7. Flotsam and Fires
"I'm not so sure about this. If Dwarves were supposed to float on water, we woulda' been born with oars for arms and sails for beards!" said Khelgar. The Comrades Three-turned-Comrades Four were walking along the narrow beach towards Highcliff docks. Ahead of them, pulling out into the bay, was a large ship. Kail desperately hoped that it wasn't the Double Eagle. If they were too late to catch the ship they would be stranded in Highcliff indefinitely. Her father had assured her that the ship would be waiting, but what if the captain hadn't been able to wait any longer?
"Don't be a big baby, moss-breath. Travelling by boat is a lot safer than travelling by land, especially if you're being hunted. Trust me, I know," replied Neeshka. Kail shot a glance at Elanee, but the Elven woman said nothing. She had been silent since they left Eridis, and Kail guessed that she was still coming to terms with the loss of her friend, and her Circle.
A loud, wood-shattering sound came from the ship, and she turned in time to see the vessel sink slowly into the water. It floundered for a moment, swaying from side to side, and then began its inevitable plunge to the bed of the bay. Figures, small at this distance, jumped from the ship into the water, and began swimming for the shore. When the boat finally stopped sinking, only the highest part of the mast was visible.
"Right. The High Road to Neverwinter it is. I'll carve me way through bandits and brigands if I have to, but there's no way yer getting me on one of those... those... death-traps!"
"Come on, let's go and find out what's happened," said Kail, breaking into a trot. She felt her heart beat in her chest as she and her companions jogged to the docks. Please don't be the Double Eagle, please don't be the Double Eagle, she thought. Spying a figure stood idly by a second, moored ship, she approached as she caught her breath.
"You's a funny looking bunch," said the Half-Orc sailor, taking in the group with a glance. Kail bit back one of the many scathing replies that tried to jump from her tongue.
"Was that the Double Eagle?" she asked, gesturing at the sunken ship.
"Nope. This 'ere's the Double Eagle," said the Half-Orc. He patted the hull of the ship fondly.
"Thank the Gods," she sighed. "What happened to that ship?"
"Lizardmen," grunted the sailor. "They come at night and put holes in the ships. Any what leaves the dock sink like they was full of rocks. We's all stuck 'ere."
"Can't you just repair the damage and leave?"
"Tried it, twice. Damn lizards is tricky. Didn't even 'ear 'em the second time. Can't catch 'em either."
"Where can I find Captain Flinn?" she asked.
"Gettin' tipsy in the tavern. Top a' the hill, centre of the town. Can't miss it." She thanked the sailor and led her companions up the flight of wooden steps built into the side of the cliff, and the small town of Highcliff greeted their eyes. Here she was content to trust to the uncanny Dwarven ability to unerringly find the closest supply of ale, and they all followed Khelgar to a small tavern in the centre of town.
A motley gang of sailors were standing around outside the tavern, and Kail concentrated on their conversation as Khelgar led the way inside; most of them were complaining about the lizardmen and the poor quality of Highcliff's ale. The inside of the building wasn't much different, and although there were a great many sailors packed into the tavern, rubbing elbows with local farmers, it seemed almost too quiet. Her hands itched to pick up her flute, to try and lighten the oppressive mood, but she kept them firmly away from the instrument. She was here to catch a ship, not to play music.
"Captain Flinn?" she asked of the bar keeper. He nodded to a man sitting alone at a small table, nursing a tankard of watery ale. She thanked him, and slipped into the chair opposite the man as Neeshka, Elanee and Khelgar reallocated chairs for themselves from other tables. "Captain Flinn?"
"That's me. Captain of a ship that can't sail. Have you come to rub salt in my wounds?" he asked despondently.
"No. My father, Daeghun, sent me. He said you could take me to Neverwinter."
"Ah, so you're Daeghun's whelp. The old man still playing farmer in that swamp, is he? Well, right now, it wouldn't matter if Talos himself sent you with good tides and favourable winds. I still wouldn't pull out of the docks."
"Your... ah... Half-Orc mentioned something about lizardmen..." she prompted him.
"Damn things are sabotaging the ship faster than we can mend it. We tried putting nets out, but they just cut right through them. Until they're stopped, I won't risk leaving." He downed the last of his ale and called to the bar keeper for another tankard.
"Why are you drinking so much?" she asked him.
"Do you know what it's like to lose thousands of gold worth of cargo?"
"No, I've never been in a position to lose that much gold before."
"Well, that's why I'm drinking so much. I tell you, it's almost enough to make me wish I was a farmer. And you know things are getting bad when you wish you were a farmer."
"I'm a farmer," she said, raising an eyebrow at the Captain.
"Ah, that's right." He sniffed. "Got that smell about you. It's like... peat moss, on your clothes."
"He's right, lass. We're going to have to do something about that odour of yours," Khelgar said.
"I like the smell of peat moss," sniffed Elanee. "It's much nicer than the smell of taverns."
