by Dave Skinner
“Oh, then tell him I understand completely. I would have done the same.”
Mearisdeana spoke to Adamtay again. When she was finished, Bray announced that they should go inside so the gates could be closed, if they were going to stay.
“Why am I still alive?” he asked when they were inside the city and the gates were closed.
Mearisdeana spoke to her lover and waited while he replied. “Adamtay says the sword will cut anything except someone who is sacrificing themselves for another.”
“So the sword would not have harmed you either.”
“Probably not, but thank you, none the less.”
***
Ran found Ivo and the sergeant from the gate tending each other’s wounds. Neither was seriously injured, so he had them organize a group of citizens to clean up the dead. Andoo Toran, the Wizard of Waysley, proved to be an able mender of wounds. He was kept busy.
The bodies of the dead pirates were loaded onto carts and removed from within the walls. Many of the pirates who had surrendered to the sailors died suspiciously during the first night. Over the years the merchant sailors had lost many friends to the pirates, so there were few prisoners left to deal with by the following day. Andoo Toran proved useful in removing the dead bodies. Ran did not ask how he managed it. Magical doings were best left alone, by Ran’s reckoning. The dead bodies of the mayor and the magistrate were found in the mayor’s house when someone thought to look for the eminent duo. Who was responsible for their demise was never discovered, as the only evidence was a trail of single bloody boot prints entering and leaving the house. Their ill-gotten riches were also lost.
Chapter 59
“Where are we going?” Nailmoe asked.
He and Adamtay were following Mearisdeana and a young barmaid who worked at the inn they were staying at. They were following a forest path through the vegetation Mearisdeana had called trees.
“We are going to bathe in the water,” Mearisdeana called back to him.
“In that big thing they call the lake?” Adamtay asked apprehensively. “It tried to kill me the first time my uncle sent me here. I am reluctant to give it a second chance.”
“No, not in the lake,” Mearisdeana said. “I do not want to enter that water either. That is why I asked Tyrese to guide us someplace safe for non-swimmers. She assures me she knows just the place.”
Mearisdeana said something to the young girl acting as their guide, and they both laughed. The barmaid looked back at the two men. Nailmoe thought she had a nice smile, and she definitely had a well-proportioned body. Nailmoe was starting to notice bodies, well-formed or not, as their stay stretched into its third, seven-day period. Not that he minded being here, none of them did. They were all treated like heroes by everyone they met. The town’s people knew they had helped save their homes. They called them the Dragon People, and bought them food and drinks every night, but Nailmoe was developing an appetite for something else—a woman. It had been too long since he had been with one.
The trees around them stopped as the path ended. Ahead, falling water splashed its way down a rock face that rose to the height of three men. The water filled a pond before continuing as a narrow stream into the trees. They had come out onto a large flat stone, one of many that encircled the pool. Their guide said something to Mearisdeana and pointed to a lower area that bordered the pool with earth instead of rock.
“Tyrese suggests we enter the water there,” Mearisdeana informed them as she pointed. “It is not as deep as here. She said that this is a good place to do something called diving.”
Mearisdeana took Adamtay by the hand and led him towards the spot. Nailmoe walked across the rock to where Tyrese stood. The water was a man’s height below the rock on which they stood. He stepped closer. Tyrese placed a hand on his arm and shook her head to indicate, no. He was beginning to understand the body language the locals used.
“Why?” he asked in his own language. She looked at him for a second and then must have understood. She reached down and picked up a fist-sized stone. She rubbed her hand up and down his dayskin covered arm and then rubbed it over the stone. She repeated the movements again and then held the stone up beside his arm. He nodded understanding. She tossed the stone into the water. It disappeared leaving only a circle of ripples spreading out from the spot. Tyrese then picked up a piece of vegetation from one of the tree plants and tossed it into the water. It floated on the surface.
Nailmoe smiled and nodded his understanding. She returned his smile and then took his hand in hers and led him towards the spot where Mearisdeana was trying to coax Adamtay into the water. Standing at the edge of the pool, Tyrese pulled at his cloak and then undid the cloth belt that encircled her small waist before pulling her dress over her head and placing it on the grass. Nailmoe did not require any other clues as to what was expected. He stripped away his cloak, shirt, pants, and under garments. Tyrese’s eyes were sparkling with humour, and then he let his dayskin disappear. Her eyes went wide with wonder and then something else … appreciation perhaps. She stepped close and ran her hands across his chest. He shuddered with delight. She took his hand again and led him into the water.
When they were waist deep, she touched her eyes and indicated he should watch, as if he could look anywhere else. She eased her body back until she was lying on the water. She seemed perfectly still until he noticed the fluttering of her hands. He nodded understanding. She stood and with a gentle hand laid him back into the water. He felt the water encircle his body in a cool refreshing embrace and Tyrese’s hand under his back. Over the next few minutes she showed him how to flutter his hands to stay afloat and to flutter his legs to cause movement.
When she was satisfied, she pointed to a spot where the pond was bordered by rock and motioned for them to go there. Floating on his back, with her moving beside him using graceful movements of her arms and legs, they made their way to the spot. She held to the rock and supported him while he reached up and found a hand hold, and then she let one of her hands caress his chest. He encircled her with his free arm and pulled her close. The heat of her body replaced the cool of the water as she came against him. She wrapped her arms and legs around him.
