Once the sun had slipped behind the distant hills surrounding Marisfall and they were sufficiently far from shore, Kael turned the small fishing vessel abruptly north. His wings had faded away soon after their escape, and he sat comfortably at the tiller watching the growing twilight. He had to tack back and forth into the prevailing wind, but they managed to work their way along the coast. With the last light of day quickly fading, he steered them into a secluded cove.
When he grounded the ship on a sandy beach surrounded by thick greenery, Liriel and Elara leapt off the bow and began pulling the bowline toward land. Relieved passengers finally stood up, their terror and despair transformed into tears and gratitude. Kael waded up from the back of the boat, lifted Eya gently off the bow, and deposited her on the beach. She in turn began assisting the former prisoners as they hopped down.
"Everyone just settle in for a minute." She told them as they wandered the beach, now free. "We've got someone coming to take you to safety." Elara returned to the ship and dropped the sail once again. She then began pulling a few arrows from the mast and the hull. Theron kept close to Jory, reassuring him that they were going to get him to safety as well.
"I hope my boat is still seaworthy!" A booming voice came from the thick brush at the edge of the beach. Eya spun about and ran up the sand.
"Valdros! You were amazing!" She leapt into the bronze dragonborn's scaly arms and laughed gleefully. "That lightning was brilliant!" He chuckled and hugged her tightly before setting her back down.
"Well...I had to make it a good show. Wouldn't want those scum to think the fishing fleet was in on it." She patted his arms.
"Oh, please thank the rest of them for making sure the dock was clear? I know sunset is a busy time for all of you." A rustling behind him piqued Eya's curiosity, but she didn't have time to make out what it was before another shout emerged.
"Sister Alia!" An adolescent dragonborn bolted from the greenery and hugged her around the waist.
"Korvyn!" She shouted back and hugged the boy. "Omigods you've gotten so big!" She pulled away and bent over to examine his face in the fading light. "Your scales look so good now and..." she gasped dramatically, "is that a patina I see?" She pointed at the sides of his angular face, along the prominent ridges on his jaw. The boy awkwardly batted her hand away but held his head a little higher anyway. Kael and Liriel arrived behind her and the warrior reached out to clasp Valdros' hand.
"We couldn't have done it without you, friend. These people all owe you their freedom." The dragonborn shook his head.
"Worth it to see the slavers take a black eye for once." They laughed together while Eya and Korvyn spoke conspiratorially.
"Sister Alia!" The boy was getting more animated by the second. "I can do lightning now too, want to see?" She lit up at the suggestion.
"Pssh, YES!" The younger dragonborn led her away, out toward the shore. The adults watched them go until Kael turned back to the fisherman.
"She didn't tell me the details, what do we owe you? Like I said, we couldn't have done it without your assistance." Valdros cocked his head and looked at the warrior.
"Nothing. I didn't think I'd live to see the day Sister Alia asked for help." Kael nodded.
"Well, I appreciate it, and I'm sure they do too. Still though, are you sure? You really stuck your neck out back there. She mentioned that you'd brought your son to her for medical care once, but I'd like to make sure you're compensated." Valdros narrowed his eyes.
"She said that?" He asked, confused. Kael was taken aback, unsure if he'd spoken out of turn.
"Well no, not exactly. Just that he'd been sick, I suppose I assumed the rest." The sound of crackling electricity came from behind them, the young dragonborn was still warming up with Eya's encouragement. Valdros crossed his arms and watched his son.
"It was last year. The seas hadn't been kind to us that winter, so when he fell ill, I..." he sighed and looked down, "I waited. I worked extra, tried to pull in what I could to pay for medicine. When he got worse, I was still far short of what we needed. Are you a father?" Kael shook his head and Valdros continued. "Well, if you were, I wouldn't need to explain. Since you're not, I'm afraid I can't explain. He's all I have and I was watching him die because I didn't have the gold to save him." The quiet evening was punctuated by more electrical crackling.
"So she treated him anyway." Liriel said with subdued snark. "She makes my teeth hurt sometimes." The fisherman shook his head.
