Disclaimer: All bolded text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.
※ ※
As soon as the sky turned dark, the companions had found their way to the nearest tree to rest for the night. Exhausted from the long trek, in addition to their encounter with the pirates, the three of them had little trouble sleeping and enjoyed a peaceful, undisturbed slumber.
They awoke to the searing bright rays of the early morning sun, and after sharing a small breakfast of honeyed biscuits, started to pick through the path up the Broad River. The vast, sloping plains began to reappear in place of the forests as they walked, and a heavy fog surrounded them on all sides. Eventually, they came upon a small wooden jetty that pushed out a little way over the water. On a pole was fixed a metal sign with a worn picture of a boat below some faded lettering.
"River Queen?" read Jasmine slowly.
She held her hand up to her brow and scanned the glistening waters. Despite her enhanced vision, the foggy blanket sitting on top of the river was thick, and Jasmine had difficulty seeing even thirty feet out. Filli scampered underneath her scarf as she called Kree back to roost on her shoulder, afraid of losing sight of him.
"It seems we are too late," she bemoaned, "there is no ferry here."
The girl turned her back on the water with great disappointment—she dreaded having to walk all the way down to the River Tor a second time. However, just as she was about to take a step, a soft chugging noise, coupled with the tinkering of music, began to permeate through the fog. She glanced out again.
There, materializing out of the grey horizon, was a red wooden boat. A single large funnel towered in the center, expelling puffs of steam and towards the stern was a huge paddle wheel that turned continuously, propelling the ship forward. A sharp whistle blew from its decks, as if announcing its arrival. Jasmine swiveled her head to gaze at the metal post. Could this be the same boat pictured on the sign?
The ship came nearer, and soon her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the name River Queen proudly painted in white on the hull. Suddenly, a short and portly bearded man with a silly-looking hat peered over the side. His nose was crinkled and pointed, and the greying hair on his scalp was pulled into a thick braid. When the man spotted her, he waved.
"You waitin' for a boat, lass?" he shouted over the loud slaps of the paddles hitting the water.
She nodded vigorously in reply.
The man disappeared from view, presumably to shut off the engines of the vessel. And indeed, moments later, the boat began to slow, the paddles of its wheel grinding to a halt next to the jetty. Jasmine blinked as the man came back to speak to her, this time accompanied by a short, hunch-backed creature.
"First, I'm obliged to ask, ma'am," the man said, "you have any money to pay for this here ride?" The girl frowned at his strange speech pattern, which took even more time to decipher than the pirates'.
"Yes, I have money." She dug into her pockets for her bag of coins and pulled out a Dread Gnome gold piece. She then tossed the coin at him, figuring it would be enough to satisfy his seemingly greedy ambitions.
As expected, his face lit up at the sight of the gold and he grinned toothily. "Right this way, ma'am."
Without warning, a wooden plank lowered itself from the side of the ship and onto the dock, forming a makeshift bridge. Jasmine stepped carefully across, but just as she was about to board, a stubby arm blocked her entry. She glanced up to meet the now serious expression on the bearded man's face.
"Before you join us, I have some basic ground rules to share." He held up an index finger as he began to count off his list of regulations. "One, I'm the captain of this here ship, not your bodyguard. Your safety is your own concern, not mine."
Jasmine frowned once more.
"Two, I don't care if you're an Ol or not—that's none of my business as long as you pay—but don't be causin' any trouble with my other passengers, or I'll toss ya into the river to feed the worms." She dipped her head in agreement. Although she doubted the captain would be able to defeat her in combat, she could not help but shudder at the thought of the killer worms.
"And three," he said, pausing to eye the raven on her shoulder, "no pets, whatsoever, allowed."
Her green irises visibly darkened at hearing the man call Kree a pet and she gestured at the creature beside him in spite. "Well, what about him?"
"What about who?" the captain asked innocently, gazing at where she had pointed. "Oh, Chett? He's not a pet, he's part of my crew! And you best watch your mouth around him, young lady."
