Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (20 page)

              “Can I be helping you, miss?”  The voice cut into her mind, jerking her back to reality.

              Arwenna turned to the innkeeper, a stout older gentleman with a worn but clean apron about his waist. “Oh, yes. We’re in need of rooms, and stables for our horses. The harbormaster recommended you.”

              The innkeeper took a good look at her and Y’Dürkie. “Just you two then?”

              “No, there’s a third. He’s out with our horses.”

              Nodding, he picked up a rag and began to clean the bar. “Will be running you three gold for the night. That’ll be for all of you, stable room for your horses, and meals.”

              Without questioning him, Arwenna handed over the gold. “We were also told we might be able to find a captain here that we could book passage with. If you know of anyone willing to take us and our horses to Oranji, we’d appreciate the introduction.”  Very carefully, she slid a small sapphire across the bar towards the innkeeper.

              He quickly picked up the gem and pocketed it. “I’ll do some checking for you, miss. Figuring you’re all wanting to leave fairly soon, right?”

              Arwenna nodded, then asked Y’Dürkie to head outside and let Barek know he could put the horses in the stable now. She picked up the small pack she had brought in with her and followed a serving girl up the well-worn staircase.

              The handle to the room started to turn. In a fluid motion, Arwenna dropped the pack and drew her dagger out. Y’Dürkie glanced at her as she and Barek walked in, nodding in approval. “You are learnink, Sister,” was all she said as she and Barek put the remainder of the packs on the floor.

              Relaxing, Arwenna started a fire in the fireplace. It was chilly on the barge last night. The room itself wasn’t much different than any other inn they’d stayed at. Two beds, a table, couple of chairs and a small bedside table were about all the furnishings in the room. Still, it was clean with no evidence of mice or rats.

              A small, almost timid, knock on the door made all three of them jump. Barek opened the door. A young girl of maybe ten stood outside. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of Barek looming over her. Swallowing hard, she spoke in a small voice, “Master Bren told me to let you know he found a captain willing to talk with you. His name’s Captain Wolfgang. He’s down in the common room now if you want to join him.”  Still wide-eyed from the sight of Barek, she bolted down the stairs as soon as she’d completed her errand.

              “How are we ever going to find you a wife, Barek, if you keep scaring them off like that?”  Arwenna tried to keep her voice light, but failed miserably. It sounded flat and dead, even to her ears. Straightening up from in front of the fire, she absently brushed at some soot clinging to her blue dress. “I guess we’d best go meet this Captain Wolfgang.” She headed towards the door, expecting Y’Dürkie and Barek to follow but not looking to make sure they did.

              The common room had filled up, mostly men with obvious ties to the sea. A woman busied herself near the stage, taking a small lute out of a well-worn case. There would be some music tonight. The innkeeper made his way over towards them, drying his hands on the front of his apron.

              “Captain Wolfgang’s got a table towards the back and is waiting to meet you. He was planning on setting out for that part of the world tomorrow and has room for you all. Come this way, I’ll make the introductions.”  He waved them to follow him as he started towards the far corner of the room.

              A man sat alone at a large table drinking out of a tankard. He had the look of someone who had been on the sea most of his life. His clothing was of good quality, a silent testament to his success. He rose up as Master Bren led them towards him.

              “Captain Wolfgang, this be the group I was telling you about that were looking for passage.”  He waited until everyone was seated, then excused himself to find them some supper.

              Arwenna took note as the man across from her first sized up Y’Dürkie and Barek, then turned his attention to her. “I take it you’re more or less the leader of this group.”  He kept eye contact with her as he took another sip of his ale.

              “I suppose you could say that. It’s just the three of us, and some horses. Depending if you’re still in the area when our business is done, we may need return passage. It’s hard to tell, though. We’re not certain how long our business will take.”  Arwenna met his eyes, refusing to be intimidated.

              The captain nodded. “I’m going to do some trading. I’m open to leaving room for your horses, of course, for the right price.”  He nodded toward them, letting them know a return passage was possible.

              “How much are you asking for the trip?”  Arwenna jumped to the main point now, eager to get things settled.

              “Twenty gold each should cover the three of you and your horses. We’ll feed you and tend the horses along the way. I’ve got a couple of cabins I could let you all use, so you can have some privacy.” He studied Arwenna again, as if expecting her to argue the price.

              “We’ll give you thirty gold now. The rest will be when we get there safely. Agreed?”  The price didn’t bother her much.

