Kethril (32 page)

“Definitely. We told the king we would
finish the task,” Tathan agreed. “In all honesty, I’m curious about
this ship. There are a lot of unusual things in the world and I
like to learn about them.”

Then Emmaoen zapped a spider crawling on the
ceiling. It scared the other patrons, causing a few to leave. The
companions went to bed for the night so as not to drive any others
away.

***

“Liselle,” Vevin said quietly in her ear.
“The ship attacked another village.”

“Ungh?” When the words sank in, she sat up.
“The ship? What village did it attack?”

“A village called Larfa. We can get there by
nightfall if we leave now.”

Liselle dressed in her traveling clothes and
gathered her things. She and Vevin headed down the stairs. When she
saw the common room was empty, Liselle asked, “Where are the
others?”

“Oh, they’re still in bed.” He stood next to
her doing his wake up dance. It was slow and included lots of
stretches and yawns. Liselle yawned reflexively when he did.

“What do you mean they’re in bed? You said
the ship attacked another village and we could get there if we left
right away. I thought everyone would be down here ready to go.” She
waved around the room.

Vevin looked as confused as she felt. “No. I
thought I should let you know first and that you would get everyone
else together.”

She set her pack down and rubbed more of the
sleep out of her eyes. “Where’s Sir Danth . . . and the
innkeeper?”

“They’re with the messenger over at the
village barracks, talking to the local captain.”

“So you just got back from there?” Liselle
asked.

“I didn’t leave your side,” Vevin told her
with a hurt expression on his face. “I heard the rider come into
the village at a gallop, so I listened to him ride to the barracks
and start talking. Sir Danth and the innkeeper were sitting in
front of the inn since it’s a really nice night. When the rider
passed, they went to find out what was happening.”

Liselle felt like an idiot. “Oh. You
heard
all of this. I was thinking there had been a meeting
to discuss it or something.”

“We would never have a meeting without you .
. . unless you were unconscious from magic or something, but that’s
the only reason,” he clarified.

“Let’s go wake up the others then.” She
dashed upstairs and knocked on their doors. Tathan was the first
one to the door. “Tathan, get your things, there’s another sighting
of the ship,” Liselle said. She was excited to have him back.
Emmaoen answered her door when Liselle knocked. “Emmaoen, the
ship’s been seen . . .” That was enough for the duchess to get
ready without Liselle having to finish. “I’ll meet you all in the
common room.”

Sir Danth, the innkeeper, the local captain
and the messenger all walked in together as the others came down
the stairs. They sat at a large table in the middle while the
innkeeper tended the fire and grabbed drinks for everyone.

“I did not expect you all to be awake,” Sir
Danth said. “There is news.”

“Vevin overheard you,” Liselle explained
right away. “The ship attacked Larfa, which is two villages away
from here and we can reach it by nightfall if we leave now.”

She deflated the excitement the others felt
at bringing important news. They exchanged glances and shrugs.
“Yes. That is the news,” Sir Danth admitted. “I see you have all
packed your things and are ready to go.”

“We haven’t been told anything,” Tathan
responded. “Liselle just woke us up with the news that the ship had
been sighted.” That news cheered up the others. Liselle decided to
shut up and listen so as not to hurt any more feelings. It helped
that the innkeeper brought food and drink. She was no longer
ravenous, but still needed nourishment to replenish the energy she
had used.

“Deliver your report to the duchess and her
companions,” the captain told the messenger, who was also digging
into the food.

The young messenger had red hair, an
abundance of freckles and a wiry frame. Dirt covered his uniform.
He had wiped his face ineffectively, so it was streaked with more
dirt. Everyone waited patiently while the young man finished
chewing the food in his mouth. “I’m with a squad that was sent to
protect Larfa a couple of weeks ago. In the middle of the night,
the ship attacked the village. I was on watch and I actually saw
it!” The messenger gestured animatedly as he spoke. So much so that
the captain scooted his chair away to give him some room.

