Reynolvan shoved her aside protecting the smaller wizard as a troll led a charge onto their deck. Her wizards weren't as strong as the mages so close to the enemy, but they cast their spells directly into the troll and orcs following it. Reynolvan stumbled to his knees despite his shield held between him and a pair of orcs. Their blades were black and bit into the water shield he had pulled from the air. Like the night spells, the swords fed on the element and nearly broke his defense in one blow.
"Light!" she cast her left hand towards the orcs only a few feet from her. On one knee, her right hand braced against the deck as the light lanced out at the closer of the two orcs. Black armor seemed to boil under the power of her light making him reel back in shock. The second orc raised his mace quickly to smite the woman, but was pushed back as a handful of Malaiyan marines charged across the fore deck towards the enemies.
The marines had little defensive gear, but the men fought bravely against their armored foes. Annalicia struggled to her feet casting the light spells into the enemy. Between the men and the wizards, the troll and its allies' charge stalled before they eventually gave way falling back.
Sebastian and two of his mages chased the black armored foes back to their warship. A battle between the wizard hunter warlocks and the three looked to be as frenetic and dangerous as any of the fighting between the two sides. Luckily, Sebastian and the others proved to be better despite a hard fought win.
With the enemy defeated, Annalicia leaned against the rail overlooking the lower, middle deck. Some of the enemy sat against the side rails below bereft of their weapons. They were prisoners, but she wondered what they should do with them. Their mission didn't leave room to deal with the sort of numbers that they had captured.
The black ship had taken a lot of damage in the fighting and it was decided, after removing the ship's weapons, to leave them on the enemy vessel to fend for themselves. Their firepower gone, the black ship couldn't harm anyone else. They only had one full sail and couldn't possibly catch any other vessels now.
A chest of gold and jewels was put below deck, the spoils of battle. Two more wizards from Southwall were found as well. They had been prisoners caught by the ships at the island with the castle. Annalicia listened to their stories later. The Sea Dragon tended its wounds and turned to the south following Darterian's compass once more.
As the ship continued south, Annalicia was just thankful that she had sent Xerese away on her father's other ship. She could bring the letter from Darius to her father and return to the safety of Malaiy. There should be no danger if the trip back was as uneventful as the trip to Southwall had been, Anna thought hopefully.
Chapter 18- In the Storm
Xerese held a cup of water in one hand and a pair of pills in the other as the Zephyr continued to push west. It went up and down in continuous repetition to the point that should she stop to think about it, her stomach wanted to heave.
The pills went in and she quickly washed them down before her taste buds had the time to be disgusted by a flavor like moldy mushrooms. Next time she saw Annalicia, Xerese had to ask her cousin to do something about the taste of the seasickness pills. She didn't know what they were made from, but they certainly tasted unpleasant. However bad they might taste, the young lady from Malaiy had to admit that they seemed to work well enough for her.
Now if they had just made a pill to make the time go by faster, she thought as her return went well into the third week. It was taking longer than the trip to Southwall from what she understood. The captain took readings from his equipment and did his best to keep her apprised of their progress even when all they had seen for over a week was water.
The winds had been at their back heading to Southwall and, when they flagged, Annalicia or Jezra and Ivanor could take turns using their air spells to keep their pace. With her cousin taking the other wizards with her on the Sea Dragon, the Zephyr lacked any magical assistance. They had also stopped more along the way.
As a commercial ship, the Zephyr and its crew needed to conduct business to fund the long trip. They had forgone most of their trade along the route to Southwall in an effort to catch up to the Sea Dragon to relay Marq Philip's letters to his daughter and father. After dropping off the letters and some cargo bound for Hala, they had even gone north during the tournament for some trade in Staron before returning to pick up the lady and her guardsmen.
Correspondence from Darius and Annalicia were in Xerese's possession to return to the Master of Coin, but Captain Hedrin seemed to have been given permission to take his time on the return. It seemed like every decent size city along the coast became a stop slowing their travel to a crawl until they left the southern point of Sileoth.
She had no doubt that if there had been any other island between Sileoth and Taltan that he would have found a reason to stop again, but land was weeks away. Even full sail took considerable time, but they were forced to tack back and forth fighting the wind. That was on the good days, since the gods seemed inclined to make the trip as agonizingly slow as Hedrin had at first. Winds died to nothing three times and they lost nearly three full days.
Xerese's mind wandered as she went to place the cup on a barrel tied to the side of the central cabin. Catching less of her makeshift table than was optimal, the cup began to fall.
"Careful, my lady," Toman warned catching the cup with his amazing reflexes or perhaps he was simply used to her clumsy ways. The sea and the pills had made her a bit groggy at times. More graceful on land, the lady felt awkward at sea.
"Thank you, Toman," she said with a sigh to the massive guardsman. He was almost a decade older and often felt like a big brother as he watched over her. The youngest of five children, Xerese was the only daughter and her brothers were all much older than her besides; so she knew the feeling of an older brother.
