Chapter 13 : Turning the Tide
Alistair was loading the ship up with supplies. The other Grey Wardens had agreed to accompany him as a matter of duty. One of their own had been taken. There were currently Grey Wardens from Antiva and Orlais in Amaranthine. All were planning to sail to Seheron. The ship was not large, they did not wish to inadvertently start a war with the Q'unari, but it was large enough to hold thirty men.
Alistair had never sailed much in his life. The motion of the water made him a little queasy as he stood on the boat. He tried not to think of it as he double checked some cargo. He looked out at the sea. The trip would go much faster over the water than on land, and they would arrive in Q'unari waters by nightfall. They hadn't yet figured out a way to get past the formidable Q'unari Naval fleet, but Sten assured them he would take care of it. The boat was Sten's. It was the craft he had traveled to Ferelden on years ago. Sten had moored it in Amaranthine when the Grey Wardens had all gathered there to confront the Architect.
Most of the Grey Wardens from Ferelden would be staying behind in case anything happened that they would need to attend to. A few had personally asked Alistair to accompany him on his mission to find Lyssa. Alistair found it hard to choose who should stay and who should go. So many of the Ferelden Grey Wardens had become close to both Lyssa and Alistair over the years.
Messenger birds had been loaded up onto the ship. Connor was enchanting them as Alistair tied down some crates. Alistair joined Connor after he finished his tasks.
"What is it you enchant them with? Do they each get a tiny magical compass attached to their legs so they can tell which way they are going?" Alistair asked smiling.
Connor laughed, "No. I enchant them so they can understand where they need to fly. If you tell them to fly to Denerim, they will fly to Denerim. They know where these places are, they just don't know how to understand us. I help them do that. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. I think Sten is checking the ship one last time before we launch. Everyone is aboard now," Alistair said looking north.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," Connor said touching Alistair's shoulder.
"Well, I hope it is soon. I'm sure most of these birds carry news of my death. I don't particularly like the idea of her receiving that news. I really didn't have a way to let her know otherwise. At least I had a hint. She's just going to have to go on faith," Alistair said.
"You said you sent Gildre, right? Well, at least she is not alone. You're lucky Gildre fancies men. I do not think I would send a handsome young elf off alone with my wife in the woods of Seheron. You know what they say about people in stressful situations like that," Connor said.
Alistair furrowed his brow. "What now?"
"You know, how danger apparently increases the libido and all that," Connor said looking at Alistair, "You've experienced it, surely. Leliana told me once how quickly you and Lyssa became... acquainted with each other while readying for the Blight."
"You know, much as I liked Leliana, I was not that sad to see her go back to Orlais. She had a knack for innocently bringing up uncomfortable topics in her songs. I could never really yell at her about it because it was hard to pinpoint exactly what she said that had made me embarrassed," Alistair said.
Connor laughed. "Well anyway, you won't have to worry about Gildre. Now if it had been you and Gildre lost in the woods, I think Lyssa would have something of a concern."
"Excuse me?" Alistair said whirling his face flushed.
"Oh... I'm sorry. I... you know just idle castle gossip is all...," Connor said quick stepping away from Alistair to busy himself elsewhere.
"Now wait a minute," Alistair said catching up to Connor, "That isn't just something you say and then run off. What are you talking about, castle gossip? I never... Gildre doesn't... In fact he was seeing a young porter not six months ago. Quite infatuated as I recall. Though now that I think on it... I don't think it worked out. Gildre was pretty upset there for a while."
Connor remained silent, not wishing to shove his foot any farther into his mouth.
"There is gossip... about me and... Oh dear," Alistair said.
"Don't worry about it. People will always find something to gossip about. It doesn't mean they believe it. I certainly didn't," Connor said trying to reassure Alistair.
"Lyssa has surely heard it," Alistair said grumpily. "She has those sneaky rogue ears. And she never said a word. She probably thinks it's funny."
Connor found himself snickering and quickly covered up his mouth to stop it.
"It isn't funny," Alistair said trying to sound stern. But then he started to laugh himself, "Oh damn. I don't think I helped much, always coming to our bedchamber's door only in a sheet and pulling Gildre inside. Andraste knows what stories people thought up. The people already think I'm an uncontrollable maniac who thinks of nothing other than sex all the time. What with the chantry incident..."
Connor was laughing but Alistair stopped talking suddenly, his hand going to his mouth. He had just remembered something important.
"Connor... I think we need to leave right now. Tell Sten he doesn't need to check everything a fifth time. We need to go, before our people get sent off to war," Alistair said, an urgency in his voice.
"What is it Alistair?" Connor asked alarmed.
"A gut feeling. You know, one of those things I'm supposed to trust," Alistair said running to the side of the boat. He began untying the huge ropes that held the boat to the dock.
"Right," said Connor and he rushed below deck to find Sten.
Alistair quickly unwound the rope and ran to the other one. He wanted to be underway as fast as possible.
If I am right, he thought, then we have no time to lose.
