Drifting

Unable to steer their captured airship, Muld and Syndi drift northwards.

7.

Drifting

 

“Your Majesty, there has to be something that you can do!”   Rick said as he, Jevon, Tadd and Mutt stood in the audience chamber of King Eleazar the following morning.

Eleazar smiled sympathetically and leaned forward on his throne. “We have wizards scrying for their location, Rick, but apparently the pirate’s ship has some sort of arcane cloaking device that prevents it from being detected by magic from afar.”

“Your Majesty, they could be in serious danger!”   Mutt exclaimed, and his companions nodded and murmured in agreement.

“That is a concern of mine as well, Mutt, but until we know where they are, how can we help them?    We have three airships searching for them now and we’ve sent messages by crystal ball to all the duchies and cities in the kingdom.   So far no-one has reported seeing anything.”

“How could an airship just disappear?”   Tadd asked.

“Sometimes they just rise up into the clouds, and the overcast skies would enable them to do that, but usually they don’t stay there long as there is not much air at those heights.”   The King replied.

“Your Majesty, we are quite sure that they were after the cannons that the guild was designing for them.   We didn’t know they were pirates.   Surely someone in town had dealings with them when they were here posing as your own subjects,”   Jevon spoke up, trying desperately to think of a way to gain information.

“I have men questioning people throughout town, Jevon.    We’ll find out some information and act upon it as soon as we have a direction to go.     In the mean time, we need to keep praying for their safety.    Master Muld seems quite resourceful and I would suspect that the pirates would want him alive to create more cannons and perhaps other practical magic inventions.”

“Yes, Sire, but it is Syndi that I’m most worried about,”   Jevon responded, frowning, “A beautiful woman like that, in the hands of pirates…”

Eleazar grimaced and said with a sigh, “She’s more resourceful than she appears as well.    Her sister was tougher than she seemed, and I know that Syndi possesses the same quick intelligence as Eioldth.”

“I hope that is enough, Your Majesty,”   Jevon replied, wondering what fate his two friends were facing right then.

 

***

 

“Muld, they aren’t turning into the wind at all!”   Syndi called out from across the deck, where she was struggling to pull a rope that Muld had theorized would control the angle of the sail and hopefully change the course of the airship.

“Alright, just tie off the rope and we’ll regroup and rethink our situation,”   Muld called back with a weary sigh.     The ship was drifting north and slightly east and was already deep into the Carcaicasse Mountains, east of Hammerforge.   He had no knowledge of the movement of the winds at such a northern point, but he feared they would drift over the polar regions if they didn’t figure out some way to stop it.

The air was getting much colder and Muld noticed that Syndi was shivering even with the heavy pirate greatcoat pulled close to her.

“Let’s go back into the captain’s cabin, out of this cold air.”

“It’s hopeless, Muld,"  Syndi exclaimed as they entered the pirate captain’s relatively spacious quarters.

“Nothing is ever completely hopeless, my dear,”   Muld responded, moving around to the table where a large parchment map of the northern half of the world had been placed by the pirate captain.    The detail on the map told the Practical Magician that the pirates had been fascinated with cartography as well as plundering.

“If only we knew where exactly we were,”   He said aloud, staring at the map.

“Oh, that’s easy enough,” Syndi answered, sitting on the edge of the desk.   She pointed to a section on the top of the map, “We’re right there.”

Muld looked up surprised. “You know this for certain?”

“Yes; you forget, I grew up in the Losasidhe Kingdom, and we are perhaps twenty miles or so from the southeastern border.   I recognize the mountains, though I have certainly never seen them from this angle before!”

“So we are close to your father’s kingdom?”  

“Are you thinking he might rescue us?” 

“I’ll bet that he would if he knew you were on board.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t.”

“Well then, we need to figure out a way to contact him.   We need to find the quarters of the pirate’s wizard.”

“You’re thinking he might have a crystal ball?”

“Most wizards that work for important people do, so they can contact their lords.     This pirate chieftain, Hobnail, would certainly want to know what was happening on his pirate vessels.”

“Well then, let’s go find out, though I must admit, I really don’t want to contact my father.”

“Not even to save our lives?”   Muld jested, and Syndi smirked in reply.

“It’s my mother, actually,” the princess said as they crossed the deck to the door leading to the lower decks, “She will want a detailed description of everything I’ve done and will disapprove of all of it.   I just know she’ll criticize everything from the skimpy sorceress outfit to our inability to control the direction that this ship is drifting.”

“Well, we really don’t have any other options - I’m not sure where the winds will take us, but we don’t know how to steer this airship and if any of Hobnail’s other airships see us…”

Syndi sighed in frustration, “Yeah, I know; you’re right, but remember, she does not like you at all, so this won’t be pleasant for you either.”

“I find your mother’s hatred stimulating.”   Muld joked as they found a door on the second floor of the ship with a brass plaque that read, ‘Rustavix, Ship Wizard’.

“What a name.”   Syndi snorted as Muld tried the doorknob.

The door was locked and there was no keyhole in the knob.

