The Saga of Tallia the Unwilling Ch. 03

"Wow, I'm alive," managed Hilarius with a hoarse whisper. "What I miss?"

"We're wizard hunters now working with a priest who speaks only nonsense and a local guide who doesn't speak at all," explained Tallia.

"Great," said the rogue slowly and painfully. "I'm in. I ... I really need to pee."

Tallia almost cried at her friend's recovery but instead helped the rogue out of bed for the first time in days. A day after that he was walking about on his own, although slowly, painfully and with an obvious limp. And that evening, he joined his companions for their nightly session of drinking, regaling the priest with tales of his and Tallia's grand doings as gladiators and monster hunters. Hilarius also received the full tale of Arion Three-Eyes and their quest to kill the monster.

Hilarius and Liander soon enough were laughing together like old friends. But then, Tallia mused, Hilarius liked almost everyone who wasn't trying to kill him. The Amazon said little that night instead sipping her magic wine and watching her circle of friends grow and intertwine.

The next day Liander deemed the rogue well enough to travel. He would have time to recover his full strength on the boat. After all, the voyage upriver to Jiu Shan would be slow compared to the journey downriver. They would be fighting against the current of the Deng, which could be potent in the spring thanks to the massive movement of meltwater from faraway mountains fighting to find its way to the sea.

Bradus the horse could not make this journey, so he was left behind in Denggang. He would help the warehouse workmen haul rice about town and in exchange the men of Jiu Shan would make sure he was fed and cared for. The workers were glad for the deal -- hauling rice was backbreaking work and without the horse it was their backs that took the brunt. A few silver coins were left with the warehouse foreman for the horse's fodder along with a stern word from Tallia to treat the horse well and that she would return for him.

Food was loaded aboard the craft in great quantity -- bags of rice, dried pork and duck, nuts and dried berries, sacks of soybeans, onions and leeks, a basket of limes, garlic bulbs, ginger roots and a small barrel of tea. In truth, the expedition probably had purchased more food than they needed -- but Tallia didn't mind. She was eager to be done with starving.

Wine was decided against as so dangerous a mission required sobriety. There would be time enough for drinking, everyone agreed, when the demon-wizard was dead. There were though plentiful casks of fresh water loaded on to the boat. This was essential because Deng river water was not to be trusted, though it could be boiled in emergencies to expel the bad vapors. The casks could be replenished much more easily, though, from sweet-water streams and smaller tributaries.

Tallia found time enough amongst all the preparations to visit some local traders recommended by Sang. She acquired a bow, smaller than she would have liked, but still a fine weapon of layered wood and horn. It, along with two score arrows fit neatly in her new lacquer and leather quiver. Sang purchased a large store of arrows for the two archers (and a backrub, foot massage and quiet lunch alone at a local teahouse -- much needed respites from crazy barbarians). All of these essential supplies exhausted their store of bandit coin, but Tallia did still possess that golden ring Hilarius had lifted from the magistrate. She pocketed that and decided it would make a fine emergency fund.

Tallia did not mind exhausting her coin for this journey. After all, if they succeeded there was the promise of a vast hoard of wizard's gold. If they failed, the dead need no coin. Anyways, trade-silver was of scarce use out of town, on the Deng and in the wilds of Dao.

Finally they were ready to set sail almost a week after Tallia and Liander had first met. Tallia blew her great war trump for the first time echoing forth a resounding call that caused all the locals to wonder what the crazy foreigners were up to. The boat glided easily away from the dock. They rowed out of town, unfurled the square sail and soon caught a fair wind that propelled them upriver.

The hunt for Arion Three-Eyes had begun.

***

The first week on the river was hardly the stuff of high adventure. The journey upriver was, as promised, slow going. Still the two hired sailors (Duc and Nien by name) proved their worth, expertly navigating the complex river currents. For them this "adventure" was nothing of the sort. They were simply going home, a journey they'd made countless times and usually for far less silver.

The boat, in its covered house, had a small brazier and copper pot for cooking and boiling water. The low flame had to be carefully and constantly tended of course. Fire was a deadly concern aboard the craft. Using the pot, the crew cooked steamed rice and spicy stews every night as well as brewing tea both at sundown and sun up. The six crew members slept in shifts. This was still the Deng after all and pirates were as much a worry as river hazards that could rip out the hull. They always had two of the crew awake and on watch, day and night.

