The Hollow Grove: The Companions [Book 2]

[4] Attacked [Part 2]

A ball of flame struck the railing of the Crooked Trout and cracked it into pieces. It sent the ship rocking and set fire to the archers and the ship itself. Screams came from the archers as they dove into the water to douse their flaming hair and skin.

"Kayla!" hailed Wess. He plowed a long dagger into the belly of a pirate as he dodged and spun. His spinning was put to a hold as he witnessed a thin cutlass come in a flurry of quick slashes at him. He dodged and parried with his two daggers, but the savvy wielder, an angry young human, cut him several times destroying his black tunic. The slashes in his shirt exposed the hundreds of small scars on his arms and chest as well as his many magical tattoos. Blood ran from three light cuts to his arms and chest. His small, lean muscles rippled with eager tension.

"Now I need a new tunic," Wess mused to himself. He dashed into his opponent's guard with a feint, and then pressed with a whirlwind attack at the pirate's lead leg. His daggers sliced to bone and then he finished his opponent off sending the point of Ravenwing into his heart. The pirate was a worthy opponent, but fell dead. The assassin spun his blades in his hands eager for more pirates to kill.

Haygen's eyes were bloodshot with battle lust the longer he fought the pirate crew. With five enemy left, four of them jumped over the edge of the burning rail, but the last one made a dash for the cargo hold.

Otis and Brayla still battled, but it was a losing one for the pirate captain as Otis disarmed him, then smashed the handle of his weapon across his forehead. "I was trying not to kill him, but he wasn't making it easy on me, the devil."

"Don't celebrate too soon," Haygen pointed to the fire on the deck. "The fire is growing."

"There was a man who ran down to the cargo hold," Otis recalled.

Haygen had thoughts of just letting the man burn, but that was no way for any man to die. "I'll get him. You two go help Kayla."

Otis and Wess nodded in agreement and slid down the Dwarf's rope to the dingy and began rowing back to their ship.

The Barbarian dashed to the cargo hold door in the floor of the deck. The man had left it open and Haygen dropped down into the lower deck with a thud ready to drag the human kicking and screaming if needed. It was difficult to see below deck, but they eyes of his orc father allowed him to see in the darkness. There, he saw rows of men, women and children chained to round eyelets in the floor. The man had a hammer and he was trying to break the locks.

"Help me!" Pleaded the man. "Before the ship burns us all!"

"Where's the key?" screamed Haygen.

"If I had it, I'd be using it wouldn't I?"

"Please help us!" a man in the corner yelled. "Help my children!"

Haygen was overwrought with grief at the sight of the slaves, but he knew he wouldn't have a chance to deal with the pirates if he didn't get these prisoners and himself out before the boat either burned or sank. The barbarian frantically chopped at the chains wherever he saw them. The magic ax cut through the heavy links like they were loaves of bread. After the last row of slaves he came upon a cage that was only waist high and barely wide enough for a man. Inside was a figure that he could barely make out. Finally, his keen eyes found the padlock.

"Get back!" Haygen warned.

"Save yourself, warrior!" came a voice from the cage—a woman's voice, with a heavy eastern accent. "Get them out!"

"No time to argue!" With that, the Barbarian hefted his ax high and split the lock in two. He swung open the cage. "Let's go."

The woman, scantily clad in dingy white fur slid to the front of the cage, but was so weak she could barely move.