by Bill Mays
Ado was the first to awake. He saw Tark sprawled out across the ground as if he were sunbathing with his clothes on. The big man’s hair was down and his face held a peaceful smile.
“Wake up!” Ado squeaked loudly into his ear, causing the gladiator to jump to his feet with a growl. “I thought you didn’t sleep anymore?” The gremlin giggled mischievously. Ado could not resist taking advantage of the moment.
Tark shot the mage a glare and began tying his hair back away from his face. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was resting my eyes, you little rat with wings.”
After a quick breakfast of some old bread with a little cheese, they were on the move again. Herrin was carefully fed her bit of broth as usual. Their rations grew short and the sage looked worse day by day. They were lucky the woman could drink under their care.
“How much farther do you think it is, Mr. Tark?” Nivit asked.
“A few more days, maybe three, if we can keep our pace up,” Tark answered matter-of-factly.
He tried to keep the very bad and very real possibility of the old woman’s death from his mind. Tark came to like the sage very much in the short time they had together. She held a comfortable, almost motherly presence. The thought of losing her scared him, not only because of the quest, but because he would miss her. The only thing they could do was push on and hope for the best. The new day brought a descent from the Solemn Peaks. As they picked a path away from the mountain range, the orc sightings lessened. It was a good sign. There was a small outpost sitting just at the bottom of the mountain pass. They reached it as the sun’s rays faded for the day. It was little more than an old inn with a small shop and stable attached. The place had been abandoned, but not destroyed. It was another good sign. Perhaps this meant that the orcs had not bothered to move north just yet. They collected what supplies they could from the shop, though most of the goods had been taken already, collected by the owners, Tark figured. He even left a single gold coin behind the front counter to the shop as compensation, just in case the owners were able to return soon. They broke down and slept in the inn for the night. It probably was not the smartest decision, but all were happy to have a bed for a change. Plus, the weakening sage could use any comfort that was available. Luckily, the night proved uneventful.
On the second day out, the invisible party cleared the road for a horse-drawn carriage and riders. It was the first civilized sign of life they had seen since entering the northern peninsula. The covered cart was nice indeed. There were several ornate designs, probably representing the noble house that owned it, scrolled across the doors in gold. Rice paper shades were drawn over the windows of the carriage to block out the light of midday. There was a well-dressed elderly driver plus two less presentable men seated up front. Eight more men on horseback accompanied the carriage as guards. The whole cart and driver looked like something that should have been found in the finest area of a large, prosperous city, not on the open road descending from the dangerous mountain pass. How they managed to cross through the orc infested mountain range unmolested, was a mystery. Ado caught both male and female voices inside the carriage. It sounded almost as if an argument ensued. Whoever owned the fancy carriage obviously had some wealth to throw around. Tark thought briefly of stopping the driver and asking for assistance, but his paranoia was setting in again. What would happen if these lords and ladies thought them a band of thieves? Perhaps these people were nothing more than thieves themselves who had stolen the carriage from its rightful owners. The riders did look unsavory. Would the guards attack first and ask questions later? There were too many possibilities. It was too risky. He held his tongue and remained hidden and invisible. It appeared the nobles were headed for the town of Seaside as well. That, Tark could see as positive. Maybe the port town had been unaffected by the war, or it was designated as one of the fortified cities Thunaren mentioned. Either way, people would be there. With any luck, there would be a priest who could help Herrin. The sage was in pitiful shape. She had barely eaten in days. The only sustenance the woman had was what little broth and water they could manage to get down her throat without choking her to death. The already small woman had grown quite thin. While it did make her easier to carry, it did not bode well for her survival. She looked even more frail and weak than ever.
Several hours down the road, the party came upon the carriage again. The fancy contraption had thrown a wheel and several men were attempting to repair it. Tark sent Nivit in as a scout, but he had already decided to pass them by without contact. He just wanted as much information on the travelers as he could get. The fairy would meet up with them farther down the trail. The gladiator and gremlin continued on until they found a safe spot away from the main road, and far from the broken down cart, to camp. The fairy disguised as a bird returned shortly with the scoop on the carriage. From what she could gather, they were also headed for Seaside; and someone, a woman by the sound of it, inside the carriage was not happy about something.
