Flash Fiction #508 -- The Long Way Home/8

 That news came as a relief to Rory. He didn't like he'd been unconscious for however long they'd been on the ship. He had never been well known for his patience, and sitting here at the dock with Kellic not far away did not appeal to him. The aches and weaknesses in his limbs told me it had been a couple days already.

However, going out in a storm strong enough that the dock master suggested they tie down might not be the best choice. He looked up at the man they were trusting with their lives – and then he looked at Jamison and Keltrina.

Jamison would never have done anything to put her in more danger. That meant he trusted this man, and since Rory trusted Jamison, that ended his worries. At least for the moment.

"Here's a big problem," the Captain said. He put aside his finished cup. "All the rest of my crew are being held in the port, which is true for all the other ships. I know Jamie has sailed a few times, and even Kel here knows her way around the ship. What about you, Rory?"

"I've been on ships a few times and worked two of them, but I am not well-trained."  Rory smiled. "I might have other skills that can help, though."

Matinique smiled and looked a lot more his age. He also looked dangerous, which didn't surprise Rory, given the situation. This man clearly hadn't even thought twice about taking them all in and getting them out of the city under the nose of a very paranoid and angry Prince.

"Then we'll go with the storm," the man said and looked relieved. He was probably happy to get out of the city. Anyone would be under the circumstances. "The storm should be well on us before midnight. I suggest you go back to the hold and rest until then. Some of the other captains might wander in and out of the ship. I dare not tell them no. I'll do nothing to draw their curiosity because the captains are more likely to notice the discrepancy in the castle than anyone from the Army. If someone does notice, I'll buy them off with a couple bottles of contraband wine and from your father's own stores, Jamie."

Jamison smiled. "I'm sure he would fully approve."

So they went back down to the little room. Keltrina had the bed this time and fell asleep. Rory wanted to ask questions, but he knew better than to say anything aloud. Instead, he slept sitting up, though part of his mind continued to monitor what was going on around them. He had regained at least part of his powers, and he wouldn't be slow to use them to save any of his three new friends.

Perhaps he should have asked where they were going from here. He had a duty that would take him away from the river and certainly not out into the ocean, which sat a few miles away. He needed to get back home, back to his own Queen, and tell her all the things they worried about were true. Even with the little he'd heard about Atria had not sounded good. Rory suspected he knew where his next assignment would be.

If he survived this one.

Despite all his worries, Rory slept well. He only came fully awake again when the first winds of the storm started to rock the boat more violently. By then, it was dark above the dock except when lightning flashed. Rory had the impression that this had become more of a storm than the others had expected. Rory climbed up and stayed low until he was sure no one else was around to spot them. Matinique already worked at the ropes, which would probably make it look as if he was reassuring himself that they were tied down well. One guard went past, and if he said anything, Rory couldn't hear it above the sound of the storm.

The rain had started as well, but Rory wasn't sure when since the winds had blown splashing waves up the river.

"Oh, I can't say I like this very well," Keltrina admitted.

"We can sit this one out," Jamison said, and Rory nodded in agreement. "I know Mantinique is anxious to get away, but that's just because he hates boredom."

"I'd rather go," Keltrina answered and sounded steadier again. "We've been lucky so far, but that can't hold on for too long. At least one of the guards knows something is going on with the ship. As much as I would like to think he wouldn't give us away, I expect that Kellic might start offering some gold for our recovery – and that includes you, Rory. Maybe you more than any of us."

"It is something I've considered," Rory admitted. "And that is why I probably won't be with you for much longer. Don't worry. I'll see you safely out of this danger before I go off on my own."

"I wish you wouldn't go," Keltrina replied, a hand on his arm.

"He has his own job, my love," Jamison answered. "He has duties and has already set them aside to help keep us alive. Just the same, I wouldn't mind if you came with us to my father's estate."

"That's really where you intend to go?" Rory asked. He shook his head in confusion. "Isn't that the first place that Kellic will look for you?" He paused and shook his head. "I remember now. You and your father had some spectacular arguments. And you still think you'll be safe there?"

"Some spectacular and well-staged arguments," Jamison corrected and grinned at Rory's surprise. "My father and I mistrusted Kellic for years, and he's done worse than expected. Now the group to which I belong must take action."