"Back to the lizardmen," said Kail, resisting the urge to twirl one of her knives around her fingers. Gods, was she going to have to put up with comments about the smell of the swamp for the rest of her life? If one more person mentioned it, she would not be held responsible for her actions. "Do you have any idea where they're striking from?"
"If I knew that, I'd tell Elder Mayne to do something about them," said Flinn.
"Alright, where can we find this Elder?" she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"He'll be around in the village somewhere," the Captain shrugged.
"Then I'll go and speak to him about this... problem." She raised an admonitory finger at Flinn. "Don't go anywhere."
"Har bloody har," he said, raising his tankard to her and taking a swig as she led her companions outside.
"Lass, maybe ye shouldn't antagonise the sailors. No telling what they'll do to ye out on the open water. Why, you could wake up at the bottom of the ocean!" said Khelgar, shooting the nearest sailors a defiant, yet oddly small, glare.
"Forget about the sailors for now. At the rate things are going, we're more likely to die of old age before catching a ship from here." She caught the arm of a local-looking passerby and asked for directions to the Elder. And Elder Mayne, when they found him, was indeed an elder. He looked to be about fifty going on two hundred. His face was a burdened mask of anguish, and he looked as if he hadn't had a moment's sleep in months. He gave them a pained glance as they approached.
"Elder Mayne?" Kail asked.
"Yes, how can I help you?" he sighed.
"We have heard that you have a problem, and we would like to help."
"Which problem do you want to help with?"
"You have more than one?" she asked.
"Missing people, lizardmen attacking farms, ships being sunk, brigands on The High Road... to name those out of the ordinary."
"The lizardmen. Any idea where they're coming from?" He eyed her for a moment.
"No. But I won't send anybody after them. It'll only lead to your deaths, and I won't have that on my head," he replied.
Kail sighed. All she wanted was to get to Neverwinter. She didn't want to deal with everybody else's problems. She didn't want to be responsible for the fate of Highcliff. They thought they had problems now? If the creatures following her found her here, they would raze this stupid town to the ground. Highcliff would burn just as West Harbor had. If these people couldn't even deal with lizardfolk, how would they ever manage to fend off Duergar and Bladelings? Not to mention that mage who killed Amie... She turned her attention back to Elder Mayne, slipped one of her knives from her bracer, and flipped it casually over the knuckles of each finger whilst her insides started burning with anger.
"I think you misunderstand, Elder. I am going to Neverwinter. On the Double Eagle. Which will sail from this port in two days time. You will tell me how I can find out more about these lizardmen, and I will see that they stop bothering you. If you are worried that my companions and I cannot take care of ourselves, you may send one of your men back along to road to Fort Locke, to examine the trail of bodies that litter my path. Now. Where. Do. They. Come. From?"
"Err... I don't know. But if you speak to Shandra -- she's one of the farmers, and the only one who has remained on her farm whilst the lizardlings have been burning them down -- she might be able to tell you more. I... err, would appreciate anything you can do for us." She smiled and handed the man her map and a charcoal stick.
"Shandra's farm?" He scratched a quick mark onto the map, and handed it back. "Thank you. I will see you again in two days, Elder. Have the Double Eagle ready." Then, because the tiny voice of Lucas was prompting her from the corner of her mind, she lifted an imaginary hat and bowed low to the man with a flourish of her cape, before whirling around to lead her companions to the road out of town.
o - o - o - o - o
Khelgar, Neeshka and Elanee had been unusually quiet on the trek to the farm. They probably thought she was crazy. She didn't mind. It meant she had a little more peace and quiet than usual. She hadn't realised it until now, but travelling with people taxed her, mentally and emotionally. Physical exertion was nothing new to her, of course; everybody in West Harbor pulled their weight and worked together, and she often travelled around the lands adjacent to the Mere with Daeghun. No, it wasn't her stamina that was being strained on the journey to Neverwinter -- it was her social skills. Growing up as an only child, with only one parent, she had become used to quietness, used to slow, predictable conversations, used to amusing herself without having to rely on others. And even when she had become friends with Amie and Bevil, it had been a... natural sort of friendship. They often understood each other intuitively, didn't need to explain their motives, their feelings. They all understood that Amie was talented and intelligent, that Kail was a little eccentric, that Bevil was placid and dependable. Amie had been the brains of their friendship. Bevil had been its strength. And Kail was its heart. We were children. And now I have to grow up.
During their travels, she had come to a deeper understanding of her current companions. Khelgar reminded her of Bevil, a little. He was brave and honest, and didn't shirk his responsibilities. Neeshka, like Amie, was quick and intelligent. She was honest, in her own special way, but also had a wicked sense of humour, though she wasn't usually malicious. Elanee was a contradiction. At times the Elf seemed to take on a motherly role, but she was quick to make an immature quip if the occasion arose. Most of the time she seemed at peace. Serene. But there was also an air of deep sadness about her, as if she had lost everything dear to her and never gotten over it. Probably all this 'Circle' stuff, she thought to herself.
