The Cutthroat pulled into the dock at Prevoye in midmorning, and hoisted off a black carriage. Captain Fortain watched the horses being led down the gangplank, He didn't like hauling animals, besides the fact there wasn't a place on the ship for them to relieve themselves, forcing the men to muck out where they were kept, they consumed more than their equal weight of men in food and water. But the priest was paying for this so they hauled his conveyance. The priests stood next to him while he supervised the unloading, and he could feel the lady priest's eyes boring into the back of his head. He looked out over the city and remarked, "Montaigne has beautiful cities, does it not," hoping to distract the dagger stare of sister Mary Rose with small talk, although she never spoke a word.
"Yes," her companion commented, "quite a beautiful city of heathens." This was not the direction Fortain wanted the conversation to head. "Speaking of heathens, the man we must see is particularly unsavory, and we will require, perhaps ten of your men for protection."
"Using my men for a brute squad was never negotiated." Fortain was trying to curb the Vaticine man's taking, but he seemed insatiable.
"Yes Captain, you will be compensated. The church always gives people what they deserve." The fact that the priest smiled at this comment somehow didn't put Fortain at ease.
The captain left to organize a landing party with sister Mary Rose's steely gaze still focused on him. "Be patient sister, "the priest whispered, "you can kill him when he ceases to be useful to us. Once we have what we are after we can wipe every heathen off the face of Theah."
Within minutes the carriage was rolling down the streets of Prevoye full, the two priests and the captain inside and ten men riding the sideboards and roof. The inside of the carriage was just as dark and oppressive as its outside and the heavy scent of incense hung in the air. The conditions made the seeming piousness of his travel companions seem ever the more threatening. Fortain would normally be happy to be in his homeland, but today he wanted to get what they needed done completed and be underway before they decided the whole heathen city needed to be burned to the ground.
The four exited the carriage of the citycab they had been following the black carriage in and sat down at a cafe table outside s restaurant to watch the priest and his entourage enter the building across the street. Carl Ulrikson signaled the waitress and ordered coffees for them all.
"We won't have time to wait for drinks," said Tara, "we need to move now before the priest gets the journal."
"He won't have it on him," smiled Vulf, "that building belongs to Pierre Trussote, a notorious smuggler. He won't produce the book for your priest till what he wants is secured and in his possession. It is, however, probably locked up and guarded somewhere inside. Most likely on the second floor." He pointed at a veranda overlooking the street on the next level. "So what is the plan then?" He asked as the coffee arrived.
"We go get Williamson's journal before your Mr. Trussote hands it over." Tara stated, matter of factly.
"A smash and grab?" He replied, in a tone that hinted the idea offended him. "I tell you what, how about I go in there and make a counter offer, with you all acting as my muscle. A better offer and just buy the book out from underneath the church."
"First, Mr. Ulrikson," started Tara.
"Please, call me Vulf," the carl interrupted, putting his hand on hers across the table.
"First off, Vulf," she added his name forcefully while sliding her hand out from under his, "from what I saw last night, he's not offering money. Second, we are not your muscle, this is our quest, and we don't do deception. It is not in our nature." She gave Vulf her disappointed look that Airk was all too familiar with. Airk smiled at not being the one it was aimed at this time.
"Please," said Vulf sipping his coffee, "Pierre is a businessman. Money always talks."
"Ok, you go and buy the book," she began smiling. "But Inigo should be all the muscle you need. We will wait outside, and be in if you need help. As I said, we don't really do deception."
"Fine," said Vulf standing, still trying to figure out where in this dance between them he had misstepped. "Watch as I work my magic." He and Inigo began to walk to the building. Halfway across the street he whispered to Inigo, "I don't understand, why are my charms failing with her?"
"You are as charming as ever, Hermano." Comforted Inigo, "but next to him, even I struggle to notice your charms."
"But, that's her brother, isn't he?"
Inigo shrugged as they entered the building.
Tara and Airk watched the pair disappear into the front doorway. Tara turned to Airk and smiled, "ready?"
He smiled back at her devious grin, "of course," the two stood and crossed the street toward the veranda that Vulf had pointed out.
