Compass of the Nymphs

by Sam Bennett

  The wagon was soon tossed on the raft, and it dipped and swayed uneasily. All three watched with baited breath hoping for the best. It slowly stopped rocking and became still. Lahara breathed a sigh of relief, gently lowering the raft down on to the water. She grabbed Taisiya and Zara’s hands and led the two safely onto their improvised boat.

  Zara and Taisiya made themselves comfortable, and Lahara busied herself summoning the wind to give haste to their travels. There wasn’t very much room on the tiny raft, so Zara and Taisiya found themselves leaning against the wagon to support their backs. Their long day of traveling was starting to take its toll, and the break was much needed.

  Taisiya found her eyes closing from exhaustion. She rested her head on Zara’s shoulder and fell asleep. He was now wide-awake and decided to quietly eat a little snack to replenish his fading energy. He glanced over his shoulder and was content to see that Lahara was resting her eyes, too. Still, her hands were softly swaying back and forth with the wind as it propelled the raft forward much faster than the current alone could take them.

  Zara sat quietly and watched the land as it breezed by him. During his time as Adrasteia’s top spy, he spent his hours doing what now seemed the most mundane tasks: listening in on townspeople or overseeing the training of new warriors. That didn’t seem as much fun now that he was on a true adventure. Despite the exhilaration, he also felt a pang of guilt. Back in the queen’s wicked castle were Taisiya’s parents and his own brother. When Zara was there pretending to be an ally to the queen, he knew he could watch over how others were treated. Now that he was labeled as a traitor, he feared the queen may not take so kindly to his family, and he knew that she would not be gentle with Taisiya’s. There was one thing that Zara was certain about; it was now his duty to protect Taisiya and to ensure her safety in rescuing her parents.

  As Zara sat and thought, he found himself drifting off to sleep as well. It seemed to the three as they slept that only minutes had passed, but in reality there was a peaceful hour that had slipped by before they were harshly awakened. A large wave smashed atop the raft, startling the riders and soiling a couple of the books sitting on top of the wagon. Taisiya struggled to cough up some of the water, and Zara tried to help her clear her throat as he looked up at Lahara. “What is going on?!” he shrieked.

  The nymph gauged their surroundings and made an educated guess. “I’d say we’re almost there,” she said cautiously. “It looks like we just hit a tributary that, like the river we were riding, will empty into the ocean.”

  “That’s good, then,” Zara said optimistically. The worried expression that Lahara had on her face wasn’t as optimistic.

  Taisiya coughed a little and chimed in, “Sure that’s good,” she said, grabbing her wet hair and pulling it up into a ponytail so that it would stay out of her eyes. “But what’s your plan to stop the raft?”

  She was right; as they conversed, they continued to rocket along, being tossed back and forth by more and more water as they veered closer to the ocean. Zara looked up at Lahara and said with a sheepish grin, “Magic?”

  Lahara and Taisiya were too busy deep in thought to reply. Seconds later, Taisiya tried to get her footing on the swaying raft. As she steadied herself, she shouted at Lahara, “Take off your cloak!”

  The nymph seemed appalled. “Why?!” she shouted back.

  Taisiya was busy rummaging through the wagon. “You’re already soaking wet. Take it off!” she growled. Despite saying she wasn’t afraid of Taisiya earlier, Lahara obeyed. Taisiya snatched the cape and quickly wrung it as dry as she could get it before handing it to Zara. He took the cloak without saying a word but wondered what crazy plan she was cooking up. He’d spied from afar many of her wild schemes before to save her life, so he knew that as crazy as it may appear, Taisiya knew what she was doing.

  “Hurry!” Taisiya said, motioning for Lahara to come and help her. The swaying was getting more violent now, and Lahara struggled to take even a few paces over to Taisiya and the wagon. “Zara, we’re going to take all the food and belongings we can get out of this wagon and use the cloak as a makeshift cover to stop them from getting so wet.”