**
Oghren stared out from among the large crates and barrels at the dock's edge. He was looking at the twenty massive boats sitting in Denerim's harbor. He had seven dwarven rogues with him. One was a young female dwarf from Dust town, obvious from the mark of the casteless she wore on her face. Oghren didn't care though. When he asked for the best saboteurs in Orzammar, her name, Amli, had come up more than once.
Oghren found himself staring at Amli frequently during the trip. She had short dark hair that was neatly braided in an attractive manner. She had sturdy legs and was very good with a blade.
Her hazel eyes turned to Oghren and she smiled at him as she caught him once again staring, obviously ogling her. Oghren turned away blushing.
"I don't mind the attention old man, but you said this mission was of utmost importance to the King and Queen of Ferelden. We should be paying attention to what we are doing, not each other," Amli said coyly.
"I was just wondering why you came with us," Oghren said hastily.
"Well," Amli said thoughtfully, "It is because of the King and Queen that I have done so well with my life. They gave my mother enough money to feed us for many months. She couldn't do much because her kneecaps had been shattered. With the money they gave her, she bought me my first blades. And now it is because of you, old man, that I am topside. Perhaps I will not go back. Perhaps I will try my luck out here, under the sky," Amli said.
Ohgren scratched his beard. "I'm not that old," he said gruffly.
"No? Something to think about then," Amli smiled flirtatiously.
Oghren cleared his throat. "Yes, well, you are right about one thing. This is important. The lad said as much. I've learned to trust the lad about these things. He is uncannily right—all the time. Can't say I like it much. And can't say I like the looks of all that water."
"We need a skiff. Several would be better. Two to a boat. It grows dark. Two dwarves on a skiff would go unnoticed. We could get close, do our work then. By morning the boats would all be unusable. It will only take us minutes to do, but it will take them weeks to repair," Amli said.
Oghren sighed looking at the water. "I can't swim."
"Don't worry, old man, I won't let you drown," Amli said.
Amli started off toward some small rowboats tied up to the docks. The rest of the dwarves followed. They crept down to the harbor to the tiny boats. Soldiers of all types were being broken up into groups. There were too many for Oghren to count. They all seemed eager for battle.
"There are so many of them," Oghren said in awe. "I saw a lot during the battle against the Blight, but the forces were broken up all over the city. I think every soldier in Ferelden is here."
"All because someone killed their queen. Good thing dwarves don't get so riled up about that kind of thing," Amli said.
"Heh, yeah. We'd be having annual civil wars if that were the case. But... we've never seen a queen quite like her," Oghren said wistfully.
Amli looked at him surprised, "You really admire her don't you. But she's a human, a topsider."
"Doesn't matter. She's made of stern stuff. Her and the King really. Though he had to work at it some. I had to teach him a few things myself. I think I managed to dwarf him up a bit," Oghren said.
"You surprise me again old man. First you ask me to join you on this mission, a casteless. Then the whole trip you treat me the same as any other dwarf. Now I find you value the life of a human woman above that of your own king. I find myself liking you old man. Something to think about indeed," Amli said.
Oghren blushed as he spoke. "We should get moving before I lose my nerve. The smell of the water is making my beard curl."
Oghren led the small party down to the water's edge. They could just make out the silhouettes of ships on the dark water. Oghren paired off the dwarves, two in each boat as Amli had suggested. He got in one with Amli. They paddled silently out onto the black water, the skiffs in a tight little flotilla.
"I hope there aren't many people on those ships. I'm supposed to try not to drown too many men," Oghren said softly.
"I suspect the crews are minimal at this point. They'll want to fill the ships to capacity, to get as many soldiers aboard each one as they can. That means soldiers will have to double as shipmates. In any case, what we're planning to do will give them plenty of warning. And, the ships aren't likely to go to the bottom. They just won't be able to sail for a while," Amli said.
"If you say so. I'm no rogue. Traps and sabotage aren't really in my arsenal. I'm more of a cleave-'em-in-half dwarf," Oghren said.
As they neared the boats out on the water, the four little skiffs split up. Amli steered their skiff towards the nearest battleship. The little skiff rocked in the water, making Oghren uneasy. They drifted towards the hull of the huge wooden ship, and then the rowboat clunked against it.
"Push us off a little bit. We don't want to raise an alarm," Amli said as she pulled one of several small bottles from her pouch. Oghren used his ax to keep the tiny skiff from rubbing against the hull of the battleship, while Amli poured the contents of the vial onto one of her daggers. The dagger glowed faintly as the thick substance oozed across the blade.
Amli turned toward the boat and tested the dagger against the wood near the surface of the water. The wood steamed a little at the touch of the coated metal and softened quickly. Amli pushed the dagger further into the wood and it cut through easily. Amli began slicing a sizable hole into the hull, making sure her blade dipped below the surface of the water as she completed the opening.
"Not too big now, we want them to be able to get off," Oghren said still holding his ax against the large boat.