Airk turned to face her when they reached the wall and laced his fingers together, holding his hands at mid thigh level. Tara pulled out her shield and ax. And stepped up onto Airk's hands. With one toss Tara sailed up to the landing and stepped onto the rail. The guard on the terrace was so shocked by the tall blonde that suddenly appeared on a second story balcony that he only managed to get his hand on the hilt of his sword before she struck him on the head with the edge of her shield. The man collapsed in a heap as Airk's hands grasped the railing and pulled himself over.
Tara looked down at the street below, "you couldn't make it farther than the railing?"
"Sorry," he shrugged, "a little tired this morning."
"I'm sorry," she replied, "last night was a few rough ones."
He took her hand behind her shield in his, "I'm never sorry to be there when you need me. I will always be there. The chair on the ship was just uncomfortable."
"I know, but you do realize why I can't have you in the bed with me, don't you?"
Four men ran into the room beyond the balcony door and pulled swords. "Let's discuss this later," said Tara, Airk took her wrists and spun her around, back toward the railing and whipped her toward the door. Tara slid across the polished stone floor on her hip and her feet collided with one man's legs, taking them out from underneath him. She clipped the man to her right in the back of the knee with her shield as she spun up to her feet and hooked the next man's leg with the inside curve of her ax blade, pulling him off balance. The last man was too preoccupied with watching his comrades fall to notice Airk rush up to catch him under the chin with his forearm. He was already unconscious when Airk grabbed the man falling from Tara’s hook by the tunic and tossed him out the balcony and over the rail. A kick from Airk's foot caught the first man to fall in the chest as he tried to rise and sent him into the far wall, knocked out like his first friend. Tara clobbered the man she kneecapped again with her shield and sent him out as well.
Tara looked around quickly, "well I don't see a book. Next room?"
The priest sat across from the smuggler at an ornate rosewood desk. The holy man had placed some papers on the desk when Vulf and Inigo loudly made their entrance. Some of Fortain's men made an attempt to bar their way, but Inigo's sword was out before they could blink. A slash at the wrist disarmed one man, he cut the next one's belt before he could grab the handle, sending the weapon and the pants attached to it to the floor. Inigo flipped his hold on his sword with a flourish to point behind him just as the last man ran up behind him and managed to stop just before the Castilian's sword point entered his throat.
"Please, no hostilities gentlemen." Said Vulf, dripping with smarm. "I am just here with a counter offer. Whatever he is paying, Pierre," said Vulf with a smile, "you know I can double it."
"Ah Vulf, so good to see you again." Said Pierre, who held a white kerchief up to his lips as he softly coughed, "but this is not about money. I am getting absolution. I am not well my friend, and the good father here claims to be able to absolve all my worldly transgressions for the small price of the journal you seem to seek as well."
As the two continued to negotiate in the form of exchanging pleasantries, Inigo with his sword still out but readied at his side, noticed the conspicuous absence of the lady priest. They had watched her exit the carriage with the others and enter the building, but she was not present in the room. His finely tuned duelist sense also gave him the suspicion that Tara and Airk had not waited outside either.
The pirate flew out of the doorway and shattered an antique chest of drawers before blacking out from the punch that had delivered him here.
"I mean, I'm going to be in the room regardless, I would be more comfortable in the bed as well." He tried to sound like this was a logical discussion, but even to him this smelt of him begging to share her beds.
"Airk, as I said before, can't this conversation wait?" Tara replied with an exasperated tone.
" I'm just trying to say that I would never try anything you wouldn't want. You can trust me, of all people, right?" He continued pressing on the issue as they walked to the next room.
"Airk," she sighed, reaching a breaking point, "have you considered that maybe the problem is that it's not you I don't trust with having you in my bed." She regretted it the moment it left her tongue, and she bit down on her lower lip.
"Wait, what?" He thankfully said with his typical thickness. "If you do trust me, who do you not trust?" They entered the next room, with Airk still behind in the conversation they just had. "Who else is there not…"
He realized she had stopped and was silent. The next room was strewn with half a dozen dead men and blood sprayed on the walls. The bodies were battered, strangled and cut in every vital location.
"Did we circle around?" Asked Arik, looking over his shoulder.
"We haven't been in this room yet." Replied Tara, "we didn't do this."
They stepped into the room and at the center looked through the open door to the right. Sister Mary Rose stood in the mezzanine overlooking the front entryway, and she was holding the journal. The woman flicked out her free hand and blade at the end of the string of prayer beads flew into the room, passed between the two siblings and embedded itself in the far wall. The lady priest then leapt over the banister and disappeared from sight. The beads were suddenly jerked from the wall and retracted down the opening.
