The young man leaned back in his chair so that he could look up at Darci with his enticing brown eyes. “Kidnapping is such a harsh word. I prefer invited. Anyway, I told you that I’m not into the abduction thing. Don’t worry; I’ll have you back at that inn before they wake up. From what I’ve heard of your knightly friend, your threats are quite valid. Not to mention Defyance – what a woman! She may be hot, but I wouldn’t want to mess with her. Anyway, before I escort you back, I do have a few questions to ask, and hopefully you’ll be able to answer them.” His grin disappeared then, as his face became serious, almost pleading.
He could probably get anything with that look, she thought. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Then she realised, if she was not careful, she might fall for his handsome, easy going demeanour and let something slip. She smiled innocently at him, thinking, I’m on to your cute looks; you’re not going to trap me. Then another thought occurred to Darci. Most kings were used to getting their way, rarely hearing the word no to their requests. He was in a pleasant disposition now, yet she wondered what he would be like if she tried to push his buttons. In an attempt not to seem totally compliant with his wishes, she shrugged her shoulders and sat back down on the bed.
“What do you eat?” he asked as soon as she looked up. He leaned forward again, this time with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands. Much like a child listening to a good story, he awaited the answer.
“Huh?” Darci did not quite understand; she ate food of course! Why was he asking such a stupid question?
“Where you come from, I mean; what types of food do you eat?” Kuffs persisted.
Darci quickly thought it over. It could not hurt to explain something like junk food or Deep Fried Chicken, she thought with a smile. Taking pains to avoid subjects that she deemed dangerous, like technology, she more than kept Kuff’s interest by talking about school, sport, and finally, her friends and family.
“It must be hard,” Kuffs commented when she took time to pause. Her tone of voice still carried the pain she felt about her situation and leaving her family. For the moment, she seemed to have satisfied his insatiable curiosity.
“Yeah, I guess,” she replied. “To tell the truth, I still haven’t really come to terms with things. The way that it has all happened, it’s just so… unbelievable…” Darci caught herself before saying anything else. With a slight amount of effort, she managed to control her expression into one of an innocent youth, yet her eyes held a different story. At this, Kuffs’ only reaction was the slightest twitch of his eyebrow. Darci knew that he realised there was more to her tale. For an instant, her mind went blank, trapping her in a moment of awkward silence with her host.
A man that she had never seen before suddenly appeared in the doorway, a simple commoner by the way he was dressed. From his stiff body language, Darci could tell that the man did not particularly like the present King of Thieves, yet there was something in his eyes, something that vaguely resembled respect… or fear.
“Alas, but our time is almost up,” Kuffs said with a comic flourish of his hand when the other man had left. “It’s almost morning and I have to whisk you back to your friends.” Darci took his outstretched hand as he helped her off the bed, following the King of Thieves through the door.
* * *
If anyone wondered why Darci slept until lunchtime that day, they did not say so. For some reason, everybody felt a bit under the weather. When Darci finally awoke, the noise from the street could be heard from below and the smell of bread wafted up from the kitchen. Wriggling around until she lay flat on her back, she remembered all that had happened the night before.
She had been forced to don a blindfold as she walked through the lair of the city thieves. An assortment of smells and sounds had reached her senses; the strong scent of alcohol, muttered conversations, a muffled grunt behind half closed doors and the pungent odour of sweat. Despite the obvious crush of people in such a small place, Kuffs had led her without mishap, over and under so many streets and alleyways that his secret lair was definitely going to remain a secret. Darci would not have been able to find her way back even if she wanted to.
Once at their destination, he had thanked her for satisfying at least some of his curiosity, and with a blown kiss, he had disappeared around the corner. Too tired to do anything else, Darci had gone up to her bed and back to sleep just as the sun was beginning to rise.
