by R J Murray
“Bah, I’ll cover your costs,” the mage snapped. “I have gold in my purse and can easily get more once our task is complete.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that old friend.”
“You haven’t asked. I insist and if it keeps you from further heartbreak, then it is a small price to pay.”
Syn’s eyes gleamed as the fat mage lifted three thick gold coins from a pouch on his belt. Mia stared. She’d never seen gold coins before as few in the village had ever earned enough to have one. Even the sheepherders when the merchants came, were paid in handfuls of silver for their wool.
The mage passed it over to the astonished Jochum who nodded his thanks. “A loan from a friend and not a gift. I pay my own way and will repay you.”
“Pah. There’s nothing to repay. Our task is urgent, and I am merely compensating you for the disruption I have brought. Was my spell that tied us to the oath.”
What oath? Mia thought as she looked around at the others. None seemed willing to meet her eye and a shiver ran through her.
“Very well. My thanks, old friend.”
“What about the disruption to my life?” Syn asked innocently.
“From what I know of you, my lad, that’s not worth a copper penny.” Wynn snorted in laughter and patted his large belly. “Now, have we food in this flying death-trap?”
Elva crossed over to Mia and took her gently by the hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Thanks.”
They left the men bickering amongst themselves and went through the door the gnome had entered by. It opened into a wide space that was filled to the rafters with bales and crates of goods. The air was stuffy, and dust danced in the shafts of light passing between stacked goods.
Elva led the way, moving through tight gaps and along narrow corridors between the stacks, finding her way to the rear of the airship. There, they found a set of wooden stairs leading up to a closed off room and beneath them, barrels of water and wooden buckets.
“Take off your dress.”
Mia did as instructed, cheeks flaming as she pulled the thin woollen garment over her head. She stood in just her cotton shift and crossed her arms over beneath her breasts as she shivered and not just from the cold.
She wasn’t used to undressing in front of others and especially not with a room full of men she didn’t really know just a short distance away. Elva pulled the lid off of the nearest barrel and reached for a bucket before filling it with the cold water.
“Not much we can do but douse it for now.”
With an expert hand, she soaked the dress, scrubbing at the mess that soiled its front. Mia watched her for a moment, a little nervous and still intimidated by the confident woman. Finally, she raised the courage to speak.
“I have little money for clothing. How much will the things I’ll need cost?”
“Have no worry. Wynn will pay for it.”
“He will, why?”
“Because I’ll tell him to,” Elva said with a throaty chuckle. “Trust me. He has plenty to spare.”
“But…”
“You are part of our company,” Elva said with a quick look at the young woman. “We take care of our own and you can always pay back any costs from your share.”
“My share of what?”
“Of whatever we make on our… I’m sorry, child. This is all new to you isn’t it?”
Mia nodded, and the older woman exhaled a soft sigh as she continued to wash the clothes as best she could in the cold water.
“I forget how young you are, or perhaps how old I’ve become. No matter. We are the Company of the Raven. We formed some fourteen years ago, in the kingdom of Tredor. Was a fine group we were back then, young and strong and eager to prove ourselves.”
She smiled at the thought, a smile for pleasant memories that soon faded as darker ones crept in.
“We ventured out into the wilds, staying closer to the border for the most part but occasionally going further in. There were sights to behold back then, incredible wonders and yet even more horrors.”
“After each expedition, anything we found was divided up and we all received an equal share. Sometimes it was enough for a three-day bout of drinking, but other times, we could live well for months.”
“Just from finding things in the ruins?”
She shook her head. “Not just things. Relics. Artefacts. Items of power from the last age. They sold well. Still do, as point of fact. There was danger aplenty, and more than one company we knew never returned. But we always did.”
Mia listened, fascinated to hear the story. She knew of the wilds, of course, there was no one in the north who didn’t since they were so close. A land that had been changed when the ascendants had taken their war to the celestials themselves.
Thousands of miles of wild magic, corrupted creatures and hellscapes. The cities and towns that had existed before the war were still there, in various states of ruin and infested with all manner of monsters.
Still, the wealth and knowledge they contained was too valuable and while the northern lands had signed a treaty agreeing to pay for and staff a line of citadels to protect their citizens from the creatures that came out of the wilds, they didn’t stop foolhardy adventurers going in. Few came back out.
“One time,” Elva continued. “We got caught between two warring tribes of Gnolls and were pushed further into the wilds than we’d ever been.”
Her voice had dropped to a whisper and she stood still, her hands still holding the soiled dress in the water and she looked at Mia with tears in her eyes.
“What we found, out there where no one had gone for centuries was…”
“Enough!” Jochum snapped. “That is for another time.”
“She needs to know,” Elva replied, closing her eyes and bowing her head. “She needs to hear of the oath we took and why we are headed back there. Of what is at stake.”
“And she will, but not right now.”
Mia looked over to the warrior, his face stern and demeanour commanding. Right then, he frightened her a little and as she stared into his eyes, she was no longer sure she had a choice about accompanying them.
