This is the fourth part of the series Sheaf's Chronicles. The first part is Sheaf Sets Sail. The previous part is Keyreith Rises.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Saúte, Old Friend

Splinters flew through the air as a cannonball hit the ship. The crow's nest rocked back and forth, and Sheaf kept a tight hold onto the railing. As soon as it was still, he pulled out a spyglass and started identifying the enemy soldiers. He found the captain, helmsman and first mate quickly, as well as an easy way under deck and to the captain's quarters

The captain was at the stern, shouting orders over the battle. Within seconds, a volley of cannonballs ripped through the galleon's hull. As the Cockatrice took return fire, all its sailors hit the deck. This back and forth was now familiar to Sheaf, who had been sailing with the Cockatrice for five years. As soon as the Navy's Windsplitter finished her barrage, everyone got up, and prepared their own return fire. Hot metal flew out of the cannons, and into the hull of the other ship, once again piercing it. A cheer rippled through the crew as a fire broke out on the enemy galleon, apparently caused by a cannonball striking a powder barrel.

"We're not done yet, set out the hooks, we're boarding them!" Captain Nimma yelled out at her crew, and they complied. In an instant, hooks were flung out from the ship, and they strained as the crewmen hauled the ship closer. Nimma looked up at Sheaf, who nodded. She gestured at him, and he hopped the railing of the crow's nest. He landed on the top of the sail and started running towards the other ship.

He recalled when he first attempted this tactic. He practiced it when the ship was in clear, open sea, stranded for lack of wind. He very carefully dropped onto the wooden post holding the sail, and gripped with his talons. He stepped across, making his way to the edge of the sail with little problem.

Over the years, he had practiced and perfected this technique to the point where he could run across a slick post in the wind, as he did now. His talons gripped the wood below him as he made it to the edge of the sail. When he did, he leapt to the galleon's sail, and continued to move toward the mast.

As was typical of the Navy, the Windsplitter's scout had made his way to the deck, to fight the invading pirates. Sheaf pulled a length of rope wrapped around his chest and tied it snugly to the rail of the crow's nest. Once it was secure, he slid his way down to the deck, whilst all the attention was directed to the pirates boarding the ship on the starboard side. Sheaf slid from cover to cover, using his ki to pass by without a trace. He made his way to the captain's cabin, walking through the door and closing it behind.

Once inside, he removed his hood and started searching through documents. He found several that he wanted, and began studying them. Soon, he had them memorized and set them back where he had found them. He turned his attention to the door as someone began to open it in a panic. Sheaf quickly took cover behind the desk and prepared to make an escape. He heard the door slam and checked who came inside.

He saw the Windsplitter's captain in a panic, panting and hiding behind the door. His face was red and he locked the door behind him. He walked towards his desk, and Sheaf slid out from behind it, coming right behind the captain before sharply striking the back of his head. The captain's eyes rolled in his head as he collapsed, unconscious. Sheaf gathered him and hefted him over his shoulder. Nimma would be happy about such a prize.

Sheaf opened the door and peered out, seeing the battle roaring as ever. Sheaf tied a makeshift harness to help him carry the captain, and ran to the side of the ship. He caught the attention of one of his crewmates, the tabaxi called Plume. Plume saw Sheaf's hostage and nodded, throwing a length of rope hanging from the sail to him. Sheaf took it and tied the captain, secure and tightly. He pushed the unconscious captain with great force and Plume caught him, smiling and untying him. Plume sent a salute toward Sheaf, but then his face fell and he started frantically pointing.

Sheaf turned to see that he had been cornered by several crewmen, who were now brandishing swords his way. Sheaf glanced back at Plume, who was frantically trying to untie the captain and free the rope. Sheaf turned back to his foes and slowly pulled out his blade. He took up a defensive stance and watched the sailors closely. One stabbed for Sheaf's chest, but was quickly parried. Another tried to swipe at his legs, but Sheaf jumped over the blade and kicked the attacker.

Plume watched all this as he tried to work out the knots in the rope. He shook his head as he watched the kenku fight; whoever taught him did a damn good job. He turned back to the rope. Sheaf's knots were lovely, but the rope was frayed and caked with sea salt, so the rope was being rather stubborn. Plume muttered and cursed under his breath as he decided to forgo the process and cut away at the lowest point he could. He pulled out a dagger and started sawing away at the rope, strand by strand snapping away until the captain fell unceremoniously onto the deck.

He threw the rope to the Windsplitter, yelling out to Sheaf, "jump for it!" Sheaf turned and saw the rope swinging his way, much shorter than before. It swung to him, a meter short of the deck. In a fluid movement, Sheaf parried a final attack, sending the sailor spinning in a circle, sheathed his sword and leapt toward the rope. Plume watched gleefully as Sheaf grabbed the rope and swung back to the Cockatrice, landing smoothly.

Captain Nimma saw that Sheaf had returned, and called all her crew back to the Cockatrice. Pirates ran, leaping to hanging ropes and making their way quickly to their ship, as the grappling hooks were released and the Cockatrice sailed away. As soon as they were far enough away, Nimma called Sheaf into her cabin.