She wondered what she was going to tell her friends. She could simply tell the truth about the weird encounter with Domati, and with so much at stake, she had little choice. However, if she did not lie about her abduction, Maledorian was sure to take such an act badly. So, after some thought, she decided to improvise.
* * *
“Domati actually attacked you in your dreams?” Lief was shocked at the idea of Darci having to face that twisted man by herself. He had heard many stories of the evil wizard during his travels, and none of them were admirable.
“Yeah… I’d been having nightmares, but I didn’t realise that it was him trying to get at me. With the gauntlet still on in my sleep, it somehow made it easier for me to… see I guess.” The young girl was at a loss to explain what had happened. She remembered everything, but that did not help her put the mystical experience into words.
Darci had finally decided to make her way downstairs to satisfy her grumbling stomach. It was there that she had found the rest of her friends eating their first meal for the day. As usual, the taproom was not full at this hour, hosting only those few people that could afford to eat their meal in such a place.
“The main thing is that you are safe,” Defyance said. In the mystical realm she had not much experience. The survival of her youngest companion in such a dire situation, making her feel some newfound respect. As the warrior woman chewed on a semi-fresh loaf of bread she had to smile. She found it quite humorous the way her young friend described catching the ball of fire and simply throwing it back. “At least now we know where our main enemies lie.” With that last comment the warrior woman looked away, silently contemplating the dangers to come.
Next came a barrage of questions from her other friends. Everybody was very interested to know what had happened in the confrontation, seeing that Darci was still very much alive. At least now they knew where he was, because if he was with the demon, then he was down South where the war was about to begin. They no longer had to worry about him being behind them with his slave Trolog. They were also very relieved that there were going to be no more attacks by ruffians. Now they could look forward to meeting any challenges in the rigours of known battle when they reached their destination.
With as much disinterest as she could muster, Darci mentioned that she had gone downstairs for a drink that night after her nightmare. Everyone had been asleep and there had been no one downstairs. Or so she had thought. She told them how she had run into a young man who had introduced himself as Kuffs, the King of Thieves in the city of Chinta. Not knowing whether he was a dangerous man or simply deluded, she had felt it safest to simply nod as if she knew what he was babbling about. Very soon, the conversation had demanded her full attention. Without banter or small, talk he had apologised profusely about the attack on her and Taslessian, saying that it had been a misunderstanding. He had only wanted to meet the Offworlder, not to cause any trouble.
Darci grinned as she remembered his dark alluring smile and the comical way that he had held out his hand to help her up. Her cheeks held the slightest hint of red as she finished off her tale with the young man disappearing into the night. How he had known that she was not of this world was a mystery, yet he had not deemed it necessary to share that particular secret.
Lief placed his hand on his young friend’s shoulder as they finished their simple meal. His long yet somewhat dainty fingers squeezed for an instant, the single motion conveying without words the concern he felt for Darci. She was here, sitting next to him safe and sound, leaving nothing for them to worry about. Out of them all, Defyan
ce was the only one to raise an eyebrow as she quietly studied the young girl. With an imperceptible shrug, the warrior woman was content to let the past be past, whatever the real story was.
* * *
For the rest of the uneventful day, all prepared for the trip down south – everyone except Gemal. The surly sailor was planning on travelling to another city down on the coast somewhere. As soon as word reached the city of Chinta about how the Elspeth was hijacked, someone would try to hunt him down. There were those on his former crew who would gladly relieve him of whatever profit he had made from screwing them over.
During his time spent with his newfound comrades, Gemal had eventually confided his future plans to them over a nice mug of ale. He had always wanted to become a blacksmith. When in dock, he had had a limited experience with the fixing of weapons as well as assorted bits and pieces on board the Elspeth. The use of fire and his bare hands to create things from unshaped metal appealed to him, and now that he had the money from the sale of the ship, he had the means to make a life that would hopefully be safer than his seafaring days. He told everyone that it was time for him to settle down anyway.