“Wizard locked, it would appear.”   Muld turned to her questioningly, and she realized then that he was asking her to use a reversal of the Wizard Lock spell to open it.    Unconsciously she smiled, pleased to be helpful.    Quickly she chanted the spell and the doorway creaked open.

Muld poked his stolen pirate sword through the entrance to make sure Rustavix had not set traps against intruders, but nothing happened.  

They cautiously entered the room, which was smaller than the captain’s cabin, but larger than the crew quarters that they had briefly seen.    Books and parchments were everywhere and the room was a mess, but on a pedestal next to the cluttered desk was a beautiful crystal ball.

“Well, we’re in luck,”   Syndi said, still smiling.

“Do you know how to activate a scrying device?”   Muld asked.

“Um… well…no, I’m afraid not.”   Her smile failed.

“Well come over here and I’ll show you”    He beckoned for her to join him and a few moments later he was lecturing happily on the ten principle activation words of scrying devices and how to properly use them.

As soon as he had shared the knowledge, he had her chant the activation command, followed by the name of her father.

Waving her hand over the surface of the crystal ball, a cloudy image shifted and cleared.   The surprised image of a young wizard’s apprentice filled the crystal.  

“Master!   Master, we have been contacted by someone!   A beautiful woman; you should see her!”

From somewhere out of sight came the voice of an older man, “Quiet, you fool, she can probably hear you!”

The youth was pulled away from the scrying device and an older elven man peered through it, his eyes widening upon recognizing Syndi.

“Your Royal Highness!”   He gasped.

“Hello, Husticlad, would you be as kind as to have His Majesty speak with me?”

“Certainly, Your Highness… what has happened, if I may ask?”

“Well, we’re stuck on a pirate ship that we just captured but are unable to steer and we’re near the southeastern border of the kingdom, so if you would please hurry, Master Wizard...”

“At once, Your Highness!”   The wizard disappeared and he could be heard shouting to his apprentice to follow him.

Syndi wrung her hands nervously as they waited for her father to appear.   Muld glanced at her as she waited, growing ever more impressed with the Losasidhe princess.    She learned with extreme quickness, was very resourceful when she allowed herself that luxury, and he greatly enjoyed her personality.     Then added to all of that, she had to be the most gorgeous creature in all of Yesh’s world.   He felt that he was the luckiest man in the world when he was with her.

“Relax, my dear, he’ll understand once we explain the situation to him,”   Muld assured her and she nodded, but did not seem any less nervous.

Finally the respectfully majestic face of King Eiolmoel appeared, seeming neither angry nor upset, but merely puzzled.

“Synthaeia, nin yenda!   How wonderful to see you after so many months.    What is this I have so quickly been told?   You’re stranded aboard an airship?”

“Hello, daddy,”   She responded sweetly, “It’s a long story, but let me explain--"

She quickly recounted the events to the Losasidhe King, who listened with a pleasant, amused look on his face.   Muld stayed back, only greeting the king when Syndi had mentioned him the first time.

“That is an extraordinary tale, nin yenda.    I have some news for you that will directly help your situation.    Our people now have their first airship, and I think you will be delighted to see who the captain of the ship is.”   He smiled knowingly and after assuring her that he would ‘see them soon’, the image in the crystal ball faded.

“I wonder who he means?”   Syndi asked Muld, seeming relieved that the conversation went well.

“I don’t know, but we’d better get upstairs to watch for the ship.   You go ahead, I’ll quickly snoop around the wizard’s room to see if there is anything we can salvage.”

“Okay, It'll be a while, I imagine, before they find us.”

“Yeah, I’d say you’re right.   I won’t be long.”

“Alright.   I’m really glad I got to speak to him instead of mother.”

“That makes two of us,”   Muld agreed as Syndi pulled her overcoat around her and hurried up on deck.

 

***

 

He didn’t spend too long in the wizard’s cramped room, for most of what the man had collected were common tomes and scrolls.    He did find a wand with a tag tied around it that read ‘Wand of Wind: activate with ‘Canite spiritus’’.

 

Thrilled with it, he hurried up the steps and rushed out onto the deck.   He had uttered the words, “Hey!  Look!” when something hit him on the back of the head, knocking him to the deck.

Through the ringing of his ears he heard Syndi shouting angrily and felt hands roughly grabbing his arms and pulling him upright.

Through blurred eyes he looked out to find the deck of the ship swarming with tall, graceful Elves.     One particularly handsome elf -probably their leader by the way he carried himself-  was listening to Syndi.

“--that’s Muld, the Practical Magician, Deryck!   He’s with me!”

The Elf - Muld assumed his name was ‘Deryck’ turned and looked at him with a strong hint of amused scorn on his handsome face.    He scrutinized Muld for only an instant, then smiled and bowed slightly, waving off his men who were holding Muld up with a slight movement of his hands.

Muld staggered to his knees as soon as the men let go of him, and he was certain he heard slight snickers from them.

“Deryck, he’s hurt!   Your men hit him too hard!”   She started to rush to him, but Deryck caught her hand and gently (but firmly) pulled her back to him.

