“Don’t worry, darling. I’m restraining myself for your sake. But if she keeps being mean to Tathan, I’m going to nom her,” Vevin threatened.
The duchess grabbed her map and stormed upstairs. The captain had watched the exchange with wide eyes, not sure what to do or how to handle it. When the duchess left, he took his pardon.
Liselle was about to follow Emmaoen to confront her about why she was being nasty. Tathan stopped her. “I was hoping we’d get a chance to talk alone, Cousin. I want to go over the plan without her.” Liselle was about to complain about his behavior, but he held a hand up. “I’ve been nothing but polite to her. I don’t care whether or not she has a problem with us.”
“Master Tathan has behaved well . . . or as well as he ever behaves,” Sir Danth defended with a playful wink. Liselle reluctantly grinned, though she was still worried about Emmaoen’s behavior.
Tathan leaned forward. “I want you to try to figure out how to communicate with the ship,” he told Liselle.
“Communicate with it?”
“Yeah. Listen, it’s obviously a magical ship. That’s the only way it would be able to fly over land. It doesn’t have a crew, so there’s a magical way of communicating with it. I want you to figure out what that is and try to talk to it.”
“You want me to talk to the ship?” Liselle asked, wondering how to even try doing that.
“Yeah. You talk to flowers, rocks and the world of Ryallon. I think you told me once that you could talk to trees and bushes too,” Tathan said hopefully.
“I don’t talk to rocks, I just . . . understand them.”
“It sounds like an excellent idea,” Sir Danth joined in.
“Oh yes!” Vevin took their side. “Ships are made of wood, which comes from trees. If it was made magically, the wood may still hold life, which means you can talk to it.”
Liselle turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll give it a try.”
“Excellent.” Tathan smacked his hand on the table. “There might be some kind of focus. Find the wheel of the ship. It should be on the aft deck. There may be a bell or lantern that you can focus your energy on, or it might be the wheel itself.”
He went on to sum everything up, as he liked to do. “Tonight we’ll get some sleep. We should reach Uldram by nightfall tomorrow. We’ll rest again and then we’ll start asking people about paths or ruins in the mountains. Locals always know about those things. Once we have an idea where to go from there, Vevin can scout from the air.”
He pointed at Vevin who nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, I’ll definitely do that.”
“Excellent. Once we locate its home, if it has one, then we’ll try to sneak up on it. The duchess can use her net to keep it from going anywhere. Sir Danth can shift to the deck and try to keep it from shooting fireballs at us, try to throw an anchor, or . . . something.” Tathan gestured at the knight.
“I shall determine the best course of action once aboard.”
“Perfect.” Tathan smacked his hand on the table again. “Liselle will give us various boosts and protections against magical fireballs if she’s willing.” When Liselle nodded, he went on. “I think I’ll use a rope and grappling hook. I bought a couple when we were in Larfa. With that, I can climb on board and hopefully let the gangplank down for the ladies, though they might have to climb the rope too.”
Liselle rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Climbing ropes sounds hard. I don’t think girls can do that.”
Tathan stuck his tongue out at her and continued. “Anilyia, would you be willing to stay back and keep the horses out of danger?”
“I don’t like taking care of horses.” When the others stared at her, she relented. “Alright! I’ll take care of the horses. Just don’t expect me to brush them or anything.”
“Excellent.” Tathan banged his fist on the table. “We have a brilliant plan. I’m sure everything will go entirely different, but that’s alright.” They laughed.
“What will we do with the ship if we capture it?” Sir Danth asked.
Tathan leaned in. The rest did too. “I’m hoping that it will sail overland and we can take it to Mayncal.”
“Ohh, that’s a good idea,” Vevin said.
“That’s an excellent idea!” Anilyia exclaimed, her face brightening. Liselle noticed that it darkened just a moment later.
“I agree, a wonderful idea, Master Tathan. Well done,” Sir Danth contributed.
