The White Apple Campaign 4 - Land

Lenny felt sick. She had felt sick since they found Uru. Her stomach was not aching, or sea sick. What killed her appetite and knotted her belly was worry. At least she hoped. Unable to sleep, Lenny spent her time gathering what she could in her room to prepare for disaster. Have I already caused my own disaster? she thought, barely able to hear Vasher’s music now and then through the boards of the ship. is he singing about land now?

Then Lenny heard a thunder of feet above her. He wasn’t just singing about land, he had spotted it. Before joining the rest, Lenny undid the complicated laces of her left boot. This took a moment because they were tied in a knot as hard to pick as any bank vault. When she was done, Lenny pulled out a sleek and unscarred elven foot. Its fair cleanliness a beacon against her tanned and calloused hands. Then, she reached inside the boot and pulled out a key from a slip under the tongue. The brass of the key was polished bright and smooth from the boot's leather, though it never chaffed Lenny as she walked, tucked just so. Reverently, Lenny pressed the key to her lips and said a prayer. Letting stillness shut out the thunder above. Then, quick as a fish, the key was gone, and she was lacing her boot back up her leg.

“What is that smell?!” Lenny called out, the moment she crested the deck, covering her mouth with a hand. The sun had already set but the moon was full and bright over the world.

Jr. was already at the prow of the ship with Vasher and the two waved Lenny over instead of opening their mouths to answer. From what she could see of the ocean, the moon had painted it a pale and haunting white, though the seas was usually black at night, even with a moon. That’s not right. She thought, approaching the railing. Looking over the edge, the smell grew so strong her eyes watered. The onion yesterday was nothing! she mused blinking the tears and focusing.

It was fish. Fish of every kind bobbing white and dead in the water. Aghast, Lenny followed the endless mass all the way to the shore Vasher had spotted. She could see now that the death spanned the entire sea. She had to take a step back to take it all in and was relieved to find the smell was less intense away from the railing. Jr. moved back to join her and looked like she was about to say something, but another voice sounded in Lenny’s mind first.

“Leave this place.” Its rasping voice said. “I cannot permit you to land on this island. Turn your ship and go.”

Lenny saw Jr.’s face grow concerned and knew she could hear it too. When she looked back to Vasher at the prow, he was focused intently on the shoreline and seemed to be whispering. What’s he saying? She thought. Then she heard the voice again.

“Then I am truly sorry.” It echoed in her mind.

Following Vasher’s gaze, Lenny was barely able to make a robed figure out on the shore. Suddenly, it vanished and two gigantic masses beside where it had stood wriggled to life and slipped into the sea of death.

“What’s he sorry about Vasher?” Lenny asked, annoyed by the edges of nerves that punctuated her words.

“I think he’s sent something to sink the ship!” Vasher called out, louder so more than just Lenny could hear.

Before she could reply, Lenny heard the Captain call.

“To battle stations!”

Lenny had no idea where the battle stations on the boat were, or what a cleric could do, but suddenly, Vasher was pulling on her bag.

“What do you think you are doing?” She said, ready to tell him all about how dumb it is to steal form a thief.

“We still have things downstairs and if this boat is going down, we need as much as we can get. I know how special this bag is.” Vasher said, still tugging on the straps.

Lenny’s grip tightened on the bag.

“Look, they need you up here, and we are on a boat. There is no where I can go you can't find me.”

Lenny considered this. He had a point. She let the bag go.

“Thank you!” Vasher said. “We still have someone boarded up in a room down below as well. I wouldn’t want to be in a locked box on a sinking ship no matter how well furnished.”

“I’ll look into it.” Jr. said and she ran below decks with Vasher.

This left Lenny to watch the crew load guns and take points on every side of the ship. Everything was so calm otherwise. The sea was still, the boat was slowing to a mere crawl, and the moon was hanging lazily in the sky. And it was frightening.

Pulling herself together, Lenny decided to make her way to the Captain to see how she could best serve the ship. Surprisingly, Jr. emerged from the galley just as Lenny was passing the entrance.

“That was fast!” Lenny remarked.

“Cornelius wont budge. Says only Captain’s orders will move him.” Her tiny friend said, frustrated. She never liked being refused entry.

“I see. Well, lets talk to him together!”

