by Guy Antibes
“I’ll learn!” Delia stuck up her hand, her body still leaning over the railing and then displayed a little frown. “Perhaps later today. I do believe my body is starting to behave.”
“I’ll show you.” Lily stalked off, a bit unsteadily, towards the captain.
Norra watched the conversation and it ended with the Captain laughing and pointing out a well-built man swabbing the deck. Her eyes followed Lily confronting the sailor. He saw the same humor as the captain, but put down his mop. Lily walked back towards the captain’s cabin where they all slept when they could, the captain taking over a mate’s cubicle. The man jumped down the hatched stairway leading to the sailors’ quarters.
Lily held her sword in her hands and walked over to the hatch and yelled something down towards the sailor who popped up with a sword of his own, unsheathed. It wasn’t a thick cutlass like Norra thought all sailors wore, but something more of a type like Lily’s.
“Anytime, sweetheart,” the sailor said with a toothy grin. To Norra, it looked like anger versus arrogance. Lily just glowered as she pulled out her blade.
“Now.” She attacked him with slashes and thrusts. Norra could detect patterns that she used over and over again. The sailor stood flatfooted and parried as best he could. He began to sweat and a look of desperation crept into his face.
Another thrust, thrust, slash, slide, dip. It was a dance that Lily performed and it served to push the sailor into the mainmast. She made one more thrust and the tip of her blade rested on the throat of the sailor.
“Not bad, for a flatfooted bear,” Lily said.
“I was just… just playing with you,” he said as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.”
“Right,” Lily said as she sauntered towards Norra and Delia. She looked back and then clutched the rail while her stomach rebelled.
The sailor laughed and went back down to put his sword away.
“I will admit you do know how to use your sword. Very good. I’d clap, if by doing so I’d make a noise. Ah me,” Gristan said.
“Ah, yourself,” Lily said as she stood up and mussed up her hair and adjusted her blouse. She looked at Norra. “Tomorrow morning. I’m not quite ready.”
Norra laughed. “Do we need a sparring partner? Is that why you sparred with him?”
“He’s better than a wooden man or a block of straw. Maybe a silver coin in the captain’s palm and one in his?” Lily said.
The next morning, Delia and Norra stood in front of the sailor.
“I learned how to use a sword from a man who used to visit my father. He used to be a sword master in the King’s Army, but drink…” Lily obviously thought that was enough for an explanation. She took a short, harsh breath. “Swordsmanship for an elite soldier is basically a dance. Each opponent may have their own steps, but it is a series of moves both with the sword and with the feet that defines their fighting. You learn the basic steps and find the method that works best for you and then you learn the other styles so you can fight any opponent.”
“I like to dance,” Delia said. She held a wooden rod in her hand and swished it around, making sure that the sailor noticed her.
Lily glared at her and continued on, teaching basic rules. The sailor, who was called Clint, took to the lessons amazingly well.
It didn’t take much to tire Delia and Norra.
“A swordsman must be in good physical shape. Rest for an hour and I’ll teach you some exercises. We have two days left, so we’ll alternate sword sessions with exercise.
~
Norra practiced moves with Clint and Lily worked with Delia. All of Lily’s students were doing more than just waving a sword in front of their partner. Norra felt the relationship between the sword and the space she occupied. It was like a three-dimensional puzzle. Norra built a dollhouse with her father one summer and she imagined different rooms where she would move her feet on the first floor and where she would point her sword on the second floor.
“We are changing direction. I think we approach Plovers Beach,” Gristan said quietly in her ear while she paused to gather her breath.
“I’ve had enough, Lily. Isn’t it about time for a break?”
Lily nodded her head. Delia wasn’t coming along as fast as the other two and Norra could see Lily was anxious to quit.
The sailor went back to work, this time mending rigging line.
Norra went below and came back up with three small mugs of ale and a loaf of stale bread. They sat at the bow, out of the sailors’ way.
“So Gristan, what should we be on the lookout for at Plovers Beach?”
“The usual thing, thieves and cutthroats and slavers.”
Norra snorted. “That’s what you said about Taxia.”
“Did I?” he said.
She folded her arms.
“Well it’s nothing like that, but in any port there is the risk to a trio of pretty ladies,” Gristan said. Lily grunted, making him pause. “A trio of pretty ladies creating a stir.”
Delia frowned. “I’m not going to stay on this ship. I’ll go home if I have to do that.” She pushed out her lower lip.”
“No one’s staying on the ship,” Norra said. “I want to wash all of my clothes in fresh water and perhaps buy a leather outfit like Lily has, so I can move better as I practice.”
“That will be men’s clothing, Norra,” Gristan said.
She just shrugged. “I’m not too concerned with the sailors, Gristan.”
“I won’t wear men’s pants,” Delia said. “What would Miss Poddy say?” She giggled and that infected Norra. Both of them became giddy with laughter. Lily just shook her head at them.
Norra got control of herself. “Where’s Cloud? He’s never returned, has he?” She looked at Gristan. “Has he?”
Silence.
“Oh, you can’t see me, sorry. No wonder you didn’t respond when I shook my head. Maybe he found other distressed damsels.”
