by K. T. Tomb
“Yes. And if we find a place for our citizens? For our people? For our families? What then? Will the Guild matter then?” Haldur asked.
“I will do what this council seems to want to avoid doing,” Algoth said. “I will hire a black crew, and I will send them looking on our behalf. If the Guild decides to bring down sanctions against us, they will find only my name on their dread list.” Algoth stated the last part with derisive scorn. His opinion of the Guild had always been low.
Jannick pulled out a quill from the pouch at his belt and scratched out a note of credit, which he passed to Algoth. “Here,” he said. “Take this – use it to fund your Exploration.” Algoth made no move to take the note.
“If there is a money trail… anything at all that points to us working together… you know they will come after you Jannick, if I am discovered,” Algoth said.
“When you get back, have your records keeper put something in your ledger that says I owe you. Call it a small loan, a gambling debt, whatever you please, but take this. A black crew will not be… inexpensive,” Jannick tells him.
“Fine.” Algoth took the note of credit. “If there is nothing else then?” Seeing that there was, in fact, nothing left to discuss, Algoth slugged down the rest of his ale and donned his coat. He slung his great sword over his shoulder and left.
***
Jarreth looked down at the log book in his hands. He examined the coordinates one more time. Straight off the prow, the air shimmered and rippled. This particular veil was one he had spent years searching for. As the captain of a black crew, he was responsible to no one. His life as a renegade suited him fine. He was free – free of giving away his hard-earned knowledge, treasure and discoveries.
My freedom is the source of my wealth. And my sorrow. And is the reason I’m here. Again. Let’s hope this ends better than the last time.
He gave the signal to his sentient. They had complete faith in one another, as only a captain and a sentient could. The sentient held his peculiar compass in his hands, tilted his head back and slightly to the right and focused. The air around the sentient began to shimmer and ripple as well. Indeed, he had started to reflect the veil. All of a sudden the Veiled Lady – the name of Jarreth’s ship – began to inexorably move forward. Slowly, deliberately, the ship was pulled into the veil. The crew could feel the pressure increase around them, and all they could see were the ripples of color flashing violently through the air around them. Streaks of flame-red and burnt-orange along with the broken, desolate yellow of desert sand were like raptors streaking through the deep, gray-black murk that surrounded them.
The ship shuddered as the prow pushed through the other side of the veil. Every member of the crew, from the three warrior triplets – Haervy, Ingarum and Yvo to the record keeper, Kaerl – were knocked to their knees as their beloved ship emerged on the other side. Save two: the captain and Hugh, the sentient.
“Gods below, that was one of the worst crossings ever, Cap’n,” said Willem.
Jarreth surveyed the rest of the crew with a comical eye.
“We’ve been through worse. Gather round the main mast now. One final time round the peg the hoop went,” he said in a conspiratorially soft voice.
Hugh, the Sentient, was one of the last to approach. Something about him looked wrong to Jarreth. Jarreth cast a quizzical gaze toward his closest friend, and was met with a tight smile, a nod and a straightening of back that reminded Jarreth of the way the best bows of yew bend and flex and then straighten out again. Strength and flexibility. Aye. Hugh was one of the best, the captain thought to himself.
“Alright,” Jarreth addressed his whole crew as if they were his family. And in a way, to the captain, they were. “We’re through it, right? But that doesn’t mean we’re home yet. In fact, it means the opposite. Hugh, great job getting us through that veil. That’ns a nasty piece of work, and that’s sayin’ somethin’ comin’ from me. Here’s what we do when we land. Haervy and Ingarum take point. Yvo you stay a couple paces further back. Hugh’n me will bring up the rear. Ok. Let’s go,” Jarreth finished.
“Hold up one secon’ there quick-like,” Yvo said. “I’m good with a bow an’ all but here’s th’thing. Wha’ exac’ly should we be ‘spectin’?” he asked.
“Yah – I’m in wi’ me lil brother Yvo there,” Haervy chimed in. “I want tae know wha’ we’re up agin, an’ for ya to make no mistake.”
