Maquesta Kar-Thon Read online

  "No!" she screamed. Setting her father on the floor, she somersaulted over him, narrowly avoided the spears thrust at her. Leaping to her feet and spinning, she saw the guards whirl and come at her again. Gripped with rage, and realizing she had only once chance, she dashed at them, hearing the encouraging shouts of Fritz and Vartan in the background. As she darted in, she grabbed one of the guard's spears and yanked with all her energy. The weapon came free, though she fell backward onto the floor in the process.

  Without getting up, she spun the spear around, as she had seen Ilyatha do with his staff, impaling the very guard she'd borrowed the weapon from. He pitched forward on the spear, his weight pushing him down farther on the shaft, and she dropped the weapon and rolled to the side to avoid his falling body and the other oncoming guard.

  Lendle rushed in, his small sword drawn. He waved it at the remaining guard and darted in to slash at his legs. The minotaur stepped back toward the dais.

  "Guards!" Attat cried again.

  Maquesta knew he was calling for those who stood beyond the chamber, and she knew she would have to act quickly. Rushing up the dais steps, she slipped by the guard and bowled into Attat, sending him reeling backward and knocking over his massive wooden chair in the process. It splintered and loudly cracked. The clattering noise continued, though it took her a moment to realize it was no longer the broken chair making the racket.

  Bas-Ohn Koraf had arrived, wielding one of the fallen guard's curved swords. He roared into the room and headed straight toward the minotaur charging at Maquesta. The guard halted for the briefest of moments, enough to give Koraf the time he needed.

  Koraf changed his grip on the sword and angled the weapon over his shoulder. In the next instant, he hurled it through the air like a javelin, the flashing blade dancing in the light of the torches. The weapon flew true and caught the surprised minotaur in the center of his thick throat. The guard was dead before he hit the floor, and Koraf rushed forward, picking up the dropped spear and tossing it to Maquesta.

  She caught it just as Attat began to struggle to his feet and the chamber door burst open and a half-dozen minotaur guards poured in. Thinking quickly, she jabbed the spear against Attat's side.

  "Tell them to keep back!" she spat. 'Tell them!"

  The minotaur lord glowered at her, and his guards pressed forward, hesitating slightly. One growled loudly and took a step toward the dais.

  "I'll kill you! I swear I will!" Maquesta shouted. "You signed my father's death warrant, and you said you would kill me, too. What do I have to lose Lord Attat? Now, tell them to drop the weapons or I'll run you through!"

  The minotaur lord nodded slowly, his eyes smoldering with hate. "Your weapons," he began. "Drop them and back away. Do it!"

  The guards obeyed, and Koraf and Lendle dashed forward, picking up an assortment of spears, scimitars, axes, and knives, depositing them near Fritz and Vartan. Koraf strode over to the two dead guards and turned them over. Finding a key on one of their belts, he headed toward the captive crewmen.

  "You must have more of the antidote somewhere," Maquesta fumed. "Where is it?"

  Attat laughed, his deep tones reverberating off the chamber walls as he struggled into a sitting position. "There is no more antidote, Maquesta," he hissed. "And even if there were more, your father is too far gone for it to do any good. He failed quickly and would have needed the antidote days ago to survive."

  Maquesta knew his words were true, and she choked back a sob. "You and I are leaving this place," she stated through clenched teeth. "We're going to the Perechon. You're my prisoner now."

  The minotaur lord laughed again. "You think to kidnap me? I am powerful in this city. To kidnap me would invite your own destruction."

  She prodded him until he awkwardly rose to his hoofed feet, then she edged him down the dais steps and nodded to Fritz and Vartan, who were finally free of their chains. The half-ogre looked over the collection of weapons and selected one of the curved swords and thrust it in his belt. Vartan chose an axe and waved it at the guards, who held out their hands to their sides in response.

  Next, Fritzen dashed up the dais steps and yanked down a cord that tied back one of the heavy drapes. The half-ogre grabbed Attat's arms, pulled them behind the minotaur's broad back, and wrapped the cord several times about his hairy wrists.

  Glancing up, and satisfied the minotaurs were keeping a safe distance, Fritzen padded toward Melas, knelt, and picked him up. The half-ogre cringed at the sight of the emaciated man, and his heart went out to Maquesta, who he knew was suffering horribly. Fritz nodded to her.

