Everyone in the streets hastily jumped out of the way, then stood, mouths agape, as two riders on horseback, a third on a griffin, and a large bear with black and silver fur galloped through the cobblestone streets. A hawk shrieked as it circled and soared above the group, keeping pace.
A group of enforcers stood in a huddle near the harbormaster's building, people in the regalia of the military, as well as the city guard and the wizard council, were mixed in the enforcer circle. Two figures stood off a little apart from the group.
"Derry! Bergin!" Vania pulled hard on the reins and jumped from the horse before it fully stopped. She winced as tingling jolted up her legs from the impact of her feet on the cobblestones. She hurried to the duo; "Have they found anything yet?"
"No," Derry replied quietly, face grey. He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "Vania. Good to see you again. Buccareth taking good care of you?"
"Very hospitable," Vania replied quickly. "How's Licia and the kids?"
"Tired. Worried," he replied simply. "I... I left them at the bakery, with a few friends. I thought it'd be best for Kuran and Licia to stay home with Grava and Rantin..."
"Yes, Derry, that was a good idea," Vania smiled grimly, hand on his shoulder. "How are you?"
"I—"
The shocked voice of Lady Buccareth cut him off as she came up from behind Vania, dismounting from her griffin, "Derryl?"
He stopped and slowly turned to look up at the a'marlon woman. "Hello, A'lei'iana."
Eddin silently slid off his tall bay mare, Taric landing on his outstretched hand. He joined them silently, transferring the hawk to his shoulder.
"It really is you! Derryl, it's good that you're here. We could use your genius for our planning. How long have you been back in the city?"
"I never left," Derry replied simply. "And it's Derry now, not Derryl."
"It's his daughter that was taken," Eddin murmured to his mother.
A'lei'iana's eyes widened. "Oh," she whispered. "Never fear, Derryl. My son and his companions successfully rescued one child—they'll rescue yours, too."
"Bergin, is the harbormaster here?" Vania asked. "Laria might have inherited a knack for premonition from her father—she said the wizard is on a ship that has yellow flags with red x's. Would record of what flag a ship's flying be in the records?"
"I can ask." Bergin turned toward the building.
"Vania. Bergin. The yellow flag with red x's isn't a country flag or any type of flag showing allegiance. It's a signal flag." Eddin looked out to the water. "When a ship raises a flag like that, it means contagion is aboard. No one is allowed on and anyone on the ship is not allowed to leave, until the disease is gone... or all who suffer from it are dead."
"So the wizard may be hiding amongst a bunch of sick people or corpses?" Bergin asked.
"Or he may have snuck on the ship and raised the flag himself," Vania conjectured. "A place no one dares go seems like a good place to hide..."
"I'll go ask the harbormaster. See if there's a record of a ship of sick people coming into port," Bergin replied. "Knowing which ship and where it is in the harbor will at least let us aim our ship for the right boat bobbing on the waves."
"And it may change how we approach this," Eddin added after Bergin left. "If the wizard boarded a quarantine ship, then there's the chance the contagion is still aboard... Anyone who goes to rescue Cianna takes the chance of contracting the illness."
"I'd rather die from some sickness than leave my daughter in the hands of that killer," Derry responded.
"Derry, if there's a chance of contagion still on that ship, you need to stay off it," Vania replied. Before he could argue she added, "Because you need to think of Licia and the kids, too." She sighed. "I hope he just snuck on the ship and raised the flag himself to try to keep people from finding him... If there are other people on that ship, even if they're sick, he could be doing who-knows-what to them."
"We will plan once we have all the facts," Lady Buccareth said.
They all looked at each other, then out across the glittering sea. Sunlight sparkled and winked on the crests of the waves while the wind stole droplets from the tips and sent them, sparkling like diamonds, down to rejoin the salty waters. At least twenty big galleys rode the waves, bobbing with the water, anchored around the port. Numerous smaller barques and carracks, capable of going in shallower water, were tied to the piers. Seabirds, normally raucous and scattered everywhere underfoot, overhead, and on sea, were strangely silent; a horde of birds rode the waves off from shore, but none were to be seen on the pegs of the pier or circling and nipping at the fishing nets drying in the wind.
"I... know I shouldn't ask..." Eddin began quietly. The hawk on his shoulder looked down to Derry while his blind eyes continued to look out over the waves. "But... is Cianna Marked?" After a brief pause, he hurriedly added, "It's just that all the people this creep has gone after are Marked, and I don't think I ever noticed anything about Cianna that seems... different."
"Yes, she's Marked," Derry replied absent-mindedly, still staring out at the ships. "Everyone in my family is—my wife, all four of my children, and I. Hers is just more easily hidden than some." He sighed. "She takes after her mother. She has retractable claws on her fingers and toes."
"Harbormaster said the Swift Crests came into port three weeks ago," Bergin said as he rejoined them. They all turned and looked at him. "They raised the yellow and red contagion flag almost immediately upon anchoring and haven't moved from that spot since. A relief boat was sent out twice, to provide food, fresh water, and medicine to the crew. Someone was always there to lower and raise the pulleys to receive the supplies. Harbormaster was in contact with the captain and the boatswain via communication crystals... There's been no communication from the ship for the last three days."
"Which ship is it? Did he indicate which one is the Swift Crests?"Derry asked.
"That one," Bergin replied, pointing out over the waters; everyone turned to follow his pointing finger, looking back out over the waters of the port. A large galley rode the waves, bobbing up and down, slightly away from the main gathering of ships.