“Here it is plain,” said Jarreth. “The last time I was here, we found all kinds of…treasure. Gold in hunks the size of wilds wolves. We found gems the size of your fist. And it’s all just out there as if… as if the beings here don’t put any value on it at all.”
“Aye, and those—” But before Hugh could finish, Jarreth silenced him with a look.
The three brothers looked at each other, the gleam of potential riches in their eyes.
They proceeded through the realm, their feet hot against the soles of their insulated boots. The world they were in had a strange, red tinge to it, and the air singed their lungs.
“Fill up the chest quick. And once that’s done, prepare to get them back to the ship, with all haste,” Jarreth said.
The crew, looking down, saw that there were rich, wide veins of gold streaking the ground. The rocks, when broken open, were full of gems.
“This place – this is a realm of treasure,” Zeke said to Fatty Squirrel. No one in the crew knew what Fatty Squirrel’s real name was – only that he was short, round, and buck-toothed, which was how he got his alias.
“That it is, Zeke, that it is!” Squirrel replied.
“Would you two shut it and help me to fill this chest up?” Zerra asked.
The two looked at each other, nodded in quick agreement and scrambled to do as she said.
The crew filled their chest and began to drag the carts back to where the skiff was beached. They loaded them on board to make the short trip out into the water where the ship was anchored. Out of the reddish gloom loomed a shape that swiftly took off Zeke’s head. An arrow twanged from somewhere behind Zerra, who moved to duck behind her shield, and was impaled on a set of claws twice the length of her thigh. The arrow struck the creature, sending sparks flying into the air. The creature didn’t seem to even notice.
A pair of similar creatures appeared behind Kai, who heaved his treasure-laden chest at the two swiftly approaching reptiles with all his strength. The heavy projectile hit one directly in the midsection, driving it back a few paces.
“Get the rest of ‘em outta here!” he shouted at Jarreth. “I’ll cover you as long as I can!”
“We won’t leave you to face those alone!” Jarreth cried.
“Go!” Kai shouted. “Just go!”
The crew began dropping their filled crates, discarding even their personal sacks of treasure as they made quickly for the Veiled Lady.
As they retreated, Kai turned to face the bipedal reptiles in a direct confrontation. His first two blows came in quick succession, but the hides of the reptiles were hard, oddly pliable – they stretched under the impact, when normal hide would have torn – and almost impenetrable. Destroying his rapiers, Kai discarded the remaining hilts and pulled his single-edged great sword from its scabbard which was draped across his back.
He took a defensive stance, feet shoulder width apart, the sword held in both hands, directly above his head. His first slash came as a blur. The immense speed behind the blade was generated by the force created when Kai used his body as a fulcrum for the arc of the swing. It bit deep into the shoulder of one of the reptiles and wedged in bone.
The crew made it back onto the ship and Jarreth shouted, “Kai run! You can make it!”
Kai turned to bolt, but the reptile, though still impaled, lashed out with unbelievable speed, knocking Kai off his feet. With a scream of pain and rage, the reptile managed to pull the sword from its shoulder. He then bit down on the back of Kai’s neck, and shook Kai once. The motion was so intense, so purposeful, that Kai’s head was remove
d immediately from his body.
Chapter Two
The man behind the bar was anything but a bartender, but that was exactly what he was pretending to be. His white cotton shirt was clean, if a little worn, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The apron he wore was heavy and seemed made of thick, well-woven canvas. The few patrons that were in ‘Loki’s Luck’ seemed to be the quiet, keep their heads down and drink type, so it was a huge surprise to him when the door opened and a bunch of Jarl Algoth’s men entered the bar. They took seats in the main area of the bar room, but the Captain of the Guard – a man known for his sense of strict, black-and-white justice and his no nonsense attitude – approached the counter.
“Evening, Cap,” the bartender said. “What’ll it be for you an’ yer men? I’ll tell you what, the firs’ roun’s on the ‘ouse.”
“No, thank you. The jarl needs to have a chat with you,” and lowering his voice to the faintest whisper, he added, “and your captain, if you take my meaning.”
