"Status?" Garek asked Ithos as he strode onto the deck of the
Arabella
. Jack, Kairn, and Grelik hurried across the gangplank behind him. The two sea dogs nodded to the Captain before taking their leave.
"Go now, lad. And hurry back," Ithos said to Charuk. The young man took off like a shot across the gangplank and quickly disappeared into the city. Ithos turned to Garek with a scowl on his face. "Repairs are underway, Captain. I have runners scouring the city, trying to get the rest of the crew back on board."
"Excellent. Have my wife and the others returned yet?" A hint of concern wormed its way into the Captain's voice.
"Not yet," Ithos said. "And might I ask what in the bloody hell is going on? Here I was thinking we had a week or more in port, and now all hell has broken loose. I don't see how in the name of all that is holy you expect me to get the ship fixed in a day." If anything, the scowl on Ithos' face deepened further. "Even if I have the crew work through the night, the damage caused by that dog's knob-licking Drebin and his damnable black ship can't be fully repaired."
"Peace, my friend," Garek said. "Just do the best you can. We sail tomorrow whatever shape we're in. It seems we are wanted men." Garek filled Ithos in on everything they had learned from Farthen and the Governor.
"Karak's hairy ballsack," Ithos cursed. "We have really stepped in it this time. Aramon-damned snake bellies. Ain't good for a plowing thing other than causing misery." The first mate spat a gob of spit over the rail.
Movement in the square in front of the
Arabella's
berth caught his eye. The promised men of the City Watch were beginning to trickle in. He turned to Garek. "Half the crew is still unaccounted for, including my son."
Garek started to respond, but Jack spoke first. "We won't leave without him," he said firmly.
Ithos gave Jack an intent stare with his one piercing blue eye, noting the Elvenestri sword that now hung at his side. There was something different about the Outlander, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He gave an abrupt nod of acknowledgment at Jack's reassurance before his attention shifted over Jack's shoulder to the pier behind him. "Here comes your wife," he said to Garek.
Garek and Jack both turned in time to see Emma, Ava, and several others striding across the dock. A small cluster of women, perhaps six or seven in number, trailed along behind them. Their silk, floral-colored dresses looked out of place on the rough docks, like swans floating on the surface of a murky swamp.
Emma stopped just short of the gangplank and rounded on the women. "Spread out. Try to blend in." Her tone made it clear she was irritated by their presence. The young women awkwardly fanned out around the square.
She turned away from them and led her small procession across the gangplank onto the ship. The frown on her face softened to a gentle smile when she saw her husband. She was just about to greet him when Aiden rushed past her to scoop his father into a massive hug.
"Alright, alright." Garek laughed and returned his son's embrace, his feet dangling six inches above the deck. "I love you too, son."
Aiden spun Garek in a full circle before depositing him back onto the deck. Garek staggered a step before he regained his footing. Aiden stared at his father expectantly, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet like a child expecting a treat.
Garek didn't disappoint. With a small smile on his face, he produced a pewter figurine from his pocket. It was a tiny knight brandishing a sword and shield, painted with enamel to resemble a knight of the King's army. Aiden sucked in a breath and took the small figure reverently from his father. He took a few steps away and sat cross-legged on the deck. They all watched as Aiden produced the leather pouch that held his small collection of toys and began to play.
Jack fought the lump that formed in his throat and blinked away the sudden tears that threatened. The tragedies that have befallen the Liamans would have broken the spirit of most families. Jack didn't know how Garek and Emma found the strength to carry on after the death of their two sons, not when they were reminded of their loss every time they saw Aiden and how his injuries had reduced his mind to that of a child. Ava had not only lost her brothers but also had to bear witness to the suffering of her parents. Viviane, a vibrant young woman who should be enjoying the love of a virile young husband, had instead been forced by fate into an almost unthinkable circumstance.
"What is that all about?" Garek's question to Emma pulled Jack back from his thoughts. He followed Garek's gaze to the young women on the docks trying with little success to blend in with the usual port crowd.
Emma harrumphed. "Protection, if you can believe it. Though how one Witch, a few Adepts, and some Acolytes are supposed to stop fully-trained Aramonic priests is beyond me."
"What?" Garek asked.
"Oh, it gets better," Emma continued. "The rest of them will be here in the morning, including a Grand Sorceress who is determined to make my life as difficult as she possibly can."
"Wait, slow down, and tell me what you're talking about," Garek said.