Sometimes the current turned against them and that required using the oars. This meant hours and hours of hard rowing. Tallia ended up doing more than her share and everyone on the boat had cause to be amazed at the Amazon's great strength and unending endurance. Often Tallia, rowing starboard, had to be matched by three -- Hilarius, Liander and Sang, on port, while Duc worked the rudder and Nien made sure the way ahead was clear. Sometimes they would get lucky though and the wind would allow the sail to do the work and they could all take a break from the oars.

But not all was backbreaking work and practical concern. The Deng was a verdant masterpiece of natural splendor in those days. The water varied in color, but was always green, ranging from pale milky teals to vibrant jades to dark glassy viridians. The river was anything but straight, curving wildly in many places. The main course was broad and often broke into a million tributaries some not wide enough for their boat and often choked with lilies and river plants of all kinds. The banks were dominated by a vast assortment of tree, grass, bush and bamboo. Teak trees were common here with their large papery leaves and small fragrant white flowers. Further, this was late spring -- so flowers bloomed everywhere in splendid versicolor swaths.

Birds and insects proliferated in such diversity as to be beyond counting, but even they were outnumbered by the legions of fish. The river teemed with them and some were giants. From time to time, they witnessed great splashes and mysterious fins disappearing beneath the water's surface. Even once a shadow of submerged silver almost seven feet long swam about the boat and curiously nudged the prow. There was simply no doubt that, all about them, the river was alive.

At night they had to stop as navigating the river in the dark was deemed far too dangerous. Duc and Nien would put out lines and catch river fish. It seemed that every fish was unique though Duc knew all their names. The catch grilled beautifully and were soon a favorite of the boat. Both Liander and Hilarius were fine singers and each night, as supper and tea were made, their pure voices serenaded the crew and kept spirits high. There was little need for stealth here. The rushing noise of the spring Deng and its countless splendid waterfalls made silence a ridiculous concern.

On the eighth day of the trek, the ship came to a wide bend in the river. "Stop here," Duc said in his simplistic Imperial to Liander. "Tomorrow -- hard sailing, much rowing to get to Jiu Shan. Good camp. Here we catch big catfish maybe -- very good. Lots of meat."

Liander looked at Sang and the silent archer nodded in agreement at the sailor's words. So the priest gave the order to slow and drop anchor, not being one to ignore the advice of his guides.

"We're stopping early?" asked Tallia, emerging from the cabin, tying her sword to her belt out of habit.

"Yes, the sailors say that beyond this lagoon, the journey becomes harder," explained Liander. "Tomorrow, I think we'll each be taking long shifts on the oars. Besides, if I understand, this is a good place to catch large catfish which Duc calls delicious."

"Wonderful," groused Hilarius. "Another day of rowing. Sounds like fun. Still, this is a beautiful spot. Very quiet." Hilarius looked at the sailor on the prow who was busy preparing a hooked line with a bit of dead bait fish. "Is there anything dangerous in the water? Can we swim here? I would so love a quick..."

Duc shook his head, no. "VERY big catfish." That is the very moment that a razor-toothed something leapt out of the water almost too quick to see and removed that same head entire from the hapless sailor with one toothy bite.

Hilarius, wide-eyed, released that high pitched scream of his and ran back to the cabin grabbing his bandolier of knives. "Catfish! CATFISH!" he cried in utter panic.

Tallia drew her sword and quickly seized her large circular shield of bronze. "That beast is no catfish. That was a ...."

Then as if to answer her, the monster rose out of the water much more slowly as if it reveal itself in all its gargantuan glory. The creature was a terror and huge -- as long as the boat certainly. It was covered in black scale, polished like obsidian. It was a great snake, but not one snake somehow but three joined at mid body and branching out into three flat massive heads. Where it joined, the scales seemed tangled and melted together and its back body was a thick knot of scale and muscle. It's eyes were green, wild and mad and it scanned the boat eager for prey.

