Ch: 21.5 Collateral Damage
Down in the workshop it was still three hours till first bell, he had some work to do.
Shai and Becky showed up with coffee in hand, a while later. Together they watched him work while they practiced their own instruments.
Becky was quickly improving on the harp, she tuned up quickly and efficiently, using Shai’s violin for reference. Gary knew better than to leave that too far out of tune, in case Shai wanted to dip her mitts into his Pockets!.
It had happened once, she drew it out and found the instrument flat and sour. Rather than tuning it, or asking for help with the job, she began to play… At Gary, while making eye contact, it was terrible.
“Whae be yer project lad? Tis a violin?” Shai asked, watching with interest.
“Two, one for you, one for me. Built like my new guitar, with the resonance disk in a solid ash body. Tallum’s geared tuners should keep things in key.” He chattered on happily, extolling the virtues of something he called ‘gain’ and ‘distortion’. The other one sounded fun, or at least it was fun to say.
“Overdrive” Becky said, enjoying the shape and sound of the weird word.
“Overdrive” Shai announced, gleefully and with volume. “It do feel like she should be said loud.”
“I really can’t stand either of you wenches.” He grumbled happily, sipping from his magically self heated mug. “I was pretty sure this was the morning the dread pirate Shai was going to kill me.”
“Ye do keep saying that kind o thing, boy and I did hear it somewhere else last night. I shall find this secret, I do search your mind every night when ye sleep.”
“As you wish.” He said for the hundredth time, always with that little smile.
“Fie, ye hae been making that grin an saying such since almost we hae met. Moon touched indeed, surely twice over, as ye hae been touched by Beast an Secret.”
She crawled back into her coffee mug, complaining all the while about madmen and the moon.
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Gary went back to lecturing at the room. “The resonance disk sits in this shallow cavity, suspended on a network of trapdoor silk strands…” Blahh blahh blahh, resonance, mana efficiency, yadda yadda. He did go on, but Shai liked him for some reason.
He wasn’t bad looking or annoying, just weird. Stranger yet, he danced like he had no idea where to put his left leg half the time. “Tell me more about scale length, Gary.” Becky said, keeping him busy talking.
That made him such an odd choice for her sister, Shai was dance, holding her still while anything with a beat was happening was hopeless. “Uhh huh… why use spider silk?” Becky was pretty sure that Shai and Gary were a good match… time would tell.
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Sweet Becky kept tossing out inane questions, keeping her man rambling, while Shai gave her coffee a very firm handshake. Hopefully the brave child could maintain the farce until she was awake enough to start managing her pet mooncalf. Teamwork was a blessing.
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“You used ash for the body and neck, why?” Material choice questions always sent him down a rabbit hole. Becky listened with one ear for keywords, otherwise just skimming his prattle for real information.
“Wait, so these are not going to be Contract items? Why not?” Now she was interested.
“I can’t just make Contract items and scatter them around, it takes a lot out of me, literally.” He grinned insanely. “I have to put my heart and soul into it and use all of my active gifts to cram pieces of me into it.”
He shook his head sadly. “Poor Shai is still infested with me, I don’t think she minds too much though.” She smiled back at her fool, not knowing what a fool she was in turn.
No matter how Becky ran the figures, Gary was a poor match for her Shai. He was a mediocre dancer at best, his physical condition was poor… improving, but still. The boy was clumsy in movement and speech, constantly saying things that made no sense. It had to be his weird gifts that drew her… and those crazy songs.
He was singing again, something about living underground…
…I come from the land down under…
‘Utter nonsense.’ Becky thought, while trying to whistle along. Within two notes Gary’s gift had her, dragging her into his foolish song.
Gary had developed a complex ethos around the use of his gift on others. Any neutral observer was untouchable until they joined in. If they sat there listening that was fine. Start tapping a toe, even a little and he was there, scooping his victim up and cocooning them in his magic. Her inexpert whistle was the fly in his web, now Gary's venom was in her blood.