The Captain was at the wheel with Nobuo, watching his Kestrel circle the ship. Maybe it will signal him if it sees something first? Lenny considered.

“Cornelius needs to be up here too.” Jr. said. “I bet we will need all the help we can get.”

“He’s got a duty ya barnacle.” The Captain replied not even making the effort to look down.

“The Constable is locked up.” Jr. replied, nonplussed. “And we’ve got trouble.”

The Captain squinted at his Kestrel as it flew. Nodded, and said, “Tell him the Captain said Praise Pelor for him and he will know it was my real orders. Then get right back up here and do something useful.”

Having all she needed, Jr. was gone in an instant, leaving Lenny alone with the Captain.

“What should I do?” She asked when he said nothing.

“Go to the lifeboats unless you have a gun.”

What inspiring leadership. Lenny thought and she left the Captain to his business feeling more nervous than ever.

“Can you come help me with this?” Lenny heard Vasher call from the main deck.

Lenny ran down to find him carrying what looked like a small side satchel as if it was a small cow. His face was red and veins popped from his neck.

“Oh sure!” Lenny said taking the satchel from him. It only felt a little heavier than usual to her.

“I am so glad I am not giant like you!” Vasher said regaining his breath. “Everything you have is so big and heavy! Let alone the rogue’s extra stuff.”

“Hey thanks!” Lenny replied realizing the extra weight must be Jr.’s extra supplies from storage. Vasher had set them up to be ready to leave instantly.

“I told you, you could trust –“ Vasher started but then the world shook.

Something hit the boat hard from starboard, causing Vasher to fall backward and Lenny to hold onto the main mast for support.

“Men overboard!” The Captains voice keened through the night.

Lenny looked around to make out who she could see on the deck and then heard an eerie song start to rise around her.

-

Back at it again! Jr. thought with glee as she pried familiar boards free from the door frame. Inside the room, Jr. could hear the Constable cursing and thrashing about. Apparently Vasher’s ropes were still working.

Bang! The whole boat lurched and shook, nearly causing Jr. to drop a knife. She heard yelling from above.

“You sure better appreciate this Constable!” she said, only now getting the first board free. Three to go she thought.

Then another huge impact from behind her. This one was accompanied by the sound of snapping wood and gunshots. Then there was the sound of water. Not the lapping sound of the sea outside, but the flowing sound of a sinking ship. Jr. kept working on the boards.

-

The impact left Vasher on his back and hurting, but he heard the Captain’s words clearly. Men overboard. He might not have a gun, or lightning in his fingers, but he had friends. So, taking his time to get up so he could focus, Vasher began to sing.

Oh brilliant mind alike to man, left the sand no more to land

Instead you chose the depths to dwell, your voice become an echoing bell

Come to shine through this dark night, burn through corpses death and blight

Sing your song along my own so your true strength can be known

Those around him would notice no change for the moment, but Vasher knew she was coming. Feeling bolder, he ran to where the Captain had called. Leaving Lenny by the life boats.

Vasher was ready for the second collision and stumbled less. What he wasn’t ready for was the sickening crunch that followed. Turning to see what had broken, Vasher was horrified to see a giant rotting shark clamp its massive jaws down into the ship between the lifeboats, biting through the deck and hull. Lenny screamed in defiance and her hands began to glow. Suddenly Cornelius was there as well, shining with his own light, Johnathan trailed behind him apparently recovered from his wound and ready to join the fray. Even one of the Brickbat twins leveled a gun at the beast and too his aim.

Seems they have that side covered, lets see about the others. Vasher thought and turned from the battle raging at the life boats. On the port side, the crew was gathered thick towards the rear of the railing and was lowering ropes. Vasher didn’t see Rat or Nobuo anywhere.

Instead of pushing through the desperate throng, Vasher got the best view he could of the wake of the ship. Sure enough, Nobuo and Rat clung to the floating body of a porpoise, slowly drifting further and further away from the ship. Ironic, Vasher thought, then he saw the ghostly fin. No! She’s almost here!