Tara looked at Airk expectantly, "you could have grabbed it!"
"What the hell was it?"
"Please Pierre," said Vulf, "you don't buy that this man can guarantee you anything."
While the two argued over the journal, the priest picked the papers back up from the desk and stood. "If you gentlemen wish to continue negotiating you do not require me."
“No, your holiness, this is not a negotiation," Pierre assured him, "he does not have what I want." His eyes went wide as Sister Mary Rose slid down into the foyer and dashed out the front door, a book seemingly under her arm.
Shortly after, Airk slammed down into the floor in a three point stance with Tara on his back, arms around his neck. She slid off and the two ran out the doors after the Sister.
"Nevertheless, I believe our business is complete, Pierre," said the priest as he walked out of the room. "You were an exemplary host."
Vulf watched the priest leave and turned to Pierre, "what the hell just happened?" Inigo grabbed him by the arm and dragged him after the fleeing prize.
Pierre's henchmen looked at the sickly man confused, triggering the man's rage. "Get after them you fools! They have the book!"
Vulf and Inigo stepped outside in time to see a fleeing Airk and Tara in pursuit of the lady priest.
"We need to follow." Said Vulf, unnecessarily. Inigo put two fingers in his mouth and produced an ear splitting whistle. "I hate how you do that." The carl said, wiggling one ear with a finger.
A city cab clopped to a halt next to them, and they clambered in. "It does work though, hermano."
The sister was surprisingly fast, the awkward vestments she wore didn't seem to slow her down in the least. Airk and Tara hurried to keep up with her, but seemed to be closing by only inches at a time. When Sister Mary Rose looked back and saw the pursuing Vesten, she slung out another bladed prayer bead string, burying it into the roof of a second level walkway that ran the length of the buildings on this street. When she leapt up she tugged in the string and pulled herself onto the next level.
"By the gods," exclaimed Airk, "it's as if she can fly!"
"Well she's about to find out that I can too." Said Tara, and raised her eyebrows at him.
"Oh, right." He said. As they ran he grabbed her by the waist with both hands, spun around and tossed the blonde warrior onto the next level behind the priest lady.
Tara stepped gracefully onto the handrail and dropped into the balcony reaching sprinting speeds again in just a few strides. The gangway was ending in front of the sister and Tara could see by her posture that the woman was about to duck into the door and enter the building. Tara hurled her ax, burying the blade into the door jam inches in front of the sister's face. She skidded when she changed direction and leapt from the balcony, another quick bead string trick and the priest pulled herself to the next run across the street. Tara grabbed her ax and followed her without thinking, she already had seen what happened. She didn't make the jump, falling short of the distance, but that didn't matter as Airk was already below, catching her feet in both hands and tossing her back up behind the sister before dashing after them along the lower level.
Pots and boxes began to explode around Airk as he ran. Several of Trussote's men had caught up and were stopping to unload their pistols in Airk's direction.
Airk dodged in and out from under the balcony to avoid the pistol shots. Tara heard the black powder pops and began to knock whatever was near the edge off as she ran. Soon Pierre's men were dodging pots, planters and even tables, keeping them from getting a clear line of sight on Airk.
Tara flung her ax again as Mary Rose leapt and swung to the next balcony. It impacted the handrail just below the sister's feet and stuck, forcing Tara to dive over the rail to grab it, limiting her distance into the next street. But Airik was there again, catching her, cradled in his arms before spinning and tossing her up, once again onto the next run.
Tara could see the wide eyes above the veil, clearly confused as to how the blonde woman continued to get back up in pursuit of her.
The alleyway was cut off in front of Airk by a wagon full of flowers unloading into a shop. With townspeople in the way below the balcony, he was left with only one path. Without slowing, Airk slid under the wagon, turning onto his belly and stopping to grasp the wagon as he stood, flipping it into the air and sending it hurtling at the henchmen. Then he was off again, following the fleeing ladies.
