Read Online Krozair of Kregen by Alan Burt Akers - Free Book Online
Authors: Alan Burt Akers
Ads: Link
swifter so the light strengthened. Soon Zim rose in a crimson glory, at which all the Zairians yelled mightily. “Zim! Zair! Zair!”
And, inevitably, when green Genodras rose, and we waited for the shouts of Grodno to echo around the ship, and none sounded, we roared our good humor.
Rukker stormed among the released slaves, cuffing them out of his way, giving them orders, bellowing. . .
Duhrra was not sure what to do, so it fell to Fazhan to see about chaining down the new prisoners, those who had been spared.
I prevented a mob from tearing apart a couple of Grodnim sailors in their rage, and bellowed at them, “Would you wish these two rasts to go up to Genodras, to sit on the right hand of Grodno? Of course not! Chain them down to the benches, make them pull at the Zair-forsaken oars!”
“Aye, aye!” screeched the ex-slaves. ‘To the thalamites with them!”
So we managed to save a few men to pull for us.
There would be the problem of what to do with the Grodnims who had been enslaved with us. The oar-slaves were mostly Zairian prisoners; there was an element among them of Grodnim criminals. There could be no half-measures, of course.
I climbed up the mast and took a look around.
Green Magodont
lay in the mouth of a river, with low vegetation-choked banks to either side. The mountains inland of the island looked blue and floating in the early morning mist. Downstream lay two more swifters. People were running about them. The noise and confusion in
Green Magodont
needed, it seemed to me, little explanation.
We weren’t out of the woods yet.
I looked down.
Two large and powerful looking men, both apims, were arguing. They both carried swords, they both had snatched up scraps of clothing to cover their nakedness. They had been slaves, miserably chained to the bench; now they were arguing over who was in command.
“I am a roz and therefore outrank you, fambly!”
“I am a swifter captain, you onker, and know whereof I speak!”
I watched Rukker. He walked toward them. He bellowed.
Other men crowded around on the upper deck. They could be called slaves no longer — or, perhaps, for a space no longer if we did not do something about the other two swifters. Rukker yelled.
“I am in command here! Get about your business!”
The two men turned on him, hot in their anger and pride, a pride so newly returned to them. Their swords flickered out.
One of them dropped with a sword through his guts, the other could not screech. His throat had been ripped out by the Kataki’s tail-blade. I sighed.
“I, Rukker, command! If any more of you rasts wish to die, then step up.”
Duhrra, at the back, started to rumble and shove forward. I went down the mast with some speed and jumped to the deck.
“What! Dak! And so you wish to challenge me.” Rukker waved his tail above his head. The blade glittered.
“If you are in command, Rukker, which I doubt. What do you think we should do about the two swifters that will surely pull up here to retake this vessel? Come on, man. Speak up.”
“I do not wish—” he began. But the other slaves — ex-slaves — were running to the rail and pointing at the swifters downstream and caterwauling.
I said, “You may not wish to know about them, Rukker. But that won’t make them go away.”
“One day, Dak the Cunning, I’ll do you a mortal injury.”
“You may try. Until then you had best listen to what I say.”
“I am in command!”
“You command nothing, Rukker the Kataki. This is no swifter fit to fight. You could not tackle those two. Think, man—” I did not take my gaze from him, and I watched that treacherous tail as a ruffianly sailorman watches a Sylvie as she dances the Sensil Dance.
But he was, I felt sure, a high noble of one kind or another, and he could think quickly when he had to. “And what do you, oh wise and cunning Dak the Proud, think we should do?”
It would have been easy and cheap to have said, “But you are in command,
And, inevitably, when green Genodras rose, and we waited for the shouts of Grodno to echo around the ship, and none sounded, we roared our good humor.
Rukker stormed among the released slaves, cuffing them out of his way, giving them orders, bellowing. . .
Duhrra was not sure what to do, so it fell to Fazhan to see about chaining down the new prisoners, those who had been spared.
I prevented a mob from tearing apart a couple of Grodnim sailors in their rage, and bellowed at them, “Would you wish these two rasts to go up to Genodras, to sit on the right hand of Grodno? Of course not! Chain them down to the benches, make them pull at the Zair-forsaken oars!”
“Aye, aye!” screeched the ex-slaves. ‘To the thalamites with them!”
So we managed to save a few men to pull for us.
There would be the problem of what to do with the Grodnims who had been enslaved with us. The oar-slaves were mostly Zairian prisoners; there was an element among them of Grodnim criminals. There could be no half-measures, of course.
I climbed up the mast and took a look around.
Green Magodont
lay in the mouth of a river, with low vegetation-choked banks to either side. The mountains inland of the island looked blue and floating in the early morning mist. Downstream lay two more swifters. People were running about them. The noise and confusion in
Green Magodont
needed, it seemed to me, little explanation.
We weren’t out of the woods yet.
I looked down.
Two large and powerful looking men, both apims, were arguing. They both carried swords, they both had snatched up scraps of clothing to cover their nakedness. They had been slaves, miserably chained to the bench; now they were arguing over who was in command.
“I am a roz and therefore outrank you, fambly!”
“I am a swifter captain, you onker, and know whereof I speak!”
I watched Rukker. He walked toward them. He bellowed.
Other men crowded around on the upper deck. They could be called slaves no longer — or, perhaps, for a space no longer if we did not do something about the other two swifters. Rukker yelled.
“I am in command here! Get about your business!”
The two men turned on him, hot in their anger and pride, a pride so newly returned to them. Their swords flickered out.
One of them dropped with a sword through his guts, the other could not screech. His throat had been ripped out by the Kataki’s tail-blade. I sighed.
“I, Rukker, command! If any more of you rasts wish to die, then step up.”
Duhrra, at the back, started to rumble and shove forward. I went down the mast with some speed and jumped to the deck.
“What! Dak! And so you wish to challenge me.” Rukker waved his tail above his head. The blade glittered.
“If you are in command, Rukker, which I doubt. What do you think we should do about the two swifters that will surely pull up here to retake this vessel? Come on, man. Speak up.”
“I do not wish—” he began. But the other slaves — ex-slaves — were running to the rail and pointing at the swifters downstream and caterwauling.
I said, “You may not wish to know about them, Rukker. But that won’t make them go away.”
“One day, Dak the Cunning, I’ll do you a mortal injury.”
“You may try. Until then you had best listen to what I say.”
“I am in command!”
“You command nothing, Rukker the Kataki. This is no swifter fit to fight. You could not tackle those two. Think, man—” I did not take my gaze from him, and I watched that treacherous tail as a ruffianly sailorman watches a Sylvie as she dances the Sensil Dance.
But he was, I felt sure, a high noble of one kind or another, and he could think quickly when he had to. “And what do you, oh wise and cunning Dak the Proud, think we should do?”
It would have been easy and cheap to have said, “But you are in command,
Similar Books
