Army of Shadows

25

The celebration was good. It must have been, because most of those present would never be able to remember it.

There was drinking, feasting, boasting and inane giggling. The latter was due to the pellucid, which bathed the proceedings in a dreamy, kaleidoscopic haze.

A high point, for Wheam if no one else, came when the tyro, sober and without the benefit of crystal at that juncture, came to them excitedly. He was holding something.

"Look what I found on the ship!" he exclaimed.

"What'd ya say?" Haskeer mumbled, his eyes red pinpoints.

"I thought that if Coilla found that crystal lightning on the ship there might be other things of value. And I found this!" Beaming, he held up the object.

"Wha'issit?"

"A lute! It's not like any I've seen before, it's a goblin one I suppose, not that you'd think those creatures would appreciate music, but you never know, do you, anyway it's more or less the same as the sort I'm used to, so I thought — "

" Aaarrghh! Talk plain. And slow."

"Ah. Yes. I found this lute." He held it aloft once more, and wobbled it. "It'll replace the one I lost. I can sing my ballads again."

"If I could get up, I'd kill you."

"So you don't fancy hearing anything now then?"

They say that even when Wheam started to run, Haskeer was still crawling after him.

There were a lot of thick heads the next morning, and Dallog was kept busy tending minor wounds inflicted during the horseplay. But the band was accustomed to quick recoveries after revelry, and dunkings in the tepid brine, voluntary and otherwise, sobered the majority.

Anxious as everybody was to be off, the kelpies insisted on a prolonged farewell ceremony complete with rambling speeches and numerous toasts. Though Stryke ordered that the latter should be in coconut milk as opposed to alcohol.

They finally shipped out mid-morning.

The journey back to the dwarfs' island was without event, which at least gave the band a chance to fully recover. Jup's spirits had soared. Not that much was seen of him and Spurral during most of the voyage. The only damp blanket was Standeven, unsurprisingly, who continued to brood when he wasn't dogging Stryke's footsteps.

At first, their arrival caused something of a panic. The islanders assumed that the advent of a three-master meant another visitation by Gatherers. Once that was sorted, and it soaked in that the slavers had been defeated, there were joyful scenes. The Wolverines, partied out, accepted the accolades with fixed, clenched-toothed smiles.

As soon as they could, Stryke and his principal officers slipped away. Pepperdyne accompanied them, and Standeven tagged on, like a dependant cur. They made their way up to one of the dead volcano's lower ledges.

Stryke surveyed the view. "Seems fitting that we should leave this world from the place where we entered it."

"And good riddance," Haskeer offered.

"Oh, I don't know," Coilla said. "Just look at it. There are a lot worse places."

"To hell with it; I want to get back to Ceragan."

"We're assuming we can get back. I mean, we didn't intend being here."

"Remember what the kelpies said?" Spurral reminded them. "About there being islands occupied by orcs? If the stars let you down maybe you could make a life here. Perhaps we could even find an uninhabited island and — "

"You're forgetting something," Stryke said. "Some of us have mates and hatchlings in Ceragan."

"Sorry. Of course you have. I was being thoughtless. But — and don't take this the wrong way — there should be a fallback plan if the stars don't get you home."

"But we won't know that until we try them," Coilla reminded her. "And if they take us somewhere other than Ceragan, what's the odds they'd bring us back here?"

"It's a good point, Stryke," Dallog reckoned. "Surely the only real decision is whether we try using the stars or not."

"I know. My head's full of it. But my instinct is to try. I want to do all I can to get back to my brood."

"I can understand that," Jup said.

"It gets my vote," Haskeer chipped in.

"I think you might have been right about it being me making a mistake, Haskeer," Stryke admitted. "I must have set them wrong."

Coilla nodded. "And no wonder, given how rushed we were."

"Think you can get it right this time, Stryke?" Standeven wanted to know.

"What's it to you?" Haskeer sneered.

"I just want to be sure we do it properly this time."

" We? What makes you think you're included?"

"You can't just leave us here!"

"Why not? We're not your mother!"

"We've been through all this," Stryke returned sternly. "We've already said we'll take the humans back to Maras-Dantia. I gave my word."

"What are we now," Haskeer grumbled, "wet-nurses?"

"I'll have no more argument. It's decided."

"Well, sorry to go on about it," Jup put in, "but did we ever really resolve what happens to Spurral and me?"

"We said you'd be welcome in Ceragan," Coilla replied.

"Yeah, and we appreciate it," Spurral responded. "But with respect, I don't know if we want to spend the rest of our lives in an orcs' world."