  "Kof, see if any of those keys will release Sando from the garden!" Maq said. "She's in a small cave, near a statue of a centaur."

  Koraf retreated from the chamber, and Maquesta and the minotaur lord walked between the pillars toward the far doors. Fritzen and Vartan followed close behind. Lendle hurried to catch up; he carried the cage with the tiny elephant in his left hand. By the time they reached the last pillars, Koraf had returned, the small shadowperson cradled in his arms.

  "She's blind," Koraf said simply. "Carrying her will be easier."

  Maquesta nodded toward the door and jabbed the heavy spear at Attat's side. At that instant, one of the minotaur guards rushed forward. Vartan heard his hooves pounding over the marble and whirled. Though the guard was weaponless, he had his head down and was charging like a maddened bull.

  Vartan drew back his axe and rushed forward, slicing the guard's thick arm and causing him to spin. The minotaur skidded backward across the polished floor—into the reach of the chained griffon. The animal reared up on its haunches, spread its eaglelike wings wide, and grasped the shoulders of the guard with its razor-sharp talons. The griffon drove its beak into the guard's neck, and the minotaur screamed horribly. The scene was enough to keep the other guards from trying to free their lord.

  Maquesta jabbed Attat again, this time letting the spear head sink into his side and draw a little blood.

  "Open the doors!" Attat barked. As they passed under the frame, he added. "You will not get out of my palace alive, Captain Kar-Thon. I have many guards in the courtyard. They will not let you get away with this."

  Prodding him again, Maquesta led her small entourage through the manor's museumlike corridors and out into the walled yard beyond. Koraf quickly bundled up Sando, trying to keep the bright light from hurting her any more than it already had.

  "LookMaquestaKarThon!" Lendle happily gushed.

  A pleasing sight greeted their eyes, and Maquesta's face broke into a wide grin. Scattered about the sculptured trees and bushes were magical nets—and trapped inside them were Attat's guards. In the center of the courtyard, merrily splashing in a fountain, was the sea elf, her now-clean clothes hanging from a stone minotaur that spewed water from its mouth.

  "I was wondering when you'd be coming out," Tailonna said as she ducked into the water, letting only her face show. "I hope the lord doesn't mind my using his fountain. The inn I stopped at didn't cater to sea elves. And I really needed a bath." She winked at Maquesta, then her tone turned serious. "My nets will be good for about another twenty or thirty minutes, so haste back to the Perechon would be a good idea."

  Maquesta nodded and poked Attat to keep him moving. "Won't you be joining us?" Maq called over her shoulder to the sea elf."

  "I will as soon as all of you get out of here so I can get dressed."

  Behind Maquesta's procession trailed a dozen tatter-clothed humans, prisoners from Attat's dungeon. They shuffled along, idly chatting among themselves. Koraf told Maq he didn't know what crimes they were guilty of, but all of that could be sorted out later. What the prisoners had in common was a fervent desire to leave Lacynos, and all of them were willing to work on the Perechon in exchange for passage. A couple of them seemed to be able warriors, as the minotaur had seen them fight in the ring and survive.

  Minotaur and human passersby, shopkeepers, street corner vendors, and sailors stared at the odd parade.
Maquesta's group passed by two minotaur guards who made a move toward the Perechon's captain—until she jabbed Attat and he instructed the guards to leave them alone. The minotaur lord was being too agreeable, Maq thought as she prodded him again, encouraging him to walk faster.

  Halfway to the harbor, Maquesta told Fritz and Lendle to take the lead. The streets were getting busier, and she wanted someone in front of her so the minotaur lord could not bolt. Vartan stepped to her right, and Koraf, who was carrying Sando, stepped to her left. Attat was boxed in.

  Still cradling her father, the half-ogre led the procession down the main street and to the dock where the Perechon's longboat was tied. Maquesta instructed the former prisoners to wait on the shore. It would take more than one trip in the longboat to get everyone on board the Perechon. Lendle, cradling his elephant, waited with the men, as Fritzen led the rest of the group out onto the dock. They were approaching their longboat, which was tied near another moored longboat filled with four minotaurs, when Lord Attat threw back his head. "Help me!" he bellowed to the minotaurs. "They mean to kidnap me!"

