Chương 10: 9 The Silver Zephyr

I glanced back at the pier that was now scarred black from the explosion. Hard to believe the attack on the docks had only been two days ago. Whoever had cleaned the blood from the planks had done their job well, leaving clean wood that may as well have been installed yesterday. Only the burns remained.

"So, eh, which one is it?" I asked, scanning the row of ships. My eye fell hopefully on a hobgoblin frigate. With decks loaded with guns and a copper-reinforced hull, it would be ideal if we engaged pirates.

"This one," Naomi said, striding past the frigate and gesturing to a smaller ship. Tangled nets hung over the side, and where it had cannon ports, many were open, showing a mostly empty gun deck. Spattered tar on the hull showed a lazy patch job. The veneer fooled me for only a moment; looking past the makeup, I recognized a falcon-class marine vessel. Functionally, I approved. A falcon was a fine ship, but why did it have to look so dingy? A half-feykin in a tricorn planted a boot on the bulwark.

He leaned down at us.

"Well then, are these my passengers to be?" he called. His fae grace mixed strangely with weathered sailor roughness. The patchy start of a beard sprouted from his chin, and his sun-darkened skin highlighted the lines in his lean face.

"Captain Thalendris, I presume?" Naomi called up.

"That I be," he called back.

"Please watch your step and welcome aboard the Silver Zephyr." Silver Zephyr? I gave the ship a final scan. Naomi took the lead, with Ingred following up the gangplank. Bianca waited for me before following behind. Stepping onto the deck, the surface spoke to a more conventional navy vessel. The planks were scrubbed clean and varnished, and abrasive deck paint provided traction as I stepped aboard. Captain Thalendris must have caught my inspection because he stepped close.

"Don't be fooled. She may not be outfitted like a conventional falcon, but you won't find a faster ship." I smirked.

"With all due respect, Captain," I said, "Do you have any idea how many captains have told me that?"

"Ah, well, it's a captain's job to make that claim, only in my case it might actually be true." He patted the bulwark fondly." Might?" I asked.

"Well, there's no question, the Undertide is the fastest ship in the World Archipelago," Thalendris said. I snorted at that obvious truth.

"Which one is it?" Bianca asked, scanning the line of ships.

"It's not one of ours," I explained.

"It's a ghost ship that hunts around Ghost Rock."

"The Revenant Requiem is the second fastest," Naomi said.

"My mother's flagship."

"And the Silver Zephyr is the third," Captain Thalendris added fondly. A rat scurried across my boot, and I jerked back, instantly reevaluating my initial assessment about cleanliness.

"Oi," a new voice called from the quarterdeck, balancing on the rail, fists planted on his hips. The rat scurried onto the newcomer's shoulder.

"Right, this is my first mate, Grixx Snapstooth." Even standing on the rail, Grixx was shorter than me. His crooked teeth and long ears were typical of a goblin. His short black hair was spiked, lending him some much-needed height.

"Welcome aboard, Cousins," he called. He fished a biscuit from his well-made, albeit worn, jacket and fed it to the rat perched on his shoulder.

"This is Twitch, third in command." My shoulders eased at that, so it was a pet, not vermin.

"Well met, Grixx," Naomi said cautiously. The edge of my lip tugged up at that. She had always been reluctant around goblins. Me? I thought they were hilarious. Horrible drunks and vulgar as could be, the majority of them served Paradise Rock as mercenaries. While they could certainly be scrappy in a fight, nothing beats an honest-to-goodness Paradise Marine in terms of reliability.

"My name is Naomi Myrkrath, Team leader for our party." She offered a crisp salute.

"We're still workshopping a party name."

"Myrkrath, eh?" Captain Thalendris said, scratching his chin.

"Any relation to Aunt Flavia Myrkrath?"

"My mother," Naomi said.

"What?" Grixx dropped, scuttling down to the main deck, then took a sweeping bow.

"Your Majesty, we're among royalty."

"Please," Naomi waved a dismissive hand.

"I'm a Cousin, not a princess."

"Of course," Captain Thalendris inclined his head in some compromise between acknowledging the daughter of a queen and a cousin in the High Family.

"I'm Ingred Valentini, Coppersmeldt Clan," Ingred said, offering a salute of her own.

"Do you have a Mage on board?"

"Regrettably, no," Captain Thalendris said.

