Into the Storm

by Christopher Johns

  “Think we have enough to make a couple rounds of shafts for the weapon?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, we should have enough. You going to enchant them?”

  I grinned back. “Do you doubt me?”

  He shook his head and clapped me on the shoulder. “Not in the slightest.”

  “Good, let’s use that mithril to make a weapon for Odany, and then the less important but magically inclined metals can be used for the rounds.” I shook myself out and grinned at our prospects. Now it was just time to convince the captain of what was to come.

  We went back to the others and began planning as the sun set, the stars peeking out against the light made me smile and think of my wife.

  “The captain will see you now,” Joesa advised us and motioned toward the door at the back of the cabin that opened to a set of stairs that led up.

  Once we all climbed the small set of stairs, we came to a large room with a round table that looked like it would be capable of seating all of us comfortably.

  A figure separated itself from the shadows near the rear of the room, the long burgundy coat swaying as she moved was almost trench coat like. A cream-colored blouse with ruffles at the chest covered an athletic build, and black leather pants scraped soft so they made little sound were tucked into tall black boots with no heel. Or, rather, one black boot and the black leather of a peg leg that clacked onto the ground as she moved forward.

  Feline eyes the color of fire watched us curiously as she spoke, “I am Captain Holly Jennisovna, welcome aboard the Pussy Willow, Storm Company. I have heard little of you, and I hope to rectify this.”

  “As do we.” Bokaj bowed at the waist and moved forward with a grin. “Forgive me, I had hardly expected the captain of such a fine ship to be so alluring.”

  A purring sound emanated from the woman as she smiled, her sharp teeth flashed in the light and her whiskers twitched in delight. “I like this one.”

  The rest of us chuckled, and she motioned for us to be seated. “Joesa, my dear, see to the men and have the food brought to us in twenty minutes. It is time for our acquaintances to be made before we fill our bellies, yes?”

  “As you say it, Cap’n.” Joesa smiled and backed out of the room, leaving us with the mysterious woman.

  “As I said, I welcome all of you, but I did hear tell of a stowaway?” She raised a furred eyebrow, and the rest of us nodded. Odany raised her hand. “You may speak, urchin.”

  The little girl had been washed, much to her chagrin, and placed in a dress that was way too large for her until her normal clothes had been cleaned. Could I have done it with shadows? Yeah, but they would be weird, and she had needed a bath.

  “I didn’t mean anything disrespectful by it, ma’am, I just wanted to go home.” Odany did seem contrite, and her downcast face helped, in my opinion. “When I learned you were heading for my homeland, I had to do it.”

  Captain Holly watched the girl in silence for a moment before she turned and walked back toward a cabinet on the right side of the room.

  “What is your name, urchin?” The woman projected her voice to be heard, startling the girl.

  “Odany, ma’am.” We had spent a few minutes on our way over talking about manners and the appropriate way to address people with station. I was proud she’d remembered.

  “I appreciate the manners, Odany,” The captain said as she moved haltingly back toward the table with two bottles in hand. “But I’ve worked all my life to become a captain of one of the finest vessels on the Obvoran Ocean. To be called ‘ma’am’ by anyone aboard my ship is grounds for a thrashing. I’ll let it slide because you’re cute.”

  The captain grinned at Odany and poured a sweet-smelling liquid into a small metal cup in front of her while scenting the top of her head.

  Before she could think to take it and drink, I snatched it off the table and took a deep whiff of it.

  Holly gave me a throaty laugh. “Do you think I would poison a paying customer?”

  I laughed in return, setting the cup back in front of Odany, who took it and sniffed it as well. “I didn’t expect juice to be what you served.”

  “I have no aversion to alcohol, but my drinks are to be served with food.” Captain Holly poured more juice, this one smelling more bitter and earthy than the other one. “This helps with digestion and keeps scurvy at bay. We have a couple barrels of the stuff below to keep my sailors healthy. A sip every few days keeps them ship-shape.”