“Probably,” Norra said. “But I’d feel more comfortable with another person in the group.”
~~~~
Chapter Seven
The Follower Catches Up
~
Plovers Beach appeared as small as Gristan described it. Norra looked up at the ramshackle buildings, bleached by the sun and the sea air, littering the low hills surrounding a bay that might have looked like a goblet from above. The captain paid dearly for his port fee so he could tie up at the single dock. Other ships and boats lay at anchor, dotting the bay as she turned around and looked out to sea.
Wisps of fog rolled in from the ocean and past them towards the town. The mist made the buildings seem transparent so that they looked like the kind of town Gristan would live in.
“Hi.” Cloud surprised Norra. He appeared out of the fog as an extra thick ball of mist.
“Where have you been? We thought you abandoned us.” Norra made sure to speak in a whisper even though all the sailors had left the ship to invade the drinking establishments in the port.
“Missed me, eh? I’ve traveled far. It looks like good weather all the way to Taxia. But then that’s usual for this time of year. I did find out a few interesting things. Did you know you were being followed?”
“Followed? Who would follow us? I thought all of the wizards are fighting themselves.” Norra clutched the railing.
“They are, but there is a mage. Not one of the Nine Mages, but nearly as powerful. He’s going around Polda and wreaking havoc on the wizard battles. He’ll go into a town and destroy all of those wizards who won’t make peace. Rumors have it that he wants to rule all of Polda from a new tower of his own making. Namen’s his name and he’s picked up your trail. I’ve seen him heading this way.”
Norra peered into the ball of mist. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“What do you expect me to do, dampen his cloak? Rain on him so his forked beard will get wet? A lot of good that will do. He must have found out the ship’s destination. How long are you here?”
“The wool hasn’t arrived yet and t
he hold has to be cleaned out anyway before they can take on their new cargo. Perhaps three days or more.”
“He’ll be here in six or seven days. Maybe there’s nothing to worry about. Your ship is faster than any other hulk here.”
“I won’t rest until we leave.” Norra shivered as she watched a group of sailors hauling a rusty anchor towards the ship. Their other one rested in the waters of Port Nastaly.
“How did you all do with the smell?” Cloud said.
“What smell?”
“I’ll be darned. You all did get used to it. Look at that dock worker over there.” The man made a face and waved his hand in front of it as they walked past.
~
Lily and Norra stood in front of a counter. Trousers of all types were scattered on the surface.
“What will work best?” Norra said, going through the selection one more time.
Lily looked at the clothes. “Whatever is comfortable. You need to be able to move—you know that. But you don’t want them too big or the pants will hinder your movements instead. They shouldn’t be too thin or you won’t have any protection from a blade or too thick so you’ll never wear them comfortably.”
“So I’m not wearing armor and I’m not a farmer.” She smiled and pulled up one pair of black leather pants. I’ll try these on.”
“Please do,” the shopkeeper said. “Your other friend took half the time you have. She’s already gone.”
Norra didn’t even notice Delia’s departure. She took the trousers to the back corner where a little changing area was created by a drape. Lifting up her dress she put them on underneath and walked back out into the store.
“How do they look?” She held up her dress.
Lily put her hand up to her chin and pursed her lips. “It needs the legs taken in a bit.” She looked at the shopkeeper. “How long would it take to fix these?”
“Two weeks. My seamstress is visiting her sister while she has a baby.”
Norra frowned and went back to take the pant’s off. She walked up to the counter. “Do you have a vest to match this?”
“I do.” He quickly shuffled to his back room and came back with three different sizes. “Black vests are very popular around here.”
Norra found the smallest to work well enough. She knew the sailors wore them and then she found her solution.
“Do you have any thread to sell us that matches the thread in the pants? We sailed in on the ship in port and could have a sail maker on board do the alterations.”
“On the pig ship, eh? I could smell it all the way from here and you…” He looked a little sheepish about smelling the strong aroma of pig on the women.
Norra paid for her purchases and they walked out looking up and down the street. “Where could she be?”
“Delia carries her parcel, so it would be unlikely for her to just take a walk,” Lily said.
“Let’s put our heads into every shop on the way back.”
By the time they reached the dock, Norra was tired and angry with her friend. Delia was nowhere to be found. The ship might sail at any time and the captain made it clear that he would depart as soon as possible, with them or without them. Of course he had their full fare paid in advance.
They made their way back to the ship and found out that the captain received a message that the wool would arrive a day late. Despite the captain’s firm demand, the ship still sat at the dock and would be delayed for two more days. The captain inspected the hold and put his crew to work scrubbing it down one more time.
~
Norra sat at a bench in the pitiful little park of Plover’s Beach. Gristan sat next to her, still invisible.
“I have some bad news. Cloud and I talked last night. The mage has made better time than Cloud thought. He is due to arrive at any time.”
“And still no Delia. Has she run off?” Norra said, but she knew Gristan didn’t have an answer. She held out her hand as if to touch Gristan.
“I’m invisible, Norra. You look silly, if any one observes us,” he chuckled.