As there were only the two ladies in one of the rooms, all of the group’s belongings had been stored in and around their two beds of hay. Amongst piles of clothes, bedrolls, horse equipment, weapons and the like, Lief and Darci sat on a bed each as they sorted through the less than organised mess. Their conversation drifted in and out of the mundane to eventually broach the subject of Lief’s ears. Considering most of the sailors and men of the army were from the City of Chinta, there may be some problems once they were out to sea.
With a mischievous glint in her eye, Darci reached over with her gauntlet-covered hand in an action that brushed back a stray lock of blond hair. At the same time, she concentrated, taking a deep breath to steady herself. In her mind she thought of ears. Ears of a human. The tingle of magical energy ran through her veins as she felt with the very tips of her fingers the points in Lief’s ear shrinking them back into a gentle curve.
After a moment of silence, the elf looked up from under his golden hair with his deep blue eyes. The magic had left a tingle in his ears, and his soft lips curved slightly upward as he smiled at the girl that somehow, he knew he loved.
Darci noticed the way that Lief was looking at her. All of a sudden, she leant back to sit arm’s length away. She knew how Lief felt. For a moment she began to feel guilty, thinking that she had done something to lead her friend on. Time stopped as they looked into each other’s eyes; Darci, the first to look away, a slight redness forming on her cheeks. With a smile on both their faces they went back to the task at hand.
Maledorian and Defyance spent their time catching up on some rest, choosing not to be disturbed in the room that the boys had been sleeping in. At least that is what Maledorian had used as an excuse. Taslessian on the other hand, had secreted himself at a table wedged behind the stairs near the Blazing Unicorn’s kitchen so he could read one of his books in relative quiet. It was usually used for the staff to eat at when they were able to take a short break. But now that war seemed imminent, all those who could hold a sword were either training with the army, hiring themselves as mercenaries or simply travelling far away so as not to be dragged into the war.
With a sigh, Darci tied her last rope around the last bag. She did not know when, but at some stage Lief had lit a lantern that was now beginning to drive back the lengthening shadows of the afternoon. Maledorian and Defyance entered the room without a knock, causing both elf and girl to look up. To all appearances, neither of them looked more refreshed. Yet both of them had smiles on their face, with Maledorian slightly red-faced and for once, seemingly lost for words.
Before eyebrows could be raised, Taslessian stood behind them with the innkeeper. The stockpiling of goods had obviously suggested that they would be leaving soon. A profitable innkeeper was always one who managed to get paid before his customers left. Maledorian nodded to the stern-faced man and followed him back downstairs to pay their dues to the keeper of the inn, who shrewdly bit down on each coin to attest to their worth before finally nodding his approval. On his way out, the smiling knight threw an extra coin to the barmaids. His generosity earned him promised favours next time he was in town. With a smile on his face, he headed outside to the stable to meet with Lief and Taslessian to load their mounts.
With no use for their winter garbs, they left them in their now empty rooms, knowing full well that the serving boy would most likely treasure such a find.
The horses had been well looked after in their absence. The straw in their stalls was fresh, with even Maledorian’s charger allowing himself to be tended to; his bed of straw no longer covering the small backyard. With bags shouldered ready to depart, gifts of carrots were offered to their animal companions.
“They weren’t too bad, sir,” said a scrawny boy walking out from behind the stable. His hair was unkempt with the odd piece of straw sticking to his clothing. He wiped his nose on his sleeve revealing a hole at the elbow.
He threw a coin in the air for the lad to catch, noticing a few tell-tale horse bites on his arm.
With the rest of the group holding the horses, all too soon, Darci had to change her face again. The experience was quicker this time, leaving her not quite as drained, but then too came the task of changing Defyance’s face. For lack of a suitable model, she decided that the memory of her father’s face would suffice.
