Deliverance (10 page)

“Princess,” Miko said as he bent his knees and pulled her chin up to his face. Opening her eyes, she saw the blue sky behind him as seagulls flew overhead. “There are those pretty blue eyes I love to see…” Miko said with a devilish grin. “We’re here.” Moving out of the way as he stood up, she peered past him and could see down the docks, into the city and into the town square.
Khazar,
she thought to herself as she could see faintly the fountains that were in the town’s square.

Weak from being fed nothing but berries and water for two weeks, she struggled to rise to her feet. Helping her up, Miko grabbed onto an arm and said, “The lack of decent food was required… I didn’t want you gaining enough strength to try something stupid.”

Finding the strength to raise her head up, Tessla glared at Miko. “Illadari will find me and kill you,” she said softly before her head bobbed back down. Miko began laughing as he bent down to a wooden bucket that sat on the deck of the ship. Scooping a ladle full of water up, he pressed it against Tessla’s cracked and dry lips, letting the wetness from the spoon push against her lips, he then yanked it away before she could get a drink.

“I bet you would love a drink,” Miko said smiling as he watched Tessla lick her lip where it was moistened with the water. “Stuck on a boat, with millions of gallons of water beneath you, yet you thirsted for weeks… Where was your beloved then?” Miko asked throwing the ladle back into the bucket and kicking it over. Coming close to her face, Miko whispered, “Nowhere, that’s where.” Grabbing her by the arms that were bound together behind her back in rope, he said, “Now… Let’s get you some water and decent food so you can meet the Wizards.” Leading her off the ship, he brought her to the end of the dock and sat her down on the edge so her feet dangled.

“Stay,” Miko said. “I’m going right over there,” Miko said pointing over to a general shop nearby. “I’m going to grab some gymer bread and a waterskin for you.”

Leaving her behind, he vanished into the shop for a few moments and then returned with food and water in hand. Sitting down on the dock next to her, he squirted the waterskin’s contents into her mouth. Relief rushed over Tessla as she drank the water quicker than he could supply it. Licking her lips she laid backwards on the dock and she sighed heavily. She hadn’t had but a few drops of fresh water while she traveled on the seas. They had only given her enough to keep her alive the entirety of the two week journey.

Grabbing her shoulder, Miko brought her upright and said, “Here,” as he shoved a piece of gymer bread into her mouth. She tore off a bite and started chewing. After she was filled and satisfied, she felt her strength begin to return to her body.

“Please tell me why I’m here,” she said looking Miko in the eyes. “I have a family. My husband and son needs me… I need to know if I’m going to die.”

“My job was to get you and that’s what I did. What happens to you beyond this point is not information I have.”

“Why wouldn’t they tell you?” Tessla asked insistently. “You must know something.”

“Honestly I don’t,” Miko said standing up. Pulling her upright, she looked at him fearfully as she began to cry. Tessla’s body trembled as he began leading her through the city of Khazar towards the Wizard Towers.

Stopping herself from walking, she looked him in the eyes and said, “Please don’t… don’t do this to me!”

“I have my orders and I need the gold,” Miko said. “It’s nothing personal.” As he forced her to keep walking, she passed by the fountains in the middle of town square. An array of colored water shot up from the centerpiece in the fountain. The mists from the water sparkled and Tessla’s memory flashed back to when she had first visited Khazar six years ago for The Annual Curo Magic Festival.

Her and Illadari had saved for over a year so that they could afford the trip. Leaving Kessler behind in Silvermeer with Ponio and Vanessa, they had come mostly for Tessla, for she had wanted to learn new spell songs for her mandolin and speak with other bards. With such few bards in Belstrom, it was the ideal place for Tessla to meet others like herself.

Jolting back to the reality at hand, Miko pulled her up a set of stone stairs that led into a wizard tower that she did not recall seeing when she had visited Khazar with Illadari. Looking up, she saw a lone window near the top where the roof sat. Stopping at the base of the tower, Miko gave a sturdy knock on the elegantly crafted richwood-grain doors. It reminded Tessla of her parents’ castle doors. The intricate and beautiful designs were like that of a masterpiece that an artist had crafted.