Jasmine was slightly taken aback by this. How could that hair-covered thing be helpful as crew? It was no taller than a mere child and did not appear very intelligent. As if sensing her judgements, Chett abruptly opened his mouth and spat a wad of dark brown goo at her boots. She gave a cry of surprise and withdrew quickly enough to avoid the projectile, which landed with a sickening splat on the plank.
The captain roared in laughter at his crewman's antics. Jasmine gave a menacing glare, immediately beginning to dislike Chett. Still, she did not find it particularly worth her time to argue and promptly shooed Kree away. The bird took to the skies without protest while Filli obediently remained hidden under her scarf.
Satisfied with Kree's departure, the captain finally lowered his arm. "Welcome aboard the River Queen!"
※ ※
Jasmine lowered her head as she stepped onto the creaking wood of the vessel. The other passengers all looked up, surprised to see a wealthy noblewoman as the newest arrival.
Not one to be intimidated, she stared back at them. One was a rather plump lady, who wore a pink dress and mittens. Her round face was framed by huge bunches of pink curls that clustered over her forehead and cheeks. She nudged the arm of a tall, thin man with a patch over one eye who nodded gravely next to her.
To the side sat two men who were playing cards. They were both bald and rugged-looking with what looked to be animal teeth piercing their earlobes—all-around unfriendly appearances. They took one look at the newcomer and dismissed her just as quickly, returning to their game.
"So how far will you be traveling with us, lass?"
She turned to face the captain. "As far down the Tor as you will take me," she answered simply.
Hearing this, he regarded her suspiciously, but ultimately chose to say nothing of it. "Aye, we'll be reaching the Tor in a few hours, I'd say." He gestured to his crew member. "Ho, Chett! Raise the anchor!"
The simian creature grunted and scurried off. Two puffs of a whistle sounded and she could hear the distinct crinkle of metal. The entire hull then rocked from side to side nauseatingly, pushing the boat away from the dock. The giant paddles began to turn once more and slap against the hard water, sending the girl off on her watery adventure.
Jasmine found an empty bench next to the railing of the ship and claimed it as her own. She gazed out over the rails at the sparkling surface of the Broad River which churned frothy as the River Queen zipped through it. Filli poked out from his hiding spot to join her in admiring the passing scenery and the distant cawing from up above told her that Kree was nearby.
The endless sway of the deck was uncomfortable at first, but a boat ride was plainly much faster than having to trek through the reed beds on foot. Indeed, this was sure to cut her travel time by at least half—perhaps she would even reach the Maze of the Beast ahead of Lief, Barda, and Dain after all!
There was a small pain in her chest as she thought of her friends. Some leisure time away from them had been undeniably refreshing, but she still missed them all the same. Her journey had been admittedly dull without the familiar banter and arguing that she often shared with her human companions. Kree and Filli never disagreed with her—and she appreciated their loyalty—but things were becoming repetitive without any sort of real challenge or opposition.
"Ho-di-ho!" a shrill, and rather feminine, voice cried out suddenly. She turned her head in irritation. The source, a hugely fat man in a striped jersey, was clutching a large painted box with a handle. "Ahoy there, madam!"
Jasmine raised an eyebrow at his unbecoming voice as he wobbled toward her bench. She lifted an awkward hand in greeting. "Uhm... hello."
"Is this seat taken?" asked the man as he gestured towards the empty side of the bench next to her.
"Yes," she lied quickly.
He paid her response no heed as he took it upon himself to squat beside her. Jasmine gripped at her parasol tightly, wanting nothing more than to... persuade the man to sit elsewhere, but she restrained herself. He slowly lowered his obese form onto the wooden bench with a grin.
For a moment, all was quiet, and the girl silently thanked the heavens that he would not begin to talk to her. However, it seemed her recent good fortune had finally dried up and she inwardly groaned as the man opened his mouth to speak.
"I'm Lockie the Stripe!" he introduced.
