Welcome To The Age of Magic

by C M Raymond et al.

  “It is.” There was still a little anger in his voice. “It’s very mighty.”

  That made her laugh even harder.

  Someone knocked on the door to the cabin, and Abbey immediately stopped laughing.

  Dustin whispered through gritted teeth. “Nice going!”

  Abbey looked around. There wasn’t anywhere to hide in this tiny cabin. The only features were the bunk attached to the wall, a small writing desk, and Dustin’s trunk. The bundle of Abbey’s spare clothes sat conspicuously in the corner, her sword lying on top of it.

  She silently cursed herself for not better preparing for the possibility of a guest. Dustin had told her no one could come into his quarters without his permission, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t come knocking.

  She stepped next to the door and pressed herself against the bulkhead. Then she nodded at Dustin.

  He cleared his throat, then spoke. “Who’s there?”

  Captain Roy’s distinctive voice came through the door. “Young Master Storm Caller. I was wondering if I might have a word with you and your lady friend.”

  12

  “The first thing you two need to learn is there are no secrets on a ship.”

  They were still in Dustin’s cabin, but now there were three of them jammed in there. Captain Roy sat at the writing desk, a sly smile on his face.

  “Apparently not,” Abbey said. “You figured us out in three hours.”

  The captain chuckled. “Actually, I figured it out thirty minutes after we left port. I briefly considered confronting Dustin then, having him take us back to Holdgate to drop you off.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Dustin asked.

  “Two reasons. Firstly, I’m not your boss. You’re the Storm Caller. Technically, I can’t order you to do anything.”

  Abbey had never much liked Storm Captains. The ones she’d dealt with in her father’s shop were arrogant and demanding, always wanting more equipment for less iron in an unreasonable amount of time. They drove the Holdgate economy, and they knew it. In Abbey’s experience, they weren’t above exploiting their position to demand unreasonable prices from blacksmiths.

  But this Captain Roy seemed different. He had an air of authority about him, but none of the arrogance. Abbey was surprised to find she instantly liked this man. “What’s the other reason?”

  Roy sighed. “The Foggy Day doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.” He glanced at Dustin. “What had you heard about it before you were assigned?”

  Dustin paused a moment before answering, as if he were deciding how honest he should be. “In truth, I hadn’t heard anything. I didn’t even know the ship existed.”

  Roy shook his head. “Ouch. I can’t say I’m surprised, though. We haven’t gotten many opportunities to prove ourselves, and we haven’t exactly made the most of the ones we have been given. Point is, our reputation isn’t exactly shining, especially among Captain Tor and his buddies. If we’d turned back to drop-off a stowaway, it would have just confirmed their preconceived notions about us. It’s not that I care what the bastards think exactly. This crew is the best in the fleet, no matter what anyone says. I honestly believe that. It’s just…”

  “I get it.” Abbey recognized the look on the captain’s face. She’d seen it in the mirror often enough, usually after a long day of customers telling her how she didn’t understand Holdgate because she was an outsider. “It gets old having people look down on you all the time, even if you don’t care about their opinions.”

  Roy nodded slowly. “Exactly that.” He pointed at Dustin, then at Abbey. “So, what is this? Couldn’t bear to leave your girlfriend back in Holdgate, Dustin?”

  Abbey let out a sharp laugh. “He wishes.”

  Dustin answered in a choked voice. “It’s not like that. At all. This is Abbey. She’s the blacksmith’s daughter.”

  Roy’s face darkened. “The Arcadian.”

  She frowned at the captain. “I grew up in Holdgate, but sure.”

  “I meant no offense.” He scratched at his whiskers for a moment. “So, not only do we have a stowaway, but we have a fugitive stowaway.”

  Abbey looked away. Apparently, he’d heard about Bronson and her father’s arrest. “Those charges are false. I’m innocent.”

  “And yet you ran.” Roy’s voice was hard now. “You boarded my ship without asking me and brought your troubles with you.”