“Come, there’s food ready for you. It will help with your stomach.”
Elva nodded, a barely perceptible tilting of her head and closed her mouth tight. Mia knew she would get no further answers from her and stepped away, towards the warrior.
“Here,” he said as he held out a large shirt. “A spare of mine. Will allow you some modesty.”
“Thank you.”
She took the shirt, quickly slipping it over her head. It smelt entirely of man. That musky scent that was comforting and attractive. It covered her almost all the way to her knees and she laughed as she followed him back to the forward cabin.
All the while though, the questions ran around and around in her head. What had they found? What was the oath they spoke of? And what did it have to do with her?”
Chapter 9
The Raven glided serenely over the villages and fields as it flew onwards towards the town of Olsis. The thick canvas sails caught the wind and the runes upon the hull glowed with an icy blue hue.
Like most of the small traders, enough power was allowed to the runes to levitate the ship up to around five hundred feet. A comfortable height for most and not ruinously expensive as the higher a ship went, the more Ethereum was used.
It’s engines, products of gnomish engineering, sputtered dark smoke into the air as the propellers turned, moving it along at a steady four knots. A flag trailed out behind it, showing the three silver bees on a pale blue background that was the flag of the free city that was considered home.
As the sun passed below the horizon, it came within sight of the town of Olsis. Lights flared to life around the hull, the small globes powered from within the ship and giving the people of the town notice that they were coming.
The town was small and without a wall, just a rough circle of homes and businesses that nestled in the bo
ttom of a shallow valley. A couple of small temples and a square keep, all built of stone were the exception as the rest of the town was built of timber, with either tiled or thatched roofing.
On the outskirts of town were several fields that had been cleared for airships to land, tall pylons with coloured flags attached and burning braziers for light, giving instructions to those trained to read them on where to land their craft.
Jochum brought the Raven down on the furthest end of the field, furling the sails and cutting the engines with a practised ease so as to let the momentum of the airship bring it to a stop over the desired area. Once there, he slowly cut the power to the runes and the ship descended.
It settled with a soft thump in the wet grass and mud and the passengers, unused to flying, breathed a sigh of relief. In the forward cabin, Jochum rose from the pilots’ chair and stretched tense muscles.
“What now?” Syn asked.
“Now,” Elva replied before anyone else could. “I’ll take Mia into the town.”
“There’ll be no shops open now. Best to get what sleep we can and set out fresh in the morning.”
“I think not. We’ll spend the night in an inn and let her come to grips with everything that’s happened. In the morning we’ll get her outfitted and head back here.”
Jochum gave her a hard look that she returned with equanimity as he asked, “Is that the best idea?”
“Aye, man. That it is.”
He threw his arms into the air, defeated and shook his head. If the girl was going to run, then there was little they could do to stop her once she was in the town. They couldn’t force her to take the oath after all.
“So be it. What will be, will be. You have coin?”
“No.”
They both turned towards Wynn who had been watching the exchange with a malice filled smile that disappeared as he realised what they wanted. He muttered words that would be most commonly found amongst dock workers and soldiers, but he reached into his purse and pulled out a gold piece.
“That should cover your needs.”
“My thanks, old friend.”
He grunted a reply and the ranger shared a smile with Mia as she reached out her hand for the younger woman.
“I’ll come too,” Syn said. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course.”
Elva gave him a look which he ignored but she certainly wasn’t going to let it lie. Syn was not usually the first to volunteer to enter any new place. Too many people to take offence to his skin as far north as they were. At least in southern climes, they were more used to seeing people different from themselves. Even if that were more Dwarves and Elves than the different races of man.
With few ways to refuse without raising questions from the girl, Elva let it drop for the moment and instead readied herself to go. Mia had replaced Jochum's old shirt with her rumpled and damp dress that still bore the stains of earlier. She pulled on a borrowed cloak and held the ends closed to cover it as best she could.
“Docking master will be here shortly for payment,” Jochum said. “Will come in a carriage and sell you a ride into town for a small fee.”
“That’ll do.”
“What, pray tell, are we to do while the womenfolk head into town?” Wynn asked, ignoring the look from Syn at his casual insult.
“You can help me unload the cargo.”
“Why?”
“I’ll offer it cheap to earn a little extra coin and we’ll have a greater speed without it weighing us down. Once in the wilds, the more speed the better.”
As Jochum had said, a short time after they had landed, the sound of horse and carriage soon came to them. The big warrior winched down the ramp and walked out into the cool night air, ignoring the thin rainfall as he crossed the grass to where the carriage had stopped.
A few moments of negotiation and coins exchanged hands. He waved the three companions over and the carriage door was opened for them to enter. They waved farewell as the driver turned it around and headed back into town.
Mia, having never been in a carriage, watched everything with a look of excitement creeping up her face. Syn and Elva, merely sat and stared out into the darkness. The oil lamps on the side of the wooden carriage were the only illumination on the half-mile journey to the town and even there, the street lamps were poor illumination.