Tallia had heard of large snakes, but they were always constrictors. This was not such. It had fangs as long as the boatman's knives and rows of serrated teeth. The eyes, all six of them, seemed almost alight with some unnatural radiance. Tallia had never seen such a beast but immediately recognized its ilk -- as much as the horned bear, this was no natural animal but a creation of black magic and foulest sorcery. And it reared out of the river and towered over their boat like some merciless, primeval river god.

Sang had been happenchance at the back of the boat. She had been considering trying her hand at shooting some river fish only moments before, so her bow was strung and in hand. Thus she fired off a quick arrow. It hit squarely on the nose of the center of head but simply skated off its tough hide.

Hilarius tried next, still fleeing fast further to the back, he turned and threw a knife as if so small a shard of metal could dissuade so massive an attacker. His shot proved much less precisely aimed and hit below the head into the body. His knives did no better than Sang's arrows at piercing the formidable hide of this monster.

Tallia was deterred by none of this and charged the beast, eager to see how her blade would fare against it unnatural hide. She let out a war cry, gripped her shield and came at it straight on. The beast equally showed no fear meeting her charge with a great three-headed lunge. The rightmost head finished what it had started and struck again Duc's headless body, beginning to swallow the decapitated sailor whole. The leftmost struck at the terrified Liander who was still close at the front of the boat. The priest dived into the small cabin but that proved little protection as the great serpent head slammed through the thin wall, wrecking the center of the boat. It began to close in on its chosen prey even as Liander scrambled trying to escape like a frightened mouse.

The central head slammed squarely into Tallia's shield of bronze, mouth open. It tried to swallow the shield, and indeed its wielder, whole. But the monster's mouth, as huge as it was, was not quite wide enough for so large a morsel. Instead its jaws clamped down on the shield and great rivulets of venom streamed across the bronze.

The entire boat floundered from the thrashing mass of the gargantuan serpent. Where the river raider had once ridden high in the water, the weight of the beast now pushed it down and river water sloshed over its gunwales. The front prow splintered and cracked and nosed into the water. The hull groaned under the stress and began to buckle and strain.

Tallia though paid this little heed. Even though the creature's initial impact had knocked her back a pace, she kept her feet. She was now close enough to strike and that is exactly what she did. She drove the point of her devil-blade deep into the flesh of the monster. She impaled the center head and found her blade up to the challenge of piercing its tough scaly hide. The beast reared back in agony, spilling black blood all over the prow of the ship and her shield.

The bucking ship knocked Hilarius off his feet but still he scrambled backwards away from the beast, crawling but still desperately throwing knives. One of his knives found a weak spot on the left head that was about to bite and doubtless swallow Liander. Hilarius' wicked knife pierced its left eye and the rogue was rewarded by a ghastly gout of hydra blood and the left head's angry attention.

Sang had kept her feet even as the back of the boat began to pitch and rise out of the water, lifted by the great weight of the monstrous attacker. She saw Hilarius' tactic and followed its example. She put an arrow deep into the right eye. The blinded left head of the beast, both its eyes ruined and bleeding, began to thrash about frantically and furiously. This saved Liander who scrambled out of the wrecked cabin but doomed poor Nien who had been sheltering there, shaking in utter terror. The beast slammed into the hapless sailor and crushed him against the side of the ship as easily as a reckless child might trample a toy.

The right head finished its meal and decided to try for another. It flanked Tallia and struck with astonishing speed at the Amazon, its venomous fangs extended and ready to pierce her flesh. The warrior saw this coming. She yanked her shield free, slammed it to the side and straight into its great head. Hydra bone cracked even as the bronze of her shield bent from the impact. But Tallia not only took the impact in stride, she used the momentary dazing of the startled beast to bring her sword down in one great arc. The bright metal blade sliced through hide, meat and bone.

In one impossibly mighty strike, Tallia severed the right head of the hydra clean. The giant snake skull slammed into the deck of the ship like a lead weight and cracked the already straining hull. Black blood geysered out of the spasming stump and painted Tallia's shield and helm.