The bartender looked around the room once, and matching the captain’s tone replied, “No, I don’ take yer’ meanin’ at all.” Then in a much more normal tone and volume, he said, “Now then, if you don’ wan’ drinks, I’m afraid I can be of no more help to yeh today – but do come back when ya got a thirst. Fixin’ those is me specialty.”
In the wings behind the bar, Yvo waited. He held a short, single-handed crossbow cocked and at the ready in each hand.
This could get messy, but, well… we couldn’t have the jarl knowing what it is we do. This place has to stay clean or else… or else none of us get paid. And perhaps even worse consequences than that, Yvo thought as he prepared himself to take down everyone in the bar.
“Fine, then,” the captain conceded. “Hot, spiced wine. A round for the bar, but make sure it’s well-watered. I won’t have my men staggering out of here unable to stand up straight. And a tankard for you as well, barkeep. Perhaps you’ll join me at a table and rest your feet for a moment.”
“Well then,” Haervey, the bartender for the night – and a member of Jarreth’s black ship crew – replied, “Now yar speakin’ me language!” And with that he wiped his hands on a towel tucked into the apron’s belt, poured the drinks and walked around the bar to join the Jarl’s men.
“To Jarl Algoth!” Haervey said, raising his tankard into the air. The jarl’s men responded similarly
“How is business?” asked the captain.
“Oh, coul’ be a might better if you really want tah know the truth. But any business is good business, don’t cha know,” Haervey replied.
“I see,” the captain said in response. “I suppose this is all you do, right? Serve drinks and food, maybe rent a room to a traveler if one ever comes through? That sort of stuff?”
“Well, now,” Haervey said. “I’m no’ the proprietor of this fine establishment if you know what I mean. But aye, the work is honest and the pay keeps me an’ the lil ones an’ their ma, in food and clothes with a sound roof over our tops.” At that point in the statement, Haervey indicated his head with his forefinger, all the while lying through his teeth about having a family that did not exist.
“Aye,” the captain said, “That puts me in a bit of jam, then.” And he sipped his wine, looking over the cup at Haervey the whole time.
“An why’s tha’ now?” Haervey asked as congenially as he could.
“Because,” the captain replied. “I’m not here looking for wine. Or ale. Or food, or a room. No, I’m here lookin’ for a crew. A crew that some say would be… outside the letter of the law… or so some would say.”
Haervey looked around mischievously and then leaned across the table and whispered conspiratorially into the captain’s ear. “Well, now. A crew li’ tha’ would prolly find ‘emselfs locked up quicker’n a thief in the jarl’s treasure room, aye?”
“Aye,” the captain said back. “Excepting if the jarl wanted the thief in his treasure room.”
Haervey looked around again, to ensure that no one was listening in on a conversation that could put the jarl, his guards and the bar all under surveillance by the Exploration Guild in a heartbeat. “Fallow me. Thar’s some people you need tae meet.”
With that, Haervey got up and, in a slightly louder than normal tone, said to the rest of the patrons, “We’re closing up early this evenin’. All of ye ge’ ou’ before I have the jarl’s guards trow ya ou’.”
The group, some with surly looks at having to find a new tavern, and one that would probably be rowdy besides, got up and left. Once they cleared out, Haervey went and locked the front door. Yvo came out from behind the bar, crossbows trained on the captain and his closest guardsman.
“Aye, ok then,” Haervey said, “This here’s Yvo, me lil brother an’ make no mistake, he’s crack with them bows, so nobody make a wrong move and we’ll get this cleared up in no time.”
Haervey turned and walked over to Yvo, all the demeanor of a cheery bartender, friendly tavern owner and host gone from his eyes. The look was replaced with the hard glitter of a gemstone.
“Now tell me, Cap,” he said cheekily, “wha’ exa’ly is it ye wan’?”
“There’s no need for weapons to be drawn,” the captain replied, his hands held up in front of him in mock defense. “Look – my men and I – we don’t even have swords. Just a belt knife for dinner each, and the two of us that carry spears left those outside on that convenient stand you have on the porch. We just want to talk – or rather, the jarl does.”
