by Guy Antibes
“Oh. Delia’s way of dealing with stress.” Norra readjusted her sitting position so she was facing Lily and Gristan.
“Fenning…” She took a deep breath. “We both talked about hiring a ship to take us to Taxia, unless there is a ship already headed that way. We can’t sit around in Nastaly Port for any length of time. Cloud said that there might be another wizard battle there.
“I’d believe him,” Gristan said. “If you recall, that’s why Fenning met an untimely end.”
Norra began to feel a sliver of grief, but quashed it. She could feel bad later. They faced a real crisis.
“Right,” Lily said. “The sooner the better. Maybe you could go on ahead, Gristan, and see if there are any ships we can use.”
“Great idea, Lily.” Norra put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “We all have to work together from here on.”
Gristan nodded. “I’ll be able to see how far away from you I can go. Perhaps it’s increased since you’ve been using more magic. He floated off the horse and disappeared in the distance.
~
Namen
No one had seen a carriage driven by a short man and a woman for miles. Namen had to turn around and curse as he and his servant rode up to the frigid pass leading to Nastalia. On his way down he thought he smelled a whiff of the girl’s power.
“Stop.” Namen held up his hand. “I sense a body behind those bushes at the side of the road. That’s a wizard body and it wreaks of the girl’s power.”
“I just used a different sense to find him,” Bloggo said. “He stinks.”
“Then take that little shovel in your pack and bury him. I’m going to see what happened.”
They both dismounted and Bloggo tied their horses’ reins to a split rail fence that bordered a cultivated field on the other side of the road. As Bloggo dug, Namen saw the entire tableau replayed in front of him.
“Do you want me to show you this again, Bloggo? Something astounding happened here.”
The servant was up to his thighs in the hole. “Do I have to? A wizard fight and one of them burned up. What more do I need to know? Oh yeah, he stinks.” He shrugged his shoulders and continued digging.
“You must see this with me, so we don’t miss any details. But first get out.” Bloggo struggled out of the hole as Namen expanded his efforts to create a suitable hole in a few seconds. Bloggo rolled the remains into the grave and the mage covered it up. “And now for the show.”
“You know I wouldn’t have had to spend so much time digging if you had dug that hole in the first place,” Bloggo said.
“As your brother, I know you need the exercise.” He gave his brother a sideways glance and then played the scene.
Bloggo watched intently. Namen had rarely seen his cynical brother so enthralled.
“Can I watch it again? Did you see how she killed him? A shrinking robe!”Bloggo said.
“From the look on her face, I don’t think she knew what to expect. I think she tried to mimic the mounted wizard’s spell. I don’t think she said it correctly, but one can’t argue with the results. I wish I could hear so I could learn how she did that.”
“What do we do now? Perhaps she’s too dangerous.”
Namen stroked his beard. “No, I don’t think so. After all, she’s a woman and they can’t deal with magic. He gave her spells, just like at the site of the robbery. With him gone, I’ll bet she doesn’t know any spells and that means her power is useless.” He flicked his hand dismissively. “Make haste.”
Without a backward glance, Namen ran to his horse and took off down the road, not waiting for Bloggo to catch up.
~
Norra
Gristan returned when they approached the outskirts of the port.
“There are two ships for hire and one merchantman sailing to Taxia via a stop in Taulone. From what I could overhear, the ships for hire may be pirates, but the other might not be an appropriate kind of vessel for long travel.”
“Why not?” Lily asked.
“In a word, pigs.”
“Pigs?” Norra said.”
“Pigs. At least until Taulone when it might be sheep or wool. I couldn’t quite pick up which.
“I don’t know if I want to chance pirates. I can’t remember the spells Fenning whispered in my ear, in fact I’m not so sure I didn’t mispronounce the spell that killed Insul.” Norra went silent for a moment. “If it means a safer journey, pigs it is. We might even get a good price and I don’t have an aversion to pork.”
“Did someone say pigs?” Delia stuck her head out of the cab.
