Chap. 168 Lord Holder of all the Islands

Chap. 168 Lord Holder of all Islands

Just as he'd learned in meteorology, the tropical storm was over in minutes. The sky cleared and the sun came out. From his high point, he could see steam rising from the vegetation on the ridge. Soon everything would be dry…and humid.

Below him, Raventh rose and shook himself.

That felt good. It washed the salt from me


He was ready to leave the cave.

It would be easier, he realized, to climb UP from the cave to the top of the pillar rather than attempting to climb down.

Can you come up and get me from the top? Then we'll go down to the beach and I will harness you.

I can. That means we're not staying here?

I was foolish. We can go home, and tomorrow we can come back, this time I'll be better prepared.

Okay

Raventh gathered himself and launched, flying to perch atop the pinnacle. Siskin chirped and joined him.

K'ndar took one last look at the cavern. While waiting out the storm, he'd copied the tick marks and the statement scratched on the wall, and made careful sketches of the interior. Something was odd here. The unfortunate victim who apparently had died in the cave had been killed by a shipfish? That was the old fashioned term for dolphins, and he KNEW dolphins were harmless. He'd never heard of anyone ever being hurt by one. Frightened, perhaps, at first, but never intentionally harmed. And why would he have been way up here? He'd have to talk to a dolphineer.

Shouldering his backpack, he got down on hands and knees and gingerly backed out of the cave entrance, fishing blindly with one foot until he felt a solid spot for it. Backing out, he realized this was going to be a bit dicier than he'd expected. But he had patience, and time. By crabbing sideways, he cleared the cavern's mouth and began to climb the rest of the way up the pinnacle.

Raventh peered over the ledge, his eyes whirling a worried green.

Careful…

But K'ndar was too focused on being exactly that to respond.

Shortly, though, he was at the top of the pinnacle. Raventh moved aside, although there was plenty of room.
He stood up, brushing his knees off.

"Whew," he said, "I won't do that again."

Only then did it strike him that he should have dug around in the cavern to see if there was a clue as to who the skull had belonged to…and more, how he'd been killed by a dolphin and yet ended up in a tall volcanic pinnacle. Could it have been part of the tsunami? He bet that the islands had been inundated by tsunamis when the fireball hit the planet. That high up? But he'd seen a hurricane's storm surge, and had learned the resulting tsunamis had been MUCH higher. A person in water would have been saved by a dolphin, not injured by one.
He shook his head at the puzzle. He also felt sheepish at not having the foresight to collect more information. I really need to be re-trained,he thought.

I don't feel like ever climbing that again. But, I could rappel down, now couldn't I?

There were several large outcroppings, solid hunks of rock, that would serve as anchors for a rope.

You ready?

Wait. I want to make a cairn.

I won't forget this pinnacle.

Me neither…but someone else might want the coordinates.

He quickly built a cairn of the rocks atop the pinnacle.

Raventh made a knee, and K'ndar mounted. He'd ridden on the dragon's back without a harness before, but it could be risky.


You will be okay without the harness. I'll be careful. Hold on tight.

I will…..wait. Did you hear that?


He froze, straining his ears.

For long moments, all they heard was the cry of seabirds and the surf.

Just as he was about to think it was his imagination, he heard it again.

A voice.

"Aye, there, Scree, it'd be here, it would be. Smoke! I swear, I saw it, it were smoke, smelled like someone tried burning palm leaves. He he, what a fool!" it said.

It is a human, a male. He is coming along the path Siskin found.

Without prompting, Siskin suddenly launched. He flew high above the treetops, K'ndar watching closely. Then the fire lizard paused, and gently lowered until he was below the vegetation's level and out of K'ndar's sight.

He began sending back.

Through Siskin's eyes, K'ndar saw a man walking towards their position. The vegetation covered him for most part.
Then the man came out of the jungle lining the ridge not far from where K'ndar had tried to light a fire.

"Aye, twas right here, Scree," he said, scanning the beach left and right.

"Rain must have put it out. Where did he go? Fires, they don't start themselves, do they? Nay, they don't. Someone is here," he said.

He was alone. Well, not quite…a large seawherry was perched on his shoulder.

K'ndar wondered what to do.

The man looked as if he'd been there for a very long time. His hair was in dreadlocks down to his waist. He carried a long metal spear with a wicked point. With the exception of a necklace of white pegs around his neck, the man was naked.

The man suddenly whooped and broke into a shuffling trot towards the pillar. The seawherry squawked, but didn't fly.

