Sorry we missed the update, but life was a bit difficult. Updates might be slow for some time, but we'll always provide a summary of the last chapter.
Summary of chapter 13:
The guys make it to Brandel's Reach, only to have Mario kidnapped by smugglers. Korlys, Attrei, Kelton, and Claudio mount a successful mission to free the thief, but not before Mario's hands are mangled and Attrei is shot with an arrow while in sparrow form. Anastasio and Dante are able to pull the mage out of the line of fire and signal the Freedom's Shadow, which maneuvered into position and destroyed the smugglers' warehouse with cannon fire.
Mario didn't even notice when the healer left. He stared at his bandaged hands in his lap, fighting the panic that was rising in him. Why didn't healers ever just say 'yes' or 'no'?! 'Can't make any promises' – what did that even mean? Sounded like a cheap excuse for expected failure, if you asked Mario.
And if Claudio failed… What then? He'd still be able to use his hands, Claudio had said. Yay. He'd be able to feed himself and wipe his own ass, what an achievement. He'd still be nothing more than a burden. He wasn't as clever as the rest of them, he knew that. But it hadn't mattered so much before, because he was a thief. The one who picked locks or got some quick cash when needed, and he was great at it. Without that, he was just a deadbeat. Just Korlys'… what was the word the silly innkeeper used? Cons… something. A call boy.
Fuck those stupid smugglers and fuck the Lizards! He felt the urge to grab the glass on the nightstand and smash it into the wall. Only he couldn't. He let loose with a string of curses that would make the sailors on the ship blush like maidens.
Korlys opened the door and stopped mid-stride. His pause was only momentary, though. He gently closed the door and leaned against it. "Did I come at a bad time?" Mario had tears in his eyes, something he had not seen since before Attrei had started giving Mario sleeping potions for his nightmares.
"No." Mario attempted a little smile. "Come here." He shifted a bit on the bed.
The hollow smile concerned Korlys even more than the tears. He perched on the side of the bed. "Perhaps your energy would be better spent getting well instead of trying to fool a Crow?"
Mario rested his head on Korlys' shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
Korlys gave a surprised bark of laughter. "Me? I am fine of course, why would I not be? It is you I am concerned about. How are your hands? What did Claudio say?" He would be asking the healer directly, of course, as soon as he left here.
"You almost drowned. When I saw water closing over you... Thank the Maker for Claudio. He didn't waste a second jumping into the water to get you out."
The information about Claudio's actions was news to Korlys, and he filed it away for future consideration. "Almost drowned? Nothing of the sort happened, I assure you. I was merely under water for a few moments."
"Right." Mario rolled his eyes. "What was it about not wasting energy on fooling a Lizard? And you don't need to be worried about me. Claudio was offended when I asked if I'd be able to use my hands. Seems a few hand bones are nothing compared to a broken spine."
Korlys smiled, far more artfully than Mario had, to mask his unease. It was clear by the look on his lover's face that wasn't the whole of what the healer had said. "If Claudio says you will be fine, then you will. He was our cell's healer for many years, you know. He never would have survived in Nico's organisation if he could not perform miracles on demand."
"Well, he can't promise miracles anymore, it seems," Mario tried to keep his voice light. No need to burden Korlys with his own mess.
Korlys waved that away nonchalantly. "You know how doctors are – always hedging their bets," he said, although his unease deepened. Claudio was just as proud as any Crow.
"Yeah. But. In the meantime, you know what this means, yes?" Mario flashed the most arrogant grin he could muster right now. "I can't use my hands. You will have to do… well. Everything."
Korlys took Mario's face in his hands and kissed him, overwhelmed by the other man's vulnerability. When they broke the kiss, he simply said, "Of course."
A shiver ran through Mario's body. He pulled as close to Korlys as he could with the stupid bandages in the way. "Just hold me," he said softly.
oOo
One of the stupidest things about the ship was that there were no women on it. A curvaceous woman and a bottle of brandy, was that too much to ask of life? Claudio ran his hand through his hair. He thought he was done with healing torture wounds when he left the Crows, and then the thief goes and gets himself captured by the worst maniacs this side of Thedas, apparently. Crushed wrists and fingers, for fuck's sake.