“Aye?” Haervey looked at Yvo. Yvo returned his glance, one of his eyebrows was cocked with the same tension as the miniature crossbows in both hands. “Well then,” Haervey said, “what is it, exa’ly, that the good jarl wants with a tavern keeper and his…” He looked at Yvo and then added, “Bouncer?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” the captain said honestly. “He gave me these instructions: go to the Loki’s Luck Tavern. Speak to the bartender about meeting with me because I may have some work for him and the rest of his crew. So I got to thinking that there’s not really a whole lot the jarl could need from you and your lot. Then I thought about the fact that he called you folks a crew, and all I could think to myself was, Well, wasn’t that a strange way of referring to a tavern keep. So I figured it must be a different type of crew that you were. Only, none of you were involved with the Guild, at least not that I could tell, from the looks of this place; if you were, you’d be doing a hell of a lot better was my guess. So, if you’re a crew, and you aren’t working for the Guild… well… That doesn’t leave me a whole lot of options. But of course, I could always be completely wrong.”
“Aye, well I guess you’re completely wrong, then,” Yvo chimed in. It was clear that he would protect the identity of the crew as long as he needed to.
“No, you’re not wrong,” Haervey said, and shushed Yvo with a look. “You’ve foun’ the right tavern, aye. An’ you’ve foun’ people who could get word to the captain of our ship. So, where and when would the jarl like to meet? How many people should our captain bring? How do we know this is safe?”
“Well,” the captain of the Guard replied, “as for where and when, now that you’ve accepted, well, how long would it be for you to get in touch with your captain? He is most welcome to set the location and time.”
“Yvo, go. Give Cap the message and ask him to pick a day and time. It’ll be just him an’ the jarl if I haven’t missed my guess,” Haervey said to his younger brother.
Yvo turned and left the tavern to deliver the jarl’s message to Jarreth. If the captain’s response was favorable, he would then return with a date and time for Jarreth and the jarl to meet, and other details such as what would be acceptable to bring to the meeting and how many other people could attend.
After a short period of time, Yvo returned and said harshly, “The Cap said he’ll meet your jarl one-on-one here, in three days’ time. It is to be just him and the jarl.” He shot Haervey a glance before continuing with his message. “No one else is to
be there. It will be a private business meeting between two private businessmen,” Yvo finished.
“Agreed, and on behalf of the jarl, thank you to both of you for your hospitality and the drinks.”
And with that, the guardsmen left, along with their captain.
Chapter Three
Three days later, Jarreth entered the darkened bar room of Loki’s Luck. He was purposefully unspecific about the time of the meeting when he’d given the jarl a date. He wanted to see when the jarl would show, and how he would get away from his constant hangers-on. It also gave Hugh a chance to get set up and monitor the meeting that was about to take place. Hugh would oversee anything that started to go wrong, and he would relay that to the rest of the crew, who were hiding in the cellar where the ale and chilled wines were kept. They would, if need be, rush up the stairs and defend their captain in any ensuing fracas. Jarreth’s crew would die for him. Some already had – especially on their last excursion. He’d lost too many people, and his back was now up against the proverbial wall.
Hopefully the jarl means serious business. If there isn’t any money to be made from his proposition once he states it, hopefully he’ll go on his way peacefully and not cause me any lasting trouble, Jarreth thought to himself.
In the cellar underneath the main room, Yvo, Haervey and Ingarum sat waiting for Hugh to give them a sign – whether everything was clear or if they were needed.
Upstairs, Jarreth sat at a table with a tankard of ale, a plate of cold smoked meats, cheese and a loaf of bread. It was his favorite kind: black with a hard crust, but a soft interior. It had been sliced and arranged with the other foodstuffs on a plate in front of him for when the jarl arrived.
The man is sure takin’ his time, the captain thought to himself, as he drank down another quarter of his mug.
I don’t know how much longer we – or rather, I – can keep this crew afloat if things keep going along like they’ve been. Every third or fourth time we go on an exploration, we lose someone or we come back with so much damage to the ship that by the time repairs have been made, we don’t even take anything home for ourselves. We need something more… consistent. We also need to keep this tavern going so we can keep what we do have, and ourselves, above water.