"What were the symptoms of this contagion?" A'lei'iana asked. "Is it a known disease?"
"No one recognized the symptoms," Bergin replied, shaking his head. "The captain reported that those who fell ill first complained of a headache and strange dreams. Then they claimed to have terrible pain in their limbs and seemed to suffer hallucinations, talking and moving as if speaking to and dodging around things and people no one else could see. It ended horrifically, with the ill screaming and shouting in incomprehensible babble, writhing in seizures, and finally dying as they bled out from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth..."
"Almost sounds like an overdose of charilil..." A'lei'iana murmured.
"If they suspected charilil use, there would've been no need for the contagion flag," Eddin responded. "Charilil is just a drug—it's not contagious."
"Harbormaster said the captain, and then the boatswain, once the captain died, swore up and down none of the crew was a charilil user, and there wasn't any of that drug on the ship."
"Charilil overdose doesn't cause limb pain or seizures. Just headaches, tremors, and hallucinations which get stronger and stronger until the victim dies." Eddin sighed. "Lost a lot of good people that way in Hursa."
"Three days. Probably the entire crew is dead." Derry finally turned from the bobbing ship and looked at his companions. "Do we have a boat? I need to go get my daughter."
"Yes," A'lei'iana replied. "My husband said one of our fleet is here already for recruits. We can commandeer it." Lady Buccareth walked to the docks, eyes scouring the sailors and dockhands milling about; the griffen and bear followed on her heels. The rest of the group trailed.
"Grand Master Buccareth!" A tydring woman in the dark purple uniform of the royal navy hailed A'lei'iana. The tydring quickly saluted once A'lei'iana turned to her.
"Commander Shyen," A'lei'iana replied levelly. "You're the one in charge of the ship T'doru sent?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Admiral Buccareth said I was to make the ship and crew available to you. We are here, at your service." The woman indicated the carrack behind her, the four military personnel aboard quickly saluting the Grand Master.
"We need passage to the Swift Crests. It's the galley with the contagion flag. You and your people will guide the ship broadside, so we can board, and you will stay with this ship to bring us back once we've concluded our business." Lady A'lei'iana walked stiffly past the tydring woman, animals still following close behind. The bear paused to grumble at the woman. "Ducard," A'lei'iana snapped. "Save your ire."
Commander Shyen swallowed, glancing at the black and silver bear, then sighing once it moved away from her to keep near the Grand Master. Her face brightened and she smiled as the rest of the group approached. "D'merdon! Good to see you again. You're looking well."
"Yes," Eddin replied quietly, hawk looking toward his mother while his face stayed turned to the tydring woman. "Thank you, Talya."
Talya looked over the others, eyes stopping on Vania; "Is this your friend from work?"
"My work partner, yes," Eddin corrected. "We have a little girl to save, if you please, Talya. Maybe we can talk some other time." He moved away from the tydring woman to stand near the prow, Vania staying close by.
After everyone was on board, the sailors cast off the ropes and they pulled away from the pier, sails bulging with the air pushing them out to sea. Derry stood at the prow, long-fingered hands gripping the railing, eyes locked on the ship ahead.
As the the ship glided toward the contaminated galley, Vania glanced back to the shore, then her eyes caught on the tydring woman at the helm. Catching the glance, Talya grinned and, as Vania's glance became a stare, a third eye opened on the woman's forehead, winked, and disappeared. Vania quickly turned back to face the Swift Crests as they drew in closer. She's Marked? Or did I just imagine she had a third eye? She dared a glance up at Eddin, who stood silently beside her.
Taric met her gaze as Eddin asked, "Vania? What is it?"
"Um," Vania bit her lip. She has a Mark like yours, Eddin. Is hers as carefully hidden as yours? Or is the military more accepting of Marked people now than it was when Derry was a general? The sound of wood bumping against wood stopped Vania's thoughts and she looked away from her companion.
"Here she is, as requested," Talya announced from the helm. "The Swift Crests. Is the crew expecting you? Or do you need to use our ropes and ramps for boarding?"
"We'll use yours," A'lei'iana replied. "Those aboard may be expecting us, but at least one of them won't be welcoming."
Derry stood impatiently at the railing of the ship, one hand resting on the side of the galley looming over them. He quickly walked to the edge of the ramp once it was leaned up to the galley's deck.
"Derryl," Lady Buccareth said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Mind your manners. Ladies first. Sarin." She gestured and the griffin sprang forward, talons leaving scratches in the boards as the animal bounded up the ramp. "And the advance guard. Just to ensure no unpleasant surprises. Ducard." She clicked her tongue and gestured again, the bear grumbling as it ambled up the ramp.
"Eluri," Eddin said quietly. A small lizard-like creature crawled into his palm. "Scout what's up on deck." The creature turned its head to regard him, eyes bright, then it unfurled dark bat-like wings and flew out of his hand, over their heads, and disappeared from view above the galley beside them.
Everyone on the ship stood, tense, looking from the railing of the galley above them to the two animal wranglers, and back. The wind pulled at the sails; the boards of the frame creaked with the jostling of the ships on the waves, while the waves sounded a hollow beat against the hulls.
"Well," Lady Buccareth said finally. "Everything seems to be clear for now. I think it's time we found a wizard and rescued a child."
Derry hurried up the ramp; Eddin, Vania, Bergin, and A'lei'iana close behind.