Chapter seven
We walked back down the stairs, I peeked through the open doorway to make sure we would be unseen before we walked across to the other set of stairs. They squeaked noisily as well as we climbed them.
The top of the stair emerged into a large open room, it was furnished with three large couches surrounding a low table. The table had some papyrus scrolls scattered over it as well as some bronze navigation instruments. The room was illuminated by a large glass window.
I walked over to the low table and picked up one of the scrolls, it appeared to be part of a manual for the operation of the ship.
A loud squeaking noise startled me and caused me to look up, I saw a large bearded man emerge from a doorway next to the stairs.
I saw his cruel lips form a humourless grin.
“Shelley get behind me!” I yelled as I clasped the handle of my sword and unsheathed it.
I had had a small amount of training in swordplay thanks to a former lover, but I was far from expert.
The brute unsheathed his own sword and approached me, he started flicking his sword back and forth like a horses tail. He looked unafraid and confident of victory, overconfident I hoped.
He bellowed at me and then charged, I spun out of the way and swung my sword with two hands at his unprotected back.
He was able to bring his own sword up just in time and block my attack, the two blades came together with an enormous clang the shock of the blow travelled up my arms and almost caused me to lose my grip.
I saw that Shelley was able run down the stairs and escape, now that the fiend was not able to block the exit, I felt some small relief knowing she was safe.
We faced each other again, he was more cautious now taking his time, I swung again, he blocked, he thrust and I dodged. I could tell he was of no great skill as a swordsman.
We circled each other like two snarling dogs, I felt sweat rolling down my face, he came at me with a flurry of hard swings, the room echoed with sharp clangs as I blocked each blow.
I pressed my attack, I was quicker, he was stronger, I saw fear in his eyes now. The cacophony of noise from our swords striking each other was almost deafening.
I saw my opening, I thrust towards his unprotected side after he had swung too hard missing me as I ducked.
My foot slipped then, the cheap bindings on my flimsy sandals picked that exact moment to come loose. I stumbled into the brute dropping my sword.
I heard his own sword drop and then I was in his steel like grasp. He was behind me and I felt his hot breath in my ear. I squirmed trying to break his grip but he was to strong, he had my arms pinned. I felt a lecherous hand groping my womanhood as his breathing grew faster and more ragged.
I clenched my teeth in revulsion as I waited for the inevitable.
I heard a sickening crunching sound as my assailants body jerked suddenly, his grip loosened on me and then he fell to the floor. I turned and saw Shelley standing behind his crumpled form, she had a large bronze candle holder in her hand.
“Um... Kem, you know those times when things can’t possible get any worse.”
“Ya...”
“I... um... don’t think this is one of them, they saw me in the hold.”
I thought for a moment.
“To the bridge!” I yelled.
We ran down the stairs across the small corridor and up the stairs to the bridge. I glanced through the opening to the hold as I ran by. I saw a group of men walking towards us carrying swords.
Once on the bridge I started pulling levers and turning the large wheels waiting for something to happen. It was only a few moments later that I felt the vessel shudder as it started to move.
I spun an important looking wheel and was rewarded with a sudden lurch as the ship turned. Shelley pulled another lever and the ship lurched again, I could feel the vessel gain speed. I spun the wheel again in the opposite direction and the ship lurched more violently as it turned back to its original heading.
I hoped sudden movements of the ship would knock our assailants off their feet and prevent others from boarding it to reinforce the men in the hold.
I found my pad of paper with the rudimentary spells I had written previously, I flipped it open to the rock throwing spell.
“Come, I have a plan of escape,” I said to Shelley.
I ran down the stairs and stood in front of the opening to the hold, I saw that the men had indeed been knocked off their feet and were struggling to stand up. The ship felt as if it was still accelerating, I heard the ancient timbers groan and creek.
I activated the rock flinging spell at the floor in front of the men. A large boulder appeared in front of the pad and then flew in a slight arc before crashing into the holds floor in front of the men, creating a large hole.
I fired more boulders turning the hole into a gapping crevice. The men ran in fear in the opposite direction. The ship started to vibrate and make hideous groaning noises.
“Over there, an anchor point for the ships flying spell we can break it free and use it to escape!” I pointed towards a large wooden pillar with numerous beams fastened to it. It was covered in odd looking writing.
The both of us clambered over top of the mounds of booty, I held Shelley back as we stood on the final mound before the anchor point. I started firing boulders at the hull and the surrounding beams, I was careful not to disturb the writing.
Splinters started flying causing us to crouch behind the mound for cover, I heard a whizzing sound and then a thunk, and I turned towards the noise and saw a still vibrating arrow sticking in the hull over our heads.
We crouched as low as we could as more arrows started whizzing around us. The anchor was almost free now, I turned and launched a huge volley of boulders towards where I thought the men were hiding then I fired one more boulder at the anchor point freeing it.
I grabbed Shelley’s hand and we jumped onto the large wooden pillar pushing it away from the ship. We floated free from the vessel and were drifting in the air.
I looked at the ship, it was already over three hundred yards away and moving at a tremendous speed. It also had a definite list and there were small streams of debris leaking from its bottom.
I looked at the magic script trying to discern the operation of the anchor point, it was only vaguely comprehensible. I saw a small lever with part of a severed rope attached to it, after moving it I found I could control our direction slightly.