  Dustin stepped forward. “She had permission. From me.”

  “That permission isn’t yours to give. I said before I’m not your boss, and that’s true. But you’re not mine, either. The ship and the crew are my responsibility. The sea and the wind are yours. That means you have no say over who comes aboard.” He turned to Abbey. “So, what do we do with you? Perhaps we should throw you overboard. If you’re as innocent as you say, the sea might have mercy and carry you safely back to shore.”

  “You can’t do that,” Dustin said.

  “I can.” Roy’s voice was a low growl now. “I’d be well within my rights.”

  Abbey glanced at her sword. It was on the other side of the room, only two steps away, but Dustin and the captain were both positioned between her and the weapon. If it came to a fight, it would have to be unarmed.

  “Many Storm Captains would do just that,” Roy continued. “They’d wash their hands of you and let the sea decide your fate. I’m not going to do that, though.” He narrowed his eyes and looked Abbey up and down. “Tell me why you wanted to come north. I would have thought you’d run south to the safety of your people.”

  Abbey considered how to proceed. For all she knew, this man was the Barskall agent. She didn’t think so, though. For one thing, this ship had been assigned to accompany the other three at the last minute, and from what Dustin had told her The Foggy Day’s trips to Barskall territory were infrequent. That led her to believe the agent would be aboard one of the other three ships. Secondly, Roy didn’t feel right as the agent. She trusted her instincts, and her instincts said this man would not betray Holdgate.

  She took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m not heading north to escape; I’m going to find a criminal.”

  Roy was clearly surprised by the answer. “Is that so?” There was a bit of skepticism in his voice.

  “It is. I have reason to believe that the man who killed the Magistrate’s son was working with the Barskall to frame my father.”

  “And why would the Barskall care about a blacksmith in Holdgate?”

  “Because he was on to them. He knew something was wrong in Holdgate. That someone was working against the stormships from the inside.”

  Roy leaned forward, the skepticism gone from his face. “Where’d you get that information?”

  “Jarvi. You know him?”

  Roy nodded. “I’ve worked the trade routes for twenty years, girl. Of course, I know him. If he says there’s a traitor working with the Barskall, I’m apt to believe it. I’ve had my own suspicions. Nothing concrete, just a general lack of effectiveness among some of the ships lately. More Barskall are getting through to the Kaldfell peninsula.”

  Dustin looked at the captain. “So, what do we do?”

  It was almost a minute before Roy answered. “We let Abbey complete her mission.” He turned to Abbey. “But no one gets a free ride on my ship. You want passage; you have to work. I’ll put you on the crew. In return, you’ll get a cot of your own, food in your belly, and fifty iron when we make it back to Holdgate. Sound reasonable?”

  Abbey nodded. In truth, it sounded a hell of a lot better than being stuck in this cabin for two more days.

  “Good. And if there’s anything I can do to help you in your search, you let me know.” He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself to a standing position. “Now, let’s go introduce you to the crew.”

  The next two days went by in a whirlwind of activity. Abbey joined the crew of The Foggy Day and began learning how to work on a ship. Syd, the bald first mate, oversaw her training, carefully inspecting ever
y task she performed to make sure it was up to snuff.

  The captain hadn’t introduced Abbey as a stowaway; he’d simply said she was a new crew member. But they weren’t stupid. They understood what it meant when the captain brought someone from below deck mid-voyage and put them to work. It meant he’d had mercy on them rather than tossing them overboard.

  They’d all likely heard about the murder of the Magistrate’s son and the blacksmith and his daughter who may have been behind it. To their credit, the crew treated her as one of their own, right from the start, and no one mentioned the dubious circumstances under which she’d come aboard.

  The first day, Abbey spent most of her time swabbing the deck and cleaning the bulkheads. She worked efficiently and without complaint, the same as if she were in her father’s shop. Syd grunted with reluctant approval when she saw the gusto with which her newest crew member worked.

  “How’d I do scrubbing those walls?” Abbey asked her.

