Invading Will Chapter 21
#31 of Invading Will
Invading Will
Chapter 21
By: D. C. Henry ("Ahndeleck")
Note from the Author:
Friends and readers, we're drawing close to the end of the story. I want to thank you for reading my story. I truly do appreciate it, it's every writer's dream to have someone happy to read their work and enjoy it too. There is a little more after this chapter, fear not. Though I want to make a request from you, if you don't mind.
Please, share the story. Get on your Facebook, twitter, post a journal somewhere, or even just tell a local friend. Art is something that is to be shared. I have shared all of this with you, and now it's your turn to share it with someone else. If you really like something, spread it around. Not just my work, but any writer or artist out there.
Once again, thank you for reading. Now enjoy the next chapter.
Deanna had volunteered for the worst of the three watches that night, the early morning watch. The first watch had to just stay awake longer in the day. The second had a chance to sleep after their watch, but the morning watch woke up early and stayed up. She had done it before, but liked it as much as every other time. She still didn't say anything, here in enemy territory she couldn't say she was displeased about anything. They were free from Torland's grasp for now, and that's all that mattered.
They had camped on a hill that was both not far from Lussor, and the army they had been following for the past several days. Since Raogothcar had abandoned them, they had done their best to learn what Torland had planned. They had learned next to nothing, and it bothered her. If Raogothcar was still here, he could fly high above them, scout further along, so much more than what she and Thomas could do.
Of course, he would be in Freeraven telling Prince Alan the news and saving the nation. Now she could imagine him prancing about in some field like a puppy at play, ignoring the fact that thousands of people could die in a month's time.
Beside her, Matthew stirred. Deanna decided that having a druid with them as they marched through woods and over the Morrol mountains had been one of their best strokes of luck. He had made camps easier, knew how to traverse land he hadn't even seen, and countless other things. She would have to remember to ask the few druids in Freeraven for their help in the future.
"Good morning."
Deanna nodded to Matthew silently.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough."
"That's good. I'm glad they still don't know we're out here. I'm sure their still looking for us somewhere."
"Yesterday they had one of their dragons flying somewhere behind us. Far enough it couldn't have seen us for all the bushes and trees."
"Do you think they'll have Lussor watched?"
"Of course they will. Since this army here has marched all the way to Lussor, I figure its where they plan on launching their ships. There will be a lot of soldiers in Lussor by now. Depending on how ambitious the Blood Baron is, Lussor could have every barony's army here."
"Yathma, is this plan going to work?" he opened a the bag with their rations and took out a pair of biscuits, holding one out to her.
"Thank you. I think we've got a chance, but this will be the hard part."
"I'd agree. Cities are always hard."
"Are they that difficult for you?"
"Yes and no. I used to live in one before I became a druid actually. I just think that there are better ways than piling everyone into one place and stripping everything around them to give them a place to stay. If they all spread out I think everyone could live a whole lot better. It's not natural for humans to live in such large groups, it causes problems."
"Well, I like some of those problems."
"There's good things of course, I just think there's a better way."
"Would you two please stop talking? Just stop talking."
Thomas turned over in the small cloth he used as a blanket. Matthew smiled at Deanna.
"Would you like a biscuit Thomas? It's nearly daybreak."
"No I would not like a biscuit. That's all we've eaten for days."
"I found a few things on the way."
"I didn't like those berries, I think they made me sick."
"Thomas," Deanna tried not to allow herself to be too annoyed, "either sleep for another hour, or get up."
Thomas threw the sheet off of him and sat up. He squinted his bloodshot eyes at her. The normally pleasant Thomas seemed to be still sleeping.
"It looks like you need another hour."
"I agree."
"Both of you just be quiet. Yes I could use another hour, but we don't have any do we? Now let's get this morning over with."
They finished a quick biscuit breakfast, and then disassembled the tiny camp. With Matthew's help, the beds melted into the ground, timbers sprouted into small saplings, and nearly every trace of the camp disappeared in half the time it would have taken anyone else in Freeraven. Every time she saw it, it impressed her, but she wouldn't ever show it.
As the sun shown its first real light down into the world, Deanna and the other two marched down to the sandy beaches that lead to the edge of Lussor. The several large boulders scattered about the beach provided them early morning cover. Fishing ships of various sizes had begun their daily journey, but little else seemed to be moving on the water. Cover didn't appear necessary, but Deanna didn't feel like gambling.