Tara could see the next street was a main thoroughfare and too far for even the sister to make the jump. She would have to stop and fight. True to her suspicion Sister Mary Rose slid to a halt and turned to face Tara. The bead weapon extended out of her sleeve and she began to spin it in circles and figure eights, launching it out at Tara and pulling it back. The Crescent blade nicked and bounced off the Vesten maiden's shield as she continued to slowly close the distance between them. The blade stuck in the shield long enough to let Tara bring the ax down on her own shield, severing a length of the beads and leaving the blade stuck in it. The lady priest looked around desperately before turning to leap from the balcony to the street below.
"Shit," swore Tara as she quickly followed. When Tara landed on the street the Sister was gone. She quickly looked down the street to see her rapidly rolling away atop the carriage they arrived at Pierre's in.
Another wagon passed the retreating black carriage to stop in front of Tara. It was filled with the priest's men, and they were all leveling muskets at her. She knew she was without cover and had nowhere to run.
Suddenly Airk's arms were around her, spinning her in place to face the alleyway from which they came as the rifles opened fire. "Airk! What are you doing?" She gasped as she could feel each of the musket balls impact on his back. When the shots stopped, the large redhead charged the wagon while the musketeers were reloading, and flipped it over. The men were flung out and into the cafe window behind them, and the horses were forced onto their sides by the cart rigging holding them. Afterward Airk collapsed down to one knee holding on to the upturned cart. Tara ran over to him, when her hands touched his back it was slick with blood.
"No, no," she cried, "what did you think you were doing, you big oaf?"
"Protecting you," he said quietly.
A cab pulled up beside them, when the door opened up it was Inigo, waving them in. Tara helped Airk inside and closed the door, "they have the book, they're heading to the docks." Tara informed them.
Vulf opened the hatch to the driver, "the docks as fast as possible." He closed the hatch to see Tara taking off Airk's vest. It had almost a dozen holes in it, and looked wet with blood. Scattered up his back were musket balls, or half musket balls. The shots had penetrated his vest, sunk halfway into his flesh and stopped.
"How can that be possible?" Asked Inigo, "I have seen men shot through metal curasses and still die"
Tara began to pick the balls out with a fingernail, "luckily, Airk has always been… very durable." Her words were accentuated by the sound of leaden musket rounds dropping to the floor one by one as she removed them. Though she tried to sound confident, Airk had never been shot before. She was worried he would die when it was happening. "Does anyone have a rag?"
Vulf handed her a handkerchief and she began to dab at the impressions gently. "Stupid oaf, how could you let yourself get shot?"
"It was me get shot or let you get shot. I thought you would be happy with my choice."
She slapped Airk on the back, forcing a wince and a sucking sound through his teeth. Vulf had to look away from what he was sure was extremely painful given Airk's wounds. "Now tell me, do I seem happy?"
"Considering you are unharmed, I am happy at least." Said Airk through gritted teeth. She slapped him again, and Airk looked at Vulf, mouthing, "still worth it." Vulf however was having his doubts.
After his back was cleaned Tara wiped off his vest leaving the once white kerchief a deep red all over. "I'm sorry Mr. Ulrikson, I am afraid it's ruined now." She said, trying to hand it back.
"That's alright," he replied, "keep it for…next time?" He added, unsure what he himself meant, but maybe it was because he knew that Airk would probably be injured again before this was over.
The black coach clattered to a stop on the docks unloading the Captain and the priests but their entourage was ominously absent.
"We have the book Captain, let us be off." Said the priest smiling.
"Loading your carriage will take time and my men have yet to return," complained Fortain.
The man turned, "leave it, we'll have no need of it where we're going and it can drive home, we must be under way they will be in pursuit. As for your men, they are not returning, you saw what our opponents are capable of, they will not be returning."
Fontain still had the image of the big man being shot ten times and still flipping the wagon over on his men fresh in his mind. "Cast off," he said to the bosun as he passed, following the priests up the gangplank.
"Sir, we've not attached the ice plow." The bosun replied.
"Cast off," the captain made this order more stern this time, "we have to resupply in Klorhulg anyway, we'll attach it there. But we move, now!"
When the cab arrived at the docks the Cutthroat was already pulling away from the pier.
"Damn," swore Vulf. "It will take time to charter a new ship, and who knows if we will catch them by that time."
"We know where they are headed," said Tara calmly. "It's not beating them to some port, it's getting to the flows first."
"Yes, all well and good, but we still need to find a ship headed that way."
"I think we are in luck after all." Chuckled Airk. They all looked at him in confusion until he pointed to the ship in the next berth. There flying the Vesten flag was the Divine Wench.