"What did you get for me, bird?" She asked, the her name for him more a playful teasing than anything else at this point.

"Plenty. It seems that ship was the head of a fleet, temporarily sent on its own for a supply run, captain. I found names, courses and detailed cargo loads for a fleet of thirty ships, all of King Dusktone's Navy, save about three mercenaries hired for expendable cannon fodder and a single civilian merchant tagging along."

"Thirty ships? What the hell are they moving?"

"Arms, it seems. To a port city by the name of Saúte."

Nimma nodded and set her hands down on the desk. "We go there first. I want to know where those arms are going and why Duskstone wants so many there. We're due for a restock anyway."

"Agreed. Much of the crew is in want of some time on land as well, Saúte seems to me in our best interests"

A knock at the door disrupted them. Nimma looked to the glass set into the door and saw Pim waiting. She called him in.

"Pim, I was just wanting to see you. Sheaf found some very interesting information on that last raid, we're setting a course for Saúte."

"Oh, very good, captain. I have some bad news. We took a cannonball in a bad place that last fight, we need to stop somewhere soon. Saúte's pretty close, that should do the job."

"Alright, thank you, Pim. Get some people to patch what they can until we arrive." She turned to Sheaf. "You're relieved for now, bird, get some rest."

Sheaf nodded and left the cabin. He found his way to the bow, where Plume was absentmindedly shuffling a deck of cards. He noticed Sheaf approaching, and greeted him.

"Hell of a job out there, Sheaf. Who needs wings when you can jump like that, right?"

Sheaf nodded. "We're headed for Saúte, so it looks like you will get your time on land after all."

Plume looked up. "Saúte? You sure about that?"

"Yes. You have told me about it before, it's nothing we cannot handle."

Plume shook his head, looking out at the setting sun. "It's something new. I heard this back at that shantytown we were in a month back, I can't believe I haven't told you.

"There's this… vigilante, in Saúte. He showed up maybe two years back. Apparently he'd been all around before that, but now he's set a base in Saúte. They call him the Belker. All the time, like out of smoke, he'll show up and kill you before know he's there. It seems like he's got some weird sense of justice, he tracks down criminals and such.

"Seriously, Sheaf, from what I've heard, we do not want to be around this guy. A pirate ship is going to be the biggest flare saying, 'oh, please come kill me' he's ever seen. I mean, I'm not saying we don't go, I'm saying we need to be real careful. Can't make any funny moves while we're in town."

Sheaf nodded. "You should tell Captain Nimma. I might try to find a bit more about this Belker while we are in town."

Plume shook his head. "Well, if anyone can track him down… you watch yourself though, this guy's serious beans."

"We have a few hours anyway, why not deal those cards?"

Plume nodded, a smile back to his face. He always loved playing against Sheaf, as the kenku provided constant challenge and always forced him to find a new way to think about the game. They played for a few hours, chatting and watching the waves, lighting a lantern when it became too dark. The two were remarkable with their endurance, Sheaf due to his training and Plume by forced practice. As dawn broke, they still were playing cards and chatting away.

"Land ahead!" called the reserve scout, an elf picked to stand in while Sheaf rested. Plume gathered up his cards and and stood, tamping them into a pack. Sheaf stood as well, and watched as the town moved into view. It was a quaint but busy port town, the buildings square and squat, leveled against each other tightly, narrow roads and alleys between them.

Nimma stepped up to the helm, addressing the crew. "Alright, we're going to restock and repair the ship, save any crew I've already spoken to, you're on shore leave 'till tomorrow. I want you all back here before noon, aye?"

The crew responded happily, having wanted this leave for weeks. In rough file, the crew left the ship and stepped onto the docks, shaky from being at sea for so long. Sheaf set out with them, hoping to find more information on both the Navy's arms shipment and this Belker. He wound around the streets and alleyways, looking for places likely to have information. He found himself in a dark and stuffy bar, surrounded with lowlifes and all sort of unsavory types, just the people he was looking for.

He sidled to the bar, and gestured to the bartender. He was familiar enough with these sorts of places to know he only served one thing. A cup was set in front of him, filled with some dark liquid. He lay down a coin and took the cup, but didn't drink, instead turning to the man sitting next to him.

"I am new around, just sailed into port. Anything I should know around here?"

The man looked at him suspiciously, and took a drink. "No more than any other dive. Saúte's a good place to lay low these days, but not much else. Not lest the Belker gets after you."

"Belker?"

"Mm. Never heard of anything like him, myself. Figured him for an empty myth, until I saw him myself."

"Tell me about it."

The man took a swig of his drink, and turned his body to face Sheaf. "I was walking around town, minding my own business, right? Just a nice little late-night walk to clear my head.I turned the corner and saw some Jimena doing something. It weren't my business, so I turned around, didn't want to bother with them."

"Jimena?"

"Right. There's two clans around here, both think they own the place. They do as they please and kill anyone who gets in the way. Named after their leaders. Jimena is one, the other's the Yiguays.

