Yaroma stood with her sister sirens at the fore of the crowd of locals. Without their amulets, he wondered if they should even be called merfolk any longer. “You have our eternal gratitude, Falcon Sebastian, you and all these wonderful people serving you,” Yaroma stated with half bowed head. Her people echoed the look and sentiment. “My sisters and I would gladly serve you on the remainder of your mission and longer if you would have us.”
It wasn’t the first time that she and others of her clan had offered their lives in servitude to him. After so many years, he wondered if they could fathom their freedom any longer.
Smiling, the mage shook his head and replied, “Your people will need you to stay here, Yaroma. With the loss of your amulets, your siren song is the best defense your people have.”
He had found out that few of the merfolk could actually master the music magic. The six young women were all they had. While Yaroma’s mother had once been able to sing as well, she and many of the merfolk eventually grew too old to harness the power of that kind of magic. It was hard on the vocal chords and speaking with the older woman he could hear the rasp that years of singing had put in her voice.
“Then take just me,” Yaroma nearly pleaded. “I would like to try and pay you back at least a little bit for your kindness. You could have killed us or left us to rot under those pirates’ care, but you decided to save us and for that I can never fully repay you. Let me at least serve you while you sail.”
“Yaroma, you are free. Try and enjoy your freedom before you decide to serve another,” he tried to laugh, but even to his ears the humor of it seemed to falter. They had been slaves and prisoners. Their freedom was no joke, but he couldn’t seem to make her understand. “Your people will serve me enough holding these pirates for the proper authorities. We don’t have the room or time to deal with them right now. Keeping them ready for trial is all I need.”
He wasn’t sure anything that he said was going to change her mind, but finally the mermaid and her sisters seemed to give up the idea.
The Sea Dragon was soon underway following the compass once more. With the next point shining red, Sebastian made sure to make use of the talent of those around him. Themenor and Ashleen joined him in the searches from the wind looking for both the source of the glowing dot and the elusive black ships of the Dark Emperor. They knew there were two more ships out there from Ashleen’s account of their capture and didn’t know if they had remained together or separated as the compass could no longer read the residual energy of the portal.
Darterian had warned him it would be the case. An unclosed gate could be found anytime, but what went through them only lingered on the compass for a few days. It was one of the limitations of the device and proved even magic had its limits.
People had their limits as well. The crew of the Sea Dragon and his team had been aboard the ship for nearly a month and boredom had become the biggest enemy. Wizards practiced their magic or read books in their rooms, sailors did what they could to break up the monotony between the necessary and unnecessary tasks, but the frigate was a limited space and boredom was inevitable. People talked and tried to learn more about one another to break up the day, but by the time four weeks had passed many were repeating themselves.
They all took turns looking out at the ocean extending out as far they could see. The four outer islands surrounding the North Sea were now hundreds of miles away and charted islands were slim beyond the Four Ways. While the Cataclysm had altered much of the world of Alus, the main damage had been contained to the area of the North Sea and the Sea Dragon would find little before striking the continent of Taltan far to the south.
Occasionally sea life broke up the waves and it was later in the afternoon of the first day out from the Siren Isles, as they were calling them, that the crew spotted a pod of dolphins to the north following in their wake. While most of those on deck moved towards the rear of the ship to get a better look from the raised, aft deck; Sebastian debated on riding the winds for a better look and the practice.
“Bas, we have visitors,” Liam called out coming towards him from the rear of the ship.
“The dolphins, I know. I was thinking about looking at them closer,” he replied.
The water wizard chuckled and shook his head, “It isn’t just dolphins swimming behind us. Since I was bored, I have been working at using my magic to read the water like an earth wizard checks the ground for troops. There are two swimming with them that aren’t dolphin.”
His curiosity peaked, Sebastian asked, “Anything I should be worried about?”
“I don’t think your talk with the mermaids did much good,” the man said with a smile and turned to go back to watching the animals playing in their wake.
Moving to the rail, the mage held on as his mind lifted on the wind. It was a spell that had become as familiar as breathing to a battle mage that wasn’t supposed to have the power to achieve that level of magic. His teacher would be proud, he thought with a little amusement. He didn’t have far to go to see the pod of dolphins as they played behind the Sea Dragon. They were quicker than the ship but didn’t push their pace. Jumping out of the water and diving down to catch fish, the score of sea animals didn’t seem to have a care in the world and the two mermaids swimming among them added no alarm.
If merfolk had been living in the waters for over a thousand years or more as legend said, then the two were most likely very familiar. Dolphins were known to be friendly with humans and many had wondered if the myth of the merfolk was real and the base of that friendship. He was a battle mage from the center of Southwall and had never seen dolphins until this trip. Then again, he had never seen a mermaid before either, he thought with amusement.
The two were brunettes, but they rarely showed their faces to the air. They kept up with the dolphins and he believed that they could easily catch the ship if they wanted. The mermaids were deliberately holding back. He wondered if they simply didn’t want to be told to go home again.
