Chapter 4 - Doubts in the Darkness

     Talin’s watch had been going quietly, as he took his third stroll around the area. Only the campfire’s dim light and the glow from the moon staved off the night’s darkness. A near silence hung over the area, with the fire’s crackling and Talin’s light footsteps the lone sounds that could be heard. He yawned, tired from the day’s long trek from Ariko, and stopped for a moment. As he looked around, he caught a hint of motion out of the corner of his eye, and turned to find its source.

     "Thanks a lot Ash," Talin said under his breath, as he looked over at the same dead oak tree she had used in her ghost story. He reached for his sword, putting his hand on its hilt as he approached the tree to investigate. All seemed well for a moment, but then a human sized figure seemed to emerge from the darkness itself. It began walking towards him from behind the tree.

     "Who’s there?" Talin asked, his sword now partially drawn. A tiny glimmer of moonlight caught the exposed base of the blade, slowly growing larger as more of the blade emerged from its sheath. "Ashira! This isn’t funny!"

     "Ashira?" replied a low, raspy voice. "No...not quite."

     Talin was almost instantly in a full defensive posture, sword in front of him and pointing at the obscured figure. The mysterious figure took one final step, out from under the shadow of the tree. The moon’s light revealed the face of a man, pale and expressionless. He raised his hand, "No, you won’t need that. I’m not here to harm you."

     "Then what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Talin asked, still suspicious. "And who are you?"

     The man chuckled. "Inquisitive tonight, aren’t we, young Katari?"

     Talin twitched, slightly startled by the mention of his name by the stranger. "How do you...?"

     "Know your name?" he interrupted. "No doubt you don’t remember me. The last time you saw me was a very long time ago. My name is Rivan."

     "No, I don’t remember you," Talin said, relaxing the tight grip he had on his sword, though remaining apprehensive. "What is it you want, Rivan?"

     "I come only to offer advice," he answered, turning to the side and taking a couple steps toward the open field. Talin could see he wore thick black metal armor, banded in silver, with a strange crest emblazoned in white on its back. He had short black hair as well, contrasting sharply with his pale skin beneath. Talin almost expected to see the pointed ears of an elf poking through his hair, but they were not present. Rivan turned back to face Talin once more and spoke. "I fought with your father at the battle of Cedra, and again at Ariko. Tristan was a brave warrior, but the path he chose led him to his unfortunate fate, heroic as it may have been. You too near the beginning of such a path, Talin. Beware its consequences."

     Talin stirred at the mention of his father, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "My father fell protecting what he cared for most. If my path leads to such a noble end, so be it."

     Rivan shook his head. "Full of youthful valor, of course. I remember when I had such spirit, long ago. Be careful, Katari. The yearning for adventure and honor can lead you to give out your trust quickly."

     Rivan turned, and began to walk toward the tree again. "Be wary of giving your trust too easily. I would hate to see you fall so young..."

     "Wait! Why did..." Talin asked, as Rivan’s figure disappeared into the darkness of the night as quickly as it had appeared just moments before. He searched around briefly, but gave up looking for the mysterious man soon after. With a sigh, he returned his sword to its sheath and walked back to the makeshift camp where Ashira and Elora slept, unaware of the events that had just transpired. He tossed a couple sticks to the fire, fueling it for a while longer on the cool spring night. The fire crackled, interrupting the silence that had again fallen over the area. Talin sat down next to it, looking up at the stars and contemplating what Rivan had just said.
     He was disturbed by Rivan’s statement about trust. Only a week before, he’d never even seen Elora, and now he was ready to follow her on an unknown journey to a land so far away it was hardly spoken of in his village. For some reason though, Talin saw something in the girl, something that lent her his trust. He looked down at Elora, fast asleep on her bedroll. The moonlight cast a pale color to her face, and gave her brown hair a dull glow.

     "Why do I trust you so?" Talin whispered to himself, gazing down upon her peaceful face. He sensed somehow a familiarity, as if he’d known her somehow before. And after a few moments, he realized what it was. "Huh," he whispered. "You do look a little bit like little Fey."

     She stirred again, now facing straight up, though too deep in slumber to have heard Talin’s voice. "I suppose I have to trust you, at this point," he said, continuing to whisper to himself. "I hope my feelings are right."

     Little else happened during the remainder of Talin’s watch. He patrolled the area a couple more times, and kept the fire alive. Finally he woke Ashira, for her turn to watch. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder, and shook slightly.

     Ashira’s eyes fluttered open after a moment. "Oh...is it my turn?" she asked, still a little disoriented.

     Talin nodded, with a little smile down at her. "Yes, I need to get some sleep."

     Ashira yawned, and sat up. "Did anything interesting happen?"

     "Oh, just a couple ghosts," Talin replied, with a chuckle. "Nothing to worry about."

     Ashira smirked. "Right." She stood up, stretching, and turned back to Talin, "Well go ahead, get your sleep. I’ll make sure the ghosts don’t get you."

     "Thanks," Talin replied, with a note of sarcasm. "Good night."

     "Good night," Ashira said, as she started her stroll about the area.