Someone knocked on the door; most likely a sailor with a rash on his ass. "Come in," he snapped irritably.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Korlys found himself asking for the second time that day, although this time he didn't pause – Claudio's moodiness wasn't at all unusual.
"No worse than usual," Claudio muttered in Antivan. "Don't tell me you have a rash on your ass."
Korlys laughed. "Why would I have a rash on my ass?"
Claudio just scoffed. "So what's wrong?" he asked, although it was quite obvious.
"I just came to ask about Mario's prognosis. He didn't say it in so many words, but he seems to think he is worthless now. Although I am quite sure he was being dramatic."
Claudio sighed. He leaned on the desk, now even more desperate for a bottle of brandy; he should send one of the boys to fill it for him. "He's not. His fingers… I'm pretty sure they used a thumbscrew. Without magic, or if we had gotten to him a couple of days later, he would have been crippled forever. I managed to prevent that. I performed surgeries on his fingers yesterday, and I used the strongest spells I know. I'm certain he will be able to use his hands again. For normal things."
Normally, that would be more than enough. But this wasn't one of the Crows who invoked Nico's wrath by failing to eliminate a mark. This was a… this was different. Unexpectedly, annoyingly, different. Didn't he promise himself not to care? Not to get attached? Ah, brasca. "But I can't guarantee his fingers will be as flexible as before."
Korlys frowned and crossed his arms. "Then that means he was being dramatic. Not being a thief doesn't make him worthless," he replied, annoyed that Claudio seemed to agree with Mario's assessment.
"Tell that to him," Claudio muttered. "I agree; I think everyone on the ship agrees. But you should know more than anyone how much it means to him. Anyway, I didn't say I'm giving up. We'll see. Once I remove the bandages, I'll know more. Maybe another surgery, or a new spell. I've already started working on one. Seems I'll need it, as long as I'm with you."
"Yes," Korlys agreed mildly.
"Hmph." Accusing Korlys wasn't fair, he was aware of that. Or not entirely. "It would help if you stopped doing reckless shit, you know. Going on rescue missions, travelling to a smugglers' den. Leaving the brats for a month."
"Should I have left Mario there?" Korlys asked.
Claudio's eyes flashed. "Do not play dumb with me now," he said. "I mean the 'let's save the random mage cousin'."
"You want to leave the mage? I'm okay with that if we can convince Attrei to let us." The last thing Korlys wanted was complications. Or more complications, anyway.
"It's a bit late for that, you know. About six weeks too late. You might've been able to reason with him… Actually, no." Claudio wasn't able to hold it back anymore. When Korlys returned, it was obvious he had gone through a lot, so he'd tried to give him time, not to pry, to be mindful. Well, he was done with that! All the frustration of the past months was spilling out and there was no stopping it.
"If you were there, there'd be no need for that. We'd never have stayed in that provincial shithole long enough to pick up this 'noble quest'. I thought you wanted to stay away from the Crows and keep those two little fools safe… What did you think would happen when you left?"
Now the source of Claudio's upset was clear. "You are right. I should not have left. We could have been long gone by now. I was driven by revenge, as any Crow would be." Self-loathing crept into his voice. "And not even for myself, but for a man who never asked me to go." He had wanted to heal Mario's pain, and instead somehow caused more pain.
Claudio stared at the Crow. He went to avenge Mario? That was what he meant, sí? He used to say Korlys was a hopeless romantic, despite the harsh Crow training. But this was far beyond that. "You really love him," he said, surprised.
"What?!" Korlys exclaimed, surprised by what felt like an accusation. He managed to turn his instinctive flinch into a shrug, but was painfully aware that his reaction had given away far too much. "I care," he admitted grudgingly. "But, you are right, I should have let it go."
Korlys started pacing in his agitation. "I don't know-" The assassin choked off the 'why' before it left his mouth; some part of him was fully aware of why, and seemed determined to make him admit it. "In any other situation I would have let it go." His fists clenched as he wrestled with the truth. "I would never endanger my survival, especially for something all senior apprentices go through! I would have felt sympathy, perhaps. But only the sort of superficial sympathy you may get from a Crow, who will never be moved to take meaningful action."