The messenger took a drink to wash down the
food then went on with the story. “Our captain had us on patrol
outside the village in pairs, picking random routes so we wouldn’t
be predictable. My buddy and I were walking through a pumpkin field
in the dark when we heard creaking sounds like a sailing ship. I
know what a ship sounds like because I was raised in Tillg and
would always go to the docks with my friends and we would watch the
ships sail in and out. This one time, me and . . .”

“Private, if you don’t stay with the story
this time, I’m going to find a ship’s mast and hit you over the
head with it,” the captain threatened in exasperation.

“Sorry sir. Anyhow, so we hear a ship
creaking and the sails popping in the breeze as it moved. I think
the sound of sails on a ship is really . . .” he looked at the
captain’s expression, “. . . So we ducked low and looked around for
the ship. Sure enough, it came into sight from around a nearby hill
and glided over a lower field towards the village.” He swooshed an
arm in a gliding motion across the table from in front of the
captain over to where Vevin sat nearby.

“Glided over the field?” Tathan asked
sharply.

“Yeah. That was the amazing thing. Anyhow,
it didn’t need water underneath it like most ships and I could see
the keel. It didn’t touch the ground or the plants, but glided a
few feet above them.” The messenger moved his arms across the table
again. Each time he did so, the captain leaned away from him.

“That’s interesting,” Tathan said. “What
else did you notice about the ship?”

“It was a hundred foot long or more, with
three masts. It had partial sails up, which is common in port. You
don’t want full sails or the ship will come crashing in. This one
time a ship’s crew had come down sick with some exotic disease and
their ship had full sails up. It came in fast and . . .”

“Private! That’s not the ship they want to
hear about.” The captain rolled his eyes. Liselle actually did want
to hear what had happened to the ship with the sick crew. She
realized that she still hadn’t seen the ocean. The morning wasn’t
starting out very well and she found herself sinking into a bad
mood.

The messenger reddened in embarrassment.
“Sorry sir. Anyhow, the ship had low rails and moved smoothly. The
aft, that’s the back, of the ship, was taller than the rest. Then
we saw it attack. Fireballs shot from these large . . . tubes on
the deck. Anyhow, there were three of them on each side from what
we could see. The fireballs hit empty buildings, setting them
ablaze.”

“Empty buildings?” Tathan asked.

“Yeah. My captain mentioned it. The ship
only hit empty buildings. It didn’t target any with people in
them,” the messenger said.

“I don’t remember hearing of any casualties
in the other attacks,” Sir Danth said. “I was going to ask you,
Duchess, if the ship only attacked empty buildings in other towns
or if anyone had died in those attacks.”

Emmaoen frowned in thought. “There haven’t
been any deaths, which was noted by my uncle’s generals, but no one
has mentioned anything about whether or not the buildings were
empty.”

“It speaks to intelligence, I think,” Sir
Danth said. “This lad told us there wasn’t a single person on board
the ship.”

The messenger nodded, his head bobbing back
and forth. “It’s true. There wasn’t a soul aboard. Anyhow, the ship
turned and sailed away after firing the shots. It turned like it
was sailing in water, leaning to the inside of the turn, but it was
fast and sharper than any ship I ever saw.” The messenger made a
sharp turning motion with his hand and rammed his fingers into the
captain’s cheek. He fell off his stool when the captain stood up
and put a hand on his sword hilt.

Sir Danth put a calming hand on the
captain’s arm. “It is not wise for an officer to murder the common
soldier.”

The captain sat back down. “I know. That’s
why I’m not a colonel.” He said the last part to the messenger. Sir
Danth laughed and clapped the captain in the shoulder, knocking him
forward. The officer set his jaw in anger and glared at the knight
who grinned playfully in return.

“Anyhow, me and my buddy chased the ship,”
the messenger said. He boldly sat back on the stool, though it was
further away from the captain. “Other soldiers rode out from the
village to attack it. It got sheep from one farm, but the men drove
it off before it could get anymore.”

“How did it get the sheep?” Tathan
asked.

“They just walked up the gangplank. I didn’t
see it, but that’s what the captain said. Anyhow, I’m infantry so I
didn’t have a horse until the captain told me to carry the
message.”