Miko stood tall and stepped back as he waited for an answer. Glancing over at her, he said, “Try to be respectful. I know very little of these Wizards, but I know they have been known to kill a man for looking at them in an unpleasing manner.”

Tessla nodded and stood a little straighter as she knew poor posture was a sign of disrespect to many in the upper classes of society.
I guess the tea parties and elegant balls I used to frequent in my life served some purpose after all…
One of the doors opened, and a man with a monocle bowed as he ushered the two of them in. Walking through the foyer, Tessla couldn’t help but recall her childhood in the castle. The white pillars, the soft stone floors beneath her feet; it all brought back the familiar feelings of the castle.

The short hall led into a large and rounded room that was lit by a dozen or so candelabra. Each candle flickered at the small chilly breeze that seemed to be constant in the room as they headed towards the stairs that spiraled and hugged the wall leading to a platform high up in the tower. Glancing up the stairs as they ascended, Tessla could feel her heart begin to race at the anticipation of what may become of her with the Wizards of Curo.

Who are they and what do they want with me?
She wondered as she took each step going up.
If it is about the dragon egg… they’ll find me useless since I’m a bard… and kill me!
She thought fearfully. Glancing over at Miko, she saw he had a smile on his face as he held her arm. “Can you have just a smidge of couth?” she asked annoyed.

“I’m sorry, but the Wizards insisted to me that I could not do it and that I’d end up dead,” Miko said. “I just can’t wait for the look on their faces.”

“I’m glad you get to prove them wrong…”

As they reached the platform, Tessla saw three throne-like seats. Two of them sat empty, while the middle one had a man in a golden robe sitting with one leg over the other. Waving at the two of them as they ascended their final steps, the man stood up to greet them.

“Dear,” he said with a soft tone. “I hope the stairs were not too bothersome.” A smile graced his face as he continued, “I promise I did not have any say in the design. It was all my brothers.” He rolled his eyes as he walked up to Tessla and Miko, and kissed Tessla on each side of the cheek.

“It’s okay…” she said letting her words trail off. She was being treated like royalty, by a man who sought her capture.
I wonder if I’m not in danger?
she thought to herself as she smiled at the mysterious man.

“So you are probably curious to what this is all about?” the man said sitting back down in his seat. “I’m Lance by the way.”

“Very curious indeed, Lance,” she said.

“Have a seat…” he said motioning over to a seat next to him.

“Kind of difficult with these restraints,” Tessla said. Lance leaned his seat to see behind her and was startled to see her hands bound.

“That’s preposterous to bind the princess of Belstrom! Loosen them immediately thief.”

“She was reluctant to come, I had to restrain her,” Miko said lowering his head slightly as he undid the rope. Stretching her arms out, she made her way up to the seats and sat next to Lance.

“Be on with you,” Lance said motioning for Miko to leave. Miko appeared confused and Tessla suspected it had something to do with his payment.

“My Lord… I have brought the princess to you… as requested,” Miko said with his head bowed.

“I assume this has something to do with
payment
…” Lance said turning his chin up at Miko. Sighing, Lance stood up, motioned for Tessla to follow him, and then walked up to the edge of the platform. Shouting down, he yelled, “Ernado!”

Quickly coming from the foyer, Enardo shouted up at Lance. “What is it my Lord?”

“Be sure that Miko receives his
payment
on his way out.” Enardo nodded quickly and returned to the foyer out of sight. Walking back over to the seats, Lance said, “There… you can go now.”

Miko looked over at Tessla and then to Lance, “Thank you.” Returning to the stairs, he glanced back at Tessla one last time, and then descended down the stairs and out of sight.

“Now that things are taken care of with the thief, let’s get to talking,” Lance said. “The reason I have you here… is very… difficult to explain without giving you a little Belstrom history lesson.”

“Please, go on,” Tessla said.

“Well you are familiar with the whole dragon birthing process, correct?” Lance asked nonchalantly. She nodded. “The King and Queen of Belstrom need to be Curo and Runic to cast the spell that freezes the summoning stone for another year…” Looking at her, he waited to see if she was following. She nodded again and he continued. “So, with our little power grab that my brothers and I are doing, we need a way to stop the summoning from happening… in the event we don’t have the royal magic families.”

