Free Cloak of the Two Winds by Jack Massa

muttered.
    "What should we do?" Draven asked feebly.
    "We could turn back," Eben said. "Try and make it to land. Bru Isle can't be too many leagues southeast of here. If we turn back, we'll likely be giving up our mates. If we go on, we'll probably be giving up ourselves too."
    "We have to go on," Lonn said, searching their eyes for affirmation.
    Both of them gave it, nodding soberly.
    They drank a little water, then picked up their capes and quivers. Lonn hoisted the quiver on his back, grimacing at the pain.
    "A sail!" Eben pointed to the south.
    Lonn peered into the shining distance. A glint of motion caught his eye—a speck, barely visible. "Should we make for it?" he asked.
    "Of course." Draven was skating already, calling back to his mates. "If they're friendly they'll take us on board. If not, we'll make them wish they'd been friendly."
    Lonn and Eben started after him, forcing movement from their deadened legs.
    As the craft drew closer Lonn could see it was no dojuk, but a large vessel. It was sailing toward them, beating against the northerly breeze. Then the craft came about, fore-and-aft rig turning sideways to the Iruks.
    Lonn's belly cringed with a new dread.
    It was the Larthangan, the witch's ship.

Five
    The Iruks skidded to a stop on the shining ice. The witch's vessel, still a half-mile downwind, was sailing from the same direction as they had skated.
    "She's come from Ilga," Draven surmised. "She found our lodge house and got the story from the windbringer. Now she's hunting her cloak."
    "Or else she never found Ilga, and she's still hunting the pirates who robbed her," Eben said. "Either way, we won't get a friendly greeting."
    Lonn grunted. "If it's a choice between her displeasure and a meltwind ..."
    Draven and Eben shrugged their agreement. They set off toward the ship.
    A few hundred yards away the coaster changed tacks, aiming slightly to the Iruks' left as it angled into the wind. As the vessel drew closer, Lonn could hear the scrape of its iron runners on the ice. The three mates waved their arms and shouted.
    In response the coaster veered, pointing upwind to slow—pointing now straight at the Iruks. They had to shuffle aside as the ship hurtled down on them, a tilting, ungainly behemoth.
    A gray-clad figure hailed the Iruks from the high foredeck. By the slim shape and blowing gold hair Lonn recognized the witch of Larthang. She called to them through a megaphone.
    "Come aboard if you can. We've slowed for you, but we'll not be stopping."
    The bow rushed past the skaters as the witch shouted to them. Encumbered and weary as they were, the Iruks dashed for the ship. The first runner slid by as they approached. Lonn and his mates just had time to stop, get their timing and pounce on the second runner.
    Then they were crouching on the two-foot-wide runner top, streaming along in the rushing wind, the ice flashing inches below. Holding a precarious balance, they sat down and unstrapped their skate-blades, then tied them to their belts.
    The coaster was cutting off-wind again, increasing speed. The Iruks inched their way along the runner top to a curved iron beam, one of two that connected runner to hull. When the coaster sailed on soft water these beams were drawn up into the belly of the ship, the runners fitting snugly midway up the hull. Lonn was familiar with similar equipment on Tathian ships, though he didn't understand the exact details of the mechanism. At present he was just grateful that the beams were fashioned with rungs, to serve as curved ladders. He and his mates climbed up the beam one behind the next, watching out for each other as best they could. The ice was a dizzying blur below their hands and feet. Once the ship hit a bump and Eben nearly fell. He was saved by grabbing Lonn's ankle above him, and by Draven who steadied him from below.
    Lonn first, and then the others, reached the narrow ledge halfway up the ship's side. A short length of ladder, of stout rope with wooden