“Do you have a sheath for it?” he asked.
“It goes in a dark wooden box. It should be over near my horse, just there. It may be on the dirt somewhere.” She gestured toward Sunny and the man scanned the ground.
“I see nothing.”
“Try my bags.”
He reached over and stroked Sunny on the neck to calm him. Then, he shuffled around her bags for the box.
“Nope, not here.”
She let out a loud sigh of dismay. “They took it!”
“This box, it was important?” Ardenne asked and Chalice nodded.
“Yes.”
“I have a sheath for this if you want,” Lexi said, holding up the dagger.
“Thank you! That will help a lot.” Chalice smiled weakly. She was trying not to show her regret at losing the box and the stone inside of it.
Lexi nodded and unbuckled an empty leather sheath from his belt, placing the dagger inside. He tied the two leathers straps together that hung loosely over the hilt to hold it in position. Just then, Aden returned with two branches that he began to strip with a carving knife. Aeron laid out a long square of tough fabric along the ground and stretched it taut, placing stones on the corners. Within minutes, Ardenne’s brothers had a makeshift stretcher upon which they gently laid Jeremiah, covering him with a small blanket.
“This wound does not want to stop bleeding,” Ardenne said as she patted Chalice’s shoulder with a cloth. Each time, the cloth came away covered in crimson. She frowned and pulled an ointment from her bag. It stung when she applied it and Chalice grimaced.
“I’m sorry, but it’s necessary. This is the only thing that will block the flow of blood until it congeals on its own.” She was right. The blood flow stopped and she wrapped the shoulder with a bandage.
At this point, many of the others had returned to the clearing. Two of them were untying the horses and leading them over, while another doused the fire.
“They’re gone,” one of men said to Ardenne. “We can’t locate them.”
“Damn!” She scowled. “I was hoping to take them out. When we get back to camp, we will need to leave for the ship immediately. They will be back soon with more men.”
“I don’t think there’s any way they could have survived that,” Chalice said. “They were riddled with arrows.”
The man looked down at her. “That?” he said, pointing in the direction of the riders. “That was nothing to them. They can heal themselves quickly and be ready to return within minutes. When Draaquans are in groups of three or more, they are very hard to kill.”
Ardenne looked softly at Chalice. “Can you ride?”
“Of course!”
She was still in pain and felt a little unsteady, but it wasn’t going to keep her from riding on her own. Ardenne helped her up and she took Sunny’s reins, wincing as she mounted. Lexi placed the newly sheathed dagger into her saddlebag.
“Here you go,” he said. “Just untie the straps when you want to use it.”
“Okay, thanks so much!”
“Follow us. Try and keep up, alright?” Ardenne said.
“Sure,” Chalice said, perplexed. They were on foot and she was on a horse. She wondered how they could possibly outrun her on Sunny, but soon she found out. As they set off, she was astonished at how fast they could move. Even the two who carried Jeremiah were in line with her the whole way, keeping him perfectly steady. They were amazingly graceful on foot.
They traveled for a half an hour and when they finally exited the thicket of trees, she could see their camp spread out in a small glade. The Kedros roared in the distance. Dozens of tents dotted the clearing in a circle and woodsmoke drifted from the center. Kirna was crouching near a huge fire, stirring a pot with a wooden spoon. She glanced up and saw Chalice. Dropping the spoon into the pot, she ran as fast as she could. Tycho followed right behind.
“Chalice! We’ve been looking for you all day! We feared the worst.” Kirna glanced down at the stretcher and then placed her hand over her gaping mouth.
“Is he going to be alright?” Tycho asked.
“I hope so. He was beaten pretty badly.” Chalice surveyed the site anxiously, screwing up her eyes. “Where are Ben and Bunejab?”
“They’re still gone. They set out in the opposite direction with another party of Quaie’Miren. They should be back soon.”
Tycho pointed to her shoulder. “What happened to you?”
“It’s a long story.” She looked tiredly at her best friends. “It’s been a nightmare!”
