Chapter 21
The burly man shrugged in unison with the shield maiden and followed quickly behinds the crone. There was a fine sleet brewing that limited visibility. The Crone looked at the crows nest above and saw the Icecarl upon it straining to see the moving figures below. The Crone faced the sword thane in her company and brought her hand up to her neck and made a horizontal slicing motion. The Thane complied and sheathed his sword. He undid his bow from his back and readied an arrow. He took careful aim and fired. The Crones expert eyes saw the arrow hit the target squarely through the throat. The warrior wouldn't be alerting anyone any time soon.
Corin walked quietly in the lead. So far the enemy hadn't noticed a small band of warriors silently making their way towards the wreska sleds and Corin wanted to keep it that way but as soon as he became hopeful that the plan would work he encountered two large warriors in front of him. They hadn't seen him yet so Corin pressed him luck and attacked head on. He silenced the first guard by smashing his jugular and as the man fell clutching his throat unable to speak, Corin used his falling body as a spring board to launch himself at the other unsuspecting man.
Unfortunately Corin was too slow and the Icearl back away quickly getting out of range of the impending kick to his jugular. Corin cursed himself and immediately unsheathed his sais and twirled them expertly in challenge to the enemy. The Icecarl simply laughed as he saw who his opponent was. Clearly this child could not hope to win against him? The huge enemy approached Corin and aimed a fast punch straight at the boy's head. Corin dodged, in stepped his opponent and buried a sai into the large Icecarl. He fell immediately clutching his stomach. Corin smiled as he saw his enemy fall. Wraith, Rallen and the Crone were silently watching at the side and they all smiled at Corin as he turned to face them. Corin frowned and turned to leave. He never heard them approach and berated himself. He was trained better than that.
As soon as they reached the other end of the ship and descended the ladder without too much hassle they proceeded to take on the ground guards by the sled. Corin and the burly thane known as Rallen moved off swiftly and silently as snakes through long grass. The shield maiden known as Wraith stayed back to protect the Crone.
"Watch and learn lad," Rallen said moving behind a guard silently.
Corin held back and watched as the Thane pounced on the guard and knocked him out cold with a quick swipe to the back of the head. Corin rolled his eyes and moved over to his target. Corin moved with a liquid ease and knocked his target out just as easily and gracefully as Rallen. Rallen nodded in admiration. Clearly the boy was trained. Wraith and the crone had already moved to take a sled big enough to make the trip. As Corin and Rallen boarded the sled Corin heard a noise and looked back at the ship just in time to see an arrow screaming towards the Crone. There was no time to bat it away so he pushed the Crone out of harm's way. Corin heard a yelp of pain and surprise escape the Crone's lips and cursed himself once again for being to slow. Wraith wasted no time and geared up the wreska and moved out. The start was too slow. The yelp had alerted further attention to the escapees and Corin saw arrows being fitted to bows on the deck of the ship. They would surely die if they didn't move now! Wraith, sensing Corin's panic whipped the reigns harder and tried to spur the wreska on. Her efforts worked but they were still moving too slow to be out of range of the arrows. Corin let out a cry of frustration and steeled himself to die as he turned to face the arrows.
Rallen was busy fitting his own bow with three arrows but shared the same feelings Corin was feeling. Then as they were finally speeding away the arrows from the ships loosed and sped quickly to their targets. Corin stood in front of the Crone and focused his all his senses on the incoming arrows and as if they were moving in slow motion he saw each of them. The first one was moving towards Wraith. Corin saw it and moved to catch it. Corin closed his fingers quickly and caught it just in time.
Corin's senses and reflexes moved very quickly then. He blocked out the outside noise and focused on the arrows as if they were the only thing that mattered in his world. Corin caught a speeding arrow that was aimed at him and spun in a circle, arm outstretched, to catch three arrows at once. He held the arrows in one hand and caught the other with hi other hand. Soon he had at least seven arrows in his hand before they stopped shooting. Corin stood silently trying to refocus on the world around him again. The first sound to hit his ears was the crack of the reigns on the wreska. Then he slowly became aware of laughter.
