"Heart of the Crown" Chapter 10

[seymoure]

Chapter 10

On the Amethyst Waves of the Gaspan Sea

The Captain’s cabin was deceptively large and had none of the signs of dilapidation found above deck.

As the entire party sat awaiting dinner at the Captain’s table, the discussion was nearly nonexistent. That, despite all the joviality that Sabre brought with him no less than the raiment on his back.

The meal was nothing less than sumptuous.

It began with a blackberry mead that was unlike anything any of them had ever drunk before. “The payment,” Sabre smiled, “for rescuing a princess from the Outer Realms from Rebels. We only got 5 bottles, but they were worth it.”

“Risking your life for 5 bottles of drink?” Cela questioned as she finished her goblet, “It is magnificent, but still.”

“Ah-ha,” The Corsair said as he poured her another, and then threw the bottle against the wall. It banged against the solid oak paneling and rebounded up to the ceiling and then landed again in his hand.

The open bottle now had not only a new cork, but a seal wrapping its neck.

“It is newly full of mead as well,” the first mate (the man they had first met when they arrived, but now they knew him to be one Calibran) announced with glee.

“There is much magic aboard the Slug,” the cook said as he brought out the first course.

It was a steaming tureen of Gold Soup. It was a chicken based soup that had flecks of gold leaf floating on the top. It was rumored to be a preventative against arthritis, and the almond flavor within made it even better tasting.

“The almonds are a like preventative,” Cela told the preparer of the feast, “You seem versed in many of the healing arts.”

“More than that,” Sabre spoke, as the cook left without further comment. “His real name is Koss the Blue.”

The spoon fell from Cela’s fingers; there was shock on her face.

“Koss was said to have died in the Sorcery Wars. He was one of the mightiest of all the mages of the old days,” Cela told her comrades.

“As far as the world knows, that is true,” Sabre admitted, “But when he landed on the sands of the port of Kerian, burned nearly beyond recognition by the flaming spells of a young wizard named Tamaran, I was there.”

The emotion on the young lady was palpable.

“After Calibran and I nursed him to health, he shipped out with us.”

“To be a pirate?” Slip asked.

Koss answered as he brought the raspberry-apricot glazed boar to the table.

“I came to realize that there were simpler pleasures upon this world.”

“But he has done the occasional bit of spell-casting for us,” Calibran said.

“You’ve noticed that the outside of this vessel looks like a single cannon ball would send it to the bottom of the sea?” Sabre ventured, “But underdecks you have seen nothing but good strong oak and iron? That is the simplest of spells that gives us a great advantage in many a confrontation.”

“And let’s not forget that we can sail this ship with a crew of three when we need to,” Calibran chuckled.

“We have a crew of 15 aboard,” Sabre reassured his passengers. “But if it were necessary, we could manage with just the three of us.”

Sandor looked up and said, “Could I get some milk?”

“The monk said he wouldn’t need to be fed,” Verner chided him.

“But he would be comforted by it,” the large man said, looking lovingly down at his charge.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Koss said as he laid a platter of cinnamon scented squash down on the table.

No less than ten seconds after he left the room, the sound of a cow mooing echoed into the cabin.

The master mage then returned with a cup of milk.

He left the room again, and another moo began; fingers snapped, and the cow’s sound stopped in mid-vocalization.

All present looked at each other and then began to laugh.

Their laughter rang out onto the dark waters, but did not reach the massive warship bearing down on them in the night.

© 2008 C. Wayne Owens
Chapter 11 is here.