"You're not returning home?" Damarius asked in surprise as they prepared to set off.
The old man shook his head. "The sea was my home, and since that witch and her puppet was heading east, I think I'll just stay here." He sighed. "It's just as well. I'm getting rather old, and settling down in some remote little cabin at the edge of the sea seems rather appealing after recent events." He gazed out over the clear blue water of the cove, his eyes thoughtful. "When that witch took my sight, I thought my life was at an end. Now that I can see again, I think I'll remain here and enjoy my remaining years." He snorted. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere near that witch again. If she went east, I'll remain here in the south. The gods willing, I'll never cross paths with that devil woman again!"
They finished saying their farewells, then set off for the nearby port city of Sierra. The last Damion saw of the sailor, he was already hard at work repairing the rickety shack the old man now called home.
They reached the outskirts of the city around midday and immediately set off through town, drawing the usual amount of attention that was commonplace wherever Damion went.
"Where should we head first?" Sly asked curiously.
"The docks." Damion grunted, staring out at the dark clouds that were churning out at sea. "That's where the ships are."
They reached the docks an hour or so later, just as the storm made landfall and released its fury upon the port city.
"It may take us a while to locate a ship willing to carry us east." Damarius commented, mopping the rain from his face. "These docks go on forever."
"Let's check out that tavern." Damion pointed to a nearby building that had been constructed from stone collected on the beach. "A lot of the ship captains gather there while they're in port."
They checked their horses at a nearby livery, then started toward the building.
A loud hoot, and the sudden flapping of wings drew their attention to Snowfeather, who was descending from the rain drenched skies uncontrollably. "Coming in hot!" The huge owl squawked, still flapping his wings in a futile effort to stay aloft.
"I've got you!" Damion dove forward, catching the huge owl before he struck the ground, landing face first in a mud puddle.
"Thanks for that!" Snowfeather hooted with a sigh of relief, hopping onto a clean patch on Damion's back. "The rain made my feathers too soggy to fly. They're too soft for this type of weather!"
Damion slowly hauled himself to his feet, and turned to his snickering companions, who all suddenly found somewhere else to be looking, then to a number of sailors who stood nearby laughing in glee at his misfortune. "If I hear one more laugh, I swear I'll stroll that person straight out to sea and hold their head under the water until the bubbles stop."
The drunken sailors all jumped fearfully, then hurried off, eager to get away from the enormous warrior.
"You're such a bully!" Raven laughed, holding out her arm to give Snowfeather a place to perch while Damion attempted to strip off the worst of the smelly muck.
Once the rain washed off the worst of the mud, they hurried inside of the crowded tavern, then stopped to scan the room for an open table.
"There's one." Damion started to make his way across the room, ignoring the sudden silence that had fallen upon the crowd.
"Damion?" A gruff voice suddenly broke the silence.
Damion followed the voice to a table in the corner of the room, where a short man with long braided hair, and a meticulously groomed beard sat, an enormous smile on his face. "Captain Harper?" He asked in surprise. "Is that you?"
"The one and only!" The bearded man was dressed in a bright blue vest adorned with large gold buttons, and a thick heavy gold chain hung to the middle of his paunchy gut. His extravagant hat was adorned with a long feather, and the bright blue eyes hidden beneath were shrewd and calculating. "It's been quite a while since was last spoke! How fare's things?" The eccentric old sea captain shooed away the sailors who had been sitting with him, then gestured for them to sit.
"Not good." Damion told his old friend grimly. He went on to explain the abduction of Leia, and their desperate pursuit of her abductors. "We're here looking for a ship willing to take us to the eastern shores." He finished the story with a shrug.
Captain Harper's face was grim. "You're positive that these two kidnappers are taking your daughter east?" His eyes were narrowed in thought.
"As positive as we can be."
The extravagantly dressed man suddenly jumped to his feet, and looked around at the crowd of sailors. "Listen up, you mangy sea dogs!" He roared in a thunderous voice.
The crowded tavern fell dead silent, and heads all turned to focus on the portly sea captain.
"All hands of the Fearless Lady make ready to sail!"
Fully half of the mob that was crowded together in the tavern jumped to their feet and hurried to the door.
Captain Harper turned to back to Damion. "The Fearless Lady is already fully stocked, and at your disposal, my friend. We can leave as soon as you are ready."
"Don't you have cargo to transport?"
The bearded man waved his hand dismissively. "That can wait. Your daughter's safety comes first."
"I don't know how to thank you, my friend." Damion told him gratefully.
"You can start with gold!" Captain Harper laughed. "But we'll worry about that once we have your daughter back!"
Raven rushed forward to engulf him in a fierce embrace.