“I will remember you forever,” Nailmoe told her, and strangely he meant it. He had seduced many women, but never had he met one who was a willing, anxious, partner, a seductress who seemed to be his equal in appetite, a dream come true.
She smiled and covered his mouth with hers.
That evening at the inn, Nailmoe could not keep his eyes off her as she worked. He kept remembering her body pressed against him, the heat of her embrace offsetting the cool touch of the water. He remained late in the common room watching her, until the inn was empty and Karack was turning down the lamps. Nailmoe made his way up to the room he shared with Adamtay. The room was empty, as it had been every night after Mearisdeana had made it apparent she expected him to join her on their first evening here. Silence settled on the inn and a short while later there was a soft knock at his door. Tyrese slipped into the room and without hesitation into his bed and his arms. She started to climb on top of him, but he held her off, flipped her over onto the bed, and started applying his own love-making methods.
Nailmoe had been told by many women that he was a wonderful unselfish lover. He enjoyed making love, but he enjoyed bringing a woman to a point of anticipation more. Foreplay was his specialty, and he used every technique he knew on Tyrese. It was memorable for him, and, if her moans were any indication, for her also.
* * *
They stood beside the spot where Adamtay and his men had arrived. Mearisdeana inhaled deeply. The smell of the trees left a taste on her tongue. How appropriate, she though. The first smell I noticed in this new land and the last I will experience. She would miss this place, although she was so looking forward to returning to her own world.
Adamtay stood behind her. Bray, Ran and Manda stood off to the side. Four of Adamtay’s men were gr
ouped together, while Nailmoe stood apart, holding the young waitress from the Plucked Hen. Mearisdeana shook her head in wonder. How he had managed to start a relationship with a woman from a different race was baffling. Neither spoke a language the other understood, but the way the woman clung to Nailmoe said words were not important. Mearisdeana should probably assume some of the fault, for she had asked the girl to lead them to a place to swim. She had insisted Adamtay and Nailmoe experience water in a good way. It was one of the things she would always remember about this place.
She walked over to her friends. “Thank you, Manda, for everything you taught me. I hear you have taken on a new crewman,” she said, nodding towards Ran. The redheaded woman smiled. There was something in her face that had not been there before. “I would like you to have this as a keepsake. You admired it once,” she said as she handed Manda the necklace Adamtay had given her. “Something to remember me by.”
“Thank you, but it is not necessary. I will never forget you. How could I?” She tried to hand the gift back, but Mearisdeana pushed her open hand away.
“Please keep it and remember me. I will remember you and your world always.”
“Treat her well,” she said, turning to Ran.
“Whatever you say, Scales.”
She turned to Bray. He opened his arms as an invitation, she stepped in. “Thank you, Bray, for … for everything. Is it true you are going to Nadia?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I have to return my father’s swords. It was a promise I made on the day he died.”
She stepped away. “Good luck to you all.” She took Adamtay’s hand and they returned to the other four. Nailmoe joined them. Adamtay took something from his pouch. From a small black bag he took a glass vial containing a red liquid and a large crystal. He poured a red substance from the vial onto the crystal and held it up to the sun. Immediately it started to glow, casting a light above their heads. He spoke a few words, and a black hole appeared behind them. Turning, they all stepped into it, and disappeared.
Chapter 60
The Thesia stairs crested halfway into Upper Thesia. Bray moved to the side on the top most step. Thesalian porters trudged by him carrying their loads upstairs, or returning downstairs for another. Bray and his father had paused on this exact spot those many years past, their first stop on the trade mission which had taken his father’s life.
“Most cargo being taken south—our Nadian goods included—is floated down the Trade River from Riverrun North. It is on the south east coast of North Lake. The Trade River runs from Riverrun North to Riverrun South, which is located on the Lazy River,” his father had explained. “From there the goods are taken to settlements further south, or through the marshes into South Lake. The Trade River cannot be navigated from south to north. It flows too quickly. A road runs beside the river and can be used to transport goods from south to north, but for perishable goods, when speed and time are important, most use these stairs between Lower and Upper Thesia. The people of both Thesias make their living carrying those goods.”
His father had pointed out the geography of the South Lake spread out below them. It was better to talk here. Farther down the stairs, the ever present roar of the Thesia River with its many waterfalls made conversation difficult and at times impossible. Bray’s eyes refocused on the present, trying to leave the past back where it belonged. He looked for the distinct sail of the Red Witch on the part of the South Lake he could see, but it was no longer visible.
Manda had given him free passage to Lower Thesia from Waysley. He had not seen much of her or Ran, as they had been occupied most of the time in Manda’s cabin, teaching Ran the intricacies of sailing and chart reading, they said. Bray had been preoccupied with the past and his new emptiness. Retrieving his father’s swords had been his goal for ten years. Becoming a Tawshe trueone had only been a means to achieve his true purpose. Now his life had turned a corner, but he felt empty. Could it be because his companions were gone?