Korlys stopped and looked at Claudio. "I was consumed with the idea that at least Mario could have justice, but only if I saw to it myself. I knew we were leaving Ferelden forever, and I would soon lose my chance to act, so I rationalised it. But in truth it was just insanity and foolishness." It was the closest he could get to the truth without betraying Mario's trust.
"The worst of it is that I cannot even promise that I will no longer do such things. I seem to be broken – no longer an effective Crow, but far more ruthless than any ordinary citizen," he added, remembering the torture he had inflicted on the Templars.
Ah. Finally, the pieces of puzzles were falling together. He'd known that Mario was taking sleeping potions on the ship, and in Amaranthine he'd visited Attrei for an hour every evening. It wasn't difficult to figure out why, once he'd checked the possible uses of mind magic after Korlys' mysterious questions. He'd never inquired why Mario needed mind healing, though. Now that he knew… no, he couldn't blame Korlys for wanting justice.
Claudio walked to Korlys and put his hand on Korlys' shoulder. "If you had offered him Crow sympathy, I wouldn't know you anymore," he said, looking him in the eye.
"Ah, well..." Korlys looked away in his embarrassment. "At least one of us knows me," he joked, but his tone quickly became all business. "Anyway, let's just focus on the mission. The sooner we can get it done, the sooner we'll be back on track." The assassin made as hasty an exit as he could without appearing rude – he'd had his fill of emotional discussions for one lifetime.
oOo
Kelton rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to work the stiffness out. It had been two days since escaping the smuggler's den, but being knocked on your ass in metal armour was no joke, even with a healer to fix up the worst of it. But at least he didn't have any broken bones, unlike Mario. Claudio had performed surgery on the elf, augmented with magic, but he was still going to be out of commission for quite some time.
Well, hopefully they'd have plenty of time to recuperate, now that they were at sea, as Attrei was also injured. They were a good week out from Kirkwall, and Claudio seemed optimistic that at least the little mage would be back to full strength by then.
As he gazed out onto the ocean, he suddenly realised someone was standing behind and a little to the right of him. Startled, he turned to look. Annoyance quickly replaced his surprise, although he kept himself from showing it. He always hated the way rogues managed to walk around like ghosts, although this one seemed to be the worst. "Oh, hello. I didn't hear you walk up."
The elf nodded matter-of-factly. "I wanted to thank you for your help rescuing my associate. Your skills were invaluable."
"Of course, think nothing of it," the warrior said, grinning. "I'm always up for a good, clean fight."
"Are there clean fights? I cannot say I have ever been involved in one of those."
The elf's tone was conversational, but Kelton felt a vague sense of menace all the same. Perhaps directness was called for here. "Let me set your mind at ease. I don't have the slightest curiosity about your past or that of your friends. I chose them for this mission because they seemed to be the sort of men willing to sell their skills for a fair price, and unlikely to cause trouble for my family in the future."
The elf gazed at him calmly. "I assure you, my mind is always at ease." He paused, then added, "You knew our real names from the start, yes?"
"I knew theirs," Kelton replied, matching the other man's blasé tone. "I felt it best to keep using their pseudonyms until they felt comfortable telling me the truth themselves. And I will extend the same courtesy to you, of course." He paused, but the other man didn't reply. "Let me be clear: I asked my friend to find out more about your associates merely to assess whether or not they were the sort of men likely to have their own secrets, and as such, not inclined to pry into my own. And I wanted to be sure they weren't trafficking in slaves or lyrium."
The elf gave him a long appraising look, but Kelton felt comfortable remaining silent. That was the advantage of not having something to hide – you felt no discomfort under such scrutiny.
After a protracted silence, the man gave a nod, apparently coming to some sort of decision. "You may call me Korlys."
"And you may call me Kelton." Not that the elf had called him anything but that for most of the trip, but it felt like the polite thing to say.
Korlys nodded once more and then simply turned and walked away, apparently done with this interview, or interrogation, or whatever it had been. Certainly not normal chitchat – it had been as murky and full of hidden meaning as the conversations that swirled and flowed through the aristocracy at the soirees he was required to attend from time to time.
oOo
Dante eagerly knocked on Attrei's door; it was finally time for another magic lesson. At first he mostly attended because Anastasio did, and because Attrei's lessons were so fun and relaxed – he never truly believed it could lead to anything. Surely, if they had any talent for magic, they would have known by now? But Attrei kept encouraging them and telling them they were doing great and might even cast a simple spell soon. And… What if it was today? Wouldn't it be cool?