"Who's laughing at me?" Corin thought and turned to see Rallen laughing merrily and the Crone smiling.
Corin titled his head in demand for explanation. The Crone seeing his expression stood and steadied herself and looked into Corin's eyes with her silvery gaze.
"Well done, Corin, you have proven yourself very well," the Crone said gesturing towards the caught arrows in his hand, which was bleeding from scratches on his palm. Rallen calmed himself and clapped his knuckles together at Corin in a sign of respect.
"You are better than I thought lad but your still nowhere as good as I," Rallen said smiling.
Corin didn't say anything instead he handed the arrows over to Rallen and got to work on his wounds. The Crone smiled a brief smile at the boy's cold and serious attitude but wiped it from her face as she took out the flare and lit it with a stone and her steal knife.
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The Crone sighed and finished her wound bandaging. Just then her bodyguards approached her. Corin, Wraith and Rallen had just come back from scouting ahead and from their awestruck faces the Crone knew that they had seen the Ruin Ship in the distance.
"Is it in walking distance?" the Crone asked standing up.
"Yes we can make it to the ship easily enough," Wraith said still looking awestruck.
"Then I will go and you three will accompany me," the Crone said moving off to inform Grim of her plan.
When the Crone came back they moved out with Corin leading and Rallen guarding the rear. Wraith stayed close to the Crone and was ever watchful for any sign of danger. The troupe moved at a cracking pace and never once broke formation. They rested only once on their journey but it was only to regain strength so there was no hunting or foraging done. After a few hours of hard trudging they were a hundred stretches from the Ruin Ship itself. Joy gripped them all except Corin who was strangely looking around and straining to hear something. The Crone noticed Corin's distress and was about to ask why when something jumped from the trees. Corin unsheathed his sais but was forced to lower them as a spear was leveled to his throat.
The burly man shrugged in unison with the shield maiden and followed quickly behinds the crone. There was a fine sleet brewing that limited visibility. The Crone looked at the crows nest above and saw the Icecarl upon it straining to see the moving figures below. The Crone faced the sword thane in her company and brought her hand up to her neck and made a horizontal slicing motion. The Thane complied and sheathed his sword. He undid his bow from his back and readied an arrow. He took careful aim and fired. The Crones expert eyes saw the arrow hit the target squarely through the throat. The warrior wouldn't be alerting anyone any time soon.
Corin walked quietly in the lead. So far the enemy hadn't noticed a small band of warriors silently making their way towards the wreska sleds and Corin wanted to keep it that way but as soon as he became hopeful that the plan would work he encountered two large warriors in front of him. They hadn't seen him yet so Corin pressed him luck and attacked head on. He silenced the first guard by smashing his jugular and as the man fell clutching his throat unable to speak, Corin used his falling body as a spring board to launch himself at the other unsuspecting man.
Unfortunately Corin was too slow and the Icearl back away quickly getting out of range of the impending kick to his jugular. Corin cursed himself and immediately unsheathed his sais and twirled them expertly in challenge to the enemy. The Icecarl simply laughed as he saw who his opponent was. Clearly this child could not hope to win against him? The huge enemy approached Corin and aimed a fast punch straight at the boy's head. Corin dodged, in stepped his opponent and buried a sai into the large Icecarl. He fell immediately clutching his stomach. Corin smiled as he saw his enemy fall. Wraith, Rallen and the Crone were silently watching at the side and they all smiled at Corin as he turned to face them. Corin frowned and turned to leave. He never heard them approach and berated himself. He was trained better than that.
As soon as they reached the other end of the ship and descended the ladder without too much hassle they proceeded to take on the ground guards by the sled. Corin and the burly thane known as Rallen moved off swiftly and silently as snakes through long grass. The shield maiden known as Wraith stayed back to protect the Crone.