"Master Airk!" Yelled Yofer, running down the gangplank. He lept into the air and was caught in one hand by Airk, who held him over his head. The boy was laughing madly when Airk set him down. His look quickly turned serious when he saw those violet eyes. "Lady Tara, a pleasure to have you aboard again." And gave her a deep bow.
She smiled warmly at the young cabin boy
"It's good to see you again as well, Yofer. Now, where is our good captain?"
"Here," came the call from the stairs of the aft castle, "am I to worry you will bring me more trouble?"
"Are you chartered already, Captain?" Asked Tara.
"Not as of yet," he replied. "We are still unloading." At this he raised a brow at Airk.
"Then I am on it, my captain." Laughed Airk. He saluted and headed for the hold.
"Good news Horatio," smiled Tara, "this time we bring you guilders instead of wagers." She swept a hand and bowed as Vulf finished the climb up the gangplank.
"Vulf Ulrikson," he said proffering a hand, "we need passage north." Horatio shook his hand as he continued. "Are you experienced with the Allfather flows?"
Horatio eyed the carl cautiously, "I sailed salvage in the flows in my youth, but the Wench hasn't an ice plow, so it would be dangerous."
"We'll deal with that when we get above Vestenmennavenjar. You name your rate, and we have an accord." Smiled Vulf.
The hold was unloaded within the hour, the crew having seen Airk in action before, quickly settled into the best positions to help. Horatio's rate seemed to her to be trying to include the trip they had won the last time, but she said nothing as Vulf paid it without question.
The captain turned to Tara, "will we be traveling as we did last time?" He finished the question with a wink.
"No." Interrupted Airk, before Tara could respond. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We will not, it is too hard on her."
Tara was glad Airk spoke up before Horatio could talk her into it. "We were desperate last time, but no. It does take a lot out of me."
"Of course, I understand. Still, my crew is quite capable. Your cabin from before is still at your disposal my lady." Said Horatio with a bow. He turned to Vulf and Inigo, "we have another stateroom on board, though it is not as large as hers, it is a world of improvement over the crew quarters.
Vulf noted that it held a table and a set of bunks, and not much else. "How am I the one in the stateroom when I paid for the charter?"
"We need to give up on trying to compete with those two, my lord" stated Inigo as he lay down on the bottom bunk and sighed deeply. "They are heroes, and people respond to heroes a lot of the time better than they do royalty."
"We are heroes, aren't we Inigo? We have been on adventures." Questioned Vulf.
"Yes we have Hermano, but adventurers are not the same as heroes." The duelist sat up and looked at his friend with an expression of honesty, "adventurers do what they do for reward and glory, and we have had much of that. But when a hero does something it is because it is right. An adventurer seeks to better their life, a hero to better everyone's life."
Inigo lay back down after this, leaving Vulf to think on what he said. After a few minutes of reflection he asked, "I don't have a chance of getting her away from him, do I?"
"Without sitting up or opening his eyes Inigo said, "no, I don't think either of us is getting between them. I have seen many people together for fifty or more years who don't have the connection they do. Whether they don't know it or won't admit it, I'm not sure. Whatever the situation, something is keeping them apart."
The ship was well underway when night finally fell, the night crew were getting to their positions but the day crew were gathered in the hold. They poured rum and they sang, Airk was right there with them. One of the men had a concertina, and he played it well after twelve years on the open sea for practice. Tara sat on a barrel near him and nursed a drink while Airk sang and quaffed with the sailors. Airk's voice was not great, but it was not bad she claimed to his face, for he always sang from the heart, but a skald he would never make. His laughter made up for it. For someone like Tara who saw the future, laughter was in short supply. But she enjoyed his laugh, his laugh made up for the lack of hers. They had also been talking with the crew and discovered Borick was left at a hospice in Prevoye that would care for him in his condition and Cutter had fled the ship, his whereabouts unknown. Tara hoped he took her warning to heart.
The lively music stopped and Jak Fett, the man with the concertina, played a long, drawn out note, "enough with the boisterous songs, we have a lady present." He nodded to Tara, whose eyes got wide at where this was going. She shook her head slightly but Kak continued. "We need something beautiful, for a beautiful lady. Come now, someone must know a song fit for such an angel."
The men looked around at each other and shrugged.