“He’ll be alright; I’ll have Philotham heal him.    Who did you say he was?”    It was clear from his tone of voice that he thought very little of Muld or his profession.    Yet from the intense looks he was giving Syndi, he was very interested in her.

“He’s Muld, the Master of the Practical Magician Guild in Westmark!    King Eleazar has given him a royal charter.”

Deryck smirked, feigning being impressed.   “Oh, well then!”

He turned to Muld and bowed half-sarcastically.   “My sincerest apologies, Master Muld of Westmark!    Your explosive exit from the hold of a pirate’s airship that has been raiding my people’s villages for months led me to think you were one of the pirates.   You are dressed as one, you know.”

“So am I, Deryck, and I didn’t receive that treatment when your men boarded the ship,”   Syndi protested.

Deryck grinned at her, flashing perfect white teeth, “You, my dear Princess, could NEVER be confused as a pirate.”

He took her hand to his lips and kissed it.    Though she was angry at him, Syndi blushed and a slight smile crossed her lips.    Muld knew -somehow- the whole story from their interaction.     She had once had a strong crush on the handsome young man, who apparently was an elven nobleman’s son and probably some sort of hero among his people.

She had probably been too young and he had politely ignored her as one of his king’s children.   But now she was a beautiful young woman and he was extremely attracted to her (or else wanted the status of marrying a princess), so he used the crush that she had on him, to charm her back into interest.

Muld hated the man.

“I’m alright, thank you... to whom am I speaking?”   He asked Deryck with as much aloofness as he could muster with his head spinning.

Deryck thrust out his chest in self-importance.   “I am Lord Deryck Memphellic, Captain of the King’s Guard and commander of the North Wind, which my Lord the King sent to assist Princess Synthaeia  after her message to him.”

“Well, we are glad for the assistance, Lord Deryck,”   Muld said, rubbing his head.

Deryck nodded without a word and turned his back on Muld to speak to Syndi, “I was instructed to take you to your father at once, so if you will come along with me, we can chat on the way.”

Slipping an arm around her, he led her across the deck toward a gangplank connecting the two airships.

“What about Muld?”   Syndi asked, seemingly hypnotized by Deryck’s blue eyes smiling at her.

“My men will take care of him.   He’ll be along in a while, but he should assist them in taking this pirate ship underway.”

“But-“  Syndi protested, but Deryck walked her over to the North Wind  and Muld could not hear the rest of the conversation.

The ship was obviously Elven in design, for it seemed both delicate and fast, even though Muld could see no arcane engines.

“Wind powered?”  He asked one of Deryck’s men (who probably was the one who had knocked him down as he was holding a wicked looking mace).  

“The same as this thing,”   He replied somewhat beligerantly.

“This isn’t much of a ship, not like the North Wind,”   Muld responded and unbidden, he related the capture of the pirate ship, emphasizing Syndi’s involvement.     The guard’s expression slowly softened as Muld’s charisma worked on him and by the end of the tale, the elf guard was slightly smiling as Muld described what he imagined the stranded pirates would have experienced when they saw their ship drift away.

“Well, at least it is out of commission,”  The guard said, “What are you going to do with it?”

“I’d like to put some engines on it, mount the cannons on it and hunt down the other pirate ships.”

His response seemed to greatly please the guard and the others who were listening.

“So tell us about these cannons, Master Muld,”  The guard said and Muld did just that.    A quarter of an hour later, he knew all six of the guards’ names and they had set the pirate ship sailing after the North Wind (which had departed ten minutes earlier with Captain Deryck and Syndi) toward the capital of the Losasidhe Kingdom.

“Muld, you know, those cannons would be wonderful to have aboard the North Wind,” Eldinn (the guard who had hit him) said.

“I was thinking the same thing, Eldinn.   In gratitude to your king for his rescue, I would be honored to be allowed to fortify your ship for free.”

“What about those arcane engines, Muld?”   Nethoth, one of the other guards, asked.

“I’d be glad to do those too, though I’m afraid I’d have to charge for them as my humble guild doesn’t have the funds to foot that bill.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Westmark,”   Eldinn commented.

“It’s a nice city.    If your king agrees to it, you and the rest of the crew will be my guests.   We have several unused quarters in the guild and you all would get the chance to experience the comfort and convenience of all the practical magic improvements such as climate controlled buildings, warm baths and flushing toliets.”

The guards all laughed at Muld’s words and the Practical Magician sighed in satisfaction at having befriended Deryck’s crew.

Now to work on the King and Queen, Muld thought, dreading his imminent audience with Syndi’s parents, while wondering about the young princess.

Reviews

[Elina]

It has taken me some time to get to this chapter, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I look forward to seeing how things progress for Muld and Syndi (and how this Deryck fellow will play into things).

"...they entered the pirate captain’s spacious (at least for a ship) quarters." This sounds a little odd when reading. Perhaps change the wording to something along the lines of "...the captain's relatively spacious quarters."
"...would you be as kind as to have His Majesty to speak with me.” I believe you can take the second "to" out, and change the period to a question mark.