The journey to Tolfalas took two short days with strong winds at their backs, pushing the White Raider at good speeds. The clear weather and steady wind allowed the crew to relax and socialize, or in some cases, hide away.
Caston was hiding away below deck, severely ill to his stomach and, for the moment, out of the way. Morien was standing at the prow and Estella stood on the poop deck watching the water crashing over itself as they cut through the sea. Dahari was tucked away up among the sails somewhere. Oros hadn't seen him for the past five hours. Qrow was... well, Oros didn't know exactly what he was doing or hoped to accomplish. He was walking along the railing of the ship with his arms held out for balance
Oros shook his head. The man had a death wish. Everyone else was in pairs or small groups. Adrahil and Brandt were surrounded by loose ropes, Adrahil looking flustered and Brandt smiling easily and patiently. Es, Drida, Livian, and Fendwall were standing in the middle of the deck listening to one of Calen's now famous stories.
The dark skinned Numenorean was a marvelous, riveting story-telling. She claimed all of her stories held a grain of truth, but some were just too fantastical to believe. Despite that, everyone seemed to enjoy listening to her. Morien especially, though it was odd, Oros noted, that he wasn't listening right now.
"Land!" Dahari shouted from somewhere above their heads. The crew stopped what they were doing. Calen stopped mid-sentence and raced to the side. Es was right on her tail. They strained to see land, but no matter how hard they tried they could only see ocean, glittering and pulsing in the noonday sun.
Dahari swiftly climbed down the ratlines and dropped the remaining ten feet to the deck. He pointed toward the bow of the ship.
"Tolfalas is just over an hour away, Capatin," he told Oros. Oros nodded.
"All hands on deck!" he ordered. "Fetch Caston will you, Qrow?"
Qrow nodded and went below deck to find Caston. The rest of the crew gathered around Oros. He waited until Caston and Qrow joined them.
"Right, in a short time we''l be enterin' Tolfalas. Nobody leaves the ship unless I tell you. I'll be takin' a small group with me to get somethin' I need an' then we're leaving again. Caston, Morien, Calen, you three are with me. The rest of you stay here an' guard the ship. There are dang'rous folk who wouldn't hesitate to take the White Raider if given the chance. An' there are plenty more who are enemies to the flag. An' above all listen to the first mate."
...
The port was nearly empty as the White Raider slid silently next to the dock. Only three other ships, all painted dark colors, rested nearby. Four dock-hands threw ropes up to the crew and tied the ship in place. Oros stepped confidently onto the dock with Morien, Caston, and Calen behind him. He handed a small coin to each of the dock-hands and swiftly marched into the heart of the town.
Everything seemed to be hundreds of years old. The buildings sagged sadly and many places were completely abandoned and crumbling, the only thing living in them were rats and the occasional cat. Crowded so closely together it was difficult to tell where one house ended and the other started.
The further in they went the darker the streets seemed, until their feet were shrouded in darkness. Phantom eyes watched them from windows, but every time they whipped around there was nothing stalking them from the dark windows, only shadow.
"Where is everyone?" Calen asked in a small voice.
"Not here," Morien said. He bit his bottom lip and glanced furtively around. Calen nodded nervously. Caston was chewing on his fingernails. Oros still strolled confidently ahead. A rat ran across Calen's feet. She strangled a screech and just barely stopped herself from toppling over. It wasn't the rat itself that had scared her, rather the sudden movement and noise. She inhaled deeply and ignored Caston's amused smirk. Morien did not look amused.
"Quiet," Oros ordered. "Don't want attract attention here."
At last they came to an ancient looking hut, decrepit and covered in mold and other fungi. The base was made entirely of crumbling stone. Resting heavily on that was cracked, rotted, and moist wood. Caston wrinkled his nose at the smell coming from the hut. It was a strange mixture of wet earth, animal dung, and something sickeningly sweet. It clogged his nostrils and set his stomach, still uneasy from seasickness, churning. Calen gagged. Even Morien, none to fresh himself, looked ready to be sick.
Oros glanced back at them and smiled, "It gets worse inside."
Caston nearly turned and ran as far away as possible. The only thing that kept him there was Calen, who bravely stepped up to the door alongside their captain. He would not let himself be bested by a woman.
