyun’s eyes went wide in horror. He clapped his hand over his mouth and lurched forward, catching himself with his other hand. It was impossible. It couldn’t be.
“What is it?” Bill asked, kneeling next to Saiyun. “What did you see?”
Saiyun pushed himself upright and clenched his shaking hands into fists. “There are around ten soldiers coming. The Vao is coming too, and she has a Korav with her.”
Bill stared at him in silence for a moment before looking away. “Heavens help us.”
-
A gloom settled over the cabin as Saiyun repeated what he heard.
“Are you sure?” Ji asked, eyes narrowed in an angry glare. “Are you sure she said Korav?”
“I am completely certain,” Saiyun said grimly. “I didn’t see it well, but the way the man reacted makes me sure I didn’t mishear.”
Batro cleared his throat. “You going to bother telling us what a Korav is?”
Saiyun blinked, but then he remembered Batro was from across the sea. Ru Talas and Yazwa were Atemzlites, they might never have heard of them either. “There is a carrion spirit that roams the Caves between the world of mortals and the world of spirits. It searches for lost souls who have been denied entry to the heavens. It offers them vengeance against those who wronged them in life in return for eternal servitude. If they take the offer, the carrion spirit returns them to their body, then twists it into a killing machine. After the vengeance is done, what’s left is a Korav, bound to the service of the carrion spirit.”
“And whoever makes a pact with the carrion spirit too,” Aven added.
They’re fast,” Bill added, stony faced. “They’re shaped like a human, but they have three-pronged claws on their hands and feet. Their bodies are covered in feathers, and they have no face. Legends say they track their prey through its breath.”
A chill ran up Saiyun’s spine. “You…certainly know a lot about them.”
“I’ve seen one before. I didn’t have to fight it, but I have seen one,” Bill said with a grimace. “But the fact that it’s here doesn’t change anything. We still need to hold the Emerald Arrow.”
Saiyun sputtered. “The fact that a Korav is coming changes a lot!”
“No, it doesn’t,” Bill replied. “Holding the Emerald Arrow and then sneaking out in the dark is still our best option. If the Korav shows up, leave it to me.”
“Absolutely not,” Ji replied. “I am an acolyte of En Chitei. It’s my duty to hunt a Korav when it appears.”
“That thing will gut you like a fish before you have a chance to make a fist,” Bill snapped. “If we’re going to make it out of this alive, we’re going to need everyone fighting something they can actually beat. If you’re comfortable with your duty getting us all killed then you’re welcome to try. If you want us to live, leave it to me.”
Ji glared at him and stalked out of the room. Yazwa hopped to her feet and followed her out.
Aven looked at the door they left through and then back at Bill. “What preparations are we making for their approach? They should be on their way now.”
“Hunker down in the lowest cabin,” Bill sighed. “Make sure they can’t see us until they’re aboard. Smart thing to do would be to send the summons in first to scout and cover the soldiers as they’re climbing aboard. If we can take the summons out quickly, we’ll stand a fighting chance. At least until the Korav shows up.”
“I’ll get a new Jado ready,” Saiyun said, digging into his pouch. “I’m glad I had the foresight to make as many as possible.”
“What do you want me to do?” Ru Talas asked, holding up his hands. “I was good in a fight in my younger days. These aren’t my younger days, but I can still swing a sharp object around well enough.”
“Keep an eye on what the soldiers drop,” said Bill. “If one of them drops a loaded pistol, pick it up and fire it at someone. We’ll need all the luck we can get.”
“No argument here,” said Ru Talas.
“I feel like I don’t have to lecture you on this Aven,” Bill said. “You’re finally toe to toe with Azun’s men. Are you ready?”
“I know what to do,” Aven said darkly. “You can count on me.”
---
Yazwa hurried after Ji, squinting in the dim light. By the time she reached the hallway Ji was nowhere to be seen. “Ji?” she called, stepping carefully through the door with her hand outstretched. She shuffled on, feeling her way forward and peering into every room. Through a door at the end of the hallway she found Ji, kneeling on the floor in front of a gap in the wall. Yazwa walked up and sat down next to her, leaning her oar against the wall. “Are you feeling better?”
Ji took a long, deep breath. Her eyes were gently shut, and her hands rested in her lap. “I acted like an idiot, running away like that.”