Giving in, she brought her harp around and got to plucking and strumming along. “You are gonna cut your thumb off Gary, watch where you’re sawing!”
Shai, of course, had just jumped in and started shimmying.
“You should have seen us playing in the craft ward, that was super risky. Hammers and saws everywhere! If I broke a string it would have been fingers everywhere!” Gary laughed between verses.
“Aye, nae more disco in crafts, tis unsafe.” Shai sighed, leaning into him as the music wound down. “Ye should tend tae the stables Becky, we hae some… things tae discuss ere breakfast.”
“There's no horses in the… ohh, gross, I’m out!” Becky vanished, while Shai started dragging Gary upstairs.
“I’m almost done wi-... uhh yes!” He said, while dragging her upstairs faster. “Slowpoke!” He complained.
“A slow poke? An ye be fortunate, aye!” Shai grumbled, trying to move him along faster.
They got a late start, but winter travel is perilous, best to be ready before setting out on the road.
#
The River Road was a good, if uninventive name, it followed along the south bank for the majority of its length. Occasionally the road would climb the low rolling hills. Sometimes overlooking it from a low bluff, but usually right at the water’s edge.
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They shared a late lunch on a bluff overlooking the river downstream, watching a small boat work its way upstream in the distance. They were back trudging through the sticky snow and mud far too soon for Gary’s tastes. They still had hours to walk yet.
At the moment, they were scant yards above the water level, screened by withered berry bushes and bare small trees. Blotchy snow covered most of the ground, with wet clumps clinging to the trees and bushes. The sky loomed low and gray, but the day was warmer than expected.
Creaking of wood and ropes announced the passage of one of the small cargo craft that plied the river. Not quite barges, not quite boats, they were long, blunt prowed, slab sided and narrow.
On the downstream run they drifted in stately grace, following the current. Upstream, most lumbered along so slowly, sometimes it was hard to tell they were moving at all.
These poor fellows were going upstream, pushing against the current with poles, while one woman sat cross legged at the bow.
Most of the power moving the boat was coming from a blue and gold dolphin, gamely tugging the barge along with a rope around its nose.
The boat was brightly painted in blues and golds, with dolphins and other aquatic life drawn in looping stylized strokes. Colorful ropes of pennants fore and aft lent it carnival atmosphere.
Two burly men were poling, mostly fending off from the shore while another stood at the tiller. Their efforts at keeping it tracking a straight line were led by the sweet sing-song voice of the woman at the bow.
“Steady… there! Falco, come here boy!” The dolphin ducked out of its loop of rope and swam joyfully over to the bow of the boat. They had come to a halt on a low embankment, and dropped a wide plank from the deck to shore.
Within minutes, the boat was tethered to stakes, and an awning rolled out. Doors swung open on the sides of the low superstructure, exposing a wide range of small goods.
“Ho travelers! Trade boat Esperanza is open for business! Dried meat and vegetables, fresh bread from the oven right here on board! Spices! Coffee! Tea! All this can be yours! Come taste Esperanza’s bounty!” She sang out in a rich contralto.
Her lilting accent reminded Gary of scandinavian mixed with a little eastern europe, it was a delightful sound.
“Are you a patrol from Order? This one does not recognize your uniform…” She sang, smiling happily, until her eyes landed on Gary. “…did you capture a bandit?”
Gary huffed and stepped forward into (what he believed was) a heroic pose. “I’m the leader of this troupe, we are Ginger Dreadnought! A hard rockin band of Adventurers and entertainers!”
He cut a striking figure in a boiled leather breastplate, reinforced with bronze bands and a kilt of bull hide and bronze straps held up by a wide kirtle of green trapdoor silk sewn with bronze rings. Boiled leather greaves and bracers and a bronze and leather cap finished the rough and tumble armor.