"I did not ask for your na—"
"And what might you be called, fair lady?" The girl scoffed at his rude interruption. She titled her chin up haughtily and turned her head, having no intention to answer Lockie. This snobbish display, however, did not seem to faze him, and he continued as though they were a pair of strangers in happy conversation: "I'm a musician."
"Is that so?" Jasmine rolled her eyes in boredom.
"Very much so!" He beamed and held up his box as if to prove his point, his thick sausage-like fingers curling around the handle. "Are you a music-lover?"
"No—"
"I am!" interrupted another voice. Jasmine looked up only to feel a small twitch of the eye as she saw that it was the woman in pink who had spoken.
Lockie grinned again. "Well, then you are in for a treat, madam!"
He began to turn the handle of his box and a light tinkering of music subsequently filled the air—the same music she had heard on the jetty. The woman pulled on the sleeve of the reluctant man beside her, dragging him onto the deck. They then swayed to the light notes of the box, plainly either unaware of the stares of the other passengers or simply uncaring thereof.
Jasmine lowered her forehead onto her palm and heaved a great sigh in resignation. She supposed there was no point in trying to convey to the empty-headed man next to her that she did not want his company, and settled on waiting for his arm to tire.
Long, agonizing minutes passed. Lockie continued to jovially turn the handle without pause and the strangely disproportionate couple continued to dance. Filli at some point had retreated back underneath the girl's silk scarf, attempting to muddle the annoying sounds that hammered at his eardrums while Jasmine tapped her boots irately.
Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow emerge from within a cabin. It took a second before she realized that it was Chett. He moved swiftly and silently, pawing his way toward the dancing couple. They were oblivious to his motions and he disappeared from view behind the woman's large frame. When he reemerged moments later, Jasmine drew a sharp breath. In his palms, he clutched a handful of round silver coins—he was a pickpocket!
Her eyes narrowed warily as the music beside her finally began to wind down. "How did you enjoy that, my Lady?" Lockie persisted while the couple that had just been unknowingly robbed settled back down on the other side of the deck. "A fine show, indeed, if I do say so myself!"
But Jasmine ignored his words. Instead, she was fixated on the hunched creature who was now nefariously pawing around the card-playing men. "Tell me about him," she demanded authoritatively while pointing at Chett.
Lockie glanced at where she had gestured. "Why, he's the captain's polypan!"
"What is a polypan?"
The fat man wrinkled his nose at this. "They're a no-good thieving bunch," he whined, patting his pockets nervously. "I have already misplaced at least ten pieces of silver since I came here, and I am certain I did not drop them!"
Jasmine crossed her legs and folded her arms as she vaguely listened to Lockie's whimpers. The polypan had scampered away from the crowd of passengers, and she watched as Chett crept back inside his cabin. The simple fact that the captain employed such a character onboard his vessel was a good enough indication that he was not to be trusted—she was surely going to have to keep herself on high alert.
※ ※
Hours passed as Jasmine continued her voyage on the River Queen. The boat had finally reached the juncture where the Broad River flowed into the Tor, and for the third time, the girl again found herself face-to-face with the village of Where Waters Meet. The saddening view of the abandoned houses disappeared as soon as it came, however, and was eventually replaced by endless green plains.
After a few more distasteful songs, Lockie had at last left her alone to find more agreeable company elsewhere. But though peace and quietude had been firmly re-established around her, the girl still steadfastly refused to drop her guard, aware that this was no ordinary ferry. As such, she tried her best to remain on-edge and ready at a moment's notice in case anything became amiss.
Unfortunately for her, however, the gentle lull of the ship as it sped down the river was proving to be a rather persistent obstacle. It was soothing, really—like being held close to a mother's warm bosom and swayed into wistful silence.
Thankfully though, the sudden heavy clomping of boots nearby broke any chance of her falling asleep and she quickly straightened, alert and at attention. There was a blur of white beside her as the stomping noises grew louder and Jasmine instinctively placed a protective hand over her pockets.
