Day Five

The weapons the Galak held were like nothing Wilran had ever encountered. Their small wooden size and shape indicated to her they weren't dangerous, but the way the Galak fixed them on Wilran's head and the orange color that radiated from her aura told her looks could be deceiving. The weapon's strange metal barrel and trigger reminded her of a crossbow or sumpit, but the harsh nitrate scent hinted at something far deadlier.

"We mean you no harm, ma'am," Wilran said, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Please, we only seek sanctuary. As a servant of the divine, I appeal to your calling."

"Careful, Wilran," Tash pleaded. "Those weapons are deadly. We should leave."

Wilran turned to see a second Galak — a stocky male with a well-groomed beard and intense blue eyes — aiming another pair of the strange weapons, one directed at Tash, the other at Gamma. Neither Galak seemed to consider Einkidi a threat, a small comfort, though Wilran's mind spun with worry. Unfortunately, she couldn't see his aura.

Well, if this goes south, at least the most powerful of us is unnoticed.

The male Galak spoke, his tone cool laced with suspicion. "As the captain said, let the cat out."

Wilran cast a quick glance at her friends. Tash's eyes flicked around the room, looking for exits. She had hoped he might have found a way out of their situation if she was wrong about their friendliness, but her own scan indicated it was unlikely. Gamma looked defeated. Once more Wilran felt her heart moving back towards Thepa, and she felt the overwhelming force of her body cry out pain. She too needed comfort, but completions of experience had taught her there was a time and a place for everything and now was not the time. Einkidi was defiant. Out of the three, she knew the halfling the least, but the look on her face and knowing what she was capable of pushed Wilran to finally make her move before something bad happened.

"My name is Wilran Stillfond. I'm an Youngling of the Stars from the kingdom of Clayborn and servant of the Goddess Chandeidra," she began keeping her voice steady. "My companions and I were bound for Goldale, to meet the armies of Lightmount, Goldale, and Clayborn, but we were captured and brought here. We need your help to hide from our captors and escape the city."

The female Galak's eyes narrowed, her posture rigid as she studied Wilran. But as Wilran spoke, the orange tint in her aura softened to blue — warm and calming. Visually seeing a crack in the woman's defenses pushed Wilran to continue.

"As fellow sisters of faith, we ask for your aid or to let us go in peace with the knowledge we mean you no burden or ill-will."

The male's voice interrupted, laced with doubt. "And what makes you think we serve the same god?"

"I never said you," Wilran rebuked. "Chandeidra welcomes all, but who or what you serve is not Her."

A wry smile crept onto the woman's face as she lowered her weapons. "She's got you there, Leon," she said, shooting him an amused glance. "Not that I haven't tried. In life, I have found two loves, both equally strong willed."

"Katundra!" Leon objected, frustration seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, hush Leon. I don't know how she knows I follow the divine, but I can see it in her eyes. She tells no lies. Please go check topside to see what's going on. I'm going to have a chat with our new friends."

"I must protest—"

"Oh, hush." She rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to return topside. "Remember who's the captain of this ship and who shares the sheets. If you don't want to be sleeping in the hold, you'll do what I say. Why don't you start by checking the perimeter?"

Leon gave Katundra a pleading look, but he holstered his weapons and headed back up to the main. Katundra turned back to them, settling herself into a worn, plush chair at a desk in the center of the room, gesturing for them to sit.

"Forgive my husband. He means well, but sometimes forgets this is my boat. And I apologize for my own hostility... With all that has been going on lately, you can never be too careful."

"It's understandable," said Gamma with trepidation. "You will have to grant us clemency as well. We just lost a friend escaping another vessel."

"Vessel?" Katundra asked before her eyes widened in shock. "That racket was you?"

Wilran shrugged, but the adrenaline in her was running down. As it did, her own feelings started to push their way up. "We did what we had to do."

"I see," Katundra said. Her bright blue eyes started around the room taking the time to study them. "You are welcome to stay for as long as you need, but unfortunately there isn't much I can do for you. Our own hands are tied as well. The city is on lockdown."

Silence filled the room until Einkidi finally spoke, her voice quiet against the small amount of waves lapping against the haul. "Can you get us to Wildehaven?"