“Oh. I have a request, Gristan. Could you look through every place in the port? I just don’t believe she would desert us like that.”
“I guess I could. There’s no place I can’t invade.” He made the sound of a sigh. “I should start right now.”
Norra rubbed her hands and sat there worrying about Delia and about the mage’s early arrival when Lily walked up.
“Any news?”
Norra frowned. “No Delia, of course, but the mage has picked his pace up. Gristan will find her. Remember he can walk through walls.”
“Oh. That’s a good idea. What else can we do?”
“We’ve kept up our practice while we’ve been stuck in port so how about buying me a sword. If my magic won’t fend him off, perhaps I can get in a lucky thrust.” Norra gave Lily a half grin. “I can’t just sit here on this bench and worry.”
Lily raised her eyebrows. “You’re ready to start practicing with the weight of a real blade anyway.”
~
Norra stood on the deck, her new sword in her hand, and jumped when Gristan started to whisper.
“Delia’s locked in a room midway up the hill in the pink house on the right side.”
She immediately scanned the hillside. “The one with the two tall trees?”
“That’s it.”
Norra grabbed Lily and both of them marched towards the house.
Lily knocked on the door and after a third knock, a rough, but good-looking man came to the door. Both of them smelled the alcohol on his breath.
“What do you want?” He brightened after his first challenge when they could see it sunk through that two young women stood at his doorstep. “Come on in. We can have a good old time.”
They followed him in.
“We’re looking for a ghost. We’ve been tracking him for days. He strangled my mother and father,” Norra said.
“And he killed my brother with a mean look. Jed dropped dead as a stone, he did. We think he came this way.” Lily looked around the room and said to Norra, “Do you think he came in here?” She wandered around the front room and pushed a curtain aside that closed off the kitchen. A door led from it.
Norra could hear her try it. “What’s back there?”
“Nothing, I keep my dog back in the spare room. He whimpers a lot.”
“Who whimpers a lot?” Gristan’s voice boomed out into the air.
The man’s eyes bulged with fear. “Are you the ghost?”
Gristan materialized inches from the man. He yelled as Gristan thrust his hands and arms through the man’s chest and then began to spout flames from his head. Norra had left the door open and the man ran out screaming.
Gristan went to the door. “I do think he won’t be back for some time.” His voice was light in spite of the situation. The door splintered as Lily threw a heavy sharpening stone into the lock.
Delia lay on the bed, bound and gagged. Norra removed her gag and hugged her.
“I went into a little drinking establishment hoping they sold some coffee. Lerner, that’s his name, came over and he seemed nice. He wasn’t drunk then. We walked around town and he told me his story about his wife and children dying and that seeing me reminded him of his wife. We came here and then he tied me up.” Delia burst into tears.
“Did he?” Norra said. She couldn’t bring herself to complete the question.
“No.” Delia could barely get the word out. He kept drinking and crying out in the front room. Perhaps he told the truth. He gave me a tray with food on it from time to time. It was awful.”
“We should remove the distraught woman before her assailant returns,” Gristan said. “I’m not sure if my awful powers will continue to have the same effect.”
They left the house and took a circuitous route down the hill. They were about to turn into the main road, when a tall man in wizard robes and another portly man of medium height led their horses down towards the port.
Cloud appeared in their midst. “The mage has arrived too early, as you can see.”
“That must be the mage!” Norra said.
“I know of a spell for you to use.” He whispered it into her ear.
~
Namen
The horses were worn out a mile or so from Plover’s Beach. He normally would not treat an animal thus, but they had to intercept the woman. Namen thought their animals would be completely blown and worthless if they rode them into the port.
“Are you as tired as I feel, Blog?” Namen said. It was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other. Weariness overcame him so much that he felt he didn’t even have sufficient energy to create a light ball, a common wizard parlor trick. They trudged through the town.
“What?” Namen felt himself rise in the air. He looked around and found the woman mage raising her hands, lifting him into the air. Higher and higher. The shock kept Namen’s head from thinking of a counter spell. He stopped, perhaps one hundred feet in the air, and then he dropped. It was all he could do to save himself from dropping to the cobbles. He muttered a spell and made the corresponding hand initiation but it was too late for a full stop. He saw the cobbles coming up and then he felt them punish his body as he blacked out.
~
Norra
Norra stood over the wizard, wondering why a man would create a forked beard on his chin. Lily held a sword to the other man’s chest.
“Is he dead?” Delia asked.
“No,” said Lily. “You always check to see if your opponent breathes and he does.”
Norra looked at the other man. “Are you a wizard, too?”
“My brother is the mage and I am his servant.” He looked down at his master. “You bested him.” A look of disbelief crossed his face.
“You can tell him that I didn’t mean to.” She colored. “I didn’t want him following us. I… I’m sorry. Tell him I’m sorry.” She looked at the servant pleadingly and then at Lily. Cloud had already disappeared or risen into the leaden sky or something.
“We’ve got to get out of here. The ship sails at dusk when the tide turns.”
They left the mage in the middle of the street and ran towards the docks. The mage’s servant knelt at his master’s side.