Day 12 of Midwinter, Sunset

At Sea, Well of Wisdom

Annwn

Okay, it wasn’t so much a plan as a desire to follow Tethra and Tadg. The Fomorian had risked much to come find us in a military-occupied town. But why? She clearly wasn’t after me. I thought about it more and came to the sudden realization of the leverage Cai and his people would have with the son of Overking Nuada as a prisoner. Tethra must have known Tadg and Ethadon would eventually go to the coast. When she spotted us together, she must have realized if she could lure me away, Tadg would be likely to follow…to a nice, secluded spot where she could both get rid of me and escape with her prize.

I sighed, thinking about how tired I was of getting choked by different people. Tethra was the third in a row to grab me by the throat to subdue me. I wondered if there was something that could protect me against the random chokeholds that seemed to be weirdly common here. Then again, even that wouldn’t have protected me from the falling building.

I focused, and the building exploded off me. My blast didn’t destroy all the debris, but was enough to free me. Hoping it might speed up the healing time, I gritted my teeth and popped my lower left leg back into place, then carefully slid the 2x4 out of my right side. Ouch. That one would leave a mark.

When had I become so blasé about getting horribly wounded? Probably sometime between getting dropped off a castle and being nearly flattened by a building, I decided. This was now my life.

I hurried toward the docks, seeing that the sun had fully set on the water, and it was growing darker and harder to see. Thankfully, it’s hard to miss a Fomorian in a tenement section of a port town. Not only that but there were few people in this part of the harbor. I wondered if the armies were now employing most of the workers.

I looked around desperately and spotted Tethra immediately. She was jogging, an unconscious Tadg slung over her shoulder. Despite the pain in my leg, I did my best to match her pace. I suddenly heard a loud popping sound from my injured leg, followed by more structure and less pain. Thank goodness for my Rapid Regeneration racial ability.

With two fully functioning legs, my speed increased dramatically. Unfortunately, Tethra had already hopped on a dinghy and paddled rapidly to a sleek-looking vessel in a nearby mooring. The vessel, when they saw her coming, had begun unfurling its sails and pulling up its anchor. I had to figure out a way to get on that ship.

If I rowed out to it, they would definitely see me coming. There was only one thing I could do. I jumped off of the docks at the lowest point I could find and swam like my life depended on it. I hoped nothing was swimming around the inner harbor that liked the smell of the blood on my clothes. But… this was Annwn, after all. It was highly likely there was something horrible beneath the surface that wanted a bite of me.

The wake I was churning up was impressive, as was my speed. I may not have had the proportions of Michael Phelps, but my newfound physicality made me cruise through the water. As I neared the ship, I saw that it was a smaller vessel with two masts. The name on the side was The Whiskey Wind. My kind of boat.

I watched in panic as the anchor was retracted and the ship began gliding away. How was I supposed to hitch a ride without being seen? I looked around, ducking behind the floating dinghy to avoid being seen from the ship.

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Quietly, I pulled down the edge of the dinghy and looked inside. Oars. Rope. Nothing of use. Looking up, I saw that the bulwark and railings of The Whiskey Wind were only eight or nine feet above the water line. If I could get close enough to the ship, I could maybe jump up and catch ahold of something. I kicked hard and angled the dinghy toward the aft port side of the ship. It was getting harder to keep up with the ship now that the sails were mostly in place.

I pulled myself up and onto the dinghy, then sprang into the air, launching myself at the larger vessel. My hands found purchase at the bottom of the anchor. I hung there for a moment. The ship crashed over the dinghy, pulverizing my former launchpad with a loud crack that was sure to raise suspicions. I looked for someplace out of sight. To my left, I saw the bow figure of a busty woman holding a drink in each hand. It looked like there was a small nook between the bowsprit and the woman that I could potentially fit into. So, I did, ninja-warrioring to the very front of the ship and wedging myself into the crevasse.

“What was that?” came a voice from above me.

“We ran over the dinghy,” a second voice replied.

“Nice work,” said the first voice.

Tethra’s voice rose above the others. “Get back to your posts, and get us moving. Pretty soon, Bren will have the whole armada chasing us down.”

Huh… that would have been a whole lot smarter, I thought. As it was, I was alone on an enemy ship that was likely bound for the Deep Realm, with my only ally unconscious and likely bound. So far, I had only counted three distinct voices, but Tethra was one of those three.

It occurred to me again that I didn't really have a plan, let alone a good one. I could sink the ship, but I would likely kill Tadg in the process. I guessed I would simply have to wait until I could sneak aboard later that night. Maybe inspiration would strike...or I would hear some piece of useful information. My thoughts were interrupted by Tethra's voice.

“With the tides and winds as they are, we should be home in seven or eight hours.”

“Isn’t it a bit reckless to bring the prince to the island?” said a new, female voice. That brought the total, so far, to four Fomorians.

“What do you think?”

“Once he steps foot on Inis Fer Falga, he will be able to find his way back.”

“I know how the protection spell works, Oirneth,” Tethra said, her voice annoyed.

“So this is a one-way trip for him?”

"I think that if we have to use the little prince as a bargaining chip, we have bigger problems to worry about than if the King can find the Deep Realm.”

My plan seemed to be working...at least, I was collecting information, even if most of it didn't make a lot of sense yet. I hadn’t really thought about the Fomorian home. What did “Deep Realm” mean?

Oirneth's voice came again. “Why is Cai’s brother in league with the crown? It makes no sense.” She sounded angry.

“Ruadan claims that Bren has no allegiance to Falias.” Tethra’s tone made it clear she wasn't convinced.

Oirneth scoffed. “ He travels with The Morrigan and Tadg, and turns up at the worst possible times.”

“…Befitting the god of chaos,” Tethra reminded her.

“But why? What is his mission? I do not understand his path through this world.”

Tethra didn’t respond right away. It was clear she had wondered the same. “Cai believes their fate is intertwined, not just in this war, but in this world.”

“No shortage of things going on in Annwn at the moment… especially with Balor and Corb running about.” Oirneth’s tone changed. “And you still believe following Cai instead of Balor was the right choice?”

There was no hesitation this time. “Everything Cai has predicted has come true. I follow my brother as I would follow Father.”

They both were quiet for a few moments, and I processed all that I had heard. Something that Oirneth had said had never occurred to me. It sounded like there were different factions within the Fomorian camp. In retrospect, why wouldn’t there be? There were faction divisions everywhere I had gone in Annwn, including within the Tuatha themselves. What did that mean about the Fomorian raids on Gorias and the Heart-shaped Pool? What did that mean about the deaths of Bres and Lugh? My mind was swirling with the possibilities.

“Enough talk. We must prepare the offering. We will be within the waters of Muirdris soon enough.” I heard the sounds of both women walking away. I was left with my thoughts then, resting uncomfortably between the legs of a wooden barmaid and a pole.

I stared at the dark water below, thinking about all I had heard. It was hard to see much beneath the waves with the white caps and the reflection of the moon on the water, but I could have sworn I saw a gigantic eye move through the depths as it traveled away from the ship. You have to love this world.