The first buildings they reached were small fishing huts, places for fishermen to sleep during the day. Compared to the rest of the city, the groups of huts held the lowest sorts of life, but the most lively. Many of them were the small families that lived there were already going about their business. Children running from one hut to another, men and women repairing nets, and chatter amongst everyone.
Deanna hoped they would blend in, but found that wouldn't be a problem. Most of their clothes over the days had become covered in mud, scratched and torn in several places, and most of their life beaten out of them. Everyone else's clothing appeared the same. Luck would be on their side for at least the day.
When they reached the larger wooden wharfs of the port, Deanna lead them to a small pile of crates that appeared to be waiting for some excuse for work. The fishers, traders, and dock workers appeared to ignore them for the time being.
"Thomas," Deanna kept her voice low enough not to carry far, "do you know anyone here?"
"No. But I'm pretty sure that I can find someone. There's always someone in a town like this."
"Good. Meet us there in that," Deanna paused then shrugged, "whatever that is."
The other two looked at the broken down building only a short walk away from them. The woodwork argued about which direction to lay in, with some deciding vertical and the other majority settling on horizontal. Cracks and holes would have been indistinguishable from the windows, had the windows not had broken glass present. A weather worn sign hung from above the door, announcing the pile of timber as the Sunken Manticore.
"Gods Deanna," Thomas turned back, "Why there?"
"Its close to our escape, I don't want to travel much in town with soldiers so close. And do you think they would want to go there?"
"Right, they'll take the better places in town first. But when enough of them arrive they'll take everywhere, even-"
"We'll be gone by then Thomas. Go find us a boat."
Thomas shook his head and turned to his task. Matthew still stood looking at the building. Deanna stepped up beside him and waited for his opinion. She knew he had one, and hoped he would say something. She had picked the place partly for what she told Thomas, and partly to see Matthew's reaction.
"You know, that looks a bit like a beaver dam. Do you think they just took a big one and piled it out here?"
"I couldn't say."
"Do you think it will still be standing when Thomas comes back?"
"I couldn't say."
"Let's go find out then."
The inside of the building matched the exterior. None of the chairs, stools, crates, boxes or piles of trash matched any other piece. The over all effect reminded Deanna of a trash heap waiting for a burn. The people inside the place looked little better. Most wore rags, or cloths not far from them. The man behind the pile of nailed together lumber that posed as a counter wore a dirty shirt, but at least it was a shirt.
Deanna handed Matthew the few coins that the church priestess had been willing to let them have for their trip. It would be more than enough for a pair of drinks to look less suspicious, but far from a boat fare on a good day.
"Matthew, get something that won't kill us. I'll wait for you there by the wall."
Deanna waited at the wobbly table. When Mathew set the mismatched pewter mugs on the edge of the table, it nearly fell over from the weight. Matthew sat across from her and sighed.
"They didn't have water here."
"Why would they have water?"
"We're by the Sea of Melodies, they have to have water."
Deanna nodded, he didn't have a clue.
"Where did you get the money?"
"Sister Josephine gave some to me and Thomas."
"She didn't give me any, but I guess I can't blame her. Is it going to be enough to get us a ship back to Freeraven?
"No. We just don't have enough for that. Thomas should be able to work out a deal with one of the fishing ship captains. Maybe one of the small ones."
"What if he can't get one?"
"Then we'll walk."
"I told you, druids just can't make nature do their will. An arch-druid maybe, but not me. I don't think even an arch-druid could do that for that far."
"Around the sea of Melodies."
"Oh, never mind."
Deanna looked away from him, out to the sea of dreary worn faces. Most she guessed were sailors or drifters. Perhaps many of the people here were freed slaves, that couldn't find anything better than to waste their lives in the bottom of a bottle. A few women were in the scattered crowd in the building, but it took Deanna a moment to even notice them. Everyone looked the same here.
"If Thomas can't find a boat, and we have to walk back to Freeraven, will we beat the army there?"
"No. They'll arrive long before we do. It would take them a couple days to get across, but it would take us a month to return. That's only if we can make it back without being found. If we're found, we may never return."