Sitting together in their temporary bedroom, Darci’s hand gently touched the warrior’s face, her fingers caressing tightly closed eyes. Breathing out slowly, she removed her hand to look at her friend. Receding light hair barely reached the thoughtful furrows in the warrior woman’s new brow. As Darci looked into Defyance’s now faded blue eyes, regarding the familiar but too large nose and stern mouth, she had to get a hold of her feelings. She had not truly thought about home for a while now, but the memories still hurt, causing an impossibly large lump to form in her throat, making it difficult to swallow.
Defyance saw the pained look on her young friend’s face, and she guessed whose face she had borrowed. The warrior woman placed her hand on Darci’s shoulder to offer a word of comfort. But hearing her father’s voice was too much. Defyance held the vulnerable, sobbing young girl in her arms, seeing her as such for the first time.
* * *
Sounds of drill sergeants putting their soldiers through their final paces drifted on the wind as they set off again towards the docks. The clip- clop hooves echoed off the empty streets as they rode. The sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon, creating long and foreboding shadows across their path, leaving the sky stuck in the darkening blue of transition between day and night.
Lief looked strange without his hood. Darci had changed some of his more distinguished elf features. His long pointy ears were now the same as any other persons, and sometime that morning, his soft, boyish looks had been replaced with the raggedness of two days stubble, something which caused him to scratch occasionally.
The atmosphere of the docks was different this time around. Everything was serious, the grave sense of impending war hanging heavily upon everyone’s shoulders. Lines of men passed heavy crates of food and weapons to each other, filling the ships with a practiced efficiency.
At the very end of the pier lay the deepest water at high tide, and this was where their ship was moored. A tall scrawny man in an immaculate soldier’s uniform held a board with a piece of chalk, ticking off things as he regarded them. As soon as he laid eyes on the approaching group, he ordered for two soldiers standing behind him to tend to their horses. With no nonsense, he quickly pointed them to the end of a slowly moving line of gathering soldiers. With mumbled complaints, those in line were not forced to wait for long, as one by one they were shuffled on board. The bosun of the ship looked each man in the eye, giving them a look that all knew. This was his ship.
This broad shouldered, intimidating man reminded Darci of Gemal in the
way that he took control of the situation. He seemed to command respect in much the same way as her sailor friend, yet there was something that set the two men apart. This bosun wore a uniform. It was a simple, plain white shirt that held markings on the sleeves, and plain blue pants. The way he stood, tall, shoulders back and assertive, commanded a more regimented outlook.
For the moment, the deck was full of sailors, mercenaries and crates that were steadfastly being cleared below deck. The soldiers were standing at attention, waiting to be assigned sleeping quarters while the mercenaries slouched around on whatever space was left. As they stood around, waiting to be told where to put their gear, they eyed everyone on board. Those who knew each other were talking boisterously, while those singled out looked for potential drinking buddies, threats or marks.
Standing in their small group attempting to look inconspicuous, Darci noticed a few furtive glances were sent their way. The recognition was for Maledorian, though he was dressed down in only chain mail armour he had decided to still carry his broadsword, marking him as a knight. It sat comfortably on his back with his mace still close to hand in his belt. The young teen marvelled at his reputation and how far it had spread in the short time of his knighthood. He really was the winner of many tournaments, Darci mused, thinking of something he had told her previously.
They were soon told to pack what they owned and did not need in the hold that would not be accessed until they reached their destination. A ship as large as this could carry a great many things, however, by the time they had stowed their spare belongings, the storage space was almost full; contesting to the amount of people heading off to war. After that, they were given no particular directions, save for one simple order directly from the bosun of the ship: keep out of the way so that the sailors and soldiers could do what they were paid to do.
Once the humans were all seen to, the horses were then led on board. There were a few charges belonging to various knights, as well as their own steeds. Hoods had been placed over their heads so as not to frighten the animals in the close and unfamiliar confines of a ship. Generally without hassle, they were led underneath to a particularly large storage space. Maledorian’s charger even behaved, perhaps sensing the strict hand of a soldier at his reigns.