“Why didn’t they send your partner?” the
captain asked.

“Nah. He’s an idiot.” The messenger picked
his nose and stared at the booger that came out. “Anyhow, it sailed
off when the captain got too close with his men. They said it moved
faster than their horses could ride. That’s the report.” He stood.
“I’ve delivered it and now I’ve got to go. I have orders to deliver
it all the way to the king and can only stop in each village to
report and get a new horse.”

The captain stood up with him. “I’m going to
go back to the barracks with him so I can write a letter to
include. Shall I write that you’re going to Larfa, Duchess?”

“Yes. Thank you, captain and thank you,
private. May you ride with the wind,” Emmaoen told them. When the
soldiers left the inn, she turned to the companions. “Are you still
willing to go after this ship even though you’re all together now?”
she asked.

Liselle jumped in first. “I consider you my
friend, and I help my friends. I still want to help you.”

“I go with her,” Vevin said, pointing at
Liselle.

Tathan nodded. “Your uncle is a good king.
I’d do it even if I hadn’t agreed already.”

Anilyia chimed in. “I’m not eager to get
married yet,” she said, holding on to Tathan’s arm. The duchess
looked at her in disapproval, unhappy at the princess’s attachment
to Tathan. Anilyia stuck her tongue out, irritating the duchess
more.

“Sir Danth?” Liselle asked in order to get
their attention off each other. “Will you continue with us?”

“But of course, Milady,” the knight
answered. “I enjoy your company thoroughly. In addition, I swore to
rescue the princess, which is a task not finished. I’d rather not
break this oath. When we are done, I will spend time discovering
what happened to my people. I believe that will take years of
research.”

“What will you do when this quest is over,
Liselle?” Emmaoen asked.

Liselle stared at her blankly. “I don’t know
. . .” She turned to Vevin. “What do you think we should do when
we’re done?”

“Get lots of treasure and make our home,” he
said. “We can explore the world to get the treasure and we can also
do whatever
you
want.” It was an excellent answer and she
let him know by wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a
kiss.

“Eww,” Emmaoen said with a grimace. During
their travels, Liselle had noticed the duchess didn’t like any
signs of affection. “And will you marry the princess and take over
the country of Mayncal?” Emmaoen asked Tathan haughtily.

Anilyia stood as though to strangle her.
Liselle responded first though. “I don’t appreciate that, Emmaoen.
I’m still naïve about a lot of things, but I’ve come to realize
that nothing’s ever simple and I don’t like my cousin being
judged.” Both Tathan and Anilyia looked at her appreciatively while
Emmaoen hung her head.

Liselle put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“What will you do after this?”

The duchess picked apart a slice of bread on
her plate before answering. “I’m going back to my studies. I should
probably get married, but I don’t want to. Magic is fun and I’m
good at it. If Uncle Turman tries to make me marry, I’m going to
run away,” she said defiantly, squishing the rest of the bread.
Liselle squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. The duchess smiled
briefly at her. “Let’s go get the ship.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Liselle
agreed. They gathered their things and rode out the village a short
while later.

Larfa was one of the smaller villages along
the Southern Kethril Mountain Range. One hundred twenty people
lived in the main town while the farms and small ranches around had
a few hundred more. They reached Larfa as the sun was setting.
Liselle could see a burned building at the edge. The captain and a
few of his men met them at the lone inn.

“Greetings, Duchess Silverheart,” the skinny
captain said as the companions dismounted. He was tall and twitchy.
It was as though he had too much energy to handle and not enough
body to hold it. Even his speech was rapid. “It’s an honor to have
you and your friends here. My men will care for your horses, unless
you’re riding out to search for the ship right away.”

“Thank you, Captain,” the duchess responded.
“We’ve been riding since before dawn. We need rest, as do our
horses. Please report.”

“We put out the fires quick, but the ship
got away. It was different from any ship I’ve seen, having low
rails and a high aft. When we got close, the sails were raised full
and it moved faster than I expected.” He stopped and waved his hand
for them to go in. “Here, I’m being rude. I can tell you the rest
once you’re inside with food and drink.”