The Cursors of Telldion

Chapter 2

The woman came to in a dim wooden room. Her eyes fell on a large portrait of a man in a buccaneer's hat and a purple velvet vest. In the far corner was a desk, and on it were books, maps, scrolls, navigation tools, papers, inks, quills, and odds and ends she didn't recognize. There was a barrel in the other corner and on it rested a lit lamp, a crust of bread, cooked fish, and a wooden mug. The entire room was slightly swaying left and right, like the rocking of a cradle to sooth a fussing babe.

The woman sat up and took a deep breath. The last thing she remembered was...it all came back to her, ending with a small head rolling towards her. She shuddered, stood up, walked to the door and opened it.

It was late afternoon and the weather was windy. Twenty feet in front of her she saw two men rolling barrels across the deck. One man had a medium shield strapped to his back. The other had some sort of birthmark on his face. She looked to the left and saw the sea, looked to the right and saw the docks. They were still at port. She let out a relieved sigh.

A strong melodic voice above called out. "I see you have awakened, milady." She turned and saw the same man from the picture. He manned the wheel and stood tall so he must be the captain. He walked down a short flight of stairs and extended a coated arm. "Captain Wilhelm, of the Bronze Bellwether." He exuded warmth. "My men found you accosted at the market. After the fight the authorities were called, and we figured you would rather come to at a safe haven than a guard station." He smiled and it was as if the heavens parted. "I hope that wasn't too great of an inconvenience."

She shook his hand and straightened. "I..." she was disoriented but then regained her composure. "Thank you. I would like to thank them personally. Then I will be on my way."

Captain Wilhelm was relaxed. "Of course. They are in the dining quarters, right this way." The woman froze for half a second. Captain Wilhelm picked up on her discomfort. "Better yet, we'll have them come out onto the deck. No reason we can't have that conversation under the sky." He reached to his right and rung a bell. A minute later, Picaro and Charem sauntered up the steps even further below.

Captain Wilhelm extended an arm. "Come, come, meet our crew." She took it and they walked down together. They all met in the middle of the deck and the Captain began. "Crew, I would like to introduce you to lady..."

She cleared her throat. "Chisora."

The Captain resumed. "Lady Chisora. Milady, I would like you to meet our fine and fabulous crew. Pengo here is our chef. Rickets keeps our ship running in tip top shape. And Picaro and Charem, they bring in the coin, so to speak." Lady Chisora immediately recognized Picaro and Charem. Picaro was scruffy with a blue ring on his finger, while Charem was an ox of a man with fine brown boots. At this distance she could see that Rickets' face was not birthmarked but tattooed.

Lady Chisora cleared her throat again. "Picaro, Charem. I am," she chose her words carefully, "eternally grateful for your intervention. If there is any way I can repay you, monetarily, name your price and I will be sure to secure it for you." She didn't like the look of these rough men, though Captain Wilhelm seemed like a saint.

Picaro's laugh caught Lady Chisora by surprise. "No reward necessary. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, though I'd be none the richer for it. Welcome to Concord Port. Safe travels, milady." He did a hat tip with no hat then leaned against the mast then busied himself with his pipe.

"Really? You desire no reward?"

Picaro looked her up and down. She wore an orange toga with a thick golden sash around her waist. Even without the accent, she was ridiculous. Hopeless, helpless even. He snickered. She was like the new kid in town that everyone either admired or antagonized. Still, she had the face of an angel, so it least that was something.

"Nope." He took a couple of puffs of his pipe, then glanced at Captain Wilhelm. Captain Wilhelm's eyes were warm coals. The Captain turned to Lady Chisora, and his eyes were then only warm. "Lady Chisora, I would like to hear your story. What brings you to Concord? Do you have lodgings? Relatives, perhaps? This is not a safe port at night, and I would be remiss if I were to turn you loose without assurance of your safety."

Lady Chisora stood silent for a long time. By the time she opened her mouth, Picaro had snuffed his pipe and eyed her expectantly.

"I am Lady Chisora, High Priest of The Omniresourceful One, blessed be" she began. "Well, former High Priest." Captain Wilhelm's eyes widened, and the rest of the crew except for Picaro became the admirers. It was rare enough to have a wild encounter a follower of Res. And each god only had one High Priest. "Three days ago I stepped down. Two days ago I left the Temple. This morning I landed in Concord Port. I am now on a pilgrimage to the land of The Omniscient One, blessed be."

Charem was the first to speak. "But...people don't just change gods."

Lady Chisora was gentle steel. "We all have our reasons for following or not following," she glanced at Picaro "the gods. I saw those men come off a ship and told them who I was and offered them riches for safe passage. They just wanted the riches. That's when you happened upon me."

Captain Wilhelm looked at his men, and then back to Lady Chisora. "Milady, we would be happy to offer you safe passage to the land of Sci," then he added "the all knowing, blessed be. We have godfearing men on this ship," he motioned to Pengo and Rickets, and she could now see that Rickets' face was tatooed with the symbol of TheOmnibeneficient One, "and I have great respect for the gods. I was once a priest of Fam myself." He beamed. Lady Chisora relaxed. Captain Wilhelm continued. "What sum did you offer for safe passage?"

"1 million coin."

Picaro laughed. One million coin was enough to retire yourself, your children and your children's children on. No wonder the muggers seized her in the empty marketplace. Anyone speaking of such a sum in public was a fool.

Captain Wilhelm gave hard eyes to Picaro and played the diplomat. "That is quite the sum, Lady Chisora. Might I ask why you offer so much? You could buy a fleet with that sum."

She waved her hand. "As High Priest, I was granted the ability to manifest resources. My family lives in luxury. Gold is of no consequence to me. Making the journey safely is."

Captain Wilhelm riposted. "That is quite the story! As you have alluded to, there are a lot of underhanded operators that we meet in port. How do we know you are telling thetruth?"

Lady Chisora held out her hand. A hundred coins burst forth and scattered on the deck. A couple of the crew gasped. Picaro was impressed. She may look goofy, but she clearly had power.

Lady Chisora spoke. "Grant me safe passage, and at the end of the voyage I will pay you."

Captain Wilhelm brightened. "We accept. You can use my quarters for the length of the trip. Come right this way, and we'll sign the necessary papers."

The blustery afternoon had turned into a cloudy evening. Lights dotted the market and the city beyond the port. The men on the ship pocketed the scattered coin and cheered, all except for Picaro. Charem punched him in the shoulder, said a few words, and then the four men went into town to drink the night away.