Called to Battle: Volume Two Read online

  “Hawk said Doc was killed.” Walls peered at the bloody hole in the side of the ship.

  “Harpoon took him.” Worthy moved his last patient from where he’d worked on him. The table was soaked red with blood, and a barrel of amputated human anatomy stood at its foot. Worthy wiped his hands on his apron and examined the edge of his cleaver. “I did what I could.”

  “Looks to me like you did as well as Doc could have.” Hawk prowled around the cabin like a hunting cat looking for a mouse, examining each one of us in turn. Worthy just waited; he didn’t even watch Hawk’s inspection. “How many dead down here?”

  “Two, if you count Doc.” Worthy clipped his cleaver to his belt.

  “Only two?” Walls squinted his one good eye at Worthy and snorted. “That’s a damn sight better than Doc could have done. Where’d you learn to do that?”

  Worthy shrugged his massive shoulders. “It’s all the same. Just flesh and bone.”

  Walls turned from Worthy to Hawk. “What do you think?”

  “I think we need a new ship’s surgeon, and there’s no sense hiring one when we’ve already got someone to do the job.” Hawk put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at Worthy. “What do you think, Creb? Can you both cook and treat the wounded?”

  He looked around at his patients and finally directly at me. I knew he knew who I was then; for a man whose expression seemed carved of stone, the softening in his features gave him away.

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe I better go ashore with them. They need a hospital.”

  My throat pulsed with my heartbeat. Yes, I would have said. Come with me. After all this time, I found you. You owe me. You don’t know me, but you owe me. You should start all over again. Again—

  No.

  That’s not fair.

  I was glad I could not speak; otherwise, I’d have asked for what I truly wanted.

  Hawk said, “We can use you more. They’ll get well, but we’ll always be hungry.”

  “And bloodied,” Wall said.

  Worthy just went on staring at me until I finally did what I knew was right. I shook my head. They killed me already, he had told Patience. It was time for that part of his life to truly be over. Worthy could die now.

  He smiled. It was nothing more than slight upturn of his mouth, probably imperceptible to anyone but me, but I knew his face like I knew my own. It was enough.

  He turned to Hawks and Walls. He shrugged again. “If you pay me proper for both, I can do both.”

  “We’ll pay you what you’re worth, no worry about that, Creb, but…” Walls squinted and frowned. “Damn if I don’t even know your last name.”

  Worthy stood there for a moment. He looked over his shoulder at me one last time before letting go, then back at Walls. “Killingsworth.”

  Walls clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Doc Killingsworth, then!”

  “Doc Killingsworth.” Worthy seemed to taste the name, and then my father nodded. “I like the sound of that.”

  So did I.

  When he looked at me again, there was worry in his eyes. Worry for me. “How soon we gonna get to port?”

  I would have walked through fire to stay, but I had no way to protest. And no good reason to make him go.

  “Don’t you worry, Doc. We’ll be in Ceryl by tomorrow morning.” Walls stuck his thumbs in his belt and grinned with satisfaction. “When’s supper, then, Doc?”

  “Well.” Worthy shrugged and glanced around the blood-soaked room, his eyes falling on the barrel full of severed human limbs. “I guess that’d depend on how hungry you are.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A sailing writer, or a writing sailor (still not sure which), Chris A. Jackson is living his dream. Sailing full time since 2009, he and his wife are dividing their time between cruising the Caribbean and writing fantasy. Writing nautical fantasy came naturally to him, and his Scimitar Seas novels have won multiple awards; additionally, his debut Pathfinder Tales novel, Pirate’s Honor, received high praise. His other works have earned an incredible fan following as well: the Weapon of Flesh Trilogy has become a Kindle bestseller, spurring international interest in the author’s work. Blood & Iron is his first work for Privateer Press.

  GLOSSARY

  ´jack: See steamjack.

  Ad-Raza, Amon: A Protectorate warcaster of Idrian descent who is a high allegiant within the Order of the Fist.

  Asphyxious, Lich Lord: The newest elevated of the twelve supreme commanders of the forces of Cryx. He became a lich lord in 606 AR, but Asphyxious has been an iron lich in service to Lord Toruk for sixteen centuries, often sent to advance Cryx’s agenda on the mainland, in command of its armies.