  “Clever idea.” Jaken growled appreciatively. “While we’re on board, if your men and women need healing, tell them to come find me. I will be happy to help them.”

  “Noted, thank you.” She reached across the table and touched his face, then pulled her hand back and scented her hand. “What’s your name?”

  “Jaken, Captain.” She purred at his deference and looked to James, who sat next to him. “I’ll introduce the rest of them counterclockwise. This is James, Balmur, Muu, Vrawn, Zeke, and the guy next to you is Bokaj.”

  As Jaken named each person, the captain would touch their face before taking in their scent. Finally, Odany couldn’t hold her curiosity anymore and blurted, “Why do you do that? Where’s your leg? Why are you so pretty? Can I touch your tail?”

  All of us would have been stunned if not for the fact that she was a child, and I had been slightly expecting the first and second question from one of us.

  The captain’s throaty laugh made the rest of us chuckle. “Oh, lovely Odany, I gather your scents so that I can tell where you are and who you are, when I travel the ship. I know each of my sailors by scent, and it helps me keep a better control of events.”

  “As to my leg, that is a grand tale of adventure and excitement! But I’ll tell you that after I answer your other questions. I’m pretty because my mommy gave me all the best baths when I was little, and I look like her. And my tail? My tail is sensitive, so only if you promise to be gentle, and only if you ask first. Okay?”

  The girl bolted out of her chair and careened forward until she was almost behind the captain and came to a halt. “May I?”

  Captain Holly nodded once and lifted her twitching tail up so the little girl could stroke it softly with a look of shock and awe on her face. As she came to a finish, Captain Holly twitched her tail under her nose and tickled her, making Odany sneeze, and the rest of us laugh.

  That’s how you did it right there.

  “Glad to know our captain is as personable as the rest of her crew.” I chuckled, and she regarded me warmly. “Thank you for taking us aboard.”

  “Of course, money is money and protection a necessity.” She frowned at all of us. “Though I was told there would be two others?”

  “Our brother Yohsuke is asleep,” James explained quickly. “Our other party member is currently not with us, but will join us as soon as she can.”

  “I see, and how does she plan to join us?”

  “She’s a very powerful magic user,” I answered, and Vrawn pointedly glanced my way. “But we also bring other news. One of us experiences prophetic visions, and through one of these visions, we’ve seen a battle coming.”

  She stopped smiling immediately. “What sort of battle?”

  “Something large and monstrous is coming, and we don’t know exactly, but we wish to be prepared,” Vrawn stated plainly.

  “You’ve been kind enough to take us to our destination for money and protection,” I reiterated for her benefit and ours. “That means that we will be preparing how we can. Enchanting the ship to make it stronger, weapons, cannons, making a weapon to use in the fight. Even enchanting weapons that your crew already has if necessary. Anything we have to do.”

  She frowned and nodded. “While this is concerning news, I have heard tell of a slew of ships being attacked. Sunk and destroyed with little evidence as to what happened. We came upon one recently ourselves. The ship’s mast was completely gone, no bodies, just a ship floating aimlessly. Nothing else left behind.”

  “Do you think
they could be connected?” Balmur asked before sipping his juice.

  “Could be.” She shrugged after a second. “I have not heard much, our broker only being able to tell me that you are of a capable sort of a Storm Company. Why don’t you tell me of yourselves? Who are you? What are you? And how is it you can enchant an entire ship and every weapon on it?”

  Bokaj leaned back and sighed. Was only a matter of time. Let me talk, guys.

  He smiled his best and began to speak, “We’re concerned people with powerful interests all over the globe. As to our name, Storm Company was only decided on recently, before that we had moved under no name and with no pretense of glory. It was recently that we decided a name might aid us. As to how we could do this? One of our own is an accomplished enchanter who likes to ply his trade in fascinating ways, and we have the means to do so. Is enchanted gear truly so uncommon?”