"What about an arcane deck?" He smiled.

"You're going to want to see this." He led us to the quarterdeck, where several crates had been lashed together. From a distance, it would just look like a pile of cargo left out in the open. He strode forward and pulled at the lids. What looked like the tops of several boxes swung open on hinges, revealing a cleverly constructed hatch. Arcane sigils glinted, inset into a lacquered deck. A rail ran across the front, polished stones studding the wood.

"Fully functional arcane deck," he said, smirking in satisfaction.

"Though I'd say it's a fair bit less obvious. Doesn't make sense for a smuggler to have one." Ingred nodded in approval, a slow smile creeping across her face.

"Any built-in spells?"

"Two," Captain Thalendris said.

"Gust of wind—channels directly into our sails, and shields. Nothing offensive, I'm afraid. As I said, she's meant for speed. So long as you have the mana, we'll be hard to hit."

"And I can use it to cast my spells from the ship?"

"Aye."

"Then don't worry," Ingred said, rubbing her arcane rings.

"I have a few tricks that bite."

"Any other casters among you?" Captain Thalendris asked.

"Psionic," Naomi volunteered.

"Yes, the deck will carry your psionics across open water, but regrettably, you won't be able to power the built-in Mage spells." His gaze shifted to Bianca and me.

"I'm a sword, not a mage," I said apologetically.

"Not bad on a gunnery crew, and decent at the helm, but useless when it comes to magic."

"And I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Tony," I said, offering a hand.

"Magic or no, I'm always happy to take on another sailor." His attention shifted to Bianca.

"Bianca," she said simply.

"Not magic, nor am I a great sailor."

"What's your specialty?" he asked.

"Physic," she murmured.

"I'm a shifter."

"Interesting," Captain Thalendris said, scratching the scruff on his chin.

"May Ourabora help the fools stupid enough to attempt boarding with you on deck." It was the right thing to say. She smiled, cheeks reddening.

"Well, now, please make yourselves comfortable, familiarize yourselves with the ship, it's going to be your home for the next few days at least. Unfortunately, Tethyra's migration patterns are making us take the long way around." Motion on the dock turned my head. A squad of men with muskets and cutlasses approached. Even in their non-uniformed attire, I read the discipline in their step and cohesion. These were Marines. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen.

Please report the violation.

"Ah," Captain Thalendris said.

"Looks like the muscle has arrived." They started up the gangplank, and the edges of my lips twitched up. No doubt all of Captain Thalendris' sailors would be capable in a scrap, but when it comes to a clash, the Paradise Marines would be force multipliers. Had I dropped out of cadet school, Marines would have been my second choice. Captain Thalendris led us back to the main deck as the Marines stomped up the gangplank.

A broad-shouldered half-orc woman with a naval saber turned and sent the men down below deck with a murmured order. Then she turned to us. A tattered, spun vest hugged her athletic frame. Her worn boots glistened with recent polish, speaking to heavy use but meticulous care. My eyes fell on the naval saber at her side. Not standard issue, but not flashy. With tarnished brass workings in the basket hilt, and consistent coloring in the steel sheath, "practical" was the word that came to mind.

"You're the Cousins I'm supposed to keep alive, I presume?" she asked, taking in our plain-clothes attire. On a covert mission, we wouldn't get caught wearing a single pinstripe. Especially not in Bloodwake waters.

"We are," Naomi said, extending a hand.

"I'm Naomi."

"Myrkrath, yes, I know of your mother." The half-orc accepted Naomi's hand.

"I tire of borrowing her reputation," Naomi said, wiping her nose.

"I'm hoping to make a name for myself." The half-orc woman's chin jerked down once.

"As well you should. My name's Lieutenant Elara Stormsong. My boys and I have been tasked with bringing you back in one piece."

"Looking forward to seeing your men in action," I said, hand casually drifting to my cutlass. I had no idea why. I'd checked out her blade, swordsman to swordsman, I wanted to show off mine.

"I understand this is your first quest," Elara said.

"So allow me to set some expectations." My brow climbed. A little aggressive but not altogether inappropriate.

"My men and I are here to support you," she said, "Not fodder for you to throw at your enemies." The edge in her voice suggested a poor history in which another team of Cousins had done just that.

