by Joe Jackson
“Finish your drink, I’m going to use the commode, then we can go kick Aeligos out,” Sonja said.
Kari chuckled in response. She sat back in her chair, finishing her drink and savoring the warmth and relaxation of the alcohol as it coursed through her. The inn was fairly quiet for how crowded it was, and no one bothered Kari while she sat alone at the table. She pictured each of the men and women she’d been introduced to in her mind and sorted them by name, and found they were distinct enough that it wasn’t difficult. She assumed that unless Grakin was a twin of one of his brothers, she could keep the six siblings straight, and Eryn was so different that she was simple to remember.
Before she knew it, Kari had dozed off in her chair, and she woke with a start when Sonja touched her shoulder. She had only slept a few minutes, but the larger woman told her it was best that they all head to bed, and with a nod the terra-dracon woman rose and followed her new friend. As they entered the small and inadequate room, Kari quickly imagined five large men sharing a similar one, and laughed into her hand. Sonja and Eryn chuckled with her, apparently knowing exactly what she was thinking.
Kari dropped her pack to the floor, unrolled her bedroll, and began digging through her pack for a few moments. She pulled out the dark blue blanket she kept rolled up, set her pack down on its side near the head of the bed as a makeshift pillow, and lay down under the blanket. Sonja had the bed closest to Kari, as Eryn was already in the second one against the far wall, and soon the scarlet-haired woman was looking at the demonhunter over the edge of her bed.
“I’d offer to let you sleep with me, but this bed is a little small even just for me,” she said with a sheepish smile.
“I’ve been sleeping in the wild or in the back of a wagon for the last eight years, it’s no problem,” Kari said, waving off the larger woman’s concerns. She assumed that Eryn wanted her bed to herself despite her tiny frame, which was just as well in Kari’s mind. She chuckled at the thought of Aeligos visiting again during the night. Sonja soon joined her, as if the larger woman had read her mind. The three women made small talk but soon fell asleep, and though she woke up in the pre-dawn hours as she usually did, Kari slept fairly well.
*~*~*~*
The air was cool and heavy with fog in the pre-dawn gloom, so Kari pulled the cloak from her pack, tucked her wings tight to her back, and then wrapped herself in the warm, thick garment. Her half-demon companions had all done likewise, and their glowing eyes surrounded her in the darkness as they made their way from the warm interior of the inn and down the pier toward Karmi’s Sword. Kari’s eyes glowed, but their luminescence was muted because her eyes were black, as was the case with Aeligos and Grakin.
Kari saw Grakin only briefly in the inn’s common room, as he’d spent quite a bit of time sick in the latrine. When she finally saw him he looked a lot like Aeligos, though his hair was shorter and of a uniform length rather than stylized like his brother’s. He wasn’t unattractive but there was a gaunt and tired look about him, and Kari figured it was due to the fact that he’d been sick for several days, as Sonja said. Whatever the case, he was unresponsive to the suggestion that he introduce himself to the group’s newest member, and he simply paid the innkeeper a couple of gold pieces for a pot of hot coffee that he could take with him.
Erijinkor led the group down the pier to Karmi’s Sword’s gangplank, though most of the features of the massive ship were obscured in the blanket of fog that hung over the port. Kari wasn’t sure how comfortable she was getting on a ship that would be setting out under such a pillowy covering, but she resigned herself to the will of the ship’s captain. She knew nearly nothing about sailing or ships and tried her best to curb the doubts and fears that crept up on her from all sides. She reassured herself that though the rir weren’t fond of traveling across the oceans, the humans had been sailing the routes between the continents for over two thousand years.
Erik spoke briefly to the guards at the base of the gangplank, a pair of burly human marines who were well armed and armored. One made his way up the wooden walkway after a moment, while the other continued to make small talk with Erik. Kari took the opportunity to look around. She had expected the pier to be crowded: the large number of people in the inn the night before suggested that the ship would have an ample number of passengers. Only she and her half-demon companions stood waiting to board, though, and when she thought about it, she realized there also hadn’t been any cargo waiting to be loaded on the ship the night before. She wondered just what sort of vessel Karmi’s Sword was.