  Syd frowned. “They’re not walls, Arcadian. They’re bulkheads. And you did… adequately.”

  “Right. Bulkheads. Got it.”

  It seemed everything aboard the ship had a different name than what she knew. It was as if the stormships had invented their own language just to set themselves apart from the people who spent their lives on land. She felt like a child, not sure what to call the most basic of items.

  Dustin, for his part, spent his time in the bow of the ship, clutching his staff, his eyes a mesmerizing blue-green as he called down the winds that pushed the ship north toward Bode.

  At the end of the first day, Abbey crawled into her bunk, bone tired from the day’s hard work and a bit nauseous from the constant motion of the ship on the water.

  The next day, Syd pulled her aside first thing in the morning. “I have an important task for you, Arcadian. Today you will accompany me in my duties. This will allow you to see all the workings of the ship and view firsthand how everyone does their jobs.”

  “Gee, that does sound important. Kinda like when I was five, and my father gave me the important task of restacking the woodpile five times just to keep me out of his hair.”

  Syd frowned at her. “This isn’t busy work. I saw potential in you yesterday.”

  Abbey raised an eyebrow. “You really liked the way I scrubbed the floors, huh?”

  “Decks. And yes, I did. It’s not the task itself; it’s how you dedicated yourself to it. If you keep that attitude, you’ll go far on this crew.”

  Abbey frowned at that. She wasn’t sure she wanted to make a career out of working on a stormship. As far as she was concerned, the quicker she could get back on solid ground, the better. Still, she wasn’t about to tell this intimidating woman that. And it was nice to have her hard work noticed, even if it was for something as simple as scrubbing the decks.

  Syd nodded toward the bridge of the ship. “First, we go see the captain.”

  Abbey followed Syd up the stairs—no, not stairs, companionway—to the quarterdeck where the captain stood observing his crew. He nodded a greeting as he saw them approaching.

  “Ah, look at you two. Fast friends already. I knew you’d get along.”

  Syd gave no response to that. Instead, she said, “How are we looking, captain?”

  “Mighty fine.” Roy wore an easy smile this morning. Somehow, he seemed different now that they were out of sight of land and well on their way. More relaxed. More in control. Perhaps the open sea was the only place he could truly be himself. “Say what you will about our young Storm Caller, but he’s certainly getting the job done. We’re moving at a steady clip. If we can keep this up, we’ll be to Bode by nightfall.”

  Syd nodded briskly. “You expect we’ll attack the Barskall forces tonight?”

  Roy considered that for a moment before answering. “That’s not my call. This is Captain Tor’s show. We’re just here to support him. But if I had to guess? I’d say yes, we can expect to engage the enemy tonight.”

  For the first time, Abbey saw Syd smile. “Excellent.”

  Roy shook his head. “You and your fighting, Syd. One of these days, you’ll get sick of it and want a sensible, peaceful life like me.”

  “Somehow, I doubt it, sir.”

  Abbey scanned the open water. They were moving north along the Kaldfell coast, but they were out of sight of land. Better to sneak up on the Barskall undetected, Abbey assumed. She saw a ship ahead of them—it had to be Thunderclap—and two more behind them. Dustin was at his place on the prow, staff in hand.

  Abbey nodded toward him. “He got to work early.”

  Roy chuckled. “Indeed, he did. I’m told he got up four times in the night to call more wind, even though we were cruising along just fine. I think he badly wants to beat Thunderclap to our destination.”

  “Sounds about right. He’s always been competitive, ever since we were kids. I’m the only one who could beat him at anything without him throwing a fit.”

  “Is that so?” Roy asked. “How’d you accomplish that?”

  “I expect I beat him so often he kind of got used to it.”

  Syd let out a bark-like laugh. “Be careful, Arcadian, I’m starting to like you.”

  “Why should I be careful?”

  Syd smiled slyly. “I have a habit of getting my friends into trouble.”

  Now, it was Abbey’s turn to smile. “Then I think we’ll get along just fine.”