He'd never told anyone, not even Anastasio, but he already had a long list of spells he wanted to know – to make himself invisible, and to make people fall asleep like Attrei, and strike them with lightning if they wanted to hurt him.
"Come in," Attrei's cheerful voice said, and they both entered. The mage was sitting up in bed, still recovering from being shot with an arrow, but he didn't seem tired at all.
In fact, he was trying to hide his excitement. "Sit down, sit down!" he said. "Have you practised?"
"Sí," Anastasio replied enthusiastically. "Is it time to learn a spell?"
"Yes, I think you're ready," Attrei said. "We'll start with something simple and safe. How does the Haste spell sound?"
The boys were so excited they could hardly get their questions out fast enough. "That sounds great! What do we need to do?"
"Can we make anybody faster?"
"Can we make ourselves faster?"
Attrei laughed. "We'll have to see. When apprentices learn a new spell, it works slightly differently for each of them. It depends on your disposition, imagination, intention, and so on."
"So does that mean any mage can learn any spell?" Anastasio hoped so – no matter how awesome Haste might be, he still wanted to learn to fly.
"Theoretically. In reality, after you learn a few spells, you'll see and feel what you're naturally good at – what your talent and disposition is. Some mages become healers, some specialise in one of the primal magic types, or choose mind magic like me."
"Why can you do both mind magic and shapeshifting? Does it have to do with intelligence?" If so, there's no telling how many types of spells I'll be able to do! Anastasio thought.
"Oh, no, not at all. Shapeshifting is considered more of a joke than serious magic. My mentor said it fit my personality, so he taught me the basics," Attrei admitted with slight embarrassment. "Let's continue with the spell."
He took their notebooks. "All the chants are in Arcane," he explained as he wrote the chant into them. "The first line is the meaning of the chant in Ferelden – it's always important to know what you're saying, so that you can have a clear picture in your mind. Never ever try to say a chant if you're not one hundred percent certain what it means! The second line is the chant in Arcane and its phonetic transcription. That's the most important part right now, because that's what you'll actually say. See these little dots above and under the words? They mark the stress. Pay close attention to it when I say the spell for you."
"What happens if we pronounce it wrong?" Dante asked.
"Hopefully nothing. But if you accidentally pronounce some other spell… things could get interesting." It just occurred to him that perhaps the Templars weren't always completely useless. "That's why you will first learn to pronounce it, and why you'll always chant it aloud. Quiet chants are much too advanced for you. Alright?" He handed them the notebooks back.
"One more thing. Once you learn the chant and try to cast, don't expect it to work on the very first try. You need to gather mana, picture what you want to do in your mind, and pronounce the chant correctly, all at the same time. It always takes a few tries to get used to it. Let's begin."
oOo
Attrei was unusually strict about it; he made them practise first the individual words, then the whole line, for almost half an hour. Only when each of them was able to repeat the line by heart and correctly three times in a row did he nod in approval.
"Alright. You are ready. Which one of you wants to go first?"
Normally, Dante would volunteer, but he decided that this time, maybe it was better to observe what happened first. "Well, you are older," he told Anastasio. "You go first."
Gathering up his courage, Anastasio chanted the spell while patting Rask's head. The little pup gave a bark, then started zooming around the room excitedly. Anastasio couldn't tell whether or not the spell had worked, however, since the pup did that a lot anyway.
"It worked. It's not strong, but you can see it in her tail," Attrei said, watching the puppy with a smile. "For your first spell ever, it's quite impressive." He turned to Dante. "Your turn now."
Dante nodded with grim determination. Anastasio managed to make his spell work on the first try! I must not come in second. I. MUST. NOT. Come in second! He took a deep breath. Pretty impressive, huh? Well, time to show once and for all who the most impressive apprentice of the year was! He stretched his hand toward Rask, but she kept running around, and he lost patience. Never mind; as long as he knew what he wanted to do, it was enough, no? He closed his eyes, and pronounced each syllable slowly and clearly.
The puppy continued to run and wag her tail at the exact same speed. The spell hadn't worked.
