“I thought I might find you here,” Natia greeted the captain.
“Look,” the captain said defensively, “it wasn’t my fault. I think they were cheating me.”
“It was probably just a run of bad luck,” replied the gypsy princess.
The captain frowned and stared down at his plate of food. “How did I get home?”
“I knew that you had a lot to drink,” giggled Natia, “but I never imagined that you were over the edge. You really don’t remember?”
“No,” the captain admitted gruffly as he avoided looking at Natia. “Were you with me when I got home? I found my door unlocked the next morning.”
“I could hardly lock it now, could I?” chuckled Natia. “You truly do not remember? I am shocked. You didn’t show any signs of drunkenness.”
The captain looked up and saw Natia smiling at him. “I guess I drank a bit too much. Would you like something to eat?”
“No.” Natia shook her head. “I already ate. I was anxious to meet with you today. There is another game on for tonight.”
“I heard,” the captain replied without enthusiasm. “How did you hear about it?”
“I made some friends at the game the other night,” answered Natia. “They told me about the one tonight.”
“You sure make friends easily,” commented Captain Beck. “What did you want to see me about?”
“The game tonight, silly.”
“It is out of the question.” The captain shook his head vigorously. “I called in favors to get time off for the last game. There is no one available to take my place at the center tonight.”
“You have to,” pouted Natia. “I must get that gold back.”
“Forget it,” the captain replied adamantly. “Even if I could get the time off, which I can’t, I don’t have enough gold to get a stake in one of the big games. Face it, your money is gone.”
“I have the stake,” scowled Natia as she placed a pouch of gold on the table. “I need you to get my gold back.”
The captain raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the pouch of gold and peered into it. “How much is in here?”
“Ten-thousand,” Natia replied. “That should be more than enough to get back what you lost the other night.”
“What I lost?” balked the captain. “So we are partners unless I lose. Then it is my fault?”
“I am sorry,” apologized Natia. “My lucky shawl got wine spilled on it. I should have known something would go wrong when that happened.”
The captain tied the pouch closed and shoved it across the table to Natia. “We will get your gold back next week. I can arrange my schedule differently then.”
“Tonight,” insisted the gypsy princess. “It has to be tonight.”
“I already told you,” scowled Captain Beck. “It is impossible. You will just have to learn to wait.”
Natia stared at the captain and tears started flowing from her eyes. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. The captain frowned as he looked across the table. He suddenly realized that Natia’s urgency was more than mere impatience.
“What is it?” he asked softly.
“The money was not mine,” sobbed Natia. “If I don’t have it by tomorrow, I will die. There will be no next week for me.”
The captain’s eyes widened with understanding. “Tell me whose money it was. Perhaps I can do something to buy you more time.”
“There is nothing that you can do,” retorted Natia.
“I will protect you,” promised the captain.
“You cannot even leave the center for a lousy game. How can I expect you to protect me when they come to kill me?”
The captain sighed with frustration, as he knew that Natia’s words were true. He could not protect her all day and all night. He stared at Natia’s tears for a moment and then exhaled loudly.
“Alright,” the captain said conspiratorially, “I will find a way to get to the game tonight. We will get your gold back, but then you are going to level with me.”
“I will,” promised Natia as her demeanor brightened with hope. “I will also let you keep everything over the twenty-thousand. It will all be yours.”
Captain Beck raised an eyebrow as a smile slid across his face.
“I need to run back to my inn and take a nap,” Natia said as she picked up the pouch and rose to her feet. “The strain of all of this has been keeping me awake. I will meet you outside here at sunset.”
Natia turned and hurried out of the tavern before the captain had a chance to rethink his promise.
* * * *
Captain Gomery braced himself on the stairs as the ship lurched to port. He stared at the two mugs of hot tea in his hands and shook his head. As soon as the ship leveled out, he continued up the companionway. When he stepped out onto the deck, the wind hit him hard. He closed his eyes to mere slits as he made his way forward, leaning into the strong gusts. The Skate rocked from side to side as the heavy seas tried to drag the ship seaward, and Captain Gomery took small steps with his feet spread far apart. He eventually reached the bow and leaned one arm on the rail. He extended his other arm and offered a mug to the water witch.
“Some hot tea,” the captain said loudly.
“Thank you, Gomery,” replied Haditha. “How are the children?”
“Most of them are sick, poor things, but they are well behaved children. Syran is the closest thing they have to a father. He runs around comforting each of the sick ones.”
“Elves were never good sailors,” commented Haditha. “They like their feet firmly on the ground.”
For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Haditha guided the Skate through the rough seas, and Captain Gomery leaned on the rail and stared at his lover.
“Do you think we can outrun the storm?” the captain asked, breaking the silence.
“No,” Haditha replied without hesitation. “We will make it safely to Valdo, though. It is the trip back home that worries me.”