“We have the plan. Let’s get some sleep now,” Tathan suggested. They agreed and went off to their rooms while the knight stood to take a walk. Tathan left a silver piece for a tip. When he walked away, Liselle left two more.
***
“Innkeeper, which room did the duchess take?” Liselle asked. He pointed to a door on their left. Liselle turned to Vevin. “Darling, you go to bed. I want to talk to Emmaoen for a few minutes.” He gave her a kiss and went to the room the innkeeper escorted him to.
After noting their room, Liselle knocked on Emmaoen’s door. When there was no response, she knocked again. It finally opened. The duchess walked back into the room and flopped down on the bed, leaving Liselle to close the door.
“Hi,” Liselle said.
“Hi.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been hostile towards Tathan since he arrived.” Liselle sat down on a stool near the bed. “You’ve given me a cold shoulder as well.”
“What does it matter? You’re going to capture the ship and sail away forever,” Emmaoen said petulantly.
“That’s the plan, yes,” Liselle admitted. “So you’re mad at me because I’m leaving?”
“Yes.” She wiped tears with the sleeve of the nightrobe she had changed into and then sat up and faced Liselle with their knees touching. “I don’t want you to leave.” Emmaoen shrugged. “I like you more than I’ve ever liked anyone.”
“I like you too, but . . .” Liselle didn’t know how to respond. She could ask her to come along, but wanted to talk to Tathan first and she would need to clear up the hostility before that would happen.
“No. You don’t understand. I really like you.” Emmaoen leaned forward and kissed Liselle softly on the lips.
Liselle froze, stunned by the move. Emmaoen put her hands on either side of Liselle’s neck and kissed more firmly. Liselle returned the kiss for a moment without knowing why. Emmaoen’s lips were soft . . . and different.
Emmaoen sat back, looking into her eyes lovingly. “That was beautiful. You’re beautiful, more than any of the flowers that worship you.” She took Liselle’s hands into her own, caressing them.
Liselle desperately tried to compose her thoughts. Her heart was racing and breathing shallow. She had never heard of women kissing each other and simply had no way to know how to feel about it. “I . . . love Vevin,” was the first thing that came to her mind. It was one thing she knew was true with all her heart.
“I don’t understand how you can feel that way. He’s a dragon. It’s not natural,” Emmaoen said in disgust.
The statement went a long way toward clarifying Liselle’s feelings. She stood. “If you don’t like my mate or my cousin, then perhaps you shouldn’t travel with us.” Liselle walked to the door, her anger rising. Once there, she turned. The duchess had tears in her eyes. “Whether you stay or go, don’t ever kiss me again,” Liselle said furiously.
Liselle slammed the door on her way out and stomped to her room. She went through the door and closed it behind her before slumping against it and bursting into tears. Vevin’s arms wrapped around her instantly and she buried her face into his chest. In doing so, she didn’t see his eyes spinning in jealous fury.
***
When they left the next morning, Emmaoen was there. She didn’t say a word to anybody and rode next to Sir Danth in the front, while Vevin and Liselle rode in the back. The sky was cloudy the entire day, though it never made good on the threat to rain. Sir Danth, Tathan and Anilyia started out the day in a cheerful mood, but quickly tamped it down when they sa
w the dark moods of the others.
The memory of the kiss looped through Liselle’s mind over and over again. She was afraid Vevin would be angry and leave her if she told him. Liselle still didn’t know how she felt about the kiss other than she was mad at Emmaoen for putting her in that position.
When they reached Uldram that night, fewer words had been said than on any other day of their journey. “Alright, what’s going on?” Tathan asked as they dismounted at the stables of the local inn. Emmaoen took her things inside and up to her room without saying a word.
Liselle looked around. She didn’t feel comfortable talking about it in front of the stablehands. Vevin squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. “No one can hear us at the moment. I’ve been hiding our words when we talk about things around other people lately.”
“Well done,” Sir Danth said with a nod.
Vevin smiled appreciatively and then explained the situation. “Liselle went to the duchess’s room to see why she was treating you so bad.” He indicated Tathan. “The duchess kissed Liselle and told her it was unnatural to be with me.”