"She came to us. She sat with him all night, through the worst of it. She even made me get some sleep while she stayed awake. I hadn't slept in days." The nictating membranes over his eyes flicked quickly to clear them. "I didn't have nearly enough to pay her for everything she did. It was...humbling. So I offered to replace her supplies tenfold. Anything she used I swore I would gather by hand, as much as she could possibly need. She refused, told me to just replace what was used but only after our fortunes changed and the seas favored us again." He shook his head and smiled at his son's efforts down the beach. "When Sister Alia asks for help, you stand up and help." A sharp crack split the night and light flashed behind them, causing Kael and Liriel to turn around. Korvyn had successfully shot a lightning bolt into the sand. Eya threw her arms over her head and let out a war whoop while the boy danced excitedly around the spot he'd just blasted. Valdros chuckled, but then groaned and covered his snout.
"Ah, Bahamut..." He muttered. Seeing Kael's inquisitive look, he waved his hand dismissively and crossed his arms over his chest again. "Nothing, I just realized I still owe her a bundle of moss rose. The Wildmother has been very kind to us lately and we've been so busy playing catch-up." The warrior smiled at this and reached out his hand again.
"We can take care of that. If you won't accept my coin, then at least allow me to give her some flowers on your behalf." Valdros looked at the offered hand and took it.
"That, I can live with." He said. Another voice came from the brush, this time feminine and with a tired edge.
"You know, it's not a very secretive secret rescue mission if you're setting off explosions on the beach." Mara emerged onto the sand and patted Valdros on the back. She acknowledged Kael and Liriel, then pointed back the way she came. "I've got two carts back on the road. Ready to load them up, come on." She walked forward and signaled for the survivors to gather up.
Eya, Korvyn, and Theron ran up to Kael and the cleric held out a small, misshapen lump.
"It's glass!" She exclaimed. "He turned the sand into glass! Oh, hey Mara."
"Sister." The guard smirked. "Gotta tell you, hearing your voice in my head as I'm getting ready for my shift? More than a little disturbing." Eya sheepishly shrugged.
"Glad you could be here though." Mara nodded.
"Wouldn't have missed it. I let the Captain know about the guys we have at the gate and we'll be watching them very closely from now on. Let's see how much graft they can pull in while guarding the public shitters in the Copper Bowl." Eya snorted and stifled a laugh.
"So he took it in stride. He's not still sore with me?" Mara scoffed and shook her head.
"Oh, he was pissed when I told him where we got the tip. Finding that potato isn't something he's gonna let slide so easily." She began walking away toward the gathered ex-prisoners and cut off Eya's incipient excuse. "Even if it was only one time." Eya stomped her foot in the sand.
"It was an aubergine!" She huffed.
"Whatever, potato/poteggplant." She made a dismissive gesture over her shoulder and addressed the survivors. "Hey everyone listen up. My name is Mara, I'm with the Marisfall Guard. We're going to get you all where you need to go, but I need everyone to listen carefully. There are two carts up through that brush. I need you all to divide up so we can keep you hidden for the time being. The truth is, we don't know every place where the Saltwrights have eyes but we know some places that they don't. We're going to bring you to a lodge where my friend Cora has made arrangements to get you to safe houses until we can get you out of the city. Any questions?"
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Theron leaned in toward Eya while Mara fielded their concerns. "Oi...ya got Cora involved too?"
"Yeah, why?" She answered, searching his face in the night. He shrugged.
"Dinnae ken she liked ya much." Eya scoffed and patted his arm.
"Please, Cora loves me." After a silent beat, she waggled her head side to side. "Usually."
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The beach gathering dispersed quickly once the five collateral captives were loaded up. Korvyn and his dad sailed south to search for their 'stolen boat' and spend a few days basking in the southern sun while the situation in Marisfall cooled off. Mara agreed to let the CKG and Eya find their own way back with Jory at Theron's insistence. The guard hugged Eya and they said their goodbyes, waving to the two carts full of grateful people. As they disappeared into the trees, Theron finished speaking to their contact through Sending spells.