“Everyone’s on edge,” Yazwa said, reaching up and resting her calloused hand on Ji’s shoulder. “No one is mad at you.”
“I don’t-“ Ji said sharply, before stopping to take more deep breaths.
Yazwa squeezed her shoulder and waited for Ji’s breath to slow down again. “Bill could have said that better, but he’s right. I’ve never heard of one of these things, but if Bill says he can fight it, we should believe him.”
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Ji’s eyes cracked open and she fixed Yazwa with a mournful stare as her shoulders slumped. “I know he’s right.”
“Oh,” Yazwa said. If this wasn’t about Bill yelling at her, what was going on? “You, um, don’t worry about not being strong enough to take on that thing. I know you got sent out here to learn, but you’ve only been gone for a few weeks. It’ll take time.”
“That’s not it,” Ji said, shrugging Yazwa’s hand off her shoulder. “I’m an acolyte of En Chitei. I’ve sworn an oath to put serving them above everything else, even my own life. But when he said my choice was between fighting the Korav or letting you all die…I agreed with him without a second thought.”
Yazwa sat still, searching Ji’s face as a gentle breeze blew in through the hole in the wall. This was a lot harder than cheering up her little sister. “That doesn’t seem like a bad thing, wanting to protect the people around you.”
“I’m supposed to do my duty without flinching,” Ji said, resting a hand on her stomach. “But I don’t want Aven or you or Saiyun or anyone else to die. It hurts just thinking about it. What am I doing wrong?” Tears pricked at the corners of Ji’s eyes that she angrily scrubbed away.
After a moment's hesitation, Yazwa threw her arms around Ji. “It’s awful, isn’t it, not knowing what to do?”
Ji went stiff and then slowly, gently returned the hug. “Yes,” she said in a small voice.
“I know how you feel. I thought running away from home was bad enough, but now I’m trying to learn Achal without sanction,” Yazwa said with a weak chuckle. “I don’t think there are any right answers out here, just ones that keep you going. So try to think about it in a different way.”
Ji sat still, but slowly pulled out of Yazwa’s embrace to take another breath. “What do you mean?”
Yazwa looked her in the eye. “You’re supposed to fight this Korav thing however you can, right? Fighting it on your own won’t stop it, so letting Bill handle it is the best way to do it. You’re not abandoning your oath; you’re just carrying it out in a different way.”
“That…” Ji said, looking at the ground and squirming. “That does not seem right.”
“Remember what I said?” Yazwa asked. “No right answers. Just ones that keep you going.”
Ji took another breath and bowed her head to Yazwa. “Thank you.”
“Thank me when we get out of here,” Yazwa said, pulling herself up as she heard footsteps in the hallway.
Aven poked his head in through the doorway. “Yazwa, Bill wants you on lookout duty watching for hidden summons. Ji…are um…how are you?”
“Better,” Ji said, rising to her feet in one smooth motion. “I will do as Bill says in the battle to come.”
Yazwa smiled and activated her Sight. “Where does Bill want me to watch?”
---
It turned out to be everywhere. Yazwa paced from room to room, peering through windows and holes in the wall to keep an eye on everything around them. She kept her oar in hand as walked, knowing an attack could come at any moment. Memories drifted to the top of her mind of Uncle Naatel, who had been to war and taught her how to swing a staff. She never believed him when he said waiting was the worst part of war. That standing in formation and waiting for orders or for the enemy to act was more nerve-wracking than when the bullets started flying. Now she understood as cold hand clenched her stomach tighter with each minute that passed.
At least she had something to do. Aven paced back and forth across the cabin, hand on the hilt of his knife. Ru Talas was trying to play a game of solitaire, but his hands were shaking so hard he could barely pick the cards up. Saiyun sat next to Jado, stroking the summon’s neck and speaking to it softly. Batro switched between cleaning his sword and pacing a circle. Bill and Ji, in contrast, were the picture of calm, kneeling on the floor of the cabin, breathing quietly.
Time dragged on until Yazwa caught a flash of light in the trees in front of the ship. “Bill,” she whispered, dropping to one knee. “I can see two summons in the trees. They’re moving to either side of the ship. They’re both small. Can’t be the ones we saw up on the hills.”