Disappointed, he stared at the desk, determinedly avoiding looking at Anastasio. He didn't know what would be worse – if his friend laughed at him, or if he pitied him.
"Weeell. Iiiii didn't seee thaat coomiing," Attrei said, with a creepy, slow chuckle.
Dante blinked and looked up at the mage. "Is something wrong?"
It took a second to figure it out, but when he did, Anastasio didn't know whether or not to laugh or be jealous. On one hand, it was pretty funny that Dante missed his target, but on the other, it was impressive the spell had an effect without Dante even having to touch Attrei.
Then, something else occurred to him. He turned to Dante. "Hey, why were you trying to cast Haste on Rask when she was already going faster? Why did you not try it on Ginger?" The cat had been perched atop the bed watching the proceedings with derision. Or pity, it was hard to tell.
"But she was not moving that fast," Dante pointed out. "And… Ginger is Ser Mario's cat," he admitted uneasily. "Mi scusi, Attrei! I did not mean to cast on you! It – it will not last long, will it?"
He immediately regretted asking, as Attrei chuckled in that creepily slow way again, "Nooo. Iiit wiiill wear off soon – see? Ah, this is better! I really didn't expect that, you know. Did you decide to cast Slow on Rask on purpose?"
The sad truth was that he wanted to make her move much faster… but, he realised with embarrassment, he had been so focused on coming in first and impressing Attrei that he'd messed up the 'picturing' part. Of course, he'd never admit that in front of Anastasio. "Um… well… since she was moving so fast, I thought a Slow spell might make her move normal again."
Anastasio pounced. "So, you tried to slow down Rask, even though you just said she was not going that fast?" Dante was clearly making it up to hide a mistake, and Anastasio's smug grin let everybody know it. "What made you think saying the same words would have the opposite effect?"
"I… am simply that awesome," Dante said haughtily.
"Riiight," Anastasio replied, and not because of any spell.
"You're both awesome," Attrei stepped in. "First attempt to cast, and you both cast a spell that worked. That the spell worked differently isn't surprising. You both wanted and pictured different things. Anastasio, you wanted to make Rask faster, and you did. Then Dante did what we all did in the Tower – competed with you. And you can't convince me you wouldn't do the same," he said.
Anastasio laughed. "Maybe, but I would have succeeded instead of accidentally casting it on you."
"Well, you can both try again right now," Attrei pointed out. "Anastasio, focus on the Haste spell; Dante, try to cast the Slow spell again, knowingly and deliberately. Remember, that's what being a mage is – being aware of what you're doing. Alright. Please start."
oOo
"Ship off the starboard bow!" the sailor in the crow's nest called out, his voice ringing out clearly through the crisp, cold air. Captain Jack bounded forward, pulling out his spyglass as he ran. He put it to his eye, and after a moment bellowed, "All hands to their stations! Pirates off the starboard bow!"
The flurry of activity that came next would have looked like chaos to someone new to sailing, but Korlys could see a perfectly coordinated response was taking place – every sailor knew exactly where they should be and what they should be doing, each one racing to a particular spot on the ship without impeding the progress of the others, exactly as a well-trained team should.
Korlys, on the other hand, hadn't been given a particular assignment, and neither had the others. But he was content to wait and watch for now. The ship was still a fair distance away, and his blades were always sharp. If and when the pirates did board, no one would have to give him instructions.
Kelton, who had been taking a stroll around the deck, dashed to his cabin to don his armour and grab his sword and shield. He didn't wear the heavy plate some warriors did, but his armour was still fairly bulky. He was accustomed to putting it all on very quickly, however, and was back out on deck in minutes.
Anastasio ran up to the deck excitedly, Dante on his heels. They arrived just behind the warrior.
A moment later, a sparrow landed next to them. "Real pirates!" Attrei said excitedly, when he turned. "I've read so many books about them! Do you think they'll really attack us?"
Anastasio feigned nonchalance, crossing his arms in unconscious imitation of Korlys. "Probably."
Dante nodded in the same nonchalant way, but then something occurred to him. "We will use them as target practice for Haste and Slow!" He turned to Attrei. "Can we?"
"Sure," the mage replied. "As long as you promise me to stay safe and not risk too much." He looked around. "Where's Claudio? Is he with Mario?"