“She was screaming and yelling. It sounded terrible, Mr. Tark. Maybe she needs our help?” Nivit stared up at the gladiator with her big watery eyes.
“Whatever! Don’t look into those dripping pools of fairy foolishness! It was probably just some noble woman upset over the delay! They always react that way,” Ado giggled mischievously.
“And just how did that wheel happen to come off anyway?” Tark turned to glare at the gremlin. He suddenly remembered the many thrown wheels he had to fix while traveling with the merchant Beatre and his wagons.
Ado shrugged without looking the man in the eye. “You said yourself earlier, that thing doesn’t look like it belongs on the open road,” the little mage giggled again.
Tark let the topic go. He knew he would not get anywhere with it anyway. Ado was a gremlin; it was to be expected. Part of their existence was to break things. He was more concerned with the riders guarding the carriage. He hated having unknown people at his back, but it could not be helped now.
“At least it is safe to assume that Seaside still stands,” the big man sighed.
“That’s wonderful news!” Nivit cheered. “We’ll have you back to new in no time, Herrin!” She hugged the still woman’s neck. Tark and Ado exchanged looks of doubt, but neither said anything.
The night passed quickly with no sign of the lagging carriage. Tark calmed his anxiety and wondered if he should go back and check on the nobles. What if they were injured or happened upon more orcs? Herrin’s condition would not allow it, he decided. They pushed on through the day. It was not too long before the salty air and the sight of seagulls announced the coming of the coast. A bluebird darted down from the skies, transforming into a certain adorable fairy. She was a fairy that was bubbling over with happiness.
“It’s a town! It’s a port town!” Nivit chirped excitedly. “We’ve made it!”
The sight of the ocean greeted them as they crested a small ridge a short time later. Just beyond lay the town Nivit spoke of. It was indeed Seaside. The settlement was dwarfed by the massive expanse of the Sorohl Sea. Tark had never seen so much water in all his days. For some unknown reason, it relaxed his very soul. The sparkling deep-blue waters were like a never-ending field of glittering sapphires. He had glimpsed the small port of Drackmoore a couple of times, but there was no comparison. A set of cliffs created an enclosed bay in the dark land’s capital city. The coast here extended in each direction endlessly, and the sparkling waves flowed away from the land as far as the eye could see. It looked as if the Sorohl’s waves lapped at the sinking sun itself. There were tiny specks that were ships, coming and going. It appeared the town was still functioning, as a port at least, another positive sign.
“What are we waiting for?” Nivit peeped.
“We move with caution,” Tark warned, “until we are sure the town is friendly.”
“I’ll go ahead and check it out!” The tiny girl volunteered as she shifted back to bird form and darted away like an arrow.
The girl was gone before Tark could
respond. “Wait! … Ado, why don’t you go with her?” Tark sighed. “Maybe you can keep her out of trouble.”
“Not a chance!” The tremlin snapped. “Just because she’s hopelessly stupid, doesn’t mean I have to go down with her!”
The big man could not blame the gremlin. The girl was being quite careless. He could not blame Nivit either, though. Looking at her close friend and mentor, he could understand her actions.
“Well if you’re not going to work on the scouting, then you can work on getting the gates to the town open. I’d prefer not to announce our arrival until we know where we stand with the locals.”
Ado agreed with that logic, and he actually liked Herrin. He did not want the feisty old woman to die, either. He still had to keep up his show, though; it was the tremlin’s way.
“Turn us invisible - follow the fairy - get the gates open …,” he sighed. “When are you going to be able to take care of yourself? Give me a moment and be ready to slip in quickly!” Ado grumbled. Tark could hear the beating of the little man’s wings as he flew off to find a way inside.