  “It is not uncommon to have an heirloom or something passed from captain to captain, or from generation to generation in a family, but a whole ship?” Captain Holly shook her head and chuckled incredulously. “That is the stuff of myth and legend. Armor and weapons? Not so much but still costly and not common at all. If you mean no harm, then I suppose I can take you at your word for this.”

  She stood, tail flicking back and forth agitatedly before she spoke again, “We have a trade agreement with a local lord of these waters, we will see him in two days time. He will at least ensure that we have some security until our preparations can be made.”

  “What kind of lord is he?” Bokaj stilled as the door opened, and food came in.

  The servers set steaks and cuts of various fish with steamed veggies on nice plates before us and left in a hurry. Joesa poured wine for all of us except Odany, and we ate peacefully for a few moments.

  Finally, Captain Holly decided to answer us cryptically. “He is a fair, but greedy lord, and he’s a bit thick-shelled.”

  “I take it that you’re going to make us wait to find out?” I raised an eyebrow as I enjoyed my food. I tried the fish and found it mildly fishy, but I ate it anyway since I was hungry. She nodded, and I sighed softly. “Very well. What can you tell us of yourself then? What kind of ship is it that you run?”

  “And what’s the story about your leg?!” Odany blurted out, after swallowing a bite of food.

  Captain Holly smiled and bowed her head. “I did promise this story.”

  She stood from the table and stepped back into the shadows a little before she spoke, “There we were, in the Magdaryi Strait, a place known for large fish so full of energy that they leap from the water. I manned the helm of the ship as Joesa steered, calling out coral reefs to avoid as we made our heading. So blue was the sky that the water reflected the clouds, and only my fierce gaze would pierce the water as we made our escape from some nasty fiends.

  “We made our way out onto open waters after hours of running, our pursuers having floundered mere moments before, and our freedom was secured. As my crew and I celebrated, one such fish leapt from the water and speared my leg with its sharp nose. The bone shattered, and my flesh tore!”

  Odany gasped, and raised her hands to cover her mouth.

  “My men fought to save the leg, but alas, our foe had managed to sight us with their cannons.” She took out her sword, a long curved saber that she used theatrically. “With no time to waste on the limb, I cut it from my body and had our poor healer staunch the wound so we could flee to safety once more. That night, under the peace of the stars and with the oceans as my witness, I cast my limb into the water as a sacrifice for luck and fair tides.”

  “What happened to the fish?” Vrawn whispered her question, and Odany nodded hurriedly.

  Captain Holly grinned fiercely. “So hard had we fought that our bellies rumbled something terrible. My crew and I dined on the fish, and his head I preserve near the quarterdeck. A reminder that what the ocean gives, she will take—if you let her.”

  “An interesting tale.” Bokaj grinned at her before observing, “Your crew seems well-disciplined and close-knit.”

  “That would be because they are.” Captain Holly made to sit, but stopped herself before standing once more. “My crew and I are close because every day on this ocean is treacherous and dangerous. The people who sail it, sometimes more so. As to what we do? We ride the waves in search of adventure while transporting cargo, at times, providing protection to some merchants so as to lighten their loads and put their crews in less danger.”

  “So, you’re like guards?” Jaken raised an eyebrow with an uncertain look on his face.

  “At times,” her grin seemed genuine. “Other times, we are a community funded research vessel. It depends on what adventure calls on us next.”

  Sounds kind of suspicious to me, James grumbled through our minds.

  Does what they do really matter? Muu shot back pointedly. We need to get across this ocean, and with us here, they will likely decide that something odd may not fly. Leave it alone for now, and we can focus on getting shit done.

  That’s surprisingly wise for you, Muu. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he just sighed, looking up at the captain.

  “You guys sound wonderful. I think my brothers and I will start on the ballista tomorrow, so we have a head start.” He motioned to me. “I’m not sure what Zeke will need to enchant the ship, but he will start tomorrow too.”