Flash Fiction #507 -- The Long Way Home/7

 A dozen steps and they were moving past the guard who was no more than a slow-moving shadow in his sight. Rory moved to the left, pulling Keltrina closer so that she didn't go off the edge and hit the hull of one of the craft. Jamison had seen as well and moved slightly ... and they squeezed past, but so close that the disturbance of their passage sent the man sprawling.

Rory heard his shout of surprise, but they were already to the boat.  No ladder, no gang plank.  He had to make a jump.

They sprawled over the edge and came to an inelegant stop on the deck.

The world moved around him, but he could see nothing through the dark red and blue sparkle that blinded him. The ship moved -- that would give them away.

Several men came at a run, one of them huffing to a stop at the guard and ordering others to look around.

"Something ran across the path right at me, sir," the guard said. "Nothing human. Vermin, I think, but didn't want naught to do with it. Not after what happened to old Headlin, sir."

Rory could hear the voices clearly enough. That included the sharp gasp from the man who was still huffing.

"Yes, right. Why are the boats moving?"

"Vermin, sir. I saw the one, but I thought there were others. Jumping on ships and into the water. Oh, they couldn't pay me enough for this work, Lt. Haran, sir."

"You guard against them," Lt. Haran mumbled. "You watch for anyone heading to the ships. We've stopped dozens of traitors already. Don't let none get past you, or you'll be hanging with them."

"Yes, sir," the man said.

The soldiers gathered back around their leader and marched off in quick steps, eager to be away from the docks and back in hiding. The guard they had surprised remained where he was.

"Stupid old sot," the man mumbled. He started back the way he had come, passing their refuge. "I don't know who -- or even what -- ye might be, but get the word out. Kellic killed the king. Warn good Prince Palkin if you can. Tell him Dentin sent you."

And then he moved on.

They still did not move. Rory couldn't. He drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, aware of another voice and whispers of worry. They carried him down a set of stairs into a room with an uncomfortable bed, though no worse than the deck had been.

Time had passed. He could see the light through the ceiling above him and heard two sets of steps.  Not Jamison and Keltrina.  They were in this tiny closet of a room. Hiding place.

He kept very still.

"When can we leave, then?" someone demanded. "This isn't going to go well with my father. I have perishables to take back to the estate."

"You'll leave when King Kellic says you can."  That sounded like Lt. Heron again, especially in the huffing voice as if he had run some distance already. "I'll search your ship."

"Again? Well, go ahead. I've nothing to hide, and if you want to waste your time --"

"Open that door."

They went over the entire ship, and the man never found the small room, about six feet long but no more than four feet high. Rory felt sorry for Keltrina and Jamison, who must have to sit the whole time. As soon as it was safe, he'd change places with one of them.

Before too long, a small door opened in the wall beyond Payton. "You can come back out," a man said. "He's gone again, and it is late enough he won't be back before he drinks his dinner. Oh, you're awake."

Jamison and Keltrina both turned in surprise.

"Awake. Perhaps not alive," Rory said. "How long have I been here? Why are we still at the dock?"

Jamison was crawling out, and Keltrina followed, though she did look back in worry when he rolled off the bed and mumbled something impolite when he tried to crawl out.

"Your pardon," he said, still following them up a short ladder.

They ended up in the Captain's castle, with walls high enough to keep them from being seen by anyone in another boat or on the dock. From the sound of things, there were not many people around.

"Water closet," the stranger said and then moved, so the opening of the door wasn't seen. He clearly had smuggled people before. They let Keltrina in first, then Rory. Jamison followed, and by the time he came back out, the Captain had poured three cups of warm chicken and vegetable soup for his strange passengers. The Capt. was clearly no stranger to sparkling people. That little spot below this deck could easily carry contraband. The bed made it apparent that he took people often.

He also sat at an angle to the view outside and rarely glanced their way, even when he surreptitiously handed them the food.

"Thank you," Rory said, his voice soft. "What have they told you about me?"

"Everything," Jamison was the one to reply. "If Mantinique is going to smuggle us out of here, I wasn't going to keep secrets from him. I trust him. Besides, once we were aboard, he either saves us or turns us in."

"Never," Mantinique said.  He was probably no older than Jamison, though he tried to look it. "You are all three safe with me."

Rory tried to trust the man and realized it was stupid not to. It would have been simple for him to have turned them over by now.

