Chapter Five "On Our Way"

     The harbor of Careath, on the Mondo River, had a lingering smell of rotting fish and sea salt. Seagulls and other birds flew overhead battling the breeze. The water was slightly choppy, and the sky was mostly clear. Down a long dock sat a boat with two huge fan-like sails being tended. They looked like the fins of a giant fish. Men moved quickly around the docks, lifting and throwing loads of goods on and off the ship.

     At last Myllyof’s group stood by the vessel that would soon take them away. The ship was clean for the passengers, but the crew was rather rough looking. Yvayn was shocked by the language of the sailors who were pulling in ropes from the dock. They yelled at each other as they tied ropes and set thing in order. He was still in a daze from the attempted abduction.

     “Gettin’ the ‘eck out my way!” one crewmember shouted at the young prince as he stood watching. Myllyof turned, looked at the crewmember and then motioned for Yvayn to move.

     “Son, it is their job and politeness is not a priority.”

     The ship they were taking was a Menian long boat. The long boats were from ancient times and were used for wars, but now were mostly used for commerce. This particular boat had its origins from Lake Ozwanie in the North of Menia between the lands of Nesmenia, Manar, Nezea, and Ozwan. The long boats of the lake were distinguished by their speed and hauling capabilities. They were built of cypress that came from the swamps along the Mondo River. The wood was cured for a year in warehouses along the river’s banks before being cut for ships. The warehouses were large, long wooden buildings at the center of much movement and business. From the warehouses to the river a nearly continuous market ran along the banks of the river. Ships move up and down the water in a continuous flow, carrying food, cotton, wool, and people.

     Food was grown between the Mondo River and the Leptonis Mountains. Grain and vegetables were carried down the river and sold in the market. Then the farmers travel by foot back to their homes. Fur traders from the mountains and woods built rafts to carry their furs to the markets. When they arrived, they would sell the rafts and furs and go back to the North on foot or catch a larger boat like the one they were on.

     In ancient times, the cities were built over the water on wooden posts. At night the people raised the bridges to the land. This practice was still being used, except that the buildings were made of stone rather than wood. Raka burned all the wooden cities with his dragons and few, if any, were rebuilt. Of the cities left along the Mondo and Ozwanie Lake, Beltizar was the most important one north of Careath. Goods traveled through that city, and then went south to Careath. Beltizar was a city made up of many varieties of people and also several languages. Walking along the main market street on any given day, one could hear Menian, Semian, Gromolian or even some other more bazaar language. It was Myllyof’s plan to depart in Beltizar and take the road again by foot.

     Their means of transport up the broad Mondo was an unblemished ship that went by the name of Silver Hawk. It had two main masts holding two sails apiece, plus a third mast used only if needed. The ship was also equipped with fifty oars below the main deck. Three men manned each oar. Many of the oarsmen were prisoners or pirates captured along the river route. The boat was lined with one hundred shields per side, to be used in battle if needed. There were twenty large crossbows and hundreds of long bows located on both sides. There was another weapon known as the ‘fire breather’. It was for shooting a long stream of flame toward an enemy or pirate ships. The front of the ship was decorated with a bronze dragonhead. The other end featured the dragon’s tail. There were three decks below the main one for cargo and sleeping areas for the slaves. Above deck were a few rooms for passengers and the captain’s crew. The captain was an old friend of Myllyof’s named Erwaith, the Gray, because of his long gray locks of hair. Erwaith was another tall Menian of average build with a broad face marked with a prominent scar on his left cheek.

     “Greetings, my dear friend.” Erwaith bowed to Myllyof and company. “I hope my crew hasn’t been too rude to you. They are a devilish bunch of dolts.” His accent was a clear northern Menian one. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the five passengers. “So, how can I be of service to you and your band of merry folk?”

     “We need speedy passage to Beltizar and Loctar, if possible.” Myllyof stepped forward to speak.

     “Beltizar is no problem, but Loctar will depend on the weather. It hasn’t been too bad since that awful storm a few days ago, but as we go north, the weather can liven up a bit.

     “I guess we’ll play it by ear then. I will pay you for your services once we get there.”

     “Half now and half then.” He had a wry smile on his face.