  Taisiya already had half of the wagon emptied, and Zara quickly started protecting their possessions under the thickness of the cloak. Once Lahara joined the process, the wagon was emptied hastily. Taisiya then grabbed Lahara by the arm, forcing her back with Zara. Stepping forward and grabbing the wagon, Taisiya glanced back at her comrades. “Here goes nothing,” she said, picking up the wagon and holding it high above her head. Zara and Lahara watched in incredulous horror as Taisiya took a big breath and plunged the wagon over the side of the raft.

  Her upper body went under the water with it, and Zara raced over to make sure she was okay. Sure enough, she soon came back up for air, her hand still staying firmly underwater. “Zara!” she said, smiling, “hold me.”

  Zara quickly went to give her an embrace, but she shoved him off. “I mean hold me down! To the raft!” she chortled. “Lahara, you help him. Any second now, if I’m right…something will try to fling me off the raft.”

  Lahara raced over and held down one of Taisiya’s legs with Zara supporting the other. The raft was then rocked violently before slowly coming to a halt. Taisiya let out a sigh of relief as Zara and Lahara looked at each other bewildered. “What have you done?!” Zara exclaimed.

  Despite the fact that they were no longer barreling towards the ocean, water from the other tributaries was still threatening their lives. “I’ll tell you later!” Taisiya replied. “Now, Lahara…take your cloak and the belongings and jump to the land. Zara, stay here with me.”

  “Of course,” Zara said quietly. He held down Taisiya’s other leg as Lahara got up to make her way to dry land. She disembarked safely and shouted at them to hurry up in joining her.

  Water was starting to overtake the tiny raft. Taisiya turned to Zara and explained the situation. “The wagon is acting as an anchor. I tossed it down there and it gathered up enough mud and rocks from the floor to halt the raft. But…” she said wistfully, “the only thing keeping us secured is me. I’m holding on to the handle of the wagon. You can jump off now, and…”

  She didn’t have to continue. Zara finished the sentence for her. “And then you won’t have anything holding you to the raft. You might drown…”

  “Zara, please,” she pleaded, “I’ve been in worse situations than this. Swimming in a raging river will be nothing.”

  He shook his head, “That’s not a risk I’m willing to let you take.”

  Taisiya opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say a word, Zara had picked her up. The raft went racing away once more, and before either one could stop to think, Zara held on tight to Taisiya and jumped off. Water surrounded them, and it was hard to get back above water.

  Lahara raced down the riverbank to where she had last seen them before the jump. She concentrated, honing in her powers, and plunged her head under the water, looking around for the drowning humans. Zara’s frame came in to view, and Lahara reached a hand out to help him. She pulled with all her might, and a few seconds later Zara and Taisiya were on top of her, coughing and spewing up river water. Lahara was disgusted and relieved at the same time.

  Zara rolled off of Lahara and caught his breath. “Thank you so much,” he said gratefully. “You saved our lives.”

  Lahara smiled and nodded as if it were no problem at all. “Taisiya, are you all right?” she asked.

  Taisiya shook her head in frustration. “No,” she grumbled. “There’s just one thing I need.”

  “What’s that?” Lahara asked.

  “A ship with a real anchor.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT –

  ANCHORS AWEIGH

  Once Taisiya, Zara, and Lahara had gotten back on their feet and dried off, the group consulted the slightly soggy map and set off towards the harbor. The sun had already begun to set, and all three were thankful that the dark and dense forest was far behind them. A bust
ling city was coming into view, and it was very much alive at night. The townspeople were out and about having a wonderful time. Wine was flowing all around while the citizens enjoyed themselves.

  Men and women were dancing in the streets as a symphony of music echoed throughout the city. A celebration was definitely occurring. As they approached the merriment, Lahara sniffed the air and remarked there was evil afoot. She couldn’t decipher if it was the powers of a good or bad nymph, though. The travelers proceeded with caution as they entered the festivities.

  Their arrival went generally unnoticed; those that did observe them welcomed them with open arms. A man intoxicated from the partying grabbed Zara’s arm and spun him around, dancing. Zara was taken aback and shook the stranger off him, much to the man’s sorrow.

