Free Black Spice (Book 3) by James R. Sanford

tiny
starfish strapped to her forehead, introduced herself as Jascenda.  She asked
Aiyan what was happening.
    He
had Kyric translate.  “We are friends of King Tonah,” he said.  “We slipped
past Soth Garo’s army, but there is only us.  You must all flee before the
alarm is sounded.  Run down the road all the way to Mantua if you can.”
    Kyric
paused as something came to him.  A figure in his mind’s eye.
    “Aiyan. 
It’s the moment of the seahorse.”
    Jascenda
looked at him, suddenly hopeful.  “Do you mean that they have not taken our
boats away?  Then we can escape by way of the sea.”
    “Hey,”
Lerica said, “Should we go look for Mahai?”
    As
if to answer her, a shout came from the town.  Mahai came around the corner of
a house, still running, the Hariji hunters still chasing him.  When they saw
that the Silasese had been freed and armed, and their fellows killed, they came
to a sudden halt.  Mahai turned and shook his war club at them, and they
scattered back into the village.
    “Are
the Silasese’s boats still there?” Kyric asked him.
    “The
double outriggers,” he said between breaths, “are at the north beach.  Some
twin hulls are there too.”
    “How
many people can they hold?” Aiyan said.
    “Maybe
half of those here.”
    Jascenda
raised her hands and spoke to her people in Silasese.  They broke into groups
and made for the north side of the town.
    “Many
are our sailing canoes are hidden,” she explained.  “We have sheds along the
docks and in the forest, and there is a secret cove north of the beach.  There
is enough for us all to get away.  But they took the whale singers to another
place, and we cannot leave them behind.  They are most precious to our hearts.”
    “The
wedding house,” Mahai said.  “I know the back way in.”
    “Get
your boats in the water and get your people to sea,” Aiyan said.  “We will
fetch your whale singers.  Have your fastest vessel waiting on the beach.”
    “It
will be there,” Jascenda said, turning to speak to her people.
    Mahai
led them along the cliff until they came to a very steep cut with a ladder laid
over it.  “Up there,” he said, “a little way down the path and you come to a
small clearing with the wedding house.”
    “You
know,” Kyric said, “I still haven’t heard any kind of — “
    At
that moment a metallic banging rang out from the town.  A horn sounded in reply
from the camp down the road.
    “
— alarm.”
    “Quickly,
now,” Aiyan said, scrambling up the ladder. 
    They
all followed.  He was waiting for them inside the woods.  “Get your pistols out
and see if they’re still dry.”
    Kyric
pulled Lerica’s flintlock out of her pack and handed it to her.  “Looks
alright,” she said, slipping it into her sash.  She dug into Kyric’s pack for
his double barrel.  “Some dampness along the back of the grip, but the barrels
and the dogs are dry.”
    “I’ll
take that,” Aiyan said.
    They
went quickly but quietly down the narrow path, flanked by trees and thick
shrubs on either side.  When they saw the trail opening into a clearing, Aiyan
led them into the underbrush.  Signaling them to stay, he crawled away, was
gone for a only a moment, then crawled back.
    ‘ No
words ,’ he signed in Cor’el and they all nodded.  ‘ They are still there .’
 He pointed to Kyric and Mahai.  ‘ We three will come out of the woods at the
same time.  I will try to shoot the sorcerer.  You two keep the death guards
busy — do not allow them to enter the house where they can harm the singers .’
    Lerica
wrinkled her nose.  ‘ Am I just supposed to watch? ’
    ‘ You
must guard our escape route.  Fire your weapon if they come in force or you see him .  No time to argue.  Here we go .’
    They
spread out on either side of the path and crept to the edge of the clearing.  The
woods lay eerily quiet, punctuated by the sound of water dripping from the
trees.  Ziddgan stood between the