They instantly became angry at the statement. Liselle looked at Vevin with a frown. “How did you know all that? I didn’t tell you anything.”
A look of guilt covered his face. “Oh . . . I . . . uh . . . have really good hearing.”
“You listened to my conversation?” Liselle shrugged his arm off her shoulder and put her hands on hips. “Do you always listen to my conversations?”
“Oh . . . um . . . yes?” He looked nervous at that point.
Liselle stared him in the eyes for a moment. “I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I’ll let you know when I decide. Until then, don’t do it without permission.”
“Yes dear,” Vevin agreed contritely.
Then the fear came back. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I kissed her. Please don’t leave me, Vevin,” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around him in the hopes of holding onto him. Her shoulders shook while she cried into his chest.
“I won’t leave you! I’m not mad,” Vevin said. He took her by the arms and put his face directly in front of hers. “I love you and I’m not at all mad.” They held on tightly to each other.
“I’ve known quite a few men and women who prefer relationships with the same sex.” Tathan shrugged. “It’s not a big deal as far as I’m concerned, but she has no right calling you ‘unnatural’ in any way.” Anilyia nodded in agreement.
“People like. . . women with women and men with men?” Liselle asked, trying to wrap her head around it.
“Yeah.” Tathan shrugged. “It’s mostly in the big cities and among aristocrats, but it happens.”
“Not in my kingdom!” Anilyia said. “I mean not among the nobles. Daddy has anyone killed who does that stuff. It happens among the peasants all the time though.”
“I just don’t understand,” Liselle said with a frown. “How do they have children?”
It didn’t make her feel good when everyone but Vevin laughed. She wanted to run away.
“I don’t understand either,” Vevin admitted in confusion.
“They don’t have children,” Sir Danth explained. “Unless they adopt orphans, which happens a lot. It was very popular among the courts of Morhain and many of the knights tried it.” When the others looked at him questioningly, he grinned. “Not me. I’m a ladies man.” Sir Danth waggled his eyebrows.
“Like I said, I don’t have a problem with it. I have a problem with the fact that she insulted you, Cousin.” Tathan frowned in anger. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something considering the people we travel with.” He gestured to the companions.
“I agree,” Anilyia said, coming over to give her a hug. The others joined them for a group hug.
When they broke, Liselle smiled gratefully. “Thank you for that. I’ve been confused all day. I’m still a little confused, but I’m not going to worry about it. Let’s get some food and sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.”
They agreed. Emmaoen didn’t show for dinner so they ate without her and headed to bed shortly after. A report from the captain responsible for protecting the city let them know there had been no other attacks. Sir Danth went for a walk as usual, promising to get any information about passes or ruins in the mountains if he could.
Chapter 23
“Liselle, I hear a ship creaking and sails snapping,” Vevin whispered, gently shaking her awake. Liselle got up and began dressing into her traveling clothes. He continued in a normal volume. “It’s coming from the southern mountains like Tathan said it would. It’s still a little ways away, but it’ll be here soon.
“Wake up everyone else.” Liselle struggled to get her boots on.
“Even the duchess?” he asked before stepping out the door. Liselle glared at him. “Alright, even the duchess.”
Within a few minutes, everyone but Sir Danth was at the stables. A few clouds still dotted the sky and both moons were more than half-full, making things bright. Tathan grabbed Vevin’s shoulder. “Can you go dragon quietly, find Sir Danth and let him know, then track the ship?”
“Oh yes! . . . Although it’s more fun to roar when I go dragon.” Tathan wasn’t impressed and the expression on his face showed it. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it quietly.” Vevin kissed Liselle, ran a few steps and took a supernatural leap into the air, traveling higher than the two stories of the inn before transforming. With a great heave of his wings, he shot into the sky.
