Voidhawk: The Elder Race

by Jason Halstead

  “My Lady, he speaks very highly of you,” Tasha added, being unaware of the fun Jenna was having.

  “I give him good reason to,” Jenna said with a wink to Dexter. Dexter could only blush again and reach for his drink.

  “Have fun yourself,” Jenna said to him, then she leaned over breathe her final words softly into his ear, “just not too much fun.”

  Dexter turned, his head pulled slightly by her grasping teeth on his earlobe, then he watched in aroused silence as the three woman walked out of the bar and left it behind them.

  Dexter turned back many heartbeats later, shaking his head and reaching for his ale. He saw Tasha sitting there and could only grin.

  “I see why she is known as the wicked temptress,” Tasha said, smiling.

  Dexter sprayed more ale on the table when he laughed. “Aye,” he said at last, “I’m thinking your people might be on to something!”

  * * * *

  “You’re not worried?” Willa asked, surprised to see Jenna walking confidently up the ramp.

  “Worried? About the Captain? What’s to be worried about? He’s found us a way out of messes worse than this,” Jenna said.

  “That ain’t what I’m talking about,” Willa said, her tone bitter. “I meant with that… with her!”

  “Captain Wyndamere?” Jenna asked in a neutral tone. She chuckled. “Dex – the Captain – won’t mess up no matter how much he drinks. You don’t know what I had to do to get him to sleep with me!”

  Willa made a harrumphing noise in her throat and Bekka had to chuckle in spite of herself.

  “Never met a man so afraid of having sex as he is,” Jenna added, smiling to herself.

  Willa stumbled, so caught off guard by the statement was she. Bekka slowed to let her catch up, smiling mysteriously at her as she did so. “Afraid to lay with a woman?” Willa inquired.

  Jenna shrugged. “He’s good at it, don’t get me wrong. He’s just worried about crossing the line with crew and all. He knows better now, about being afraid and all that is.”

  Willa shook her head and fell into silence as they walked up the many ramps towards the top of the cliff that dammed the river into a lake. Finally, nearly breathless from their pace, she muttered, “Ain’t never met a man that didn’t want to lay with me.”

  Bekka reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in support before letting go. Willa looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise, then smiled at her to show her appreciation. Jenna shrugged. “It’d be a lot harder to get them to do what we want if they didn’t want us.”

  “You’re a fine looking woman, Willa, I can see why,” Bekka offered, ignoring Jenna’s response.

  Willa blushed and looked away.

  “Willa, I need you with us, here and now, all right?” Jenna said, turning on her and stopping midway up the second to last ramp. “It should be safe, but we don’t know anything about this place, so keep your eyes and thoughts on here and now.”

  Willa nodded. “I am… I will, I mean. I just… oh. Damn him.”

  Bekka gently patted her back, not knowing what to say but feeling bad for the woman. She wished she had something that would help; the girl deserved to have her luck run good for once.

  “I’m not taking any sides here,” Jenna said while they stood there and traffic streamed around them on both sides, “but seems to me you’d told him you were done with him?”

  Willa blushed, embarrassed and angry. “No… I mean, not really. I told him until he figured out what he had I wasn’t with him.”

  Jenna nodded. “That’s what I mean. To a man that’s much the same thing. Don’t forget, I’m an elf. I look young but I’m more than three times your age and I’ve spent a lot of that time around humans. He felt bad, but a man like Rosh, if he’s not got something waiting for him he’s going to find it. That, or like this time, it found him.”

  “It found him?” Willa asked, confused.

  Jenna nodded again. “The high priestess, Sara, she’d only help us find the forbidden city if he agreed to lay with her and father her child.”

  Willa’s face burned again. “Father her child,” she repeated, her tone weak but angry.

  “Tasha’s not after Rosh, nor Dexter,” Jenna said. “But she is descended from Rosh. Probably 7000 generations back or so, but blood like his, it runs strong.”

  Willa sighed. “So he gave her a child so you guys could move on? How selfless of him.”