When she looked up, however, it was not the thieving polypan as she had expected, but the captain instead—he bent precariously over the side of the boat, and for a moment, the girl was afraid he would fall overboard. There was a loud click and the chugging of the funnel overhead began to soften as the vessel began to slow without warning. The ship was stopping.
Jasmine looked up curiously at the captain's back. "Have we reached the next station?" she asked.
"Nay. We're being flagged down."
"By whom?" she demanded, but he disregarded her.
He started to wave outward in a manner similar to when she first met him. The captain then cupped his hand around his mouth and roared: "Want a ride, mates?"
A chorus of voices in the distance replied back affirmatively, causing her emerald eyes to widen as her sharp hearing recognized their familiar tones. Could it be? she wondered with a start. But that is impossible!
Just then, however, Kree emitted a low clucking from up above and subsequently confirmed her suspicions: it was Lief and the others. She clenched her gloves into a tight fist and cursed quietly at the inconvenience of it all. Never mind the fact that she had no idea where in the world they had come from, but if they were allowed to board, then her plan would be ruined! It took all her willpower not to cry out in frustration.
By now, the other passengers had also become intrigued as to why the boat had stopped unexpectedly and stood waiting to see what would happen next. Meanwhile, Jasmine verbally protested up at the captain in an attempt to dissuade him from allowing her other companions onboard.
"This is a waste of time," she said haughtily. "If we stop for every lost soul that happens to show up, we will never reach the next station."
There was a murmur of agreement from the other passengers, and the captain seemed to consider this at first. He thoughtfully tapped at his chin and turned to shout out at the three travelers: "Do you have money?"
"Yes!" she heard them shout back.
The captain grinned. "Never let it be said that the River Queen turned away a paying passenger. Let alone three. Ho, Chett!" Jasmine resisted the urge to slap her palm on her forehead at this as the polypan leapt out from his cabin. He obediently rushed to his employer, carrying a small rowing boat in his hairy arms.
She watched in amazement as Chett threw the boat over the side and jumped into it with a splash. Reaching behind, the chunky captain then grabbed a thick rope and swung it down the hull. Minutes later, the thumps of wet boots hitting the side of the vessel could be heard.
A large burly figure, which Jasmine instantly recognized as belonging to Barda, appeared over the railings first. One-by-one, he was followed closely behind by Lief and Dain until, finally, the entire set stood together only a few feet in front of her.
She had to stifle a laugh as she took in their appearances. Their bodies were each caked with mud from the waist down, and none of them seem pleased about it at all. Annoyingly enough, Lockie wasted no time extending a warm welcome to the three males while the pink woman likewise offered her own greeting.
Jasmine saw Lief begin to scan the crowd skeptically, and she lowered her head on instinct, hoping that the scarf would throw his observational senses off. His gaze swung around to her direction, causing her to grow nervous.
She immediately feigned a bored and condescending expression, and thankfully, he did not seem to recognize her. Turning her attention back out towards the river, Jasmine started to twirl her golden parasol nonchalantly while the captain spun his rehearsed monologue at the newcomers.
When she was certain that their attention was no longer on her, she gripped at the handle of her parasol tightly. Her knuckles began to turn white with frustration. Those fools! she fumed to herself. The whole point of going their separate ways was so that they would not meet again until the river's end, and now they just had to have happened upon the same ferry as she?
All things considered, at this point, the girl was seriously beginning to regret her decision to embark on this voyage—especially after having seen the delighted look on Lockie's face at the prospect of having another audience to entertain.
Be that as it may, however, there assuredly was still a faint flutter of excitement in her chest. She was happy about being able to see her friends again, but she also became conflicted on whether she should reveal her identity to them or not. Would it be safe to assume there were no Ols on the ship? She had yet to see a Tremor from any of her fellow passengers, but Dain did mention Grade 3 Ols not having this weakness.