              The captain held a tanned hand out, agreeing to her terms. She shook it, releasing her hand quickly. Arwenna then carefully removed the gold pieces out of her pouch under the table so he could not see how much she carried. Once she had them in her hand, she pushed them across the table towards Captain Wolfgang.

              Almost casually, he pocketed the coins. “My ship’s called Cygnet. She’s tied up at the far end of the center dock. She’ll put out to sea by ten tomorrow morning.”  He rose from the table and took a last drink of his ale. “I’ve got to get back and make sure the cabins are ready for you. Until the morning.”  He tilted his hat briefly in farewell and walked out of the inn.

              Master Bren returned as the captain left, arms laden with trenchers full of beef, gravy, potatoes, and bread. A serving girl followed with a tray full of tankards and goblets. “I didn’t know what you’d all be wanting to drink,” he explained as he began to put the steaming platters of food in front of them. “So I had Sophie here bring a tray with all sorts for you to choose from.”  He quickly darted away to answer a call from another patron as soon as the tray was on the table.

              Arwenna watched as Barek and Y’Dürkie dove into the food, her mind already on the next leg of their journey. A noise from her stomach alerted her that it’d been far too long since she’d eaten anything. The motion of the barge had made it almost impossible for her to eat. Realizing she was looking at another two weeks on open seas, Arwenna stopped playing with her food and finally started to eat.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

            
 
A
hand on her shoulder shook Arwenna awake the next morning. Y’Dürkie’s face slowly came into focus. “It is a good hour past dawn, Arvenna. Ve need to get movink if ve vant any breakfast before ve have to be on the ship.”  She turned and walked towards the door. “Barek took most of the packs down already, just left yours up here. Ve vill meet you down in the common room. You have only got a few minutes before he vill be up here checkink on you, so I vould get movink if I vere you.”  She looked like she wanted to say something else, but stopped. She walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

              With a sudden motion, Arwenna reached for the nearby chamber pot and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. She must’ve had too much mead last night. She had drunk far more than normal, trying to drown out her memories of Joss’ voice while the bard was performing. She didn’t drink so much that she couldn’t get upstairs without help, but she could remember Y’Dürkie and Barek making comments about how she walked like she was on the barge and not dry land.

              Slowly, she got herself up and found a pitcher with cool water in it to wash. That gave her the strength to start getting everything ready. Rummaging through her pack, she grabbed a dress at random and had barely finished dressing and getting her gear packed when Barek came into the room.

              “You should at least knock first, Barek. Give me a chance to make sure I’ve got some clothes on!”  Arwenna snapped at Barek, irritation in her voice.

              “Sorry. You were taking a while, just wanted to make sure you were okay.”  His voice trailed off. Quickly, Arwenna clasped a hand around her pack and walked past Barek into the hallway.

              Things aren’t right between us now, but I don’t know how to fix them
, she thought.
Both Barek and Y’Dürkie are walking around me like I’m made of glass. They have since Joss died. But there’s something else going on with Barek, I just can’t put my finger on it.

              Breakfast was eaten in relative silence, each of them within their own thoughts. Arwenna placed a small topaz in the hands of the serving girl by way of a tip, the uncomfortable silence following them from the inn to the docks.

              The spring day was bright, but the clouds to the east promised rain later on. Groaning inwardly, Arwenna dreaded the idea of a storm while at sea. It was going to take her a few days or more to get used to the motion of the ship. Adding rough seas to the equation would make it even harder.

              They found the Cygnet at the end of the dock, as promised. Captain Wolfgang was on the dock, supervising the last of the cargo being loaded onboard. He greeted them cordially and started instructing some of his men to take care of the horses. Motioning them to follow, he strode up the gangplank and onto the ship. He looked back once, to make sure they weren’t lost to the bustle on deck, and motioned them to follow him below.

              A narrow staircase opened into a large area with doors on either side. “I’ve had the crew set up this pair for you and your friends,” he told Arwenna as he opened one of the doors to the rear of the ship. “The other side is set up for the crew and the galley, so I’d recommend you don’t wander that way. My cabin’s right above yours, so just pound on the ceiling if there’s a problem at night.”  With that, he darted back up the stairs to finish overseeing his crew.

              The rooms were small, but showed evidence of a recent scrubbing. A small table and two chairs were nailed down in one corner. A pair of hammocks swung in the other two. A trunk had been secured to the floor between the hammocks for them to store their packs in. A quick scan of the second room revealed it to be identical.