“I can imagine!” Kirna said. “Here, come over near the fire. We’ve got some food ready.”
Chalice dismounted carefully and one of the men took Sunny from her as she strode over to the center of camp with her friends. She took a seat slowly on a rock near the fire, wincing in pain. She watched Ardenne’s brothers attentively as they carried Jeremiah into one of the tents. Kirna spooned soup into a wooden bowl for her. It was hot with spiced vegetables. She took a couple bites and then set it down in her lap. It was delicious, but she didn’t have much of an appetite. She was too worried. They listened to her keenly as she told them what happened since she had parted with them at the river.
“You shouted at them?” Kirna’s eyes were wide.
“I had to do something,” Chalice said as she took another small bite of soup. “They were going to kill him. All I could think was to keep their attention on me.”
“So, they know now,” Tycho said.
“Yes.” She nodded regretfully. “They were so angry about it, they sliced my shoulder. They also took the box.”
“The box you got from the Chinuka?”
“Yeah, but I still have the dagger. He dropped it when the Quaie’Miren attacked. His name was Rhaene.” Her face darkened. “I will remember him.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t take your life as well, Chalice,” Kirna said.
Tycho spluttered in disgust. “Yeah, no kidding. These guys are vicious!”
“They’re more than that,” Kirna said, scowling. “They’re monsters.”
Chalice looked up from her bowl at Ardenne who had just appeared next to the fire.
“We’re leaving as soon as the other party gets back. I have instructed the men to begin packing. My father’s ship is waiting for us.”
“Ardenne—” Chalice began.
“Don’t worry, Chalice,” Ardenne interrupted. She knew exactly what Chalice was going to say. “I will have Master Graeystone take a look at him before we leave.”
“Are you the leader of the Quaie’Miren?”
“No, not yet,” Ardenne said and smiled. “I’m the leader of the group that was sent to find you. My father ordered me and my brothers to lead the operation.”
“Who is your father?”
“The Prophet.”
“You have a prophecy, too?” Tycho asked. “It seems like everyone has one these days.”
Ardenne shook her head. “No, not a prophecy, just a prophet. The Prophet leads the Quaie’Miren. We are always lead by one.”
Is it safe to go with them? Chalice wondered. After all, she didn’t know them, but given that they had just risked their lives to save her and Jeremiah, she assumed that they could be trusted. Also, given their circumstance, it appeared they had no other option. She would ask Ben what he thought when he returned.
She squinted when she saw a figure of a silver horse in the distance. It was Ben’s appaloosa. She stood bolt upright, spilling her soup, and ran toward him, ignoring her muscles that screamed in protest. When he spotted her, he spurred his horse into a gallop. As they approached, she could see Bunejab bouncing on the saddle in front. She shouted for them to hurry.
“Jeremiah is hurt!” she cried out loudly and ran toward the tent. “This way!”
When they reached it, they dismounted and Ben handed his horse’s reins to Ardenne’s brother. As soon as he entered, he let out an angry oath and bent on his knees toward Jeremiah, who was still on the stretcher. Plac
ing his palm over Jeremiah’s forehead, he closed his eyes and his stone glowed a soft grey. After a minute, the light faded and he removed his hand.
“This is bad. He has internal injuries as well as fractured bones. If I had gotten here any later, there would have been nothing I could do.” He looked up at everyone in the tent.
“Can I ask you all to leave, please?” he said politely. “Except for Bunejab.”
Chalice was indignant. She felt that she had a right to be there and did not want to leave.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
Ben looked at her calmly. “I’m going to heal his internal injuries first. The bones will have to be healed later.”
“Why?”
“Because the Naeonic body can only handle so much healing at a time. It needs to recuperate and it is an exhausting process for the patient because it requires energy from the body. If I heal all of his injuries at once, he will die. If he was Terravailian, it would be different.”
“Master Graeystone, we don’t have time,” Ardenne broke in. “We’re already preparing to leave for the ship.”