  “Pardon me,” Zara said, slightly offended at the state of the man before him. “Have you any idea where we can rent a boat around here?”

  The drunk cackled as if it were the funniest question he had ever been asked. “Head to the docks, of course!” His eyes crossed before he went on to ask, “I take it you’re not the friends of the new queen, no?”

  Taisiya pushed past Zara and grabbed the drunken man by the neck. She glared at him. “What new queen?”

  He contorted his face in a funny face at her. “The new queen, duh.”

  “Taisiya…he’s too drunk; let’s move on,” Zara pleaded.

  She ignored him, refusing to release her grip around the man’s throat. He was starting to turn blue. Her vice-like grip had a sobering effect on him, and as she repeated her question he changed his tune.

  “Look little girl,” he spat. “I don’t know who she is. We just got word today that a queen from far away would be visiting here in the next few days. Our mayor announced she wishes to buy all our land---the money will take the town out of debt. Just days ago we were facing an invasion from armies we are indebted to…we are celebrating this generous queen that heard our cries.”

  “Do you not know her name?” Taisiya growled, loosening her grip enough for him to take a breath.

  He shook his head. “Not quite, miss, but it’s something hard to pronounce. Astral T, perhaps?” He scratched at his head as his eyes glazed over once more. Taisiya let him go, and he went across the street grabbing another wine bottle and pretending nothing had happened.

  Zara had gone pale. Taisiya shook her head as well. “Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”

  Lahara glanced around before saying in a hushed voice, “Follow me.”

  She slipped behind a building with Taisiya and Zara following her. They carefully made their way around the revelry, getting closer and closer to the docks. While the city dwellers were busy partying, no one was paying much attention to the ships in the harbor. No one noticed as they snuck onto an empty ship that usually transported goods.

  The craft was of a decent size; it would easily and comfortably house the three of them for the extent of their journey. It wasn’t too massive like some of the other ships they had seen in the dock—those ships were built to impress and intimidate. This ship was built for speed, and that was just what they needed.

  Of the three, Lahara was the one most comfortable at the helm of a ship, having journeyed on one during her escape from Ethnymphai. She stowed their belongings and went to steer while Zara and Taisiya worked on undocking the ship. It had been tied to posts at the dock with extremely sturdy and complicated knots. Taisiya worked on untangling the loops while Zara climbed the mast to be lookout for their departure from the docks.

  Taisiya was beginning to wish more and more that she had a mastery of nature like Lahara. It would be much simpler to use nature to unlace the knots than to sit here, chaffing her hands as she attempted to loosen the ship from its binding. Adding to her anxiousness was the fact that at any second someone might spot them. As one knot was conquered, she raced to the other one and began working on it.

  An entire town of drunken people can either be your best friend or worst enemy. While Taisiya was working away at the last of the knots, one of the people partying from across the town noticed Zara climbing the mast. Those around him passed off his exclaiming and disbelief as a result of his intoxication, but as word of what he saw traveled it reached the ears of those that weren’t as tipsy.

  As they made their way to the docks, it was imperative for Taisiya to free the knot and get them on their way. From his position, Zara noticed the people were making their way to the ships. “Taisiya, I don’t mean to scare you,” he shouted down, “but please hurry!”

  Sweat rolled down her face as she raced even faster to complete her task. The sound of angry voices reached her ears, and she looked up to see the shadows of the figures approaching the ship. Taisiya looked back down at the knot. It was nowhere near close to being finished. There was no way that she would have it unknotted by the time the townsfolk reached the dock.

  Thoughts raced through her head too fast for her to even comprehend. If this knot is so strong that it won’t easily come undone, she thought, maybe it’s stronger than the wood holding it to the dock… She stopped trying to untie the knot, and looked up as the drunks neared closer and closer. She grabbed the length of the rope holding the ship to the dock and pulled with all her might.

  Fearing the worst, Zara began descending the mast, and Lahara racked her brain as to what to use incase a brawl were to occur. Neither of the two had braced themselves for the impact little Taisiya was about to cause. As she pulled and pulled, the feeble and dilapidated wooden leg that held the dock up began to crack. It would have held up just fine if it had not been for the mass of people that rushed on the dock. The pressure of their bodies on the dock combined with Taisiya’s strength pulling the leg towards her sent the entire port into collapse. The knot stayed attached to the post, but with the post freed, nothing was holding the ship back.

