Kethril

by Carroll, John H.

  A groan of pain escaped his lips as he stood. His muscles began to cramp and he had to sit back down right away to begin working on them. He gasped in pain while working on one calf. Anilyia worked on the other. Emmaoen made no move to help.

  Liselle joined in the groaning. She rolled over from Vevin and looked at them working on Tathan’s legs. There were dark circles under her eyes. With effort, she stood and wiped moisture from the snow off her face. Vevin remained deep asleep. The snow wasn’t touching him. “Food?” she asked.

  “We have some rations, but not much,” Emmaoen told her.

  Liselle’s eyes narrowed. “Food,” she commanded to no one in particular. Tathan knew his cousin tended to use much more power than it was healthy to do. When she became this hungry Liselle wouldn’t be able to use clear judgment. He didn’t think she would hurt them, but it was best not to find out.

  “Get what’s left of the rations,” he told Emmaoen. It was the duchess’s turn to narrow her eyes. “Please, before she noms us for lack of food?”

  She looked at Liselle and common sense took over. “Come to the main deck. I have a solution.” She gestured for them to follow her. Liselle stalked the duchess like a starving cat stalks its prey.

  The horses were still on the main deck. It looked as though the duchess had fed them and given them water, though he didn’t know where she had gotten the water. He also worried about how much food they had for the trip to Mayncal. He didn’t know how long it would take. The young ships were still near the front mast. Tathan got the impression that they were sleeping. He realized that he had never seen the tubes that shot fireballs and wondered if perhaps they were hidden under the deck somehow.

  Emmaoen pulled a wand out of her robe. She wiggled it around and said a word of power, making a long wooden table with twelve chairs on the sides and two at the ends appear on the port side of deck with a loud pop. It startled the horses and the baby boats.

  The best part was all the food on the table. It was filled with the finest dishes, including a full pig with an apple in its mouth. Steam rose off the hot dishes and the smell of delectable deserts wafted under their noses, drawing them all to the chairs.

  “A meal fit for a king. I made this wand myself,” Emmaoen said proudly. She sat down with the rest of them and helped herself to a plate of food. Liselle didn’t bother with the plate.

  Tathan was hungry too. He didn’t have the appetite of someone who had used massive amounts of power, but that didn’t stop him from filling his plate. Plus he had to lay claim to some before Liselle ate it all. He put a turkey drumstick on his plate only to see it disappear. Liselle looked at him with challenge in her eyes as she ripped meat off the bone. Tathan went around to the other side of the table where she couldn’t get him.

  “Hey! Weren’t you going to tell me there was food?” Vevin jumped from the upper deck to the table in one leap. Nobody answered because their mouths were full and they had been properly raised not to speak with food in their mouths. Vevin soon had food in his mouth too.

  An hour later, they sat around an empty table. “How long will it last?” Anilyia asked as she stretched and leaned against Tathan’s chest. They had moved their chairs next to each other. “I mean if we hadn’t eaten all the food.

  “It lasts for about two to three hours. We’re fine for a little while.” Emmaoen stretched sleepily. “What’s that?” she asked, sitting up and pointing. They all became alert and turned to look over the railing. It was a treetop floating by. They moved to look over the rail and saw large estates passing below. Aermoirre was sailing over a street, moving lower and lower.

  The quiet morning snow looked odd against the fall colors of the trees. A light breeze tossed the snowflakes about and a thin white blanket covered the ground and rooftops. There were a few people moving along the street, but not many. Tathan saw a couple of children on one of the estates throwing snow at each other. They stopped and stared at the flying ship in awe.

  “That’s my home just ahead.” Emmaoen pointed at a large building surrounded by spacious yards. “I can’t believe she found it just by my directions.”

  “That’s your home?” Tathan asked, looking at the large estate. “Wow.”

  “It’s too big for me.” She shrugged. “But I’m glad to be here.”