A long silence fell, until Shai dropped a hand onto his shoulder. “Come on boy, lets see her wares. Ye do look a villain in that getup. Aye, put a fishbone in yer nose an ye will frighten the bairns in any town.”
She called out to the woman, who was now petting her dolphin. “We do be Adventure guild, hae ye bandits here?”
“Adventurers! That is a surprise,” She smiled wide while gesturing expansively to her goods on display. “We have seen no bandits… apparently. We have trade to offer and a warning.” She settled back to watch as they browsed saying; “The warning comes free, there is something in the marsh four miles downstream.”
#
The Ivy was across the gangplank and browsing the display in moments, ignoring all the jibber jabber. Like all orphans, she rarely had coin, leaving the contents of the river trade boats forever out of reach.
Now she had coin and her own crazy household to run, it was a heady blend for a woman with her particular talents and interests.
Spices, herbs, mineral salts and reagents of all kinds were on her shopping list, along with more exotic components that might happen across her path.
Gary was a goldmine of those sorts of things, he never complained about being elbow deep in the ruptured bowels of some vile creature. He would just smile and wade in like a loon, rooting around by feel for the wonders he produced so regularly.
Ivy was careful not to mention it to the others, but the boy had a gift for gathering those rare magical monster parts that sorcerers and enchanters so craved.
Trapdoor venom, silk and fangs were common enough, but whenever he was involved, the fangs came out whole. The venom sacks were extra plump and disgusting and the silk spun up like candy floss.
His wallowbears always had fatty, purple spleens and teeth and fangs perfect for jewelry. Even the groundworms he harvested were meaty and had the softest of fur. Gary even found a use for ‘tract’ as Mikkel called it. He washed out and dried the horrid things and used them to string instruments.
Tallum swore by Gary’s new gut strings. “They sound and feel so good, as long as I don’t think about what they’re made from.”
Whatever made her big fool happy. Now it was time to start filling in some of the gaps in her crazy family’s stores.
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“Ivy is going to be a while…” Liam said, grinning at his intense friend. “What did you see, a monster?”
“We saw nothing as such,” She purred, her accent lending an almost lyric quality to her speech. “my Falco has a sense of the water, its not sight, but something like. There be something large and quick, down in the mud. Dashing across the bottom, larger than a horse and new to this place.”
Falco popped up on his fluke and danced backwards in the river chattering gleefully. Shai had been not so subtly fixated on the creature from the moment it appeared. Only her innate social skills saved her from unforgivable rudeness, as she stared holes in the aquatic creature.
“Be this darling creature Falco? Be he your familiar?” Shai butted in, breaking her portentous warning vibe. “Can I be touching him?”
She shook her dark curly ringlets dramatically, rolling those big dark eyes in a well practiced move that spoke of a person born to the stage. “Rarely indeed do my people get to indulge our flair for ominous pronouncing. My grandmother spoke til her death, of the day she warned the town that a bridge was washed out, in blank verse.”
She let out an exasperated huff, making Shai blush. “Your leader is cute, so this one will forgive you.” She said, while looking at Shai and smiling coyly.
“But I’m the leader…” Gary complained, undermining his own argument unironically.
“Aye my boy, ye be leader o the band, but Liam be the leader o the group.” She soothed. Pointing over her shoulder to the small warrior in the impressive armor.
“No? Well regardless, yes pet Falco, he is a shameless flirt. This one has no idea where he gets it… what is that perfume?” She cooed, inhaling deeply just over Shai’s shoulder.
Shai started, almost falling off the embankment into the river. “Fie! I should leap out o me shirt an ye do that again!” she yelped, looking nonplussed and slightly alarmed.
“Shirt you say! Don’t threaten this one with a good time!” Shai flushed bright red and began to sputter, but she didn’t stop stroking the dolphin’s head.
#
The small warrior in the exotic armor handed his long spear off to the odd one and it vanished in a twinkle. His enormous companion did the same with a bronze and iron studded club that most men would struggle to lift, it too disappeared. ‘Adventurers in truth perhaps’ She mused.