"So long as you trust us and work with respect, there won't be a better support crew. If you think you're going to use us to do your job—" She thrust her jaw forward, tiny points of ivory peeking from her lower lip.

"Think again." I stepped forward.

"Lieutenant Stormsong," I said.

"I know we're new Cousins, but we're not children. You can expect professionalism and competence." She shifted to me, taking me in. Then a smile split her lips.

"Good," she said.

"Then we'll get along great."

"That being said, we are still new," Naomi caveated.

"We'd appreciate any advice you can offer."

"Advice," Elara said, gaze locking onto Grixx.

"Yeah, don't step through any doorway without checking for a wire or a broom. Our lovely first mate seems to think it's funny to set prank traps. Trust me, after the second bucket of water dumps on your head, you'll want to hurl him from the quarterdeck." Grixx blew her a raspberry and crossed his arms petulantly.

"Perhaps we can withdraw to my quarters to discuss our plan and route," Captain Thalendris suggested.

"Grixx, can you have us ready to cast off within the hour?"

"Aye, sir." The goblin cast a lazy salute before stomping off to harass some sailors. We crowded into the captain's cabin, surrounding his charts of the archipelago.

"Alright, I'm expecting smooth sailing," Captain Thalendris said, pressing his fingers against the table as he leaned over the maps.

"But I'd be remiss not to warn you about our greatest risks out there." He set down a pewter charm resembling an octopus or a giant squid—the kraken.

"Tethyra is carving a path inland from Terra Slab, so we're taking our path this way." He set down a second charm resembling a ship and dragged it towards Faerie Rock at the top of the map.

"I'm not up to date on Raft Town's location—" he set down a heavy settlement charm that looked like a barge with buildings sprouting from it.

"—but it's not far. If we see it at any point, we'll divert course, taking the long way around."

"What's so bad about Raft Town?" Bianca asked.

"Trust me, we don't want to deal with trolls," Elara said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Also, it's a pirate port," I added.

"Our plan of action for pirates is to flee," Captain Thalendris said.

"Odds are we can outrun any single ship, and we can sail into the wind better than most. Get a little fleet working together, then that's going to be a problem."

"Then we fight," I said, nodding down at the chart.

"The arcane deck is our greatest weapon," Captain Thalendris grunted in agreement.

"We won't win in a cannon shoot-out. Our second preference would be ship-to-ship. With four cousins, a dozen Marines, and my crew, I think any pirate dumb enough to board us is going to find out real fast that this steak is filled with nails."

"What's our cover?" Naomi asked.

"Traders from Prime Rock, on our way to Heim Rock," Captain Thalendris said.

"I've got cover story details for all of you and paperwork so messy it looks half legitimate."

"I wouldn't buy it," I said with a grimace.

"It took me about five seconds to recognize this as a Paradise Rock vessel."

"Well you're much smarter than most Vulcan customs inspectors," Captain Thalendris said.

"Also, our backstory supports that. We salvaged this ship four years ago from Harpy Reef and have it legally chartered with the Ashlords." I pinched my lips, silently approving.

"Please do your best to memorize that story. I'll have copies sent to each of you, but burn them once you've locked in the details."

"Does anybody have anything that marks them as citizens of Paradise?" Lieutenant Stormsong asked.

"No official documents, no mementos, nothing that could have only come from a Coalition island? Now's your chance to put it away so you don't have to dump it if we're pursued." I tapped my bracer.

"How's this?" Stormsong's brow rose.

"Best stow that in your inventory until it gets too hot to think straight." I shrugged, slipping it off. Around me, Naomi and Ingred removed their rings, and Bianca slipped off her amulet.

"These are the waters where the Ashlords' Scorched Fleet patrols begin," Captain Thalendris said, sweeping his finger through the waters around Scorched Rock.

"If we're hailed, it'll be situationally dependent as to whether we run or submit to inspection."

"Sounds good," Naomi said.

"Hopefully, we can cross that stretch at night."

"We'll try to time it right," Captain Thalendris promised.

"Now, what's the mission?"

"Do you have a chart of Scorched Rock?" The Captain dug through his navigational chest, then produced the appropriate map. Using paper weights, he spread it flat over the world map.

"This is Scorched Rock," Naomi said, throwing Bianca a pointed glance. Details like geography tended to slip from our Shifter's mind. Maybe it had something to do with her transformation. I had no idea how her abilities might impact her.

