Chap. 173 Retribution

Chap. 173 Retribution

It was a strange standoff. Shipfish, the raider, had backed off from the four dragon men, but he wasn't finished threatening them. He didn't come too closely, though. The four dragons were behind their riders, all of them watching him closely. Siskin, perching atop Raventh's head, growled softly.

D'mitran had been recording the entire proceeding.

"Now what do we do this monster?" K'ndar asked.

"Monster? Nay, I'm Lord Holder. You are trespassing. I will kill you all," Shipfish sneered.

"With what, arsehole?" B'rost sneered back, "You lost your spear. Oh, wait! I see one!"

He strode right past Shipfish (nervously, as he purposefully went very close), leaned down and tugged the half buried spear out of the sand. I'll have to find out how that happened, he thought.

Kenth pushed it Rath said.

He pushed it? With his forelegs?

No, with his mind. It's complex. I don't know how to explain it. Raventh taught us.

Okay. I'll wait til later to find out.

He rejoined the other dragonriders, turning the spear over and over in his hands, appreciating the heft of it.

"Look what I found!" he said, smirking.

Shipfish snapped, "That's mine!"

"No, it isn't. I found it on the beach. It's mine, now," he said, enjoying this.

"Whelp, I'll kill you with me bare hands," Shipfish said, stepping forward.

B'rost's face fell.

"Oh, that's not very kind of you. I'm a human, not a dog. You've hurt my feelings. Maybe I should stick this into you?" he asked, brandishing the spear at the naked man's genitals.

Shipfish instinctively covered them and paled.

F'mart put a hand on B'rost's shoulder and said, "B'rost, don't kill him outright, okay? Leave some for me."

"Just a few swipes, F'mart? Just a few, right down there?" B'rost begged, tickled.

"Okay. Just leave the arms and legs for me, what?" F'mart said.

Shipfish swallowed nervously.

D'mitran retreated behind the others and messaged Landing,

Request advice on what to do with this man. Under whose jurisdiction is he?

It was plain that someone at Landing was watching, because within seconds, the datalink chirped with a return message.

Name of subject unknown, but records show he was involved with the first attack on Aivas and possibly involved with the abduction of Robinton. Marooned as punishment but NOT on this island. As island is not under any jurisdiction, proceed as you see fit. Do not bring him to Landing. DO bring the boy.

"So, your name is Shipfish. What Hold are you from?" said K'ndar.

"I don't claim no name of Shipfish. It were what his folk dubbed me. You don't need to know any more than that," he said.

"And where are his folk? Anybody else on this island?" D'mitran asked.

"No," the boy said, "he killed them all. All of us. Even his OWN people, he killed. Except me."

"That boy is mine," Shipfish said,"and this is MY island, dungboot, mine. You are trespassers," he snarled.

F'mart shook his head. "I don't appreciate your lack of respect towards my wingleader. Maybe B'rost SHOULD stick you, like the pig you are," he sneered. B'rost brightened.

"Respect? Shards! It's YOU what's wanting in respect. I want you all to kneel in fealty to me. That boy is mine," he said.

The boy laughed. "No, I belong to ME," he said, gaining courage now that he'd been rescued, "and we were here FIRST. We saved you, remember? And then you killed us. All but me," he said.

Shipfish sneered."Ah, you all were sheep, you were. It were easy to kill you. I'll kill you now."

D'mitran, his datalink still recording, pounced.

"You admit to killing people?"

Shipfish mimed holding a knife, and made stabbing motions. He giggled.

"Shards, it were easy. This boy, his crew…so easy. Fishermen! Stupid! They're so trusting. Dragged us from the drink, they did, oh, let us help you, you almost drowned! Fed us up, shared what they had which weren't much. Fisher fare isn't fit for pigs and they love it! All I had to do is pretend, you know? Pretend like I was their friend. Then, gish! gish! stab 'em as they slept. Or chain 'em till they starve. Easy! Just as easy as killing shipfish," he chortled.

"You killed shipfish? Why?" K'ndar cried.

"Why not? 'Tis easy. Flounder in the water, they come up, stab 'em in the blowhole. Easy. See these! I got three of 'em, but not seen in my waters lately."

He flourished the necklace around his neck. It bore the teeth of many dolphins.

"That's why they called him Shipfish," the boy said.

"Landing tells me you were involved with the abduction of Robinton," D'mitran said.