"I have other news," Martinique added. He went silent and sipped his food, then waved toward someone outside. That person was soon gone. "A storm is blowing in, according to the dockmaster. We're ordered to tie down and ride it out, and some of us will not be doing so."

Flash Fiction #506 -- The Long Way Home/6

 "Yes, a priest," he admitted, though softly. They still had unwanted company in the street. Once the bells had died away, even a whisper seemed too loud. "Not an Atrian priest, though. I am from Sunry and a priest of Eket."

"Eket priests don't leave the temple," Keltrina countered and looked distrustful.

"Rarely leave the temple," Rory corrected. "I know Euriday has tales of our help in the past."

"Myths," Jamison said. "Certainly nothing for hundreds of years. Did you come here now because you knew this trouble was coming?"

"Not this trouble," he admitted. "I didn't like Kellic from the first I met him, but I didn't think the problem was in Euriday. I was watching for news about Atria. The queen also asked me to help the Ambassador if things went badly, and I have failed in that request."

"I thought," Keltrina began and then stopped.

"Yes?" he asked softly. Things were getting quieter on the street below them.

"I thought the Eket priests never left their temple and that only royalty could consult with them."

"Mostly true," he admitted. He and Jamison both crawled toward the roof's edge, clearly with the same idea. "We rarely leave. I'm the first in more than twenty years. And we only answer to the ruling monarch, but we can offer help to others. A few have visions. I am not one of them, but I have a magic of my own sort. I can move very fast, but it will drain me."

"I noticed. Both."  Jamison said. "We're clear here, and I can see the river no more than half a mile away. Do we try for it?"

"It would be a shame to have come all this way just to turn back."

"But you had not planned to come this way, did you?"

"No. But I didn't have a ship here that I could trust. This is a good way, especially for more than one person. I don't say that I'll go with you, but we'll see when we get there."

Jamison nodded. "Good. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," he said,  more anxious than them. "But take care."

They climbed back down, Jamison first, Keltrina next, and Rory last, almost cursing at the pain in his hands. He hoped they'd taken Polsin to cover somewhere nearby and were not actually following Rory and his companions. Rory didn't think anyone knew that secret about the Eket Priests. He hadn't even told these two, though he might have to if this problem continued. He almost slipped halfway down and heard Jamison make a hiss of surprise and worry -- a sound that could have given them away.

"Lead us there," Rory said. "I'll guard against anything behind us. If it turns bad, leave me. Write to my queen and tell her all that we've seen."

Jamison started to argue. He changed his mind, took Keltrina by the arm, and started away. Jamison did look back to make sure Rory followed them, though. He hadn't expected it.

Rory supposed they felt a debt to him for having saved them. He had also made Kellic their enemy -- but he didn't pretend that would not happen at some point soon anyway.

So they helped each other get out of the city. He had some worry about the boat since it would be a shame to send them off into danger alone after having come this far.

On a night like this, the best thing about the river was the ghostly fog that swirled up and around everything. They heard movement sometimes but saw nothing. Rory trusted that meant no one saw them, either.

Jamison knew precisely where they were going, which helped. Polison got no closer, either. By the time they reached the row of smaller boats, Rory felt that he might be able to take on trouble again -- as long as it wasn't too persistent.

Rory had them remove their shoes before they walked down the long, wooden path beside the ships. They mostly looked silent and dark, but Rory could hear the sound of someone walking nearby and knew that it had to be a guard.

"There should be many guards here," he whispered as they sat beside the hull of a rowboat pulled up for repairs. "Only one means it is a trap."

Jamison gave a nod of wary agreement. "We go your way."

"Which boat were you heading for?" he asked.

"Forth one. It can't be safe, Rory --"

"It can be if they don't see us. No one will hear us with our shoes off. Do you trust me?"

Jamison looked at him. The fog gave too much of a glow to the scene, and Rory feared they would be spotted before his companions decided.

"You saved us already. I can't see what good it would do you to let us be caught or killed now," Jamison whispered. Rory could hear trust in his voice, and Keltrina nodded.

"Take my hands. Hold tight to your belongings. We have to go now. The guard is coming too close."

He stood and held out his hands. They both stood and took hold.

Rory knew he was not going to be worth much after this. But he fixed his attention on the fourth boat and hoped Jamison had correctly counted the boats.

He could see the elongated shadow of the guard. They dared not wait, or he would see them.

Rory took a deep breath, centered himself, and moved.