Wilran's heart sank. "Einkidi, the mission—"

"You have to face the facts, hun. Thepa's..." Einkidi scrunched up her face while taking a deep breath through a wall of sadness. She didn't say it, but Wilran could tell she was doing all she could to keep it together. "No longer here. You're down two of the people Thepa told me you would have and even if Tash wanted to help, he shouldn't. His own people need him."

Tash nodded solemnly. "She's right."

Einkidi swallowed hard, meeting Wilran's gaze. "And I...well, I'm a mom now. I can't take stupid risks anymore. I refuse to let my son grow up broken in an already broken world. That leaves just the two of you."

"I think we have to listen to Einkidi," Gamma interjected. "We can head to Wildehaven, then from there we charter a boat to the Beachwick. I can...let them know what happened."

"That's not going to work either," Katundra said, shaking her head in disagreement. "At the moment, no one is getting out of port. The moment we leave, they'll be on us looking for escapees. As soon as they see the human, you will be arrested again."

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Gah! No Thepa, no plan, no way out, and no hope. How much more of this can I take? Chandeidra, please grant us some clemency before the oncoming grief leaking into my brain bursts.

Unsure of what to do, Wilran turned to Katundra, desperate for some semblance of understanding and direction. "What's going on here anyway? Why are the Galak's revolting? Don't they realize we're at war?"

Reflexively, Katundra stood up. Her eyes narrowed and a flash anger crossed her face. Her aura shifted towards a deep red and Wilran could tell she was angry. "I wouldn't expect elf to understand."

What's that supposed to mean? she thought. Fortunately, Tosh stepped in to save her.

"What the captain means is that even though we don't agree with the revolt, it has been a long time coming. Humans relegated Galaks to second-class lives, only valuing us when they needed soldiers. While the leaders and a majority of the military made their way to the front lines, prominent Galaks left behind took it upon themselves to overthrow the humans and take control of the city. Those that are human, aided in their escape, or were found to be hiding them are currently sitting in prison. I guess they figured they could solidify power with the vacuum caused by the Lightmount army on the march and use it as a way to negotiate terms when the army returned. Either that or they are hoping to get those Galaks currently serving to flip on their comrades. It's not the greatest plan, but they have enough people like Saan calling the shots, I'm not surprised they believe it."

Wilran was stunned. "And most of the Galak's are okay with this? Has anyone warned the army?"

"Unlikely," Tash replied. "Like I said, there's a lot of hostility towards the humans. A few of us have tried to smuggle them out, but those that have been caught have been taken. No one is taking risks here."

Einkidi perked up. "We could use the old passage to escape."

"Passage?" Wilran asked.

Tash's eyes brightened as he caught on. "The one we used to save the Foxes in the first place."

"That could work," said Gamma, her aura flashing red. "We could wait until nightfall and head to Selmarah or even Clayborn on foot."

"But what about the humans that are locked up?" Wilran asked. She could tell Gamma's heart was in the right place with the thought of going to Clayborn and her desire to see Bidant. Still, she believed her question was a valid one. The Goddess would not have wanted her to leave the unfortunate to a wrongful fate. Once more, she looked to Tash for guidance.

"I'll see what I can do," he said as he left the cabin.

The rest of the day had been a day of Shol for Wilran, Gamma and Einkidi. Sometime after Tash left, Katundra left the three of them to keep watch with her husband. Occasionally, they would hear voices topside, but true to their word the captain and her mate never allowed a single person below.

As the newly formed sisters waited, they grieved. Tears and memories of their lost friend were shared as they each recalled a thing like the time they had all met the self-conscious satyr. The three laughed as Einkidi regaled them upon their first meeting of being the first halfling to be run over by a confused hunter trying to get to her elvan friend. They joked as Gamma told them a story of Thepa attacking Rory outside the Goldale Senate Hall. Even Wilran shared her final command as the Captain of Goldale, asking her to take Rory back to Wildehaven. It was in the middle of this story Wilran had come to realize how much Rory was a big part of Thepa's life.

It must have hurt her, Wilran thought. To have Rory no longer be a part of it. I guess, in a way, we're all sisters. It doesn't matter we are different as satyr, elf, human, and halfling. The bonds of sisterhood stretched across race, class, and status. In Thepa and Rory's cases, even death.