“Okay… What’s that have to do with me? I’m a bard now, I’m useless,” Tessla said.

“Well, we found this book… a few pages of it anyways,” Lance said adjusting in his seat so he was facing her. He continued excited, “The pages we found, we believe comes from the very beginning foundations of the Belstrom kingdom and has not been seen by any other eyes. We just have to perform a ritual within the Fireblade Mountains…”

The first week out to sea was rough for Illadari, as he continuously became seasick and vomited over the railing and into the murky waters below. One evening, as they were heading north in The Enchanted Seas, Illadari had an unusual bout of vomiting. With his head and upper torso hung over the railing near the stern of the ship, Leroy put his hand on Illadari’s shoulder. Turning to look up at Leroy, Illadari said exhaustingly, “How do you keep yourself from becoming sick?”

“Nobody is immune to the sea and its wicked ways, but there are tricks to ease the pain.” Pointing at the horizon, Leroy continued, “Fixate your eyes on a stable point in the distance.” Illadari looked up and peered into the vastly wide open ocean, and attempted to focus on the horizon. Before he could look for very long, he vomited again.

“It’s not helping…” Illadari said as he wiped the vomit from his lips.

“It takes a bit of time and practice before you will get it. Also, a word advice, stop going down into the cabin and galley, that’s the worst thing, you can do. You might think it seems better down there, but the stable appearance while the ship is rocking is not helpful in your sickness.”

Illadari smiled up at him, “Thank you. How come nobody has told me this before now?”

“You’re the mutton. It is just part of being the new guy on the ship,” Leroy laughed smacking him in the back. “I couldn’t help but come over here and give you a few pointers on the seasickness after that sharp eye you had on that busted pulley the other day.”

“I just saw a crack in it,” Illadari said.

“Yes, but I didn’t see it. That’s impressive,” Leroy said raising his chin. “You’d make a fine mate aboard any ship. Being aware and able to spot problems with the ship is a very valuable trait.”

“That’s very nice of you to say, but I don’t think I’m cut out for the seas and I have a family.” Leroy nodded and rubbed his chin before breaking into a smile.

“I understand. If you change your mind, I’ll put in a good word with the Captain for you.” Illadari’s heart was warmed by the kindness Leroy had revealed to him. As Leroy left his side, Illadari kept glancing up at the horizon as he attempted to focus on a point in the distance.

**

Through the next week, Illadari and Leroy began conversing and discussing all parts of their lives with one another. Illadari learned of Leroy’s past and found out that he also had no mother and father. Leroy was Illadari’s only friend on the ship and he appreciated the friendship immensely.

In the final stretch of the journey, Illadari had finally managed his stomach issues and was able to enjoy a breakfast of eggs, ham and Hilted Banes Leaf before heading to the bow of the ship. Looking into the waters below, he thought of Kessler and Tessla.
I’m coming for you both… Soon, we will all be together again.
Joining his side, Leroy asked, “You really think she’s in Khazar?”

“I hope
so,” Illadari said as the breeze of the ocean’s wind blew his hair back. The hair on both his head and face had grown out since he had been to sea. He had tried to trim his face once in the beginning of the voyage, but found it rather difficult with the constant swaying of the boat.

Patting him on the back, Leroy said, “You are a good man.” Illadari smiled as he glanced out to sea and noticed an object up ahead.

“What is that?” Illadari asked pointing out to the sea. Glancing out with his hand above his eyebrows, Leroy attempted to locate what Illadari was referring to.

“I’m not sure; it looks like it might be a rock. Let me go see if Colt can see it.” Leroy left the bow heading towards the base of the crow’s nest. Watching the object intently, Illadari saw it shift in the waters.

Turning, Illadari shouted, “I don’t think that’s a rock formation.” Leroy was already out of ear shot as he was speaking to Colt. Illadari looked back to the water to see the object had vanished out of sight completely. Searching the water’s surface with his eyes, he was unable to see the object any longer. Running over to Leroy, Illadari said, “It’s gone.”