  Maquesta cursed as the quartet of minotaur sailors drew their cutlasses and clambered up onto the dock. Their hooves pounded over the planks as they advanced. Vartan rushed past Fritzen, and drew his small sword. The half-ogre stepped back and started retreating with Melas.

  "Take him to shore!" Maq called to Fritz.

  Attat's muscles bulged, and he strained against the cord that held his hands. Maquesta jabbed the spear firmly into his side.

  "Tell them to stop, Lord Attat," she spat, "or I'll slay you here and throw your body into Horned Bay."

  Attat growled, and with a burst of strength severed the cords. His leg shot out behind him, his sharp hoof driving into Maquesta's calf. Maq staggered and nearly dropped her massive spear. But she gritted her teeth, balanced the weapon, and thrust it at him again.

  The minotaur lord pivoted, the jagged spear tip piercing only his purple robe. Grinning, he lunged forward, trying to bat the spear out of her hands, succeeding instead by throwing her off balance. Maquesta fell to her knees, still holding on to the spear. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Attat bound past her, straining to reach Fritzen, who was carrying her father to the shore.

  "Fritz! Look out!" she called.

  The half-ogre spun about, then nimbly stepped to the side, avoiding the charging Attat.

  It was then Maquesta realized the minotaur lord had not meant to attack Fritzen, but to get past him. His hooves drummed over the planks, then with one leap he was on the shore. Using the spear for support, Maq pulled herself to her feet and started after him. But a clash of swords behind her stopped her progress. She turned to see Vartan struggling against the minotaur sailors. Koraf placed Sando gently on the street and drew his curved blade.

  Because the dock was not very wide, only two of the sailors could reach Vartan. The other two stood behind their fellows, growling encouragement. Wielding the borrowed axe, Vartan swung it through the air and sent its sharp edge into the chest of one assailant. The wounded minotaur roared and fell back. Vartan pressed forward and followed him down the dock, allowing two of the minotaurs to move up and the other one to step behind him. He was surrounded.

  Maquesta rushed forward, close behind Koraf. Vartan screamed as one of the minotaurs drove his blade deep into the human's thigh. Another minotaur brought his cutlass high above his head, meaning to bring it down on the sailor. But Koraf was faster. Pushing the wounded Vartan out of the way, Maquesta's first mate raised his own sword and parried the cutlass.

  Maq thrust forward with her massive spear, sending the tip deep into the belly of another sailor. The minotaur crumpled, and Maquesta pulled hard to free her weapon. At the same time Koraf swung his blade, striking his assailant's hand and sending the cutlass to join the garbage in the harbor.

  "Surrender!" Koraf barked to them in the minotaur tongue.

  The sailors quickly complied, dragging their wounded comrades with them into their longboat.

  "WegothimMaquestaKarThon!" Lendle called. His small feet slapped over the deck. "Wegothim!"

  Maq turned to see Lord Attat's former prisoners surrounding the minotaur. They were treating him none too kindly and jostling him back onto the dock. Behind them strode Tailonna. She motioned to Maquesta and gestured at the longboat.

  "My nets will be wearing off!" she called.

  Maq nodded. She padded toward where Sando stood, alone and confused. Picking up the frightened child, she felt Sando's mind touch hers.

  It's going to be all right, Maquesta thought. We're taking you to your father. He's on the Perechon.

  He told me you'd protect me, Sando concentrated in reply. He's waiting for us.

  Maquesta looked past the sailors, to Fritzen on the shore. He gently picked up Melas, and started down the dock toward Maq.

  Lendle jumped into the longboat, then reached over and grabbed the elephant cage and set it beside him. Maq carefully passed the shadowperson to the gnome. Because the sun was starting to set, Sando was getting stronger. She sat on the gnome's right side and waited for the others to join them. Maquesta, Attat, Vartan, and Fritz, holding Melas, filled the seats for the longboat's first trip to the Perechon.

  Once on deck, the crew surrounded the minotaur lord, and Ilyatha rushed forward to grab his daughter and hold her close. Fritz gently laid Melas on the deck, and Maquesta sat beside him. His dark eyes fluttered open, and he coughed and winced in pain.

  "Remember the lesson of my life, Maquesta," Melas whispered. "Trust no one." His mouth opened again, and she leaned closer so she could hear. "Take good care of the Perechon, Captain Kar-Thon."