The carriage stopped, and the driver banged on the side. Syn, reached over and pulled open the door before jumping out. His black leathers and charcoal grey cloak meant he was almost invisible when he moved away from the lantern light.
“Coming?” Elva asked as she helped Mia to the mud-choked street.
“Later. I’ll find you.”
Syn flashed a grin at the women and then turned, disappearing into the darkness.
“That lad’s up to no good,” Elva sighed. “Ah well, he knows his business. Come along, child.”
They walked up the street together. Elva had left her bow back on the ship and just wore her short sword. Mia had nothing but the dress she had fled in.
In many towns and cities, the local watch would pick you up and you’d spend a night in the gaol if you wore a weapon openly. In the free city-states of the north, the rules were laxer. It wasn’t uncommon for raiding parties of gnolls, kobolds or other beasties to make it over the windshield mountains or past the citadels patrols and as such it paid to have an armed populace.
To the surprise of both women, many of the shops that lined the streets were open, oil lamps burning in the windows. A pleasing turn of events that meant they could perhaps save a little time.
The town, being as far north as it was, had many adventurers pass through on their way to the wilds and the local folk had made it their goal to ensure they had ample items to cover whatever needs an adventuring party might have. All for the right price of course.
One such store, Finnursson Outfitters, had a number of items in the window that seemed to be the type of thing they would need, so Elva pushed open the door, a brass bell ringing to alert the shopkeeper of their arrival.
“Hai.”
A jovial man with a thick beard of dark brown hair and lines at the corners of his eyes that indicated he smiled a lot, stood behind the counter. He wore a clean white apron other his tan shirt and trousers.
“What can I get for you, ladies? Will have to be quick as it’s almost time to close.”
“I was surprised you were open as it were.”
“Ah, well, those adventurer types keep some odd hours and I have been rousted from my meal many a time by an impatient customer. Seemed the easier thing to do to stay open longer.”
Elva nodded politely and began to speak of the things she would need while Mia wandered around the cluttered shop. It seemed to have everything anyone would ever want.
Round water bottles made of tin or leather, depending on preference. Short handled shovels and picks, along with an endless array of knapsacks to carry your belongings. There were daggers and swords, unstrung bows of a soft and supple wood.
Then there were travel rations aplenty, the thick hardy biscuits and bread that lasted an age and were enough to keep you alive when all other food was gone.
In one corner, there was a rack full of rolled up maps that seemed to show areas of the wilds. Mia glanced over at the ranger wondering if she should mention them but realised that the company she was with would know the way to their destination.
She lost herself for a short while, looking at all of the wondrous items. Bandages, potions that were claimed to be healing draughts, charms and minor amulets of protection from the various afflictions that were common in the wilds.
“Mia,” Elva called, and the serving girl looked over, dreams of wielding a sword and fighting monsters fading back to whence they came.
“Yes?”
“Come here, child.”
She did as instructed and joined the ranger beside the counter. The shopkeeper looked her up and down with an experienced eye and went across to a shelf filled with clo
thing. He picked out several pieces and placed them on the counter beside a number of other items that had been gathered there.
“These will fit her.” He placed his hands on the pile of sturdy clothing and added a pair of boots too. “But, take them with you and if they don’t, you can bring them back in the morning for another size.”
“I’m sure you know your business,” Elva said with a smile. “Now, let’s talk weapons.”
Mia took stock of the items on the counter, trying not to smile. There were more things there than she had ever owned and of finer quality to boot. She reached out a tentative hand and touched the soft leather boots.
“Gather them up,” Elva said, breaking into her reverie. “Grab a knapsack and put it all in.”
The former serving girl nodded and hurried over to the racks of knapsacks, picking one up and quickly heading back. It was made of canvas and oiled to give it some waterproofing. She began to pick up the items and place them in it, wondering at the reasons for needing some of them.
Like the chalk and the flint and steel with the tinderbox, as well as a small box of matches. The bedroll made sense and the small flasks of oil for the hooded lantern. Empty sacks were always useful as was the leather water bottle, the tin pot, bowl and cup.
Trail rations, Whetstone, fishing hook, ball of string, candles, rope, length of thin wire, mirror, magnifying glass. Some of the items she seriously wondered at their use and also, how she would carry it all.
She put in the last few items just as the shopkeeper placed a sheathed dagger on the counter. She looked at it in confusion.
“You will have other weapons,” Elva said, seeing the look on the young girl’s face. “Besides, your role is not to fight. That’s why we have Jochum.”
Mia smiled at that and nodded, though she was a little disappointed. She’d had daydreams of swinging a sword and fighting hordes of monsters like in the stories the tale-tellers told. Still, she reasoned, she couldn’t complain, after all, they were taking her with them.
“Now.” Elva paid the man with the gold coin and received only a few silver pieces and some copper in return. She picked up the piled clothes while Mia lifted the knapsack with a grunt. “Let’s find an inn and enjoy ourselves for tomorrow we go into the wilds.”