I reach down and pinch his arm. Hard.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"It's not a dream," I say with a tiny chuckle, before placing my head on his shoulder and leaning most of my weight into him. "I'm exhausted. Healing Riala completely sapped my energy."
"I'm so proud of you, Love," he whispers. "I didn't see the girl's injuries but from the reactions of the crowd they were serious. How'd you do it?"
"I just wanted to heal her so badly. After the council threw me out, I collapsed in the atrium crying." I close my eyes while composing myself enough to continue. "She limped up to me and asked me what was wrong. Her wounds were horrendous and yet she was worried about me. I focused like you taught me and pushed all of my emotions into her. I merely imagined her healed and whole. The next thing I knew she was."
"You're amazing," he murmurs into my hair. "Your compassion, fire and determination saved me. I can't thank you enough."
"You started it," I complain. "You're the idiot who healed me, against my wishes I might add." He stiffens a bit in my arms. "Thank you for ignoring me."
"We're quite a pair aren't we?" He chuckles as he relaxes again.
"You can say that again," I sigh into his shoulder.
"Shall we go find the rogue nephew of Lord Nolan?" he asks, releasing me from his embrace.
"Let's go," I reply, grinning up at him.
The port at the harbor is sizeable, but it's easy to find the rogue's ship. It's a large, beautiful schooner with two tall masts sporting red and white striped sails that are furled. The crow's nest rests atop the forward mast with a large banner flying above it.
"Hey, Zane," I whisper, "shouldn't the flag on the crow's nest be a skull or something intimidating, not a dolphin?"
"I think it's supposed to be a shark," he whispers back.
"Well then it's the least menacing shark I've ever seen," I reply giggling.
Zane's responding laughter is a welcome sound. We approach the ship and are stopped by two young crewmembers guarding the gangplank.
"This is the vessel of the Dread Pirate Taranis," the boy on the right of the gangplank says in a loud booming voice.
He's trying to sound threatening, but it isn't working. The red shirts both boys are wearing have a cute blue dolphin on them just like the banner. It's difficult for anyone wearing a dolphin on his shirt to be intimidating.
"We have a letter of introduction from Lord Nolan," Zane says, holding up the letter. "Please inform your captain we wish to meet with him."
The crewmembers continue to eye us. They could be twins. Both are my height and appear my age or younger. They're both sporting the same spiked hairstyle. The main difference is the hair color. The one on the right is blond and the one on the left has red hair. The blond reaches out to take the letter but Zane pulls it away.
"I'll present the letter to your captain. Please go fetch him," Zane insists, refusing to turn over the letter.
"All right you may board the vessel."
The two boys step aside and allow us to climb up the gangplank. When we reach the top, a rather rotund woman in a beautiful light blue dress greets us. She appears to be about the same age as my mother. Brown curls frame her plump face, falling in corkscrews to brush her shoulders. She seems out of place on a pirate ship.
"Hello, my dears. My name is Hanna," she says with a wide smile. "You're here to see Captain Taranis?"
"Yes," Zane replies, "We have a letter of introduction from Lord Nolan."
"Yes, I know who you are. You're the love struck couple from this morning. I haven't seen anything so romantic in years!" She sighs, her light brown eyes glazing over. When I glance at Zane, he rolls his eyes at me, making me giggle. "Come with me. I'll take you to Taranis right away."
We follow her through the main cabin door and into the narrow hallway beyond. The walls are made of a gorgeous dark mahogany wood. I wonder who keeps the wood polished to such a beautiful sheen. At the end of the hall, she stops in front of a large door made with the same wood as the hall and pounds on it. A muffled voice yells from within.
"Stay here for a minute while I go announce you."
We wait in the hall as she enters the room and closes the door behind her. The door opens again within moments and she rushes back out into the hall.
"He's ready for you, dears. Go on in." We walk in through the open door and Hanna eases it closed behind us.