“Why?”
“We weren’t able to kill the three riders. They escaped.”
“That is a problem,” he said. “Alright, we’ll do what is necessary for right now and finish the healing later on the ship. We’ll work as quickly as we can.”
“Why do we need to leave the tent?” Chalice asked stubbornly.
“He has injuries all over his body, Chalice. We need to undress him. Bunejab needs to stay because he has medicine for the cuts and bruises.”
She blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Alright.” Then, she turned to leave.
“Ben …” she said.
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
“Of course,” he said reassuringly and they all left the tent.
Chalice paced nervously outside the entrance as the others finished packing. Kirna and Tycho helped douse the fire and load the Quaie’Miren bags with supplies. They were placing the last of their belongings into their saddlebags when Ben came out with Bunejab on his heels. Chalice rushed over to him with an anxious question on her face.
“He’ll be fine, but it will take a while for his body to heal. We have him wrapped in blankets for now. He’ll have to stay on the stretcher until we reach the ship.”
“Is it safe, Ben?” she whispered. “I mean, to go with them?”
Ben spoke quietly. “I don’t know, but we don’t really have any other choice at the moment. Without them, we’re not going to get very far given Jeremiah’s condition and I refuse leave him behind.”
That makes two of us, she thought.
“Besides,” he continued, “they’ve already helped us quite a bit.”
“But why? Why are they going to so much trouble to help us?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” he said and walked over to his mount.
She watched as Aeron and Aden gently carried Jeremiah out of the tent. Her heart almost stopped when she saw him lying on the stretcher draped in blankets, motionless, with his eyes closed. Soon, the Quaie’Miren men had the tent packed and were ready to go. Those with horses mounted and a loud whistle from Ardenne announced their departure. Then, they all set off for the Kedros and the Quaie’Miren ship.
The Morning Dawn
The Morning Dawn was the most beautiful ship that Chalice had ever seen. Anchored and moored to a large pier that stretched deep into the Kedros, it swayed gently with the motion of the water. It was huge, with a thick keel that stretched from the bow to the stern, made for slicing quickly through water. She didn’t know what it was exactly. It wasn’t a frigate or a brigantine. It wasn’t exactly a galleon either, but it was definitely a multi-decked, sailing warship and its color matched that of the sky as it was lit by the sun at dawn. It had a white outline and a polished white wooden rail. Rigging lines stretched from the rail to the three masts that supported white, furled sails. Watertight ports, scuttles, and covered oarholes dotted the hull and a white carving of a sea creature decorated the bowsprit. The creature was long, sleek, and powerful, with its strong jaws savagely baring sharp teeth in a rictal snarl. It appeared to be leaping out of the water and striking whatever poor, unfortunate soul that happened to cross in front of the ship.
The sun was setting and light shone softly from the east, illuminating the world on one side. Two of the ship’s afterguard lowered a plank from a large hatch in the hull while the Quaie’Miren men secured it on the pier. Chalice watched as Ardenne’s brothers carefully ascended first with Jeremiah on the stretcher. Then, she dismounted.
“They will take him to one of the cabins on the stern deck,” Ardenne said. “You will have your own cabin there, too, close to mine. I’ll show you.”
“And our horses?”
“They’ll be taken below the main deck into the cargo hold. There are stalls there with water and hay. Don’t worry, it is a very secure place for them.”
“Okay,” Chalice replied and then jumped suddenly when Ardenne let out a loud, high pitched whistle.
“Irad! Jacob! Will you attend to our guests’ mounts please?” she shouted as two large, dark-haired men came running.
Chalice glanced back at the others. Kirna and Tycho had been riding in the back of the party with Ben, in conversation the whole way from the campsite. Chalice, on the other hand, had chosen to stay in front with Ardenne and her brothers in order to keep an eye on Jeremiah. One of the men ran up to her to offer assistance as the other approached Kirna. She undid the buckle on the strap of her saddle bags and threw them over her shoulder. Then, she ascended the plank with Ardenne and Kirna.