* * * * * * * * * *
Nivit flew over the town’s small wall easily. The crude wooden fence looked like a recent and last minute addition. There were several people set as watchmen around the fence, but everyone she saw looked rather shady. She decided not to ask them for help. A number of ships were docked in the large port, but there was room for many more. Seaside seemed a little empty. Many of the shops were boarded up or closed down. It took the tiny girl quite a while to locate an occupied temple in the town. She passed two houses of worship in her search that had already been abandoned. There were several taverns with life, but that seemed the focus of Seaside’s business as it stood. Finally, the tiny bird came upon a small light tower that was also designated as a temple to a god she did not recognize. It was on the outer edge of the docks and overlooked the sea. There was an elderly man with a trim beard and a baldpate who tended the odd chapel. He wore the leathers and tunic of a sea faring man, but a large seashell holy symbol hung about his neck identifying him as a priest. Nivit could barely contain herself when she finally spotted the man. He was lighting the light of guidance in the tower’s uppermost level. His temple was also functional as a way for ships to locate the port through darkness and fog. The bearded old man nearly dropped his torch when the small bluebird swooped into the light chamber through one of the many large archways and started circling him chirping up a storm.
“By Learianna’s good graces, what has gotten into you, my little friend? Aren’t you a little far from home?” The priest mumbled in surprise. Nivit remembered that no one understood her bird talk, so she quickly shifted back to fairy form. Now the old man was even more surprised. “A fairy?” He gasped.
“Yes, yes I am. My name is Nivit and I’m a sun fairy to be exact,” the girl replied politely as she entered into a dainty curtsey.
“And not even a sea fairy … what brings you to my temple, little one?”
“I’m terribly sorry to have startled you, Mr. Priest, but my friend is seriously ill and she needs attention immediately. Please, can you help me?”
The priest took a second to absorb what he had just heard. “Why of course, little one, I mean Nivit. Take me to this friend of yours and I’ll see what I can do. With Learianna‘s good graces we should be able to help her.”
Nivit twirled through the air in a series of acrobatics. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Priest!” She cheered.
“The name is Belrrus, and don’t go thankin’ me before I’ve even helped,” the old man stated with a stern nod. It’s bad luck. He threw on a heavy cloak riddled with holes born of age to ward off the chilly sea air and the two were out of the temple and moving for the town’s front gate with haste.
* * * * * * * * * *
The first watchman called out to the second to open the gate. He had seen two shiny coins fall from nowhere and roll beneath the wooden doors. The man decided he had somehow kicked the coins in his casual stride. Maybe a careless traveler dropped them in the dirt. Maybe it was his patrol partner’s lost money. Either way, it was going to be his now. He did not think for a second that they were simply a minor illusion conjured by an invisible gremlin. The second man did as he was asked. He cracked the gates halfway open to allow his partner a chance to search for his lost treasure. Tark carefully squeezed by with the sage in his arms as he slipped into the streets of Seaside, undetected. Ado landed on the big man’s shoulder and rode along as they slunk through the quiet streets. The mage’s copper bracelet-ring was also useful in that aspect. Invisibility was a form of illusionary magic and so the object allowed him to see others that were cloaked by the spell. All three companions remained hidden by the gremlin’s invisibility, just in case Seaside did not prove to be a safe haven after all.
The sight of the old man rushing their way with a fairy flitting and chattering at his side was a very welcomed one. Ado cancelled his spell over the two humans at Tark’s request. When the big gladiator materialized out of thin air with the woman limp in his arms, it nearly sent the old priest, Belrrus, to shouting an alarm. If not for Nivit’s cries of joy, he would have thought the big man an assassin set to kill him. Seaside had its fair share of outlaws that passed through the port. One could never be too sure who they were dealing with. The fairy landed on Tark’s shoulder, overlooking Herrin’s still form.
“I take it this is your friend in need of my aid?” The priest began scrutinizing the sage. “What happened to her?” He asked bluntly, as he stared up into Tark’s face.