"You are on a fool's errand, Jak," said Airk, "I've been trying to pull the romance out of her for years." He winked at Tara as she glowered at him.
"Perhaps the lady has a song for us." Said Jak, trying to salvage the mood.
"I'm not sure what would be appropriate in this setting," she tried to deflect.
"Sing the Storm, Tara." Said Airk, strangely serious for the atmosphere.
"Sing your favorite song?" She asked suspiciously, realizing he was baiting her with everyone present.
"Oh, we must hear this song then." Smiled Jak.
Tara stood and set down her cup, and maybe it was the rum convincing her to do this, or Airk's dare you attitude, but she showed Jak the notes and he began to play.
And she sang. She sang a song about a woman singing to a storm. A storm that had taken her love from her and that she demanded be returned. As the lyrics flowed she demanded, then she asked, then she pleaded. Finally, the woman asks that if he will not be returned, to take her as well so they will not be apart. The storm takes the woman and inside she meets him and he explains he was trying to return, but he had become the storm. So to be together they remained in the storm and saw the world.
The hold was silent when the music ended. Several sailors, including Jak had to wipe away tears, and Airk smiled so warmly at her she felt her knees were melting. 'Happy?' She mouthed at him. "And that is all for me tonight, I shall retire to my cabin." The whole crew applauded as she bowed.
"Alas, that ends my night as well, gentlemen." Said Airk, turning to sounds of disappointment in order to follow her.
Tara turned before ascending the stairs, "you can stay if you want."
He took her hand in his, "I shall never be lax in my duties to guard your nights." She pulled her hand away but smiled before she started up the stairs. "About the bed…"
"No!" She interrupted sharply.
The priests were in the captain's former quarters pouring over the journal. The priest knew enough old Vesten to translate the passages. The bearing through the ice to the glacial wall, the location of the dark tower, and the climb to the door. A door that will only open with the blood of a Prophet. "Well I can do a sacrament. Maybe make blood out of wine." Sister Mary Rose looked at him and spoke no words, "yes you're right, I'm sure it's more of an enigmatic key, we just need to figure out what it is they allude to. I'm sure Mr Williamson was not a Vaticine, it has to mean something in Vesten culture."
A knock on the door interrupted their 'conversation'. The bosun poked his head through, already wincing as if he expected rapid retribution from the Lady of Blood, as Mary Rose was becoming known to the crew. "Begging the pardon of your holiness."
"Yes, what is it?" Replied the priest.
"A man who joined the crew of one of our sister ships, the Blood Siren, said he had information for you specifically."
"Does he?" He said, almost cheerfully. "Well, bring him in."
The door opened the rest of the way and two additional men entered holding a third by either arm. They tossed him to his knees in front of the holy duo.
"This should be fun." Mocked the priest to the Lady of Blood. He turned to the man kneeling at his feet, "and what, pray tell, do you know that I do not."
Cutter looked up at the priest, he wasn't as old as he expected, but neither was he young. No facial hair, which was an oddity for men from Vesten, and his eyes were obscured by smoked lenses in round wire frames. Hairless was his face but on his head it was thick and black with bits of gray dusted into it in many spots. "I have intimate knowledge of those who oppose your quest and seek to beat you to it."
The priest leaned forward, now curious where this tidbit of knowledge led.
"Airk Ivethayson and Tara Ivethaysdatter, he has a strength that can in no way be natural and seems indestructible, and she is some kind of witch that can see the future." Cutter spoke this last part in hushed tones, trying to keep her warning about his death out of his mind. No one treats him the way they did and live. He would see them brought down in front of him, and see them suffer for it. "She used magic to take our ship from Soroya to Vendal in a day."
"The future you say," the priest's interest piqued. He looked at Sister Mary, "the blood of a prophet.”
The priest approached the Fortain at the helm, prompting the thought in the captain that apparently this wasn’t the best place to avoid the man. "Yes, your grace." He said, trying not to sound annoyed.
"You are a hard man to find, Captain." He said, oozing contempt. "if I did not know better, I'd think you were avoiding me."
"Captaining is busy work, your grace," Fortain replied.
"Surely you have people who steer for you?"
"You don't get to be captain without knowing every job on a ship," Fortain began his explanation like a master lecturer, "I like to make sure I occasionally do those jobs every so often to remind me why I'm Captain. I enjoy it, it reminds me that I am part of this ship."