“Where’s everyone else?” Kari asked Sonja quietly, but Sonja waved off the inquiry and beckoned for Kari to follow as she headed up the gangway after Erik.
The group assembled on the quarterdeck of the ship and Kari looked around at all the white uniform-clad humans standing at attention along both rails. Many of the humans had the pale skin she was most accustomed to, but some were of the darker varieties, their tan or smooth chocolate-toned flesh standing in stark contrast to their bright uniforms. There was only a single rir among the crew, sitting on a small platform a few feet up from the base of the main mast, and she looked down over the gathered group with the darkest blue eyes Kari had ever seen. She was dressed in some sort of uniform, though in the dark and with her in a seated position, it was hard to make out any details. The rir woman had red hair not unlike Sonja’s and a somewhat unwelcoming expression on her face, though it could have just been the darkness combined with her ebon flesh that made it seem so.
Near the stern, by the door to the aft cabin, stood a fairly tall and well-toned human who still looked somewhat short standing before the massive Tesconis brothers. His face, easier to see by the light coming from the lamps beside the cabin door, was tanned and weathered, a testament to a life sailing the seas in the sun and wind, and was augmented by a well-kept, short black beard and moustache. His outfit was slightly different from the others: his white uniform was augmented by the decorated blue overcoat of a naval officer, and over his short-trimmed dark hair he wore a black hat that marked him as the captain. He stood straight with his hands folded behind his back, and as Kari looked him over, he did the same to the group before him with an obviously discerning eye.
Beside him stood a thinner and less muscular man, clean-shaven with dark eyes that studied the new passengers warily. He wore a different uniform than either the sailors or the captain, which designated that he was an officer, though of what rank was not immediately apparent. He wore no hat, and his short black hair was receding, but he had a dignified and officious look to him. Every so often his eyes clearly went to the rir woman sitting up on her little platform, and it seemed to Kari that the two were having a silent conversation regarding their new passengers. His stare, too, seemed rather unwelcoming, but in his case Kari was able to attribute it more to the morning chill.
“Welcome aboard Karmi’s Sword,” the captain said as the group dropped their packs to the quarterdeck and stood waiting. He kept his voice somewhat low, mindful of it carrying across the water even given the early hour. “I am Captain Galdur, and I will be in charge of getting you lot safely to Tsalbrin. I’m sure you’re wondering why none of the other guests of Land’s End are with you. They’re not going. This ship is under direct orders and contract from the temple of Zalkar to get you folks to Tsalbrin as quickly and quietly as possible. We know a little bit of your mission, and that’s all we need to know. You can speak freely of it around the crew, as we’ve all been sworn to secrecy and I trust every one of the men under my command.”
“Now,” he continued, “as I’m in charge of your safety, that means you’re under my command, and must follow my rules. There are no exceptions to my rules: break them and you’ll be put to work maintaining the ship. Continue to break my rules, and you’ll find yourself swimming to Tsalbrin. I’m sure this seems like a harsh welcome, but since I understand you each have a military background, I’m sure you can understand the need to keep order on a ship. Though we sometim
es run freight and passengers, this is a military vessel and is run as such.”
“The man next to me is Master Bryan Calhoun, and he is in charge of logistics and the navigation of the ship. He’ll see to the ship’s operation while we’re underway. Most of my time will be spent with him, plotting our course and making sure we avoid known pirate waters and other trouble. While Karmi’s Sword is a military vessel and pirate-hunter, our orders are to get you safely to Tsalbrin, which means avoiding trouble along the way. Getting the Unyielding’s people killed before they reach their destination would rather defeat the purpose of this trip.”
“The final officer you should become acquainted with is Jori-an Stormrider, the rir woman you see seated up on the boatswain’s nest. She is the ship’s First Mate, but she also serves as my bosun and morale officer. She’s in charge of the deck and everyone on it. You cause trouble, you answer to her. And if she hasn’t walked you off a plank or hanged you from a yardarm, then you answer to me. We expect all of you to be on your best behavior while aboard my ship. You let us do our job, and we’ll get you to Tsalbrin safely. Any questions?”
