Consciousness was some time in returning to the young stoat, and when it did it was an unpleasant experience. His numbed paws were tightly bound to his sides, and in the areas where he had not lost feeling, the ropes dug into fur and flesh with a vengeance. For the sake of something to do, he inspected the room in which he was being held.
He was lying on a stone slab that was covered with a soft blanket, obviously to serve as a bed. Aside from a small table and a woven rug, the room was bare. An unlit candle sat in a wall sconce by the window. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the rough curtains and pooled in odd patterns upon the floor. So he wasn't underground, then.
The room's only door was made of thick oak, and locked from the outside. No escape there. The combination of dehydration, pain, and fatigue made staying awake a challenge, and with a sigh he fell into darkness once more.
The jollyboat had drifted far out into the ocean on a vaguely eastern course, urged on by the breeze and the tides. There was no land to be seen; all around was the vast expanse of blue-green water. Twilight was gathering, and the first few stars could be seen pricking through the darkening skies. In a sudden strong wind, the little vessel rocked violently to one side, and seawater splashed up into the face of its only occupant, shocking her awake.
The arrow had only pierced the Corsair's shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Kasivar sawed through the shaft with her dagger and managed to remove the arrowhead. When she had finished, the wound was bleeding freely; removing the silken scarf from her brow, she bound it around the injured shoulder and sacrificed one of her earrings to hold the makeshift dressing in place.
A dirty sailcloth sack was stowed beneath one of the seats. Tugging it out, the weasel undid the drawstring and emptied the bag's contents onto the floor of the boat.
It was not much in terms of survival, a mere fallback if the raid went awry and they could not return to the ship. A small bag of provisions and two canteens, one of water and the other containing good seaweed grog. At the moment, however, the sack's third item was far more important than food or drink to the marooned Corsair.
Unfurling the large roll of stained, slightly damp parchment, Steelwave traced the map with her paw. There was that damned mountain, guarding the southwest coasts. To the northeast was forest, marked Mossflower. Beyond the woods, there were a few northerly mountains, but mostly flatlands- probably desert, she reckoned. No use going there, even if she knew what direction to take. Having been unconscious for most of the little voyage, Kasivar had no way of knowing how far away she was from shore, or in what direction she'd drifted. Cursing her bad luck, the Corsair considered her next move.
By now night had fully arrived, and being without lantern, flint, or steel, the weasel was literally in the dark. There was no hope of being able to read the map or a compass, but one last option remained.
Throwing back her head, she stared up into the heavens, quickly locating the North Star with a practiced eye- heading toward it would do. Anywhere but back to that mountain.
The next morning brought the beginning of a seemingly ceaseless drizzle, with the sky a blank and dismal gray. With some surprise, the stoat awoke to find that the ropes had been removed from his paws and that two creatures were once more standing over him.
No pirates this time, but scarcely any better. One was the sergeant who had ordered him taken captive after the fight on the shore. The second... He was not even sure what manner of beast it was.
It was male, and resembled a very large fox in the general shape of his body. But his pelt was like that of no fox he had ever seen- a perplexing mixture of gray, brown, tan, and tinges of coppery red, with darker fur tipping the bushy tail. Clever golden eyes gazed down at him above the long muzzle. He was dressed in a simple dark tunic, surmounted by a gray coat richly accented with silver and gold thread.
Clearing his throat, the hare spoke.
"I see yore awake, vermin. What have y'got to say for yourself?"
The young stoat tried to answer, but his voice came out as an unintelligible rasp. The sergeant pulled a canteen off his belt and handed it over. Although his limbs began to shake with the effort, he managed to sit up and drink slowly. Now speech came more easily.
"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly, unsure of what the response would be.
He called me 'vermin,' and up till now I was bound and locked away in this room. They must assume I'm a threat.
The hare was evidently surprised at the calm response. "Ahem, well, first things first, wot. What's your name, laddie?"
"Darikan, sir, but most beasts just called me Kan for short."
"Right, then. Kan it is, I ain't got the time for your full appellation. What's yore purpose in coming to our mountain, eh?"
"I wasn't headed toward this place, just passing by," Kan answered, slightly indigant. "I was travelin' south down the coast, when I was waylaid by the Corsair an' her crew."
The hare's eyes narrowed. "You aren't lying, are ye, stoat? You an' your kind have brought nothin' but misery and death to goodbeasts for generations. Where were you really going, and why?"
Kan glared back, angered by the sudden accusations. He was about to snarl at the officer when the other beast once again intervened.
"Peace, Merrond. He needn't tell you everything about 'is past-have I?" The sergeant grunted dismissively, but held his tongue.
"Darikan, I have an offer to make of ye. Wait, I see ye've another question."
"If you don't mind me askin', sir," the stoat replied nervously, "...what are you, exactly?"
He chuckled. "I take it ye have not seen one of my kind before, though I guessed as much from d'look on your face. I am a coyote, Darikan. My name is Rinqan, and I am the leader of the Shadowtide."
"The ...what?"
" 'Silent as shadows yet relentless as the waves, we alone control the tide of battle.' " he intoned. The hare rolled his eyes. "Bit on the dramatic side this chap, eh wot?" he remarked to the young stoat in an almost friendly manner.
"If you will come with me, Darikan," the coyote continued, "I will show you." He turned to leave, beckoning the stoat to follow him. Too puzzled to refuse, Kan stood up shakily, his strength not fully returned. The coyote was halfway out of the room when Sergeant Merrond's gruff bark halted them both in their tracks.
"Hold up there, lads. Yew may trust this feller, Rin, but I don't. It'd be a disgrace to me duty if I let 'im go rompin' through this mountain wid only you fer a guard. Wait 'ere, I'll fetch some Patrol to accompany you." The hare strode toward the door, but Rinqan gently laid a paw on his shoulder.
"Merrond, calm you down. This creature has had ample time to overpower us both and make his escape, should he have wished it, and he has done nothing. Remember this too, hare- I, like you, am a leader, and I am more than a match for one young stoat."
The sergeant sighed. "I suppose yore right. Very well, then, but keep 'im under tight watch and if he tries anythin', you know what to do."
Kan was led, extremely confused, down a series of passages. At last the coyote halted in front of what appeared to be a dead end, knocking three times on the blank stone wall.
This 'coyote' beast is raving mad. What in the name of Hellgates is the 'Shadowtide?"
A creaking sound came seemingly from nowhere, making Kan start and look around in confusion. Without warning the rock wall split in two, the sides retracting to expose a large chamber. As the two entered, a vixen waiting by the entrance abruptly released the handle of some mechanism, causing the two slabs to reconnnect with an earsplitting crash. Rinqan sighed as the stoat leapt two feet straight up in the air, his tail fluffed out so much that it resembled a fox's.
"Really, Tokala, do you have to do that to every new recruit?" The vixen gave a grin of mock wickedness. "Harr, gotta sharpen their reflexes, Rin, or they'll never make it into the 'Tide."
One part of the coyote's remark permeated the shock that had momentarily paralyzed Kan's brain.
Recruit?