     “Fine…” Myllyof reached into his pack and pulled out a bag of coins. He handed it to the Silver Hawk’s captain.

     “That is fine…and who do I have the honor of transporting these next few days?”

     “How rude of me, Erwaith.” Myllyof turned to the other four who were looking rather awkward at the moment. “This is Velsusi, a dear old friend.”

     “The one and only?”

     “Yes, and please keep that to yourself. To his right is my personal guard, Jullious.”

     “Nice to meet you.”

     “Oh, the pleasure is all mine, captain.” Jullious perked up like a rooster.

     “Oh, please call me Erwaith or Gray. We are all friends here.”

     Jullious seemed offended by Erwaith’s openness.

“To his right is Termâs and finally my son, Yvayn.” He smiled at his young son.

     “The pleasure is all mine, and I look forward to serving all of you. Now, Myllyof, I thought you didn’t like boats?” He gave the emperor a surprised look.

     “I had a change of heart, and we need to move now.”

     “Well, we shall have plenty of time to talk later, but for now you all must relax. My crew will show you to your quarters.” Erwaith turned and snapped his fingers, and a young squire jumped to attention. “Young man, please show these five to the main guest rooms.”

     “Yes, sir.” The young sailor clicked his heels together and turned toward the rear of the ship.

     “Please follow my understudy to your rooms and feel free to get comfortable.”

     “Thank you, Erwaith.” Myllyof turned and led the others behind the squire.

     “Untie the ropes and hoist the mainsails!” Erwaith clapped his hands. A whistle sounded and the ship began to move slowly away from the dock.

     The current of the river was hardly noticeable in the far south because of the great width of tea-colored water. A gentle wind was blowing from the Southwest and the sails were set to catch it and began to drive the ship to the North. It was not long before the Silver Hawk cut a large wake into the waters of the Mondo, leaving dark foam behind the ship.

     “Here are your rooms, your highness.” The young man bowed and exited quickly after clicking his heels again.

     “What discipline. I think we could all use a lesson.” Jullious looked smug and glared at Termâs.

     “I think we all should unpack and meet back on deck.” Myllyof took Jullious and Velsusi into his room while Yvayn and Termâs went across the hall.

     “I want to speak with you alone, Myllyof.” Velsusi put his bag down and leaned his staff on the wall.

     The room was small and had three beds set out. There were two windows facing out the side and a small table located under the windows. There were three chairs and two oil lamps. The window frames were stained in a light color and each window was divided into four frames. The table was much darker and made of a fine walnut as were the chairs. The beds were held close to the walls by black chains attached to some of the ship’s ribs. The inside of the ship’s hull was sealed in layers of pitch then layered over again by more wood to cover the smell. Each bed had a thin mattress of feathers and cotton. The beds could be folded up to the walls and latched if needed.

     “This will do fine.” Myllyof turned to Velsusi. “When do you need to speak with me?”

     “Any time, it is not urgent.”

     “I would like to see the ship.” Jullious tried to sound important.

     “That is why we’re all going on deck.” Myllyof looked at Velsusi and rolled his eyes. The old wizard smiled back.

     “Oh, I see.”

     Myllyof went over to the other room to check on the young ones. “How are your quarters?”

     “Fine,” Yvayn stopped unpacking and looked up, “especially this view of the river.”

     His father walked over to the window and looked out. Evidence of the city was now gone. The riverbank was about one hundred cubits away. The shore was lined with tall ancient cypress trees. The cypress knees poked out of the black water serving as stools for the water birds and hiding places for darker creatures. The wake left by the boat scared off several birds that screamed as they flew up into the air. The trees were covered in drooping vines; giant ferns were growing along the shore. The forest was dark and full of shadows. They passed a tall old dead oak tree that was covered completely by moss. At the top of the tree a large hawk sat perched watching the ship as it passed.

     “What a beautiful bird.” Yvayn was excited. “What is that?”

     “Let’s go up on deck and ask Erwaith. He is the master of these parts. I came to get you, anyway.”

     “Sounds good to me. I want to see this ship.” Termâs started for the door. Myllyof and Yvayn followed.

     “Come on, you two,” Myllyof called to Velsusi and Jullious.