"And if she has a sister," He grinned suggestively.
Damion laughed. "When can we set off?"
"As soon as you are ready." The captain shrugged, ignoring the booming of thunder outside.
"What about this storm?" Damarius asked nervously.
"What about it?"
"Isn't it dangerous to sail in such weather?"
The extravagant old sea captain laughed a loud booming laugh. "You're not afraid of a little shower, are you, old man?"
"That's a bit more than a little shower." The old wizard sniffed in a offended tone.
"Don't worry," Captain Harper assured him placatingly. "The gods have yet to spawn a storm that could best the Fearless Lady!" He turned to Damion. "We're docked right outside. As soon as you're loaded we can head out."
"Let us go get the horses, and then we'll shove off."
"Why don't you go on ahead." Sly told them, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I want to grab a few things before we leave. We'll be at sea for at least a month, so it's probably best we stock up on necessities while we have the chance."
"Just make it quick." Damion frowned, glancing at the little man suspiciously. "I want to ship out immediately."
They hurried to the livery to retrieve the horses, while Sly slouched off to purchase his supplies. After they had finished loading the horses, they gathered to impatiently await the little man's arrival. The scruffy looking man finally appeared from the tavern doorway guiding several workmen, who were carefully rolling a number of large wooden barrels toward the ship.
"What are these?" Damion asked suspiciously.
"Ale." The little man grunted, watching as the workmen carefully rolled the barrels up the gangplank to the ship.
"You've had us waiting around so you could stock up on ale?" Damion's expression grew angry.
"I also got a couple of barrels of elven wine for your wife." The little man added defensively. "It's a long way to the eastern continent, and there's not much to do while out at sea."
Once everything had been loaded and secured, the deckhands of the Fearless Lady cast off the mooring lines, ignoring the pounding rain which continued to pour from the heavens, and they slowly slipped away from the docks. They soon reached open water, and with a laugh of pure glee, Captain Harper set course towards the east, and the heart of the storm.
Once they were underway, the companions retreated to their rather lavish quarters below deck.
"Your friend appears to have good taste." Damarius commented, looking around their well appointed quarters with approval.
"It'll be a little crowded, but much more comfortable than what I'm used to being while at sea."
"When was the last time you were at sea?" Damion asked the old wizard curiously. "I've known you nearly my entire life, and you've never even left the valley until recently."
"Let's see," Damarius scratched his beard in thought. "My best guess would be about thirty years ago. I was searching for ingredients for a formula that I was creating, and I took a ship to the north to try and procure them." He shook his head in disgust. "I spent the entire voyage knee deep in bilge water."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that on this ship." Sly sighed, throwing himself into one of the swinging cots that hung on one wall. "Our captain appears to run a tight ship."
"Captain Harper is the true definition of a sea captain." Damion laughed in agreement. "He doesn't tolerate nonsense, and he loves this ship more than anything else in this world. It's probably one of the most well maintained ships afloat."
"How long will we be stuck down here?" Raven asked, her face already slightly green from the motion of the ship.
"A month, at least," Damarius told her, settling down at the table, which had been secured firmly to the floor. "and that's with fair weather."
A knock at the door drew their attention to a pair of weary looking sailors, both of whom were still dripping wet from the rain. "We brought up the barrels that the little fellow requested." One of the men grumbled sourly.
Sly flashed Damion a quick smile, then rolled from his swinging cot, and hurried to help the sailors. Once they had manhandled the casks into the room, he quickly broached the lid on one of the barrels, and filled a large tankard, which he immediately drained. "Ah, that's good!"
"We've just left the harbor, and you're already drinking?" The huge warrior asked in a plaintive tone.
"I purchased a dozen barrels of the finest ale I could find." The little man shrugged unabashed. "It's gonna take quite a while to drink them all. I figured I might as well get started since I haven't anything better to do."
Damion laughed in spite of himself.
"Where did you get the gold for all of those barrels of ale?" Damarius suddenly asked with an irritated expression. "You've owed me ten silver pieces for months now!"
"I traded the tavern keeper one of these." The scruffy little man produced a beautiful carving of a dragon in flight. "Axel has been creating these little baubles out of the bones of those shadow dragons that were killed back in Sevria."
Raven, making an obvious effort to ignore her sea sickness, sat forward, her eyes fascinated. "It's exquisite!" She took the tiny carving and began examining it closely. "Axel carved this?"
Sly nodded, refilling his tankard, and taking a long drink. "He's quite talented. His pieces are becoming renowned, and the fact that they're carved from dragon bone makes them nearly priceless. The innkeeper will probably get a thousand gold pieces for the carving I gave him. He was more than happy with the deal."