"Don't worry about it. This will just flood the front chamber of the boat. It will still float, but it won't be able to go out to sea until they repair it. They are going to be really upset when the sun comes up. I don't think we'll want to be anywhere near here," Amli said, taking the oars of the skiff and rowing them toward the next boat.
Oghren looked into the Q'unari-sized hole Amli had cut into the hull of the boat. He couldn't see in the boat, but he could hear the water gushing in. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he could swear the boat was beginning to list.
"Are you sure that isn't too big a hole?" Oghren asked.
"It just looks big to you. It can't be too small, or the mages would just fix it with magic. It has to be big enough that they will need to actually repair it before they can sail. Don't worry, I'm good at what I do, remember?" Amli said smiling at Oghren.
Oghren looked back at her and grinned. "Well, in any case, I think you're right about disappearing before morning. They aren't going to be happy at all."
"We should celebrate the success of this mission. We could swing by Redcliffe on the way back home, and get some of that Tevinter Ale I hear they have there," Amli said.
"I like the way you think, woman," Oghren said smiling.
**
When morning came the soldiers in the Ferelden harbor awoke to shouting. Their commander's were pacing the docks yelling and gesturing wildly. Adley had come down to the docks like Teagan had asked. He was pretending to get ready to sail off to Seheron with the rest of the men. He looked out over the sea and had to hide a small smile that threatened to break out. All the ships in the harbor were listing to one side or another. It was clear they were not ready to sail today.
"What do you mean they all have holes in them? Wasn't anyone watching them?"
Adley heard the loud voice of a commander all the way in the middle of the crowd of soldiers. He turned to head back to the castle to report back to Teagan. The soldiers around him began to realize what had happened. Their murmuring rose to low din.
Adley ran all the way to the castle, and nodded at the templars guarding the gate. One of the templars grabbed his arm and Adley's heart stopped beating for a moment. He kept expecting at any moment to be found out and was trying desperately to act normal.
"What's going on at the harbor? There's been all kinds of commotion from there," the templar asked Adley.
"Someone has sabotaged all the ships. We won't be leaving today. I am returning to my duties in the castle until we are ready to sail again," Adley said.
The templar dropped his arm and looked out over the city in the direction of the harbor. He tapped one of the other templars and motioned for him to run down to the harbor to investigate. Adley turned to go into the castle before he could be asked anymore questions. Adley went into the castle and started toward the kitchen where he knew Teagan would be at this time of day. He stopped when he heard a voice behind him.
"Adley? I thought you were sailing out with the fleet today?" the Grand Cleric asked puzzled.
Adley turned and bowed his head slightly out of respect. "I was your grace. The ships have been sabotaged. I don't know much other than we won't be sailing today. You may want to ask the templars at the gate. I think they sent someone to investigate."
"Sabotaged?" the Grand Cleric asked surprised.
"Yes, your grace," Adley said raising his eyes while his head was still bowed. The holy woman was looking down at her feet, concerned.
"You may go about your duties Adley. Thank you for telling me. Andraste's grace be upon you," she said absently.
"And you, your grace," Adley said and he turned back toward the kitchen.
He jogged to the kitchen where Teagan was eating at a small table in the corner. The cooks were busy preparing food for the castle when Adley walked by them. He bowed to Teagan and Teagan motioned for Adley to sit after looking around a little.
"You're back early, Adley," Teagan said in a conversational tone of voice.
"Yes. The strangest thing happened. All the ships that were set to sail today have been sabotaged. The fleet will not be leaving today. From the looks of it, they might not leave this week," Adley said stifling a smile.
"How unfortunate," Teagan said trying to sound concerned, "Adley, will you tell me of it while I take a walk in the courtyard. This is most interesting."
Adley nodded. Teagan picked up a hot sweet roll and tossed it to the young man. Adley caught the bun and smiled as he bit into it ravenously. They walked outside into the courtyard. A couple of templars were patrolling but no one else was present at the moment. Teagan walked up to the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Its tall spire was spraying water down into the large basin below; the sound of the water splashing against the stone masked all the other noises of the castle. Teagan sat on a bench near the fountain and Adley joined him.
"I wonder who did it?" Teagan asked.
Adley had to strain to hear him.
"I do not know, but they did a very thorough job of it. Every single ship was hit. Even the one at the dock," Adley said taking another bite of his roll.
"I bet the new regent was none too pleased," Teagan said grinning down at the ground as he thought.
"No, not a bit. I heard general Bativa yelling from all the way at the back of the crowd. None too pleased would be putting it lightly," Adley said.
"I don't know how much longer we can safely stay here. They are going to look for someone to blame," Teagan said.
"How could they possibly blame you? You have been trapped in the castle for the five days!" Adley exclaimed.
"Yes, but all they need is a scapegoat. Someone they can say was bringing messages to me. I have been getting a lot of cold stares lately. And someone I can trust has told me there is a rumor going around. People are saying that it is very suspicious I was the one to come upon Alistair shortly before he died. It is not safe for you either. I think it is time we leave," Teagan said standing up.
"How do we get you out?" Adley asked standing.
"Come with me. We'll leave together," Teagan said.