Demiourgos (38 page)

“What the hell do you people do with dragon eggs?” Nina shouted at Avreel as they finished putting the lid back on. “Are you nuts?”

“I don’t know! It’s illegal to poach and ship eggs from shadowdrakes.” Avreel replied and eyed the crate warily. “These crates bear the seal of my house, what the hell was my mother thinking?”

“Profit I’d guess.” Nina cleared her throat and moved on to the next crate. “I’m not sure what this word is.”

“Ah, you’ve stumbled upon the best crate of all.” Avreel replied. “The fire wine.”

“Oh certainly fine for those of us who drink regularly but I’d much rather keep my liver where it belongs. She moved on to the next crate and began prying the lid off. “I think this says meat.”

“Ah, Zorus flanks. Those are wonderful grilled over an open flame.” Avreel inspected the lot of the meat and nodded in appreciation. “We should be able to cook some of these once we hit the shore. It would do us some good to have a nice meal before the next creature tries to devour us whole.”

“Yes, that way it gets all of its daily monster nutrition right?” Nina said with a giggle as she veritably skipped over to the next crate. “Dye? Who ships something as simple as dye?”

“Tantus, the next city over, resides in a series of caverns devoid of much life. Our dyes come from the remains of insects and creatures that frequent our caverns. They sell exotic colors to us too, much to the delight of the fashionable noble murderess.” Avreel said with a flourish and a grin. “You have to look good while you’re stabbing someone else in the rear.”

“Oh sure, what would the other cold blooded killers think if your blouse doesn’t match the bloodstain?” Nina rolled her eyes and laughed as she pulled several of the stranger colors from the crate. “I’ll take some of these, I’m sure that Marna could work wonders with them.”

“Feel free, they are of my house you know.” Avreel winked and went about her business with the next crate. “Weapons and armor but nothing else special.”

“They’re all metal!” Nina said with a startled look. “This crate would be worth a fortune on the surface!”

“Really now.” Avreel said with a smile as she scratched her chin.

Her thoughts were taken from her abruptly as the ship rocked violently to one side, forcing both Nina and herself to the ground. Luckily for them the crates were secured tightly so they did not slide. Recovering herself she stood and began walking for the stairs to the main deck.

“What by the many hells is Rose doing up there?” Nina cried out as she attempted to follow the older elf.

“That wasn’t Rose, something hit us!” Avreel cried out once more as another jolt rocked the ship. “We have to get to the main deck quickly!”

Avreel’s head crested the deck just in time to feel the ship skitter forward. Cursing everything around her and more she stepped off of the stairs to the hold and into the archway of the quarterdeck. The ship reeled again under her feet. Luckily she caught herself and Nina with an outstretched arm. Once they leveled out again Avreel quickly climbed one of the two stairwells next to her and turned around to get a good look into the water. She could see large dark shapes swimming alongside the port side of the ship. “Netherwhales! They shouldn’t be this close to our plane though.”

One of the large creatures crested the waves long enough for her to see its true form. It was indistinct like she was watching dark but solid water fight against a similar current. It didn’t seem to be hindered by their wake either. Its skin looked sleek and shiny and the massive bulk made her think she could swallow a contingent of soldiers whole.

As she looked up at the wheel and its pilot she could tell that Rose was hanging on for dear life and she was visibly shaken. Liostro was gazing over the side while simultaneously trying to keep his balance and hang on to the rail. “Rose let go of the wheel!”

“I can’t!” Rose yelled back at her and almost lost her footing when another of the creatures brushed against the aft of the ship.

“You have to!” Avreel said as she ran toward Rose and grabbed her arms, to her surprise she couldn’t pull Rose off of the wheel. “They’re drawn to you; I’ve only read about this in books, I’ve never seen it myself!”

“If you’ve read about it then tell this thing to let me go!” Rose shouted angrily at Avreel.

“It never mentioned not being able to let go of the wheel!” Avreel tugged on the naarabian’s arm again in an attempt to pull her hands off of it. “Damn it all to the hells! Roll with their hits so they don’t cave in the hull, if we go down here we’ll never reach the adjacent shore!”

“I don’t know if I can, it’s hard to steer the ship.” Rose tugged on the wheel, only getting minimal success for her effort.

“Controlling this ship is more mental than physical. Whatever is happening must be magical in nature, it has to be. If that’s the case you’re more than capable of defeating or even controlling it.” Avreel addressed Rose directly, putting her hand on the scared girl’s shoulder. “Concentrate on the ship, feel it. A live elemental was destroyed to create it. This ship is a living being. It can feel everything you do, open your mind and connect to it.”

