SONG OF POWER

Chapter IX: The Second Night

SONG OF POWER

CHAPTER IX:  THE SECOND NIGHT 

It was nearly dark when the Baronet of Cyen and his group reached Linken, one of the larger towns that dotted North Road like weeds.  Linken proper was situated in a wide depression in the landscape, which in turn was rimmed with smaller farmsteads and rickety lean-tos.  North Road passed Linken along the western rim of the depression, while an offshoot of the road dipped into the basin and ran straight through to rise on the far end.  Sergiusz guided the carriage into the basin.

The carriage rode straight through the dusty, broad main street of Linken to the far northern side of the town.  There Sergiusz found shelter for the horses and somewhere to leave the carriage for the night.  Sergiusz took a room at a tiny, run-down inn beside the stables so he could be close to the carriage—he promised to be ready to move out at sunrise.  Sir Dodek and Sir Jedrus remained with the carriage, while the other two knights accompanied Cipher and his wives to The Grande Linken Inne.

“Oh, looky here, ladies.  We have ourselves some fancy-pants travelers,” sneered a feminine voice.  Emerging from the shadows was a dangerous looking, scantily-clad woman with a patch over her right eye.  A mean-looking cutlass hung from her hip.  The shadows came alive with armed men…pretty armed men, with powdered faces, makeup, and other rather effeminate attire.  A brick wall of a man with ridiculous pigtails blocked the door to the Inne, an unfriendly staff in his hands.

“Please stand aside,” Cipher said imperiously.  The woman laughed.  She was small of frame, but her body was fit, supple, and she was surrounded with an air of danger.

“I’ll do nothing of the sort while there be a bounty on yer head,” she said.

“A b-b-bounty?” asked Rowena.

“Yes, mum.  It seems that this here scalawag is real important-like to a certain wizard what I’ve had relations with recently.  He wants you, too, lover,” she said.  Then her gaze locked on Tyroce, who only grinned wickedly.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Bitch?” Tyroce asked menacingly.  The woman backpedaled.

“C’mon, Cap’n, the coin we’ll get for ‘em will get’cha ‘nother ship,” the big, pretty man at the door said.  Emboldened by his words, the captain nodded.

"He was nonspecific as to if any of t’em needing be alive or not.  Kill the women, keep the hunk alive.”

"Aye aye, Cap’n Black,” one of the other transgender sailors said.  Chaos erupted in the middle of the road.

Sir Armandek ran one of the ruffians through, lashing out at the man closest to him before he could suffer an attack.  His thrust caught the painted man completely by surprise.  In contrast, Sir Waleron interposed himself between Rowena and the aggressors, fighting defensively to protect the youngest baronetessa.

“You’re mine!” snarled Ninthalsaya.  She used her staff to deflect an incoming attack from one of the landlocked sailors, then reversed her motion and caught him in the shoulders.  She twirled in a circle three times rapidly, chanting all the while, and a powerful wind kicked up from her heels and caught the pirate in the jaw like a prize-fighter.  He fell flat on his ass and there remained, clearly rattled.

A man wielding a gaff hook slashed out at Cipher, but the young baronet was able to nimbly parry the attack with his hornet-like dagger.  The two lashed out at each other, each blocking the other’s strikes.  Cipher made enough room for himself to begin his strange tumbling attacks; he rolled under a swing from his assailant and struck the man in the buttocks with the flat of his blade.  Another thug was there to greet Cipher, but he caught the dagger’s sharp point in the bottom of his jaw before he could even ready his action.  Cipher turned away from the dead man and leapt through the air, catching his first opponent in the back with both blades.