"Then we'll have to find a boat. We can't let Torland get to Freeraven before you."
"Even if I get back, there's little I can do to stop that army. My hope is that I can stop Kyle before he further worsens the situation. In his position, he can explain away whatever Torland is doing. His story about fighting a war with the druids seemed rather convincing to Prince Alan."
"Won't your other scouts prove otherwise?"
"Our scouts from Torland have been silent for a long time Matthew. Then there is the matter with Richard. If one scout turns to the enemy, others may have already done so. There's no way to know for certain right now."
"When we get in-"
"Gods sink my ship," an older man burst through the front doors, "and drown every last one of th' lot."
The man was tanned from what looked to be years in the sun, his head mostly bald but for a few strands of hair. Despite age, he still looked powerful, though the group of men behind him that followed may have magnified his image. Everyone in the bar turned round at the sudden interruption and listened.
"Came in yesterday with a haul of fish, and today they storm aboard and demand the whole catch. Was goin' to sell it all here, but they needed it for the great Torland army he says. Those bastards are going to ruin me now. I won't have nothing when their done."
The man seemed to collapse at the counter and the rest of the men took a corner table. Deanna couldn't hear the man clearly anymore, but his grumbling carried until his first drink arrived. When the normal jabbering of the place returned, Deanna settled her gaze back to the center of the table.
"What was all that about?" Matthew returned his attention to their own table.
"Torland probably confiscated his ship. If they're going to war, they'll need boats to cross the sea. My guess they're going to take his."
"He's a fisherman, his boat wouldn't be a war vessel."
"Sometimes war requires sacrifices, and sometimes you don't even get the chance to decide if you want to or not."
"You would know. Still though, I wouldn't think that they would do that very often."
"You do live up here in Torland right? You know what they do to their people don't you? You've had to have seen this through your life."
"Most of my life I've spent with the Snowbough druids. They don't really answer to the barons, or not that I know of. And since I don't get to travel a lot, I don't see much. Especially the larger cities like Fort Blister or Lussor here. This is the first time I've seen the sea actually."
"Truly?"
Matthew nodded, "And this will be the first time I've ever sailed before."
"If we get a boat you mean."
"We'll get a boat, Thomas is good."
They spent the next hour watching the other patrons, and waiting for Thomas to return to them. He slipped in and knew they would be walking before he sat at the table.
"Finding someone to take my word that they'll get payment when we arrive at Longdock hasn't been easy. I've asked around about the army though. Most of the sailors and fishermen say there's some sort of exercise about to start."
"What do the rest say?"
"They're here to steal what they want and take it all home to their barons. There's nothing about an invasion about though. I haven't heard a single rumor all day about wars, invasions, or the Southlands. Most I hear about is lost shipments, and a lot of inconvenience. Not in their own words of course."
"So we'll have to find another way to the Southlands."
"We will."
"What if we steal one?"
Deanna hadn't expected the suggestion to come from Matthew. He didn't fit her vision of the complacent druid from the north. Every step of their journey in Torland he'd surprised her it seemed. She wondered what else he might hide under his smiling face.
"Steal one?" Thomas said, "There are crews on these boats nearly all the time. Even if we did manage to steal one, none of us know what to do when we're on one."
"We could get help though."
"Matthew, I don't think that will happen. We're fugitives of the law in a city surrounded by soldiers. There won't be enough help in the city right now. When the soldiers come in this thick, the sort of people you're talking about hide low. Even if we could get to-"
"Thomas," Deanna nodded to Matthew, "I want to hear his idea."
"Alright, what's your idea then?"
"Well there's a sailor over there that might be willing to help. It sounds like they took his boat, so maybe he'd help us take his boat back?"
Thomas waited for more, but when Matthew didn't supply anything further he turned to Deanna. She decided to wait to see what Thomas's conclusion would be. She'd already decided what they were going to do.
"It might work." He said turning back to Matthew, "It would be a gamble though, but right now it would be that or walk all the way back."
"Alright, then I'll go get him then."
"No, you stay here and I'll go get him."
Matthew shrugged and held a hand out to the sailor. Thomas stood and made his way to the main counter. Then a few moments later, the two of them returned to the small table and sat down.
"The boy here says you can get th'ship back. Who are you?"
