Michael Mathias - Kings, Queens, Heroes, and Fools

Hyden urged Talon across the finger to the other side. The billowy sails of several gliding ships glowed amber, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. All along the shadowy docks people swarmed like ants loading and unloading boxes, crates and net-loads of fish. Some of the ships looked like trees-their masts stood proud but empty like limbs that had shed their leaves for winter’s coming. Farther up the docks the buildings started. There the lanes were full of carts and wagons. Swarms of people scrambled among others who were gathered in crowds to buy and sell fresh sea-fare. From above, it all it looked like chaos. Hyden couldn’t wait to get there.

When he called Talon back to him and opened his eyes, he was pleased to find that the group was already a good way out along the peninsula. The bay off to his right sparkled as it reflected the light of the setting sun back at them. The gray tidal wall that ran the length of the other side of the peninsula was almost invisible beyond the buildings to his left. Torches were being lit and lanterns hung along the roads. As the sun left this part of the world behind, wells of wavering light transformed shadowy corners into welcoming points of commerce and congregation. It reminded Hyden of the crowded Ways at the Summer’s Day Festival, especially the calls of the hawkers as they tried to draw attention to their particular wares.

More than a few people stopped to gawk at Oarly the dwarf as the group passed. Only a score of dwarves remained in the realm and all of them lived in or very near Queen Willa’s Xwardian palace. To see one out on the docks was rare. Some of the older tavern songs said that thousands upon thousands of them lived somewhere far below the earth’s surface, but when Queen Willa had blown the magical horn that was supposed to summon them to Xwarda’s aid, none had come.

Oarly made silly faces at the younger spectators, which put smiles on the faces of everyone else. Before long, rumors that the hawk-man wizard who’d saved Xwarda from the dragon was in Old Port caused the crowds to grow. Luckily, Captain Trant, the captain of the Royal Seawander had anticipated as much and paid some men from the docks to block off the mass of people as Hyden’s group gained the entrance to the yard of the Royal Seastone Inn.

“Wow!” said Phen as men came out of the shadows and took their horses away. “You’re a regular hero, Hyden Hawk.”

“Hardly,” Hyden replied with a blush. He was starving and thirsty, but afraid to consume anything. He didn’t know whether to be repulsed or enticed by the warm savory smells that wafted out of the inn’s open doorway.

“Well met, sirs,” a big barrel-chested man with a thick, but well-trimmed ginger beard said to them. He had a cob pipe clenched between his teeth and wore a spiffy gray and green captain’s uniform.

“You must be Captain Trant,” Hyden said with the slightest of nods. Mikahl had instructed him on rank and etiquette over the winter. Mikahl had explained that Hyden’s role as a key defender of the realm in the battle against Pael gave him a status that was beyond rank, yet still of a knightly nature. He was more often than not addressed as Sir Hyden Hawk. Since he was not a kingdom born man and his rightful allegiance was not to any of the realm’s human kingdoms, the slight nodding bow wouldn’t offend anyone. Still, Hyden felt uneasy whenever someone of note was around. If it were up to him, Queen Willa would be just Willa and High King Mikahl would just be Mik, like he used to be, and all the titles could fly out the window. Yet here, the ship’s captain was calling all of them ‘sirs’.

“Hyden of the Skyler clan, I presume,” Trant said as he reached out and shook Hyden’s offered hand.

Hyden was shocked to speechlessness by the fact that the man knew how his clansmen would have addressed him. He was saved from the awkward moment when Oarly approached.

“Ah, Master Oarly,” Trant reached down to shake the dwarf’s hand.

Master Oarly? Hyden thought. Master of what? Already schemes of revenge began plotting themselves out in Hyden’s mind. It’s going to be a sweet kind of revenge, Hyden promised himself. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Brady starting to go help the other military men of the escort with the unloading. “No, Master Culvert,” Hyden stopped him. “Your sword can’t protect the three of us if you’re off with them.”

“Master?” He rejoined Hyden. The boyish grin on his face showed that he was glad to be included. “I’m no master.”

“You are now the Master of Defense for our exploratory party, Brady.” Hyden informed him. “And any man who can go seven minutes against Mikahl’s blade is a master swordsman in my book.”

“Phenilous, my lad, you’ve grown some since I last saw you at the palace,” Captain Trant was saying as he ruffled the hair on Phen’s head.

“Aye,” Phen replied. “You came up for the Harvest Ball last year. I didn’t realize that it was going to be you steering the boat.” Then to Hyden with excitement growing in his eyes he said, “The Captain has a blue monkey that dances on a leash. It can do flips even.” Then back to Captain Trant with his eyes darting all around the Captain’s feet, “Where is he? You still have him don’t you?”

“ She’s alive and well and on the ship.” He motioned them into the common room of the Royal Seastone Inn with a sweep of his arm. “We’ll be sailing out with the tide on the morrow. Enjoy this night’s feast, for it’s all hard biscuits and salted meats for a long while after.”

The torch-lit room was decorated with sail canvas, rope nets, tiller wheels, seashells, and all other sorts of sailing paraphernalia. There were also a few sets of toothy fish jaws mounted on the walls. One was a wide open maw that was big enough for Hyden and Phen to crawl through at the same time. The air was warmer along the coast, so no fire was burning in the hearth. In a corner of the half filled room was a small stage where a harpist prepared his notes and began tuning his instrument with sharp plunking twangs.

“It’s a marsh thresher,” Captain Trant told Phen who was still gaping up at the big set of fish jaws on the wall. “A small one at that.”

Phen grinned at the others with mock terror in his wide open eyes. The serrated teeth in those jaws were as large as his hands. “How big do they get?” Phen asked the Captain.

“Big enough to bite the bottom out of a ship, I’d guess,” the Captain winked at him.

“We’re not going where them threshers live are we?” Oarly asked with genuine alarm in his voice. “It’s bad enough I’ve got to leave the land. Sailing amongst monsters such as that is for birds and fools.”

“Flying is for the birds, Oarly.” Phen said. “We’re sailing, and we’re only going to skirt the southern tip of the marshlands on our way to Salazar Island.”

“Just so,” the Captain agreed with a surprised nod of respect.

“How long will it take us to reach Salazar?” Brady asked, doing his best not to let his eyes linger on the thresher jaws as he passed them.

“More than two weeks, less than three,” the Captain said over his shoulder as he led them through the room. “It’s getting to be true spring now, and might be a storm or two blows at us along the way.”

He stopped them when they reached a long empty table not far from the harpist’s stage. “We’ll lay over at Kahna to fill the water barrels in about a week. You might get some time ashore there if the weather looks questionable.” The Captain looked sharply at Hyden, who was peering back at the entry door.

The door swung open and two finely clad men came in laughing. From behind them, Talon swooped through the opening and glided smoothly across the room to alight on Hyden’s wrist. A woman gasped with fright, and a few men could be heard whispering above the sudden silence that followed. Talon sidestepped his way up Hyden’s arm to the shoulder where he settled in and began preening himself.