              “Looks like you’ll get a room to yourself for a change, Barek.”  Arwenna’s voice broke the silence. It did not take long for them to stow their gear. Barek and Y’Dürkie decided to take a walk up to the main deck and watch the ship prepare to get underway, but Arwenna declined the invitation. She waved them away with her hand and found a comfortable spot at the table.

* * * * *

Once on deck, Y’Dürkie and Barek did their best to find a quiet spot at the rail without getting in the way of the crew. “They seem efficient enough; it should be a good sailink.” Y’Dürkie’s observation seemed to fall on deaf ears. “Vhat is up, Barek?  You and Arvenna are actink like a pair of children who do not know how to play nice any more.”

              “She’s changed and I don’t like it.” Barek grunted out a reply.

              “Of course she has changed, Barek. Joss died in her arms and she could not save him, no matter how much she vanted to. How the hell do you think she is goink to feel?”

              “I don’t know. Nothing this extreme, though. I’m about ready to go down there and knock her silly until she wakes up. She’s walking around in a daze half the time. If she does react to anything, she’s mad as hell.”

              “Oh, like knockink her head around vill calm her down?  I tried to get her to vork it out that vay, back on the barge. She damn near slit my throat. Not sure if it did any good, either.”  Y’Dürkie found an offending sliver of wood and threw it as hard as she could out to the neighboring ships.

              “I thought you women all got weepy and stuff when you got upset. If she was crying, I could at least understand she was hurt and try to find a way to help. This cold silent anger is harder to figure out.”

              “She vould be okay if Lexi vas here. Lexi vould be able to pull her out of this.”  Y’Dürkie found a small piece of wood and rolled it about in the palm of her hand.

              “Where the hell did she go, anyhow?  We haven’t seen anything of her since we came back from that chat with Senyan.”  Barek turned to face Y’Dürkie.

              “Hey now!  That one hurt, Y’Dürkie!”  Lexi’s voice called out.

              A grin to match Lexi’s lit up their faces as they saw her on the pier below. “You’re tough. You can take it!”  Barek replied as Lexi started up the gangplank.

              Lexi questioned them as soon as hugs were exchanged. “It took me forever to track you guys down! D’Mitta told me about the quest you all went on when I managed to catch up to her. Where’s the other three?”  Her face was eager for news.

              Y’Dürkie took a breath. “Arvenna’s down in her cabin right now. Lexi, ve need you to try and talk to her. Irini vas cursed, she tried to kill Arvenna a few nights ago. Joss is dead.”  She put the rest of the story in her eyes, unable to finish.

              Lexi took a step back, shocked at the idea. “Joss? What happened to Irini? Is Arwenna all right?”  Her eyes opened wide with disbelief.

              “Arvenna had to let him die, Lexi. He vould not let her heal him, he vas too afraid of becomink somethink like Senyan. It vas one of the hardest things I have ever seen her do.”  Y’Dürkie leaned against the rail; the memory of her friend’s face still broke her heart.

              Barek stepped in, “She killed Irini, Lexi. Stood up faster than I’ve ever seen her move and drove a dagger right into her heart without giving her a chance to explain. Arwenna’s not been the same since.”

              Lexi took a step back, determination burned in her eyes. “Take me to my cousin, Y’Dürkie. One way or another, I’ll bring her out of this. She can’t do what she has to do until she does.”  Y’Dürkie nodded in agreement and led Lexi below to the cabins.

              Taking a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting, Y’Dürkie pointed to the door on the right. “She is in there. Barek and I vill be next door if you need us.”  She put a hand to Barek’s back, pushing him towards the second cabin as Lexi headed towards the one Arwenna was holed up in.

              The wood making up the cabins wasn’t that thick and Y’Dürkie and Barek could hear Lexi enter the other cabin easily enough.

              “Arwenna?  Are you awake?”  Lexi’s voice was only slightly muffled.

              “Well now, about time you decided to show up again. For all the times I fought next to you, Lexi, I never would’ve taken you for a coward.”  Arwenna’s voice was frosty.

              “I couldn’t be there, Arwenna. There was something else I had to do.” Lexi’s voice took a softer tone.

              “And just what was that, Cousin? Your bow needed to be restrung?  Or perhaps your hair wasn’t just perfect that day. Innocent children were slaughtered during that battle, Lexi!  We needed you and you weren’t there!” The anger in Arwenna’s voice took Y’Dürkie and Barek by surprise. “Where were you, when Irini got hurt?  Where were you when Joss died because of her?  Where were you, Lexi?”