“Worries you?” balked the captain. “I thought you liked storms.”
“This is no ordinary storm, Gomery. This is a great storm that comes only once in a generation, and while I do enjoy storms, I never enjoy them while on a ship. It is very tiring to guide a ship through such tumultuous seas.”
“Especially a ship with such a low freeboard,” frowned the captain. “Do you think the Skate will hold together?”
“It is a gamble that we will have to take,” the water witch replied.
“I have been known to gamble on the fate of a ship before,” frowned the captain, “but I can’t say as I care much for gambling with the lives of children.”
“Well,” Haditha replied with a sigh, “we don’t really have any choice in the matter now, do we?”
* * * *
Tomar and Milashar were sitting in the Heart discussing the false path to Shark Point. Unexpectedly, unicorns began descending out of the canopy. The elves rose to their feet in alarm.
A chestnut unicorn approached the two elves. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the elves.
Greetings to the Dielderal. We have come to blaze a trail from the Heart to the sea. Who shall guide us?
Tomar stared with wide eyes as the unicorn’s words entered his head. He verbally stumbled for a moment before getting out the words. “I am Tomar. I have been chosen to guide you to Shark Point.”
Well met, Tomar. I am called Pylor, and I lead my people on this mission.
“You are early,” frowned the elf. “We were not expecting you until after nightfall.”
The trail will be easier to see in the daylight, and we are not needed to gather the children. Would you have us graze the day away?
“No,” Tomar replied quickly. “We are ready to proceed. I was just confused about the timing. Let me tell the others that we are to begin. I will return shortly.”
Tomar whistled loudly and the elves gathered in the center of the Heart. He explained that they were going to begin making the false path to Shark Point. When no one voiced
any objections, Tomar returned to the chestnut unicorn.
“We are ready, Pylor. If you will follow me, I will show you the way.”
Follow you? The unicorn snorted humorously. Would it not be wiser to sit upon my back and tell me where to go?
Tomar regarded the words with awe. He had heard stories of the talking unicorns, and he knew that the foreign elves rode them, but he had not expected to receive such an invitation himself.
“I would be thrilled with such a privilege,” Tomar said with a bow of respect.
That pleases me. I do not think even the fastest elf could keep our pace.
Many of the nearby unicorns snorted with laughter, and Tomar felt blood flushing his face. He leaped onto the unicorn with mixed feelings of embarrassment and excitement.
You may talk verbally or in your mind, or you may merely rub one of your hands on my shoulders to indicate the direction you want me to go. Are you a capable rider?
“I have never ridden before,” admitted Tomar, hoping that such an admission would not cause the unicorn to reject him.
Then I shall start off slow. Hang on to my mane and grip my sides with your legs. I promise that you will not fall from my back.
The other elves watched with envy as Pylor carried Tomar out of the Heart. A herd of three-hundred unicorns followed the unicorn leader, and soon the forest thundered with the sound of beating hooves.
Pylor started slowly in the Heart, but he quickly picked up speed. Tomar clutched at the unicorn’s mane as Pylor raced ever faster. The elf turned and saw the horde of unicorns running behind him, and he shook his head in amazement. The ride had a surreal feeling to it, and Tomar soon found that his hands were no longer clutching the mane. He grinned broadly and shook his head, letting the wind catch his hair.
You adapt rather well, Tomar of the Dielderal.
“This is a wonderful feeling, Pylor. It must be what flying is like.”
Goodness no. The unicorn snorted. You will get to feel real flying later. There is nothing like it.
As Pylor sped through the woods, Tomar saw the bands of elves that were stationed along the trail. The elves waved to the unicorns as they sped by, and Tomar thought that he could feel joy in the unicorns each time the elves waved.
Behind the herd of unicorns, elven mages periodically stepped onto the trail and cast spells of wind to smooth the churned up path. As soon as the mages stopped casting their spells, runners stepped onto the smooth soil and ran the length of their designated section. As each section of the trail was completed, the mage and the runners headed into the trees for the journey to their designated pick up spot.
* * * *
The sergeant caught Captain Beck on his way to the door. He spoke softly so that the other solders could not hear him.
“This is a bad idea, Captain. I am not authorized to command the center by myself, and the men know it. They may make trouble for you.”
“Keep them quiet somehow, Sergeant,” scowled Captain Beck. “I already told you that I absolutely must go out tonight. My sister’s life is in danger. Tell the men whatever you must to keep their tongues from wagging. Tell them that I owe them one and that I will make it up to them somehow.”
Captain Beck unlocked the door and exited the center before the sergeant could say anything more. He looked up and cursed softly as he saw that the sun had already set. He hurried to the Tap and Keg and found Natia waiting for him outside.
“I thought you weren’t going to come,” Natia said anxiously.