Avreel stood watching and holding on tight as another whale brushed against the side of the ship. Her attention was drawn to their current course, if Rose didn’t get control of the ship they would run right in to one of the stone pillars that held up the cavern. “I hate to be pushy when you’re trying to concentrate but if you don’t do something quick we’re going to slam face-first into the rocks up ahead.”

Rose opened her eyes briefly and tried not to let the looming rock formation disrupt her. She could feel the ship’s presence but there was something more, someone was controlling the ship and suppressing its will. She could feel a little anger welling up inside her. Someone wanted her dead and she was getting fed up with their little games. Since she knew her assailant was attacking her and she had the power to spare she used a small amount of her stored magic to trace the web of the spell that was being used to track her. They stretched through the ship and out into the waves even touching the whales themselves. As her consciousness flowed along the delicate strands of magic that surrounded them all she noticed that all of them redirected themselves back to her physical body. Before she could trace them any further she felt a resistance pushing back against her. The wielder of the magic was strong, enough so to bar her from tracing it any further. Redirecting her attention she began severing the filaments one by one in order to regain control of the ship. Each one took intense concentration, and as she cut the first few she felt the attention of the user redirect itself to her efforts.

Quickly she stopped what she was doing and began tracing her steps back toward the strands linked to her body. It looked like a spider’s web but shimmering blue and the rest of the world around her was dark save for motes of silvery light signifying living beings and strong magic. Once again her opponent redirected its effort to block her and she severed several strands with one surging effort. She could feel her body utilizing more stored magic; it was a detached, almost separated sensation.

Sweat beaded on her brow as she struggled with control of the filaments of the spell that were tethered to her body. Each time she severed one she could feel herself able to move the ship a little more. For what seemed like an eternity she put all of her effort toward defeating the unknown power affecting her.

Once she loosened a few more threads of the spell she wrested control back and turned the ship hard to port barely missing one of the large creatures. Everyone on the deck sucked in a breath and Rose cried out when she realized how close they had come to being shattered against the rock.

Once Rose steered them out of the way and into the clear she let go of the wheel and fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands simultaneously letting out a cry of frustration. “I’m tired of this game and all of this torment. I’ve never done anything to anyone and yet here I sit fighting for my life and my sanity it seems. I’ve barely been free and everywhere I turn someone wants to exploit me, or kill me, or worse. I think it’s high time I take the fight to my opponent’s door.”

“We don’t even know who it is.” Nina said as she took up the wheel and began steering in Rose’s stead. “How are we going to find them?”

“The magic that was being used was linked back to my body. Whoever was using the spell to track me knows how to find me somehow.” Rose looked down at herself and then back up at the three of them questioningly. She was directing her inquiry more toward Avreel than any of them. “Your knowledge of magical lore is greater than mine so how do you think they’re doing it?”

“The easiest way is by an amount of purified blood but there are several ways to do it.” Avreel looked Rose over and folded one arm across her stomach while resting her elbow in her hand. She tapped a finger against her chin. “It’s also possible to establish a link with an item you carry.”

“I’ve been around elves, demons, the kurenai and your people.” Rose indicated Avreel with a gesture of her hand. “Of those I can only think of two that would want to track and harm me.”

“There is truth to that but we did not have you long enough to establish such a link.” Avreel said with a shrug. “That leaves the demons and honestly I can’t say as I’ve ever heard of them going through such pains for a prisoner.”

“Then who?” Rose looked down at herself again. She found herself wondering who would be powerful enough to track and hinder her at the same time. “It’s strange, who could have taken notice of me this far beneath the earth. It would take someone powerful; am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right.” Avreel said with a nod. She tilted her head to the side and regarded Rose for a moment, as if seeing something she hadn’t seen before. “Take everything off.”

If she hadn’t been so consumed by the recent attack she would have found the statement absurd and humorous but at the moment she just stared; not comprehending what Avreel was saying. It took a few seconds for her to follow the logic but she nodded and stood up leaving Nina to the wheel with Avreel and Liostro striding behind her. “I’ll do this in the captain’s quarters if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” Avreel nodded and stood to the side of the entryway near the stairwells.

Rose turned around to Liostro and put a hand on his chest, smiling sheepishly up at him after a moment of looking at the planks below her feet. She shifted her legs once and felt herself blushing regardless of the intimate moments they had shared thus far. “Would you mind waiting out here?”

“I would not enter without your say my lady.” Liostro bowed a little and leaned against the doorframe. His intent had not been to watch her undress he was just afraid of the magic that had been invading her person. If her aggressor was determined to hinder her progress there may be wards against her tampering with the item in question. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”

“Thank you.” She called in reply as she began stripping herself of everything she carried starting with her sword belt and sword. Idly she ran a finger along the chain that dangled across her cheek and dismissed the notion that the pasha had been able to hire a wizard of sufficient skill. Next came her clothes; once she had rid herself of everything she carried Rose shifted her eyes into the magic spectrum and found the silvery blue filaments still swirling around her body. “I don’t understand; the link is still here I can see it.”