She stole a glance at the Toran boy, who was visibly shaking for some reason as he listened to the captain speak. Perhaps Dain was ill? In any case, the captain eventually concluded his speech and turned to leave. He barked some orders at Chett, who scurried away to the engines. After a small delay, the River Queen lurched forward violently and began to move again.
Soon, things began to settle down as the other passengers returned to their previous occupations. The card-playing men went back to their game, the captain disappeared inside his helm, and Lockie began to turn the handle of his abhorrent box once more—much to Jasmine's despair.
The boys had moved away, and she saw out of the corner of her eye as they wordlessly sat in a bench adjacent to hers. Without thinking, she inched herself closer to them in her own seat. Filli peeped out from underneath her scarf to take a look around. When he saw the others, he started to rub his paws together excitedly but wisely kept hidden nonetheless.
For a long time, the air around them was quiet. Jasmine kept her gaze fixated out at the water while covertly keeping a close watch all the same. They did not seem to have noticed that she had moved closer, and her ears perked up suddenly as Barda began to mutter to Lief and Dain.
"A strange group," the big man said. "We will have to keep our wits about us."
Jasmine hid a smile at his words—she could not have agreed more. It was then that her normally practical self threw caution to the window, and she took a leap of faith: "Indeed."
She had only uttered only a single word, but it was enough. All three males looked up at her, and she waited patiently for the eventual realization to sink in. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as they simply stared at her with a blank slowness.
Suddenly, Lief gave a start and his eyes widened impossibly as he recognized her. He turned to tug on the sleeve of Barda's shirt, whispering to his companions, and upon hearing him, Barda and Dain, too, had similar reactions. Lief looked about to stupidly call out at her, and the girl was quick to bring an index finger to her painted lips. Understanding the gesture, he promptly clamped his mouth shut.
Jasmine turned her head slightly to the side and flashed them all a friendly smirk as if to say hello. A brief feeling of satisfaction washed over her as she saw Lief and Dain both flush brightly in response—even Barda seemed to redden a bit as they continued to stare in disbelief.
Without another sign, she then got up and began to relocate further down the deck away from the others, her heels clicking pompously with every step. She could feel their gazes linger on her back and wagered that at least one of them would feel the need to follow her.
Finding another bench towards the aft end of the ship, Jasmine sat and opened her parasol for the first time, resting it against her shoulder. She reached into her pack and pulled out the small bag of dried plums, nibbling daintily on a sweet. Glancing sideways at her human companions in the distance, she could see Lief murmuring intensely to the other two and pointing at her every so often.
She cleverly bided her time, knowing either Lief or Barda would eventually join her to catch up on important events. Sure enough, a short while later, the former wordlessly claimed the seat beside her. He looked out towards the river with her, and for a minute neither said anything. It was a comfortable silence—one in which words were not needed to express the companionship between them.
In the end though, it was Jasmine who attempted to speak first. "So, where are the three of you headed?" she asked, turning towards him.
Lief blinked at her dumbly at first, not understanding why she would not know. Jasmine saw this, and flicked her eyes to the side. He glanced at where she had signaled, and subsequently scrunched his brows—the woman in pink and her husband were dancing to the music box again, and had moved within earshot. Better to not take the chance.
"The coast," he said slowly, playing along. "We are to reunite with... my sister there."
"I see."
"She was separated from us earlier. I would have hoped she had made it there by now." The subtleties of his words were rather obvious—although indirect, he was plainly asking how she was not ahead of them.
"Maybe your sister was met with some complications along the way," she shrugged.
Lief considered this and nodded. "We just missed her at Where Waters Meet, but I am unsure what became of her after that."
Jasmine smirked. So the boys had found her clues! Credit where credit was due—perhaps they were not as empty-headed as she had originally thought. "It would have been impossible for her to walk to the coast," she said while trying to maintain her best impersonation of an upscale lady. "The reed beds of the Tor are not particularly accommodating this time of year, after all."
"She would have to travel quite a ways back then, yes?"