"We're meeting our contact here." Naomi tapped a small cove on the southwest side of the island.

"Who is this contact?" Lieutenant Stormsong asked.

"Ignis Flareburn," Naomi explained, "a Cind-Primord smuggler."

"What's the cargo?" Captain Thalendris asked.

"This is important; it'll affect our escape weight." Naomi looked at me and nodded once. I blinked in surprise at the unspoken invitation.

"Orange steel," I said.

"And a lot of it."

"I'm sorry, did you say orange steel?" Ingred asked, eyes going wide.

"What's that?" Lieutenant Stormsong asked. Ingred cut in, validating every stereotype about dwarves and metallurgy.

"An elementally charged metal. It draws in heat, then expels it, depending on how it's forged."

"I don't think I need to explain why this is important," I said, then my gaze found Bianca, who squinted as if concentrating in a lecture.

"—but I will anyway," I quickly added.

"For clarity's sake." I took a breath.

"With tensions as they are with the Bloodwake, war is a very real possibility in the near future." I hated how my skin crawled as the words left my mouth. Who wanted war with dragons?

"Between the Dragons of Drake and the Ash Lords from Scorched Rock, Orange steel armor will give Paradise forces much-needed protection against the one element all of our adversaries have mastery of—""Fire," Lieutenant Stormsong said, nodding.

"How much?" Captain Thalendris asked. I glanced at Naomi, not recalling the particulars.

"Forty tons," she said softly.

"Enough bars to forge armor for two battalions of infantry, or reinforce the hulls of a small fleet." Captain Thalendris let out a low whistle.

"Is that too much for the Silver Zephyr?" Ingred asked, tensing.

"Too much, no," Captain Thalendris said.

"She's already stripped down. We'll sit low in the water, but she'll still move. The problem is we're not picking this up at a dock or a pier. We'll need to load and unload from the beach using longboats. That's quite the bottleneck." He inhaled through his teeth.

"This isn't a quick pickup. You're looking at days of labor in the Scorched Rock heat. It'll be hot, slow, and obvious." The room went silent, and we all glanced at each other.

"Well, we have until we get there to figure it out," Ingred said. That seemed to be enough for Lieutenant Stormsong and Bianca, but to the rest of us, we exchanged worried looks. This was a problem for Cousins. We were rarely given quest plans, but objectives. Our mission was to find solutions.

"We're not landing at the cove," Naomi said.

"Not initially." Her finger drifted along the coastline.

"You're going to drop my team off here. We'll make our way along the shore and circle the coast from behind. I've never worked with this Ignis smuggler before. We're going to make sure this isn't a trap before we commit your ship."

"If he's even there," I added.

"We have no way of contacting him. Just a meeting place and a time." Captain Thalendris hummed in appreciation.

"We'll probably signal you with a blue flare if it's safe," I said.

"Foolish," Lieutenant Stormsong said at once.

"May as well signal to the entire Scorched Rock Fleet."

"Any recommendations?" Naomi asked.

"Yes, actually." Captain Thalendris crossed over to a footlocker. After digging to the bottom and pulling a false bottom away, he returned, unwrapping an object the size of an orange.

"This is a link stone," he said.

"You should be able to use the message system to communicate with it. I'll have to teach you how to do it." I leaned forward eagerly. Linkstones, the reason the Paradise Navy was so well coordinated. Aunt Springweather maintained the network.

"Good," Naomi said, nodding.

"Remote communication is definitely going to help."

"And what about payment for this smuggler?" Captain Thalendris asked.

"Do we need to load additional cargo?" Naomi flicked white hair from her eyes.

"Negative. I've got his payment in my inventory. It won't encumber us."

"Well then," Captain Thalendris said.

"Any other questions before we depart?"

"Yeah, I've got one for Lieutenant Stormsong," I said, shifting to the half-orc. Her brow arched in surprise. I motioned to the blade hanging from her belt.

"Are you any good with that?" She smirked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask the captains of the three pirate ships I've towed back into Rafael's Cove?" I nodded once, my hand flexing at my side. A fellow swordsman—that was an opportunity too good to ignore.

"Think you can show me some new tricks?" Her smirk deepened.

"Just pay attention, kid. I might have one or two I can teach you." <<System Notice: Time to Seal Collapse: 04: 03: 00: 19: 11: 10>>