The following month…
“My‑re, our most important cargo is here. Welcome aboard the Unsinkable III,” Vomarian Fae exclaimed, briskly approaching and slightly bowing.
Cargo, eh? My‑re thought to herself. She shifted her heavy haversack full of belongings and crossed a wide, solid plank from the dock to the hovering tri-master sailing vessel. At the Stronghold Academy, the morning wind blew through her short, dark hair, and she noted it smelled clean, unlike the frequent whiffs of unpleasantness in Willow Bay.
The ship, other than floating in mid-air, wasn’t anything special and was longer than she expected, with a deeper hold. The aft section rose a level with a large, arched door leading into the ship’s interior, which likely held the captain’s quarters and hopefully ‘important cargo.’ It also had an oversized steering wheel with a double set of wooden spokes, which would take two sailors to manage. Throughout the ship, the crew bustled to secure the three main mast lines, adjust the rigging, and tie down any flapping sails. After a second glance, she realized the crew were all Shagornan Elves. Looking down some distance, she noticed two massive chains extending from the ship's bow and connecting to two enormous rocks below.
“Wait, did one of those boulders just move?” She narrowed her eyes as vertigo set in. She looked away and took a couple of deep breaths.
Vomarian followed her gaze and said, “Ah, you mean the stone golems. Rock and Chip. There’re the archmage's…pets? Not sure how to tell them apart.”
A voice behind them said, “That one there? The slightly smaller one? That’s Chip. I made him from the other one, Rock. You see. He’s just a chip off the old rock.”
Groaning at the pun and turning, My‑re saw a man who hadn’t been there a moment before. A crazed-looking individual with wild gray hair and a dusty, off-white robe with intricate, deep blue runes along its length. He pointed with one hand to the golems below while holding a sandwich in the other, which he casually ate.
“My‑re, allow me to introduce you to Archmage Havelock…” Vomarian began to say, then trailed off. The mage left them like they weren’t even there. Havelock headed toward the aft of the ship.
My‑re tilted her head, placed her heavy haversack on the deck, and said, “He’s an odd one.”
“Eccentric is what he calls himself. The Unsinkable III is his ship, and he’s the one keeping it afloat. However, he does take some getting used to, but I’ve found he is quite useful in the odd situation or two,” Vomarian said.
“So elf, yer actually going to be letting a human female sail with ye on this ship?” came the boisterous voice of Kildo Hammerhand from the docks. The surly dwarf crossed the wide plank, which visibly bent under his weight, carrying two rectangular gladiator large shields modified with a metal mounting at the top. The contraption would lock together and, in effect, shroud one or even two people entirely in a makeshift metal container.
Narrowing her eyes at the dwarf, My‑re asked, “And what exactly is wrong with a woman sailing on a ship?”
“Ye not be understanding the ways of sailing, lass. Human females be unlucky on ships. They might do something foolish, like whistle in the wind, which would surely bring up a storm. A dwarven vessel would never accept one as a crewmember,” Kildo explained.
“First, that doesn’t even make sense. Second, I’m not a crew member. I’m important cargo,” My‑re said, then grunted in frustration at calling herself cargo. “Third, I fathom a dwarf, male or female, would be even less welcome on a boat full of elves.”
“Actually, Kildo would be most welcome,” Vomarian said.
Archmage Havelock reappeared behind her, adding, “Yes, dwarves can fix stuff. Also, did you bring the mead?”
Smiling from ear to ear at the words, Kildo handed the two shields to My‑re, which, due to the weight, dropped and clamored to the deck. Reaching behind himself, he pulled a small, untapped keg from his belt.
“Here be my best stuff Havelock. I warn ye, don’t be letting these teetotaler elves sneak a nip, or ye might be finding them crashing yer ship into a mountain,” Kildo said. He then continued motioning to My‑re. “It’d also be best if ye ensured that one doesn’t even get a whiff. A swallow of this will make her drunker than a dwarf at his own birthday gala.”
“Hey, I worked at the Broken Sword tavern,” My‑re retorted. “I’ve tasted some of the strongest drinks Alastari has to offer.”
“Don’t ye be getting your short-hair feathers up. I just be looking out for ya lass. Now that me deliveries be done, when are ye bringing aboard this important cargo I be hearing about?” Kildo asked.
My‑re stepped in front of the dwarf, folded her arms across her chest, and shifted from one foot to the other to ensure she had his attention. She then said, “You’re looking at her.”
Regarding her up and down, Kildo scrunched his face. He gently used his massive hand, gesturing for her to shift over. “I said the important cargo lass.” He then asked Vomarian, “They be here yet?”
“So, there is other ‘important cargo.’ What did Kildo mean by ‘they’?” My‑re questioned, gazing pointedly at the elf captain.
“Yes, they are en route to the ship now. We need something that will aid in sniffing out Araminth. Otherwise, it could take years just flying around the Rirorni Empire looking for her. Feriale and two other noble families from the Drakenfell Mountains financing this expedition are helping in the endeavor, so we’ve been waiting for that aid to arrive on the Isle of the Eye,” Vomarian explained.
“What is that exactly?” My‑re asked.
Havelock strode up with hands on his robes and said, “Three of what, to be exact. Some of the best trackers in Alastari. Mere dragons.”