Finn, Toni, and I descended the ramp from the Onyx Glory onto the docks of Shallow Tides Bay, bags in hand and ready to set off into the city together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCaptain, I can\u2019t thank you enough for letting me be part of your crew,\u201d\u00a0Toni said to Captain Malcolm Serpentis, who was standing on the ship\u2019s deck, watching us disembark. He\u2019d granted Toni leave from the ship, and even paid him for his work ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you come back a more talented healer and want to rejoin the crew, I\u2019ll consider this a wise investment,\u201d\u00a0the Captain smiled down at us, his gray eyes sparkling with good humor as his long, silver hair danced along the cool coastal breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked over at Toni. Was it part of the deal to leave now that Toni would eventually go back to the Onyx Glory?\u00a0\u201cWhat if he doesn\u2019t come back?\u201d\u00a0I asked, clutching the bottom of Toni\u2019s jacket possessively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Captain Serpentis laughed,\u00a0\u201cThen I\u2019ll make sure to tell the Tidekeeper, Arionis, about my good-hearted nature when the sea takes me one day. Hopefully, he\u2019ll see it as a balance to some of my misgivings in this life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arionis, god of the sea, should welcome the captain into\u00a0whatever afterlife he offered<\/em>\u00a0with open arms.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re a good man, Malcolm Serpentis. The Tidekeeper would be lucky to have you.\u201d\u00a0I said, smiling at the Captain and feeling a hot, painful breaking in my heart. We\u2019d more than lucked out in finding the crew of the Onyx Glory. But we\u2019d see them again. We still had to breach Stormreach together and save my people.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll find you once I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He nodded, digging around in one of the pockets on his chest. He pulled something out and flipped it from his fingers toward me. A small shining object whirled at me, and I snatched it from the air before it could land in the water behind us. He\u2019d thrown a small silver coin with an engraved serpent circling the money piece. I didn\u2019t recognize the tender.\u00a0\u201cThat should help you \u2014 when you\u2019re ready,\u201d\u00a0the captain said.\u00a0\u201cSpin it on a map, and it will land where its sister coin resides.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The captain patted his coat pocket again. The other coin was with him. That would certainly make things much easier for us. We\u2019d just need a map and time to get back to the ship. I nodded, dropping the coin into my bag, in a pocket that buttoned closed. That coin was likely my most prized possession at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, shall we go?\u201d\u00a0Finn asked, eyebrows raised high on his forehead in anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m ready,\u201d\u00a0I said, and we marched toward the gates that closed off the docks from the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n City guards posted at the gate barely glanced at us as we passed by them on our way into the town of Shallow Tides Bay. The streets were filled with merchant carts selling everything from fresh fish off of the boats to handmade soaps and small do-dads for around a house. People of every race walked back and forth from ships and shops and further into town where I supposed some of them lived. I\u2019d never seen so many different types of people all together at the same time. Or just in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children crossed our path, holding onto a rope in a single-file line. They followed a large, matronly woman, with dark brown hair swept up into a neat bun on her head. Her olive hands clutched the front of the rope, showing off well manicured nails that were dusted with chalk. Rows and rows of buildings existed beyond those that lined the cobblestone road we were on, all sweeping up toward the forest and mountain beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis place is huge,\u201d\u00a0Finn whispered into my ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had three days until half-moon. I was itching to explore every nook and cranny of this city.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019ve been here before, Toni. Right?\u201d\u00a0I asked, looking up at our tall-folk friend. He smoothed out his still-perfectly kept hair and squinted his big brown eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA few times. I have to admit, a lot of the time spent here with the other sailors was in a tavern of some sort,\u201d\u00a0he said, flushing bright red.\u00a0\u201cSo, if we did anything else in the city beyond that, I don\u2019t quite remember what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you remember?