Evening came and still the mermaids pursued the ship, but their dolphin friends had tired of their play and moved on to other things. Sebastian checked on them from time to time and wondered how long they could swim. He knew little of merfolk, but guessed for all their awkwardness on land they were once very human. If they were just magically transformed humans, then they would need to sleep. Determined or not, he doubted that the two women could swim forever and a ship could go as long as the winds moved it.
Using an emptied barrel, the mage cut the foot tall container in half and put some fish inside. He lowered the rope ladder and placed the food alongside the ship hoping their wake wouldn’t pull it under losing all the fish, but luckily it floated past into the path of the mermaids.
Even with his eyes, Sebastian could see the mermaids stop to eat the fish he had left for them. They faded from sight only a moment before hurrying back into view having eaten their fill. He had sent the message and wondered when they would tire enough to come to the ship.
The mage went to sleep but told the crew to leave the ladder in reach of the waves and to not worry if the mermaids decided to come on board. They had apparently joined his crew whether he liked it or not.
Yara noted his actions with a smile. “You’re a softy,” she chided taking his hand as they stepped below deck. The healer led him to her room surprising Sebastian with her boldness.
Opening the door, Yara told Nara, “Why don’t you go visit, Collin for awhile?”
The smile on the nature wizard’s lips paired with no hesitation in her leaving made him wonder if the girls had this planned all along. Nara hurried from the room closing the door behind her. As she left, Sebastian caught a whiff of perfume and knew that this was indeed planned.
“You think she will seduce him?” he asked as Yara slipped out of her dress. There was no changing wall to hide behind, but each had seen all of their partner before; so that part of the mystery was over. It didn’t mean that there wasn’t enjoyment from each view, at least f
or him.
Yara didn’t fully undress before sitting on her bed. It was a small bed designed for one, but as he moved to join her they found it was just large enough. Nara never returned that night and the two shared the bed until morning.
Sebastian slipped out of the girls’ room when it was still early. He wasn’t hiding exactly, but the mage was an early riser unlike Yara, who had simply kissed him and rolled back into the covers before he left.
Moving onto the deck he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of two dark haired women sleeping on the wood with pillows under their heads and blankets wrapping their legs. Yaroma and one of her sisters had given up hiding apparently. The mage found the steersman still at the wheel in the protected cabin.
“When did our guests finally decide to arrive?” Sebastian asked with a slight smile.
“A little after midnight, sir. I had Gillam bring the pillows and blankets. They said little to him apparently and went to sleep pretty quickly,” the man stated with a slight smile, though he was trying to hide it. “I never thought that I would see the day where mermaids would be sleeping on my deck.”
Sebastian laughed a little at that. He could see the two women still fast asleep and from the man’s story the mage figured that the long day’s swim had exhausted them on top of the previous day’s excitement. “Well, I have a feeling they’ll be here until we sail back again. I guess we’ll have to make room for them.”
“They could share my room,” the sailor said looking at the women appreciatively.
“I’m sure,” was all the mage would say.
Going out to the deck again, Sebastian strode over to the mermaids before squatting near their pillows. “Did you have a nice swim, Yaroma?”
The mermaids awoke and the woman he addressed moved to kneel on the wood boards. Sitting on her legs, the dark beauty looked at him ruefully. “The water was quite pleasant thank you, sir,” she replied unwilling to give him the full satisfaction of knowing they had given in to their need for sleep. “This is my true sister, Naoromi, by the way. She didn’t want me trying to follow you alone, so she came with me.”
Naoromi was the spitting image of her older sister in all save her dark green eyes that differed from the purple of Yaroma. If they aged the same as land dwellers, then he would assume they were about his general age. Both were dark haired and slender with shoulders strong from swimming much of their lives. They had been restricted by the pirates holding their families, but still they had swam from time to time.
Extending his hand towards the younger sister, he greeted, “Good morning, Naoromi. So Yaroma,” the man continued turning to the elder sister, “you decided not to enjoy your freedom on the island after all.”
With a smug smile, she retorted, “I decided to exercise my freedom to leave the islands, if that is all right with you, sir.”
“You can just call me Sebastian. Everyone else does here.” He remembered the sirs from the steersman and amended, “Well, almost everyone does anyway. You know if you are going to stick with us, I will have to put you to work. Everyone needs to earn their keep on a ship.”
The young women looked at him dubiously. Yaroma answered, “And will you have us cleaning for the cook or scrubbing the deck?”
He laughed. “Having a couple mermaids able to scout the ocean might prove useful, I think. Well, if you want a room to sleep in rather than this deck, let me know.”
Sebastian stood leaving the mermaids, who used the pillows for awhile longer to recover from their long swim.
Chapter 31- The Distractions of Mermaids
The mermaids quickly became the biggest distraction for the men aboard the Sea Dragon. With a month at sea, the women were something new. Foreign beauties, they were shy at first and diving into the ocean to swim became a spectacle as the two used their amulets transforming in a bright light before plunging into the ocean. Like some show being put on at a cliff side resort, the men often gave a cheer for the mermaids who took the interest in stride as best they could.
