"The horse is a royal beast," Skharr interjected. "What better way to name them than by their royal name?"
"That makes no sense to me," Reed muttered. "But if you plan to sail, I suggest you prepare yourselves."
Chapter Twenty-One
"Another fucking storm on the horizon."
Skharr settled his gaze on Brahgen, who approached him in disgust. The smaller snekkar were more unstable on the water than the Redress, and yet the dwarf seemed far more comfortable. He still looked like the wrong twist would topple him over the side but was decidedly not as unwell as he’d been on the larger vessel. They sailed in the shallows but still moved smoothly over the water as the crew plied the oars to supplement the wind filling their sails.
"You look…well," the barbarian remarked suspiciously.
"I told one of the raiders that I got sick on sea voyages and he gave me a little of a plant, cut up and fermented, that has had a calming effect on my stomach."
"Hmm. Did he happen to share what it was and how you would be able to make more of it?"
"I'm afraid not. He said I could pay for it but he named a price too high even for me."
The barbarian nodded. "I had a feeling he would. Nothing ever comes for free from these bastards."
"And what about you? You went so far as to take a detour to clear a dungeon during the journey. I didn't mind, of course, but I happen to know you don't need the coin."
"All the coin I've gathered is locked in a bank in Verenvan or in your uncle's hands. Out here, there are a few ways to gather the coin you need without having to carry so much as to make you a target for those with crime on their minds."
Brahgen nodded. "Well, it has been an adventure. I can't say I wouldn't have it any other way, however. Being captured and dragged along, thinking that you were dead and that I was about to die was not a pleasant experience."
"Adventures rarely unfold the way we want them to," Skharr answered. "Which is why the bards find a way to make them sound perfect. If you were to have the power to create a narrative, wouldn't you fix a few hundred details along the way to your benefit?"
"I suppose I would." The dwarf sighed and shook his head. "Thank you…for, uh, for coming to save me. Not many folk would have."
The barbarian narrowed his eyes. "Whatever the Followers gave you might be fucking with your head, I think. You do remember that your uncle went through considerable effort to make sure you were safe with me for this journey, yes?"
"He might have assumed that being with you does not necessarily mean safe," his companion muttered. "You seem like a magnet for trouble."
"That’s true enough, I suppose. But then, so are you. And with me around, you have a better chance to come away alive."
"Which was why I was thanking you."
After a moment, Skharr placed his hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "I've come to see you as a friend and it is what friends do. I understand if you do not feel the same way. If you like, you can see it as me fulfilling my promise to your uncle to keep you safe."
The youth looked at him and grinned. "I like the idea of friendship better."
He smiled and shifted his gaze to the storm clouds that were still approaching. If the truth be told, he was about as disgusted as the dwarf had sounded when he’d complained about the weather earlier.
"I swear it's like someone is fucking with me personally," he muttered under his breath. It couldn't be a coincidence that this was the second time he was at sea and the second time they were hounded by storms. It wasn't even the season for them in this region.
Still, he doubted that even the gods would be capable of altering the weather to such a degree. Then again, he didn't know exactly how powerful gods could be. Perhaps he had offended a weather god or goddess who now exacted retribution. Given how many dungeons he'd raided, he was surprised that there were any gods out there who didn't want him dead.
"Knowing our luck, there is probably some kind of monster hiding in these storms too," Brahgen commented.
After a moment, Skharr nodded, moved to his pack, and retrieved his bow. Calmly and methodically, he began to string it.
"I was joking," the dwarf protested.
"And yet you are right," he answered. "It’s odd how your humor has a truthful quality to it. You might want to consider taking your instincts a little more seriously."
The youth looked anxiously at him. "I…should probably go under…uh, belowdecks, shouldn't I?"
"If you like," he answered and strained as he tested the bow. "You might want to consider that if something were to attack us from below, that will be the first part to fill with water."
"Oh."
"Sometimes courage, going against every instinct, might see you charge directly into the area where there is the least danger by accident."
"How has that worked out for you?"
"Randomly."
Brahgen nodded. "So, you think I should pay more attention to my instincts yet sometimes act against them?"
"It’s paradoxical, I know, but in the end, your mind and your body need to find ways to work together. You shouldn’t give yourself over entirely to the natural instincts, but they occasionally have more to say than you might think."
He knew his advice might seem confusing to the dwarf, but the world was a bewildering place. It had taken him a long time, a considerable number of mistakes, and too many close scrapes to count to learn as much as he had—which, when he thought about it, wasn't a great deal.
Skharr drew a deep breath. The waves beneath them began to grow higher and the crew already labored to prepare the snekkar for the storm. They worked quickly to lower the mast and strap everything in while the men held to their oars.
None of them seemed to show any sign that they would try to avoid the storm, although he could see why they wouldn't want to be anywhere near the coastline where the waves might wash them into the rocks.
The rain soon fell in sheets but the wind didn't pick up the way he thought it would. He could hear thunder but no lightning streaked the sky, which meant all ten ships were still a fair distance from the center of the storm.
It wasn't long, however, before he caught the first sign of sizzling light across the dark gray clouds. He peered into the water when the snekke began to rock harder with the waves. Prompted by an inner certainty, he grasped the railing, narrowed his eyes, and was finally rewarded when a large fin broke the surface as the water troughed in preparation for another wave.
There was more than one creature under there, and the fin was long enough to tell him that whatever lurked in the water was long and slithered through it like a snake.
Skharr already had his bow in hand and took a few arrows from his quiver as the first monster rose from the depths. It was much larger than a snake—about as thick around as an oak—with fins that spread wide like wings when it jumped out of the water.
"What the hell are those?" Brahgen shouted over the rain, wind, and lightning around them.
The barbarian had no idea what they were facing. All he knew was that they looked like they were less interested in sinking entire ships and more in snatching the sailors off the decks.