  Aermoirre gradually came to a stop in front of the main gate of the estate and slid her gangplank out. Two guards came forward with weapons drawn. “Who goes there?” one yelled.

  “It’s just me, Jeffrey,” Emmaoen shouted as she walked back up the steps to the upper deck. The guards stopped and stared in surprise. The duchess grabbed her bags and turned to the companions as they followed her up. “I wish you luck in your journey and thank you for everything you’ve done. There’s no telling how things would have gone had you not been here to help.”

  “I’m glad we were there too,” Liselle said. She went to give Emmaoen a hug, but was rejected by a raised hand and turned head.

  “I’m leaving now. Goodbye.” Emmaoen ducked past them to go back down the stairs. Liselle looked hurt by the action. Anilyia glared at the duchess’s back and set her jaw. Tathan didn’t care about the duchess one way or another, but didn’t like seeing his cousin hurt.

  Emmaoen made to go down the gangplank, but was interrupted by the horses going first. Tathan leaned over the upper deck railing. “Hey! Some of those are our horses.”

  Aermoirre’s bell rang and Liselle listened. “She says she’s not taking the horses any further. They scuff the deck and she only promised to take us to Mayncal.” Liselle listened to more ringing. “Aermoirre said if we want to stay with the horses, we’re more than welcome to get off with them.”

  Tathan was good at realizing when an argument wasn’t worth having and this was one of those times. “Alright. The horses can leave.” It was a wise decision considering the horses were already down.

  The second Emmaoen’s feet were off the gangplank, it began sliding in and the ship rose back into the air. They looked over the railing. The duchess was waving at them, so they waved back, watching the ground get further and further away.

  Liselle walked over to the bell. “That was rather abrupt, Aermoirre. Why are you rushing?” She listened to the pure chimes and watched the glow before turning to the rest of them. “Aermoirre doesn’t like going in human cities and wants to get away as fast as possible. She said that it will take about a week to get to Mayncal and she’s going to let us off near a small village where we can get more horses. After that, her debt will be paid and she doesn’t want to see us again.”

  “Did we do something to upset her?” Tathan asked.

  “She didn’t say so, but I think she’s afraid of us after everything that happened.” Liselle looked at the bell when it chimed softly. “That’s part of it, she says, but she’s also afraid the big dragons will come back for us.”

  “I don’t think they will,” Tathan replied, shaking his head. “In any case, I’m not worried about how fast we get there, but we’re going to need some food. “Ask if she knows of a place we can stop to get basic supplies. The ship leaned and he could feel it turning. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  The bell rang and glowed again. Liselle interpreted. “She says there’s a small port not too far away where we can get what we need. We’ll get there in the middle of the night, but we need to make it quick.”

  “Alright. We can do that,” Tathan agreed.

  “I need to lie down again, Cousin,” Liselle said. Tathan studied her and saw that she was shaking. Vevin led her back to their blanket and, with a few gestures, he created a rounded, purple barrier to keep the snow off of them. It shimmered softly as the snow hit it. In a moment, both were asleep. Tathan and Anilyia set their sleeping bags out in a corner of the main deck by one of the stairs and joined them in slumber.

  ***

  A few hours after sunset, Tathan could feel the ship lowering. Anilyia was asleep in his arms, so he gently slid away, making certain she was
comfortable before dressing and going to the bow. His body still ached, but it was no longer a mind-numbing pain. He was careful not to disturb the young ships that appeared to be sleeping again. Two lanterns shone with a magical glow on the main deck and one on the aft deck to go with the gentle illumination of the bell. The mild creaking of wood and flap of sails was soothing. Tathan could see ocean below and the lights of a port village a short distance ahead through the light snow.

  Aermoirre glided just above the tranquil swells until they came close to the port, then she gradually dipped into the water before finally floating to a rest alongside one of the docks. Tathan moved back to the center of the ship, put a foot on the rail and jumped to the dock before Aermoirre was finished moving.