"So," he clapped his hands together and rubbed them, "good news, our contact has a man in Marisfall. We dinnae have to hide the wee lad at all, he's ready to go tonight." They all huddled around the dwarf, who lit off a Light cantrip for those who couldn't see.
"Bad news?" Liriel asked, arms crossed. "There's always bad news." Theron shook his head.
"Nope. Better news, actually. He asked me where we wanted to meet, I said the Golden Lantern, and he agreed." The wizard shrugged and his face lit up with a smile. "So who wants a go at whatever they've got cookin' tonight?" The assembled group, Jory included, agreed unanimously. Theron found a suitably flat stretch of ground, drew out a teleportation circle, and gathered everyone inside. "Ah'right, everyone say the magic words, 'Lamb Stew'!" He was met by a chorus of grumbles and one enthusiastic 'Lamb Stew!'.
"Close enough." He completed the circle and the six people within were whisked away, back to Marisfall.
They arrived at the Golden Lantern, landing loudly atop one of the tables in the street outside. Their sudden appearance sent plates of food and mugs of alcohol flying in every direction. Shouts and complaints from the current occupants drew Magda immediately out into the street. She looked in astonishment at the six people standing on one of her tables until her eyes fell on Eya. She squinted an angry glare and balled her fists. The cleric held up her hands and gestured frantically.
"No no no no no...Big Magda this one wasn't my fault!" Theron coughed uncomfortably.
"Are ya sure ya drew the circle jus' how I showed ya lass?" This drew a growl from Magda, a chuckle from Liriel, and an exasperated foot stomp from Eya.
With a promise to cover their bill (plus an extra round of drinks) from Kael, the invading party was granted safe passage from the aggrieved diners. They stepped down onto the sidewalk and gathered about to wait for their contact. They did not have to wait long; a sullen, sarcastic voice emerged from the dining crowd.
"You five certainly know how to make an entrance. Was discretion not in your contract?" The voice came from a lone diner who was nursing a pint at a table behind them. The man, a half-elf by the look of him, was dressed in dark leathers with a severely short, all-business haircut.
"Actually, it wasn't. Strictly speaking." Theron helpfully answered. The man scoffed and drained his pint.
"And you must be the comic relief." He set the glass down and turned to Jory, who was unconsciously edging closer to Eya. "Evenin' son. Have a seat." The boy didn't move, so she faced him and crouched down to get on his eye level.
"Jory, this man is here to take you back. I'm sure after everything you've been through today, he's planning on getting you a nice, hot meal first." She shot a look to their contact, who rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Sure kid, what'll it be?" Jory looked back and forth between them but still seemed to prefer Eya. She smiled warmly to him and squeezed his shoulder.
"You were so brave in that wagon today, would you like me to sit with you a bit longer?" The boy slowly nodded and she leaned forward to give him a tight hug. She turned back to her companions. "I'll catch up with you inside." Eya and Jory joined their contact at his table and he kicked a wooden strongbox toward Kael. Picking it up, the aasimar shot him a probing look.
"How did you beat us here? We teleported literally minutes after Theron got confirmation." The half-elf flagged down a server to order and didn't spare them another look.
"Oh, that was in the contract too, right below the paragraph about not making a spectacle of yourselves." Liriel snorted and began walking toward the entrance.
"Come on, let's eat. That was a 'go fuck yourself' if I've ever heard one." The contact gestured toward her.
"The lady knows what she's talking about." He grumbled. Theron, Kael, and Elara begrudgingly followed her toward the door. Magda showed them inside to a table, obviously still unhappy with them and their entrance. Once they had settled into their customary seating arrangement, Theron was quick to order a round of drinks and Kael began counting out Eya's fee from the box.
"Flashing our dosh around while we're sitting in a tavern in the low-rent district?" Liriel verbally jabbed him. "Feeling a little addled from that poison?" He chuckled and shook his head, trying to keep count in his mind. When he had apportioned out her share, Elara handed him an empty bag and he scooped it in.
"We owe her." He began doling out their shares as well. "I didn't want the night to get on too long and forget. Besides, she might have important...I don't know, religious ceremonies or whatever to get to."