Chapter Twenty-One
Taranis
The room we enter appears to be the captain's bedroom. There's a massive bed against one wall. A tiny desk covered with a large nautical map sits against the opposite wall. Oddly enough, there's a bookshelf loaded with books next to the desk. I wasn't under the impression pirates read. The main draw of the room is the panoramic vista from the three enormous windows overlooking the prow. Unable to stop myself, I wander over to the windows and peer out at the deep blue sea. I fail to notice the man sitting on a sofa next to the window to my left.
"So you're the woman who saved her lover from execution this morning. You are truly a stunning specimen," a deep voice rings out.
I gasp in surprise, turning toward the voice to see a handsome man rise from the sofa and amble toward me. It's difficult to determine his age, but I would guess he must be close in age to Zane. He's wearing snug black pants, which cling rather nicely to his legs, tucked into black leather boots. His aqua blue silk shirt is several shades lighter than his intense blue eyes. The reddest hair I've ever seen falls around him in waves like a cherry waterfall, ending just above his waist. He has a licentious leer in those bright blue eyes. My heart leaps, and I take a quick step away from him. Zane moves in front of me, blocking the man from coming any closer.
"I suppose I should be wary of you," he says to Zane. "Don't worry, hands off. I promise." I move to Zane's side, and he places his arm around my shoulders.
"I have a letter from your uncle, Lord Nolan," Zane says, holding out the letter to the captain. He takes it then walks over and plops down at his desk to read it.
"He wants me to take you to Karina. Let's see, you have an evil sorcerer trying to kill you. Your cargo includes a fenrir and a griffin. And on top of it all, you want to practice magic aboard my vessel. You don't ask for much, do ya?" he asks with a peal of laughter.
Dropping the letter on the desk, he rises and walks back over to the window. For several moments, he stares out at the sea, saying nothing. Then he turns back to us, his blue eyes hard.
"Why should I even consider taking you to Karina? I see absolutely no gain for me, and quite a lot to lose. And don't give me the sob story about being the Chosen of Verdane. I'm already well aware of that."
"We plan to destroy Delistaire the next time he attacks," Zane says, with a sly gleam in his eyes. "He's quite wealthy, and I just happen to be his heir. It could mean an awful lot of money coming your way."
"You're Delistaire's kid?" the captain asks, eyes narrowing. "Man, I do not envy you. Why's your old man trying to kill you?"
"He wants to get to me before I kill him." Zane's eyes are hard as he continues to stare at the rogue.
"That man is like mega powerful. What makes you think you can beat him?" the pirate asks. He walks over to the bed and falls backward across it, propping himself up on his elbows. When he wiggles his eyebrows at me, my golden eyes widen in disbelief.
"The woman you keep ogling is also very powerful. Did you not see what she did for your cousin Riala? Light magic can also be used to destroy Delistaire." Zane walks closer until he's looming over the captain. "One last piece of advice… stop undressing her with your eyes unless you wish to become better acquainted with my sword."
"I apologize," Taranis says sitting up and holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Overprotective much?"
He snickers at his own joke, which is rather pathetic since it wasn't funny. If his clenched fists are any indication, Zane is about to throttle the infuriating captain. Stepping forward, I place my hand on Zane's arm. While this pirate
is irritating, we still require his services. Captain Taranis glares up at us from his seat on the bed.
"Fine, I'll take you to Karina for five hundred silver."
"Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?" I gasp in utter astonishment.
"Do you wish to pay for your passage in a more servile manner?" he asks, leering at me as he runs his fingers over the bedding suggestively.
Oh, that's it! Striding up to him, I punch him with a quick jab to his jaw. His hand flies to his face while his eyes glare daggers at me.
"Ow! What'd I do?" he whines, clutching his chin. "Kiss it and make it feel better."
"Enough!" Zane says before releasing a frustrated growl. "I'll pay you two hundred silver pieces now and two hundred gold coins when we defeat Delistaire." My eyes fly to Zane. Did he just say two hundred gold coins?
"Three hundred silver now and three hundred gold when you ice Delistaire," Taranis counters, his blue eyes gleaming.