  The gentle splashing of water against the ship and wooden pilings was broken only by a dog barking in the distance and the footsteps of an official looking man walking towards him along with a younger assistant holding a lantern. Tathan pulled a couple of gold out of the bag the king had given him and put them in the official’s hand. “I’m just here for a few minutes. We don’t need to make a report.”

  “I do not accept bribes! You’ll be seeing the guards for that,” The balding man scolded in a severe tone. He pushed the coins back in Tathan’s hand.

  Tathan’s sword was at the man’s neck. “Do you accept threats? How about death? I don’t have time to play with you.” Tathan didn’t want to kill the man, but his sword did. Blood trickled from a small cut. The assistant was staring with wide eyes, not having a clue what to do.

  “I have children,” the official whispered in fear.

  “Then take the bribe and shut up.” Tathan sheathed the blade and pushed the gold coins back in the man’s hand. He pulled out another gold and flipped it at the assistant before heading up the dock. The assistant dropped the coin and scrambled around to get it. After recovering it, he stared at the coin in awe before straightening back up.

  Fifteen minutes later, Tathan had the needed supplies in two waterproof canvas sacks he struggled to carry on his back. It would be enough for three weeks if they were eating normally, but might not last one if Liselle had to use large amounts of magic to heal Sir Danth. He had paid too much, but wanted to get back to the ship and away before anything bad happened.

  Aermoirre was still resting at the dock. Looking around, Tathan could see neither hide nor hair of the official or assistant. That suited him just fine. The gangplank was out and he hustled back on board. Before he reached the deck, Aermoirre was pulling in the gangplank and moving away. With a last leap, Tathan landed on the deck. He dragged the sacks to the aft and set them next to the bags.

  The lanterns on the dock became smaller as the ship turned around and glided through the black water. It didn’t take long for Aermoirre to rise into the air in a gradual ascent. Tathan leaned on the aft railing and watched until the town became a distant glimmer the size of a candle. The ship tilted gently, turning southeast toward Mayncal. Tathan went to lie back down with Anilyia. When he did, she woke up and looked into his eyes longingly. It was a long time before they fell asleep.

  Chapter 28

  Three days later, Sir Danth was still lying in the exact same spot in the middle of the aft deck. The midmorning sun helped to shake off a little bit of the chill, but a mild wind fought to keep it. Much to their relief, the snow had stopped the morning before and it was becoming warmer again. Tathan was leaning against the railing and could see yellow and red trees mixed in with the greenery far below when he looked over his shoulder. At the moment, they were passing over plains in the Kingdom of Swelth just west of the Willden.

  Liselle had taken the extra days to recover enough to be able to use magic again. In addition, she took time to plan how to go about doing the rest of the healing without draining herself in one big blast. Instead, she would work a little bit at a time, supervised by Vevin who understood her magic and limits better than anyone.

  Tathan was a little worried that Liselle and Vevin had eaten over half their food. Fortunately, Aermoirre knew of numerous villages to get things. The witches had made scouting a primary part of the ship’s functions. She had ranged over continents and oceans throughout the centuries, but always returned to the mountains where she was created.

  Her children were playing out in front of her. They were fast little things and liked to dart back and forth around their mother’s sails. Aermoirre would rattle her sails in chastisement when they got out of hand. It usually startled the passengers too.

  Liselle took a deep breath, touched the flower in her hair for support and then placed her hands on Sir Danth’s chest. Blue light moved like liquid over the entire armor and the healing process began. Tathan stayed there for about ten minutes watching the liquid light sloshing around before he grew bored and went to the bow of the ship. Anilyia followed him with relief. She was wearing one of the dresses given to her in Kethril. It was light blue and highlighted her eyes.

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you,” the princess told him as they looked down at the trees far below. Tathan wondered if they were getting close to the valley where he and Liselle were raised. He knew it was east of Swelth through the southwestern part of the Caaldith Mountains. Anilyia ran her finger slowly up and down his arm. “I love you.” It was a powerful statement that asked the question of whether or not he loved her back.