“She was attacked by a creature that tried to drain the life from her,” the big man answered honestly. He pointedly left out any more details.
“Follow me then. I’ll have to get her comfortable while I see what can be done. Life drainin’ is some serious stuff. I didn‘t realize we had such creatures lurking about the area. What manner of beast attacked her? Was it some form of the undead?” The old man asked as he led them quickly back to his lighthouse temple. He was obviously disturbed by that notion.
Tark was hesitant to answer. He still was not sure where the port town and its loyalties lay. Before he could think of a lie, the fairy replied.
“It was a reiver! It wanted to eat me, but Herrin saved me!” She chirped. The girl was smiling down helpfully from the big man’s shoulders. Ado grumbled something unintelligible from the gladiator’s other shoulder.
Belrrus stopped in mid-stride and spun about to face the companions. “A reiver you say?” His eyes were wide and it was clear he understood what they were talking about. He opened the door to his tower and ushered them all inside. “Quickly, we have much to discuss, but first are the reivers here with you? Have they come to Seaside? Were you followed?” The man spoke in a rush while scanning the darkening streets behind them.
Tark shook his head. “I don’t believe so. We encountered them many days ago, south past the Solemn Peaks. It was during the fall of Talwen.”
“Fall of Talwen?” The old priest dropped to a cluttered bench in shock.
“I can only assume the city fell. It was in poor shape when we fled its borders,” Tark whispered. “The Order of Four launched a full assault on the city.”
“Things have gotten this bad, have they?” Belrrus muttered to himself. He, like many others in Villinsk, expected Talwen to be their salvation. “Place the woman in the bed.” He gestured to a small mattress against the far wall of the cluttered room.
Everyone gathered around the sage as he called upon the blessings of Learianna, Goddess of the Seas and Rivers. He waved his seashell over the woman’s body and Herrin was engulfed in a faint blue-green light. The glow faded and everyone held their breath awaiting the results. Her breathing became stronger, but the woman remained in a deep sleep. It was reassuring to see some color return to her pasty skin.
“Will she be alright, Mr. Belrrus?” Nivit asked softly.
“Hard to tell,” he replied. “She is very weak, and no
spring chicken, but I sense a strong will in this woman. I’ll have to watch over her for a while to know for sure.” Tark dipped his head and released a deep sigh. “You are in a hurry to move on, I take it?” Belrrus asked. Tark did not answer. “Don’t worry, son, many who pass through the ports of Seaside have their secrets and their reasons for not remaining in place too long. Involvement of the reivers suggests you’ve got more than a bit of trouble yourselves. Give me a couple of days and I should be able to tell you all more about her condition.”
“Please forgive my impatient nature. We are in your debt,” Tark smiled.
“A couple of days?” A squeaky voice mumbled. “We don’t have …”
“Shhh!” Tark hissed to the air.
“That must be the invisible gremlin, I’m guessin‘?” Belrrus grinned. “Your fairy friend filled me in on quite a bit in our short time together. She’s a talkative one,” the old priest chuckled.
Ado dismissed his invisibility and appeared seated on a table nearby. His arms were folded across his chest and a scowl dominated his face. His eyes locked onto Nivit. “Yes, talkative, that’s one way to put it. Blithering idiot is my preference, though!” He squeaked.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ado,” Nivit looked to the gremlin with her big watery eyes. “I guess I got a little carried away when I found a priest who could help us,” the girl explained.
Ado shrugged away her response as if it meant nothing to him. “If we’re stuck here for a couple of days, then we might as well stock up on some supplies, besides I’m starving,” the little mage rubbed his big belly.
“What is the status of this town?” Tark asked the priest. “Is this one of the king’s fortified cities?”
The old man laughed hard at the question. “Not a chance of that happenin’,” Belrrus assured him. “Though he does a fair amount of business through these ports and fills his coffers with the coin he earns here, I doubt he’s set foot in Seaside in a decade. We aint fit to mingle with nobility, you know?” The priest grinned.