Being from the island clan, the only exposure to those from the outside world had been the pirates and the slavery they had been driven into for the last few years. The new faces and welcoming attitudes were a lot to get used to so soon. From his team, Olan seemed very fond of the mermaids, Yaroma in particular.
He would offer them towels on their return before anyone thought to do so and would make conversation as best he could when they ate dinner or relaxed before their next excursion. Sebastian watched him and some of the other men try to be friendly, but he could see that breaking down their barriers would take time. On a ship predominantly crewed by men, he noted a few of the other women looking almost jealous.
Serrena and Frell in particular appeared unhappy with the new guests. Frell, who had become pretty good friends with Olan, was pretty much ignored whenever the mermaids were around. He doubted that there was anything more than friendship there, but the sudden loss of interest must have been a bit of a blow.
Yara came to him one afternoon as the mermaids sat in their scarf skirts talking with Olan and a handful of the men. Liam had been a fan as well as he compared notes with the women of the sea. A water wizard, he was keenly interested in things they might know of the ocean.
“Well, they’ve become pretty popular,” the healer stated showing little emotion towards them one way or another. It was merely an observation, he thought. “Olan really seems to like Yaroma too.”
He nodded seeing that it wasn’t obvious to just him. “They seem to get along with him as well as any of the crew. Have you noticed he tries to be the first to bring them their towels?”
Giggling at the fact that he had noticed, Yara nodded replying, “If this were the mainland, I would say he was being too obvious, but we know nothing of their customs. They’re also young enough to maybe be unsure of how to deal with a young man like Olan.
“Did you notice that there were few men around their age in the prison?”
Sebastian frowned slightly informing her of something that he had guessed from talking with the merfolk of the isle. “The pirates were also slavers. They would take the ships and any of the crew that survived to Taltan where there are still a few countries that have slavery, or perhaps one of the distant continents like Ch’Thal,” he spoke of lands the mage had only heard of briefly in classes as a young cadet. Missions to far off countries were rare and continents even less likely in a battle mage’s lifetime, but then again he was looking for an immortal lost for almost two centuries. He could wind up anywhere given the right situation so basics were taught to all of the students of White Hall.
Looking appalled, Yara lowered her voice and asked, “Do you think that they took some of her people to sell in the markets as well?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. The siren magic was necessary or maybe even the women would have been sold in a slave market.”
“I sometimes forget that they lived as slaves so long. They wouldn’t be used to dating or being able to flirt with men at a dance. Then again that begins to sound a little like my life as well, though without the wood cage,” the girl remarked ruefully.
Shrugging, Sebastian said, “Freedom is relative sometimes. I gave them the ability to do anything they wanted, but these two followed us and wanted to work.”
Pointing a finger at the mage with his unfastened shirt exposing the center of his chest just a bit flirtatiously, she clarified with a slight smile, “They wanted to work for you.” She emphasized the ‘you’ in the sentence and added, “You stood up to the pirates and saved their people. They may work with us, but only because we work with you.”
With a little sigh, Sebastian took the accusatory hand wrapping it in his. “Maybe, but other than being a bit of a distraction from the long trip, I’m not sure that it’s wise to have them here. When we run into those black ships, it will be awfully dangerous for us all. I don’t want them to die because of a mission for some legend lost for so long.”
Concerned eyes met his as
Yara questioned, “Are you starting to have doubts about finding the Grimnal?”
Trying to understand what was bugging him, Sebastian thought about the question. He still felt that he could find not only the trail of the Grimnal and his captors, if Maldus was too believed, but most likely the man as well. The faces of the sailors and Sergeant Kulvayr killed by the men and monsters of the black ship came unbidden to mind. That was the real concern, he believed. “I think we will find him,” he finally said before admitting his real worry. “I am just afraid of how many more lives will be lost before this is through.”
Her left hand reached across her body covered in a yellow sundress to pat his forearm. Green eyes met his from beneath fallen blond bangs as the wind whipped at her long hair. “Whether we sail towards the danger or remain in Southwall where an enemy might attack, there is always the possibility that someone might die. A powerful storm could catch us and wash away men overboard even, so a simple sailing trip is as dangerous as any other trip.
“You need to try and lead as you need to, Sebastian. Don’t hold onto the dark part of this life, but be ready to save anyone you can. I’ve seen what you can do and I know that, if anyone can keep us safe, it will be you.”
Pulling him down to kiss his cheek in sympathy, Yara leaned into him adding the comfort of her warmth as they continued to watch the men flirting with the mermaids. Yara laughed after a moment and decided, “I don’t think they even truly know that they are being flirted with, Bas. Those girls may be beautiful and older than I am, but they may as well be girls kept in a tower for all they know of boys.”
Purple eyes flicked in his direction as Yaroma seemed to look for help, even as she set a polite smile on her lips. Those exotic eyes turned to Olan as they shared a conversation and, as they watched, the finger of the hand closest to the mage touched his where it sat on the wood of the deck. The man’s eyes flicked towards the touch and his smile strengthened a bit more. She coyly looked away, but didn’t move her hand as their fingers intertwined. They continued to talk, but their hands held on for a long time.
Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) Page 40
