Ra' van (Book Three of the Items Trilogy)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist to give in an affectionate squeeze. She bumped his hips with hers and smiled lovingly.

  “Alright ye dogs, push off and let’s catch us something big!” Kallel shouted from behind the wheel.

  “Aye Aye!” Some of the warriors replied while grabbing thirty foot long poles, pressed one end on the dock and pushed the ship away.

  The boat spun around the bay and headed for the largest of the channels which was no more than fifty feet wide and half as deep. The sails remained tied because the tide slowly flowed out of the bay in the mornings and in during the evenings. Tree limbs on either side of the stream would have shredded the sails. The only way to travel on this stream was to slowly be dragged by the current.

  By noon they exited the stream and reached the northern side of Point Lake. Ava proved to be by far the most excited because not even she could see the other side of the lake and asked if the ocean was the same. Once out of danger from the trees did Sean show how he got the title of First Mate. That boy could climb the masts as easily as an Orggian and some men were in awe. Alex helped Sean unfurl the sails. Since Marlin had a mild fear of heights he wasn’t required to do that task since there were more hands to get the job done. When the ship caught the wind and began to pick up speed Ava scouted the area and could only see one of the other ships heading in a different direction and another, smaller fishing boat from another village. Other than that, they were alone and safe.

  Chapter 3

  During times of respite, everyone onboard introduced themselves and their partners. Many stories were exchanged, but some of the other warriors were far more fascinated by Alex’s stories and exploits. Apparently being around his grandfather for so long had rubbed off on him because somewhere along the way telling stories became all too easy. Since some stories weren’t secret, he told them, like the story of Wholes and Hollows. Several of the men didn’t believe it, but that was their choice. One man on the other hand took it seriously and contemplated what it could mean to the histories, but he’d need proof before being able to continue. Sean became the most fascinated by stories and eagerly anticipated them. His eagerness made everything enjoyable and had everyone laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Even the Shadow Fangs seemed pleased by how comfortable it felt to be on the boat.

  Four days after leaving the village Ava’s shriek in the distance put everyone on alert and they all ran on deck to see what had happened. It became too crowded until Shade ordered several of the arranged pack mates to go below and wait.

  She flew quickly towards the boat and found Alex as he reflected sunlight off his forearm protectors for her. She swooped down and landed on the wooden side rail in the midmorning sun. She was far from out of breath, but she looked on edge. Everyone quieted and waited for Alex to translate as she chirped, clicked and whistled and made other sounds and gestures. He listened to everything and then turned to the others while Shade dove into his shadow and disappeared between the cracks to inform the others.

  “Ava said she found a large ship with red sails a half a day’s journey to the southwest, right where our intelligence said it would be. She saw that there were dozens of Water Guard aboard. We all know what must be done, get to it!” and Alex watched as the other warriors went over and throw the large fishing net off the aft and began dragging it. While it did that Marlin extended his cane over port side and flung his line out and closed his eyes to see everything within a mile of his bobber. While he worked passively the other warriors began hiding their weapons in hidden pockets that Kallel showed them. They would be near them at any time and were easy to access, but for the moment the high class weapon items would be too difficult to explain on a fishing/shipping boat. Needing to do the same, Alex took off his black cape and wrapped up his ornate swords before sliding it down a narrow cavity that laid between the ribbing of the ship and the deck.

  Only Lily and Mary kept their weapon items on their person and stayed on the back bench with the children.

  While the deck hands grabbed tools crafted to appear like low level utility fishing items, Shade walked up the steps and used his nose to push open the cabin doors and said “Alex, we are all ready and have gone over the details of our infiltration one last time.”

  “Good.” He replied and patted his brother. Alex then turned to say “Ava, go below and get a drink of water and a bite to eat. I’ll need you to get back in the air as soon as possible and keep an eye on the other ship. Come back when you see them do anything different, but do not return directly. Fly in the opposite direction and make a wide circle back should they somehow spot you.”

  “I doubt they will,” She snorted. “but just in case I’ll do it.” And then she flew through the open cabin to regain some strength before flying off again.

  Dragging the net slowed overall progress through the day, but together they hauled it in every hour to fill an empty cellar a quarter of the way with fish.

  Three or four hours before nightfall Ava returned and said the battleship spotted them and began sailing in their immediate direction. Thirty minutes later the ship could be seen by the naked eye. Shade and the other Shadow Fangs were all already within their shadow and laid within shadows cast by the ship.

  Alex, Sean and two other men furled the sails when it became clear that the Royal Water Guard clearly approached with purpose like an evil giant coming upon a helpless child. Lily also reminded everyone to hide their Freelan ring and they all disappeared in pockets. Kallel casually angled the boat so that the Guard would pull alongside in such a way that the sun separated them.

  It worked.

  Just as the three mast battleship, able to carry a thousand men, came to a stop, its large shadow cast from the falling sun to the west gave Shade and the others ample freedom to move on deck and not be seen.

  “Prepare to be boarded for inspection!” someone yelled commandingly from the dangerous ship.

  With but a look Alex had his men line up against the opposite railing to wait. Only Mary, Lily and the children remained on the bench in the back.