"Ah, well if that's the case..." Theron reached for two of the frothy mugs that were delivered to the table. "Be a shame to let hers get warm." Elara intercepted one of the drinks and put it next to an empty chair.
"Pace yourself." She reminded him. She then accepted her share from Kael and passed Liriel's across the table to her. "What's everyone thinking? Back to Shorecomb?" Theron wiped some froth from his mustache and set his mug down.
"We've still got a few days paid up at the Ebontide, be a shame to waste it." He shrugged, picked up the drink once more, and spoke into it. "We could...see if there's another job around here that'll pay?" Liriel snorted.
"You just want to eat at the docks some more." She considered her pile of coin and, apparently satisfied, stashed it away. Theron set the mug down again mid-gulp.
"We can do both!" He insisted to another eye-roll from the rogue. Kael interrupted their argument with a light cough.
"I'll be honest, I'm a little concerned about the Saltwrights. I think..." He slowly turned his own drink around in front of him, thoughtfully studying it. "I think we may have made a mistake by hiring locally."
"How?!" The wizard was incredulous and studied him closely. "It was her plan and it went off damn near as smoothly as anything we've come up with in the past." Kael looked to his right and caught Elara's eye. It was the ranger who answered Theron.
"We pulled their pants up over their heads today. They'll likely be regrouping tonight, but if we skip town tomorrow..." She sighed and contemplated her own drink. "If I was their leader, I'd go after the only connection to us right now. Our healer." Theron slumped in his seat.
"Oh. Balls." He drummed his fingers on the table. "So we bring her with us. Tell her to come along until the heat dies down. I dinnae mind taking a little pay cut for a time, she's good company." Liriel audibly scoffed. "Got something caught in yer throat, Daggers?" The mild annoyance in his voice belied the tight grip he had on his mug. Liriel just shook her head.
"She won't leave, doesn't matter what you tell her. She's got a savior complex a mile wide, I've seen it plenty of times before." She leaned in and rested on her elbows. "Besides, if she leaves they'll just go after the other cleric around here. Garven told her as much before she-" She winced and took a drink to cover it before continuing. "Before she asked us to leave." Their dinner arrived while they sat in contemplative silence. Five servings of braised boar with a selection of root vegetables, each plate wafting a mixture of rosemary and sage that summoned an audible gurgle from someone at the table.
"Really Theron?" Kael asked. "It's not like we're starving." The dwarf threw up his hands with an offended gasp. He was about to defend himself when Elara cleared her throat.
"Actually that was me." She dismissed the surprised faces of her companions. "What? I didn't get any snacks at the wharf. Unlike some people." She elbowed Kael.
"Oh, he was trying to get a snack, alright." Liriel mumbled into her food. Elara snorted and coughed on a chunk of boar meat. The rogue glanced up at the entrance. "And speaking of snacks." Eya entered and found them immediately. She waved and walked over, standing in front of the table.
"Hey guys. Jory started doing better after he got some food in him. Your contact was pretty nice too, once he warmed up." She gestured at the sack of coins next to Kael. "Is that for me?" He nodded and handed it over. He then swallowed a large bite of sweet potato and tilted his head to the empty seat with a waiting meal beside him. Surprised, Eya stared at it for a beat and then looked back to him. She nodded and gripped the strap of her satchel tightly.
"Oh...I don't usually, y'know, stick around after a job is done." She shrugged apologetically. Elara looked back at her and locked eyes with the cleric.
"You're actually going to make us ask?" Eya shook her head eagerly.
"Well, it's not a rule or anything. It's just that my clients tend to move on pretty quickly and the ones that do want me to celebrate with them usually want something that's not covered in the contract. They're typically a little, umm...rude-" Theron perked up.
"Guilty." He said with a chuckle.
"-and gross." She finished. The wizard tentatively held up one hand.
"Guilty...?" Eya smiled affectionately at him and patted his shoulder.
"No on both counts." She said with a laugh.
"Fuck's sake, Red. SIT!" Liriel ended the discussion for them. Startled, Eya went to the empty place setting and sat.