"It is a very long venture," the girl agreed cryptically. "No doubt, she would have needed to resupply at some point. There are many peddlers, though, who take that path upstream with traveler's goods. Steven B is one such peddler who comes to mind."
"Indeed? Bard—err, Father—thought as much," said Lief, quickly catching his slip up. "As it happens, we came across Steven as well."
Jasmine quirked an eyebrow and crossed her boots over her thighs, not noticing how his eyes absently trailed the motions. It seemed unlikely that they would have happened to meet that strange singing shop owner, too, but she remembered that Steven had been traveling in their direction anyway—a very small world, to be sure. Still, the girl kept her face passive and uninterested, betraying no emotions for fear of any eavesdroppers.
It was then that she remembered the way Dain had been shaking uncontrollably earlier. "Your... brother," Jasmine said in a change of subject. She waited until she was sure that Lief understood whom she was referring to. "Is he well?"
For some reason, a slight frown suddenly marred the boy's features at her words. "Yes, just a little upset," he explained. "He was supposed to leave us when we arrived at Tora, but the captain will not oblige our request. I guess he will have to follow us to the river's end."
Now this was an interesting development. She had not counted on Dain following them to the Maze of the Beast, and in truth, she did not really want him to. Jasmine held no ill feelings towards the Toran boy, but, despite his skills with the bow and arrow, he did seem to be rather faint of heart—it would be tragic if his spinelessness were to slow them down.
Whatever the case may be, it was out of her control now, and as such, she said nothing of it. Instead, she continued to recount her recent happenings:
"There is also the possibility that your sister encountered some of the pirates that run amok along the banks," Jasmine said, tossing her ponytail and causing her earrings to chime as they dangled.
If Lief was surprised by this, he did not show it. Rather, the edges of his mouth twitched back upwards into a hidden grin that twinkled in his eyes. "Oh, I am certain they will not have been any trouble for her. She is a remarkably skilled fighter."
An unexplainable, yet pleasant feeling spread across her chest at the hinted praise, and Jasmine bit at her bottom red lip, not knowing how to reply. Fortunately, when the boy noticed this, he continued in a low voice:
"We have all missed her greatly," said Lief wistfully. "I will be very happy to meet up with her again."
Jasmine turned to look at his youthful face, which had returned to gazing out at the expanse of water. There was a heartwarming sincerity in his words that she could not place—but, for what it was worth, it did not really matter. From beneath her scarf, Filli again popped his head out and began to chatter cheerfully when he noticed Lief, who waved in return.
For the first time since their separation, Jasmine gave a genuine smile. "I have a feeling she will be very happy as well."
※ ※
As the sun set, the reed beds at last gave way to flat drifts of sand scattered with low bushes. The moon rose, only to be covered by cloud almost at once. The two friends continued to share in their familiar companionship for a while longer than planned, but neither of them particularly minded. Jasmine had become relieved when the dancing couple moved away, allowing more freedom in the way they spoke.
Eventually though, as the creeping darkness loomed overhead, Lief returned to the others and the River Queen slowed once more. The captain had announced his intention to stop for the night and that they would start again at dawn.
Filli lay in his guardian's lap and yawned, stretching his limbs outward before curling up to sleep. There was a single caw from above as Kree landed on the roof of the ship to sleep as well. Meanwhile, the other passengers seemed content to pull out their blankets and get a good night's rest, but Jasmine stayed wide awake.
She turned her head to look at the boys. Lief and Dain huddled peacefully on their own blankets with their eyes closed, breathing deeply. Barda, on the other hand, was also awake, sitting with his arms crossed and keeping a vigilant first watch. The big man gave an acknowledging nod when he met her stare.
Jasmine gently stroked the fur of the rodent in her lap and moved to gaze back out over the rails. Her heart was very full. Her friends' arrival might have been an inconvenience to her plans, but she supposed it did not matter as long as they all arrived at the Maze of the Beast safely.
The group had reunited unexpectedly, and just as well, too. After all, it only seemed fitting that the heroes of Deltora faced every danger—and every triumph—ahead together.