  Melas took his last breath, and Maq sobbed openly.

  Fritz placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We'll bury him at sea," he said softly.

  She nodded and let him help her to her feet. A sailor brushed by her with a tarp. Behind her, the longboat returned from its second trip to the dock. As Tailonna, Koraf, and a group of former prisoners started up the rope ladder, the Perechon was engulfed in a flash of bright light.

  With a scream of anger, Belwar appeared in the sky above the ship's mainmast. He dived toward the deck, and the sailors surrounding Attat fled in panic, leaving their prisoner an easy target. The ki-rin's horn, aimed at the quivering minotaur lord, crackled with lightning.

  "You slew my brother!" Belwar shouted. "Now I shall do the same to you!"

  The ki-rin's horn sank into Attat's shoulder, and the minotaur's body was instantly covered in a pale gold, crackling light. Belwar shook the minotaur free, and let his quaking form fall to the deck, then the ki-rin placed his front hooves on Attat's chest and peered into his dark eyes. The minotaur lord was whimpering, begging for his life. Belwar ignored his feeble protests.

  "You are part of the evil that is spreading across the Blood Sea. Ending your pitiable life will serve justice and revenge."

  Belwar shook his mane and glanced about at the crewmembers. "You!" he called to Koraf and Fritzen. "Pull up the morkoth's cage."

  Maquesta watched as Kof, aided by the half-ogre, complied, winching up the steel cage and breaking the weld on the top. As Koraf slowly opened the top of the cage, Belwar opened his mouth and grabbed the minotaur lord's tunic. Dragging the protesting lord across the deck, the ki-rin tossed Attat into the cage.

  "Let Lord Attat have his precious trophy," the ki-rin stated. He nodded to Koraf, and the minotaur lowered the cage's lid.

  The ki-rin touched his horn to the mechanism holding the cage to the Perechon, and the metal clasp severed. The cage dropped to the floor of the harbor, and the water instantly churned red about the ship, signaling the end of the Lacynos minotaur lord.

  Satisfied, Belwar rose slowly above the deck and floated toward Maquesta. "I am sorry for the death of your father," the ki-rin offered. "There was nothing even I could have done to save him. But know that his spirit is in a kinder place, and that he sails on a beautiful, endless sea." The ki-rin's horn shimmered, an
d the creature soared higher. "I will watch the morkoth and make sure it kills no innocent souls in Lacynos. And from time to time I will watch you, Maquesta Kar-Thon."

  Another flash lit the growing night sky, then the ki-rin was gone.

  Maquesta looked about the deck. Ilyatha still hugged Sando, his webbed arms wrapped about the diminutive shadowperson. Maq intended to drop the pair off on the other side of Mithas. From there they could get home easily enough.

  Tailonna was escorting the last of Attat's former prisoners over the railing. Maquesta wondered how many of them would stay on. She needed more sailors, and she had gems with which to pay the crew their wages. Some of the gems would also pay for new masts, and would buy the gnome plenty of equipment and parts.

  Vartan was directing a crew to raise the sails on the mainmast. Another group of sailors was lighting lanterns and hanging them about the aft deck and near the bow.

  From somewhere belowdecks she heard a groaning and sputtering racket. Lendle had his oar machine working. She felt the ship surge and looked over the side to see the oars already in motion. A gout of smoke erupted from the cargo hold, and the Perechon was under way.

  Fritzen, stepping up behind Maquesta, hugged her fiercely. "You're going to be all right," he told her.

  She nodded and glanced at the tarp covering her father's body. "I know. But it will take a while."

  "Any orders, Captain?" Koraf called. The minotaur had made his way to the aft deck and was behind the wheel.

  "Take us out of the harbor, Kof," she said, her voice brightening slightly. "I want to go as far away from Lacynos as the wind and waves will take us."

  At eighteen, Maquesta Kar-Thon has just volunteered to captain the Perechon for a quest with a high stake—her father’s life.

  The minotaur lord Attat has given her father a slow-acting poison, and is withholding the antidote until Maq captures the deadly sea monster Morkoth for his private zoo. To accompany her on this voyage, Attat sends along the renegade minotaur Bas-Ohn Koraf and a shadowperson warrior, Ilyatha.