The sound of sobbing drew him to the bow of the boat. THe moon’s light was dim, hidden behind clouds. Thank the gods that they were normal clouds, not the swirling banks of dark grey clouds lit from within by green flaring lights that they’d left behind at the ancient city of Darkmith.
Tucked into shadow behind two bales of fishing net, Torel found the girl sitting on the gunwhale, feet up on a bale and clutched to her chest. She was rocking back and forth crying quietly. If the seas had been any rougher than the millpond it was currently he feared she’d have gone over the edge long ago.
Slowly he eased up to sit next to her, keeping just enough space between them to be able to grab her if she went too far back. “Hey,” he spoke softly, gently,”how’s it going?”
The girl’s muffled voice came softly from where it was buried between her knees. “I don’t want to die. Things keep happening to me and I think I’m going to die and then other things happen and suddenly I’m not and I’m just so tired of it. I’ve got this… thing inside me, I saw what it did, I don’t want to …” Her tear covered face looked up at him and she reached out to grab his arm in a grip that would leave a ring of bruises around his forearm. “Swear to me, swear on your life, on everything you hold dear in this world and the next that if this thing in me…if something happens…swear that you’ll end the pain.”
Torel didn’t, couldn’t look away from the fierceness of the girl’s gaze and found himself nodding, “Aye, Soozin. This I swear on my life and my faith, if it comes to that, I will… stop the pain.”
For several long moments the girl was silent, eyes gazing into those of the holy warrior of Kord then she nodded and said simply, “Thank you.”
He moved closer, then hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and he held her, offering what comfort he could.
They sat in silence that way, the salt taste of the water in the air, the gentle breezes from the south, warm and comforting blowing across the ship with the snap of the sails and the creak of rope and pulleys adding their own melody to the night. Her tears like small raindrops rolling over his forearm.
Then the girl began to speak, voice calm as she watched the water flow past. Telling him of her life, of growing up the daughter of a seamtress, her father lost at sea. Of her hopes at the spring festival of finding someone, of her home and her brother, lost in Darkmith. Of Torn’s caring for her and their plans for the future.
“You said Torn was hurt but that the temple priests were going to fix him. Was that the truth?”
Torel sighed heavily, “As far as I know little one. The temple has vast stores of knowledge and they seemed hopeful they would be able to find a way to heal him. His brain was hurt during the attack and that’s the part they aren’t sure about. I’ve seen those who’ve been damaged in such a fashion and I’ve seen them lay in a deep sleep for weeks and then come out of it.”
“And sometimes they don’t.”
“Aye, sometimes.”
“Thank you for the truth on that.”
“We’ll do everything we can for him, I hope you know the truth in that as well. It’s only another two days and we should be home. Gods willing he’ll be up and around and waiting for you.”
“The gods will as they will. Damned be them all.” she said bitterly looking up at the skies. “By all… what is that?” she whispered.
His eyes turned up as she gasped. A shadow was crossing through clouds overhead, outlined in green fire, the outline was that of a man but with abnormally long legs and arms and giant tattered shadow wings that beat the clouds into a frenzy at its passing. Fragments of green fire dripped from those wings like water splattering into a rain puddle and each drop burned a section of the clouds away. It soared without sound, significantly faster than the ship could sail, moving in a weaving graceful pattern, leaving wispy burned away clouds in its wake.Â
Rooted to the spot they watched it, unable to look away as it sailed far ahead of the ship and then with a swirling loop it turned inland and vanished in the distance.
A deep terror filled the girl’s eyes as they shook off the spell. “Do you…?”
Torel shook his head slowly, “No. But I fear by all that I know that this does bodes dreadful ill for the future. I fear those meddling fools may have doomed us all with what they’ve unleashed.”
He stood, helping the girl to her feet, “Come we must tell the others of this.”
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