"Anyway, I see them working some deal, and I go to get out of that. Suddenly, all around is smoke. I can barely see a thing, and as it clears I see some crazy in a robe kicking the tar out of those Jimena like it's nothing. Must be some sort of wizard or some mage, because he was summoning fire and knocking around those Jimena like they were nothing. Pretty soon, they were all dead, like nothing. He wears a mask, but I'll never forget this. He looked right at me, just as he had finished killing the rest. There was a deep glow coming out his mask, an angry, evil green. My heart stopped. Then he looked up and jumped away, and he was gone, like that."

Sheaf nodded. He got up and toured the bar, looking for more information than a single drunk. Everyone who would talk to him said similar things, either passing on stories or telling their own. He was no closer to knowing what the Navy fleet was up to, but this Belker clearly was after the two clans.

He left the bar and searched the town again, this time prowling for the clans. He turned up empty though, and decided to return after nightfall. He made his way back to the docks, where he found Plume entertaining a crowd with some elaborate, mostly true story. He watched, shaking his head at his friend's tricks. Plume reached the climax of his story, and the crowd started to thin out, most clamouring about the tabaxi's tale. Sheaf stepped up to him and Plume joyfully greeted him, pleased after a rousing performance.

"So, Sheaf, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Somewhat. I still do not know what Dusktone is doing, but I have learned about the Belker. I need to kill time until night, I want to find him."

"You sure you want to find him, Sheaf? This guy is pretty bad news."

"I have a feeling this Belker is connected with all this, and anyway, I do not intend to leave this a mystery."

"Fair enough. Well, if it's time you want to kill, come along with me. We can meet some of the locals, it should be fun."

Sheaf nodded and followed him into the square. They weaved around the market, looking at wares and talking to townspeople. Sheaf was enjoying himself when he saw someone who caught his eye. He excused himself from Plume and approached a familiar-looking half-elf.

"Key?"

She turned around, a puzzled look on her face. When she saw Sheaf, it broke into a broad smile. "Sheaf? Is it really you?"

Keyreith had changed a lot since he had known her, but in fairness that was seven years before and she was just a girl then. "You look very different," he said, happy to see her again.

"And you don't one bit, what are you doing in Saúte?"

"I came in on a ship, we needed to stop somewhere."

"Is that all?"

"There is some business we have here, but that is not important. It has been far too long, Key, it's great to see you again."

Key smiled, "Agreed. If there's anything I can help you with finding your way around Saúte, let me know."

"Actually Key, I have a question. What do you know about the Belker?"

Sheaf saw something flash in her eyes, and her expression changed instantly. "Why do you want to know about the Belker?"

"I believe he has something to do with what has brought me here."

"Like what?"

Sheaf wore a confused expression. "Why are you so evasive about the Belker, Key?"

She hesitated, eyes shifting. "It's just dangerous, that's all. He's bad news. You should stay away." She was suddenly very closed off. Sheaf figured the Belker was a sore spot for her. Another reason to find him, then. He was going to change the subject, when she spoke up. "Maybe I can help you, though. Tell me why you're here."

Now was his turn to be evasive. He didn't want too much about the Cockatrice's intentions floating around, and anyway he wasn't sure what she'd think of his latest line of work. "Perhaps… do you have somewhere more private we can talk? This isn't something I want floating around."

She nodded. "Sure, why don't you come to my house? I have somewhere I need to be later tonight, but you're welcome for the moment." She led him away from the crowd and down some twisting streets, coming to a small building.

"This is where I live," Key said, unlocking the door. She waved him in and he saw the room inside was sparse, but had what she would need and was more than enough. It was certainly more extravagant than his below-deck living situation, anyway. She sat down on a chair, inviting him to another one.

"This should do it. So, Sheaf, why are you here?" Key asked, putting her elbows up on her knees.

"I'm responsible for investigating a curious shipment being brought here by Duskstone's Navy in a few days. They're bringing many weapons here, which seemed odd to my captain. We needed to restock anyway, so we stopped in port. I have an odd feeling that the Belker is somehow connected, and I'm curious anyway, that's why I asked you about him."

"King Duskstone is bringing weapons to Saúte? They barely have a presence here though, Saúte is pretty removed from the crown. Maybe they plan to put soldiers in the town?"

Sheaf thought about it, then shook his head. "Why would they transport the soldiers and the weapons separately? It would make much more sense to bring them here at the same time."

Key threw up her hands. "Well, I don't know what they're up to, but I'll keep an eye out for you." She glanced out the window. "I need to go, and you probably shouldn't be around while I'm not. Not that I don't trust you, but… yeah, anyway, you should go." Sheaf nodded, standing and walking to the door. As he opened it, Key spoke.

"Hey, it really is good to see you. Maybe we can do some real catching up tomorrow?"

Sheaf nodded. "Of course, Key. I've missed you." As he closed the door, Key smiled, and bid him goodnight.

The first chapter, with many more to come soon. The whole story is written, I'm editing chapter by chapter and they'll come as soon as they can. In the meantime, I now have a Tumblr, if anyone has any interest. Somewhere I can be more interactive and put out shorter blurbs, take suggestions and all that good stuff. I'm Weecocoflakes on Tumblr.