Oros knocked loudly five times on the half rotten door. He waited the span of a short breath and knocked once. The door opened with a gust of warm, foul air. Calen immediately turned and ran back into the street where she could be heard retching loudly.
Caston caught a whiff of the air. It was tenfold worse than anything he could have imagined save the pits of orc dungeons themselves. He doubled over and emptied his stomach... all over his shoes.
Morien grit his teeth tightly, but showed no outside sign of his discomfort, though his eyes watered. Oros coughed a few times and wiped his own watery eyes.
"Afternoon, my lady," he said to the woman in the doorway. She smiled crookedly. Her mouth was full of thick, pale yellow stained teeth. Her face was so full of deep crags and winkles the numerous bugs crawling on her skin, Caston was sure they were there, would never be able to travel far, for fear of getting stuck between the wrinkles. Her beady eyes bored into each stranger from beneath heavy-lidded eyes. Wisps of silvery hair strands floated about her face like ghosts. Her most astonishing feature, however, was her height. Many years weighed heavily on her shoulders, bending her until she was barely taller than Captain Oros.
"Oros, lad!" she exclaimed, recognition lit her worn face and years of weariness seemed to melt away. "I received your letter not three days ago. Still having Fendwall write for you, eh?" She chuckled. Oros laughed.
"Aye, he's better at it than I am."
"Good for him. Come in now and meet old Lathie," the woman named herself. "She has just what you need. I've got nice pot of soothing tea for the poor girl. And tell the boy to clean his boots off before entering. I don't want his filth all over my house," she said over her shoulder as she stepped back into the dark house.
Caston's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Morien would have laughed had he not been trying to quell his own rebelling stomach. Caston angrily cleaned off his boots and followed Morien and Oros into what he was sure would be the death of him. Calen warily followed a few moments later.
Inside was warm and dry compared to the damp chill outside. The smell here was so strong Calen had to fight the urge to run out. She gingerly accepted a delicate cup of tea from Lathie. She took a small sip and instantly her queasiness dissipated and she relaxed.
Lathie rummaged around in a large chest filled to the brim with yellowed papers while a fire burned low in the center of the room. Morien, Caston, and Oros were sitting on low chairs, the former two with their legs tucked under their chests. Oros sat quite happily on his tiny chair. Calen sat down in the remaining chair, flinching when it creaked ominously.
"It is here somewhere..." Lathie muttered. "No." She grabbed a handful of papers, rifled through them quickly and tossed them out of the chest. "Oh! That's where that went." She tossed a piece of charred parchment onto the floor and continued digging. Several moments passed.
"Ah ha!" Lathie exclaimed holding up what resembled a map, though it was so worn and faded little could be made out clearly except for a large dark red dot that appeared to be blood. "There you are, dear," she said with a wink at Oros. Caston and Calen squirmed uncomfortably.
"Why are you looking for the lost ship of Arvedui?" Lathie asked, her face suddenly seemed dark and strained. "Bad omens I have received of late of a dreadful ship, a ghost ship, sinking many a ship in darkening waters and misty twilight. A ship and a crew who collects the dead afloat. Never has a body been found."
"I don't believe in ghost stories," Oros said calmly. "There be rumors of a great treasure lyin' beneath the sea where tha' ship sunk a thousand years ago."
"Rumors are rumors, Oros," Lathie stirred the dying fire. Embers shot up into the dark roof.
"There be too many of them rumors to not hold some truth, Lathie. Somethin' tells me there is somethin' to be found out there."
Lathie sighed. "Very well then. Go if your heart is set on it. I only hope you do not sail to your deaths." Lathie then closed her eyes and began chanting in a strange tongue that sounded nothing of this world. She stepped before Morien.
"May I?" she asked. Morien frowned.
"What are you doing?" he demanded gruffly. Lathie smiled toothily.
"I can see a short distance into your future, a gift given to me by the sea. Close your eyes." Morien reluctantly closed his eyes. As soon as he did Lathie touched his forehead and his face twisted as if he had bitten into something rotten. Lathie clucked her tongue sadly.
"My dear, flattery is a sweet drink laced with poison. Do not follow through with that path for it only leads to misery and misfortune." She lifted her hand from his forehead. Morien gasped and inhaled deeply as if surfacing from a deep dive.
She stepped toward Caston who scrambled back, knocking his chair over.