  A large plank clanged as it bridged the two vessels. “Put your items down or away!” Came the order from the captain as he and a dozen of his crew crossed the plank. Alex dropped a polished pole with a large hook at the end at his feet, so too did his men while Marlin collapsed his cane and stuffed it in his belt loops.

  Thankfully no one gave away the fact that Shade and the others had already begun working their way closer. Just as the plank was secured he and the others swam through their shadow and crossed the underside of the plank and entered the battleship through cracks, without raising a single alarm. Apparently only Alex could clearly see a shadow within a shadow.

  Ten men in deep red tunics casually crossed the plank and made sure that the men who stood by Alex didn’t move. They held a hand to their weapon-like items in a threatening manner, making sure they complied. When it was seen that everyone remained forthcoming did the captain cross over, carrying his item which looked somewhat like an enormous fishing hook and walking stick combined, but it looked clear, like water or glass. In all the research Alex has done he’s never come across an item quite like this so its abilities were unclear. The other Water Guard weapons were commonly known and weren’t very special, mostly level one and two’s.

  The Freelan members aboard were all level three and above, not including Kallel and his family. Alex thought, At least if there is a skirmish we’ll be able to overpower them without much trouble. Just incase though… And he increased his body’s heat and talents. If they didn’t approach too close they’d never realize what was happening.

  When the captain eventually landed on Kallel’s deck he said “Who be the captain ‘board ‘tis ship?”

  “I would.” Kallel took a half step forward from the line of men.

  The captain’s hook tapped the ground as he ambled with it like a walking staff. He took off his hat and asked “Will ye be willing to allow us to search the
ship?”

  “Certainly, but just a word of warning.” The battleship captain’s eyes narrowed, but allowed him to continue. “We were boarded a week ago and the last captain didn’t take my words seriously. Be careful going up on the upper deck. My wife and children are up there and my son doesn’t take kindly when strangers approach his baby sister.”

  “We’ll see.” And to the other men he said “Begin your search.”

  Ten of the men scattered and one of them decided to disregard the warning and came too close to Mary and Shay. Lily remained seated and had a firm grip on her swords. Sean snapped the staff so hard over the man’s head he was unconscious before he even hit the floor. Before the captain could yell Kallel sighed “I gave fair warning, Captain.”

  “That ye did.” He admitted and ordered “Get the fool back to the ship and finish this inspection. We have somewhere to be.”

  As the unconscious man was dragged back to the ship another man said “Captain, there is a large horse, possibly a warhorse down here, but other than that there are no other items of interest!”

  “A warhorse?!” The apprehensive captain then looked over a ways and found a hatch and lifted it. “Bring me a torch.” And it was brought over. The other warriors of Freelan began looking on edge, but while the intruders were looking away Alex gave a subtle hand sign that all was alright. A man lowered the burning torch down the hatch and the captain turned back around towards Kallel. “Now this be a bit suspicious. There isn’t much fish in this here hole. And just why is there a warhorse aboard this ship?”

  To disarm the situation Kallel released a deep belly laugh. “My fellow sailor, you know well that a man can’t make a good living on being a lone fisherman, especially on a transport…”

  “Be quiet and let me see your item. All nations belong to King Runkamon and as we all must sacrifice we all must have tasks worthy of our item.” The man grumbled threateningly.

  Kallel slowly pulled out his golden sextant and another crewman took it. Alex listened over the wind as the other captain looked it over. “Level one utility…possibly specialist. Not worthy to be part of the guard, but good enough to sail a ship safely…” and he had it returned to Kallel. “Very well, your item allows you to be flexible in how you run your ship, but why there be a warhorse?”

  “Because I chartered this boat to carry him to the next port.” Alex said in a dignified manner as he thought quickly and to minimize further suspicion.

  “And who might ye be?”

  Many eyes turned upon Alex as he stepped forward, intentionally showing off his forearm protectors and the gold and ruby ring of his birthright. His black pants and sleeveless tunic wasn’t the only thing that separated him from everyone on the ship. It was a confidence that had grown within him through many trials and hardships and made all quiet so he could speak. “I am Lord Alex of Ra’van. A lower lord who has made a name of himself as a cavalry breeder. One of my contacts informed me of a stallion he was selling and I came over immediately. If you would like to see the reason why I traveled so far I’ll bring him up to show you how much worth he is.”

  With a nod Alex calmly went below deck and grabbed a lead rope. Clift’s brown eyes widened, but Alex silently neighed what was happening because they weren’t alone below deck. It didn’t take much coaxing for Clift to fully understand and work with the plan.

  In a minute’s time they came up out of the lower level and Clift threw his head back with dignity and puffed out his chest, making himself look bigger. Marlin restrained a laugh as his partner moved in such a way to give off an angered attitude with dignity. His chestnut coat glistened in the failing light as his mane blew in the wind. His muscles and large build showed he was in prime condition.

  The captain’s eyes widened. “Aye, that steed would sire a great line. My sister also is a breeder and would pay anything to have a stallion such as he. But there is one thing still bothering me…”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed as he sped his heart rate up and made sure his Fire Touch didn’t ignite the lead rope. “And what might that be?” he asked calmly and impressed his men by such control.