Leroy rubbed his chin as he seemed to ponder on the idea of something stirring beneath the depths of The Enchanted Seas. “I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Illadari asked inquisitively.

“There’s no way,” Mack said upon approaching from behind him. “Don’t speak of
her
Leroy. It’s a fairy tale!”

“The boy ought to know, he saw something out there and it’s gone! What else could it possibly be Mack?” Leroy asked annoyed.

“It could be the imagination running away from him,” Mack insisted.

“You must mean both of ours?” Leroy said raising a brow. Mack’s expression changed from one of confidence, to one of concern as he rubbed his straggly haired cheek. Waddling past Illadari and Leroy, Mack made his way to the bow of the ship and looked out into the seas.

“I see the port up ahead,” Mack said turning around to the both of them. “The sea seems to be playing tricks on the two of you,” he said as he passed back by them. “Leroy, if you plan to sail again with this ship, you better be a little more careful what you run around my ship saying you saw.”

Illadari caught Leroy glaring at the back of Mack’s head as he left back into the Captain’s quarter. Illadari knew Leroy and he didn’t see any tricks, there was something beneath The Enchanted Seas. After Mack had gone back into the Captain’s quarter and it was just him and Leroy on the bow, Illadari spoke up.

“It was no trick,” Illadari said putting his hand on Leroy’s shoulder. Shrugging off his touch, Leroy shook his head.

“The seas play tricks on us from time to time.”

“You know it was no trick. Tell me about this
her
you two spoke of.”

“The old time sailors of The Enchanted Seas, tell stories of a large and dangerous creature that has a body of a snake and a head on each side. Fangs larger than sails, and eyes that glow like that of the moons. They say it dwells at the bottom of the depths, and surfaces only to swallow entire ships whole.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Illadari said cringing a little at the imagery that was painted in his mind. “How would the sailors who tell the stories have seen it, if the creature only surfaces to swallow ships? Would they not also be swallowed up?”

“I don’t know…” Leroy laughed looking towards the port up ahead in the waters. “It’s just an old tale that has been passed down… Nobody really knows if there is any truth to the stories.”

Joining Leroy’s gaze at the port, Illadari said, “I don’t know if we saw that thing… but we sure saw something.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Leroy said. “You have a wife and kid to find and rescue.”

“True,” Illadari said cracking a smile. “I’ve been away from Tessla for so long; I’ve almost forgotten her scent.”

“You’ll find her and everything will work out. I have hope for you,” Leroy said.

“Thanks,” Illadari said.

**

Setting foot into Khazar, Illadari quickly made his way through town and headed directly for the wizard towers that sat at the end of the main street in the city. Seeing the fountain as he passed by, he thought for a moment of the festival that he and Tessla had went to years back. Journeying by all the shops, he couldn’t help but notice the townspeople staring at him as he walked by. Annoyed, he stopped in the middle of the street.

“Why is it that everyone in this town is looking at me?” Illadari asked.

“You are a pirate of the seas,” the man said fearfully. Illadari realized his clothing and appearance had changed significantly from the weeks he had spent out at sea. The man turned and ran away to leave Illadari in the street.
How can people judge me so quickly from my appearance?
he wondered as he continued on his way to the wizard towers.
I have been guilty of the same,
he thought shamefully to himself.

At the doors into the tower, he gave a strong knock.

“Yes?” a silly looking man said softly as he opened the door.

“I need to talk to the wizards about my wife, Tessla… or Katlynn… or whatever they call her,” Illadari said with a bit of anger in his tone. The man raised his chin and looked down at Illadari.

“You are Tessla’s husband? You are but a pirate, a thief. I am sorry, but Illadari is a priest…” the man said as he began to shut the door. Extending his arm, Illadari smacked the door, keeping it from closing.

“I am he; I am Illadari of the Freya Priesthood. I am here for my wife.”

“Oh, well you should not have disguised yourself,” the man said opening the door the rest of the way. “Come in. We’ve been waiting on you for some time now.”

Illadari was relieved that she was at the wizard tower.
She probably knows where Ada is and we can get out of here, get Kessler back and go home,
he thought to himself as he followed the man through a hall.