"Come, boy," Lathie said gently. Caston felt himself move toward her not of his own accord. Lathie's hand touched his head and he crumpled to the floor. The old seer kept her hand on him even as he fell, following him to the floor. She gave a small cry, tears fell from her eyes.
"You poor boy," she wept. "Let go of your anger and hatred. The men of Gondor are noble!" she cried out. "Not so is this one. May he find what is missing. May his true nature lead to an honorable end." She pulled her hand away and Caston came to life again.
"Get away from me, witch," he hissed. Lathie hurriedly brushed away her tears.
Calen waited anxiously. shifting nervously in her chair.
"Don't be nervous, love," Lathie said softly. She touched Calen's forehead. The Numenorean went rigged as a pole. Lathie nodded. "Think before you do, least you come to realize your mistakes. Sacrifice is sometimes necessary, love."
Calen relaxed when Lathie pulled her hand away. Finally Lathie turned to Oros. She briefly touched his forehead.
"Yours remains, Oros. Nothing has changed."
A flash of fear so brief Calen wasn't sure if she really saw anything crossed his face. With that, Oros stood, thanked Lathie and walked out of her little hut with the map curled tightly in his hands. Caston and Morien followed him. Calen remained behind for a minute.
"Lathie."
"Yes, love?"
"Who is Arvedui?" Calen asked. "I know Captain Oros said he was the last king of Arnor. Is that true?"
"I do not know, love. That was long before my time and has not been my area of study. You must ask someone who was alive then for the truth."
"I don't know anyone who has been alive for that long," Calen said. Lathie raised a bushy grey eyebrow.
"I think you know someone who has been alive much longer."
"Maybe," Calen mused. "But what if he won't talk?"
"I think he will."
...
The docks felt fresh and clean after the putridness of the port town. Eagerly the four of them walked to the White Raider, a welcome sight. Calen already felt like the ship was home. Caston still scowled at the sight of it, but it was better than where they had been. Morien was indifferent.
Much to the surprise of Captain Oros, Fendwall was on the dock speaking with three strangers clad in fine raiment, two were obviously of Elven kind. The third was a dark red headed, noble featured woman with freckles darkening her pale skin.
"Oi, Wolf!" Oros bellowed. "What have you here?"
Fendwall waited until Oros was nearer to introduce them.
"This is Lendethiel," he gestured to the dark-haired She-Elf. Her green eyes glittered darkly as looked at Oros with suspicion. "Talf." Talf was of lighter hair than Lendethiel, but there was something about him that seemed darker than Lendethiel. He wore more simple clothing and carried a light short sword easily at his side.
"And this," Fendwall gestured dramatically to the red-haired girl, "is Princess Norin Estelwen of Dol Amroth."
Norin glared at Fendwall. "I am not a princess."
"You claim to be royalty. Princess you are," Fendwall said. "Tell the Captain how you came to be here and we'll be on our way."
Talf was the first to speak. "We were sailing with the Chamber brothers..."
"Tha' was a mighty big mistake," Oros said. The Chamber brothers were well known to many a captain on the Bay of Belfalas. They were three brothers who co-captained a single massive barque and transported passengers all along the coast. They were better known for dropping of passengers at some tiny port in the middle of nowhere and robbing them of all their coin and valuables.
"So we learned," Talk said heavily. "They abandoned us here nearly ten days ago with nothing save what was on our backs. We've survived doing what little work is available for food."
Oros now noticed that the three of them looked rather thin and haggard. Their fine clothing was also worn and stained. Talf looked worse off than the other two.
"You three know how to sail?" Oros asked. They nodded. "I'll give you free passage if you work hard while you're aboard my ship. That also means you'll be traveling far north for a long time yet, but when our business is done up there we'll take you straight back."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Aye, come on board and Fendwall will fill you in on the details," Oros said. Lendethiel, Norin, and Talf followed their new captain onto the White Raider.
The ship was soon underway, leaving Tolfalas behind and sailing into the open sea. Far off, beyond even the sight of the Elves, dark clouds gathered into a monstrous storm unlike any Oros had ever seen before.
**************************
Haha! I did it!
I am so tired now. I just had the first two day of band camp. So much sun!
Music credited to Benjamin Curax
Welcome On Board [Epic Music/Epic Pirate Music] - Benjamin Curax
July 29th, 2017
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