  “If what you say is true and are actually a lord in Ra’van, prove it.”

  It became all too easy to placate this captain as he looked at the men and ordered “Marlin, please take my steed below deck again and see that he’s fed.” It was all too easy to play along as he stepped forward and took Clift below again.

  While Marlin went below Alex turned to the aft and called out “My Love! Please come here for a moment!”

  Lily stood and walked calmly down the steps and stood beside her husband. With but a look the captain understood the meaning of calling her, but Alex spoke nonetheless. “As you can see, my wife has pure white hair and only those of nobility or high class can marry one of her beauty. In Ra’van the pale hair men and women marry those of high standing, without any exceptions.”

  The Captain approached the tall couple and looked even closer at them. His suspicion returned. “Might this be Lily of the Blood Moon?”

  Lily’s hand began making its way to the short-swords at her hip, but with a chuckle from Alex she stopped. “Really? You think my wife is that traitor? Give us some credit Captain she isn’t the Blood Moon.”

  “Can you prove she isn’t?”

  “Can you prove she is?” Alex shot back and looked down in the shorter man. “Honestly, tell me the description of the Blood Moon traitor.”

  The man grumbled again, but said slowly “Lily of the Blood Moon has short white hair, stands taller than most men and has muscles of similar size. She has three items, two of which are short-swords. The other is a defensive item of some kind affixed to her breasts. And finally she will be known by all the scars on her arms.”

  “Very good.” Lily said mockingly, understanding where Alex was leading this captain. He never specifically called her Lily, only referring to her by Blood Moon. She no longer wanted that title so he called her a traitor by a title she no longer claims, effectively calling someone else by it. The short five foot four inch man, in comparison to her and Alex who stand at six foot three, stepped even closer and his darkly tanned skin wrinkled at her tone. “Now that you’ve put all of her aspects out there, do I honestly match her? I have long white hair, but I could have grown it out so that wouldn’t be much proof. Aye, I have two short-swords, but can you see a defensive one?” What he didn’t know was she moved it to hide in her lower extremities as she showed off her abdomen and lower back. “And to further disprove I’m the Blood Moon,” She showed off her soft, feminine arms. “Do my muscles look overly manly or are they scarred?”

  “Nay, I guess not.” He grumbled and turned around.

  Lily turned to Alex and smiled at his smile of satisfaction in her and how she handled herself.

  It took a few more minutes before the captain slammed the butt of his item on the deck. “Alright men, back to the boat! These citizens can go on their way.”

  None moved as the Water Guard crossed the bridge and drew the plank back to their ship. When their ship unfurled the red sails and began pulling away in an easterly direction did everyone breathe a sigh of relief and sit on the deck. Two of the warriors laughed and one said “Lord Alex, that was quite a show. It seems the rumors are true.”

  “Which rumor would that be?” He asked as he retrieved his sword and cape.

  “The one where you and your pack can get out of trouble whereas the rest of us would have made a mistake and gotten all of us killed.” Then he turned to his friend. “At least I won the bet.”

  “What bet?” Kallel asked.

  “The one where we got boarded and away without fighting anyone to the death.” The friend said solemnly. “I owe everyone on board a drink when we return.” Lily grinned at the man and he asked hesitantly. “What?”

  “I wonder if you remembered how much Shade and his brethren can drink?”

  He smacked his forehead with his palm as everyone laughed.

  Kall
el waited two hours after the sun disappeared before turning the ship around. Everyone stayed on edge until Ava appeared and explained what happened. Kallel used his item and found the battleship some distance away, dead in the water. Only a few torches were lit as they approached the much larger and fortified ship that no longer seemed a threat. The sails were strangely furled, but no one seemed to be moving.

  As Kallel pulled alongside the still ship Alex heard frightened voices whispering inside the belly of the ship. As the smaller shipping boat pulled alongside the battleship everyone aboard was holding their weapons ready for what is to come. Mary and the children stayed below with Clift for protection.

  Alex’s voice changed as he howled “Hello up there!”

  Several warning growls came next as a shadow appeared on the side of the boat and Shade’s head materialized. “Come on in. Everything is secure.” And then he withdrew into the shadow and climbed the wall to the deck before reappearing in his full corporeal form.

  One of the men handed Alex a rope before he jumped the thirty feet to the other deck and tied the ships together. While Marlin and the others worked on bridging the ships Alex asked “How did the operation go?”

  Shade’s teeth revealed themselves in a grin as he said “Practically without any problems. Crest and I pulled the pins to the rudder system and waited as a crew came down to see what the problem was. We had to knock them unconscious and strip them of their weapons. I gave the signal and Ava shrieked everyone to sleep on the upper decks. My warriors were all safe on the lowest. A few humans managed to remain lucid and we were forced to end them. We were forced to kill twenty, but thirty remain in a cage, stripped of their coverings and their items are piled over there.” He pointed with his claw to the aft of the ship. “Those we killed were thrown overboard.” The blood and drag marks were easily seen, even if he didn’t point it out. “At the very least we captured more than we thought and killed less. I believe this plan was a success.”