The blinded left head continued to thrash about, further mangling Nien's body and at last proving to be too much strain even for the durable river raider. The spine of the hull shattered under the assault and the boat nearly perfectly broke in twain. Sang, amazingly, still kept her feet. She rode the broken, slow sinking back half of the boat and waited for a few long seconds to find her shot. It came when the blind beast opened its maw in anguished hissing. She shot an arrow deep into the soft flesh of the left head's upper palette and deep into its head. At last the left head stopped thrashing, but it mattered little to the integrity of the boat. The river raider was dead, its back broken, and quickly the river rose to claim its wreckage.

Liander saw the ship was doomed. The priest grabbed his medicine bag, a closed tea barrel and his blade and dived into the river, swimming desperately for the nearby shore of the lagoon. Anywhere had to be better than this bloody patch of wreckage-strewn and monster-ravaged river.

Hilarius and Sang though clung to the back half of the boat, which was far more intact than the abused and battered front. They could see their dire predicament. The great beast was not dead. Far from it, the central head, rose up, its two side siblings hanging limp and its hissed at Tallia in primordial fury. The Amazon was now up to her waist in river water. She was standing on the last intact fragment of front deck and yet was sinking fast. The warrior knew that in the water she was doomed even as wounded as the monster might be.

Sang and Hilarius tried to help, throwing blades and shooting arrows. But all they did was bounce metal against impervious hide. Tallia suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She reared back, planting her feet on a sinking beam and with one mighty throw, threw her magic blade like a heavy javelin. The blade flew surprisingly straight and met the last living hydra head mid-strike just at the abomination pounced at its prey. The blade imbedded deep, through black scales and hydra bone, straight into the brain of the beast. And that is how the hydra of the River Deng died.

The beast fell back, at last shifting its massive bulk backwards and sliding off the boat in one last spasm of life. It sank deep into the center of the lagoon. The river raider, broken and wrecked, joined the monster in the depths as well. Soon there was nothing but sparse floating wrecking and great pools of black blood marking the site of the battle -- that and a few desperately swimming survivors making for the shore.

The four companions crawled up out of the lagoon, sopping wet but lucky to be alive. They were each exhausted and still gasping as much out of fear and the rush of battle as any need for air.

"How?" said Tallia beneath breathes, pulling off her blood-stained bronze helm, "How could the wizard know we were coming?"

"Wait, that monster could come from somewhere else," wheezed Hilarius. "It doesn't mean..."

"No," said Tallia shaking her head. "Just before his head got bitten off, Duc told me this place was safe. 'Good camp' he said. He had been this way a hundred times and would have never said that if there was such a horror that long stalked these waterways. But how could the wizard know where we'd be?"

Everyone almost had a heart attack when Sang spoke. Her voice was quite clear and her Imperial was unaccented, perfect. "Liandra all but told him herself. His spies knew we'd return. This is Arion's greetings. We only survived because of Tallia's bravery and sword. If we return to Jiu Shan, we reveal that to Three-eyes too." And then she fell silent once more.

"By the gods," said Hilarius, still sopping wet and panting, "You have a very beautiful voice, Sang. It's so warm and rich. A beautiful tenor I think."

Sang rolled her eyes and shook her head at the fool's irrelevant babbling.

"Shut up, Hilarius," said Tallia sternly. "Sang's right. We can't go back to Jiu Shan. That will invite calamity to us and the villagers. Do we know where this wizard can be found?"

Sang nodded. The headman of Jiu Shan had made it clear where the wizard's ruined fortress lay.

"Then let's go kill that son of a bitch and let Duc and Nien be his last two victims," said Tallia. The sword she had left deep in the center head of the beast was once more at her side, of course. She grabbed it, wiped off the hydra gore and sheathed it.

They took a few minutes to gather what floating pieces of equipment they could. The wrecked river boat had taken so much of their gear down with it. They managed to retrieve several parcels of floating food -- dried duck, pounds of peanuts, dried goji berries, garlic and ginger, and their small barrel of tea. The big sacks of rice had alas gone down like mill stones. The fresh water was also a total loss, now comingled with river water. But they had skins enough and small streams crisscrossed this land.

Tallia's armor was gone, sunk deep into the lagoon's muck. She cursed that loss -- for all the silver they'd spent on it, it had seen action in exactly one battle against the Black Turbans. But she retained her helm, shield, long knife, bow and two score arrows. And of course the damned sword. Even lodging it deep in a monster's skull she couldn't get rid of the cursed thing.