Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy) by Toby Neighbors

his wounds,” Vera said.
    She led him toward the small cabin, which was really nothing more than a covered portion of the deck behind the rowers’ benches. The Dancer had a single mast and space for twenty men to row on each side of the deck. There was room under the deck for a small amount of cargo, about twice the space of a large wagon. The sailors usually slept out on the deck, or the ship could be run up on shore. She had a very shallow beam, which meant she could be sailed through the Sailor’s Graveyard without being hulled by the jagged rocks lurking under the water. The cabin was little more than a pavilion with canvas sides to keep the worst of the weather out.
    “I suppose this was necessary,” Yulver said with equal parts skepticism and anger.
    “I had no intention of bringing harm to your ship or crew,” Lorik said. “But the blame is mine.”
    “That isn’t true,” Stone spoke up.
    “Lorik and Vera I know,” Yulver said. “But who exactly are you?”
    “This is Stone,” Lorik started.
    “Yes, I know about him, but I don’t know him.”
    “I’m just a friend,” Stone said, holding his hands out to his sides in a placating gesture.
    “With weapons like those, I somehow doubt that,” Yulver said. Then he turned his attention back to Tobiah, who was slumped on the deck, moaning. “What do you propose we do with that worthless stain on humanity?”
    “He killed your man,” Lorik said. “I expect whatever punishment you see fit will be fine with me.”
    Yulver considered Lorik’s suggestion for a moment.
    “Get yourself cleaned up,” he said angrily. “You’re bleeding all over my deck.”
    Lorik nodded, and he Stone moved toward the cabin. There were over two dozen young men on board who weren’t sailors, just volunteers from the Marshlands sailing north with Lorik to fight the Norsik. At a command from Yulver the sailors raised the anchor and manned the oars. They sailed out of the little harbor by starlight. The moon was low on the horizon and only a sliver, but the stars gave them enough light to guide the small ship out to sea.
    Vera had to set the bone in Jons’s upper arm. The tough sailor groaned in pain as she pulled his arm, but he refused to cry out. Once the bone was set, she wrapped his arm as best she could, and he drank a large cup of saka to help dull the pain.
    Lorik removed his shirt and used a clean cloth to wipe away the blood from his shoulder and stomach. The wounds weren’t life threatening on their own, but they were significant enough that Vera feared he would get blood poisoning or that his flesh might rot. She cleaned the cut on his back and then poured saka into the cuts before bandaging them.
    “How did you manage to get out of this without even a scrape?” Lorik asked Stone.
    “I’m more careful than you,” he replied simply.
    “I doubt that,” Lorik said.
    “You fight with too much emotion. You need to keep your wits about you in a fight.”
    “I would prefer that you avoid fighting,” Vera said. “It’s a senseless waste of life.”
    Lorik and Stone both thought of Selber. Stone hadn’t known the sailor very well, but he still felt guilty that Selber was dead. Lorik wasn’t close to anyone on the ship. His short temper and brooding had kept most everyone from getting close to him. Selber had been the lone exception. He had been a happy man despite the circumstances and didn’t seem to notice Lorik’s brooding at all.
    The next morning, after a fitful night of sleep that was too short for everyone, the Dancer came to the edge of the Sailor’s Graveyard. Several big rocks could be seen above the waves, which crashed into the stones and sent white plumes of water flying high into the air. Normally, with a good wind blowing, the sail would be unfurled and the oars shipped, but Yulver needed the extra maneuverability to sail through the Sailor’s Graveyard. He preferred the slower pace as well.
    He gave an order and the sailors took