For the Sake of a Soul: XXIX
Monday, June 23, 2003 (06:02:40)

Posted by TerishD

The Last Promise is Kept

The ship was not actually that large, but it was able to provide more than enough room for the nine intelligent beings and their seven horses. The ship was a sturdy wooden sailing vessel squat in design with a width about half that of its length. None were certain where the wood had come from. The belief of most was that the God Terdeskollit had restored some sunken vessel that had somehow come to rest in a location devoid of most actions of decay. The wood was wonderfully polished however, so a few suspected that the deity had recently created the craft.

The journey to find the lady of gold now proceeds over water.

The Last Promise is Kept

The ship was not actually that large, but it was able to provide more than enough room for the nine intelligent beings and their seven horses. The ship was a sturdy wooden sailing vessel squat in design with a width about half that of its length. None were certain where the wood had come from. The belief of most was that the God Terdeskollit had restored some sunken vessel that had somehow come to rest in a location devoid of most actions of decay. The wood was wonderfully polished however, so a few suspected that the deity had recently created the craft.

Medalpha had rushed to the wide thick plank that descended to a rocky length that went out perpendicular from the shore. The princess ran aboard the craft hoping to claim one of the better beds for herself. What she saw beneath the deck completely took her by surprise however. There was no narrow hallway with efficient berths. The floor was covered in a soft leather. The walls were polished and reflected the light from the open hatch preventing any fear that a gaunt might suddenly attack her. There were sconces with bowls filled with oil or wax. There were no doors. There really were not walls. Instead of solid barriers between rooms, the bottom halves of circles formed upside-down arches in the top part of each structural partition. Holes in the floor were common. The princess got the impression that the only reason for a door to the deck was to keep out inclement weather.

The young noble dropped through a hole when she heard the movement of horses. A heavy barrel was against one wall, and the princess climbed on it to look through an opening in the partition of the room she found herself. Not only was there light from a distant torch through the large hatch, but a medallion on Dathol's outer robe glowed brightly. Medalpha decided to ask for advice.

"Lord Ferrigote, Keir Dathol, do you know where we are to sleep?"

The men did not pause their work with the horses, but the muscular bearded man spoke loudly to Terish, who must have been visible to him, to go to the princess. Medalpha spoke a thanks to the men, then climbed down from the barrel expecting to climb up and meet with her acquired uncle. Terish however was looking down the hole as she was determining how to climb back up.

"This is a ship, Medalpha, so I cannot say exactly how they slept. I however would have slept in that corner over there." The young noble moved back as the youthful appearing hero dropped down into the room with her. "You see these blankets and pillows against the wall?" No, she had not inspected the room that closely, but she did now notice them and that there were no openings in the wall near the corners. "You would grab what you felt you needed to be comfortable, then crawl into a corner. The corner allowed you to curl up with your back protected, but you could still move if necessary. We always tended to put the blankets and pillows back, because they were too bulky to steal, but they were often just left laying about."

Terish suddenly made a sound of recognition, then went on tiptoes and used an opening in the wall to help him reach the ceiling in a corner. What the princess had thought was a net placed for decoration, was released to reveal a hammock. The youthful appearing hero showed his agility as he performed a maneuver that put his form in the swinging bed. Medalpha was not too certain about her sleeping in such a place, but laughed with her acquired uncle as he swung in the hammock.

"Truthfully, a rather comfortable bed. If I grabbed a pillow and blanket, I might decide to take a nap now."

A voice sounded from the hole in the ceiling. "If you try it without me, I will dump you out of that net."

Both Terish and Medalpha recognized Straekin before the long haired empress asked her lover, "Where would the galley be?"

The silk and leather attired hero moved from the bed to open a hinged panel in the wall. The princess felt slightly embarrassed in not having seen that doorway before, but followed her acquired uncle trusting him to know things about his world. The youthful appearing hero spoke about things he saw as he moved. Straekin responded to his statements as she tracked his movements on the level above.

Both Terish and Straekin opened a door to the galley at the same time. Medalpha heard the empress making surprised exclamations, and as soon as the princess entered the room she was also making sounds of wonder. A thick metal bowl supported by strong chains hung near the floor in the middle of the room. From another central chain hung a heavy loop of metal to which was set a sturdy metal hook holding a metal cauldron. Around the cooking pit was a floor of thick planks. The walls had numerous circular indentions set into it. The insets were large enough for a person to sit and eat, although could also be used for vertical movement.