  Jenna barked out a laugh. “Oh, he enjoyed every minute of it, don’t you doubt it. I saw the look on his face though, he felt bad about it after. And then when we came back through here and thought you guys were gone… he felt even worse.”

  Willa stared at her then finally nodded. She offered a small smile to the First Mate. “Thanks, Jenna. I… well… I wouldn’t listen to him tell me. Guess I need to figure out what’s next.”

  “Either take him back or don’t, what more is there?” Jenna asked her. “You forgave him once for being who he is, can’t you do it again?”

  “It ain’t that simple,” Willa said, but didn’t go into detail.

  The elf shook her head. “No, it is, you’re just not letting it be that way. Come on, we got some miles to put under us and I mean to be on our way to Krestin before the sun sets.”

  Willa nodded and they started up the ramp again. In a matter of minutes they’d chartered passage on a boat and were headed across the lake. Bekka watched Willa carefully, wondering what she was thinking and how she was doing. It pained her to see the woman so torn and distressed. At least before, when they were certain they’d never see daylight again, let alone the rest of the crew, she’d found a relative sense of peace.

  Willa reached into the bag she had across her shoulder and pulled out a knife and a piece of wood. It wasn’t the knife she had used aboard the Voidhawk, Bekka noted. The one armed woman wedged the block between her knee and her forearm and began to work the knife at it, moving it swiftly but surely over the soft wood as she began to carve. Bekka watched, entranced, while Jenna continued to stare out over the water and, occasionally, over the side and into it.

  Bekka became increasingly focused on the block of wood as it took shape under Willa’s skillful hand. Others on the boat began to watch as well, marveling at the frenzied speed of the knife as it slipped over the wood. The boat had just passed the midpoint of their voyage when Bekka held up her creation. It was a carved replica of the Voidhawk that fit in the palm of her hand. It lacked the fine details but it was a smooth carving that was unmistakable, including even the landing struts and the wooden sails.

  “That’s amazing,” Bekka praised.

  Willa glanced up, startled, and blushed when she saw she had a small audience. She held it up to look at it and shrugged. “Kind of plain, but the urge just came over me.”

  “What are you going to do with it?” Jenna asked, staring at it with a light in her eyes. “I only ask because I bet the Captain could use something to perk him up and that might bring a spring to his step.”

  Willa nodded, still staring at it. “I… I don’t know. I guess, maybe he could have it. I figured I’d just put on the lake here. A tribute to the ‘Hawk.”

  Bekka nodded and Jenna, after a moment, shared the motion. “I like that. Seems the right thing to do,” Jenna said.

  “Is that it then, have you given up on finding the Voidhawk?” Bekka asked, something twisting in her belly at the thought of it.

  Jenna sighed and looked around. Their crowd had fallen away now that Willa had completed her carving and taken care of her knife. “Where could it have gone?” She asked rhetorically. “Either it was stolen or time claimed it. Even most elven ships are hard pressed to endure that long; I’m amazed to see the fleet still so sound.”

  “Those ships weren’t made by your people,” Bekka reminded her. “They were made by the elders.”

  Jenna stared at her for a thoughtful moment then nodded. “I wish I knew more,” she admitted. “My people inherited their know
ledge from the elders. But they’re right, we are a fallen race compared to them.”

  They rode on in thoughtful silence. The minutes passed as quickly as the waters under the keel of the boat until they began to draw near the far side of the lake. Willa shifted about in her seat and stared into the water, then a smile made its way to her face as she held the carved boat out.

  “To the Voidhawk,” she said solemnly. Jenna and Bekka glanced at one another then repeated her words softly, lumps in their throats at the impromptu consignment.

  She leaned as far as she dared then dropped the boat into the water. It fell slowly, almost magically, and landed hull first into the water. The wake from the larger boats passage bore it away to stiller waters, where it sat for a moment. A breeze kicked up, spinning it about to a new heading, then bore it off, slowly at first and then with more purpose across the water.

  “That’s odd,” Bekka observed.

  Jenna stared at it, the moisture in her eyes drying as she saw the small carving move purposefully across the shallow waves. Her eyes narrowed, then she stood up abruptly and stated moving towards the rear, where the helmsman manned the tiller.

