It was time now and he moved through the hold but hunkered down when a group came to close the windows to prevent water from coming in. The waves rocked the vessel harder, and it wouldn't be long until rain whipped fast enough to sting any bare skin.
"Fucking gods…is that you, Skharr?"
The barbarian froze and looked around quickly, surprised that he was already near Brahgen and the dwarf had seen him.
Or seemed to think he'd seen him. Even in the darkened hold, there wasn't any way to mistake him for someone else.
"No, it can't be you," the youth muttered and shook his head. "I've…fallen asleep and you're…a spirit come to haunt me…for leaving you in that fucking cave to die."
"I would have thought you would dream of something else like dwarf ladies with thick beards and large breasts."
"I don't like dwarf women. And you've seen dwarf women. You know they don't grow beards. Most of them, anyway. My grandmother has started to and I don't know what to think about that."
"Keep your wits about you, useless dwarf. I'm here to help." Skharr dropped to his haunches beside him and his blood began to boil when he saw the bruises on most of his friend’s body. Many were covered by his beard, hair, and clothes, but there were more than enough to make the abuse inflicted by his captors clear.
He also looked like he was about to vomit, and as the rocking began to grow more intense, the barbarian had a feeling that wouldn’t improve.
"Is that truly you?" Brahgen whispered. His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward like he didn't quite believe it. "I thought I was going insane when I saw Horse boarding the ship but—"
"I can slap you across the face if you still have difficulty believing that I'm here," he stated cheerfully.
"I…uh, don't believe that will be necessary. Are you here to rescue me?"
"No, I came along because I fancied a short ship journey that ended with a freak storm. Of course I'm here to rescue you, moron." Skharr yanked him forward and used his dagger—still stained with blood—to cut the ropes that tied his hands behind his back. "Unfortunately, there is no rescue from what is about to hit this ship. We'll need to endure it."
"And then what? Swim to shore?"
"Can you swim?"
The dwarf opened his mouth and shook his head. "Not…not very well."
"And I doubt even I could swim that far, much less Horse and Jenny."
"Horse and—"
"Did you honestly think I would come this far to rescue you only to leave Horse in their clutches?"
"Huh. You make a sound point. So what do we do?"
"They don't know I am on board yet. For the moment, we wait the storm out. Hopefully, that will thin their number enough that we'll be able to kill the mercenaries ourselves."
"And what about the rest of the crew?"
"They'll be interested in reaching dry land as well. We have to hope that means that they won't kill us."
"Why?"
"Because I can't sail this ship on my own."
Skharr felt his frustrations over his inability to plan ahead bubble to the surface. Thankfully, the sounds of the storm from outside masked his voice as he struggled to calm himself.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Not as such. I've merely attempted to find you from the point when I left the fucking dungeon. Plans never had time to be made."
"Well, this rescue is going wonderfully, then."
The warrior narrowed his eyes. "Count your lucky stars that I came to find you at all."
"So we could die together instead of apart?"
"If it comes to that, yes!"
Both froze as the ship was rocked again but this time, the motion was contrary to what they felt from the waves. Skharr looked at the walls when they felt the impact again. It felt as though something was physically striking at the ship.
"Is that part of the storm?" Brahgen asked and frowned, his queasiness temporarily forgotten.
"No."
"Have we…uh, run into some rocks? Hopefully?"
It was a good thing that the dwarf at least recognized that something was well and truly wrong with what they felt, but the scenario he suggested was unlikely. He felt the ship shudder as if something had taken hold of it from the outside and wouldn’t let go.
"No," the barbarian whispered. "But it’s good of you to keep your spirits up. I fear you might need it. I'll head topside and see what it is."
"What do I do?"
"Stay there," he answered and handed him the bloodied dagger. "Act like you're still tied. If you see the opportunity, stab one of them with it."
Brahgen nodded. The lamplight in the hold was dim but Skharr could still see his face pale as he took the weapon.
"Hold fast to your courage," he said and patted him on the shoulder. "While we live, there's hope. There's considerable living you can do while you're still alive."
"You're godsbedammed useless at inspiring people, you know?"
"I always was better at killing them. Stay alive!"
Chapter Seventeen
Rain lashed the deck. The droplets stung his bare skin as he emerged from inside the hold and swept his gaze around in an attempt to gauge the conditions the vessel was facing.
Lightning still flickered, and Skharr held onto a nearby railing as the Redress was rocked again. The waves continued to shake it but it felt like the ship was caught with its anchor down and was battered by the waves.
At least the captain seemed to know what he was doing. The sails were all down and the masts were secured against the whipping motion. The real danger, of course, was that something had grasped the back of the vessel—something large and heavy. The barbarian drew a deep breath and focused to try to catch sight of whatever it was, but there was no sign that it had come into view yet.
Some of the crew had reached the same conclusion. There was a danger that the waves would rip their ship to pieces, but the way to save themselves from that fate was, interestingly enough, the same way to prevent being dragged down by whatever had control of the ship.
A few of the crew members caught sight of Skharr. They immediately pointed and shouted at him, but they knew they had more to worry about than a stowaway.
Suddenly, a shrill scream erupted, loud enough to break through the constant rain, wind, and lightning. The barbarian spun and immediately realized where the noise was coming from. One of the sailors was being dragged across the deck by something thick and sinuous wound around her leg.
It didn't last long and with one final shriek, she was hauled over the edge and into the roiling waters beneath.
"Sailor overboard!" someone shouted into the rain, but all those on deck were more concerned about what was happening around them.
Skharr hated to even think it, but when he saw the captain still manning the helm, it provided him with the perfect opportunity to make sure that if they came away from the fight alive, they wouldn't be tossed overboard immediately.
He shook his head and held fast to anything that could maintain his balance as he inched toward the helm.