Chapter Thirty One
Unknown Waters; HMS Dragon’s Fang
Spike
With one look, the two of us sprang from our seats and rushed out the door to the decks. I felt my twin daggers bumping against my sides reassuringly, and I didn’t need to look to tell that Irath had grabbed the heavy steel blade from the wall behind him. We hadn’t encountered a single ship on our journey yet, and with this one apparently approaching us, things were sure to get interesting. We’ll try to avoid combat, if they even intend on meeting us, of course- but it never hurt to have a bit of insurance.
The lookout that had called for us in the first place- the very same that had been laying around in the crows nest a few minutes previously, now stood on deck with us, peering into the distance with his looking glass. It would be hard to mistake him for anyone else: Fenrir- powerfully built (though a bit on the short side), with an untamable mane of blazing-red hair and matching beard; large twin axes hung from his back, and would jump easily to his muscular hands. He never had much trouble getting into the seafaring spirit of things- he was a berserker through and through, and an ever present bottle of rum would leave no question in any stranger’s mind that he was a pirate.
He removed the spyglass from his eye and nodded to us. “I been watching ‘em for a while now, not sure of their intent. No question about it- they been following us, and their starting to catch up. Dunno what they want, though.”
“Their sails?” Irath inquired.
“Blank, captain. Either they’re incognito, or pirates. Either way, I think we ought’a be on guard.”
“...Very well. Rouse the others- tell them to bring their weapons, but leave them hidden against the railings. We’ll lower the sails and allow them to overtake us, at least until we discover their true intent.”
Fenrir and I both saluted quickly and made our way swiftly to the cabins. Soon the captain’s orders were carried out, and the whole crew of fifteen stood on deck as the second ship approached. I was soon able to make out the vessel- it appeared to be lower to the water than ours, but longer to make up for it. It was alive with activity- even from here I could see several lights on deck and in windows, as well as a few suggestions of lanterns milling about along the length of the boat.
Fafnir stood next to me anxiously, absently adjusting his leather sling on his right arm(a nervous habit of his). While all the darts and his spear were against the railing, as they were ordered to be, the sling looked mostly like an odd but unthreatening glove and was innocent enough by itself to stay. “What do you think this is about?”
“Hard to tell.” I said, folding my arms. “We really don’t know where exactly the mainland is, so we can’t say it’s too far for them to be traders. But there’s the matter of their blank sails, and there’s no sense in coming at us if they’re trying to be inconspicuous. It’s starting to seem more and more likely they’re pirates, in all honesty.”
He made no response, but I could tell he was tensing up for combat, should it come to it. Soon the other ship alighted with ours, stopping short as it reached us. They made no attempt to board, nor did we see any cannons visible. A tall silhouette approached their railings and waved at us friendlily. Another figure moved next to him carrying a lantern, and we were able to make out the barest details of the two- their clothes seemed clean enough, and while neither looked like he had shaved for a few days, they were far from dirty-looking.
“Ahoy, travelers!” He called good-naturedly. “You’re a bit far from land, mate. Catch a foul wind?”
“Aye.” Irath responded, identifying himself as the captain. “ ‘S a bit hard to get our bearings out here, and in such darkness.”
I could see what the captain was doing- he could tell these men were bluffing to some degree or another, and so he did the same. Until we learned their true motives, there was no need for them to know ours. He continued: “And you? What brings you to these waters?”
“Ah, we’re just making our way back from a bit of a trading expedition- an offshore storage for another company, you see.” Fafnir tugged at my shirt slightly, but I shrugged him off, focusing wholly on the conversation. “We’re sailors for hire, we are. Doing a bit of work for one of the noble houses. Now, if it’s not too troublesome to ask... what might you and your men be doing out here? I’ve never seen your vessel before, or indeed any like it.”
“Well... Tell me, good sir, have you ever been to the land of Tellius?”
“Tellius?... No, I can’t say I’ve even heard of such a land.” Whatever he was about to say next was cut short by Fafnir.
“Excuse me, but... what is that?” Silence. He cupped his hand to his ear to motion that we were meant to be hearing something, though all I could hear was the sound of the waves between the two great wooden craft.