"And you haven't changed your minds about being in Maras-Dantia? You don't want to go back?"

Jup and Spurral exchanged a look. They shook their heads.

"Why can't they stay here?" Haskeer wanted to know, jabbing a thumb at them. "This is a place for dwarfs."

"It isn't a dwarfs' world," Spurral explained, as though to a hatchling. "It's a… dumping ground."

"Let's stick to what we agreed," Stryke decided. He indicated Pepperdyne and Standeven. "We take these two back to where we found 'em, in Maras-Dantia. Jup and Spurral can come with us to Ceragan."

"Then what?" Jup wanted to know. "For me and Spurral, I mean."

"We can try to figure out the stars, and the amulet. Maybe — "

"Maybe we can find a way to send them to a dwarf world?" Coilla finished for him. "It's a long shot, Stryke. What if we never — "

"Can you think of anything better?"

"No."

"Then that's what's on offer."

"This is all moot if we've no way of knowing the stars work," Pepperdyne said. "There's no point going round in circles."

Stryke nodded. "You're right. We all need to cool off, and I need to think. We'll try the stars again, but a bit later today, after I've had a chance to study them and you've all calmed down. Anybody object to that?"

Nobody did.

When everyone had dispersed, and Stryke had gone off somewhere quiet to try figuring out the instrumentalities and the amulet, Coilla and Pepperdyne found themselves alone.

"This is a rare thing," he remarked.

"It is unusual not to be part of a mob, isn't it?"

"While it lasts. What's the betting somebody's going to barge in on us any minute?"

"We could avoid that."

"How?"

"These volcanoes are supposed to be riddled with caves. And the view from up there must be quite something. Fancy exploring?"

"I'm game."

The climb was actually very gentle, so they went as far up as they could reach, reasoning that the higher they were the less likely they'd be to run into anybody else. Before long they found a cave and seated themselves just inside its cavernous mouth.

Pepperdyne expelled an appreciative breath. "It's pleasantly cool in here."

"Said it'd be good, didn't I?"

"What's really good about it is having the chance to spend some time with you. You know, without anybody wanting something carried or trying to kill us."

She smiled. "And I've got something that should brighten things." She pulled the small black pouch from her pocket. "I kept some of this back."

"The crystal?"

"Yeah. I noticed you didn't have any last night."

"I've never had any. I've heard about it, of course, but never really saw the need."

"It's not something you need; it's just nice now and again. You're in for a treat." She began filling a clay pipe, then stopped. "If you want to, that is."

"Why not? And I'd rather do it without a crowd watching my first time."

She got the pipe going, took a lungful and passed it to him. They felt the effect almost instantly.

After a little while she asked, "How is it?"

"Not how I imagined."

"Is that good, bad…?"

"Mellow. Relaxing." He took another pull on the pipe, held it, let it out. "So… ges, yood. Uhm. I mean, yes… good."

"Your face!" She started to giggle.

"What about it?"

"Just looks funny, that's all."

"You look pretty comical yourself." Then he caught the giggles too.

They laughed until they shook, then fell back and sprawled helplessly on the ground.

When the laughter subsided a tranquil mood came over them. They lay staring at the cave's roof, admiring the patterns reflected sunlight made on the soft stone.

At length, Coilla said, "After today…"

"Yes?"

"It looks like we might not see each other again."

"I was trying to put that out of my thoughts."

"Me, too. But it keeps creeping back."

"Mind you, if Stryke can't make the stars behave maybe you will be stuck with me. Somewhere."

"I know Stryke. Somehow he'll make them work. Even if it takes a hundred tries. He's stubborn."

"A hundred different world like the ones we saw before? Doesn't bear thinking about."

"But if he does make them work, that's it. You'll be in Maras-Dantia and I'll be back in Ceragan." She turned her head and regarded him. "I'll miss you. You've been a good comrade in arms."

"Coming from an orc, I take that as a high compliment."

"It's meant to be. We fight well together. That's important to my kind. Particularly for a — "

"For a what?"

"Nothing. Tongue running away with me there. Expect it's the crystal."

"Is it?"

"Would you do something for me, Jode?"

"What?"

"Scratch my back. It's itching like hell in this heat."

They laughed.

"Sure," he said. "Give it here."

She sat up and he commenced scratching.

"Hmmm, that's good. This isn't something you can get just anyone to do, you know."

"Then I'm honoured."

"Bit higher. Yes, there. Aaaahh. Nice."

The scratching turned to a gentle massaging. The massage became a series of caresses. She turned her face to his.

They kissed.