“What kind of ship is this?” Chalice asked.
“She is a Quaie’Miren sea cruiser.”
“A sea cruiser? Do you usually travel far?”
“We travel all over. Originally, we set out from the northern sea to the Kedros for trade with villages in Culmanoq. Then, we came here after my father gave us the search order.”
“So, is it a trading vessel or a warship?”
“Both. Our ships need to be able to travel long distances and be self-sustaining at the same time. They also need to be capable of inflicting damage on a foe and making swift getaways.”
Chalice looked a question at her.
“You see,” Ardenne said, “we do not pay taxes and this is not our first encounter with the King’s men.”
“Oh … right.” Chalice nodded. She believed it. No one in their right mind would attack Draaquans if they weren’t absolutely certain they could get away quickly. “Where do you usually make port?”
“Everywhere and nowhere. We live on the sea. When we make port to trade, we usually do it where there are no royal customs houses, mostly in the east.”
Kirna pointed to the bowsprit. “What is that? It looks frightening!”
“That is a sculpture of a requin that my brother carved for the ship.”
“Requin?”
“They are water predators. Every creature of the sea fears them. The last part of the initiation into the Silver Mariners is to come face-to-face in the water with a requin and defeat it. We take the dead creature on board and skin it for the shagreen, which becomes the initiate’s fighting attire.” She motioned toward her outfit. “Then, we clean and gut it for the celebration that comes afterwards. It makes for good eating. We use every part of it. At sea, we waste nothing. We can’t afford to.”
“So, you’re a Silver Mariner?” Kirna asked and Ardenne nodded. “What is that?”
“We are a special group of the Quaie’Miren who are trained to become fighters. My father sent us to find you.”
She paused for a moment as they reached the hull of the ship and a tall man offered his hand to help Ardenne onboard. He had raven-black hair and dark blue eyes, almost the color of the northern sea during a storm. Ardenne smiled warmly and took his hand. She glanced back at the girls.
“I am pleased to introduce to you Darion Coquille, my
shipmate and sea partner.” They had no clue what that meant, but all the same, they both nodded a greeting at him which he returned in kind.
“Pleased to meet you!” Chalice said politely. “Are you the captain?”
“Of this ship?” He laughed and shook his head. “No, I am the quartermaster.”
Ardenne peered into his eyes and put her hand on his cheek. “No, he is not the captain of the ship, but he is the captain of my heart.”
Chalice suddenly understood what she had meant by sea partner. The two stared at each other for a moment as a silent communication passed between them. It reminded Chalice of Jeremiah.
Ardenne turned to help Chalice and Kirna onboard. They could immediately feel the unstable movement of the water underneath their feet and knew they were no longer on solid ground.
“Darion is a Silver Mariner, too,” Ardenne said, “like me and my brothers. He stayed behind with a few others in our group to protect the ship. The captain of this ship is my father, the Prophet, Samus Marin. My mother’s name is Winnivere. You will meet them shortly.”
Just then, Ben, Bunejab, and Tycho walked up and were helped onboard. Ardenne introduced them.
“So, these are the ones you were sent to retrieve?” Darion asked.
“Yes, can you believe it? He was right this time! He was even right about her not knowing what she did.”
“I don’t understand,” Chalice said. “What did I do?”
“You sent out a calling thought,” Darion answered.
“A calling thought?” Chalice asked as she looked at Ardenne.
“A mental signal of distress. You must have sent it unknowingly and my father felt it. He knew you were in the area nearby. So, we docked and came to search for you. He also knew that finding you was very important for some reason, but he didn’t know why.”
“How could I have done that and not known?”
“In the past,” Ben interjected, “some of the Terravail have been known to have that gift, Chalice. It is the gift of telepathy. This is a valuable lesson for you. You are beginning to learn your own abilities and that is the first step in your training.”
The Raie'Chaelia (Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, Book One 1) Page 26