“I hear... Crying. The weak cries of a small infant.” He said, only just loud enough for the sound to carry over to the other ship.
For a moment, I fancied that the other captain stiffened slightly, though it was well within reason that I imagined it. He cupped his own hand to his ear, though after a moment shrugged. “You sure? I’m not hearing anything.”
He attempted to pick up where he left off, but now that I was looking for it, I began to hear the faintest hint of a cry as well, and I could sense I wasn’t the only one. Soon the man was interrupted again. This time it was by Faslot, who-while never one to jump to an agreement with his brother- was always one to call out his enemies on something. “I’m sure I hear a baby’s cry. And if I’m judging correctly... It seems to be coming from your ship, possibly in the under-decks.”
Their captain gave an involuntary, and just noticeable, shift in posture, but recovered quickly. “Are you sure it’s not a trick of the waves between our vessels? I’ve heard stranger sounds mistakenly heard in the situation.”
“So he’s sticking to the story that there is no child on board... A folly, to be sure.” I muttered. Fafnir nodded curtly, catching my meaning.
“At any rate,” Irath started, driving the conversation back in our direction, though he was clearly not oblivious to the noise. “We were on our way, on a diplomatic mission of sorts, and need to find our way to the shores of Equestria. If you were on your way back, perhaps we could procure you as an escort, and you could guide us?” It was obvious this wasn’t really what Irath wanted, but I didn’t have enough time to piece together what he was doing.
“You’re diplomats, eh?” He leaned over to receive some quick message from the first sailor to join him (several others had made their way up to decks by now, and were watching us with growing interest), then returned to his original position. This had become a game of bluffs, and both sides knew it. “Well, by all means, I’m sure we could arrange something. You two- lower the gangplank. I’ll be over in just a moment-”
“I’m afraid we don’t have much of a meeting space on our vessel.” Irath interrupted. “It’d be better if I were to come over there.” His intent dawned on me- he wanted to get closer and find the source of the still-present noise.
The other captain stopped for a moment, seemingly unsure. He turned his head to listen to another crew-mate, and for the first time, I noticed an indistinct shape behind him- it could have been a person, but it was too dark to make it out. “Well... as we said, we’re on a return journey for a trading job. Our ship’s full to the brim as is- you know, perhaps an escort isn’t that great an idea right now...”
“He’s trying to back out.” Fafnir said, stating the obvious. Whoever he had listened to a moment ago seemed to have pushed his mind in a different direction. “We need to make our move soon.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t a move that needed our immediate attention. Curiosity, maybe, but it wasn’t really our business, was it?
“Don’t tell me you don’t feel it. There’s something in there. Or someone, or whatever- but I really feel like we need to figure it out before it’s too late.”
I shook my head, exasperated. Fafnir always acted like he knew more than he should- like he was more connected to the world than others, and he could tell when something bad or important was about to happen. A few times he had turned out to be right- though those were on counts of dumb luck or an already obvious factor. At least half the time, though, his premonitions were completely unfounded.
“So you’re certain there can be no negotiations?” Irath said. I couldn’t imagine what his next move would be, or if we’d try to force our way on board. The gangplank had been stopped as it reached their railings, and didn’t appear to be moving.
Faslot, breaking away from a side conversation Fafnir had brought him into, grabbed another crew member. “C’mon.” He whispered. “We’re gonna sneak our gangplank over- quick, now. Don’t know how much time we got left.”
“I’m afraid not, mates.” Their captain said. “My apologies for confusing you in the first place. Well, my mates and I really ought to be going, so...”
He trailed off as everyone turned to look above the two vessels, where something was happening. A small core of light had formed there, and was growing before our eyes. I could trace a tiny thread of energy to the hull of their ship, and guessed whoever was casting the spell was there. It became larger and began to fluctuate, loosing it’s stability as it was stretched. The two ships were illuminated brilliantly, and I could make out the stunned, angry, and wide-eyed expressions of every sailor on the opposite deck.
All except the one standing behind the captain, arms crossed, black cloak shrouding his face.
And just like that, the core burst, flakes of light shooting this way and that before they went out. I could barely make it out now that my night vision had been ruined, but the captain turned to us and, in a decidedly hostile tone, said: “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to set sail away from here, mates.”