A large white fin emerged from the mass of corpses near the stranded crewmates, then it flicked and shot towards them far to fast. Amazingly, Vasher saw Nobuo throw himself over the porpoise corpse just as jaws bit wildly from the swirling depths, only to find the tail of the rotting porpoise Nobuo had deftly thrown in its way. In the same smooth motion, Nobuo slammed his already drawn cutlass into the shark’s face. Vasher cheered out for the amazing maneuver, but the shark snapped around in the water, ripping Nobuo’s cutlass from his hands. The beast dove back into the horrid mass to strike again, but Vasher could feel his friend’s arrival.

Just behind where Rat hung on for dear life, a golden glow was approaching through the water. It shone through the gore like the sun through a rotted forest. It circled them and surfaced just enough to show the sleek back of a glowing dolphin beckoning them somehow to join it. Thank god they’re desperate. Vasher thought as he saw the two clamber from the dead porpoise to the living one without a moments pause or suspicion. In moments, it was swimming them back to the ship.

Suddenly, a red-hot light erupted from behind Vasher and was followed by the smell of roasted death. A cheer rose from the same direction and Vasher felt the boat list. Apparently Johnathan had used some very well paced fire again to dislodge the shark. Feeling relieved, Vasher redoubled his efforts to help Nobuo and rat.

He was barely tall enough to see down the side of the ship but he could tell the dolphin was getting close by the way the crew was lowing ropes.

“That’s it you two get back up deck, that’s and order!” The Captain said as Vasher was able to lean over enough to see them climbing.

Both had made it to a rope, the glow of his friend circling the base of the climbers. Then the boat shook again and Vasher heard the sounds of bodies falling into the sea yet again. At the noise, the glow shot starboard to save some other soul, abandoning Nobuo and Rat to their climbing. Wait, Vasher thought. Where is Rat? The rope she had been on was empty. Frantic, Vasher turned his eyes to the wake again. There she was, barely visible in the mass of rot. Then there were two massive jaws and she was gone.

The crew screamed, and gunfire rained from every member of the crew.

-

That should be the last one! Jr. triumphed as the last board came free. Sure enough, when she opened the door, she found the Constable still hogtied and thrashing on the floor. He had been cursing this entire time.

“Get me out of these cursed ropes!” He yelled at Jr. the moment he approached.

“I can get you a portion of what you want.” Jr. replied. “Aren’t I generous?”

Then she cut the parts of the rope that bound his feet, leaving his hands tied. She offered no help for him to stand. She was too small anyway and watching him struggle was great fun. When he finally rose, using his chin on the bed to lever himself up, Jr. excitedly led him to the commotion up top.

-

Lenny heard the screams. Someone had died. People only screamed like that when someone was lost. Her and Johnathan had made quick work of the shark here at the life boats, but there had been a second. Hadn’t Vahser ran off to help them? Wood crunched from behind the Captain’s wheel and the boat shook again. She heard the Brickbat cry out as he fell into the water. At least is sounds like the other shark has a mouthful already she thought to comfort herself and ran towards the new commotion, pulling Johnathan along with her.

Lenny caught Jr. as she came up with the still bound constable.

“What is going on up here?” Jr. asked bewildered.

“Zombie sharks! Still got one more and I'm pretty sure the boat is sinking.” Lenny answered.

“That’s a fact!” Jr. confirmed.

“Get me untied so I can help!” The Constable demanded and before Lenny could pepper him with caution, Jr. cut him free.

“That man tried to murder me!” Johnathan said, but the Constable simply ran off towards the fighting, indifferent to Johnathan now.

With a sigh, Lenny drew her rapier and followed him, dragging Johnathan along.

The second shark had lodged itself firmly into the rear of the ship and was full of bullet holes from the crew by the time Lenny arrived with help. With so many people, Lenny felt sure that they could make quick work of the beast, but then something moved in one of the bullet holes.

Rats began to pour out from the sharks wounds and swarm the ship. Screams and yells came from all around. The boat began to tip backwards as water rushed in faster and faster.

Slowly, Johnathan placed his hand on Lenny’s shoulder, giving her pause. He turned his face to her, winked, and tossed a red bead right at the shark's pale and tattered forehead. As before, a huge burst of flame consumed the shark before the Constable could get to close. The light a golden orange contrast to the silvery moonlight all around.

When it cleared, only smoldering rats remained on the railing. These, the constable began hacking with his sword screaming all the while. His mania from the ropes still fading from the edges of his eyes.

Lenny pulled her gaze away from the manic Constable to find Vasher staring into the water, defeated.