“No questions, captain,” Erik said. He tapped his fist over his heart in salute and Kari did likewise, and Captain Galdur returned it with a military salute that was repeated and held by all the members of the crew save Jori-an. Erik stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’m Erijinkor Tesconis, and I’m in charge of this group. Most of these are my siblings, except for the dark and short girls.” The two shook hands and Erik gestured over his shoulder with his other thumb. “Any of them give your crew any trouble, you just let me know. They’ll answer to me first, and your crew can take care of whatever’s left.”
Galdur let out a chuckle and patted the much larger man on the shoulder. “I knew that aiding Zalkar’s people would be easier than usual,” he said. “The only other thing I will go over with you is quarters. Most of you men will be in general quarters with the crew; the guest cabins will be reserved for the ladies. However, if any of you have a problem sleeping in a hammock, now would be the time to say so.”
“Grakin,” Erik said and his younger brother approached, taking a sip of his coffee and shaking visibly. Erik turned back to Galdur and said, “This is my brother Grakin. He’s been sick for a few days, so a steady bed in one of the guest cabins might be helpful.”
“What’s he sick with?” the captain asked. He regarded Master Calhoun and Jori-an, and his expression left no doubt that the prospect of a sick passenger alarmed him.
“Nothing contagious, captain,” Grakin answered, the first words Kari had heard him speak. He sounded bad, his voice gravelly and quiet, and Kari couldn’t tell if he was shaking from the cold or because he was sick. It generally took prolonged exposure to the cold before a half-demon would even feel it, so she guessed it was the latter. “It is simply fatigue from my work during the War. I am a healer of Kaelariel; were it something that would endanger your crew, I would channel my lord’s power to cure it.”
“Ah, I see. And you’re certain that you wouldn’t rather sleep in a hammock so the ship’s motion doesn’t make your troubles worse?” Galdur prompted.
“A bed would be more suitable for my evening meditations,” the priest replied. “That concerns me more than the issues with my stomach.”
“Fair enough,” the captain said with a respectful nod. “Crewman Mallory! Escort our sick guest to one of the cabins so he can lie down while we get the ship ready to leave port.”
“Aye, captain!” said one of the dark-skinned humans as he approached and saluted Galdur. He led Grakin by the elbow down below decks.
“Is there anything else my officers should know about?” Galdur asked. Erik glanced to Kari, Eryn, and each of his other siblings before he shook his head in response. “Good. My crew and I are wary of magic, so if any of you use it and plan to practice it during the journey, be sure to check with either my first mate or myself before doing so. If there’s nothing else, Crewman Mallory will show you down to your quarters while my officers get us underway. It’s going to be a long trip, and once we set sail, there will be no turning back.”
“We’re ready, Captain,” Erik confirmed. The captain made his way up to the stern deck along with Master Calhoun, and soon Crewman Mallory returned to lead the others down into the cabin.
The cabin was fairly dark, its gloom pierced every so often by hanging lanterns, revealing narrow doors on each side of the long central hallway. After passing the first few sets of doors, which were spread farther apart, Mallory gestured to the next four which were closer together, and told the women to go ahead and choose their rooms however they liked. He left Kari, Eryn, and Sonja to divvy up the three remaining rooms and led the men farther into the forward section of the ship, the general quarters.
The ladies came to a consensus, and each opened the doors to their cabins to look in. As Mallory had said, they were all virtually identical, each equipped with a narrow bed, a secured night table with a securable drawer, a hanging lamp, and a footlocker at the base of the bed. Each also had a small porthole to allow some air and light into the somewhat cramped quarters, and a polished metal plate attached to the wall served as a makeshift mirror. Kari smiled at her two companions and then headed into her room and closed the door behind her.