  “Captain!” She called, stepping up to the man who was watching her approach.

  “Have a seat young lady, we’ll be there soon enough,” he told her with a smile.

  Jenna scowled, the effect of which was largely lost in the shadows of her hood. “Tell me, Captain, how much it will cost me to have you change your course?”

  He barked out a laugh. “Change my course? There’s no changing course. I’ve a schedule to keep! Take your seat and charter a smaller boat, if you need such a thing.”

  Jenna growled back her first choice of words. “That’s not an option. Name your price, and do it quickly!”

  Bekka rose up and Willa followed. Bekka thought she had an idea what Jenna was up to, but the possibility was so outlandish she hadn’t imagined anyone but her would consider it. She readied herself, calling upon her magic in case it was needed. Willa glanced about, nervous but ready. Bekka gave her a tight smile of encouragement and saw the woman return it even as she clutched the long knife at her side.

  “There’s no price!” The Captain said more loudly. He glanced past Jenna at the people on the boat that were glancing back. “Look, there’ll be no trouble on here or I’ll have you thrown in irons and dragged through the streets when we get there.”

  Jenna threw back her cloak, apparently beyond negotiating. Arms free, she held her pistol pointed at the Captain’s throat and he short sword held low, poised to disembowel him or come to her aid should anyone else think themselves a hero. “Final chance, name your price or the boat gets a new captain!”

  He jerked his head back in surprise at how quickly she moved, then he stared at the unfamiliar pistol before him. He chuckled. “You going to club me with that, little girl?” He asked.

  Jenna swept it to his side and fired it, making everyone on board jump at the thunder that erupted from it. The Captain’s suddenly wide eyes followed it, amazed the smoke that rose from the barrel and the acrid stench of sulfur.

  “What-“ He began, but stopped when he saw Jenna nod her head towards her target. A section of the railing that capped the side of the boat bore a ragged hole where the bullet had struck it. He licked his lips and stared at the pistol again, having no idea it was no harmless until reloaded.

  “A short diversion?” He asked nervously.

  She nodded. “Most likely.”

  “10 gold, I think?”

  “Very good, Captain. Now follow that small boat in the water off your starboard bow.”

  Jenna turned away and saw Bekka and Willa standing nearby. Willa’s knife was drawn and Bekka flashed her a smile even as she held up her hands which sparkled in the bright sunlight with the spell she had prepared. Jenna smiled and nodded, then stood near the Captain of the vessel as it changed course and followed Willa’s carving.

  They picked up the lost distance quickly and had to follow from the side. Bekka kept an eye on the men standing about, knowing they’d be happy to toss them all overboard if they needed to. She saw one eying her, judging whether he should be concerned or not and she smiled at him. She called up her magic, putting a few subtle twists into what she had planned, and let a ball of flames appear in her hands. The flames shifted from orange to purple. She tossed it up into the sky, catching it her other hand, then tossed it back casually as though juggling.

  When his eyes widened and the color drained from his cheeks Bekka smiled again and closed her fist on the ball. It disappeared, apparently snuffed out. What she had created was nothing more than an illusion, but she’d wagered the sailor’s were a superstitious lot.

  Even void sailors tended towards superstitions, but most of the crew she served with had their heads on their shoulders. Simply sailing with women as crew proved that! Bekka remembered having to pretend she was a man more than a few times to earn a bunk aboard some of the ships she’d sailed and worked on. Not that it was hard for her, with her boyish figure. That had been when she had first started to shave her head.

  “It stopped,” Willa remarked, staring off the starboard bow.

  Bekka glanced at it, looking longer than she should have but not regretting it. The other sailors and passengers were staring as well, curious about what could cause the cloaked woman to be so irrational and demanding. Bekka glanced at Jenna and saw that the cloak had fallen back over her arms, hiding her lithe elven figure from everyone.

  She turned her gaze to Willa, marveling at how the woman had filled out since they’d rescued her from Azmir. Instead of skin and bones she was now almost buxom. Her hips had a pleasant curve to them and her legs, nourished properly, were longer than the main mast on the Voidhawk as far as she was concerned. Bekka smirked and shook her head just slightly, then turned her gaze back to the others to keep an eye on them.