  Avatar of Menoth: A unique Protectorate heavy warjack crafted with great care and expense to serve as a holy instrument as much as a weapon of war. The Avatar does not contain a cortex, and Menites believe it to be guided directly by the Creator’s hand. The Harbinger of Menoth performed the final blessings, which instilled the warjack with its consciousness. The Avatar entered service in 606 AR.

  Bainsmarket: The largest commercial hub in the north central region of Cygnar, located in a sizable fertile valley within the Dragonspine Peaks.

  bane: A cunning and versatile variety of thrall found among the undead armies of Cryx. Banes are created by taking a glyph-inscribed corpse, often from a soldier or warrior in life, and animating it by fusing the body with a tormented spirit drawn from an enigmatic realm called the Void.

  Black River: The longest river in western Immoren, connecting Rhul, Llael, and Cygnar. The cities of Merywyn, Corvis, and Caspia-Sul rest on this river, and it forms the eastern border of Cygnar, separating it from the Bloodstone Marches.

  Blindwater Lake: A large lake within the Thornwood Forest. The Blindwater and its surrounding bogs are dominated by gatormen tribes.

  Bloodstone Marches: A large, barren geographical region between the Bloodstone Desert and western Immoren, occupied by tribal Idrians, farrow, and the Skorne Army of the Western Reaches. Much of the Protectorate of Menoth is located within what used to be the southern Bloodstone Marches. It is bounded on the west by the Black River.

  bonejack: The general term for a Cryxian light warjack, notable for being particularly swift and nimble.

  Canon of the True Law: The oldest and most sacred of all Menite texts, which outlines the spiritual and religious tenets of the faith. Within the Protectorate of Menoth all law is at least tenuously rooted in the the Canon of the True Law.

  Caspia: The capital of Cygnar, the largest and most populous city in western Immoren, and the only human city not to fall to the Orgoth. Also called the “City of Walls.”

  cephalyx: A mysterious society and race about which very little is known. Cephalyx live in subterranean complexes where they conduct experiments on living subjects, most of which are transformed into mindless warriors called drudges. Cephalyx have inexplicable mental powers which they can use to harm others or control the weak-willed.

  Ceryl: A Cygnaran port city, home to the Fraternal Order of Wizardry and the Cygnaran Navy’s Northern Fleet. It is Cygnar’s second-largest city, located in the northwest and closest to Ord.

  City of Man: What Menites name the afterlife, being a vast region that forms a single contiguous city in Urcaen where Menoth shelters the souls of all the faithful who have lived on Caen and who were able to traverse the wilds of Urcaen to reach its gates. It is surrounded by an enormous wall and battlements that are periodically set upon by the Devourer Wurm and that creature’s bestial followers.

  Clockers Cove: A port city at the mouth of the Murkham Riveron on the Gulf of Cygnar reputed to be a haven of scoundrels and privateers. It is also a center of legitimate commerce and includes several notable machine shops, shipwrights, and gunwerks.

  Corvis University: A Cygnaran university and one of the foremost schools of higher learning in the Iron Kingdoms. Its courses range from extraordinary zoology to astronomy to alchemical theory. The univers
ity has gained a degree of fame due to the exploits of High Chancellor of the Department of Zoology Viktor Pendrake, an expert on Immoren’s most dangerous and unusal creatures.

  Corvis: The northeastern Cygnaran city occupying the conjunction of the Black River and the Dragon’s Tongue River. Also called the “City of Ghosts.”

  Creator, the: See Menoth.

  Cryx: An island kingdom of necromancers, undead, and pirates off the southwest coast of Immoren; also known as the Nightmare Empire. Cryx and its ruler, Toruk the Dragonfather, have no problem sacrificing their soldiers in one battle to set up a greater victory elsewhere.

  Cygnar: A large and prosperous nation located south of Ord and west of the Bloodstone Marches noted for its long coastline. Cygnar is generally considered the wealthiest and most technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms and is the birthplace and seat of the Church of Morrow.

  Cygnus: The state seal of the nation of Cygnar, showing a stylized yellow or golden swan silhouette. The Cygnaran flag depicts a yellow Cygnus on a blue field.

