bowed, now and then casting her lover a backward glance. Raegar paid her no heed. He was still staring at the Venjekar .
“Mark my words,” said Acronis from his place at the tiller. “That man will be Emperor of Oran.”
Skylan snorted in disbelief. “Raegar was a slave. A foreigner. Your people despise him.”
“And yet,” said Acronis, “they will follow him.”
“They’re not following him now,” said Skylan. “He’s lucky they don’t throw him overboard.”
“He’s suffered a setback,” said Acronis. “He was once, as you say, a lowly slave and he rose to become a Warrior-Priest. Mark my words. Emperor.”
Skylan recalled uneasily the dream, the winged serpents, the armies of Oran invading his homeland. With all five spiritbones, Raegar would rule the world. He knew the secret and so did Aelon.
Those two are a long way from having all five, Skylan thought to himself.
In the distance, Raegar raised a clenched fist. Even so far away, his voice boomed across the water. “I call down Aelon’s curse upon you, Skylan Ivorson!”
Skylan laughed because Aylaen was watching. He shouted back, “I would call down Torval’s curse on you, Raegar, but the god is busy with more important matters!”
Skylan lowered the spyglass. He looked up at the sail, filled with wind. He looked at Raegar’s ship, dwindling in the distance. He looked at the ogre ship, still too near, but now falling behind. He looked to the north, to the far horizon.
Let Aelon do his damnedest.
“We’re going home,” said Skylan.
CHAPTER
10
Skylan discovered he was becoming accustomed to using the spyglass, though he still didn’t like it. He trained the glass on the ogre ship. He could see the godlord pacing back and forth on the deck, watching the Venjekar, the ship Bear Walker needed to save himself and his men.
The ogre’s face was twisted in a scowl. He could see plainly that his slower, heavier ship could never catch the Venjekar . His ship had sunk lower in the water. It would soon go down and the ogres would go down with it.
Skylan thought of Keeper, his friend. He had tried to fulfill his vow, return him to his people. He had failed. Keeper would understand. Skylan would explain it to him when they were together in Torval’s Hall.
The sun was high above them, beating off the water. The heat shimmered on the waves. Bear Walker unhooked the paws of his bearskin cloak and flung it away from him. As he did so, Skylan caught sight of a flash, as of sunlight striking gold. He caught his breath. He remembered another time he had seen that same flash—sun gleaming off gold. He had been on the field of battle.
The flash was there and then it was gone. The godlord had turned to speak to the shaman.
“Turn around, you bastard!” Skylan muttered beneath his breath. He kept the glass to his eye.
The godlord flung out his arm, pointing at the Venjekar . The shaman started waving his gourd at the ship, probably working some of his foul magic. Skylan paid the shaman scant attention. The sun shone directly on the ogre, on the gold he was wearing around his thick neck.
A wave hit the Venjekar . Skylan’s arm jerked with the movement of the ship. The glass slipped from his eye and he lost sight of the godlord. Swearing, he braced himself against the rail, jammed the spyglass into his eye socket, and stared so intently his eye began to water. He caught only a brief glimpse, before the godlord left the rail and walked off.
A brief glimpse, but that was enough.
Skylan lowered the glass. He had seen all he needed to see—a torque made of heavy gold formed in the shape of two dragons, their tails intertwined, their heads facing each other. The two dragons held between them a spiritbone set with a sapphire.
The Vektan Torque.
Skylan had been prepared to sail halfway around the world to the ogre nation to retrieve the stolen Vektan Torque. And here it was.
On the neck of an ogre.
On a ship that was sinking.
If he didn’t
“Mark my words,” said Acronis from his place at the tiller. “That man will be Emperor of Oran.”
Skylan snorted in disbelief. “Raegar was a slave. A foreigner. Your people despise him.”
“And yet,” said Acronis, “they will follow him.”
“They’re not following him now,” said Skylan. “He’s lucky they don’t throw him overboard.”
“He’s suffered a setback,” said Acronis. “He was once, as you say, a lowly slave and he rose to become a Warrior-Priest. Mark my words. Emperor.”
Skylan recalled uneasily the dream, the winged serpents, the armies of Oran invading his homeland. With all five spiritbones, Raegar would rule the world. He knew the secret and so did Aelon.
Those two are a long way from having all five, Skylan thought to himself.
In the distance, Raegar raised a clenched fist. Even so far away, his voice boomed across the water. “I call down Aelon’s curse upon you, Skylan Ivorson!”
Skylan laughed because Aylaen was watching. He shouted back, “I would call down Torval’s curse on you, Raegar, but the god is busy with more important matters!”
Skylan lowered the spyglass. He looked up at the sail, filled with wind. He looked at Raegar’s ship, dwindling in the distance. He looked at the ogre ship, still too near, but now falling behind. He looked to the north, to the far horizon.
Let Aelon do his damnedest.
“We’re going home,” said Skylan.
CHAPTER
10
Skylan discovered he was becoming accustomed to using the spyglass, though he still didn’t like it. He trained the glass on the ogre ship. He could see the godlord pacing back and forth on the deck, watching the Venjekar, the ship Bear Walker needed to save himself and his men.
The ogre’s face was twisted in a scowl. He could see plainly that his slower, heavier ship could never catch the Venjekar . His ship had sunk lower in the water. It would soon go down and the ogres would go down with it.
Skylan thought of Keeper, his friend. He had tried to fulfill his vow, return him to his people. He had failed. Keeper would understand. Skylan would explain it to him when they were together in Torval’s Hall.
The sun was high above them, beating off the water. The heat shimmered on the waves. Bear Walker unhooked the paws of his bearskin cloak and flung it away from him. As he did so, Skylan caught sight of a flash, as of sunlight striking gold. He caught his breath. He remembered another time he had seen that same flash—sun gleaming off gold. He had been on the field of battle.
The flash was there and then it was gone. The godlord had turned to speak to the shaman.
“Turn around, you bastard!” Skylan muttered beneath his breath. He kept the glass to his eye.
The godlord flung out his arm, pointing at the Venjekar . The shaman started waving his gourd at the ship, probably working some of his foul magic. Skylan paid the shaman scant attention. The sun shone directly on the ogre, on the gold he was wearing around his thick neck.
A wave hit the Venjekar . Skylan’s arm jerked with the movement of the ship. The glass slipped from his eye and he lost sight of the godlord. Swearing, he braced himself against the rail, jammed the spyglass into his eye socket, and stared so intently his eye began to water. He caught only a brief glimpse, before the godlord left the rail and walked off.
A brief glimpse, but that was enough.
Skylan lowered the glass. He had seen all he needed to see—a torque made of heavy gold formed in the shape of two dragons, their tails intertwined, their heads facing each other. The two dragons held between them a spiritbone set with a sapphire.
The Vektan Torque.
Skylan had been prepared to sail halfway around the world to the ogre nation to retrieve the stolen Vektan Torque. And here it was.
On the neck of an ogre.
On a ship that was sinking.
If he didn’t
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