The dark haired guard was the leader of the two men protecting her. His backup sat on the deck across from them whittling at a piece of a wood with a small knife. Though likely a potential weapon, the small knife was probably a last resort since he also had a pair of daggers on his belt. Slightly younger than Toman, Dillon followed the larger man's lead; but stuck on the ship with little to do he appeared as bored as the girl they protected.
They were also aboard a ship owned by her cousins. Marquess Serafene was her first cousin, but like most of the children of the king and his siblings they were much older than her. She missed Annalicia, her second cousin who was also her age. Anna had helped her pass the time on the way to Southwall, but no one aboard the Zephyr had stepped up to take her place.
A ship of men should have been a little more interesting to a young woman perhaps, but her guards tended to make any sailor keep their distance leaving just her guards and the captain for conversation.
"I wonder how much longer it will be before we see land again? I suppose that Captain Hedrin will want to make more stops, but at least we should have time to get off this beast of a ship. Solid land would be wonderful to feel if only for an hour. I am so sick of these waves."
Dillon heard her tone and fought to keep from smiling at her discomfort, but Xerese caught the slight upturn to his lips.
"The captain has been working the ship both south and west at the same time. I would guess that the first town that would be a likely stop would be in Tseult, my lady," Toman replied. They had spoken with the captain from time to time, but all the tacking had left the man telling them that it would depend on the winds as to where they would close on Taltan.
A thump as the Zephyr landed in a trough between waves that was less consistent made Xerese stumble. If she had continued to try wearing her shoes, the girl would have fallen. While she still chose to wear her ladylike dresses, Xerese had given up on wearing shoes as soon as the air turned warmer. She had turned an ankle a couple times vainly holding onto her heeled shoes, until it was warm enough to remove their coats while on deck.
Looking at the position of the sun, the girl thought that they were heading nearly due
west. She opened the door for the steerage cabin and questioned the officer holding the wheel, "Are we still tacking or have you chosen to take us simply west?"
Without smiling at the pretty girl, he remained businesslike with Toman behind her blocking out the light from the door. "Taltan is a few leagues south, but it is safer to give this section a wider berth."
Frowning at his answer, Xerese asked, "What danger is there in sailing closer to land? I would think that it would be better and offer more ports for trade if that is what the captain wishes."
"There have always been pirates or privateers that have plagued the seas around here. A trade ship like the Zephyr makes a decent prize, so the captain prefers staying a bit further out in case there are spotters along the coast that might be in league with those kinds of ships."
The young woman could hardly argue against the offer of safe passage, though she heartily wanted to push for a quicker visit to land. Walking out in frustration, Xerese barely noticed Toman move aside for the girl he was supposed to protect.
"They're just doing what they think is right, my lady," the guardsman said after the door was closed once more. "I know that you are ready for this trip to be over, but you need to remain patient."
Frowning at him in annoyance, the girl complained, "I know that already, Toman. If I didn't, I would still be arguing with Varda in there or I would drag Captain Hedrin from wherever he has decided to hide himself this time.
"His argument is pirates or privateers, though we have good alliances with most of the countries along the north coast of Taltan; so I don't know why we would have to fear them. My worry is weather."
Toman looked to the west, though the sails obscured a clear view of the skies in that direction. "There are hardly any clouds in the sky. Unless you've picked up some of your cousin's weather abilities, I don't know why you would think that."
"If I wasn't fighting seasickness the whole trip, I would say that it was my gut. That is what you soldier types say when you have a sense of trouble coming, don't you?'
Dillon heard her trying to speak like a commoner and smiled before looking down at his carving. Toman didn't hide his smile and he nodded. "Yes, my lady, we soldier types do rely on our gut for hunches to avoid danger when we can."
Again the man looked towards the sky. "My gut doesn't say the same thing, but I haven't been seasick this whole time either."
Giving an incoherent exclamation of annoyance at his opinion, Xerese moved towards the prow of the Zephyr to watch the water and the sky. She was no air wizard, but for some reason she believed that her hunch was right.
Philip returned home feeling weary. The funeral for the princess had been a few days earlier and since then the king had been pressuring his council for answers. He wanted to find the culprit behind the poison. Philip had a feeling that at this point, Orlaan didn't even care if they found the right man. Anyone that could be used as a scapegoat to give him revenge to ease his pain would do, but Philip wouldn't give up and do such a thing. He hoped Lord Denefar had similar moral parameters or his spies might offer up an innocent as a sacrifice.
A surprising amount of activity was found inside his home. Servants were moving in and out of the entry hall in a hurry that was unusual, at least for this time of day. Bags were being brought down and maids were running to and fro on errands that he couldn't immediately understand.
As he entered, Serafene came down the stairs speaking with Alicia and Laram, their head steward. His wife noticed him looking perplexed down below and offered Philip a weak smile.
"What's going on?" he asked curiously. Philip felt his heart sink into his stomach sensing that something was amiss. It wasn't a difficult leap to make, since he couldn't remember Serafene ever in the midst of packing without warning him first.
