Full Vessels by Brian Blose Read Free Book Online

bout. Ties don't count.”
    “Well, I wouldn't want there to be any doubt
that I am the man of men,” Hess said.
    They faced each other a final time, this time
in solemn stillness. Hess moved first, a feinted lunge that sent
Erik into retreat. Then Erik swung his saber in a series of slashes
that Hess avoided without ever bringing their blades into
contact.
    As Erik broke off his attack, Hess dipped
past Erik, scoring first blood with a slash across the shoulder
that Erik blocked a moment late. They fell into circling each
other, watching one another for attacks that failed to
materialize.
    The cement floor shifted beneath them. Erik
startled at the unexpected development and Hess used that
distraction to lunge deep, placing his saber into Erik's side. Too
slow, Erik attempted to parry with a harsh swing. The blades
collided at an odd angle and Hess's saber snapped, leaving the top
third of its blade inside Erik.
    Around them, soot rained from every surface
as the room continued to rumble. Erik sliced Hess's wrist hard
enough that he lost the remnant of his blade. They stared at one
another as the earthquake subsided. Then Hess stood up straight and
presented his neck. “You won that exchange.”
    “I did,” Erik said. “But much as I like
stabbing, right now I wanna know what the fuck is going on.”
    Hess tossed his saber to the ground. “Let's
go see.”
     
     

Chapter 9 – Hess
    They emerged from the servant's stair back
into the main hall of the hotel to find the staff glued to the
windows. Hess squeezed between them to scan the courtyard for
whatever held their interest. He saw nothing unusual. The circular
drive sat empty, the unpaved road radiated rustic charm, trees
luxuriated in the sunlight.
    “What are we looking at?”
    One of the desk staff noticed Hess and pulled
away from his soot-stained clothing. “The mountain.”
    Hess stared at the distant peaks. “Why?”
    “To make sure it's still dormant.”
    Behind him, Erik grunted. “Well, ain't this a
fucking pickle.”
    Hess ignored him. “Is the ship that brought
us here still in port?”
    The man nodded. “Not that it does you any
good. It snagged the reef pretty good on the way into harbor.
They're going to scuttle it soon as they strip everything of
value.”
    Hess and Erik stepped away from the windows
by unspoken agreement. “I give it ten to one odds that fucking
mountain blows at the end of our week. Creator's sending the
Observers out with a bang.”
    “Seems likely,” Hess said. “Which means we
need a ship.”
    Erik nudged him in the ribs. “Look at us
conspiratin' together. We're totally BFF's. Wanna go ship shopping
together, buddy?”
    “Let's clean up first.” Hess didn't wait for
a reply before marching to the baths, stopping only to grab a
change of clothing from his room. He scrubbed for ten minutes with
cold water before judging himself presentable, then dressed and
hurried outside to where Erik waited.
    They rented horses from the stable and set
out for the main port along the harbor road. An hour at a canter
brought them from the town on the scenic ridge hosting their resort
down to the sea level harbor. The winding road, adhering to a
religious observation of the path of least resistance, caused their
travel time to be thrice what it should have been. Hess suspected
the trip could be made on foot in the same time if one were to go
off road.
    Of the several available piers, only one held
anything larger than a catamaran. A two-masted schooner, a
steamship tug, and a yacht docked to that pier. “Not much of a
selection,” Erik mumbled.
    “Not really. Unless you fancy crossing an
ocean in a dinghy or a rowboat.” Hess noticed a guard post at the
entry to the pier. His eyes scanned the line of buildings facing
the water. “Looks like there is a fish market. We can start asking
questions there.”
    They proceeded to the market building,
secured their horses, and separated to mingle with the locals. Hess
chose a direct