“I hope they are your best friends,” Gristan said.
~
That night Cloud appeared to Norra and Lily at their inn close to the docks. Delia was in her own room snoring away. Gristan materialized.
“Have you been in here the whole time?”
“Well not the WHOLE time,” he said, somewhat abashed.
“Did you scout out the three ships?” Norra asked Cloud.
“Gristan is entirely correct. One is definitely a pirate, you’d be ravished and then thrown off in a day or two. The other is trying to get out of port as fast as possible. The captain has heard of the impending wizard battle and wants nothing to do with it. He’s leaving as soon as he can manage.
“We’ll have to hurry,” Norra said. “Lily, see if you can sell the carriage and I hope I can make the captain can listen to reason and take us along.
~
“You’ll have to leave tonight and it’ll cost you.” The captain looked hungrily at Delia, who gave the captain a pained smile. They sat in a disheveled tavern close to the ship.
“Not that,” Norra said evenly. She had to hold her breath and try not to smell the stench coming from the captain’s clothes.
“Oh, you misunderstand me. I have a lass at home that looks like your friend.”
Lily snorted.
“How much?”
“Three gold coins each. I’ll be stopping at Plover’s Beach. It’s one of the larger fishing villages in Taulone. We’ll be exchanging cargo. I don’t have a buyer, but the wool from Plover’s Beach should do well at Port Torell in Taxia.”
Norra placed the nine gold pieces in his hand. That put a hole in their funds, but the ship would take them all the way across the southern end of Polda.
~
The smell from the ship overcame the odor of the tavern as they approached it through the mist. Delia tied a handkerchief across the lower half of her face, soon to be joined by Norra and even Lily.
“Being a ghost obviously has its advantages,” Gristan said as they walked up the gangplank leading onto the deck of the ship. “I can get a little whiff, but this certainly doesn’t smell like a nicely done rasher of bacon.”
Norra smiled under her improvised mask. “I imagine we’ll get used to it. We certainly won’t be fit for polite company.” She laughed a bit.
“Do I have to come with you?” Delia said. “I don’t know if I have the ability to ignore this stench.”
Norra put her hand on Delia’s shoulder. “You’ve always been able to leave at any time and if you desire to, now is the time. I know you’re with us to see action and adventure, but once on this boat, your ability to leave will be curtailed. I’d rather you stay with us unless you’d rather go back to Miss Poddy’s school. But don’t leave. I’m sure there is more excitement ahead of us.”
“I’ll stay.” Delia put her hand on her arm. “I know I haven’t been as good a friend as I could on this journey, but I can’t imagine going back after what we’ve already gone through.” She looked at Gristan and even gave him a weak smile for the first time.
“Same goes for you, Lily.”
“I’m with you, Norra. This will be the longest I’ve gone without being hungry for a long time and I’m looking forward to visiting Taxia. It’s said to be a wild place.”
“Is it?” Norra had no idea. “Gristan, have you been to Taxia?”
“No.”
�
��I have.” Cloud appeared as a thickening in the mist. “Outside of it’s supposed capital, Port Torell, the country is a study in anarchy. Slavers, outlaws, strange natives. It’s sort of like my family, now that I think of it.”
“Isn’t your family floating around above this fog?” Delia said, looking up.
“Maybe, maybe not. I will remain… mysterious.” He sort of whispered the word for an eerie effect. It certainly worked for Norra. “In any event I suggest that Gristan and I not visibly frequent the ship. Sailors are notoriously superstitious and far be it for me to cause issues on this long voyage.”
“So we just meet and you desert us?” Lily said, grabbing the hilt of her sword.
“Not at all, my warrior friend. I’ll pick my times and gather intelligence while I am away. I do have other duties to attend to. Think of me as a part time friend.”
“A foul weather friend?” Gristan said with a grin.
“No I’m a fluffy little cloud that only appears in fair weather,” Cloud said.
“That’s worse, Cloud,” Lily said frowning.
