Agarnu and his party froze as they emerged from the fortress. Riftun grabbed one of the twelve honour guards accompanying them. Quick, run an’ get the other guards, bring the archers! The prisoners have broke out o’ the cage!
Triss had a tight hold on Welfo’s paw as she raced along behind Shogg.
They splashed through the shallows, avoiding being caught in the melee on the walkway.
Drufo was waving Flith’s spear, cheering them on from the midst of the chaos. Freedom, Triss! You an’ yore pals, go for freedom!
A Ratguard who was close to the ship came running at the three with his whip raised. Shogg struck him down with the cage bar, while Triss and Welfo loosed the mooring ropes from their bollards and climbed aboard.
Shogg followed them and tossed the bar aside. Get the oars, shove ‘er out, the tide’s beginnin’ to turn!
Kurda led the reinforcement guards. Charging into the massed slaves, she hacked left and right with her heavy sabre. The slaves wilted under the menace of shafts upon drawn bows and long pikes being thrust at them.
Drufo still had Flith’s spear. He stood at the jetty end, anxiously glancing from the slow-moving ship to the oncoming guards.
Triss yelled hoarsely at her father’s old companion-inarms. Drufo!
Sling that spear away, swim for the ship! Come on, we’ll pull you aboard!
Throw the spear away!
The old squirrel stood firm, watching Kurda coming toward him. He called back over his shoulder to the young squirrelmaid.
Get away from ‘ere, Trissy. Get away! I ain’t goin’ nowhere! This is as good a day to die as any. Remember me, remember yore father. You’ll be back to free the slaves one day, I know ye will. Now go, don’t waste the chance we gave ye!
Drufo had time for no more words. Kurda was upon him. Chopping the spearhaft in half with a few vicious strokes, she ran Drufo through with her sabre.
Triss saw it all. It was burned into her memory like a red-hot iron.
Shogg shoved her roughly.
You ‘eard ‘im, Triss, use that oar! I’ll loose the sail. Move yoreself quicker, or we’ll all die ‘ere. You, too, Welfo!
Kurda waded into the fjord until it was above her waist. Then she was forced to duck as Bladd shouted at the archers, Shoot dem vit arrows, cut dem down! Fire!
A hail of barbed shafts thudded into the vessel’s stern, some of them falling short into the water, narrowly missing Kurda.
The Princess dashed from the water, quivering with rage, her silken robes sopping wet. Fools! Idiots! I could haff gotten aboard der ship!
As she pointed back at the vessel with her sabre, a healthy breeze caught the single purple sail, billowing it out and sending the ship smoothly seaward down the fjord. Riftun seized the shamefaced Flith and rapped out orders.
They ain’t made it t’the sea yet. Git yore archers an’ spear throwers on the mountainside, chase alongside ‘em. Pour in arrers an’ spears, rocks, anythin’, but stop those slaves makin’ it out to sea. Get goin’, ye useless slob!
Triss wiped blood from an arrow graze on her cheek as she watched the Ratguards mount the rocky slopes in pursuit. It was still quite a way to open water. Looks like they’re coming after us, Shogg. Best steer her over to the far shore or they’ll pick us off easily.
The otter adjusted the tiller, judging the fjord cannily. Can’t take
‘er too close, t’other bankside is very rocky.
Keep those oars pullin’, luck’s on our side so far. I’ope the tide’s not run out altogether, otherwise we’ll get stuck on sandbars at the estuary mouth.
The Ratguards were shooting arrows now. Their range was too far for spears, so the spearbeasts used their slings to hurl stones. Triss and Welfo could see the missiles coming, so it was not hard to row and avoid arrows or stones. Welfo felt a new confidence flooding through her, and the hogmaid winked at Triss. We’ll make it, she’s got the wind behind her pretty good now. Not far to go and head for the open seaÑUnffl Welfo had been looking up at the sail as she spoke, when a big solid pebble from a Ratguard’s sling struck her hard on the side of the head.
She collapsed unconscious to the deck.
Shogg was at her side immediately. Stow yore oar, Triss, tend to our mate. She ain’t bad’urt. I got to look after the tiller an’ not let the bow drift too far over.
Flith stumbled and staggered over sharp rocks and snagging shrubs, exhorting the guards. Pour it into’em, we’ve taken care o’ the’edgepig.
You front lot, get ahead o’ me, down to the estuary! The river mouth narrows there. That’ll be our best chance. We might even get’em stuck on a sandbank if the tide’s run out enough!
Shogg raised himself from the tiller, staring anxiously ahead. Triss, get Welfo down to the cabin out o’ the way. Tide’s still ebbin’ up yonder, I don’t like it. Got to take’er out into midstream now, so keep yore’ead down, matey!
Flith’s advance guard had reached the high peak at the inlet when he joined them. The ship swung out into midstream, heading for the gap.
The searat sniggered joyfully I kin see the bottom from’ere,’tis runnin’
shallow. Hahah! Look, the ship’s draggin’, she’s runniner bow onto a sandbar. Now let em’ave it! I want those other two lookin’ like pincushions! Fill’em full of arrers!
Split inter two groups, you lot. Stay up’ere, keep firin’ arrers. The rest, foller me an’ bring yore spears. We’ll wade out an’ rip’em t’ribbons! It ain’t deep there, we’ll do it easy!
The vessel ground to a shuddering halt. Shogg yelled down the cabin hatch, Up’ere, Triss, quick, she’s run aground!
The squirrelmaid came bounding up on deck. What do we do?
Her otter friend outlined his desperate plan. Leave two lines runnin’
over the stern so we can get back aboard. Me’n’ you’s got to lever’er off this bank with the oars. Come on, we ain’t got much time. Flith’s comm’ down after us!
Shogg vaulted over the stern with two oars, while Triss hung out the two lines, then joined him. They dug the oars into the sandy bottom under the stern and placed the oar-poles over their shoulders.
Shogg gave the word. One, two an’ push! One, two an’ push! That’s the way, keep goin’, I can feel’er movin’ along. One, two an’ push! Push!
Flith came splashing through the shallows, brandishing a spear he had borrowed. He was not more than a boat’s length from his quarry when the ship cleared the sandbar, gliding smoothly into the sea to catch the ebbing tide.
Shogg patted Triss’s back. Good job, shipmate. Up y’go, sharpish now!
Flith hurled himself, spearpoint forward, at the otter. Shogg turned just in time. He dodged the weapon and swung out mightily with the big ship’s oar. Once, twice he cracked it down on the rat, as hard as he could, then, seizing the line, he shinned up aboard the vessel, helped by Triss from above.
Open sea lay deep and blue in front of them, with a good wind scudding the ship out onto the main. Welfo staggered out on deck, holding a damp rag to the side of her throbbing head. She managed a weak smile.
We made it!
Shogg glanced back over the stern, where he saw Flith’s limp form sink beneath the waves as it was pulled out in their wake.
Aye, we made it, friends, we’re safe. Sit awhile an’ rest now. Welfo went back down below as Shogg took the tiller. He watched sadly as Triss sat on the deck and wept bitter tears for old Drufo, the last remaining link with her family.