“We still have a person overboard. No knowing what else is out there.” Lenny barked at Vasher to get him moving again. “I bet our rope-master can still help them.”

Vasher looked at her with a bitter smirk and dashed off to the life boats.

“Your boats done for Captain.” Lenny said to the clearly hurting man. “Lets get everyone off safely.”

Nodding silently, he and the other crew members made their way to the boats.

When they arrived, Vasher was guiding a new living rope up on to the decks. Its other end held the missing Brickbat twin. The two embraced immediately and began prepping the boats. Lenny took the time to give Jr. her supplies that Vasher had brought, and people began choosing boats. Quite naturally, the crew when to one life boat, and the motley group of passengers went to the second. Johnathan being sure to place him self as far away from Hemswick as possible. Now we never know when we are going to get home. Lenny thought as the boats lowered. Before there was always a number to count. One week. Two days. Now there’s no number. Just waiting. Can I wait with no end? This was Lenny’s least favorite kind of uncertainty. Luckily, the smell of the sea from the lifeboats was thought deafening and Lenny soon found herself only able to think about rowing.

“Hey!” Jr. said suddenly. “Where are they going?”

Following her point, Lenny saw that the lifeboat full of crew members was heading away from the shore.

“Don’t surprise me.” Hemswick said. “Still don’t trust 'em. Let 'em have the sea’s luck for all I care.”

With that, the group was silent the rest of the row to shore.

The shore was as bleak as the sea. Dead fish rotted in the sand and no sea birds picked at the corpses. When the lifeboats beached, the sand seemed normal enough, though more white than usual. Turning, Lenny could see the front end of the ship sticking up out of the water like a diving duck. Apparently the water wasn’t very deep out there.

“If its all the same to you. I’d like to get inland away from the smell.” Johnathan said as he hurriedly gathered his things and exited the life boat.

“Sounds grand.” Vasher replied, doing the same.

It was an uphill slag through sharp rocks and sand to leave the shore, but the smell did dissipate as Lenny worked her way along. Cresting the natural seawall, she could finally see the land that awaited her. A massive span of dead grass and mud stretched until it was interrupted by distant mountains. No trees, no animals, not even a shrubbery. This was the most dead land Lenny had ever seen. Her insides twisted again for reasons upon reasons. She was lost, and there was nothing here to start with. She turned to her companions.

“Good thing took Corny for all he had!” she said, pulling out a dry salted fish.

“Aye!” Vasher perked up from his somber gaze. “Let’s set up camp and eat. We cant even begin to figure any of this out on an empty stomach.

Apparently, the only people who had any kind of survival supplies were the ones Vasher had included in his trip with Lenny’s bag. Lenny posted a tent, Vasher and Jr. unrolled canvas bedrolls, but the Constable and Johnathan simply laid down their packs to sit on. Felling a pang of guilt. Lenny stopped setting up her tent and handed Johnathan some fish. He took it with a smile. Then she approached Constable Hemswick.

He was staring at the mountains and still bleeding from his side. Every time Lenny saw this man he was swaying from drink or exhaustion so it was hard to tell if he was truly about to keel over.

When she was close, beside him, Lenny said, “I have something for you, but you have to answer one or two questions first.”

Silence.

“How did you get your sword back.” Lenny saw Jr. perk up at this, eavesdropping from her bedroll.

“Uru gave it to me.” Hemswick replied.

“Why did you attack us with it!” Jr. interjected, standing.

“That man,” The Constable turned to point a hard finger at Johnathan, “cast a spell on me! Next thing I know you are leading the crew to my room. The very crew responsible for the loss of my family!”

This time Lenny was silent.

“Can we trust you not to do that again? Now that we are all clearly, pardon the pun, in the same boat?” Vasher eventually said, having heard the Constable's accusation.

Everyone shot him a scathing glance for the pun, but the tension was diminished.

“Aye, so long as you don’t get in my way of finding my family.” The Constable said, looking away.

“Fine.” Lenny said, and she pulled a potion bottle from her side satchel.

The Constable eyed it for a moment and then snatched it from her hand. It was finished in a single pull. Slowly, the bleeding stopped from his side, and the knife wounds faded from his neck.

With a belch Hemswick said, “Ive got first watch. You’ve got elf blood in you right?”