The priest looked at the cabin boy mucking the deck, "surely not every job."
"Some less often than others," countered Fortain, "but yes, every job."
"I noticed we still don't have an ice plow yet…"
"It is in the hold," the captain cut him off, "you wanted to leave immediately. That did not allow us to install it in the last port." Fortain cocked his head at a sailor standing ready and he took the captain's place at the wheel. "We will have to resupply at Klorhulg before entering the flows. We will install it there. Besides, they have better facilities to do the job as they install and replace them regularly."
"Excellent Captain, well planned I must say." The priest smiled, "but we have another problem besides the ice we are heading for."
"The Vesten twins," Fortain expounded, ahead of the priest's rhetoric, "my men made it back to dock before the Blood Siren left port. Some of them came over with your visitor and informed me. They say they each put a shot into him and he still turned their wagon over on them." Fortain smiled at the opportunity to be ahead of the Vaticine for once. "They even say his lady gave your lady friend a run for her money."
The priest's smile quickly faded, "yes, apparently so. But nevertheless, we must do something, for they are currently hot on our trail, so to speak." He turned to look back at Fortain's sister ships following behind, "I think when we reach the straight, you need to have one of your ships hang back and arrange a little surprise for them."
"You want me to risk one of my ships?"
"Surely any of your ships is a match for their pathetic little vessel?"
And here was Fortain, caught between pride and caution.
By the second day they were approaching the Avalon/Montaigne Straight, the Divine Wench was not big but she was fast. She also had the advantage of carrying only passengers and supplies, so she was lighter for lack of cargo. If the wind kept up they would catch the priest's ships before they made Soroya.
Tara stood on the deck, watching Airk and Yofer, the boy had crow's nest duty today and instead of climbing the rigging Airk instead ran him up the mast on a tackle rope. The boy laughed the whole way up, and Tara’s mind was invaded by thoughts of the kind of father Airk would make. She squeezed her eyes tight and shook her head, trying to dislodge these thoughts she could not afford right now to entertain.
"The boy is quite fond of you two." Horatio had walked up on her while she was fighting with her own thoughts unheard.
"He reminds me of some of our brothers and sisters. Does he have a family?"
"His mum died when he was born. She was an honest to god librarian at the Castilian collage. But she didn't have the constitution for birthing it seems." The captain seemed to wipe something out of his eye, "his dad was a sailor, one of the finest I've ever sailed with. His gran took care of him while his dad earned a living. When Yofer turned thirteen she passed and his father took the boy with him to be learning the trade. The ship they first sailed on together went down in a storm on the Numanari Approach off the Sarmatian Commonwealth. Only seven souls survived. His dad gave his life to make sure the boy was one of them. The boy found me in the next port and remembered his dad tell of sailing with me. He told me his story and he's been our cabin boy ever since." He turned to Tara, "tell me he's going to be alright."
"I haven't seen his death, Captain," said Tara, "But I think I would have if it were imminent. I always see it coming in those close to me."
"You've seen his then?" Horatio indicated Airk.
"Every night," Tara sniffed and wiped away a tear herself. "Since we were eight."
"So that's what you be screaming about every night." He asked softly. "I've heard you, my cabin is right next to yours. You scream his name."
Tara let out a small chuckle, though the tears still ran down her cheek, "it seems I can watch the world end every night without a problem any more, but the sight of him lying there, still drags me screaming from my dreams."
Horatio looked out over the bow, "how long?"
"There's a bay a few hours ahead on the Avalon side," she said with absolute assurance, "they will wait till we pass and hit us from behind."
"Your 'brother' can take care of it? You two have a plan, you said?"
"He said he just needs your extra anchor and to be dropped off a mile down the coast from the bay."
The Drown Wench sat in Shepherd's Bay waiting for the Divine Wench to sail by. The crew had sat there one day already and half of this one had gone by. The clouded skies of Avalon left the men on edge, as if some spirit or fae monster would dive out of the clouds at any moment and snatch one of them away, never to be seen again. Most sailors knew Avalon wasn't populated with only magical monsters, but there was no doubt they existed here. Anyone who sailed with an Avalonian or talked to one from one of their ships knew they had rituals and supernatural tics to keep the fair folk at bay. The problem was no one on the Drown Wench was sure they knew enough of them to be ready for everything. The boat sat far more quiet than was comfortable as the crew went about their work trying to make the least sound possible while listening for anything malicious.