This was not the first time he'd taken others into his power and moved. It had been part of his training back at the temple, and he'd been good at it, back when lives did not depend on how well he did.

And not after already expending enough magic to have put him down for a while.

He held tight, and then he moved just as the guard came into view.

Flash Fiction #505 -- The Long Way Home/5

 Jamison knew his way around town at least as well as Rory -- maybe even better. However, Rory prided himself on knowing every street, alley, outside stairs, and safe rooftop. He had suspected that he would be on the run with ... well, not with these two. He tried not to think about the others whom he had lost.

What did bother him in another way was that he continued to be slow. His legs and arms trembled, and the pain in his wrists told him that Poltrin was not nearly far enough away.

This was going to be a problem.

And those bells still rang. They were getting closer to one of the larger ones, so that would be the Mantin Temple. They had made a reasonable distance, and he thought they might be heading for the docks. Rory thought he ought to argue with Jamison, but he didn't have the strength.

It didn't matter anyway. Two blocks later, they started to see lines of troops on the streets, and they were herding everyone away from the river and pulling away cloaks to look at their faces. They may not recognize Rory, but they would undoubtedly know Jamison and his wife.

The three of them backed away into the nearest shadows. Jamison started looking for a way out of this mess.

"Up to the roof," Rory said and pointed upward at a creaky-looking ladder. He'd only tested it once in his many studies of the city and had much liked the feel of it then. "We go up and wait until the troops go past."

Jamison looked as though he wanted to disagree with the troops were coming far too close already, and they didn't have much time. If they waited, they ran the risk of being seen as they climbed the stairs. Rory feared he would have to do something drastic and dangerous for himself in far too many ways.

Jamison gave a quick nod and took hold of his wife's arm. Rory stumbled behind them while casting quick glances back to the soldiers. The sudden appearance of a group of locals had them busy for the moment, and that was the best distraction they were going to get. He nodded for the two to go on ahead of him. He waited while they climbed, prepared to do something drastic if they needed to.

The sound of the bells helped them since it covered the creaking sound of the stairs. Rory could barely hear them himself. When he finally looked back, he saw Jamison pulling his wife up over the rooftop's edge. Rory hurried to join them. His legs didn't want to hold him as he climbed, and Jamison was about to come back and help him. He waved the man away and forced himself to remain steadier as he went the last two floors. Jamison caught him by the arm, and all that yanked him up over the edge. Rory fell there and panted while trying to hear any sounds above the bells.

But then the bells started to die away, one at a time. The silence of followed was so still that it seemed unnatural. Rory looked around, trying to get an idea of where they could go from here. He saw the fire they'd escaped from hours ago. From the looks of it, the flames must have spread to at least the Jamison building and probably more.

"I hope they get the fire under control soon," Jamison whispered, and even that seemed awfully loud. "That fool could probably burn down half the city just for his little revenge. And now he's King, or at least as good as King since he's not crowned yet. I wonder if he'll even bother with the formalities. I wish the King had died so unexpectedly –"

Jamison stopped and stared at Rory, who could see a look of understanding on his face. It was something that it played at the back of Rory's mind. He was glad to have the local realize before he said anything, though.

"Far too unexpected," Rory agreed. "And with his brother out of the country, Kellic has a chance to get everything settled in his own hands and probably even get his brother killed before he comes back to the city."

Keltrina made a sound of disbelief, and from the look on her face, he could tell she didn't doubt it. She remained laying on the roof, holding her pack close and no doubt thinking about all the things she lost in that fire. This wasn't fair to both of them. He should never have gone into the building with the two nor allowed Jamison to come with him back to the other building. This was his trouble.

No, that was a foolish thought. This was their land, their dead King, and their homicidal Prince.

"We should stay here for a while," he suggested. "But the soldiers move on in the crowd sent out before we try to get anywhere. I would suggest not going to the river. Unless you have some reason to think you can get through there?"

"As it happens, my father's neighbor sent a barge filled with grain that arrived yesterday. When I went to look this afternoon, they were just getting the last of it unloaded. I hoped we could get close to it and decide if it was safe. I knew the Captain. We used to go fishing together when we were young. I have a question for you."

Rory gave a weary nod. He knew where this was going to go.

"Are you a mage?"

"No, I am not."

Jamison's eyes narrowed. "I thought mages couldn't lie."

