but only if ye promise me ye’ll save a few for me later!”
“You’re now standing on the Black Moon’s only escape from this place,” Geran called back. “Unless I miss my guess, you’ll see a fight before we’re done inside.”
“Aye, m’lord!” Galehand left his arbalest in the hands of one of the crew and began shouting orders to get his sailors in order.
Geran left the sailing master to take charge, and rushed toward the keep. Hamil followed a step behind him, while Sarth hovered in the air, systematically blasting any arrow slit from which a bolt or quarrel flew. Geran could hear the ringing of steel echoing under the walls of the pirate keep, the furious shouts and roars of men in battle, the screams of the wounded. In midstride he invoked his silversteel veil, the swirling silver aura that might save him from an unexpected thrust or a shot fired at his back. The air was thick with the reek of smoke and the strange sweet scent of the moonlet’s dark jungle. Overhead the Tears of Selune mounted to the sky like islands of shadow and silver light, drifting across a black sky ablaze with more stars than he’d ever imagined might exist. What a strange place to fight a battle! he thought. He’d fought in skirmishes on the Sea of Fallen Stars, ambushes in the shadows of Cormanthyr, and desperate frays in deep, foul dungeons where monsters lurked, but never had he fought in a battle like this.
“Follow me, warriors of Hulburg!” Geran shouted. He ran through the gates and into the moon-keep’s lower hall. At his back, armsmen and sailors charged in after him. A dozen or so of the Black Moon men tried to hold the hall against the attackers. Several crossbow bolts hissed past Geran, and one grazed his hip, catching in his leather jerkin despite his wardings. A Shieldsworn at his side stumbled and went to the ground, clutching at a quarrel in his belly-but then Geran was in among the keep’s defenders, with the rest of the attackers a step behind him. He cut down one of the crossbowmen and darted past the fellow to engage a burly half-orc mate who seemed to be leading the pirates in the hall. He traded only two passes of steel with the half-orc before a
“Where to now?” Hamil asked. “There must be more of these fellows skulking about in here.”
Geran studied the room for a moment. Several large passageways led away from the room, including a stair that climbed up from the gate. Like the castle of Griffonwatch that Geran had grown up in, the moon-keep was at least in part delved from the rock of its steep hill. Here at its foot, hallways led to subterranean vaults, while the stairs led up to levels and ramparts higher in the hillside. “We’ll split up and search the place,” he decided. “Master Worthel, take your warriors and ransack the lower levels. I’ll take a squad of soldiers upstairs. Look for captives, and take or kill every pirate you catch. Keep your lads together in case you run into opposition. Sergeant Xela, take your Sokols and the Marstels, and go with Sarth. I can still hear him outside. Brother Larken, keep the rest of the soldiers here and hold this gatehouse. You’re our reserve. Guard our retreat, and stand ready to help in case one of the search parties runs into strong resistance somewhere. Now go!”
The Hulburgans split up as Geran had ordered, some rushing down the passages below, others returning to the fray outside, while still others spread out to take control of the gatehouse and hold their conquest. Geran waved to the armsmen at his back and led them off into the keep. The main passage climbed a broad set of steps to a great hall, festooned with dozens of captured banners and standards. He could hear the distant ring of steel on steel from the other search parties, and shouts echoing through the stone corridors. The armsmen with him spread out to search the room; Geran headed for the first large passage leading out of the hall and peered down it, wondering just how big the keep really was. The portion built atop the hill was not very large, not much bigger than the upper bailey in Griffonwatch, but there was no telling how far the subterranean halls and vaults extended. Depending on just how long the Black Moon Brotherhood had held the keep and how industriously they’d worked, there might even be several escape tunnels hidden below, leading to secret exits in the jungles outside … possibly with smaller skyfaring vessels close by. Even now Kamoth and Sergen might be making their escape.
A call from one of the Shieldsworn interrupted his brooding. “Lord Geran?” he called. “We’ve found several people held captive here.”
“Mirya and her daughter?”
The soldier shook his head. “No, but a woman here says there are other captives in the dungeons.”
Geran hurried over to the fellow and found him standing by the entrance to the kitchens that served the great hall. Seven or eight people in threadbare servants’ garb stood in a confused knot inside, staring at their unexpected rescuers.
The soldier motioned to one of the freed captives. “Here she is,” he said. “This is Olana. She was taken captive four years ago near Phlan.”
A dour-faced woman of middle years stepped forward. “Long I’ve dreamed of this day, m’lords, but never I thought to see it with mine own eyes. You’re a welcome sight, you are.”
“We’ll take you home as soon as we’ve finished here, Olana,” Geran told her. “But first, is there a woman named Mirya Erstenwold here? She’s tall and slender, with black hair and blue eyes. She might have had her daughter with her, a dark-haired lass of about nine years. Have you seen her?”
“I did see those two, m’lord. I’ve brought them their food and water for a couple of days now, and Lord Kamoth had me bring them new clothes as well. They were held down in the lower dungeon. But-they’re gone now.” Olana fell silent.
“Well, where are they then?” Geran demanded.
“They’ve escaped, m’lord. I went by their cell to bring them their breakfast and discovered the bars bent wide enough for them to slip out.”
“When was this?”
“It was only an hour or two ago, m’lord. I don’t think the Black Moon men know she’s gone yet. I wasn’t about to tell, not until they’d had a good chance to slip away.”
“Good woman,” Hamil said in approval. “But where could they slip away to?”
The woman frowned. “I expect your Mirya and her daughter ran off into the jungle.”
Another of the servants, a stooped old man with a bushy, white beard, spoke up. “Beggin’ your pardon, m’lords, but I think they must have done just that. I was with a party sent to cut firewood this morning. We found the postern gate standing ajar when we came back in. I’d wager that’s the way your friends went.”
“Did the Black Moon pirates go after them?” Hamil asked.
“No, m’lord. They figured one of us had left it open when we went out in the morning. Besides, they only venture into the jungle in large parties, and well-armed at that.”
Geran gripped the hilt of his sword and turned away, teeth bared in pure frustration. If they’d only been an hour or two swifter, they might have found Mirya and Selsha before they slipped out of their cell. Now they might have the whole black isle to search! He took a deep breath to master himself and then looked back to Olana and the older servant. “I’ll need you to show me to the postern, and quickly,” he said.
Olana bowed. “Of course, m’lord.”
“Hamil, you take over here. Make sure we cover every inch of this keep, and keep an eye open for Sergen. He’s still around somewhere, and you know the sort of trouble he can cause.”
“My apologies, Geran, but I can’t do that,” Hamil said. “I’m coming with you. Mirya’s my friend too, and I’d fight a whole moon full of monsters to keep Selsha from harm.”
Geran started to argue, but thought better of it. He could use Hamil at his back, and things seemed well in hand with the pirate keep. “All right, then. Sergeant Xela, send messengers to find Sarth and Larken. Tell Sarth he’s in charge until we return. I trust you to do what needs to be done here.”
The Shieldsworn soldier nodded. “Aye, we’ll look after things, Lord Geran. As soon as we can, we’ll send some soldiers out after you and Master Alderheart.”
“Good.” Geran clapped a hand to the armsman’s shoulder and then looked back to Olana. “Show us the quickest way to the postern, Olana.”
The woman curtsied. “Of course, m’lord. I hope you find her-the jungle of the black moon’s no place to wander. It’s this way.” She hurried off for one of the servants’ stairs leading off the great hall. Geran and Hamil followed her into the mazelike passageways of the keep.