Shipfish's jaw dropped in shock.

"AND it tells me you were one of the men who attacked the Aivas facility, and were marooned out here. NOT on this island. So YOU are trespassing."

Shipfish, flustered at how D'mitran knew, shook his head.

"Aivas is an abomination, and it were my duty to destroy it," he snapped.

"Was it your duty to abduct Robinton? You killed him doing that, by the way."

Shipfish laughed. "He had it coming. But no, it weren't me what done that, not me. No. It were someone else," Shipfish said, "How do you know that?"

"Aivas told me. He also told me that I can do with you as I please. That means..oh, I could break your legs and throw you into the sea, for the shipfish to exact revenge. Or…I could.."

The boy spoke up.

"Sir, I've been dreaming, I've been hoping for this day for years. Years! That necklace on his neck? It has the keys to these chains. I'd like them off, please?"

B'rost, K'ndar and F'mart reacted immediately. As one, they leaped forward and before Shipfish could react, they'd tackled him and put him face down on the sand.

Struggling in fury, the man started to screech, until F'mart, on his shoulders, somehow managed to shove his face into the sand. The boy stumbled forward, his chains dragging, and fell on the man's back. He tore the necklace from the man's neck.

Then, crawling away from the fray, he sat and tried several times to get the keys to turn in the locks until he succeeded.

Flinching, he began to unwind the chains.

His skin came with them.

The dragonriders looked at his ankles…and then looked away, nauseated by the deep grooves and scars on the boy's skin. He'd worn the chains for years.

"Hold him. Don't let him loose. I've planned this, planned it. For years," the boy said.

B'rost and K'ndar were holding the man's legs. The boy crawled back to them, wound the chains around Shipfish's, and quickly locked them. He made sure the ankles were just barely shoulder width apart.

"Just like mine," he snarled, tears of anger and pain on his cheeks, "Just like mine." He backed off.

Blood began to run from where the skin on his ankles had been torn off. The sand stung the raw skin, but he ignored the pain. He got to his feet, unsteadily.

"Okay. Let him up." They released Shipfish. Spitting sand from his mouth, he struggled and finally gained his feet. Then he began to wail.

"No, this isn't fair! Gimme those keys!" and he lunged at the boy-and fell over. The boy laughed.

He dangled the keys in front of Shipfish's eyes.

"See how it feels! Now you'll know…now you'll know! You bastard, I'll never walk right again, I won't ever forget what you did to my family, my crew…''. He sobbed.

Shipfish couldn't take his eyes off the keys.

The boy turned to F'mart, who was closest to him. F'mart couldn't bear to look at the boy's legs.

"Sir. Sir. My ship. She's on the other side of the island. He's been scavenging her for years. Iron. Blocks. Tools. These bloody chains. Cable, all our stores, he even tore her to pieces to get wood to make a boat. He's got a boat, sirs, that's how he gets from island to island, even though he's not supposed to be here. He's not. Can you…can you burn my ship? So that he can never abuse her again, so that my family and friends"…he sobbed again, "can rest in peace, now?"

Shipfish screamed, "NO! That's my ship, she's mine." Again he lunged and again he fell down.

F'mart laughed. The others looked at him. "Oh, we can burn your ship, lad AND his boat, so that he can never go anywhere again. I just so happen to have fed my Kenth firestone before we left our weyr, he's got a belly full of fire!"

"Clever, F'mart, I didn't think of that. That was good thinking," D'mitran said, "I can show you exactly where she is."

"Gimme those keys!" Shipfish screeched.

"If I could walk that far, I'd throw them into the sea, and you could go swimming in your chains to find them," the boy said.

K'ndar said, "Allow me, lad." He chirped for Siskin, who immediately flew to his outstretched arm.

"Put your hand out, like this. With the keys in your fingers," he instructed the boy, stretching out his own.

The boy, bewildered, obeyed. Shipfish could not drag his eyes away.

"Siskin. Take the keys. Take them out past the reef and drop them into the sea. There's a good lad!"

Siskin looked at the boy. Gently taking the keys in his forepaws, he chipped and leaped into the air. He whirred away, chittering happily at being able to show off.

He flew far out, past the reef bordering the lagoon, then hovered high. The sun glittered on the keys as they fell into the white capped waves.

The boy began to laugh. Shipfish screamed.