"Someone that needs your ship, just as much as you do."
"What if yer some Soldiers waiting to take me off t' jail?"
"If we weren't here," Thomas said, "jail is where we would be. What we are should be the least of your worries."
"Alright, I don' trust any of you, but tell me what you want."
"We'll take your ship back, and then you sail us to Longdock. After that the ship is yours."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Deanna could tell by the way that the man watched her face, he understood negotiations. There would be more to the deal, and there would be questions. She wondered if she should let Thomas take over in the talk, but decided to charge forward anyway.
"I don' like it. There's just no sense in the-"
"We can grant you citizenship in Freeraven as well."
"I'm a man of the sea, that won't help me at all."
"Then a new ship when we arrive."
He laughed, rocking back in his chair.
"No lady I still don' think this is right for me anymore."
"Then," Thomas leaned over the man, "We'll steal it anyway and sink it because we don't know what we're doing. Either way we're going to have your ship. The question is do you want it back or not?"
Thomas and the man locked searching gazes, each looking for any sign of a lie or double cross in the other. Deanna knew what the man would find in Thomas, the simple truth of what they planned to do. She wished she knew what Thomas would find in his face.
"You're really going to take her hmm?"
"We will. We just need someone to take us to Longdock. Since we don't have any money, the ship is the payment. You wouldn't want to let your ship to end up on the bottom of the Sea of Melodies because of some armatures would you? It's nearly a boat for free, unless you think you can get it back from Torland."
"How're you getting her back?"
********
Deanna wished they could come up with a plan. They told the sailor to wait with his crew near an alley until they saw a red shirt on the LOL(back of the ship). She and Thomas hadn't agreed on the rest of the plan. Matthew hadn't helped much in the plan either other than add the complication of no killing. She couldn't take the ship without killing some Torlanders, she wanted to kill some.
She and Matthew waited in the darkening dusk for Thomas. While the sailors slowly gathered in their own alley, starting their own drinking game of some sort, Thomas looked around the dock their ship waited at. She didn't wait long, and Thomas walked from the crowd and leaned on one of the buildings.
"For having so many soldiers in town, there's less at the ship than I expected."
"How many?"
"There's a pair on the ship, and a pair on the gangplank as well. Other than that I don't see any more. They just went through a shift change I think, so we should be alright for the rest of the evening."
"Good, if we can keep them all quiet, they probably won't know any better until dawn at the earliest. Matthew, how are we going to keep from killing them again?"
"I think I can keep two of them asleep for a day if I can get them to eat something. The others I thought you two could tie them up or something."
"We might be able to, but that won't be very easy. Neither will getting them to eat anything from a stranger in the middle of the night while they're on guard duty. You know guard captains beat that into their guards."
"I'm not a stranger, I'm a druid."
Matthew had pulled the LOL(feathered mantle) from his pack and slipped it back on. It wasn't much of a symbol, but maybe Torlanders knew what it meant. He took a pair of small woody chunks out from his thin bag.
"After they eat these it won't take too long for them to fall asleep. I'll be sure to see to that."
"Deanna, we'll have to move fast when they fall asleep too, the other two are bound to notice. They've patrolled the top deck as long as I saw them."
"Then let's go, and get something heavy to use Thomas."
Matthew walked out into the streets. Most of the sailors and soldiers had chosen some building to harass for drinks and pleasures for the evening. This left the streets mostly bare, and the air filled wit shouts, yells, and laughter. With the sun having gone down much earlier, and the lanterns on the street being lit, night had practically descended upon them.
Matthew walked across the street and onto the dock with their bound ship. Thomas followed her when she darted across the street and crouched behind a large crate, out of sight from the two guards posted nearby. The crates would provide enough cover for a time, until a patrol came by. They wouldn't have long.
They crept beside the crates to the last one and listened for Matthew to begin. Deanna felt mostly certain that Matthew would succeed. He could be rather persuasive when he needed to be. The other two guards still bothered her, and she tightened her grip on her sword anxiously.
"Hey," she knew it was one of the guards, "what are you doing out here?"
"I was on the way to the next stop and thought you might need some company."
Deanna shook her head at Thomas. Thomas nodded back and frowned.
"Go on back to the street or we'll take you back there." The other guard said.