     “We’re coming!” Velsusi shouted. They all walked up the stairs and emerged on deck. The sun was showing bright above them; the steamy air was not moving much around on the land.

     “I see you are ready for a tour of the Silver Hawk.” Erwaith greeted them from the wheel. He handed that job over to a crewmember. “The Mondo is like a snake this far south. We’ll make so many turns that you might not even know we’re going north.”

     “Yvayn and I were wondering what that bird was back there on that dead tree?” Myllyof was pointing behind them.

     “Oh, well let me see.” He got out his eyepiece and focused it. “Come here, Yvayn.” He handed the eyepiece to him. “Look through the small end and look at the bird.” He did and continued to stare.

     “I believe, Myllyof, that is our ship’s name sake: a silver hawk.”

     “How can you tell?” Yvayn asked.

     “Look at the white feathers on its back.”

     “Oh, I can see them.” He looked a little more, and then put the eyepiece down. “Father, you should look at it.”

     “Wow, that a beautiful bird.” He was in awe of the great silver bird. “This is a better-looking example of a bird than anything you could conjure up.” He kept nudging Velsusi on the old wizard’s arm to irritate him.

     “That is not so impressive. The old wizard tried to sound smug and a bit hurt. “I’ll give it a visit and see.” He began to speak under his breath and wave his hands about in the air. “Can’t wait to see Jullious’s expression with this one.”

     “What are you doing old man?” Myllyof asked. “I did not mean for you to…”   

     Suddenly a blue haze surrounded Velsusi, and he began to shrink down while growing feathers. As he did, his arms became wings and his nose became a great hooked beak. His feathers were of a deep black with purple undertones. He inspected himself and flew up into the air. The whole crew stopped what they were doing and watched Velsusi soar toward the silver hawk. The great white bird lifted its wings and took flight. A great call came from it as it flew away. Velsusi followed. They circled in the air and over the trees.

     “What is he doing?” Termâs sounded a bit shocked.

     “He is a devil!” Jullious exclaimed. “No man who claims to follow the Laws of Aurum would do such a thing!”

     “Oh…he’s such a showman sometimes.” Myllyof began to laugh. “Ease up on the old man, Jullious. He’s one of the wisest men you will ever know, and one of the most devoted to his faith.”

     “A man of God just wouldn’t do such a thing.”

     “Lighten up. He’s just doing this to get us relaxed.”

     “Relaxed! He should be shut away somewhere or burned for witchcraft!”

     As they watched, Velsusi flew back down and landed on the ship. The crew stepped back as he re-formed back to his normal shape. He checked himself and turned to Yvayn. “There is so much you have to learn young man. You are so young and so ready.”

     “I should teach him and keep him from such things as this!” Jullious stormed away.

     “What is his problem?” Yvayn looked at his father.

     “He’s a religious zealot ready to destroy anything that doesn’t fit his idea of sacred.” Termâs added.

     “You are too right. Sometimes I think he’ll pray himself to death,” Myllyof said and went after his guard.

     “Well, Yvayn, do you have any questions?” Velsusi looked at the young prince.

     “I do.” Termâs was quick to respond before Yvayn. “How do you do that?”

     “Concentration and focus…” He pointed to his head.

     “How vague…”

     Myllyof came back and looked at the three standing by the rail. “Jullious is in one of his moods.”

     “Should I talk with him?”

     “No, Velsusi. I think right now he might do something stupid.” He began to laugh and so did the others. “Oh, that man is so stubborn.”

     “Yvayn?” Velsusi looked a little serious.

     “Yes?”

     “Why don’t you and Termâs go and have a look around the ship. I need to speak with your father for a moment.”

     “I’ll take them for the tour.” Erwaith suggested.

     “Yes, sir.” Yvayn looked at Termâs and the three turned and walked away.

     Velsusi watched as they walked away then looked serious. “Myllyof?”

     “Yes…Old Hawk?”

     Velsusi gave Myllyof a long glaring look. Finally, he turned his eyes away toward the passing shore. “Yvayn worries me.”

     “How so?”

     “It’s his immaturity.”

     “What do you mean…immaturity? He’s of age.”

     “His age and size aren’t the problem. It’s his lack of understanding his role, or rather his position as a prince.”

     “I’d never really noticed.” Myllyof looked out toward the shore with Velsusi.