"I am here," the healer said as he climbed up. "Is it true? Are there pirates coming?"
"Sí," Korlys said as he strolled up. He waved Kelton over before continuing, then turned to Attrei. "If you have not cast glyphs on Mario's door, do it now. We still have a few minutes."
As Attrei left, Korlys turned to Claudio and the boys. "Claudio, you know the drill – stay out of the way and be ready to cast as needed. Boys, stay hidden. If you see a chance to hinder them, then do so, but do NOT get involved in the fighting. Consider that a direct order, capiche?"
"Sí, ser," Dante said. Normally he'd be disappointed, but practising his spell might actually be easier like this.
Before Korlys had a chance to give him any orders, Kelton piped up. "Everyone just be sure to give me a wide berth so I can swing my sword."
A moment later, Attrei returned. "Done," he reported. "He's not happy with it, though. Are the pirates here yet?"
No one had to reply, however, because just then the ship came into firing range, turning broadside so that their cannons were pointing at the Freedom's Shadow. Captain Jack yelled out, "They're flying the red flag, boys, you know what that means – it's kill or be killed!" Then to the cannoneers, "Fire at will!"
Boom! Boom! bellowed the cannons on both ships almost simultaneously, a sound so loud Anastasio's ears rang, and he staggered a little as the whole ship shook from the powerful reverberations. He suddenly noticed that, although he could still hear shouting, it sounded muffled, as if he had cotton in his ears. Cursing himself for forgetting something so simple, he stepped into the shadows, glad that the smoke from the cannons would at least make it a little easier to move stealthily.
Dante obediently stayed put behind a barrel, waiting for the right moment. But for a while, all he heard were cannons booming. He put in the earplugs – he had them in his pocket since the rescue. Too bad he didn't remember before the first shot, but better later than never. A couple of times he heard a loud crack, and sailors yelling that the rear mast was hit, but so far no pirates had boarded the ship.
He glanced to the right, where behind some crates he could see Claudio and Attrei. Attrei was muttering something under his breath, most likely preparing a spell. Maybe he should do the same. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on the Slow spell. He must do it right this time!
oOo
Kill or be killed was just fine with Korlys – in fact, he preferred it that way. It left no loose ends, and they wouldn't have to waste their food and drink on prisoners. Besides, Claudio and Mario had the cells taken out of the hold while he'd been away, so they weren't equipped to hold prisoners securely, anyway.
Both ships were heavily damaged by the time they were in range for close quarter fighting. Korlys quickly counted the pirates he could see – about fifteen or so on deck. Should be easy enough.
He waited in the shadows patiently as grappling hooks were thrown from the pirate ship, only to be hacked off as soon as they caught. On both sides, flaming arrows were shot, catching sails on fire and just as quickly being put out. For awhile, it seemed it would be a stalemate. Then, in a daring move, a pirate cut one of their own lines and used it to swing across, landing on a crossbeam. The others immediately started doing the same, and the fight was joined! Korlys slipped in the shadows, heavily aided by the smoke from all the cannon fire, and started to prowl.
oOo
Anastasio and Dante stayed in the shadows, hiding as much as possible and observing the situation. Once they saw how the fight was progressing, they retreated to a part of the ship where a sort of aisle was formed between a row of crates stacked against the wheelhouse and a rectangle of boxes stacked on pallets in the middle of the deck. The area gave them small places to hide, and each boy took an opposite side. Both of them had their spells ready to go, they just needed an opportunity to strike.
Ser Mario was right for once: a real fight was much different than training. Messier, more confusing. And bloodier. Much bloodier. Dante swallowed; as much as he tried to stay calm and focused, the sounds of the battle and cries of the wounded shook him more than he'd expected. Thank the Maker it was daytime, or he would have a hard time recognizing the pirates from their own crew.
Two pirates ran past without noticing them. Finally, a good chance! Dante looked at Anastasio and signalled he'd be taking the left one. The last thing they'd want was to cast both Slow and Haste at the same target! When Anastasio nodded, he closed his eyes, imagining the pirate slowing down… and cast.