  Daughters of the Flame: An insular order in the Protectorate of Menoth that reports to Thyra, Flame of Sorrow, who serves under Feora, Priestess and Protector of the Flame. This order operates as the covert strike force of the military. Many of its core members count husbands, parents, or siblings among the soldiers who have died in service to the Protectorate.

  Dervish: A Protectorate light warjack that wields twin swords with great facility, possessing quicker reflexes than any previous chassis. Entered service in 595 AR.

  Doleth, Ascendant: Patron of sailors, boatmen, and fishermen. Doleth selflessly rescued victims of shipwrecks amid storms in the Meredius and followed a quiet, solitary path to enlightenment. He ascended in 1411 BR.

  doom reavers: Khadoran criminals sentenced to wield cursed fellblades, transforming them into murderous berserkers in service of the empire’s military.

  dragon: Immortal, unnatural, intelligent, and supremely powerful supernatural creatures spawned by Lord Toruk, the first and greatest of their number. Dragons are solitary and hostile to their progenitor and rarely notice the affairs of lesser beings.

  Dragon’s Tongue River: A river stretching from Corvis to the Bay of Stone that separates Cygnar from Ord. Towns along this river include Point Bourne, Tarna, and Five Fingers.

  Dragonspine Peaks: A craggy region in northern Cygnar that has never been fully settled and is rife with farrow and other hazards.

  drudge: A powerfully muscled and mechanically enhanced warrior slave created and controlled by the cephalyx.

  Exemplars/Knights Exemplar: A martial order created with a code of absolute obedience to the Menite clergy. Scrutators rely on the Knights Exemplar to help maintain doctrinal purity and root out potential heretics. Most numerous in the Protectorate of Menoth, their numbers there increased dramatically under the reign of Hierarch Ravonal so they could serve as primary heavy infantry for the Protectorate’s military. The several branches of Knights Exemplar have distinct armament, weapons, and roles in the Protectorate military.

  Exeter: A Mercarian League trading vessel destroyed during a mutiny in 601 AR. Following the Exeter’s destruction, surviving members of the crew joined the mutineer warcaster Phinneus Shae to form the pirate crew of the Talion.

  Fenn Marsh: One of the largest natural wetlands in Cygnar and a major barrier to land traffic between the port city of Mercir and the rest of the nation; attempts to connect Mercir by road or rail have had mixed and impermanent results. A large number of gatormen as well as several prominent trollkin kriels inhabit this marsh.

  firebrand: A traditional Menite sword carried by the Paladins of the Order of the Wall that erupts with holy power in the hands of the faithful. This distinctive heavy weapon can take a lifetime to master.

  Five Fingers: An Ordic port city known for its gambling, criminal gangs, and smuggling trade, also known as the “Port of Deceit.” The city occupies the mouth of the Dragon’s Tongue River in the Bay of Stone where the river is split into five channels, or fingers, by the islands.

  Fort Falk: One of the largest of Cygnar’s eastern border fortresses and a major training facility for both trenchers and Storm Knights serving the Cygnaran Army. It is situated on the west bank of the Black River south of Corvis.

  Garlghast: The northernmost and second largest of the Scharde Islands and the site of the former Orgoth capital Drer Drakkerung. Although the island is dominated by Cryx, they primarily occupy its western side.

  Great Crusade: The ongoing campaign initiated in 605 AR by Hierarch Voyle to unite all of western Immoren’s humanity in the worship of Menoth under the dominion of the Protectorate clergy.

  Grenadier: A Cygnaran light warjack that is armed with a mattock and an integrated grenade launcher and is frequently deployed to accompany units of trenchers. The Grenadier entered service in 605 AR.

  Greylords: Members of the Greylords Covenant, an organization of Khadoran arcanists serving their kingdom both in the military and by coordinating some intelligence-gathering activity. Greylords are versed in ice-based magic.

  Harbinger of Menoth: A young woman who is regarded among Sul-Menites as a direct conduit to the will of Menoth himself and who serves as the spiritual advisor to the heirarch of the Protectorate. Menites regard the appearance of the Harbinger in 603 AR as the most significant religious event since the discovery of the Canon of the True Law.

  heartfire: An informal term used to describe the coal-fueled furnace fire that empowers steamjacks throughout the Iron Kingdoms.

  helljack: The general term for a Cryxian heavy warjack, most of which arguably demonstrate greater autonomy than regular warjacks and are inherently violent.