\u201d\u00a0Finn asked, his face pinched and puzzled as he tried to figure out what a tavern could do to a person to make them forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The shire didn\u2019t have the usual sorts of drinks that one would find in a tavern. We had Giggle Fizz, which made everything seem funny to the drinker, and crushed mulberry drink, which did make you feel funny if it had been left in the jugs for too long. None of that ale or mead stuff that the tall-folk liked to drink, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s talking about alcohol, Finny,\u201d\u00a0I said, knocking Finn with a light fist.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not like what we have at the shire. I\u2019ve heard its rather gross compared to what we like, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, we are adventuring,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, tapping a finger to his chin in thought,\u00a0\u201cIt only makes sense that we secure a room in a tavern while we wait for half-moon and the starfish. That\u2019s where all the good adventure stories start, anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two hours later, we were at a tavern called Ale and Hay, which Toni swore was one of his favorites in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust how\u2013\u00a0hic<\/bdi><\/bdo><\/em>\u2013 just how many taverns have you been at?\u201d\u00a0Finn asked, half a mug of mead deep and swaying lightly on his barstool. He beamed lazily, clutching the handle of his mug with tight fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni\u2019s cheeks were rosy and flushed, and he squinted through his eyelashes at us warmly.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve been to so many taverns, and\u00a0Ale and Hay<\/bdi><\/bdo><\/em>\u00a0is the best tavern in the world!\u201d\u00a0he said, shouting the last part as he raised his second mug, sloshing some ale onto the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re wasting the good stuff,\u201d\u00a0I said, nursing the last few sips of my first mug of mead. This stuff wasn\u2019t so bad. Different and heavier than anything I\u2019d drank before, almost like a broth or something. I was lightheaded from my drink, smiling at my two friends at the table across from me, and swinging my feet since I couldn\u2019t reach the foot holder of my barstool. I didn\u2019t have much \u2014 or any \u2014 tavern experience, but Toni was right about this place. It was the greatest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket, patted it on the table to sop up the spilled ale, and then squeezed the wet cloth over his mug. A couple of drips of ale splashed into his cup.\u00a0\u201cIt was my plan all along to get some ale on the table. It adds extra flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn cackled, rocking back and nearly falling off his stool before catching himself on the table. This feeling was very different from Giggle Fizz. I hiccuped loudly and clapped a hand over my mouth. Another hiccup bubbled from under my hand. I couldn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni and Finn laughed as I hiccuped uncontrollably, but then a green-gray hand slammed a dagger into the table, inches in front of me. My hiccups subsided as I jumped out of my skin. The disappeared, leaving the dagger, which was planted two inches into the wooden table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to drink in peace, if you don\u2019t mind,\u201d\u00a0A large orcish woman glared down at me, orange-brown eyes blazing with annoyance. Her straight black hair was shaved on the sides and long on top, pulled back into a tight loop on the back of her head. Her tusks had silver crowning over the tips that matched the cuffs on her pointed ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry,\u201d\u00a0I said, trying my best not to cower, but she\u2019d scared the hiccups and possibly a little pee out of me just then. Her hand extended, pulling the dagger out of the table and exposing a dark tattoo shaped like a four-pointed star with a blank hole in the middle.\u00a0\u201cCan I buy you another drink to make up for disturbing you?\u201d\u00a0I asked, feeling strangely sober all of a sudden. Toni and Finn sat quietly across the table, watching my interaction with the orcish woman with curious and terrified regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shook her head, yanking out her dagger from the table, and returned to a dark corner nearby. We all kept our noise level down after that rude interruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirty minutes passed, and activity at the tavern grew steadier. It seemed like a good mix of regulars, and folks who were looking for a place to stay were milling about the\u00a0Ale and Hay.<\/em>\u00a0A hooded figure came through the door and looked around slowly, scanning the tavern. Who comes into a place with a hood on if they weren\u2019t trying to hide something?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I narrowed my eyes at the person. There was no telling what they looked like under the shadows of their hood, but they spotted someone in our area of the bar and started staggering over.