“Oh. I suppose it is. Gristan’s right. Consider me a foul weather friend. I’ll certainly come when you need me.” A smile appeared in the cloud. “I suggest that you two women take some defensive lessons from Lily while you sail. The ship will help you gain balance and perhaps the effort might assist in taking your mind off of the ship’s distinctive aroma. You may find yourself defending your life and your virtue in Taxia.” For once, a serious comment from the misty one. “Luckily, I don’t have to smell.” Cloud’s thicker mist ascended into the air.
“And I, too, must turn myself invisible,” Gristan said. Norra could barely see his form in the mist. “I’d feel distraught if the sailors threw you overboard once I began to wander the decks, haunting them.” Now Gristan dematerialized and Norra felt abandoned.
“Now Gristan’s gone, too, and I’ll miss him. I never would have thought those words would pass my lips,” Delia said.
“I appreciate the sentiment, my dear Delia. I didn’t say I was leaving. I’m just invisible.” Gristan laughed and spoke into Norra’s ear, to her great relief. “The sailors are coming. If you wish to speak with me, just go to the bow or lean on the railing and look towards the main mast. That will be our signal.”
She felt let down by the male contingent of her group. She laughed to herself as she realized that they really weren’t males. Gristan was a ghost and she didn’t quite understand what exactly Cloud was. Perhaps he was human and the Cloud persona was a manifestation of his personality? That would make him a wizard. Was Cloud from Magia? He must be since he knew so much about Taxia. Norra clamped her lips together and walked to the railing, looking down at the waves lapping on the side of the ship. She looked back at the main mast.
“You called?”
She laughed. “Well, that will work, as long as you’re paying attention.” Norra smiled towards his voice. “I do have a question. Is Cloud a wizard? I think so.”
“I would have to agree with you. It hasn’t come up, but I don’t believe in sentient clouds, do you?”
“I believe in the cloud called Cloud and I believe in a ghost called Gristan. I do think he means well. He’s only helped us and not hurt us and if those wizards were his, he wouldn’t have helped us.”
“I suppose so.”
Shouts and the sounds of men running started and became clearer. Sailors began to run up the gangplank, followed by the captain who called for the men to man the sweeps.
“Sweeps?” Norra said, wondering if Gristan still stood by.
“You might know them as oars. On a ship like this they’re called sweeps.”
More men approached the ship. The captain and another man stood at the gangplank with swords drawn letting their own sailors on the ship and driving others who fled further along the docks.
In the distance, lances of flame could be seen in the thinning mist as the captain and his companion hauled up the gangplank.
“Push off!” the captain said as the first mate cut the anchor rope and the lines that secured the ship to land. More men stood at the dock’s edge shouting and raising their fists.
Norra walked over to that side and observed the fear in the men’s eyes. “What’s happening?” she said to the captain.
“Wizard battle. It started just minutes ago not far from here. I’m not going to sit in port a second longer and lose my ship.” He turned and ran up to the pilot’s position above the captain’s cabin. “Row for all it’s worth,” he shouted down a sound tube leading below. The ship drifted out from the dock and the sweeps began to carve the water as they began to make headway.
A thread of flame extended from the dock, but fell short.
Norra stood on the railing waiting for another attack but none came. At least they had brought their belongings on board.
~~~~
Chapter Six
Escape to the Sea
~
Bloggo
Bloggo rode far behind his master as Namen needed all the concentration he could muster to detect threats. In the clearing morning light, he looked with disgust at the flames licking many of Nastaly Port’s structures. If this city was like the others, two thirds of the wizards would already be dead with the rest hunting each other to the last man. What a waste of magical power. He shook his head at the stupidity of wizards. He sometimes lumped his brother into the mix, but at least he was around to protect Namen from himself.