Bill's eyes popped open. “Nobody move. Nobody make a sound.” Everyone in the cabin froze in place and held their breath. “What are they doing?”
“Both of them are in trees, one’s going left, the other right,” Yazwa said as the two glowing forms made their way through the branches until they were out of sight behind the ship. “Should I go watch them from another room?”
Bill shook his head. “Just listen. We’ll hear them if they jump on.”
The deafening silence of the musty cabin held, and Yazwa strained her ears for the sound of a scratch or a footstep above them or in the rooms around them. She wasn’t sure if she could hear anything over the sound of her pounding heart. “They’re back,” she said as the glowing forms appeared in the trees again. “It looks like they made a circle.
Outside, the sound of rustling brush and crackling twigs floated in through the windows. Bill leaned forward and pressed his ear to the deck. “They’re not coming in through the ship. They’ll have to come up on deck.”
Yazwa brushed her sweaty palms on her dress and gripped her oar tight, wishing she still had her staff. “They’ve both stopped, one on either side of the ship about halfway.”
“Hold Jado back,” Bill whispered, pulling his ear away from the deck and pointing at Saiyun. “We can handle two summons without it. If the soldiers or more summons come, send it out.”
“Right,” Saiyun wheezed, voice cracking.
“Pity you can’t take a summon’s head,” Batro said with a grin, eyes flashing. “I’ll have to settle for the doll.”
“Shhh,” Bill said, beckoning them all forward to the doors. “When they get close, we rush out and attack so they don’t get a look at Jado. On my order.”
Yazwa pressed herself up against the doorframe, peering at the one of the summons perched in the tree. At such a distance it looked like a glob of light, nothing more. She glanced down at the bag of obsidian blades on her hip, shining with white light. With a quick motion, she redrew the mark for sharp on her palm and rested her hand on the bag. One swing was all it would take. This time it would work. All she had to do was wait for the summons to get close enough.
A sharp hissing sound interrupted her thoughts, and she locked eyes on the blobs of light in the trees. Was it them? They weren’t moving? Was it another summon she missed?
“Bombs!” shouted Bill.
Yazwa blinked and her Sight flickered away. In front of her a dozen iron balls bounced off the deck and rolled towards her, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. Without thinking, she ran towards them as fast as she could. Her curse would snuff them out if she could get to them in time. Beside her, a flood of water splashed onto the deck, flowing forward and smothering half the cannon fuses hanging out of the iron balls. When she closed distance to the other half, they stopped hissing and went cold.
“Good,” Bill snapped as he reformed, jacket and loincloth still on. “But they managed to draw us out. If they throw any more of those bombs, snuff them. Back into the cabin.”
Yazwa took one step backwards, but then six soldiers flew up into the air from the ground, short muskets cradled in their arms. “What?” was all Yazwa had time to say as they landed on the deck. Some stumbled and staggered, but recovered their balance and aimed their guns at Bill and Yazwa.
Yazwa dropped to the ground as the guns roared and spat smoke. Bullets whizzed over her head and ripped through the wood behind her. A battle cry answered them as Batro, Aven and Ji raced out from the cabin and ran at the soldiers. Yazwa leapt to her feet and ran after them as the battle was joined.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a blurry shape jump out of the trees. The summons who scouted them out joined the battle. They looked like human-sized monkeys covered in wicked barbs. One of them clung to one of the ship's masts and let out a chattering war cry. Then it was down and rushing her. She skidded to a halt with a yelp and used her oar to block a swipe at her head. The summon pressed the attack, forcing her to retreat away from the others. She kept it at bay and managed to land a solid hit on the side of its head with the flat side of the oar. It staggered, and Yazwa took the chance to see how the others were doing.
Batro pressed the attack on the other summon. His jacket was cut in places, but he seemed no worse for wear as he stabbed at the barbed monkey, forcing it to leap backwards. The soldiers had formed up into a line with their bayonets pointing forward. They marched forward, pushing Bill, Aven and Ji backwards. But then Bill liquified and flowed between their feet, reforming behind them. Yazwa felt a surge of hope as their formation faltered as some spun to face Bill.