\u00a0The way they walked\u2026 it was like they were in pain. Movement from my peripheral vision alerted me that the orcish woman had stood up from her seat. The hooded figure tumbled forward as they got within five feet of her table, landing on their hands and knees on the ground. I saw the trail of blood following them then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat person is hurt,\u201d\u00a0I whispered to Toni and Finn, who for the last thirty minutes, had been deep in a conversation about the healing properties of plants that could be found near Shallow Tides Bay. Toni wanted to go and find some of them in the morning and Finn was asking for a few specific ones that we didn\u2019t have at the library back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat person?\u201d\u00a0Toni asked, but then almost immediately spotted the hooded figure on the ground a few feet away. He stood up, pulling out bottles of different tinctures I didn\u2019t recognize from his backpack and setting them on our table as he continued searching for other things he needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The orcish woman was kneeling on the ground, speaking lowly to whoever it was under the hood. There was a hint of panic on her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I got off of my stool, too, moving closer to the two of them in the corner, but not close enough that I was in daggering range.\u00a0\u201cCan we help? My friend is a powerful healer,\u201d\u00a0I said, gesturing back at Toni, who was now stirring two different tinctures together and glancing up in this direction every few seconds. It was like he was counting the time it was taking to prepare whatever it was he was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The orcish woman looked up, her face going steely and her orange eyes sharpening.\u00a0\u201cNo, leave us. This is none of your business,\u201d\u00a0she barked at me. I stepped back a couple of paces, startled. We just wanted to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hooded figure turned to look at me now, the shadows fading as they faced the light of an overhead chandelier. A beautiful woman with cropped black hair and amber eyes smiled weakly at me, her face slowly losing color.\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t mind Winona\u2019s temper. She\u2019s just scared. Underneath this tough exterior, she\u2019s really got a kind heart,\u201d\u00a0the woman said, her words faltering slightly despite her honey-filled tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni stepped forward.\u00a0\u201cI have something that should help the wound stop bleeding,\u201d\u00a0he said, holding up a purplish-red potion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona\u2019s eyes grew silvery with tears, and she looked away from us, breathing heavily. The beautiful woman on the ground lifted her cloak, revealing a deep slash in her gut. Black tendrils crawled like veins through her body from the wound. The same tattoo that the orcish woman \u2014 Winona \u2014 had on her forearm was on the woman\u2019s inner bicep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid healing the wound wouldn\u2019t save me,\u201d\u00a0she said quietly.\u00a0\u201cBut you\u2019re kind for offering.\u201d\u00a0Was she dying? How could this woman be so calm? Why wouldn\u2019t it help? What was that black stuff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni\u2019s hand fell to his side. He looked devastated.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve never not been able to help someone before,\u201d\u00a0he mumbled under his breath. Finn stepped forward and took Toni\u2019s hand, removing the potion and placing it back on the table with our stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Toni. Whatever is happening with that wound looks unnatural. This isn\u2019t about your abilities at this point,\u201d Finn said, returning to Toni\u2019s side and squeezing his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What were we supposed to do then? Sit around and watch this woman die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWas it one of the Reanault clan who did this?\u201d\u00a0Winona asked, helping her friend turn so she could lie on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman sighed with relief when she rested her head on Winona\u2019s knee.\u00a0\u201cYes, I was following one of them like we were instructed and didn\u2019t hear one of the sneakier ones come up behind me. They have some kind of poison on their weapons. Don\u2019t go after them when I\u2019m gone, or you\u2019ll die, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot without taking a couple of them out first,\u201d\u00a0Winona whispered murderously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman coughed, grabbing at her wounded stomach in pain. A trickle of blood fell from her mouth. My breath hitched as my mind flashed back to the night of the raid. How Maester Bobbins winced in pain as he died on the ground. I stumbled forward, taking the woman\u2019s hand despite a death glare from Winona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLeave,\u201d\u00a0Winona said, moving like she was going to push me away. Her friend, despite the fact that she was dying, raised a hand to stop her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d\u00a0the woman asked, her voice quiet as her face paled even more, but her eyes still shone with so much kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sniffed, feeling a wave of sorrow welling up inside of me.