              A silence settled over the room briefly, then Lexi spoke in a manner that neither Barek nor Y’Dürkie had heard before. “Where was I?  I was banned from that field, Cousin!  You’re not the only one who came back from death changed. Mine was just a little different than yours.”  Silence descended again.

              “I wanted to tell you, Arwenna. Really, I did. I just didn’t know how. I didn’t know how you’d take it, all things considered.”  Lexi’s voice had regained the softness.

              “How I’d take it? I’ve spent my entire life being manipulated by deities and you stand there like that?  You could’ve come back at any time!  You could’ve been there before Irini took her chances and killed Joss. He’d be alive if not for all the puppetry and pulling of strings you and your kind have done!”  Arwenna’s voice cracked with unshed tears.

              “He didn’t die for nothing, Arwenna. He died to keep you alive and safe. For that and that alone, Hauk will keep him safe now. Just have some faith…” Lexi’s voice overrode Arwenna’s angry one.

              “Faith?!  You want to tell me to have faith?  All I’ve ever had until he showed up was faith and look where it’s gotten me!  Friends have turned against me, the man I loved most in this world is dead, I’ve been raped and beaten to the point of breaking and you want me to have faith?”

              Lexi murmured something too low for them to hear. There was a shuffling noise, and then the sound of Arwenna’s sobbing. With a relieved look at each other, Barek and Y’Dürkie moved away from the wall and found ways to pass the time as the ship began to move under them.

              It was about half an hour later when Lexi walked into the cabin where they sat, trying to be patient. Y’Dürkie and Barek both sat up as soon as she entered, questions all over their faces.

              “Will you two sit back down?! I know you were listening, I know you have questions, but I’m not going to answer them standing up.” Lexi sounded tired and irritated.

              Barek sat on the edge of a chair, while Y’Dürkie balanced precariously on the edge of one of the hammocks. Y’Dürkie watched both Barek and Lexi closely, aware of what was about to happen.

              Lexi took a deep breath and exhaled before she started. “She’s sleeping right now. I think her grief finally caught up to her. She’s been running away from it since Joss died. I’m hoping she’s back to her normal self once she wakes up, but we won’t know until then. Anger’s not something she’s used to, especially this strong, so it may still take her a few days to realize a better way to deal with it than jumping all over the rest of us. Only thing I can think of is to not react if she becomes irrational with you. Stay calm, agree with her, and try to diffuse it in some way. Though I don’t recommend sparring with her.”  Lexi looked over at Y’Dürkie. “That wasn’t terribly smart of you, Y’Dürkie. She may be your sister now, but she’s not a barbarian. You’re not done yet. I don’t need you dying because she can’t stop the blade next time.”

              Slamming a huge fist down on the table, Barek spoke up. “That’s it, Lexi. I’ve had it up to here with some of these little tricks of yours. I don’t know what you did to Arwenna to make her think you had a good reason not to be at that fight, but I’ve not heard it yet!  And you weren’t anywhere near us on that barge when Y’Dürkie and Arwenna were sparring, so you shouldn’t know anything about that!  I’m sick of all this double talk and dancing around what you’ve been doing!  What the hell is going on?”  He gave Lexi a very direct look.

              “Didn’t you do
anything
I told you to do, Y’Dürkie?”  Lexi whirled around, her face full of disbelief. “I told you to tell them!”

              “I did tell them about the relic. I just could not figure out how to tell them the rest vas all,” her voice was subdued, like a child who was being scolded.

              With a heavy sigh, Lexi turned back around to Barek. “Y’Dürkie was
told
to tell you all after I left, obviously she didn’t do so. The short version, Barek, is that some fairy folk decided to worship me before I died. This is the result.”  With that, she once again dropped the façade.

              Barek’s eyes widened in shock and awe as Lexi was transformed before him. A blue aura shone around her, and her clothing changed. Within seconds, the Goddess she had transformed into stood before them. The sight remained briefly before fading again. Y’Dürkie recognized the look on his face. It was the same reaction she’d had.

              “Because of that,” Lexi continued, “I can’t do certain things any more. Like get directly involved in major conflicts like wars. The change made it so I could find Arwenna in that hell Bohrs put her in and bring Hauk to her. It’s going to help us find the Gem, though I can’t touch it. It’s how I know Arwenna almost slit Y’Dürkie’s throat on the barge. There’s more, but if I tell you too early, things could get worse instead of better.”