Straekin moved down to her lover even as she asked him, "Where is the food, Terish?"

The youthful appearing hero dropped to the floor below, then turned to help both ladies follow. Again he showed some knowledge of the construction as he opened another panel in a wall. All were amazed at the bounty that was available. All of the food was in barrels, but Terish opened a few to prove that the labels he and Straekin read were accurate and that the food was edible. There was again a belief that Terdeskollit had resurrected and restored what he knew was resting in some dark depth, but none were willing to allow the banquet to continue to be neglected.

The ladies asked about something to drink, and the silk and leather attired man mentioned the barrels that they had been passing in the rooms. He stated that they were marked with the word for beer. Terish moved back into the galley, lifted a floor panel to retrieve some metal steins, then went to open a barrel. It was not the most fabulous grog that the three had ever tasted, but it was decent enough to not gain their disapproval.

Terish brought two extra full steins with him as he stepped back on deck. As he moved to Celatia, he handed one stein to Ferrigote. The muscular fighter took a pull on the stein with a suspicious look, but when the youthful appearing man stated that it was beer the eyes of the bearded armor man lit up. The princess laughed as she saw the change in expression on Ferrigote's features, because Terish had told her that if you gave the fighter a cup of mud and called it beer he would drink it with a smile on his face.

Thaunya did not feel neglected because she had not been brought any beer, but simply approached Terish as he gave his centaur a stein and said, "Everyone is expecting you to get this thing moving."

The silk and leather attired man did not deny the responsibility, but he did take time to trade information with the others. They were glad to hear of the provisions below. Dathol mentioned that there was plenty of what appeared to be fresh hay in the hold. Celatia mentioned that the ship really did not provide easy access for her, and that she would probably have to sleep with the horses. There was agreement that most of the living areas below deck was too small for her large form.

Finally, Terish commanded that the anchor be lifted. The ship was already pointed away from shore, but all were surprised as the sails filled and the vessel simply started moving without needing any arcane help. Terish spun the wheel to assure that the ship would respond to a change of direction. All on deck felt the forces due to the youthful appearing hero playing captain, but did not notice uneasy footing otherwise. With no waves or currents, the vessel provided a level floor.

All who wanted to play with the ship were allowed to do so. Comments were made about general directions, but no direct commands were given about where to go. Almost all felt that the good times would not last, but after the days of stressful land travel there was a need for a period of lax authority.

The elders found themselves again getting serious about their situation as the ship approached the mountains. The dry mounds of rock and dirt simply descended to the water. Ferrigote climbed the riggings to get a better view of the surrounding land, but quietly descended to inform his companions that he saw no islands out to the horizon. Celatia was presently at the wheel, and accepted the instructions to turn the ship away from shore.

The centaur was again at the wheel when Terish stepped to the wheel house later that day. He had finally felt able to take a true rest, and had retired with Straekin for a number of hours. He was not angry or worried when he came to his steed, but he did let Celatia know that they were heading in the wrong direction. Medalpha and Phillip were present trading the pleasure of directing the craft, and they joined the centaur in explaining how they had been directing the ship. With no stars, clouds, magnetic compass, or landmarks, the only indication of position was the sun. The three were aware that the celestial orb did move through the sky, so had been making corrections to their perceived heading. Terish did not reprimand the three, but agreed with their statements only to again state that they were heading in the wrong direction.

Dathol now stepped upon the wheelhouse and asked the group what they were discussing. The holy man quietly listened to the statements of misdirection. The four could tell by the dark man's features that they were not mentioning the topic that concerned him.

Terish saw Dathol point, then the youthful appearing hero started yelling orders to others on deck. The silk and leather attired man pointed to tell his centaur in which direction to turn the ship even as he gave instructions to the princess and the man. The holy man joined Terish in climbing the riggings to aid Ferrigote and Thaunya drop the sails. There really was not much else that the group could think about doing in preparing for a coming storm.

As Ferrigote felt the first cool wet breeze, he asked Terish, "What is Terdeskollit up to?"

"I don't know what he is up to, but I know that he is not making this part of the trip easy for us. He promised that we would travel in luxury, not that we would have a quick and uneventful voyage."

"I don't like this, kid, I don't like this at all."

Dathol approached the men and said, "Terish, get Celatia below deck. This is going to be a major storm. We do not need to be out. None of us are skilled enough to challenge weather of this coming magnitude."

The action starts in earnest in the next chapter, titled, "No Friends Away from Shore"