Emma took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself. She explained the events that had transpired at the Covenant Chapter house, ending her tale with the news that the Grand Sorceresses intended to accompany them to Panaar.
"It'll be all right," Garek reassured his wife as he pulled her into an embrace.
"I know." Emma heaved a sigh and laid her head on Garek's chest. "I just don't like some other woman coming on my ship and ordering my people about."
"Your ship?" He chuckled and gave her a squeeze before gently pushing her to an arm's length so he could look at her face. His mood turned serious, and he motioned Ava and Viviane to step closer.
"I have some bad news." Garek's expression darkened. "King Roadan is dead."
Viviane gasped. "Uncle Ro is dead?" She clutched her chest and began to cry. Ava managed to overcome her own shock to take the grieving woman into her arms.
"What happened?" Emma asked, her own grief evident in her unsteady voice. King Roadan had been a benefactor and friend. They loved him like family, and his death was one more loss after so many that had come before.
"All I know is he died in his sleep. We will find out more when we get to the capital."
"Yes, we will," Emma said, a determined look on her face. "I will confer with Amalee—"
"My love," Garek interrupted. "Amalee is dead as well."
Emma gasped. "My God, has the world gone mad?"
"There's more," Garek said. "Damoden may be in trouble. I'll explain everything," he added quickly when it looked like Emma was about to interrupt. "But we should all move to our quarters first." The deck of the ship was not the place for them to grieve.
Garek waited until the women had urged Aiden to get up and head below deck before turning to Jack. "I know I promised to expl—"
"No, my friend," Jack interrupted. "Go be with your family. They need you right now. There'll be time for the other stuff later."
Garek clasped Jack's arm and conveyed his thanks with a look before following his family below deck.
Left to himself, Jack looked up and saw that the smaller of the two moons was already visible in the failing light. He turned the other way and looked west, out to sea. The sun, so much like his own in size and color, was dipping below the horizon. It was curious how the sun rose in the east and set in the west the way it did in his own world. He wondered if the similarity was a coincidence or all part of God's cosmic plan.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Ithos asked. He had moved up to stand beside Jack, joining him as he admired the sunset.
"It is." There was no denying the beauty of the waning light as it reflected off the sea in hues of orange and red.
"That sword looks good on you," Ithos said. "Don't see many Elvenestri blades anymore, but it's almost like it belongs to you."
Jack set his hand on the pommel and felt the reassuring thrum of the leyline. He too felt that the sword belonged to him and was eager to talk to Emma about the sword's strange connection to the power of the leylines. Until that opportunity arrived, however, other things needed his attention.
"Is there anything I can do to help with the repairs?" he asked the First Mate.
Ithos grunted and motioned Jack to follow him. Together, they crossed the gangplank onto the dock then walked along the pier that ran parallel to the ship. A wooden contraption had been hastily erected. It was bolted down to the pier and extended out behind the ship to function as a scaffold that hovered just below the damaged area of the hull. Men could stand on the platform and work without having to hang off the back of the vessel.
"We're at a standstill," Ithos explained the lack of workmen. "As you can see, we've removed all the damaged planks." He motioned towards the neat rectangular hole where a jagged, splintered maw had been. "This area is concave and our oak planks," he gestured to the neatly stacked planks sitting on the pier, "are straight and stiff. Normally, we would steam the planks until they were pliable enough to bend, but that takes time that we no longer have. I was going to ask Emma if she or Ava could help, but..." he shrugged.
"What about one of them?" Jack asked and nodded toward the Covenant witches meandering around the dock.
"Worth a try," Ithos agreed. The two men walked back up the pier to the dockside. They approached two young women who were quietly conversing beneath a newly-lit street lamp.
"Excuse me," Ithos said politely. "Might we have a word?"
The two women turned, and Jack saw that the pair was actually a woman in her mid-twenties and a girl who may have been all of sixteen or seventeen.
"Yes?" the older woman asked. The purple diadem that lay on her forehead was held in place by a silver chain woven through her wavy, dark brown hair. The purple stone signified her rank as a full Witch. She was quite tall for a woman and stood eye-to-eye with Jack and Ithos. Her dress was purple as well and loose-fitting at the bodice. The design covered her demurely all the way up to her neck. She seemed mildly annoyed at having been disturbed.
Jack looked at Ithos and shrugged before speaking. "We're performing some repairs and wondered if one of you would be willing to help us mold some wooden planks so they can fit—"