     Her watch, and Elora’s after went without any real trouble. Elora managed to spook herself early in her watch when a bird flew suddenly from the large oak tree. It knocked a dead branch loose, and she barely stifled a scream before realizing what had happened. She took a little while to calm down, but nothing else disturbed the area before the sun rose. Ashira woke up last, her night of sleep broken in two by her middle watch. The trio had a short breakfast before returning to their travels westward, putting out the last embers of the fire before they left.
     Talin had decided for the moment not to worry about Rivan’s mysterious appearance, and didn’t mention it to the others. Elora certainly wasn’t going to reveal her own misadventure with the tree branch, saving herself a little embarrassment. Yawning through much of breakfast, Ashira didn’t say much either. The sun was already well on its way up from the horizon when they finally departed, returning to the wide main road once more. By late afternoon they could see the ocean and Westport on the horizon, reaching its outer gates around sunset. They had encountered a few random travelers along the route, but certainly none as interesting as the band of Dwarves they had encountered the day before.
     When they arrived, Elora explained that the ship was ready and waiting for them as soon as they wished to depart. They took a brisk stroll through the city, which had mostly shut down for the evening. Shops and stores had closed, and most of the citizens had either returned home or gone off to the taverns. The last bits of sunlight were replaced by the glow of torches lining the street as they walked through the port city. When they had finally reached the harbor district, the sun had completely disappeared beneath the horizon.
     The harbor at night was beautiful. Westport was renowned for having one of the cleanest ports on the mainland, much in part because they housed the navy of Alamor. The large navy ships were lit up at night, some with magical lanterns, others with torches, but they all looked quite majestic as they watched silently over the harbor. The ocean was calm, as well, and the moon’s reflection was quite clear in the distant waters.

     "The ship’s in Pier One, Dock One, all the way at the end," Elora said, as they reached the entrance to the docking area.

     "Is it a big ship?" Talin asked.

     "Her name is the Sapphire Draco, and yes, fairly large," Elora replied.

     "I’ve never been on a ship before..." Ashira said, a fact she hadn’t thought about before.

     "Oh, don’t worry. The Draco sails very smoothly, you’ll hardly notice you’re not on land."

     "Okay," Ashira said, still a little uneasy.

     It didn’t take long for them to spot the Draco, once they started walking down the docks. The ship shimmered blue above the ocean, as if its hull were made of glowing scales. Two large masts stood high, nearly as tall as the larger military vessels that were docked nearby. Its figurehead was an open mouthed dragon, with teeth and a red tongue that looked almost lifelike. They stopped, having reached the plank to board the ship.

     "That’s quite a ship, Elora,"Talin said, in admiration.

     "Yes she is," Elora replied, with a little smile. "I’m, ah, borrowing her from my mother for the journey."

     "Wow..." Ashira said, eyes wide open.

     "Ahoy!" called a female voice from the ship.

     "Is that one of the crew?" Talin asked Elora.

     "Yes," she answered. "Coming aboard, Dayna!"

     Elora walked up the wide plank to the deck of the Draco, with Talin and Ashira close behind. Ashira kept a good grip on the ropes on either side as she ascended, looking down at the waters beneath. A girl greeted them, looking no older than Talin and wearing a blue sailor’s outfit. She held a lantern in her right hand, casting a dim light across the surface of the deck. She smiled at Talin and Ashira, acknowledging them with a nod.

     "Back already, Elora? Will we be setting sail?"

     "As soon as we can, Captain," Elora replied. "Is she ready to go?"

     Talin and Ashira exchanged a glance as Elora called the young girl by her title of captain. Talin had only been on a ship once before, but he remembered the captain as being an older fellow, and even most of the crew had been adults.

     "She’s ready to sail immediately," Dayna said. "Who are our guests, if I may ask?"

     "Of course. This is Talin Katari," Elora said, motioning toward him.

     "Nice to meet you," Talin said, with a bow.

     "And I’m Ashira," she interrupted, before Elora had a chance to speak. "Nice to meet you as well."

     "Likewise," Dayna said, with a smile. "I’m Dayna Camacha, captain of the Draco. Welcome aboard."

     "The guest quarters are below decks," Elora said, walking toward the stairs that led down. "Come with me and we’ll get settled while Dayna gets the ship ready to sail.

     "Sure," Talin said, following her. Ashira was right behind him.

     Dayna nodded, and walked back toward the center of the ship. Elora showed Talin and Ashira around the quarters below decks. The ship was very well decorated, looking almost more like a house than the interior of a seaworthy vessel. The guest quarters had a long line of six beds, with large viewing windows to the seas outside. The windows caught Talin by surprise, as they had not been visible from the docks.

     "This is nice!" Ashira said, hopping onto one of the beds.

     "Yes, it is. This is a very nice ship, Elora," Talin added.

     "Thanks," Elora replied. "Captain Dayna is quite proud of her. Speaking of which...I should go and see if we’re ready to set sail."

     Talin nodded, "Mind if I come along?"

     "Not at all," Elora answered, walking back toward the exit.

     Ashira was already fast asleep in her bed, exhausted from the second day’s trek. Her cape covered half of her like a blanket, and her boots were still on her feet.

     "I guess it’ll just be us then," Elora said with a smirk, as the two of them walked out of the room.

     When they reached the main deck, Talin had expected to see sailors scrambling about to get the ship out of the docks. It was instead abandoned and oddly quiet as they walked toward the bridge.

     "Where’s the crew?" Talin asked, looking around.

     "Oh, Dayna’s the entire crew. The Draco practically sails herself," Elora said, as if it were commonplace.

     "On a ship this size?" Talin asked, "How does it sail?"

     "Well," Elora said, stopping for a moment. "The Draco is...alive. Dayna just serves as a guide for her."

     "Alive?"

     "Don’t worry...this is just the beginning," Elora said, with a smirk. "Expect the unexpected, from here on out."

     Talin shook his head. "Okay, I will..."

     He’d seen magic before, from simple lights on the street, to the healing abilities of Ashira and Maikara, and even heard tales of powerful sorcerers his father had told. But a ship that was alive came as a surprise to him. Maybe the journey was going to be more interesting than he’d thought.

     "Daydreaming?" Elora asked, as Talin stood gazing up at the stars.

     "Oh," Talin said, snapping back to attention. "Just thinking."

     "Lets get to the bridge," Elora said, smiling.

     "Right."