He seems to have forgotten about his jaw. Perhaps I need to train a bit more in hand-to-hand combat.
"Two hundred silver now and four hundred gold when Delistaire is dead," Zane replies, folding his arms across his chest.
"Done," the captain says. "Guess I'll just have to hope you manage to kill him." Greed sparkles in his eyes, like he's already counting the gold.
"How soon can we leave?" Zane demands. "As you can imagine we're in a bit of a rush."
"We can shove off in a few hours," Taranis advises, reclining back on the bed. "As long as you have the silver, that is."
"That won't be a problem. We'll be back in a couple hours." As we head to the door Zane adds over his shoulder, "Don't bother getting up. We can show ourselves out."
He takes my hand, pulling me through the door before the pirate can say anything. I follow his fast pace out onto the deck then down the gangplank. When he still doesn't slow, I come to a complete stop jerking him back.
"What?" he scowls, his eyes storming with unconcealed rage. My shock must've shown on my face since his eyes soften and he releases a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. That man is infuriating to say the least. I can't imagine spending five days cooped up on a ship with him."
"Where will we get the money?" I ask. "You can have my fifty silver pieces, but we still need another one hundred fifty."
"I still have about one hundred ten or so," he replies. "I'll have to sell something to make up the rest."
We walk away from the harbor and back through the town square. It seems every person we pass stares at us with undisguised curiosity. It's becoming unnerving — way too much like home. As we pass a blonde woman, I remember Clara.
"There's someone I need to find. Her name's Clara and she helped me save you." I glance around the square as if she might appear out of thin air.
"Clara, hmm," Zane says, gazing into the distance, "the name seems so familiar."
"It should. She claimed to be your aunt," I say smiling. When he glances at me with worry-filled eyes, I realize what might be bothering him. "Your mother's younger sister, not your father's."
"Well, shall we go find her then?" Zane asks. At my nod, he walks over to a man gaping at us. "Do you know a woman named Clara?"
"Uh, blonde woman, c-curly hair?" he asks, stumbling over his words.
"Yes! That's her," I reply. "Do you know where we can find her?"
"She runs the apothecary shop down this street," he says, pointing behind us.
"Thank you so much!" I call out as Zane drags me down the street.
The street is narrow and paved in cobblestones, with numerous shops lining both sides. We pass four other shops before reaching our destination. Zane opens the door and holds it for me. The interior of the shop is dim, lit by flickering candles. The aroma of various herbs and flowers fills the air, making my nose itch. The walls to the right and left are lined with hundreds of bottles. There seems to be some sort of herbal remedy for everything. I grab two small bottles of a concentrated healing potion. According to the label, it's made with the rare briarwood plant, renowned for its amazing restorative properties. The small apothecary in Verdane has nothing this strong. We approach a large counter in front of us, and I ring the tiny bell sitting on the glass.
"Be right there!" a bright voice yells from the back room.
Within seconds, Clara emerges from the back of the store. Her eyes widen and her mouth turns up into a beaming smile when she sees us. She races around the counter and hugs me first then Zane.
"Oh, Zane, it's been so long since I've seen you. I think you were three back then. I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're okay," she says, her bright blue eyes reflecting surprise and relief.
"Ashlyn said you helped save me," Zane says. "Thank you." He's silent for a moment, staring at Clara as if searching for something. "I'm sorry. You seem so familiar but I just don't remember."
"It's all right. I didn't expect you to. Delistaire didn't want your mother associating with anyone he couldn't control. I seldom got to see you and it was only in secret." Her voice drips venom. "She couldn't leave him, couldn't even defy him. He made sure of that with his horrible spell." Zane pulls out the crystal pendant and shows it to Clara. "Yes! That awful thing. Why do you have it?"
"It was his gift to Ashlyn. She almost put it on before I could stop her."
The blasted pendant, it calls to me. Before I realize what's happening I reach out, trying to grab it. Zane shoves it back into the velvet pouch. I blink several times and shake my head.