     “I’ve been observing him from afar for quite a while. It helps to be a shape shifter.”

     “I guess so.”

     “I’ve noticed him spending lots of time alone looking out at the open sea.”

     “I used to do that too.”

     “Yes, but I’ve also noticed his reluctance.”

     Myllyof looked at Velsusi with a concerned expression. He rubbed his beard and signed. “Reluctance…”

     “Yes…I’m afraid he’s waiting for someone to take his place. He is very bright but weak in the area of making good decisions. I would almost venture to say that if we turned around now and headed home, he would be the first one to jump for joy.”

     Silence fell between them. They listened to the crew bark orders at each other, but they remained quiet for a moment. Suddenly footsteps came up from behind them.

     “So, would you like to see some of the ship’s treasures?” It was Erwaith. His eyes were beaming, and he seemed quite puffed up with himself. Velsusi turned around first and gave the captain a long look.

     “I know of your treasures already.”

     “Oh, how so…do I call you Velsusi, Purple One, Hawkman…what say you?”

     “Just call me Old Hawk. That will do nicely for now.” He gave Myllyof a quick wink.

     “The only treasure I know you have is that sword you carry.” Myllyof was pointing to a well-decorated broad sword hooked to Erwaith’s left hip.

     “Oh, this…well I guess so. I found it in a cave near the ruins of the old port city of Veldir.”

     “What cave?” Velsusi’s curiosity was caught.

     “Oh, just a small cave, really. Nothing special about that now is there?” He turned on the charm.

     “This cave of yours, did it contain anything else?” Myllyof tried to sound uninterested, but he was not in the same class of storyteller as Erwaith.

     “Why, yes of course it did. It contained an abundance of water and quite a few very nasty little bats. Oh…I do hate those little winged rats. I once saw what seemed like a millions bats fly out of a tree. It’s totally disgusting when you think about it. All those winged rats…eating bugs…of all things. Makes me want to wretch.” He shivered and quivered a bit.

     “What about the cave at Veldir?” Myllyof was getting a little anxious. Velsusi was looking rather surprised by his attitude and behavior.

     “Oh, sorry, Myllyof…well, the sword was hanging on a wall in the back of the cave. It was hard to tell if there was anything else because of the water and darkness. My crew and I could never get the cave to light up. Come to think of it, the air seemed to swallow up the light of our torches.”

     “That’s interesting, Erwaith. So, you didn’t see anything else?”

     “No. We left when we found this sword.”

     “Can I see it?”

     “Yes.” He handed him the sword. Myllyof looked at it, as did Velsusi who ran his fingers along the blade and then examined the hilt.

     “Thank you.” Velsusi gave it back to Erwaith. “Guard it well.”

     “I will, Old Hawk.” Erwaith went to check on the crew.

     “Well?” Myllyof sounded anxious again.

     “Well, what?”

     “What is the sword or rather, whose was it?”

     Velsusi rubbed his long beard and his eyes twinkled. He leaned over to Myllyof. “It was a sword from the tomb of Darnius.”

     “I thought his tomb was lost.”

     “It is…he only found a guard’s sword. The real tomb is still well hidden within the shadows of the cliffs of Dorwaith. Darnius was very careful to hide the location of the real tomb while it was being constructed.”

     “Do you know where it is?”

     “Yes…and no. I won’t tell you, at least not until you get rid of that streak of greed.”

     “What streak of greed?” He tried to look innocent. They both just laughed.

     “Let’s go find the others and grab a bite to eat.” He patted Velsusi on the back, and they turned from the railing.

     “I’ll speak to Yvayn more and see if I can’t get him to see that this journey isn’t so bad.” The wizard smiled at Myllyof.

     A week passed as they continued sailing north. The river meandered through thick forest of cypress and hardwoods. The travelers had been blessed with fairly calm weather, with one exception: a severe storm that caused them to put down anchor for one night. The day after the storm Erwaith taught Yvayn how to fish. The young prince spent most of the remainder of the trip trying to catch the illusive swimmers of the Mondo River. He managed to catch enough each day to feed himself and one other person. Termâs was often at his side helping bring in the fish. The young guard also caught a few fish, but he really spent most of his effort killing all the eels he caught.