“I had trouble getting out,” replied the captain. “My men are going to hold my feet to the fire over this. I had to leave a sergeant in command of the center. I will be demoted if anyone finds out. Let’s get to the game before I change my mind.”
They hurried along the streets towards the warehouse where the game was being held. Natia suddenly halted in the center of the city, and the captain frowned as he turned back and looked at her.
“What is the matter now?” he asked.
“My lucky shawl,” frowned Natia. “I forgot it.”
“So what?” scowled the captain. “I don’t believe in luck.”
“Well, I do,” retorted Natia. “There is no more gold after we go through this ten-thousand. I do not want to take any chances.”
“Then run back to your inn and get it,” groused the captain, his irritability starting to show.
“It is not in my room,” countered the gypsy princess. “I left it on a hook outside the judge’s office.”
“Judge?” frowned the captain. “What judge?”
“Judge Julius,” answered Natia. “It is after sundown now. They will not let me back into the building. Will you go get it for me? It is only a block away from here.”
“What were you doing with Judge Julius?” asked Captain Beck.
“I didn’t say I went to see Judge Julius,” retorted Natia. “I said I left my shawl on the hook outside his office. He just happens to have the first office at the top of the stairs.”
“Whatever,” snapped the captain. “Forget the shawl.”
“No.” Natia shook her head adamantly. “Go get it for me. They will allow you to enter the building. Am I asking too much to ask you to go a block out of your way?”
Captain Beck growled under his breath. “Keep heading for the warehouse. I will catch up to you.”
Natia smiled broadly and walked away in the direction of the warehouse. Captain Beck shook his head as he watched her leave. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and made a left at the first intersection. A block later, he mounted the stairs of the government building. He opened the door and stepped inside to find a squad of soldiers staring at him. A sergeant stepped forward and asked his business.
“A friend of mine left a garment on the hook upstairs outside the office of Judge Julius,” explained the captain. “I just need to run upstairs and retrieve it.”
The sergeant nodded his permission and Captain Beck moved quickly to the stairs and climbed up them. When he reached the top of the stairs, he stared at the hooks on the wall. There was no shawl. He was tempted to turn around and leave, but the thought of coming back again, when Natia finally remembered exactly where she had left it, prompted him to be more thorough. The captain walked along the entire length of the second floor in search of the missing shawl, but he could not find it. With irritation and frustration, the captain retraced his steps along the second floor and ran down the stairs to the lobby. The sergeant looked questioningly at the captain when he noticed that the officer was not carrying any garment.
“It wasn’t there,” the captain said apologetically. “Maybe someone else mistook it for their own and took it home. I will look again in the morning.”
Captain Beck hurried out of the building and ran through the city streets. He caught up to Natia a block from the warehouse. She frowned as she saw his empty hands.
“I looked for it,” explained the captain. “It wasn’t there. I searched the whole second floor. Someone else must have taken it.”
“Great,” pouted the gypsy princess. “This certainly does not bode well for tonight.”
“You worry about the luck,” smiled the captain, “and let me worry about winning all that gold back.”
Natia scowled as they entered the warehouse. She handed the captain the pouch with the gold in it and watched as he eagerly made his way to one of the tables. Once he was seated, Natia moved away from the gambling room and made her way to the area setup as a kitchen. Headman saw her coming and nodded towards a door. Natia smoothly crossed the room and passed through the doorway to a small closet. Headman entered a moment later.
“I see that you got him here,” stated Headman. “Any changes to our plan?”
“No,” answered Natia. “Give him an hour and then mention me. I will be sitting where he can see me.”
“Consider it done,” smiled Headman.
The thief backed out of the closet. Natia waited a minute before cracking the door and peering out. When no
one was looking, she slipped out of the closet and made her way to the gambling room. She chose a seat away from the tables, and adopted a permanent scowl. An hour later, a waiter serving drinks at the gaming tables stopped near Captain Beck.
“Two as you ordered,” the waiter said cheerily.
The captain nodded distractedly and positioned the drinks to one side of him. “Bring another two on your next pass.”
“If I may be so bold, Captain,” the waiter said in a whisper, “is that your woman over there?”
Captain Beck gazed in the direction that the waiter had nodded. He saw Natia and she looked like she was miserable. The captain sighed and nodded.
“She lost her lucky shawl. I don’t know what she is upset about. I am doing just fine without any lucky shawl.”
“Was it a white shawl?” asked the waiter.
“It was,” nodded the captain. “Did you find it?”
“I doubt that the one I have is hers,” answered the waiter, “but it might cheer her up a bit. Someone left a shawl at one of the previous games. It has gone unclaimed for months. I am sure the night will go much better for you if your woman is not sulking in the corner.”
“An excellent idea,” brightened the captain. “Give it to her.”
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