With a big sigh, his wife took his hands as she met him at the bottom step and said, "Etrine's letters have become more disturbing and now Oland has even requested that I come visit her. I think Carland's death has pushed her towards a nervous breakdown. Perhaps a visit from her sister and niece can help to snap her out of her darkness."
Alicia didn't look completely happy as her mother announced her intentions.
"Both of you are going?" the man replied sounding a bit surprised.
Serafene nodded.
"I thought that you were still working through your suitors," he said to his daughter. "Do you think that you can leave at a time like this?"
While Philip didn't truly care if she married sooner or later, the matter had been a priority for both Alicia and his wife for the last few months. Both had seemed intent on finding the right man before her twenty-fifth birthday. They had time, but it was still closing quicker than he could believe. Time passed faster the older he got, but the last month had gone at a blistering pace with all of its disturbing events.
Wincing at his question, Alicia replied, "If mother is gone, the house will get too lonely. I would rather go with her and try to help than remain here just to let those men try and dote on me. I am not so superficial to ignore when my family needs me."
He wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself, but he nodded. "Are you sure about this?" he asked turning to his wife. "If there is a conspiracy to bring down the royal family, you two might be riding into danger. I can't protect you if I remain here."
"But you can't go with because of Orlaan," Serafene nodded. "Don't fear for us. I will take a dozen guardsmen in addition to the drivers and footmen. If this enemy's choice is using the shadows to accomplish his goals, that many eyes and swords should be more than enough to dissuade them from harming us. I even called on the wizards' guild and two wizards are on the way to join us."
Her face went from confident to worried looking at her husband and she voiced the fear saying, "I am more worried that you won't be safe here. Inside our home might be protected, but you keep putting yourself in the line of fire for the king. If our enemy notices, then you might be the one in danger, Philip."
Still holding both of her hands, the man noted the soft warmth of her touch. He looked into her worried, blue eyes and noticed a stray lock of dark blonde hair. With his right hand, Philip gently lifted the strand placing it back over her ear.
"If this enemy wants to kill members of the royal family, a spouse means little. I can't vie for the throne, only you two could. As to being noticed and winding up in their sights, I am being careful enough to avoid that as best I can.
"A trip to Etrine's home will take you days to get there. You will need to stop at a few inns along the way. The men will have a hard time of securing those places for you."
Serafene began to shake her head and said, "We can argue this all day, but I must go. We will both have to agree to do our best to stay safe. That is all we can do. Life is full of danger no matter what we try. We just need to have faith."
"If you are certain that you must go, then I won't stand in your way. I couldn't even if I wanted to," he finished with a little laugh. Like he had told her, she was the marquess. His title was more honorary than official since he wasn't blood kin of the king. He could never take the throne unless somehow Serafene was in line to wear the crown and her orders superseded his own.
The blonde haired marquess pulled him close to kiss her husband. Alicia glanced away embarrassed by their affection, though pressed she would probably still prefer it to parents who merely tolerated each other's presence.
"Well, there are just some things that a sister must do for her siblings. Etrine is in a fragile state. Hopefully we can help her to grieve in a more productive way. Carland was her baby, but Bartrand and his wife remain. Perhaps she can take solace in her elder son. I will see what else I can think of to raise her spirits.
"The trip will give me time to think of more at least."
There was little more to argue, so the three worked out their goodbyes while their carriage was brought around by the drivers. Horses and guardsmen flocked around the carriage readying their equipment and packs. It wasn
't a procession easily missed so Philip just hoped that Serafene's assumption was correct. A show of force might keep assassins away, but would the Brothers of the Blood or another enemy decide to gather a larger force if the opportunity presented itself.
He still didn't know if all the family was a target or even if, but there had been too many deaths and incidents in a short time to ignore the possible danger. Serafene had to see her sister though and Philip knew that there was little he could say to stop her from going to visit Etrine.
After their last goodbyes, the man watched as the remainder of his family disappeared out the gate. Annalicia should be returning soon at least, he thought. Maybe the return of his youngest would start to heal what was wrong in Yalan. It was a lot to ask of a young girl, but it was a bit of hope when he needed it.
The storm had blown up almost like magic and the Zephyr was tossed about by the massive waves. Winds tore at the sails no matter how the frigate turned or tried to save them. Reducing sails was the best option, but they couldn't escape the storm that way either.
As the storm raged, Xerese tried to ride it out in her cabin with her guards. Her stomach couldn't take the turbulent tossing of the Zephyr and she grew sicker. Being trapped inside was even worse. Finally unable to take the sickness and fear, the girl pushed for the doorway to the deck.
"My lady,.. Xerese, stop!" Toman tried recalling the girl to her senses even daring to use her name.
She was smaller than him, weaker; but Xerese was desperate.
"You can lash me to the cabin with rope, but I can't stay down here!" she cried in panic.
Wood cracked and creaked making it sound like the Zephyr would be destroyed before the might of nature soon. It made her even more certain that her life was in more danger down below than if they could reach the deck. At least if she could be secured to the cabin, Xerese knew that she wouldn't be trapped inside unable to escape if the ship should sink.
The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus Page 26