Roof tiles began to slip from a roof, just above Namen. He quickly raised a wand and made circles. The tiles began to shoot one way then another along the path he outlined. Bloggo moved back a bit more so he wouldn’t get hurt. When the tiles stopped, Namen pointed his wand with a flourish into the building on the other side of the street. A yell, a burst of flame, and yet another wizard wouldn’t threaten him.
By the time Namen made it to the docks, another five wizards met their end. How would Magia replace these talents? Magic was inherited and there might be as much as a generation of wizards destroyed in these useless battles. The thought made Bloggo happy.
Ships were half submerged in the water, hulks replacing the mist with smoke as they continued to burn down to the water line. Bodies lay everywhere as Namen threaded his way through the destruction. He stopped at a wizard’s body, twisted almost beyond recognition. “I shall reach out towards the waters and, with all of my magic sense… Ah! I’ve found a faint tendril of her telltale light. Out of my reach and fading.” Bloggo didn’t mind the fact that the girl had proven elusive once more. He didn’t know what his brother intended to do with the girl and try as he might, Namen wouldn’t share with him her intended fate.
He stalked back to a tavern close to the dock. Evidently the wizards had gone to play elsewhere since there were twenty or so men concentrating on their drink.
“Who knows what happened to the ship that left not long ago? Tell me!” He saw the men shrink. Some wouldn’t talk to a wizard under any circumstances and he knew that more than a few men would now be sitting with wet pants.
“They got away. I was on the dockside, I was. A wizard-fella spelled out a flame. Like a snake it was, but straight and short of the mark. The ship had rowers and it escaped.”
“Where was the boat headed?”
“Plover’s Beach and I don’t know where else. They had a load of pigs and a few passengers. That’s all any among us know.”
Namen posed for effect to make these men more in awe of his kind. He grabbed the edge of his robe, flaring it as he quickly turned around and walked outside.
Bloggo idly sat at the door’s edge listening in and watching the ships burn.
“Blog, find us supplies for a fast journey. I’m going to clean more vermin out while you do and then we’re headed for Plover’s Beach, wherever that is.”
~
Norra
“At least the captain is saving money by not having to feed us. You should ask for a refund,” Delia said as she hung with her hea
d on the rail and her arms over the railing.
“Perhaps, but if it wasn’t for him and the fast action of his crew, we’d be half-burnt and drowned at the bottom of the sea.” Norra felt good enough so she didn’t have to bend over the railing. She took a look at the flowing sea. The sails had taken the place of the sweeps and the wind had freshened once the mist burned off, so they moved at a good clip.
Birds followed the boat in hopes of scraps from the ladies, but they no longer bothered them as the women’s stomachs were, by now, thoroughly empty. Norra turned, resting her elbows on the railing, and gazed at the faint line of the shore of Polda. The ship would stay out far enough to ensure a steady wind, but always in sight of land. That was fine by her. This was her first trip on the sea and it frightened her to be so far from land.
“Did you call?” Gristan spoke quietly into her ear.
Norra laughed. “No. I barely feel good enough to raise my gaze a bit. Do ghosts get seasick?”
“Alas, I wish I did. That might mean I might still possess inner parts, but I fear I don’t.”
“Don’t or don’t know?” She lifted up her head and squinted at the source of his voice, the sun shining in her face.
“I suppose I don’t know,” Gristan said with a tone of surprise. “Hmmm.” There was a pause. “Do you feel up to learning some swordsmanship?”
Norra looked at the back of Lily on the other side of Delia.
“Were you talking to me?” Lily stood erect and looked over at Norra.
Gristan grunted. “I suppose I mean all of you. Another three days and we put in at Plover’s Beach, that’s a place I have been before and it’s hardly worth its name—a few docks, a few inns and not much else. Not much of a center like Nastaly Port.”
“Then what’s the rush? It’s a lot farther to Taxia,” Lily said, irritably.
“How long did it take you to learn how to use your sword, assuming you do know how to use it?” Gristan said.
“Are you baiting me?”
“No. I just would like to know if you women will be able to defend yourselves among thieves, cutthroats, and slavers.”