He missed Kat, Lee, and Mearisdeana. Surprisingly he missed Ran as well although he never would have admitted it. Ran had been an enemy … an antagonist … a … what, he could not really say. He had tried to hurt or kill Bray so many times, but had also saved his life. Ran was an enigma to Bray and maybe to himself as well. Mearisdeana and he had talked one time about why Ran had accompanied them. She had believed that he was searching to fill a loss he had felt since the day T’Shawn and the others had died. Bray had not understood her then, but he felt he had a glimmer now of what she had meant.
“May the Mother be with you, Ran,” Bray said to the wind. “I hope you find what you seek.” He turned from his contemplations and looked out far across the North Lake. Nadia was out there. Bray was going home.
He found an inn called the Simmering Pot not far from the wharf.
“We specialize in stews,” the owner told him when he came to Bray’s table. “People come from all over to sample our fare. We have one serving of a very tasty stew left if you are hungry. It was made from a young glyptodon that was brought in a few months ago. What remains is the last of the meat. Our customers have raved about it. Are you interested?”
“I would like that,” Bray told him.
“We also have a fine white wine from the vineyards of the King of Nadia.” The man lowered his voice. “The King is a drunk, but I have to admit he makes a nice wine.”
“Then I will try a glass, thank you.”
Bray stretched out in his chair, appreciating the warmth coming from the large stone fireplace beside him. A wind was blowing across the North Lake. He had felt it as he crested the stairs. It brought a slight chill to the air along with the clean smell of water. He had hardly settled when a group of six men entered the inn. One was talking loudly telling a crude story in which he played a prominent part. They started towards Bray’s table, but stopped when they noticed him. The man who had been talking looked to one of his companions and snapped his fingers. The rest waited while the man came forward.
Bray could not remember ever seeing anyone dressed in such fine garments. All six were attired rather grandly, in his opinion. Fine cloaks, feathered hats, and soft leather breaches were worn by all, but the man approaching was the fanciest. Courtier was the word from somewhere in his childhood that sprang to Bray’s mind, as the man stopped before him.
“Would you mind terribly changing tables? We are regular customers and always use this spot. Plus it is large enough to handle six while you are just one.”
Bray noticed a few other tables large enough to handle their numbers about the room, but the man had asked nicely.
“No problem.” He stood, picked up his pack and the wrapped bundle containing the two Nadian swords, and moved to a smaller table.
“Thank you,” the Courtier called after him. The other five converged on the table.
“Innkeeper, you have hungry customers,” the loud man yelled.
The innkeeper reappeared carrying a bowl and a glass which he deposited on Bray’s table before going to the group.
“Bowls of the glyptodon stew we have heard so much about, and make it quick man, we are hungry.”
The innkeeper wrung his hands. “I am sorry, Your Highness, but that stew is gone. I just served the last bowl, but we have a wonderful boar stew, very tasty.”
“We came for the glyptodon stew. That is what I want.” He pointed at Bray. “He has not tasted it. Bring it to me. A Nadian prince is more important than any crofter. The others can have the boar.”
“Your highness, I … it is not—”
“Do it, man!” the prince commanded.
The innkeeper was stricken with indecision. His mouth hung open, as he tried to find something to say.
Suddenly the courtier spoke. “I will do it, Your Highness.” He sprang up and came to Bray’s table. “Would you mind terribly?”
Bray looked at his pleading face, and then to the arrogant face of the Nadian prince. With slow deliberation he dipped
his spoon into the stew and ate a mouthful.
The prince jumped to his feet. “You ignorant pig,” he bellowed. “I challenge you … outside … now.”
“When I finish my stew, Your Highness,” Bray told him as he put another spoonful into his mouth.
The prince’s face went red with rage. He stood and pulled back his cloak revealing two swords. “These are Nadian swords, pig, and I am going to carve you up with them. Bring him,” he ordered as he turned and stormed out the door.
The four other men rose from their seats and came towards Bray who continued eating slowly, savouring the stew which was quite tasty. They stopped on the other side of Bray’s table. The innkeeper and the courtier moved away.
“Outside.”
“When my stew is gone.”
“Now.”
Bray’s hands slipped behind his back as he stood. “Is he worth dying for?”
One of the men grabbed the table and flung it away. “Now!” he screamed.
Bray’s knives were in his hands as he sprung forward. In moments all four men lay dead on the floor. Shaking his head, Bray re-sheathed his knives, knelt, and unbundled the oilskin containing his father’s swords.
Dropping his cloak he motioned to the courtier, “You first,” and then followed the man outside.
The prince had lost some of his bravado when the other four men did not appear. He lost more when he recognized that the swords in Bray’s hand were Nadian made. He was no longer smiling as he took his stance.
They started slow, both unsure of what they faced. It became apparent to Bray that the prince was a master, one of the best he had seen, almost as good as Ran—almost. Bray held back. The prince gained confidence. Their strokes grew faster until their blades fairly flew. Time passed. Spectators gathered. It was reported later, by the courtier, that the prince fought better than he ever had, until he died.
Bray re-entered the inn then reappeared a few moments later, cloak back on, carrying his pack, and his Nadian swords. He approached the courtier. “Will you return these to Nadia for me?”
