“A friend,” said Tungdil baldly. “Get the crew up. You have a vital mission for your queen.”
“If she pays, no problem. Otherwise be off with you.” Kordin was not in the least bit impressed, but that was about to change very quickly.
With a loud metallic clanking sound a spherical object comprised of two iron bands came rolling at high speed toward them and swept right through their midst.
The rune master and three of the watch, unable to step out of the way, were run down by the vehicle, crushed between iron and pier.
“That’s the monster that robbed King Nate!” cried Rodario from behind the pillar where he had taken shelter. “At least we know we’ve caught up with them.”
The ubariu drew their swords but quickly realized they were useless against such an attack.
The sphere had stopped rolling; then it changed course, heading for them again.
On the narrow pier there was little room to get out of the way; this time the victims were the captain, one of the ubariu and two guards. The harbor air was rent by their screams.
“Flagur!” Tungdil shouted up to the ubariu leader. “Use the hook on the freight crane, quickly!”
Flagur understood. He swiveled the crane so that it was suspended over the pier, then released the winding mechanism just as the sphere launched its third attack. The rope unrolled with a whirr.
The hook clanged against the metal and the curved end caught in a gap between the iron bands. Creaking, the thick rope brought the huge ball to a standstill.
“Hoist it up!” Tungdil ordered and started for the ramp to help Flagur reel it in. Suddenly there was a loud click.
Some hidden fastenings in the sphere opened and the metal bands, broad as two fingers, slid closer to each other. The hook shot out, losing its grip. Now, instead of disappearing into the rucksack on the creature’s body as they’d done back in Goldensheaf, they transformed themselves into a shield, protecting the monster.
It was the fourth of the bastards, a crossbred mixture of alfar and orc.
Its dark skin shimmered in the starlight, showing black wavy lines; the graceful but repellent features were mostly concealed behind locks of black hair. Opening its muzzle to show sharp teeth it growled aggressively. “I will kill you all,” it vowed, drawing what appeared to be a multi-segmented sword. Abruptly it went into the attack, turning on the ubari standing nearest.
As the weapon swept in a wide curve the sword segments slipped apart. Inside, the weapon was hollow and contained a slender chain connecting the individual parts of the blade, giving the sword twice the normal range.
It struck the ubari unexpectedly and lethally, the flexible blade colliding with his sword, lifted in defense, and the sharp tip coiling round it like a snake and cutting him deep in the face. He fell dying to the ground.
The guards held their halberds ready but lacked the courage to advance on this terrifying enemy, whose lower body seemed to consist entirely of iron. Metal plates decorated with runes were sewn into its flesh to protect the upper body.
The monster moved forward, the iron foot grating against the stone. It was clearly extremely heavy. Again it brandished its cunning weapon and struck again, this time at Tungdil.
He managed to duck under the green-glowing blade, nearly falling off the wet slippery gangway as he did so.
The strange sword swung through the air and sliced through the ramp; the dwarf plunged into the water as the broken gang-plank fell. The waves met over his head and he sank like a stone.
He was overwhelmed with fear. This was Elria’s element and suddenly he was reliving the terrible moment when he had fallen into the torrent that had drowned his young son. A thousand bubbles disorientated him; he could not see which way was up. He paddled around in a panic, splashing out wildly. Then he forced himself to be calm. It was panic that had robbed him of Balodil.
He abandoned trying to swim to the surface; his armor was probably too heavy for that anyway. Instead he felt his way along the wall to get to the quayside where, if his memory served, there were steps he should be able to climb up.
The bottom was soft and he sank into it. He was short of air already, but then his foot met the first step. Elria would not get him this time.
Above his head he heard the sound of metal striking metal; a flickering green light gave a ghostly glow to the stern of the ship. He could hear curses and shouts. This was no time to take a rest.
“There! There he is!” Rodario had leaned over the harbor wall and seen him. “Praise be to Palandiell-he’s not food for fishes yet.” He disappeared again, obviously keen to participate in the fighting.
Tungdil reached the pier; only eight ubariu were left standing now. The guards all lay dead or gravely injured. The creature had formed two small shields from its iron bands, and was using them to protect its flanks while it wielded its snake-sword, forcing the ubariu to keep their distance.
Tungdil lifted a halberd in both hands and ran straight for the creature’s back.
It sensed his approach and whirled round to attack, but Tungdil was too far away to fall victim to the segmented sword. One of the shields was raised to protect the monster’s face, but Tungdil thrust his halberd at the monster’s right foot. The sharp tip penetrated the armor plating, and black blood gushed out of the wound. It wasn’t a deadly wound but that hadn’t been Tungdil’s intention. He had something else in mind. A quick turn and a swift pulling movement and the long hook at the head of the weapon lodged between the armor plates.
“Take the halberds,” he called to the ubariu. “Keep stabbing at its legs, then we’ll have it over and into the water. Hold it fast so it doesn’t escape.”
The iron bands slammed down in an attempt to break off the halberd shaft, but it was sturdy enough to withstand the blow. Tungdil responded by shaking the weapon to and fro.
The ubariu picked up the weapons of the fallen guards and came to assist the dwarf, managing to force the monster ever closer to the edge of the pier. It hit out with the snake sword in fury, slicing through one halberd shaft after another. “I shall kill you,” its clear voice called.
“For Girdlegard!” came a rallying cry above their heads and Rodario swung down on the crane’s rope, feet outstretched, to crash into one of the monster’s shields.
The irreverent assault took it by surprise. Weight and momentum allowed the actor to sweep the monster over the pier edge and into the harbor. As it fell it aimed a final blow at Rodario, cutting the calf of one leg. Then it sank below the surface.
“Oh, ye gods,” groaned the actor, swinging back again, to be helped down by the ubariu. “Oh, that hurts like stink.” He sat down on the pier. “But I was incredibly incredible again, wasn’t I?” he joked, in spite of his injury.
“Yes, incredible,” Lot-Ionan confirmed. There was nothing more he could do for the rune master, so he was kneeling next to the actor to inspect the wound. “That will have to have stitches,” he said. “It will leave a fine scar.”
“It’s a good thing that accursed weapon didn’t get me in the face. My good looks would have gone forever.”
“Well done.” Tungdil was staring into the water, and the ubariu were standing to his right and left, halberds raised, ready to hurl them at the monster should it resurface.
Bubbles came up and there was a glow from the depths.
“Sirka,” called Tungdil, pointing at a heavy ship’s anchor hanging from a nearby vessel. “Drop it. Quick!”
She took a plank, leaned it up against the side of the ship, ran up and along the deck to the bows, and released the anchor. It shot into the water with an enormous splash, and the next bubbles that rose brought black liquid with them.