     As the boat sailed northward, they passed a few towns in the distance. The towers of Belnar poked up one morning through the fog of dawn. The wood of the Silver Hawk creaked as they sailed through the rough waters where a larger tributary flowed into the Mondo River nearby. They also passed the smaller town of Cardin, known for its double bridge that crossed both the Mondo and a smaller tributary.

     On into the voyage they sailed past the borders of the regions of Danlòs, home to the Clan Tyr, and also Òscathar, home to the Clan Teran. Then to the east, they came upon the territory of Ozwan, home of the Clan Balac. And just as they were nearing Lake Ozwanie, to the west, was the region of Nesmenia, the home of the Clan Gratar, homeland of the evil clan leader, Gordan, who Myrmidon killed in the Clan Wars.

     The late summer air was beginning to feel more like early fall. Velsusi even commented on the fair weather.

     “This has to be one of the nicest summers I can remember. Usually we’re burning up or running for cover from all the storms.”

     “You’re right, Velsusi. Yvayn is lucky.” Myllyof looked up at the clear sky.

     “As you recall, we nearly died on your Anointment Journey.”

     “You don’t need to remind me. I re-live that every time I get near a boat.”

     “You don’t look nervous now.”

     “I can control myself even if I do hate sailing and water. I’m more relaxed now for some reason.”

     “I’m surprised.”

     The two laughed and looked ahead. Their friendship ran deep. Velsusi taught Myllyof just as he was teaching Yvayn. They had had their share of disagreements but always ended by making amends. Their relationship was much like that of a wise father to a headstrong son.

     The young prince remained relaxed around the old wizard. His bad dreams seemed to disappear and Velsusi just blamed them on nerves. The Elder continued to work with Yvayn on his history. Myllyof often joined the lessons. Meanwhile, Termâs and Jullious practiced their sword fighting. The younger guard regularly bent the gentlemen’s rules, according to the old guard.

     “You have forgotten your vows, young man!”

     “No…I haven’t. I am a warrior and protector.”

     “You are a cheat!”

     “I learned to fight on the streets.”

     “That is no excuse for sloppy, shoddy sword work.”

     “Oh yea…” At that Termâs put on a couple of moves that sent Jullious’s sword into the air. “You see. I win and that is all that matters.”

     The old guard turned, grabbed his sword, and left.

     “Sore loser!”

     “A true believer would know better than to cheat!”

     “Not all enemies are true believers, now are they?”

     Myllyof often had to step between the two before one of them ended up beheaded or worse, if that was possible. As much as they disliked each other, each knew his role as protector, and each was ready to step in at a moment’s notice.

    

     In the forested lands between Belnar and Beltizar, Yvayn found solace watching the woods pass by as they made headway north. Along the route, he kept a careful eye on the banks looking at the various animals. He managed a couple of glances at a rather large wild cat that saw them and leapt back in the underbrush. As he watched, more and more he kept getting a strange feeling that someone or something just off the bank, not far from the ship, was watching him back. As he sat fishing one day with his feet dangling off the ship, he thought he saw a very strange, large fish go by. It looked almost like him, in a way, but with long flowing hair. He kept these things to himself because he feared ridicule from his companions.

     As the ripples of the river and the dull swish of the Silver Hawk lulled him into a hypnotic trance, he failed to notice a large black creature rising to the surface. Its head and tail were still hidden in the murky waters of the Mondo River, but its body realed up and slammed into the side of the great ship heaving it to the side which caused Yvayn to lose control of his rod and body. His immediate first thought as he came back to his senses was to grab onto whatever he could that being a wooden post that was already creaking under the strain of his body. He looked up with eyes wide hoping someone noticed his predicament, but the shipmates were too busy trying to right the ship and being blinded to the struggling young prince to notice him losing his grip. His legs began to get closer and closer to the water when he mustered up enough breath to yell. He had hardly gotten out the scream when a beefy arm grabbed him hear his elbow and began to heave him upward. Yvayn looked up to see Termâs and Erwaith working hard to lift him over the edge of the boat and back to safety. He landed with a thud forcing the breath out of him as his head bounced off the decking. He looked at Erwaith just as his eyes began to close. “It was massive…dark…”