We were high above the sea, we had left the island we were originally on far behind. I could see another small island ahead of us, it had what looked like a large temple on it.
Our lifeboat was slowly descending, its forward speed was no more than equal to a brisk walk. I used what little control I had to steer it towards the small island and then crossed my fingers.
Our makeshift lifeboat came to a rest in the shallow water a few dozen yards from the islands shore. Shelley and I both breathed a sigh of relief, we climbed off the uncomfortable pillar of wood and stood in the shallow water.
“Where are we now, I wonder,” Shelley said.
“Well, there are no sea-people... so far,” I replied.
I could see the roof of a large building over the crest of a small hill beyond a rocky beach. We both looked at each other and then started walking towards it.
It took only a few minutes before we stood on the crest of the hill, I surveyed the building, it was part of a large sprawling complex of numerous other buildings some of which were two or three stories high. There were numerous paths paved with flat stones crisscrossing the grounds of the complex, the grounds themselves were covered in beautifully manicured lawns and brightly flowered gardens.
“I sense magic,” I said.
“Oh god... what should we do?”
“I could be wrong... it’s not a sixth sense or anything.”
“Why do you think there’s magic then?”
“It’s too perfect, and look at the size of those glass windows. Glass was blown unt
il the nineteenth century, windows in antiquity had to be small.”
We decided to keep on walking, we entered a large courtyard after following one of the paths. I saw two people talking to each other. I quickly realized it was not a discussion but a heated argument as I heard the loud screaming voices.
The loudest voice belonged to a very pregnant young woman, I could see tears rolling down her rage contorted face.
The object of her anger was a tall muscularly built man wearing a leather kilt, I could tell he had been quite beautiful at one time, but now his face had deep lines on it and the once firm tummy had a grown soft and heavy. I also could not mistake the hard humorless gaze that results from a life of alcohol abuse.
I could smell the sour odour of drunkenness as we approached the couple. The man suddenly lurched towards the woman as if to attack her. She raised her hand then and the man flew backwards as if hit by a charging animal.
He stood up unsteadily, then glared at the woman with a fury that bordered on madness. He then turned and walked away.
“Hello,” I said to the woman.
She was weeping uncontrollably her head bent down and her eyes staring at the ground.
“Um... hello,” I said again louder this time.
Her head jerked up and she looked at me with a startled expression.
“Who are you?” she raised her hand like she had done with the man.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” I said quickly, hoping to calm her.
“You look very familiar, do I know you?” she asked with a quizzical expression.
“No, I don’t think so, are you a sorcerer?”
Her eyes narrowed, “why do you ask?”
“I just saw you use magic.”
“Oh... I guess I am then.”
“You speak Egyptian were you trained at the city.”
Her eyes narrowed again “yes the city... you’re familiar with it?”
I decided to just tell her the truth, if she wasn’t a real sorcerer and was just using stolen magical items she would not be much of a threat. If she was a sorcerer and wanted to do us harm there was not much we could do anyway.
“I’m Kem this is Shelley... she’s my apprentice. We are also sorcerers.”
“In the City of Magic there is a large granite statue on the left side of the main amphitheater’s entrance, who is it of?” She asked.
“The god Sobek”
Her face relaxed and she smiled at me.
“I’m Circe, it’s always nice to meet fellow prestidigitator’s”
Shelley’s face suddenly had a startled expression on it.
“Did you say you’re name was Circe?”
“Yes.”
“That guy that was here, his name wasn’t Odysseus was it?” Shelley asked.
I saw Circe’s lower lip start to tremble, tears started flowing from her eyes again.
“Let me guess... he got some woman you know pregnant...” she sobbed.
“No... no... “ Shelley walked over to Circe and out her arm around her shoulders.
“Who is this Odysseus,” I asked, quite curious.
“He’s a bum, that’s who he is,” Circe exclaimed, angry now.
“Is he the baby’s father?” I asked.
Circe started crying again,” he was so nice... his ship and crew wrecked on my island... he told me he was a great king on a journey home from a long battle.”
“He lied?”
“At first I believed him, then he started to drink... a few times a week at first, then every night and finally all the time. I used sorcery to find the truth, he was a minor foot soldier in a long siege... his kingdom was a few families on a backward island... and he was married.”
“So you kicked him out?”
“I tried to make the best of it, I told him he could stay on the island as long as he stopped drinking and him and his men tried to make an effort support themselves, I even gave them some livestock to start a herd.”
“Pigs I bet,” Shelley murmured.
“Yes... how did you know?”
“Just a guess... they slaughtered them and ate them right?” Shelley continued.
“You are a something of a seer,” Circe said looking impressed.
I was also impressed.
“How do you now this?” I asked.
“Do you remember that TV show we watched on the history channel? The one with the giant one-eyed monster and the guys in the ship,” Shelley said in English.
“Oh...” I said as I remembered it.
“What language do you speak?” Circe’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Shelley was just telling me she see’s visions in her dreams. Egyptian is not her first language she uses her own tongue sometimes.”
Circe seemed satisfied.
“Why was Odysseus so angry?” I asked.
“He and his men have run out of wine and I would not give them more. They are in for some long nights.”