The seawherry..it has no wings.

What?

Oh, wait, it does have wings, but they..they've been cut off. What a dreadful thing to do!

"Scree, looky this! A harness! A leather harness! And in perfect condition!" the man yelled.

Oh SHIT, K'ndar thought.

"That's MINE," he yelled.

The man stopped, and looked around, puzzled.

The seawherry looked up at K'ndar and Raventh and hissed.

Siskin floated high above the man, unseen, then flew to the nearest palm tree and watched.

The man looked up.

"Hi! You! Who are you? What are you doing here on my island?" he cried.

"YOUR island?"

"MY island, and what's on the beach be mine. That be my harness now. You, stranger, you're trespassing," the man cried.

Not on my watch Raventh said, and without warning, launched. Only long hours on his back kept K'ndar from falling off.

The man bolted as Raventh plunged towards him. He landed with a thump that almost unseated K'ndar again. But that suited him perfectly, as he used the jolt to jump from the dragon's back and collect his harness.

The man stood off a ways, glowering.

"That be mine! Hands off, you!"

Raventh seemed to double in size, and his eyes whirled blood red. He never took them off the man.

"You are trespassing. Who are you?"

"Who are YOU? And what makes you think this is YOUR island?" K'ndar retorted, confused.

The man brandished his spear.

"I'm Lord Holder of All the Islands. You are trespassing. But now I think I will make you my drudge. I need transport and you will provide it or suffer the consequences," he said.

K'ndar laughed, despite being angry with himself for failing yet again to thoroughly reconnoiter what he thought was an uninhabited island. Were there more people here? I am in some deep trouble, he thought.

Not with me here. I won't let him hurt you. And Siskin is just itching to attack if need be

He began to harness Raventh.

The man approached. "I said, I am Lord Holder and you are bound, dragonman, to obey me. Drop that harness, it's mine," he snapped.

K'ndar methodically continued, hoping he didn't appear to be hurrying…although he was. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, he thought.

No need to fear. I am RAVENTH

"I said, that's my harness now, and you must obey me," the man said.

K'ndar turned and said, "No. I am not trespassing on an island that is officially considered uninhabited, this is my harness, and I will be nobody's drudge, especially for someone like you," he snarled.

The man got closer. "You WILL. This is my island. I conquered it. Who told you it's not mine?"

K'ndar grinned, evilly. The only people known to be living on the islands were those who'd been purposefully marooned as punishment. He had a feeling his response would get a confirming reaction.

"Who told me? Aivas told me, that's who."

The man screeched, causing the mutilated seawherry to squawk again in agitation.

"Abomination! You're one of THOSE people!"

"I am," K'ndar said, "and you will probably want me gone because of it," he said, fumbling with the buckles in his nervousness. He didn't want to turn his back on the man, but had to in order to fish the buckle from under Raventh's belly.

The man, seeing this, took several steps towards them.

Raventh rumbled. The man stopped, and his voice suddenly changed.

"No, wait. Don't go," he said, sounding almost as if he were pleading.

K'ndar lost the end of the harness and tried to find it without taking his eyes off the man. Ah. There.

"I am leaving. You can have this island, I am sorry to have landed here," K'ndar said.

"No, please don't go. I…it's been a long time since I've talked to anyone," the man said, inching closer.

"I thought you said you have people here with you, right?" K'ndar asked, not really caring.

"I didn't say that, I said…"

"Well? How can you make me suffer the consequences by yourself?" He cinched the buckle and felt relief. Without being asked, Raventh made a knee.

The man was very close. "I'm NOT here by myself, I have Scree, here and…"

With blinding speed, he flung the spear at K'ndar.

It ricocheted past the man and landed far beyond him, buried almost completely in the sand.

RAVENTH!!!!!!!!!!! K'ndar cried joyously at Raventh's instinctive action. Once again, the dragon's telekinesis had saved his ass.

Get on NOW

The man screeched, whether in fury or puzzlement, wondering where his spear had gone.

K'ndar leaped to Raventh's back, not caring if he was in the right spot. Siskin appeared and clung to Raventh's neck. Raventh launched so violently K'ndar was thrown backwards, but he didn't care. They were safe in the air. Raventh's wings raised clouds of sand as he worked skyward. The man was screaming, shaking his fist.

"Don't you ever come back, you hear me? I'll make you suffer, I will. Get out of here!" he shrieked.

"My pleasure, arsehole," K'ndar shouted.

Then Raventh went between.