"Eh, this looks like the place..." Khelgar's words broke her out of her reverie as the companions stepped off the wooded path and into a flat open space. A large barn and a small house stood at the side of the large clearing, and the nearby fields were empty, their crops only recently harvested. Overhead, Kail's crow let out a cry, then landed on one of the resident scarecrows, perching on what passed for a shoulder. She smiled at the irony.
"What are you doing here?" asked a voice from the nearby house. "Did Mayne send you?" A woman stepped out of the doorway; sun-blonde hair fell in waves and tumbles to her upper back, and eyes the colour of light hazel regarded their group with suspicion. In her dusty hands she held a pitchfork, and she looked as if she knew how to use it.
"We are the Comrades Four mercenary group," said Kail, giving the woman a bow and a flourish. Oh yes, she was definitely in performance mode now. But... maybe 'adventuring group' sounded better than 'mercenary group'. Less formal, less military. But less professional. She made a mental note to ask the others' opinons on it later. "And yes, we're here to put a stop to the lizardmen."
"Well it's about time. I've been waiting for Mayne to get off his hands and do something about it for a long time. I would have tried to find them myself, but I haven't been able to leave my harvest. In fact, I should be making my yearly run through Port Llast and Ember right now. I have friends there who are relying on these goods. But, with the problems on The High Road, and now these attacks by the lizardfolk, I just haven't been able to leave."
"Problems on The High Road? You mean these brigands we've been hearing about?" asked Khelgar. Kail could almost hear him thinking of travelling that way instead of by ship. Ah, master Dwarf, you're in for a disappointment.
"Brigands? I suppose it could be," Shandra admitted reluctantly. "All I know is that nobody who's left for The High Road has been seen again. And worse there have been reported sightings of... things, walking. Corpses and the like."
"I hate the undead," said Kail with feeling. "Are there any graveyards around here?"
"No. The big one by Fort Locke is the closest, and that's one of the smaller ones. So many people died during the war with the King of Shadows long ago, that their bodies just stayed where they fell. Some farmers can't take a plough to their fields without turning up an old weapon or two. And it's said there were demons involved in the fighting as well."
"I thought I felt something," said Neeshka, giving an involuntary shiver. "It's in the ground, all around us. Like I can sense a very old demonic presence." Kail reached out and gave the Tiefling's arm a reassuring squeeze.
"The living dead aside for the moment, how long have these lizardfolk attacks been happening for?" she asked Shandra.
"For the past few months, at least."
"A few months?" asked Elanee, appearing to be listening to the conversation for the first time. "Then these lizardfolk may have come from the Mere."
"What do you mean?" Kail asked.
"Over the past few months, tribes of lizardmen have been leaving the Mere, and I believe that something has been driving them out. They may have been forced to resettle here," the druid explained.
"Well, I'd be more than happy to leave them alone, as long as they leave us alone. But with everything that's happened... the ships in the harbour being sabotaged, and our livelihoods being burnt down..." Shandra let the sentence trail off.
"Has anybody been killed?" asked Kail.
"No, thankfully not. Only the ships and the crops have been damaged."
"It's strange that they haven't killed anybody," said Neeshka with a thoughtful expression. She turned her deep red eyes to Shandra and gave her a tiny smile. "I've heard they... ah... eat people." The other woman paled.
"It could be that the lizardfolk are afraid to push the townspeople too far," Elanee suggested.
"I'm not sure how much further these folks can be pushed!" exclaimed Khelgar.
"The shedding of blood amongst lizardmen tribes is... different," the Elf explained. "Whilst damaging items or property is more... well... territorial."
"Do you know where the lizardmen are striking from?" Kail asked Shandra.
"Well... at first I thought that their base must be somewhere near water, but now I'm not so sure. A few days ago I noticed campfires up at the old Castle ruins."
"What Castle?"
"Highcliff Castle. It's not far from here, and was once a pretty important Keep in the war. Still, I'm not sure if it even is lizardmen up there. I've only seen the fires for the past few nights, and these attacks have been happening for months. But I'll mark it on your map for you, if you like." A blur of movement by the buildings caught Kail's attention, and her head snapped up to the figures sneaking into the barn.
"Ah... you better turn around," she said to Shandra.
"Why, what's behind..." she turned in time to see flames lick at the side of her barn, and then the dry thatch roof caught alight too, "...me. My barn! The harvest! They were here, waiting for me to drop my guard, waiting for me to turn my back..."
"I'm sorry," said Kail. "We didn't mean to distract you." Shandra squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.
"Look. If you're going to help, do it. I'm tired of meaningless words, and the Elder, and... everything. Without our harvests, we won't make it through the winter. We need the shipping routes opened, and we need it now. So please... do whatever it is that you came here to do, and leave me to sort out my barn."
Khelgar opened his mouth but Kail put a finger to her lips and shook her head. This was one battle the Dwarf could not win. Silently, she led her companions back to the path. The crow flapped its wings, rising from the scarecrow to follow them with a raucous cry, and even though she couldn't understand what the animal was saying, she was left with the impression that it was, in its own bird-like way, laughing.