  As the bodies of the angry townspeople fell into the ocean, they created a surge of water. The wave rippled out into the water, setting the ship sailing along at a breezy pace. Taisiya fell backwards and smiled, wiping the sweat off her brow in relief. Zara and Lahara turned to each other and began cheering. They raced over to help Taisiya get up. Once she had assured them she was all right, Zara went back to being the lookout and Lahara continued steering the ship.

  Despite what she told her comrades, Taisiya truly was in enormous pain. Her hands were nearly bleeding from the rope burn. She joined Lahara at the wheel and started to sort through the belongings they had brought. Immediately she searched for the balms and ointments Ammon had bought them. She found one labeled ‘Soothing Crème’ and applied it sparingly to her hands. As the pain subsided, she felt a aching in her stomach as her mind turned once more to thoughts of Ammon.

  Taisiya hoped that all was well in his secret hideout. She knew that Queen Adrasteia would stop at no lengths to find out where she and Zara were headed; if that meant torturing her parents or setting Ammon’s library on fire, so be it. She wistfully brushed back a stray hair that had fallen in her face and decided that now was not the time for moping. The three of them were on a mission to get to Ethnymphai, and believe it or not, they were almost there.

  Taisiya thought of all the people she had to be grateful for, mostly Zara and Lahara. There was no telling where she would be if Zara hadn’t saved her multiple times. Lahara also proved to be an invaluable ally. Her power over the elements had saved them days in travel time, of which they had none to spare. In fact, it seemed that if she hadn’t been there to get them to the shipyard in time, Queen Adrasteia would have beat them to it and taken over the land. With all the bad luck that seemed to follow her, Taisiya knew that the good luck was what had been keeping her a few steps ahead.

  She fingered through a couple of the books that lay in piles among the ointments, food and clothing. A couple of them had been waterlogged beyond repair. Taisiya tried to examine the spines of the books to see what knowledge had been lost, but as the books were very old to begin with, it was no use. One thi
ng she did notice, however, was that the couple of books Lahara had brought along survived the journey impeccably. There wasn’t a single damp page or bit of ink smeared in sight. As she flipped through Lahara’s texts, it was almost as if she could feel the power within its binding.

  Lahara took a moment to leave the helm of the ship and came over to join Taisiya. “You can sense your abilities that are waking up from their slumber, can’t you?” Taisiya nodded, and Lahara continued, “It is a gift. There is so much potential dwelling inside you, Taisiya. I just hope that on our journey I can bring some of it out and prepare you for the dark and evil place that we are headed.”

  Taisiya sat looking at the books in silence. Lahara absentmindedly pinned her hair up in a bun and began sorting through the pile of food. “Taisiya, dear,” she beckoned, “would you mind sorting through the potions and salves here? Over there is the captain’s cabin. We can store our goods there; if we should need something in a hurry, it will be quickest to get it from there, seeing as it’s the closest room to the deck.”

  Taisiya nodded and scooped up the variety of unguents. Lahara gathered the food and followed her into the captain’s cabin. Inside, they found a grand room with a luxurious bed, tables, parchments, and other various belongings of the ship’s rightful owner. Lahara cleared off one of the tables and laid the food down. Taisiya went off to sort the potions on the bedside table.

  The majority of the medicines had no label, or at best a very vague one. Once they were all neatly organized, Taisiya put some more of the cream on her palms. “Lahara,” she asked, “is there really magic in these potions?”

  Lahara thought for a moment before answering. “Well, there’s no such thing as ‘magic.’ At least not to nymphs.”

  “The things you do with the elements…how is that not magic?”

  “You’re very clever,” Lahara smirked, “I suppose we nymphs see the word magic, especially when used by humans, as spells and spirits, witches and whatnot. The elemental power you’re speaking of is different; it’s a natural ability.”