"They can't, but I'm not a mage. There are others who work with magic."

Jamison stared at him in shock. "You are a priest."

Flash Fiction #504 -- The Long Way Home/4

 "Well, there you are," Kellic said with a pretentious shake of his head. "I feared you might be wise enough to stay away. Oh, and you have a friend. This saves me all kinds of trouble, doesn't it, Jamison?"

If Prince Kellic had been alone, Rory and Jamison might have had a chance to take him and probably save the country from considerable trouble in the future. Unfortunately, Rory saw four others with him, including Poltin. That huge, dim-witted but strong man reached past his Prince to grab Rory.

He never even checked for a weapon. Rory's blade was small but sharp. He also moved with extraordinary speed as he swept it up and sliced through the back of the man's wrist, scoring the bone and severing tendons.

Poltin screamed in rage and pain and attacked like an unthinking animal. Rory kept himself between Kellic and his men and Jamison. He had no trouble sending the howling Poltin to his knees after maiming the man's other hand.

"Kill them!" Kellic ordered rage plain in his voice. The fire spread light, and the man looked insane with fury.  

One of his men grabbed hold of Kellic and physically pulled the Prince away. "We must go. People heard Poltin. You do not want to be seen here, King Kellic."

A shame the Prince -- now King -- listened to him. They grabbed Poltin, one of the men muffling the man with a cloth. He was too well known as Kellic's man to leave behind, but Rory didn't give him much chance of surviving to reach the castle.

In a moment, they were alone. Rory sagged against the building, surprising Jamison, who grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Rory fought to get his feet to cooperate. By the time they reached the fence, he had climbed up and over with no problem. However, he went to his knees on the other side.

"Have you been injured?" Jamison asked with open worry. He pulled Rory back to his feet and looked him over as best he could there in the dark.

"I'm not injured, but I did something challenging. I'll be better in a couple minutes."

Jamison gave a quick nod and let them back towards the door into the building where he and his wife lived. He said nothing, but Rory could see him putting together the pieces.

"You are from Sunry," Jamison said as he paused at the door.

"I thought we'd establish that part already," Rory replied and tried to make light of it.

Jamison pushed open the door and signaled him inside first. There were others out in the halls, but no one paid them much notice as the people rushed about, worried about the fire next door. Rory could see the flames whenever they passed by an open door with a view of a window.

They hurried up the steps while others hurried down. Keltrina met them at the door and grabbed her husband in a quick hug while she herded them both inside.

"I have the packs ready," Keltrina said with a wave of her hand toward the spot by the door. She looked at Rory. "We've always been ready to run since we are not friends with Prince Kellic. If you are not his friend, you are definitely not safe."

"Especially if you're part of the government and loyal to the King. No one expected him to die so soon, you know. I do not trust this sudden demise with Kellic already prepared to move. We ran into him, Kel. We have to go right now."

The two of them gathered up a couple packs and a basket that must have held food. Rory took one of the packs from Kel and headed out the door ahead of Jamison. There were even more people out in the halls now, most of them wondering what they should do.

"I suggest," Jamison said quite loudly and drew a lot of attention. "I suggest that you gather your valuables and get out of the building just to be safe. There are trees between the two buildings, and they could easily catch fire and spread it here."

People began yelling questions and even a few demands, but Jamison paid no attention as he herded his two companions down the stairwell and out into the street. The doorman was nowhere around but might have gone to help others.

"No one is come out," a woman in a servant's uniform said with a frantic rush of words. "That's unnatural, it is. Something evil has happened more than just this fire."

Rory would have stopped and agreed, but he feared being recognized. They would mark him as someone who had survived -- the only survivor, which in turn would make him the most likely to have killed all the others.

Or used magic to keep them where they were while the fire killed them. The one thing he dared not do was fall into the hands of anyone who suspected magic.

The three of them had already turned in another direction and hurried past the growing crowds. The town guards had started a bucket brigade going from the fountain down the road, but it was apparent that the fire was too far gone already.

The scene drew quite a crowd, though, which helped and hindered them. The people pressed inward, but Jamison led the way out, and Rory kept Keltrina in front of him and Jamison within sight.

He was aware of people who might be trouble for them. Kellic would have sent others to grab them. He looked back to see three men pushing into the building where the Jamisons lived. If they asked any questions, they were likely to learn that the three of them had left only minutes before.

Getting away was their only hope.