"Chandeidra," Wilran prayed, her voice breaking the silence. "Please, watch over Thepa. May she find eternal rest in your arms."

"And Rory," Gamma added. "Let them find peace together, even if it eluded them in life."

"And Claudia," whispered Einkidi. "Her sacrifice must not be forgotten." She paused, then added bitterly, "Damn this war.Damn it all. Damn the gods that allowed it."

Afterwards, no one said anything else and Wilran could tell the Shol was over. It was another moment of sadness that assaulted her soul.

Sometime after the third bell, Katundra came back down the creaking steps to get them, bringing them topside. By then the sun was well past set and a half-moon was well fixed in the sky. A cloudy haze managed to block most of its light, but the fact that some still broke its way through the mist gave Wilran hope the Goddess was still smiling upon them. Even now, she felt her magic stir within her and based on the shifting blue and yellow colors of Gamma's aura she felt the sister share in her experience. As they found their way towards the helm, Tash was waiting for them.

"I've got good news and bad news," he said.

Don't mess with us. Not now.

Wilran's shoulders tensed. "Just give it to us."

"The good news is I found the prisoners and keys. Only two guards to deal with."

"And the bad?"

"Well, there are about fifty prisoners—humans and Galaks, young and old. There are also patrols near the prison. Even with the hidden wall passage close by, fifty prisoners can't move without being seen."

"What about a distraction?" Einkidi asked, eyes glinting.

Tash eyed her warily. "What did you have in mind?"

"Any empty buildings nearby? I can start a fire bright enough to pull their attention. When you see it, get the prisoners to the wall."

Sounds like a plan...In fact, it sounds like Thepa's plan. I'm not ready for this. We need to be better prepared.

"Any weapons?" Gamma asked.

Tash nodded. "Some in the prison. Should be enough for us."

Goddess, please protect us...

Wilran and the others bid Katundra and her husband farewell and headed off into the night. Once they made it past the port into the residential area, they had to move slowly as they came across their first patrol. They had just moved down one street and had to duck down another as a second patrol almost rounded on them. For a moment, Wilran thought they had been spotted, but as one of the patrolling Galak's made a crude joke and the other one laughed, she was sure they were in the clear.

The rest of the way there was easy. They only encountered one more patrol, this time ducking into an abandoned building to avoid having been seen. As they waited, Einkidi examined the dwelling's wooden frame and cobwebbed corners and smiled with delight.

"This will do nicely. I'll give you ten minutes, then look for signal."

If I lose one more sister...

"Are you sure?" she asked Einkidi, images of the blown-up boat flashing through her mind.

"I'm sure," Einkidi answered confidently.

Wilran nodded, trusting Einkidi's judgment, and wished her luck before running to join Gamma. Tash led the way to the prison, motioning for them to wait as he approached.

"Evening Tash. Back again?"

"Yeah, you know Saan. He's got me doubling up on everything today. Worried he missed something."

"That Galak trusts nothing and no one," said the Galak with a slight chuckle edged into his voice.

"Where's Cogg? Aren't there two of you here? Do I need to get Saan?"

"Ah, no need for that. He's doing a prisoner count. Should be back in a minute."

After that, Wilran heard a bit of shuffling and something hard hit the floor. She herself almost burst in, worried for Tash's safety, but just as she had made up her mind to do it, she heard his voice call out.

"Cogg? You there? Give me a hand. Something's going on with Gadd."

More shuffling ensued and this time Wilran didn't bother to wait. She and Gamma burst into the room to find Cogg and Gadd out cold, and Tash headed for the back.

"There's some weapons there," he said pointing to a closed cabinet. "Gear up, I'll get the prisoners."

As fast as she could, Wilran went to the cabinet and threw the doors open. An armory of weapons and shields fell to the ground having been stuffed inside without any rhyme or reason. She quickly jumped back to avoid having a mace fall on her toes, then watched as it rolled towards her feet. She grabbed its taut handle, twirled it in her hand and felt the familiar muscle memory of its similar weight that she had spent years learning during conscription. Proud that at least something was going right today, she considered leaving with just that, but noticed someone had stuffed a buckler on the top shelf. As she grabbed it and lashed it to her arm, the fourth bell rang in the distance.