“Evening falls soon, my family will moor here, will you join us and camp? Warm bodies ease a cold night…” She almost whispered that last in Shai’s ear, while making sure Liam heard only the part about camping.
“Excellent, I am Liam, here we have Shai, and Gary, Tallum, Ivy, with Tawny and sergeant Becky standing watch. He said smoothly.
“As Gary mentioned, we are Ginger Dreadnought, Adventurers with the guild.” He shook hands with her firmly, enjoying her frank and businesslike attitude. It was nothing to do with the effect she was having on Shai.
“Early camp gang, we will be playing host to our new friends…” Liam paused, allowing the woman to announce herself.
She drew up to her full height of slightly below average, with a smooth grace. The woman draped her colorful coat of elaborately embroidered flowers over her shoulders, so it fluttered in the breeze just so. With smooth cheeks and soft brown eyes her smile was motherly, challenging and just a little sassy all at once.
“I am Esperanza, mistress of this boat, this is my brother Dante, and his two cousins Marc and Yuzef…”
She paused and the men bowed, looking impressive in baggy linen pants held up by colorful sashes of embroidered silk. They wore shirts much like the ones common in Wheatford and long shearling coats against the cold. They were all barefoot, moving like dancers on the close confines of the deck.
“We sail out of Port Ellis, making this run for the first time in a year. We run up, past Wheatford to Flintspire Town, then downstream and home.”
Ivy had slipped out of her boots and was barefoot as well, as she browsed the wares on display. There was a pleasant open space at the stern of the boat, but most of the deck was taken up by the shop display.
The awning cranked up to reveal jars and bales, crates and baskets of foodstuff and spices. An iron oven near the stern gave off the distinct aroma of fresh bread, and perhaps a hint of sweets as well.
The boat’s menfolk did not speak much, letting Esperanza ply her trade. She was a force to be reckoned with, haggling Ivy almost to tears, while flirting with Shai until the poor girl had to flee.
Naturally, Becky found something that Shai just had to look at, bringing her back into range. That was just a coincidence.
“Your lord Liam seems to think highly of you. Truth be told I heard those bells you wear from down river and expected some fancy lord’s carriage. Not a group of doughty warriors led by so kind and humble a lord.” She tisked in wonder. “Not even a pack animal, did you lose your baggage train?”
“We travel light…” She said awkwardly. “Tis the Adventurer’s way.” Shai tried to slip away when Gary rolled into view, arms laden with bundles and goods.
“Make me a deal on all this stuff, Ivy will be my agent, let the haggling commence.” Gary turned a fierce looking Ivy loose on Esperanza.
Armed with someone else’s money, Ivy was determined to take another crack at the sharp dealing trader.
Gary looked over the riverside meadow between the embankment and road with a smile. He pulled out his new guitar and began to play. His instrument barked and twanged in a way they had never heard before, playing rhythm and melody in almost eerie tones.
Tallum held out one big hand and his bass appeared when Gary brushed by. He let Gary’s gift grab on and he took the ride, thumping out a complex line. Ivy had her drum tapping the simple beat, still haggling. Meanwhile, Liam and Dannyl joined up when their instruments appeared.
Becky’s harp began tinkling across the surface of the music, lending a mysterious and ethereal air. This was her first time really witnessing the depths of weirdness that was her sister’s man. The boy opened his yawp and started belting out a crazy song at top volume.
What goes up,
must come down,
Spinning wheel, got to go ‘round…
Becky assumed it was called ‘Spinning Wheel’, even though it had nothing to do with weaving. Gary never explained his weird songs.
When she looked up, the damn house was there. The lamps were lit and there was a huge cloud of steam billowing into the sky.
“So much for low profile.” Becky said, swatting her new brother on the rump. “Shai is going to be pissed if some creepy lord buys your indenture and makes you his bitch.”
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