\u00a0\u201cKithri Tealeaf. I\u2019m so sorry this happened to you. I promise to stay until you\u2019re at rest. Every\u2013 everyone deserves that,\u201d\u00a0I whispered, a tear dripping down my cheek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt Finn\u2019s hand on my shoulder, and Toni kneeled down to the floor next to me.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll all stay,\u201d\u00a0Finn said resolutely.\u00a0\u201cFor both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman laughed weakly.\u00a0\u201cWell, Winona. It seems like you have a new clan. I worried about that as I found my way back here tonight. I suppose I can go in peace knowing you\u2019ll be cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEmilee,\u201d\u00a0Winona whispered, lower lip quivering as she held back her tears.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not ready for you to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t help myself. I scooted over to Winona and wrapped an arm around her. She stiffened under my touch but didn\u2019t make me release her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you would have ever been ready,\u201d\u00a0Emilee said.\u00a0\u201cBut this was the life we agreed to. We knew the cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona grabbed the tattoo on her arm, and I felt Emilee\u2019s hand slack in mine.\u00a0A final breath escaped from her lips as she closed her eyes. And she was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona shook under my arm.\u00a0\u201cPlease, let us help you,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, folding Emilee\u2019s arms across her body. Finn motioned for someone to alert a barkeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona stopped shaking and looked up from Emilee\u2019s resting body.\u00a0\u201cNo \u2014 I don\u2019t know you. I don\u2019t trust you. And I certainly don\u2019t like you. On top of all of that, you obviously don\u2019t belong to the guild, so even if I\u00a0wanted<\/bdi><\/bdo><\/em>\u00a0your help, I couldn\u2019t ask for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat guild?\u201d\u00a0I asked, pulling away to watch Winona\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her skin paled to a light gray and her eyes shifted back and forth between the three of us.\u00a0\u201cDragon\u2019s breath,\u201d\u00a0she cursed, a long, huffed sigh escaping between her tusks. Apparently, she wasn\u2019t supposed to talk about whatever guild it was she was part of. What kind of secret guild didn\u2019t want members speaking of its existence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were secret societies in every country around our world, working undercover to see their different agendas through\u2026 there were just so many and probably more that I didn\u2019t even know of. But not being part of some secret society shouldn\u2019t be able to stop us from helping Winona \u2014 she was just being difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I glanced down at Emilee\u2019s resting body and had to look away before more tears came. I was there for a stranger, guiding them into the next life, but not my own people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know you\u2019re hurting, but it doesn\u2019t seem like it\u2019s safe to go and do whatever you\u2019re planning to do on your own,\u201d\u00a0Finn said, applying logic to the situation that I just couldn\u2019t muster with the buzzing memories of the night of the raid filtering my thoughts. I\u2019d always been so mad at myself for not staying with Maester Bobbins as he died. But would that have doomed me to the same fate as him? There were so many unknowns about that night, but I couldn\u2019t help but feel shame for leaving him.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, not happening,\u201d Winona argued, glaring at us with tears still in her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so wrong with letting us help you?\u201d Toni asked, leaned over and carefully covering up Emilee\u2019s wound so that the rest of the bar didn\u2019t see it. He pulled out an empty vial from his pocket and scooped some of her blood into it that was near the creeping black tendrils from the wound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEmilee said you\u2019d die if you went after them,\u201d\u00a0I said after Winona refused to respond.\u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t have to trust us or even like us to let us help you. People shouldn\u2019t be running around with poison weapons and stabbing others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI might even be able to figure out an antidote to the poison if you give me a couple of hours,\u201d\u00a0Toni said, holding up the vial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winona groaned loudly.\u00a0\u201cFine. But none of this mushy cow-dung or flamboyant antics you all have been up to. This won\u2019t be an easy job, and you might not survive if you don\u2019t take this seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Continue the adventure into chapter eight here.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n