“Did you remove everything?” Liostro called from around the corner. “Every item?”

“I do not wish to remove my ka’harah.” Rose felt the golden chain dangling against her cheek and swept her gaze out across her body again, one item caught her attention but she did not want to believe it. “Liostro I want you to get Nina down here right now.”

Not one to question he grunted a quick reply and rushed out of the doorway past a startled Avreel and walked to the point where he could see Nina. She was steering the ship with seemingly no issues until both of them felt the caress of magic. The feeling was subtle but there. “Quickly, Rose wants to see you.”

Nina followed him down the short stairwell and entered the captain’s quarters with Liostro and now Avreel in tow. Once Nina had walked by him she heard Avreel huff in frustration at being barred from the room.

She was thankful he followed Rose’s orders to the word. When she approached she found the naarabian handling and shaping a steady stream of magic that she did not fully comprehend. It was visible in the regular spectrum for starters. When Rose loosed one hand from the casting and put it to her lips Nina nodded.

Spinning a spell she had devised on her own in the short moment she had been alone Rose brought her hands before her and indicated her ring with one finger then continued to cast the spell without missing more than a heartbeat. Her fingers and hands worked at the ends of her arms drawing an intricate pattern that she knew signified silence and blindness but worked outwardly instead of on an individual. When Nina removed her ring and set it on the ground Rose did the same in a quick gesture. She then leaned down and cupped her hands around the two small bands of metal, working the spells into the intricate carvings. When she was done she shifted her gaze again and found the strands of the spell fading quickly. “Quickly gather up Liostro’s ring and throw them overboard!”

Nina ran from the room with the two rings in hand and caught Liostro’s in mid-air then tossed them over the side without another questioning word. Though she was confused about throwing the valuable magical items off of the ship she had learned from experience to trust those stronger with magic than her. Once the artifacts were disposed of and behind the ship she returned to find Liostro and a clothed Rose heading out of the captain’s quarters with a look of confusion on both of their faces. “How could someone have corrupted the magic in my grandfather’s rings?”

“Through all of my trials and tribulations with each new group of kidnappers none of them stripped me of my ring.” Rose replied to Nina with her eyes still locked on the fur around her ring finger that was even now reforming to its original shape. “Why would that be?”

“They were instructed not to.” Avreel replied to her before letting anyone else even begin considering the reasons. “My sister did not strip you of your ring, that’s one of the first things we do is remove all items that could be magical from the prisoners. Her patrol was out a little longer than usual as well and I don’t know why.”

“I cannot believe that Leonidus would betray us.” Rose frowned and looked over at Nina and Liostro. “Correct me if I speak improperly but he has never felt as an enemy would. At every turn he has been helpful to us.”

“There is a side of him you have not seen.” Liostro told the boards below his feet before he could even look up at Rose. His mind drifted across the scene in the throne room that had conspired between father and daughter. He had been crass with the queen of the elves, to whom he owed his fealty regardless of the fact that he was her sire and former king. “The anger I saw in his eyes when he had learned that we lost you was reminiscent of the Scale of Darkness when he first took over. He requested a report from me before he even offered healing and I was quite obviously injured.”

“I have never seen him like that before I must admit but can you not call that loyalty to a friend?” Nina chimed in, shaking her blonde locks in denial. “I cannot think that my grandfather would want to bring harm to Rose or myself.”

“We shall have to question him about it when we return.” Rose cut any further arguments off by walking away from the three of them and heading toward the bow of the ship. Thankfully all of them got the hint. Nina returned to the wheel and Liostro and Avreel continued talking as they took the stairs up to the quarterdeck to join Nina. Once she was alone on the forecastle deck she sat down and crossed her legs, watching the water around her.

The ship they were sailing on was amazing, it seemed to take care of most of the work by itself. When she had inquired about the ropes and sails Avreel had explained the workings of the ship in a little more detail. It had been crafted by the hands of an infernis elf skilled in the arcane arts. They had commissioned the ship to be made from the hardest stalks of the mushrooms that grew in the endless dark. Once it was built they had assembled the sails and the spellcrafter had bound an elemental into the ship. The creature was subsequently killed and the resulting death created a whole new being in the living vessel. All the ship needed was someone strong in the arcane arts and it could cut the waves with ease. The abundance of water around her and the swaying of the vessel made her feel a little calmer; it almost felt as if she were made to be at sea.