"Oh I wasn't going to stay. But I thought while I was waiting for the drunks to come out, I could give you something for the night. I've seen you night guards struggle to get through to morning sometimes."
"Who are you?"
"A traveling druid on my way back to the Snowbough circle. I stopped in town a couple days ago. Here, take this. It's a little bitter, but it will help you through the night. Anyway, with all the soldiers here and everyone else, I thought I might be able to do a little good before I move on."
"Mighty fine of you sir, thank you."
"Gus, you know what the captain would say."
"I don't care. I told you all those soldiers last night have been causing trouble up in town and I didn't get a wink of sleep all day. I'm going to need this here in an hour or so, unless you want to pull me out of the water when I fall asleep and tumble in."
"Fine, you take the stuff. I don't trust any of that magic stuff any of them peddle."
"Gus, he's a druid. They help people. Those mages sure, but when was the last time you heard about a druid causing trouble in town eh?"
"Well, I'll let you two figure it out. I just thought with all the things going on up there that you might need a little extra edge. Goodnight to you both."
"Goodnight sir. Now Gus, see he's a perfectly fine gentleman. When was the last time a druid like that crossed you?"
Matthew turned round the crate and smiled as he passed by. It would look too suspicious if he suddenly ducked behind with them. He kept going back towards the streets of the city.
"I don't know it just seems like a bad idea. What if he gave us too much, or the wrong thing?"
"Did you see the feather mantle on his shoulder there? He's not just a little guy in training. I've seen them, but those big druids never let them travel. He's good, we'll be fine. I'm going to eat mine."
Deanna and Thomas listened for a short time. Finally the other guard agreed and took ate whatever Matthew had given them. A few minutes later, Matthew came to sit by them at the crates.
"Did the other one take it?" Matthew whispered to them.
Deanna nodded in response. Matthew then closed his eyes and held open one hand. Two small sparks of light appeared, then flew around the crate they were behind.
"Gus, did you see that?"
"See what?"
"Two little-"
Then the sound of clattering weapons and collapsing bodies ended their conversation. Matthew opened his eyes and nodded towards the guards. Deanna began to rise, then paused for a moment. There would be an easier way to get aboard. She turned back to Thomas.
"Be ready to stop the second one when he goes for help. Matthew, go get the sailors"
Thomas's eyes twitched in disapproval, but he nodded back anyway. Deanna stood and walked to where the first two guards lay open-mouthed on the dock. Druids would definitely be a valuable ally for the rest of the scouts when she returned. She looked up the gangplank to the ship.
"Hey, anyone up there?"
"What?" said a voice, followed by the face soon after, "Who are you? What happened to them?"
"I don't know. They don't look well."
"Tim, get over here."
The two guards jogged down from the ship and stood over their comrades for a few moments. They rose dire faces to each other.
"Tim, go get some of the guard there's something wrong here."
"Yes sir."
"Now Miss, tell me what you saw."
Deanna opened her mouth, but then heard a loud crack and looked after Tim. Thomas knelt at the top of one of the crates with a large plank of wood, the guard tumbling to the ground. The second began pulling his sword and Deanna lashed out with the hilt of her own sword. A bone jarring thud came from the man's head and he too fell to the dock.
"That's all of them." Thomas said. "At least that should be. Let's hide them before any patrols come wandering down this way."
"Where?"
"I don't know, let's try one of these crates. That should work."
By the time Matthew returned with a crowd of rough looking men, Thomas found a large open crate. They hoisted the two men inside after binding their hands and gagging them.
The old sailor pointed out a few orders to the men following them. Once they were busy untying the ship and carrying various things aboard, the old sailor came up to the three of them.
"You've held your side, I'll hold up mine. We'll stop in North Watch first, I figure we won't have enough food or water to get all the way to Long Dock, but then we'll head straight there."
"Good." Deanna said, "The sooner we can get there, the better."
********
Deanna woke and immediately knew it was much later than she would have liked. She sat up in the cot the old sailor had given her for the night, and listened. Sounds of creaking timber, and random chatter above her somewhere. They must still be out in the Sea of Melodies with the way the boat rocked back and forth. From the sound of the conversation, there must not be any pursuers either.