Anastasio cast Haste, or thought he did, but when he opened his eyes, the pirate was gone. In the spot where the man had been standing, there was... a hare?! And where Dante's pirate had been, there was a tortoise. He looked at his partner, confused for a moment, and then burst into laughter, in spite of himself. "Let's do that again," he called out, in his native Antivan.
"Sí, let's do it again!"
oOo
The apprentices slipped through the shadows, nimbly avoiding the combatants, until they got to the stern of the ship where they could view the whole battle at once.
Attrei and Claudio were also at the stern, Attrei crouching behind a barrel at the port side, while Claudio was hiding to the starboard side. The boys stayed low, even though the shadows hid them well. They surveyed the scene, searching for where they could be most effective. Kelton was near the middle of the ship, swinging his sword in wide arcs while taunting the pirates, attracting as much attention to himself as possible. Sailors and pirates were scattered about the ship, locked in deadly combat.
Korlys was nowhere to be found, as expected. Every once in a while Anastasio thought he could determine the general area the assassin was in, but that was mostly when a gaping wound suddenly appeared across a pirate's neck for no discernible reason. The fighting was nasty and brutal, men falling mere minutes after engaging an enemy. It was hard to say which side had the upper hand.
Anastasio turned to Dante. "I wonder what would happen if we both cast a spell on the same pirate?" he whispered, a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe we could double the effect!"
"Not sure about that, but I bet it'd be fun!" Dante said. "But…" he looked around, looking for a potential target. "The cretino with yellow scarf," he suggested, certain Anastasio would get it – the man had just killed one of the sailors so there was nobody else around them. But that wouldn't last long.
"On three," he suggested, and immediately held up one finger. Anastasio did the same, and they both started to softly chant their spells.
Anastasio tried to concentrate on the words of the spell, mentally count to three, make the correct hand gestures, and count on his fingers to stay in sync with his partner. When they were both holding up three fingers, he let loose.
For a moment, he thought they failed – the pirate wasn't going fast or slow, and he certainly hadn't changed into a tortoise or hare. He did have a surprised look on his face, though. A second later, Anastasio found out why, as the pirate's left hand suddenly flew to his throat and started choking him. Anastasio burst out laughing. The pirate was holding his cutlass in his right hand, and he tried futilely to sheath it for a few moments before giving up and dropping it to the deck, then trying to pry his left hand away from his neck with his right.
"Awesome! Much better than just making them slow!" Dante said, already looking for another target.
oOo
Before they could pick one out, their attention was drawn to the middle of the deck. One of the two pirates who were heading Kelton's way suddenly slowed. Drastically. It was almost comical, the exaggerated sluggishness of the man's arms and legs. Dante glanced over at Attrei in admiration, then turned his attention back to the battle, and immediately noticed a man who seemed to be doing nothing but standing there, staring at them. The guy was well-built, and was carrying a longsword and a tower shield, but… something was off. All the pirates were unkempt and dirty, but this one was on another level. His face was etched with deep lines, his eyes sunken, and his skin pasty and covered with bloody sores.
Dante shuddered; he'd seen faces like that in the dark back alleys of Antiva, when he ran errands for the Crows. He'd always pretended they weren't there, because you could never be sure how the crazed wretches would react if they caught your gaze.
The man made a peculiar gesture, and an intense, pure light seemed to emanate from his hands, although Dante wasn't quite sure if it was a real light, because nobody else seemed to notice. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit him.
The apprentices glanced at each other, and as one, turned to look at Attrei. The mage looked much worse than they felt, it seemed. His face had a waxy complexion, and he was shaking; a moment later, he soundlessly collapsed to the ground. Without a word, they started making their way over to him.
oOo
Korlys had been going about his business with calm efficiency until he noticed a man who appeared to be a seedy ex-templar making a weird hand gesture in the direction of the stern of the ship, where Attrei, Claudio, and the boys were. Then Attrei crumpled to the deck like a ragdoll, and the assassin was suddenly overcome with rage.
He stalked over and with one well-placed kick dropped the man to his knees before he knew what was happening. Korlys pulled his head back by his hair and held a dagger to his throat.
"What did you do?"
"Screw you!" the filthy derelict replied, slurring his words.
Korlys quickly plunged his dagger into the man's cheek, not wanting to kill him just yet, then moved his blade back to the man's throat. "Want to try that again?"