"The spell is strong. She can't resist it at all," Zane says, rubbing tiny circles on my back.
"Why are you keeping that hideous thing? You should destroy it at once," Clara insists, her blue eyes glinting in anger.
"I think we may need it soon. I'll make sure she doesn't get her hands on it. As long as it's in the pouch it doesn't seem to bother her." Zane places the black velvet pouch back in his bag. "We're trying to put together enough silver for passage to Karina. Do you know someone who'd purchase some gemstones for a decent price?"
"How much silver do you need?" Clara asks.
"Passage is two hundred. I have one ten and Ashlyn has fifty." He pauses. "I'll need to make about one hundred so we can still purchase lodging and supplies."
"Wait here a minute," Clara commands. She disappears into the room behind the store. When she returns she's carrying a small red pouch. "Here," she says, handing the pouch to Zane, "one hundred silver."
"We can't accept this!" Zane says, trying to return the pouch. "It's too much."
"You can and you will," she replies in a manner that doesn't invite argument. "Please, I insist," she says in a softer tone as she backs away and places her hands behind her back. Zane strides forward, pulling her into his arms in a fierce hug. "Oh, feel free to take any herbal remedies that will help on your quest. On the house, of course."
"Thank you for everything you've done," Zane says with a lopsided grin. "I can never express how deeply my gratitude runs." She hugs him back then turns to me, enfolding me in her embrace.
"Thank you for being there for us," I murmur before pulling back to meet her gaze. "The thought of what would've happened had you not been there is…" I trail off, unable to voice those thoughts aloud.
"Be careful you two," she says smiling. "I have faith you'll prevail."
Zane places the pouch of silver in his pack, and we head toward the door.
"Goodbye, Clara," I call out when we reach the door.
"Promise me you'll come back and visit after you finish your quest and rid the world of that despicable sorcerer," she replies, waving from the counter.
"We will, I promise," Zane says, nodding his head to her as we exit the shop.
Before heading out of town to search for Shadow and Freya, we stop by a few shops to stock up on food. My stomach turns at the dried jerky Zane purchases. Hopefully the pirates will have food and water available for us as well.
Anxiety gnaws at me when we approach the main gate of the town. I haven't seen
Shadow or Freya in almost two days. Please, Goddess, let them be safe. As soon as we exit onto the grassy plains beyond the town, I start glancing around, frantic to find them. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when there's no sign of them. They should be in hiding.
"Shadow!" I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth to help the sound carry farther. "Shadow!"
"Freya!" Zane calls.
Nothing. We continue walking north of the town toward the beach. My cries to our companions become more frequent and desperate. After walking a mile or so, we come across an outcropping of rocks near the cliff by the beach.
"Shadow!" I yell again, my voice hoarse from too much shouting.
A black streak tears out of the rocks ahead of us, tackling me to the soft golden sand. Shadow licks my face several times then pounces on Zane. While they're greeting each other, a loud shriek echoes through the sky. Freya lands on the beach beside us.
"I'm so glad you're both safe. Come we need to head to the ship," I say, burying my fingers in the downy feathers on Freya's neck.
I mount Freya and Shadow is once again placed behind me. Once Zane has settled behind the wolf, Freya takes to the sky. We soar over the town then I guide her down onto the largest dock in the harbor. After dismounting, we approach the pirate ship moored at the end of the pier. The same crewmembers are guarding the gangplank as before. They stare at Freya with wide eyes before moving aside to allow us to board the vessel. Hanna meets us when we reach the deck.
"Oh, I saw you land a few moments ago!" she says wistfully. "It must be so amazing to fly."
She ushers us toward the main cabin door. When we reach it, she stops for a moment and appears perplexed.
"I guess the wolf and the griffin will be okay out here alone. Right?" she asks, worry in her voice.
"They won't eat anyone if that's what you're worried about," Zane says smiling. He turns to the two animals. "Stay here for a while and please be gentle with the nice people."
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