She got out of the bed and stretched. The last several weeks suddenly appeared as knots and sprains through every muscle. She hadn't actually relaxed herself for days, and she felt it now. She felt hungry she decided as she walked out of the small sleeping room.
The hallway lead to deeper into the ship, and out to fresh air. Deanna finally decided to go towards the fresh air. Getting into the sun might return some use into her tired muscles. When she reached the top deck, she had to shield her eyes from the bright sun.
"Ah, Kane, take the wheel there." The old sailor waved and smiled as he walked towards her. "Ma'am I'm glad you're awake. I've not had a chance to properly introduce meself. I'm Dak, and I'm grateful for your risking your life for the Sea Sparrow."
"I'm Captain Woolsmith, head of the scouts of Freeraven."
"Freeraven scouts? I've helped one or two before. What're you needing to sneak about for up there? What all happened?"
"More than you probably want to know."
"Ah, probably I suppose." Dak grinned back at her, "Well, from one captain to another, welcome a'board."
"Thank you. Do you have anything to eat? I'm a little hungry."
"Sure, I'll go wake up the cook and get you something made from what we have left. I'll be back."
"Thank you."
Deanna watched the old man hop down the stairway into the depths of his ship. He would be a hero in Freeraven's history she though. She would see to it that he would always be treated with respect in Freeraven.
She walked along the railing of the ship, stretching her legs and burning off restless energy. Sailing never interested her much, and there never was anything to do. This time she was grateful for the ship and it's crew, much more so than usual. Getting out of Torland had been a challenge.
Dak returned with a small plate of fish and fruit. She thanked him and left him to his work. It wasn't what she would usually consider a breakfast, but at the time she didn't mind much. She gave the small wooden bowl back to one of the other sailors after she was finished, then stood at the rail looking over the sea.
"May I join you?"
Matthew stood nearby and motioned to the railing. He no longer had the rough browns and greens she had seen him wear. Now he had a pair of short blue trousers, and a dark gray shirt that hung from his body.
"Unless you want to be left to your thoughts, I could go back to naming trees..."
Deanna smiled slightly, she couldn't help it this time. She turned back to the sea, "No, that's alright. You can join me." Matthew leaned against the railing next to her on his elbows. The only noise around them was the splashing of the water. Finally she broke the silence, "Thank you for your help Matthew."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
"What do you mean?"
"When Thomas found me I was looking for something." He said, "Something happened to my circle, and there's not going to be any bringing it back. Rotted from the inside out, and I'm glad I left too. Then I was left with nothing, and nowhere to really go. I could have gone to one of the other circles over the Dimikai.
"Along the way though, Thomas came along. Then I got involved in more than I could have gotten in by myself. I've never been to the Southlands. I've heard that there are smaller circles there and wilds yet to be touched by a druid's hand."
"There are reasons for that you know."
"I know, but that's beside the point now. I wanted to thank you for letting me come with you. You've given me a path Deanna."
She smiled again, it wasn't every day she got such a genuine personal thanks. She looked back out to the distance again, uncertain of what to say. No one had really gone out of their way to thank her as much as Matthew just had. Beside her, he still looked at her, as if waiting to see how she would react to it, but nothing came to her.
"You're welcome."
She smiled at him and he smiled back. That smile was better than any "thank you" she had ever received. While she couldn't think of why, it felt like the first time anyone actually paid any attention to her. When she turned back to the water, he was still smiling. She felt her neck grow hot, when she realized he was still looking at her.
"What do you think we should do when we get back, Deanna?"
"First thing we should do I think is get back to Ravenstone as fast as we can. After that, we should talk with Prince Alan. After that I don't know. Either throw Kyle in the dungeon, or mobilize forces on the coasts. Maybe he'll want to do it the other way around, but it doesn't matter right now."
"I suppose it doesn't. Right now we can sleep. Maybe I'll help out a little on the ship, if they'll let me. I don't know what I'd be doing."
"If they don't what will you do?"
"I'll probably name some fish."
He smiled as he pushed himself back from the railing. She smiled back, and shook her head. Matthew went down below the deck again, maybe he would be getting something to eat. She turned back to the slow churning waters. The clouds in the distance floated in small bunches, the only things that didn't seem to move around her. She turned and followed Matthew back inside the small ship.