  13

  Dustin stood at the prow of the ship, his staff resting in one hand. The city of Bode was visible in the distance, and the setting sun was at their backs. They’d stopped the wind and were waiting for a signal from the other ships, now all gathered in a line near them.

  Captain Roy, Syd, and Abbey joined him at the front of the ship.

  “Won’t be long now,” Roy said. “Just have to wait for the signal.”

  The crew was gathered on the deck, dressed for battle, weapons in hand.

  They’d been sitting there for over an hour. Thunderclap had sent a single small boat ashore to validate the claims that the Barskall had taken the city. Once it was confirmed, the Storm Callers would bring down the fog, and the attack would begin.

  Dustin glanced at Abbey. He had to admit, she looked every inch the warrior. Her sword was at her hip, and she watched the shore with her jaw set, grim determination in her eyes. He knew she felt this was her best chance to find the man who had killed the Magistrate’s son and framed her father.

  “There!” Roy pointed toward shore.

  Dustin looked toward where the captain was pointing and saw a pattern of flashes of light. It was the way Holdgate ships communicated with one another, and the way they communicated with allies on shore. Dustin had learned the complex language of light as an apprentice, and he was fluent in its nuances. Excitement sprang up in his belly at what he saw.

  “It’s confirmed! The Barskall have taken Bode.”

  Syd pumped her fist in the air. Finally, someone with as much excitement for battle as him. He was starting to like that woman.

  Roy’s face was unreadable. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have to wait for our orders from Captain Tor.”

  Dustin turned to Thunderclap and watched anxiously. He knew they were meant to be here in a support role. They wouldn’t be first in the city. More likely than not, warriors from The Foggy Day would pull up the rear. By the time they got to shore, there would be little to do other than clean up the few Barskall Warriors who had slipped through the fingers of the others. Still, it wasn’t bad as far as first battles went.

  A light began flashing on the deck of Thunderclap, created by a mirror and torchlight. As soon as Dustin saw the first few flashes, he went cold. “No. There is no way!”

  “Easy,” Roy said softly. “Let’s hear them out.”

  Abbey tapped her foot impatiently on the deck. “Um, some of us don’t speak light flashes. Care to translate?”

  It was all Dustin could do to force the words out. Anger was boiling up in him, threatening t
o spill over into rage. “They want us to stay back. They don’t want us to join the battle at all.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Dustin watched the flashes of light and continued to translate. “They want us to stay here, and I’m to provide a cover of fog over the water, so people in the city don’t see their ships approaching.”

  Syd burst forth in an impressive string of curses. Even Abbey raised an eyebrow.

  “They never wanted us along,” Dustin muttered. “Now, they’re keeping us out of the fight.”

  Roy put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not wrong. But their motivations hardly matter. We have our orders.”

  Dustin turned toward the man, a look of fury on his face. “This is why no one’s heard of The Foggy Day. Because you’re willing to sit back while others do the real work.”

  Roy didn’t react, but it was clear from the look in his eyes that the words stung him. “What would you have me do? Disobey orders?”

  In truth, Dustin didn’t know what more they could do. As much as he hated to admit it, the captain was right. “Fine. I’ll bring down the fog, and they can go capture all the glory.”

  He glanced at Abbey and noticed the look of concern on her face.

  “Wait, Abbey, if we’re not going ashore, how are you going to find—”

  “That’s what I’m wondering,” she said, cutting him off. Her eyes scanned the deck for a moment before she spoke again. “We still have the little dinghy. What if I took it to shore? Could you conjure up a little wind that would carry me there, Dustin?”

  “Of course. But I don’t know about sending you ashore alone.”

  “Me neither,” Roy added.

  “I can fight.” Abbey sounded offended at the suggestion she might need any kind of assistance. “If you need a demonstration, I’m happy to take on any member of your crew right the hell now.”

  Roy chuckled. “I’m sure you are, but that will hardly be necessary.”