Kari opened the footlocker and deposited her pack within, and she lay down on the bed to test how comfortable it was. It was soft and she sank into it, though not far enough to touch the hard wooden frame beneath, and while it was slightly damp, it wasn't as bad as she expected aboard a ship. She found it amusing that there was a board attached to the side to assure that she didn’t fall out while sleeping, something she hadn’t seen since she was a child. She fluffed the pillow, then shook her hair to the side and lay back, closing her eyes. She smiled, realizing that unless sea conditions were exceptionally rough, she would have no trouble falling asleep on her bed. She sat up quickly, not wanting to doze off, and inspected the rest of her quarters. The table, bed, and footlocker were affixed to the floor, and she gazed briefly at the black-eyed woman staring back at her from the surface of the metal mirror for a moment.
Kari started to rise but fell back to her rump as the ship pitched, and when she looked out the small window she realized they had already left the dock and the vessel was making its turn northward. Her cabin was on the port side of the ship, so she couldn’t see the lightening of the horizon as the sun began to rise; instead all she could see was the foggy gloom hanging over the dark water to the west. After thinking about it a moment, she decided it would probably be best to stay in her quarters at least until the ship was fully underway. While Kari knew virtually nothing about sailing, it wasn’t hard to figure out that clueless warriors underfoot wouldn’t be very helpful to the crew when getting the ship onto its course.
Kari lay back down on the soft bedding and started to doze off until a knock sounded at her door. She called for whomever it was to come in, and Sonja opened the door and peeked around it before she slipped inside and closed the door behind her. The scarlet-haired woman was already chuckling before a word had been spoken, and Kari curled her legs so the larger woman could sit on the end of the bed. “What’s so funny?” Kari asked.
“These beds are smaller than the ones in the inn,” her friend said. “I have to sleep with my knees bent just to fit in mine.”
“But they’re nice and comfortable,” the demonhunter said, folding her arms behind her head. “Certainly has to be better than sleeping in a hammock in a room full of men.”
“True enough,” Sonja said with a shrug, looking out the porthole. Kari guessed Sonja had as little privacy during the War traveling with five brothers as Kari’d had in the company of her brigade. “It’s going to be a long trip, and I imagine I’ll be spending a lot of time going through my spell book and guides, so having a bed to curl up on while reading is nice.”
Karian beheld the muscular half-demon woman curiously. “You’re a wizard?” she asked, and Sonj
a gave a knowing smile and nod. “I’d guessed you were a warrior.”
“I am,” Sonja said. “You don’t have brothers like mine and not know a trick or two with the sword. I try to stay on par with my siblings as much as possible where martial combat is concerned, but I spend most of my time studying. Most of my spells are defensive enchantments and utility cantrips, but I know a few destructive spells as well.”
“What about transportation?” Kari asked. “Can’t you just teleport us or whatever over to Tsalbrin?”
The scarlet-haired female shook her head. “Tsalbrin is sealed off from magical transport, probably because of its proximity to Kirelia. The only way to get there is by boat, and my spells wouldn’t be strong enough to move a group of this size anyway.”
Kari remained quiet for a minute, listening to the sound of the water as it glided along the hull, and then she turned to put her legs high up on the wall to stretch. With her head hanging over the side of the bed, she got a good look at just how muscular Sonja’s legs were; the woman wasn’t as built as her brothers, but even Kari’s own muscular form seemed scrawny compared to Sonja. Kari wondered if all half-guardians were so muscular: whether it was natural for their kind or if the Tesconis siblings had a rough childhood, leading to such strength. She thought the latter unlikely, since Aeligos and Grakin were far smaller than the others, though Aeligos looked like a dancer and Grakin had mentioned he was a healer.
“How’s Grakin doing?” Kari asked as she thought of the priest, and she looked up to the distant eyes of the half-guardian woman.
Sonja didn’t answer immediately. She glanced out the window one last time before she seemed to register that Kari had spoken at all, and gave a noncommittal shrug. “He gets sick a lot,” she said. “He’ll be fine in a few days. He just burns himself at both ends sometimes, channeling so much of Kaelariel’s power to heal people. There was a stretch of days a few months ago, when we were in Oceana, where he would get up in the morning and spend a few hours healing people before he nearly passed out from the exertion, and had to go back to sleep.”