  “A little closer if you please, Captain,” Jenna called out, stepping closer to the railing of the boat. The boat moved in, guided by the helmsman and the Captain as he ordered the men manning the oars. Soon the miniature Voidhawk was only a few feet from the side of the boat, though it sat half a dozen feet above the surface of the water.

  “Bekka, Willa, keep an eye out,” she said, turning to glance at them and then eye the Captain. “And don’t pay the man until I’m back!”

  With that said, she unclasped her cloak from around her neck and drew it back, hood and all. It fell to the floor, where Willa was already moving to gather it, then was joined by her belt with her pouch and weapons. Jenna stripped off her leather vest and peeled off her boots, ignoring the stairs from those on the boat. Clad in only her breeches, she stepped up to the railing, balancing easily on the precarious perch, then took in a great breath before diving into the water.

  Bekka kept looking around, amazed at how easily she’d ignored Jenna this time and instead kept an eye on those around her. She glanced at Willa, who was standing over the discarded pile of equipment. Willa looked back at her, wide eyed and confused. Bekka gave her a smile, then wondered idly if she could convince her to take off her clothes to go for a swim as well.

  “What’s going on?” The Captain asked, coming to his senses. “I’ll not be played the fool! What was she?”

  Bekka glanced at him. “Her name’s Jenna,” she said calmly. “We take our orders from her when the Captain’s not around.”

  “I’m the damn Captain!” He roared, even as some of the others were whispering to each other and themselves.

  “Wrong Captain,” Bekka said, offering an apologetic smile. “Wrong boat too.”

  Before the Captain could explode with increasing fury, the man at the tiller hissed something to him. He turned back, then turned to face Bekka and Willa again. “Jenna, you said her name was?”

  Bekka nodded.

  “What was that thing she made the thunder with?”

  Bekka smiled and winked at him. The Captain paled even further, taking a step back subconsci
ously as he did so.

  “Is she…”

  He was spared by the splashing noise made as Jenna burst from the water, coming nearly to her waist out of it. She gasped for breath and paddled easily in the cool lake waters while she caught her breath.

  “You, throw her a rope!” Willa said, pointing to one of the oarsmen nearby who sat beside a coil of rope that was used for tying the boat up at the docks. He jumped to his feet, grabbing the rope and tossing it into the water to the soaked elf.

  Jenna climbed up easily, though she was still breathing hard. A grin split her face in spite of the labored breathing. “Found it!” She gasped, looking for all the world like she wanted to hug someone. Bekka realized she was grinning as well, even though it only now sunk in to her just what it was that Bekka had meant. Jenna had found the Voidhawk!

  Bekka turned, eyeing the distant shore to set it firmly in her mind where the ‘Hawk lay. Once committed to memory, she turned to see Jenna eyeing her clothing thoughtfully. Bekka grinned and summoned up her magic again. It was a minor effect, a parlor trick no more powerful than the illusion of a flaming ball, but it served its purpose well. Bekka twisted her fingers faster and faster, blowing three puffs of air as she did so. Jenna stood there, looking alarmed at first, then presently surprised as a warm gust of wind swirled around her and dried the worst of the water off of her.

  Nearly dried, she slipped her vest and boots back on, then picked up her belt and walked to the Captain. “Captain, I thank you for the distraction. Here’s the 10 gold we agreed upon and another 10 for your railing.”

  “Are you…” He asked, taking her money woodenly as he stared at her.

  “Thankful for your cooperation? Yes,” she said with a wink. She drew the hood of her cloak up and turned away from him, returning to her seat.

  Bekka smiled at how Jenna handled the man and wished she had it in her to twist a man about her finger so easily. She rejoined the elf and the human at their prior seats, shaking her head slightly but grinning in spite of herself. The Voidhawk had been found! Sure, it was under water and probably suffering from year and years of damage, but she’d seen the Hawk when it had been first rebuilt by Kragor. Anything was possible, so long as the ship’s bones were still solid.