The rest of them mounted the horses, which the stablehands had quickly prepared. Tathan turned to the duchess and asked, “Your plan is still to block it with magical nets?” She nodded without expression. “You don’t have to come with if you don’t want to,” he told her. Emmaoen said nothing, waiting for them to lead the way. Turning to Anilyia, Tathan asked, “You’re going to take our horses if we need to dismount, but other than that, you’re going to stay out of the way, yes?”
“Yes.” She smiled mischievously. “Last night was wonderful. I look forward to trying that again.” That got a reaction from the duchess who grunted in disgust, kicked her horse and rode away, leaving them to follow her. Anilyia laughed aloud and then moved next to Tathan to give him a kiss. “I do believe you’re blushing, Tathan dear,” she said. Liselle laughed as they rode out after the duchess.
***
A few minutes later, they were in the tall hills outside the village. They heard the creak of wood before they saw the ship come around a hill, headed toward Uldram.
Tathan led them at an angle to intercept it. Liselle guided her horse with her legs, a thing she was getting good at, and cast spells to enhance everyone’s speed. She also cast spells to protect them against magic, particularly magical fire.
White sails on the tall masts glowed lavender in the light of the moons. The ship was more like a work of art with oiled wood stem to stern. The aft deck was higher than the sleek main deck and a low rail bordered both. The high bow had an ornate wooden figurehead in the form of a screaming hawk with intricate folded wings stretched back along the sides.
Emmaoen was also able to cast spells while riding. The ship turned away from the galloping riders, but the duchess was able to cast her magical net in front of it and to the sides. The enormous net glowed orange and rose to the height of the mainmast.
The net stretched, but did not break when the ship ran into it. Hope filled Liselle’s heart that they would be able to board it right away. That hope left when the ship began rising into the air. A dark shape appeared at the top of a nearby hill, then again in the air between hill and ship and then just above the ship. Sir Danth fell the last few feet to the ship’s deck, absorbing the impact with his legs.
Tathan hurled his grappling hook upward. The ladies looked on in amazement as it twirled around the railing in an expert toss. The height took up all the slack, leaving him only the bottom of the rope to hold onto. Tathan was pulled out of his saddle abruptly, but he was ready for it and kicked his f
eet out of the stirrups. He climbed a couple of feet and wrapped the rope around his left arm for security.
Anilyia galloped forward to catch the reins of his horse before staring in fear at Tathan pulled high into the air. Liselle saw that Sir Danth was at the railing, pulling on the rope as fast as possible while Tathan climbed hand over hand with an efficiency born from years of acrobatics.
The ship headed back to the mountains, forgoing any plan of attacking the village. A circular spell zapped through the air above Liselle to hit it and spun for a moment before shattering into a thousand sparks, leaving the ship unharmed. Emmaoen cursed and they galloped after.
They ran for about a mile before slowing down. It wasn’t light enough to move fast through rugged hilly terrain and Liselle’s spell had worn off. The ship had disappeared into the starlit night.
“I tried putting a tracer rune on it. I have a ring that can follow it for hundreds of miles, but the ship must have some sort of protection from it,” Emmaoen explained. “If so, it’s a powerful enchantment.”
“I’m worried about Tathan,” Anilyia said, her expression of misery showing that it was an understatement.
“He’ll be fine,” the duchess said. “Tathan of the Shadows is an exceptional person who lives for things like that.” She exhaled heavily when they stared at her. “I’m sorry I’ve been so nasty. My behavior has been atrocious.”
“Thank you,” Anilyia replied.
“Yes. Thank you,” Liselle agreed. “I’d like to remain friends if you’re willing.” Emmaoen nodded, briefly looking her in the eye. Liselle decided to let it go at that. “So where are we going?”
“Hopefully to find a path,” the duchess answered. “We have to get to that ship, so going back isn’t an option.”
“Agreed!” Anilyia responded emphatically. “Tathan’s in serious danger and we have to save him.”
Liselle laughed. “The princesses are off to rescue the daring adventurer and noble knight.” It struck them all as funny, but only for a moment. The realization that the ship was out of sight sank in.
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