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Cast Upon Tides of Weal and Woe - Part 11: Fair Winds and Following Seas
Vlad unfolded the newspaper in Thralen’s dining room. It read, “Foreign Heroes Blacken Blax’s Eye in Warehouse Brawl.”
“The jeers will be audible all the way to Censure,” he said.
“And yet Captain Blax got what she wanted,” said Ilmarė.
“What do you mean?” asked Beldin.
“I’ve decided to take Emric back to Milandir,” said Thralen. “There, he can be properly educated and tutored amongst other young val’Ossans. Freeport is no place for children.”
“I agree,” said Sebastian, gloved fingers folded before him.
“Before you go, I would like to give you a gift,” said Thralen. “You will find pins next to each of your plates. It is a symbol of favor with the Milandisian branch of House val’Ossan.”
Vlad’s pin was noticeably missing. The message was clear: they were even.
Kham snorted. He had Zainat’s pistol and bullets out on the breakfast table.
“What’s so funny?” asked Cal.
“Zainat wasn’t kidding,” he said, still chuckling. He held up one of the ten bullets between thumb and forefinger.
The letters: “C”, “A” and “M” were etched into its side.
“So who is this Sycorax*, exactly?” asked Vlad.
Thralen stroked his chin. “There was once a beautiful maiden in Freeport by that name. She was a descendant of the great corsair Francisco and a priestess of Yarris. But Sycorax was young and loved unwisely.”
“Unwisely?”
“Her fickle lover spurned her for another. Sycorax’s revenge was terrible. Her vengeance twisted her, such that it is said she was cursed as a horrible sea hag.”
“Oh, that Sycorax,” said Kham. “The mariners of the Pale Sea make sacrifices to Yarris to keep their vessels away from the shoals of her island.”
“So Sycorax switched the two children at birth,” said Ilmarė.
“What kind of a mother does that?” asked Bijoux.
“The kind you don’t want to meet,” said Kham, nodding towards Calactyte.
The big lizard twitched his tail but didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked back and forth between Ilmarė and Kham.
“Fine,” said Ilmarė, “but this is the last time.”
When Cal finally sang what he was holding back, he belted it out so loudly that the others jumped.
“WHO LIVES IN A GROTTO DOWN UNDER THE SEA?”
*To learn the likely fate of Camring, see the Wikipedia entry for The Tempest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest_(play)
Vlad unfolded the newspaper in Thralen’s dining room. It read, “Foreign Heroes Blacken Blax’s Eye in Warehouse Brawl.”
“The jeers will be audible all the way to Censure,” he said.
“And yet Captain Blax got what she wanted,” said Ilmarė.
“What do you mean?” asked Beldin.
“I’ve decided to take Emric back to Milandir,” said Thralen. “There, he can be properly educated and tutored amongst other young val’Ossans. Freeport is no place for children.”
“I agree,” said Sebastian, gloved fingers folded before him.
“Before you go, I would like to give you a gift,” said Thralen. “You will find pins next to each of your plates. It is a symbol of favor with the Milandisian branch of House val’Ossan.”
Vlad’s pin was noticeably missing. The message was clear: they were even.
Kham snorted. He had Zainat’s pistol and bullets out on the breakfast table.
“What’s so funny?” asked Cal.
“Zainat wasn’t kidding,” he said, still chuckling. He held up one of the ten bullets between thumb and forefinger.
The letters: “C”, “A” and “M” were etched into its side.
“So who is this Sycorax*, exactly?” asked Vlad.
Thralen stroked his chin. “There was once a beautiful maiden in Freeport by that name. She was a descendant of the great corsair Francisco and a priestess of Yarris. But Sycorax was young and loved unwisely.”
“Unwisely?”
“Her fickle lover spurned her for another. Sycorax’s revenge was terrible. Her vengeance twisted her, such that it is said she was cursed as a horrible sea hag.”
“Oh, that Sycorax,” said Kham. “The mariners of the Pale Sea make sacrifices to Yarris to keep their vessels away from the shoals of her island.”
“So Sycorax switched the two children at birth,” said Ilmarė.
“What kind of a mother does that?” asked Bijoux.
“The kind you don’t want to meet,” said Kham, nodding towards Calactyte.
The big lizard twitched his tail but didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked back and forth between Ilmarė and Kham.
“Fine,” said Ilmarė, “but this is the last time.”
When Cal finally sang what he was holding back, he belted it out so loudly that the others jumped.
“WHO LIVES IN A GROTTO DOWN UNDER THE SEA?”
*To learn the likely fate of Camring, see the Wikipedia entry for The Tempest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest_(play)