  “I love you too, Anilyia.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist as he put his around her shoulders. “What are we going to do?” she asked. “I don’t want you to leave me alone.”

  He slid a hand up and ran fingers through her platinum hair as he thought about how to answer. “I don’t know what to do honestly. I want to steal you and take you with me around the world, but knowing that your kingdom would go to war and be taken over by the Iynath Empire . . .”

  Anilyia squeezed and mumbled something into his chest.

  “I didn’t understand that,” he said.

  She pulled her head back a bit, but refused to look him in the eye. “Can you share me?” she asked in a whisper.

  Tathan tried to keep jealousy out of his voice, but didn’t succeed. “Share you with who?”

  Her voice was only a little louder as she answered. “My husband, Prince Albrato. We’ll likely get married right away. He’ll want children too, so you’d have to deal with me being pregnant and accept the fact that the child may end up being yours even though I’ll never admit it.”

  Tathan stared at the top of her head for a moment. She settled her cheek back into his shoulder while waiting for the answer. He opened his mouth to answer then shut it right away and decided to give it a few minutes.

  An hour later, they hadn’t moved. Liselle came up to them, chewing on a piece of cheese. “I still have a lot of work to do,” she told them with her mouth partially full. “But I need some food. Vevin jumped off the side of the ship to go get a deer he saw. He’s going to cook it before bringing it back. You’re welcome to share if you like.”

  “Thank you,” Tathan replied.

  “Am I interrupting something,” Liselle asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  “Well . . . alrighty then. I’ll just go . . . talk to the bell or something.” She went back to the aft deck.

  Tathan took a deep breath and answered Anilyia’s earlier question. “I love you and I want to be with you whatever the circumstances.” He lifted her chin with a finger. “I feel guilty for wanting you to keep me around. It’s not fair to you when you have to be a wife, mother, princess and eventually queen.”

  She shook her head. “I love you. It’s not right for me to ask you to be my . . . mistress?”

  Tathan’s eyebrows lowered. “I am not your mistress.” When she giggled, he squeezed her and stopped it with a kiss. “I am your secret lover . . . or I will be if you’ll have me,” he said throatily after the kiss ended.

  “Yes.” She leaned her head back against his chest. After a moment, she asked, “What do we do if
someone finds out?”

  “Kill them?” Tathan suggested with a helpful grin. Anilyia was not amused. He sighed. “I don’t know. Do everything you can to get me out of jail and . . .”

  “I’ll get you out of jail, but my duty to my country . . .”

  “I know. If we’re discovered . . .” he sighed again. “I’ll have to leave and we may never see . . .” It hurt too much to finish.

  As she looked into his eyes, tears welled in hers, causing them to glisten more than usual. “Then you are free if that should happen. I will remember you fondly for all of my days and think of you when I look at the sky.” Anilyia smiled sadly, the look on her beautiful face breaking his heart.

  Tathan kissed her deeply and they lay down there in the front of the ship and took each other with abandon.

  “Vevin’s back with the . . . Oh my . . . Don’t you two ever stop? I thought we were bad!” Liselle stomped back to the aft deck to eat the roasted deer Vevin had brought, turning him around when he leaned over the railing to peek.

  ***

  The next day, Liselle succeeded in bringing Sir Danth back to full health. When she released him from whatever magical clouds she had his soul in, he sat up and sobbed. It was discomforting to watch such a noble individual be vulnerable. They sat around him, quietly lending their support.

  After a while, the weeping stopped and Sir Danth turned to Liselle. “Thank you, Milady. My pain would have lasted all of eternity if not for you.”

  Liselle responded by hugging him around his neck for a few minutes. Upon standing up, she swayed a bit. Vevin was there to steady her right away. “Easy. Are you hungry?” he asked. She nodded and he took her over to some food he had ready. The venison Vevin had brought the day before helped to supplement their supplies, but they were getting low.