Airk finished dragging the anchor to the top of the ridge overlooking the bay. The Drown Wench sat up against the cliff as close as the depth of the water at the beach would allow. They wanted to be out of sight of their prey till they passed, that meant using the cliffside for cover. They waited, sails rolled but anchor up so they could drop cloth and charge as soon as they could see her swim by.
Airk looked over his shoulder and spotted the Divine Wench sailing along, approaching the Bay. He looked over the edge and could see the deck of the Drown Wench and estimated about forty feet from cliff edge to railing. Carrying an anchor, this was going to be close. Tara’s ship grew closer and he was running out of time.
Airk breathed in and out rapidly and hoisted the anchor in his shoulder. He settled the weight, took three more slow drawn out breaths and ran as hard as he could toward the edge of the cliff. Leaping as hard as he could he sailed out over the edge, dropping rapidly as the anchor dragged him down. As Airk passed over the ship he drew the anchor out in front of him and shoved it downward with all his might.
As the crew of the Drown Wench finally saw the ship pass the rocky outcropping of the bay and prepared to hoist the sails they became aware of a strange whistling sound that was growing louder. Their fears became manifest as something seemed to actually be diving out of the cloudy skies to snatch them away. As panic broke out on the deck of the ship the object hurtling at them seemed to split in two, the first half continuing to sail past the ship and the second screaming down straight at the deck. It shattered the lattice cover of the deck, punched through the flooring of the hold and continued through the hull in the bilge next to the keel. Water erupted out of the puncture and began to fill the boat.
Airk hit the water on the far side of the boat, missing the railing by only a few feet. As he drifted down in the waters of the bay he watched the anchor sink under the boat to the sea bed. Then all along the shore side of the boat, the sailors who could swim were crashing down into the water and swimming for the beach to escape the sinking ship, rather than wait for the lifeboats to drop. Still Airk couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, he missed the keel and the water wasn't deep enough to sink much below the main deck. A ship with an intact keel could be salvaged, but that took time, so this ship was at least out of the race for now.
The crew of the Drown Wench were making their way to the beach, now stuck in Avalon and frightened. They however, would not be alone as several tall, lithe and inhumanly pretty people were watching their arrival with great interest. Airk, on the other hand, was swimming his way out to sea. When the sunken ship was almost out of sight, Airk arrived at the longboat that had dropped him off and was waiting for him to return.
"I told you he'd make it." Smiled Yofer, waiting in the boat with four other men who had rowed them to shore initially.
"It's got to be five miles to shore," one sailor remarked, "after carrying an anchor up the ridge. Unbelievable!"
Airk pulled himself into the boat and walked to the center line between the oars and took the place of two of the men.
"Surely you haven't the strength left to row?" Said one of the men he replaced.
"Well, we do want to catch the Divine Wench before she leaves us behind." Laughed Airk, as he began to row with such force the boat lurched forward. Yofer struggled to keep the rudder straight as the boat bounced along the waves to the awaiting ship.
"So she can see the future." Mused the priest.
"I just lost a ship, your grace!" Fortain uttered the title with more distain than was probably healthy for him. "If you knew she would know we were coming, why bother setting up an ambush, and costing me one of my ships?"
"Oh I didn’t know, Captain," he was smiling, still pleased with himself, "but this confirms Mr. Cutter was indeed telling the truth. All of it apparently. We need the girl Captain. She is vital to our goal. We must have her at all costs."
"Yes he was telling the truth, about the man too, seeing how he sank my ship single handed, like." Fortain sighed, "how do you intend to get her away from him? He's not exactly going to let us take her."
"No my dear Captain, but we will not give him that choice." The priest paced around the table, his mind almost visibly planning. He looked up at Fortain finally, "we will stay an extra day in Klorhulg. I'll need accommodations in town. And more of your men ready to fight when our pursuers arrive."
"It will take most of a day to resupply and attach the ice plow anyway." He eyed the man carefully. The priest was becoming more dangerous each day. Fortain felt the tide was getting well above his head in this job far too quick. "We'll be setting a trap then, for the girl?"
"For them all, Captain." He moved the marker that represented the ships to Klorhulg on the map spread out on the table. "And send in Mr. Cutter, we have some things to discuss."