That moment cost her as the summon regained its balance and whipped its barbed tail at her side. Yazwa dipped her oar to intercept it, but the tip lashed at her side, tearing into her skin. She grunted and launched a counterattack that the summon easily avoided. A quick glance down reassured her that she wasn’t gushing blood, but a red stain was slowly spreading on her white dress. If she didn’t take this thing out soon, she would only get weaker and slower.
A sharp whistle rang out, and Yazwa’s eyes darted back over to the battle with the soldiers. One lay limp at Bill's feet, but the others were still fighting. In unison, they leapt high into the air and over the side of the ship. As they disappeared from view, six more bombs flew into the air from the other side of the ship. On instinct, Yazwa bolted towards the bombs as they fell to the deck with a thud. Moving too fast to stop, she threw herself down and slid across the deck until she slammed into the railing. She looked around frantically until she saw all six bombs had sputtered out. Pressing her hand against her throbbing side, she looked up to see what was happening.
The summon she ran from hadn’t moved. Its head jerked side to side, eyes scanning the deck. Batro had cut down his summon and was running to her. Bill, Ji and Aven were clustered together and talking to each other, but they were too far away to hear. A fierce smile crossed Yazwa’s face as she pulled herself to her feet and waved to Batro. It worked; they had driven them away from the ship.
A blue blur suddenly appeared between her and Batro. A man covered in bright blue feathers landed on the deck with hardly a sound. His feet and hands were bird-like talons that ended in three-pronged grasping claws. The Korav.
Batro raised his sword, but the thing slipped under his guard and raked its claws across his neck. Before he hit the ground it was already in the air, leaping from mast to mast on its way to its next target. Bill caught sight of it as it dove down at him, claws outstretched. He turned to water and it splashed through him. The creature landed lightly and leapt back into the air as Bill reformed.
Batro hit the deck with a thud, clutching his throat and coughing.
“Akthan!” Yazwa shouted, rushing to his side. But instead of slumping over, Batro climbed to his feet. “Your armor blocked it!”
“It didn’t tickle,” he rasped. “We need to get in there before-“
He was cut off by the same long-necked centipede summon climbing up over the side of the ship, alongside one of the four-armed humanoids from the day before. The two went after Bill as he traded blows with the feathered creature.
“Oh no,” Yazwa gasped as she watched Bill evade attacks from all directions. Whenever he reformed he only had a split second before he could liquefy again. Ji and Aven tried to help, but the four-armed summon swung around to keep them at bay.
“The Vao must be watching through that,” Batro shouted, pointing his blade at the still monkey summon. “I’ll take that out, you help Bill!”
How? Was all Yazwa could think as she activated her sight. She couldn’t hope to hit the Korav; it was moving too fast. The four armed summon could out range her oar, and she had no hope of doing any damage to the centipede. She would be next to useless.
Then she caught sight of the sharp white light along the edge of Batro’s blade, and everything clicked into place. She knew what she was doing wrong. Copying Ca Diro had been a mistake. She didn’t know how to make her hand sharp, but countless hours in the forge taught her how to make other things sharp.
Yazwa pressed her hand to the pouch of obsidian blades at her belt, pulled off some of the white light and pressed it against the oar. Searing light blazed along the blade of the oar and she charged forward. Beside her a flurry of movement rushed past her as Jado joined the battle. She ran in behind him, eyes locked on the centipede. It caught sight of them and turned away from Bill, darting forward to seize Jado in its jaws. The summon lurched to the side just in time to avoid the strike, and the mandibles buried themselves in the deck.
Seeing an opening as the centipede pulled back, Yazwa raised her oar high, letting out a battle cry. By the time the centipede pulled loose she was already swinging down at its neck. White light flared and slashed through the flesh, reducing the summon to bare soil. Wiping the dirt from her eyes, she looked for her next target. The four armed summon was on the ground, and Aven loomed over it, stabbing it over and over again. That only left the Korav. Jado raced up the mast it was clinging to, forcing it to leap down to the deck. Yazwa lifted her oar, still blazing with white light and took a step towards the monster.
The shrill whistle rang out again and the creature leapt backwards over the side of the ship. Over the blood pounding in her ears Yazwa heard orders being shouted in a foreign language. She raced to the side of the ship and dropped her sight, catching the barest glimpse of soldiers disappearing into the underbrush. “You better run!” she cackled.