"And what did you give Axel for this piece?" Raven asked suspiciously.
"Nothing at all." The little man smirked. "I only provided him with the dragon bone."
"How did you get your hands on those bones?" The old wizard demanded, staring at Sly in disbelief. "By the time I made it to the carcasses, they had already been butchered! All that was left were a few scales!"
Sly laughed. "That's because I used one of the work crews help butcher the beasts before anyone else could get to them. I sold the meat, which went surprisingly quickly, and then started selling off the bones."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me that you had some dragon bone!" Damarius complained in an outraged tone.
Sly shrugged innocently. "I didn't know you wanted any." He glanced to Raven, who continued to stare at the carving in fascination. "You can keep that one, if you'd like. I still have several others. Axel brings me one now and then to pay for the bone he carves them from."
"How much bone do you have left?" The old wizard's expression had grown excited.
"Not very much, I'm afraid." The little man burped. "It's highly prized, you know." He laughed at the old man's crestfallen look. "Don't worry. I'm sure I still have a bit laying around that you can have, for the right price of course."
They all laughed, then settled down for the long journey.
************
The wailing of the infant child jarred her from her trance, causing her to lose her contact with the elder spirits which guided her every step. It had been like this ever since they had stolen her from her crib.
"It's crying again, Boris." She whispered in a voice that was barely audible over the infant's cries.
A huge bald man stumped into the private quarters she shared with the child below decks of the tiny ship. "I'll see to it, Mistress." He hurried over to the crying child, who glared up at him with hate filled eyes.
"I need to speak with the spirits, but I can't concentrate if it keeps interrupting me with its incessant wailing." She continued in a hissing whisper. She cast a disgusted look at the child, who continued to wail. "I swear the little beast waits until I attempt to make contact with the spirits, then begins her wailing all over again." She turned her fiery gaze to the enormous man who was attempting to placate the young girl. "How many sailors remain aboard?"
"Fifteen, Mistress. Shall I harvest another for you?"
"Not just yet. I need to make contact with the elder spirits first. I'll need to feed afterwards though, so make sure you have a sacrifice prepared."
"As you wish, Mistress."
After fleeing Sevria with the Dragon Lord's only child, she and Boris returned to the ship that brought them to the south and immediately cast off, knowing it was only a matter of time until he picked up their trail, and came in search of his daughter. They forced the captain and the only remaining crew members to sail them to Sierra, where they paused long enough to take on a few supplies, and a dozen new deckhands who had been eager to find work.
With Boris acting as the ship's captain and the old captain acting as his first mate, they set off for the eastern shores, leaving the Dragon Lord far behind.
It had been nearly two weeks since they had set off from Sierra, and the child had made sure that every moment was completely unbearable. It shrieked and cried nearly every second that it was awake, and it never slept for more than a few minutes at a time, seeming to almost fight off sleep so it could continue to torture her with its piercing wails.
Normally, she would feed on the obnoxious little beast, silencing its incessant cries once and for all, but she knew to do so would be her undoing. The spirits who guided her steps were clear that this child was destined to be taken before a god. Which god did not matter, only the demands of the elder spirits mattered to her. They were the source of her powers, so they were whom she obeyed. But, as long as the child continued to wail, she couldn't make contact with them to decide their next step.
"How much farther is it until we reach the eastern shores?"
"At least three weeks, Mistress." The huge man grunted, attempting to persuade the girl to accept a spoonful of watery gruel. "And that's only if the wind continues to be favorable."
She frowned. The trip was taking longer than she would have liked. She had never ventured from her place in the highlands, until the elder spirits came to her, demanding a child be brought to the highland temples to be given over to a god. But not just any child. It needed to be the daughter born of the one who had the blood of dragons in his veins. She had known better than to question the demands of the elder spirits, and immediately set about planning the girl's abduction.
She, like most others in the world, had heard the stories that had been circulating about the Dragon Lord. The man who had the blood of dragons flowing in his veins. The man who had reunited the mythical Dragon Gem with its mate, the Dragon Sword, releasing the scarlet dragons into the world once more. She had thought them just to be stories, until the visit by the elder spirits revealed otherwise.
She had im
mediately set about devising a plan to abduct the young child, using the details about the Dragon Lord that she discovered while consulting with the spirits. She soon realized that this man seemed to have an enormous sense of responsibility when it came to the health and safety of those under his protection.
Using that knowledge, a plan was quickly devised to lure the Dragon Lord away from his home, leaving the child an easy target.
She immediately set off to carry out the plans devised by her and the elder spirits, journeying halfway around the world with her khalkan, Boris, at her side to act as her voice among the common folk.
Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Page 12