The wretch howled in pain. "I smited them," he sputtered, lips spraying blood.
"Get up!" Korlys snarled, simultaneously yanking upward on the man's hair, forcing him to scramble to his feet or have it ripped out of his scalp. He darted to the front of the man and slashed his blade deeply across his abdomen, ripping his stomach open.
The ex-Templar's face froze in shock, eyes and mouth stretched grotesquely wide, as he stared down at his own entrails spilling out onto the deck. Korlys shoved him hard, and he went pinwheeling backwards. The back of his thighs hit the railing, and he toppled overboard.
The assassin turned around to find both pirates and sailors frozen in shock, staring at him. "What? He killed Attrei!" Korlys yelled, pointing in the mage's direction. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but sounded better than 'smited'.
Pirates started flinging themselves over the sides of the ship, dropping their weapons with abandon in their rush to get away. Korlys wiped the blood from his dagger, then headed for Attrei as the pirates swam frantically to what was left of their ship and started rowing away, some with what oars they had left, others using their arms.
oOo
"Attrei! Attrei, can you hear me?"
Someone gently slapped his face. Attrei opened his eyes, and looked at Dante and Anastasio looming over him, their faces full of anguish. "It is alright," he calmly assured them as he sat up. "I'm dizzy and weak, but it is not necessary to worry. I have no bodily injury. I assume I was hit by a spell."
The boys exchanged surprised looks, as if he'd said something odd. "Help me get up. I want to see how the fight is going. My help might be required."
They still looked surprised, but obediently helped him up. He leaned on the barrel in front of him and observed the situation. The pirates appeared scared, trying to escape from the ship; the source of their fear was apparently Korlys, who was walking away from a pile of intestines, one end of which was hanging over the railing.
"It seems Korlys already took necessary measures to end the attack," he said. Further attack spells were not needed, for now. He should focus on his healing and calming spells. He tried to gather his mana, but there was nothing. He tried again, no reaction. Interesting. He mused about it for a while, then nodded. "Ah, I see. It wasn't a spell. I was smited by a Templar," he said to the boys. "It's inconvenient, but I will not be able to help with healing after all."
The boys were still staring at him, faces full of unnecessary worry. He looked around to find Claudio. And here he was heading to them now. "I am momentarily incapable of casting spells," he informed him. "You will need to do the healing by yourself."
Claudio paused, making an odd sound that could be both a sigh and a chuckle. "I see you got the full hit," he said.
"Ser? What is wrong with Attrei?" Dante blurted.
"Nothing is wrong with me. I was hit with the smite," Attrei explained calmly.
"It is as he says," Claudio confirmed. "The 'Holy Smite', as Templars call it, is a special skill they use on mages. It prevents mages in a limited area from casting spells. Based on how strong the Templar is, and how far away from the centre the mages are, they might be affected in different ways. That," he nodded to Attrei, "is what happens when you are hit by it in full. You lose not just magic, but the ability to feel emotions as well."
"Well, fix it," Korlys demanded as he walked up. "You said you were a miracle worker, after all."
"Well, I cannot," Claudio snapped. "There is nothing that can be done. But do not worry. The effect will wear off, eventually."
Korlys' brow wrinkled. "I thought you said once a mage loses his magic and emotions it is permanent? I just figured if anyone could fix it, you could, after surviving for ten years in Nico's cell. How long will he be this way?" There was something about Attrei's lack of emotion that was more disturbing than if it had happened to another mage. Claudio, for example.
"You are thinking of tranquility," the healer said. "Gracie a Dio, that is something different. It requires a ritual, and once done, it is permanent. Nobody can fix it. This will wear off, maybe in ten minutes or maybe in an hour. That depends on how strong the bastardo that cast it was."
"There is no need to be worried," Attrei added in his unnerving monotone. "It does not hurt at all. My mind is perfectly calm and clear, if anything."
That had to be the least reassuring reassurance Korlys had ever heard, but it didn't seem there was much to be done about it. And now that he knew everyone was more or less alive and okay, he needed to see about Mario. No doubt the thief was in need of a little reassurance himself, and Korlys didn't want to keep Mario waiting any longer.
AN: Thanks to our wonderful betas, Bloodsong13T and Suilven for all their help!