"Watch and learn lad," Rallen said moving behind a guard silently.
Corin held back and watched as the Thane pounced on the guard and knocked him out cold with a quick swipe to the back of the head. Corin rolled his eyes and moved over to his target. Corin moved with a liquid ease and knocked his target out just as easily and gracefully as Rallen. Rallen nodded in admiration. Clearly the boy was trained. Wraith and the crone had already moved to take a sled big enough to make the trip. As Corin and Rallen boarded the sled Corin heard a noise and looked back at the ship just in time to see an arrow screaming towards the Crone. There was no time to bat it away so he pushed the Crone out of harm's way. Corin heard a yelp of pain and surprise escape the Crone's lips and cursed himself once again for being to slow. Wraith wasted no time and geared up the wreska and moved out. The start was too slow. The yelp had alerted further attention to the escapees and Corin saw arrows being fitted to bows on the deck of the ship. They would surely die if they didn't move now! Wraith, sensing Corin's panic whipped the reigns harder and tried to spur the wreska on. Her efforts worked but they were still moving too slow to be out of range of the arrows. Corin let out a cry of frustration and steeled himself to die as he turned to face the arrows.
Rallen was busy fitting his own bow with three arrows but shared the same feelings Corin was feeling. Then as they were finally speeding away the arrows from the ships loosed and sped quickly to their targets. Corin stood in front of the Crone and focused his all his senses on the incoming arrows and as if they were moving in slow motion he saw each of them. The first one was moving towards Wraith. Corin saw it and moved to catch it. Corin closed his fingers quickly and caught it just in time.
Corin's senses and reflexes moved very quickly then. He blocked out the outside noise and focused on the arrows as if they were the only thing that mattered in his world. Corin caught a speeding arrow that was aimed at him and spun in a circle, arm outstretched, to catch three arrows at once. He held the arrows in one hand and caught the other with hi other hand. Soon he had at least seven arrows in his hand before they stopped shooting. Corin stood silently trying to refocus on the world around him again. The first sound to hit his ears was the crack of the reigns on the wreska. Then he slowly became aware of laughter.
"Who's laughing at me?" Corin thought and turned to see Rallen laughing merrily and the Crone smiling.
Corin titled his head in demand for explanation. The Crone seeing his expression stood and steadied herself and looked into Corin's eyes with her silvery gaze.
"Well done, Corin, you have proven yourself very well," the Crone said gesturing towards the caught arrows in his hand, which was bleeding from scratches on his palm. Rallen calmed himself and clapped his knuckles together at Corin in a sign of respect.
"You are better than I thought lad but your still nowhere as good as I," Rallen said smiling.
Corin didn't say anything instead he handed the arrows over to Rallen and got to work on his wounds. The Crone smiled a brief smile at the boy's cold and serious attitude but wiped it from her face as she took out the flare and lit it with a stone and her steal knife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crone sighed and finished her wound bandaging. Just then her bodyguards approached her. Corin, Wraith and Rallen had just come back from scouting ahead and from their awestruck faces the Crone knew that they had seen the Ruin Ship in the distance.
"Is it in walking distance?" the Crone asked standing up.
"Yes we can make it to the ship easily enough," Wraith said still looking awestruck.
"Then I will go and you three will accompany me," the Crone said moving off to inform Grim of her plan.
When the Crone came back they moved out with Corin leading and Rallen guarding the rear. Wraith stayed close to the Crone and was ever watchful for any sign of danger. The troupe moved at a cracking pace and never once broke formation. They rested only once on their journey but it was only to regain strength so there was no hunting or foraging done. After a few hours of hard trudging they were a hundred stretches from the Ruin Ship itself. Joy gripped them all except Corin who was strangely looking around and straining to hear something. The Crone noticed Corin's distress and was about to ask why when something jumped from the trees. Corin unsheathed his sais but was forced to lower them as a spear was leveled to his throat.