  Hospice Island: The southernmost island of Five Fingers, a place with appalling living conditions that is crowded with the poor and sick. It is named for the makeshift hospitals erected during the Beggar’s Plague of 536 AR.

  Hurst, Baine: A former Grand Exemplar of the Protectorate of Menoth who was killed in 606 AR while defending the Harbinger of Menoth from an attack by the eldritch Cryxian warcaster Goreshade.

  Idrian: Formerly nomadic tribesmen native to the Protectorate interior and the fringes of the Bloodstone Marches. Most Idrians have converted to the worship of Menoth and joined the Protectorate, but some unconverted tribes remain.

  Imer: The capital of the Protectorate of Menoth. Situated near the Erud Hills, this city was expanded relatively recently.

  Ironclad: The most common and recognizable heavy warjack in the Cygnaran Army, notable for employing a powerful quake hammer in melee. The Ironclad’s strength and utility have made it a mainstay of Cygnaran commanders on every battlefield. Entered service in 556 AR.

  kapitan: A military rank for a commissioned officer in the Khadoran Army, ranking above lieutenant and below kovnik.

  Khador: The northernmost and largest of the Iron Kingdoms, encompassing large expanses of frozen wilderness. Its people are proud of their fortitude and military traditions, and it has a reputation for aggressive expansionism.

  Kreoss, Mikael: The current Grand Exemplar of the Protectorate of Menoth as well as an accomplished warrior and commander. Kreoss aided in the liberation of Sul from its Cygnaran invaders and subsequently went north to lead the Northern Crusade as intercessor for Hierarch Severius. This new title confers authority over all the Protectorate’s military and is cumulative with his standing as grand exemplar.

  Lawgiver, the: See Menoth.

  Leto: See Raelthorne, King Leto.

  Marchfells: A large marshy region of the Black River east of Cygnar and north of the Protectorate of Menoth, noted for frequent skirmishes between local tribes of gatormen and farrow.

  mechanika: The fusion of mechanical engineering and arcane science. Mechanikal weapons and tools are those employing mechanikal components to augment their basic function or add new functionality.

  Menofix: The symbol of the Menite faith, in the form of a stylized cross depicting the shape of Man. T
he Menofix is displayed prominently throughout the Protectorate as well as within Menite places of worship in other kingdoms. Faithful Menites often carry a small Menofix on their person.

  Menoth: The primal god credited by his worshipers with the creation of aspects of the world itself, including the division of the water from the land, the ordering of the seasons, and most importantly the creation of humanity. Menoth’s gifts to humanity included fire, agriculture, masonry, and the written word in the form of the True Law, his divine commandments. Menoth’s worshipers are known as Menites.

  Mercarian League: A wealthy and politically powerful merchant consortium headquartered in the Cygnaran city of Mercir but with branches in many cities across the Iron Kingdoms as well as an outpost on the continent of Zu. The Mercarian League has its own well-armed fleet and mercenaries and has been involved in a longstanding trade war with House Mateu of Ord. It owns a number of subsidiary companies.

  Mercir: The southernmost Cygnaran coastal city, home of the Mercarian League.

  Morridane: A rustic people who are Cygnaran descendants of the ancient and ominous kingdom of Morrdh. Morridanes live throughout the Thurian and Midlunds regions but are most numerous in the Thornwood.

  Morrow: One of the Twins, brother to Thamar, and a god who was once mortal but who ascended to divinity by achieving enlightenment. Also known as the Prophet, Morrow is a benevolent god who emphasizes self-sacrifice, good works, and honorable behavior. See also Church of Morrow and Thamar.

  mortitheurgy/mortitheurge: The primary skorne mystical tradition, which draws power from the flesh and manipulates the divide between life and death, akin to necromancy in western Immoren. Mortitheurges practice this tradition as their primary avocation, but it is also employed by extollers, paingivers, and most house leaders and heirs.

  necromancy: An ancient arcane art rooted in the study of the transition between life and death and certain energies inherent in both the soul and the bodies of the dead. Largely reviled as black magic and deemed illegal across most of western Immoren, the art is still practiced, most prominently by arcanists of Cryx as well as by many Thamarites. Necromancy is considered profane by both Morrowans and Menites as well as by several other religions.