  I nodded, and with that, the rest of our meal passed in peace and with minimal talking. Vrawn carried Odany back to the room, and we put her to bed outside the Happy Home at first, then decided that she should be inside where it’s safe. Vrawn would keep her company and I would stay out to be available with Muu.

  As we both laid in the beds, the sound of the waves washing over us, I listened to the waves for the barest while before finally. “You know, I’m glad that you’re here.”

  “Of course, you are.” Muu snorted, his voice teasing. “I’m amazing.”

  “You are, but mainly since you kept us from doing something regrettable earlier. And you took charge when you might normally let someone else.”

  He was quiet for a minute, then he finally sat up and got out of bed so that he could look at me. “You ever miss home?”

  “Sometimes, yeah. When I think about my son? Every time.” I sat up but didn’t get down out of my bunk. “You?”

  He frowned. “I miss some of our friends who aren’t here, sure.” He turned around and walked over to the porthole in the room and sighed. “Otherwise? No. To be completely honest, I’ve been thinking about… staying.”

  At first, I laughed, but when I looked over at him and found a sad smile looking back at me, I was stricken silent. “You can’t be serious, man.”

  “Why not?”

  “You would miss playing video games too much.” This time I did stand up and move toward him.

  “Zeke, I’m an actual dragoon.” He motioned to his body. “I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. And here, I can do some real good. Be the real me.”

  “What about your family?”

  “John? Please, he’d barely notice I’m gone.” He shook his head at the thought. “My sister and my nephew have their own lives, and I never get to see them, but I think I’d miss mom. She would want me to be happy, though. I think she’d be proud of us.”

  “You know damned well what I mean when I ask you that fucking question.” I growled at him, trying to hide the hurt by masking it with anger. “What about your friends? Your real family?”

  “You mean what about you?” His knowing look was enough to make me want to hit him, and I wish I didn’t have the control that I did at that moment. “I know you would miss me, man. And I’d miss you too, of course. But other than a few people that I’m really close to, I don’t have the ties to home that you do. There’s nothing to hold me back here.”

  My mouth opened, closed, and then opened again before I found I didn’t know what to say. One of my best friends was thinking of staying behind, and I might never get to see him again.


  Numb, I looked away. Suddenly the room was much too warm for my comfort, and I needed to be anywhere but here. I stood, turned and marched out the door, Muu’s shouting falling on deaf ears. Kayda reached out to me with her mind, but I just shut down our connection and threw myself over the side of the ship so that I could turn into an owl and fly for a bit. I heard feet scrambling to the rail and a raised voice calling something, a crew member pointing at me before I was too far gone to hear. Rather than flying off and leaving the ship, I flew circles around it, turning to thoughts and plans for crafting to dull the throbbing ache in my chest.

  I would likely need to use a lot of mana to protect the hull. Unless I used the same kind of idea that Vilmas had used with the wall around Sunrise. If they had overlapping fields of protection, they could keep things from penetrating them. But to do that, the source of power would have to be insanely strong.

  …or constantly present!

  I could use the ocean to power it! The idea was kind of complicated, but I could do this. I fluttered to the rail and shifted, going into my inventory to see what sort of goodies I had available. I didn’t want to place anything too shiny on the bottom of the ship to attract any sort of attention from below. But I did have chunks of iron. It would be stupid to use that since Maebe might be joining us soon, and I didn’t want to bother the others, so I took dozens of copper coins and began to heat them before smoothing them into thick plates until I had more than twenty of them.

  “Hubris.”

  I reached back into my inventory and found two quarter-sized sapphires, then added a set of copper grips to hold them in place, then engraved a small symbol into the copper side around it. With Hubris guiding me, we made it so that the two gems would use water to power nine of the other plates that held protective runes on them. Each one would strengthen the wood in a radius of up to ten feet around it. They would overlap slightly, but that was for the best. I reached out to her with my thoughts and plans so that I could get a little more guidance or permission.

  And this only steals mana from the water of the ocean, and not the creatures? The Water Primordial asked me skeptically after I’d explained my musings.