Lenny nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I can do the second watch after my four hours beauty rest.”

Then she made her way back to her tent to eat with the rest of the crew.

After some time, Vasher piped up.

“So how did you two meet anyway?” Gesturing at Lenny and Jr. With his fish skeleton. The moon was now high above them but just as bright.

“We crashed a pretty lady party.” Jr. said staring at the sky from her bedroll.

“A what?”

“You know, one of those parties that rich women throw to raise money for some horseshit but really its just a reason for them to get as pretty as possible and see who can afford to throw the most money away.” She continued.

“Ah yes, I know them well.” Vasher replied.

“Anyway, we both hated this same particular rich lady who was out to look especially pretty and wasteful.” Lenny elaborated. “For a while, I thought she was hired to stop me cuz she kept popping up at all the best times!”

“Or worst times.” Jr. interjected.

“Yeah. So anyway, she thought the same thing about me! We get into a fight one of these times and while we are having it out, we realize we are both after the same dame. We hatch a plan, rob her blind, and part ways friends.” Lenny concluded.

“So you didn’t get on this boat together?” Vasher asked.

“Nope!” Lenny said. “Probably were on the way to the same job in Port Arbor though. Seems we have similar taste in work.”

Jr. nodded at the sky.

“Well I’ll be.” Vasher said. “Its like Johnathan and I both coming from Gohst and not knowing it.

“Speaking of.” Lenny said. “Are you going to be alright Johnathan? You don’t seem to have much.”

The wizard’s body sagged for need of rest, but his eyes were just as interested as they had been for the apple.

He pulled his legs in close as he sat and said, “I’ll be alright with all this help from my new friends! Though I did lose many, many books on the ship.” His eyes went distant. “Some of the books even concerned teleportation!”

“You did that already” Jr. said in the dark.

“Yes I know!” Johnathan replied, “But this kind of teleportation requires diamonds and can take us thousands of miles. Quite precisely I might add.”

“But those books are paper mâché now.” Vasher pointed out.

“Oh no, those books in my room were just family heirloom plant books.” He said in a cheery tone, though his eyes were sad. “My spell books are in a seaworthy safe in storage. Would you all mind terribly if we at least looked at the condition of the ship in the morning? Might be our one ticket home.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Jr said, rolling over.

“Anything beats nothing.” Vasher said. “But I know we need sleep now more than ever. Good night all, we’ll figure this out soon enough.”

Lenny took advantage of the moment as well and curled up in her tent. She didn’t feel any better than she did this morning. She still worried. Her food sat like a stone in her stomach. Maybe it was the fighting. Maybe it was the comfort of solid ground. Regardless, sleep eventually took her despite her worry.

Pain. Vines creeped through Lenny’s dreams with a hissing sound, like a snake through deep leaves. They rooted and dug. They spread. The pain was too much and then Lenny was back in her tent, dreaming hands still clenching at her gut. Was that pain real or did I dream it? What remained was her usual iron knot of anxiety right below her chest. Certainly, dreams had left her feeling that before. But she was awake now. No denying it. Touching the key in her boot and saying a prayer, she left her tent to replace Hemswick, and watched the rolling white sea till the sun crested the horizon.

-

Jr. woke up feeling solid. Something about sleeping on hard ground again outweighed the lack of a mattress. The grey sky that hung above her could have been hanging over anywhere. The sky was grey that day at the Hempstock’s. The sky was grey the day she ran away. But rolling over, the ground was dead and dull. The illusion was broken, and the world was as uncertain again as it was at sea.

Lenny stood at the edge of the sea wall, watching. Looking over her shoulder, Jr. found Hemswick standing post as well, looking inland. Johnathan and Vasher both were already busy packing up. They were always up before Jr. on the boat as well. With a quick sniff, Jr. wiped her face vigorously with her sleeves, curled all her fingers and toes until they cracked, and then stood so fast it made her head spin. The usual wake up ritual.

Breakfast this morning was one of her ration sausages. The kind that cracked when you bit through the skin. There was no fire to warm it but it was satisfying all the same. The others seemed to me making do with much the same stock, mulling away the dreariness of the shipwrecked morning.

“Let’s check the boat.” Henmswick’s gruff voice split the silence. “Take more than ten minutes and I’m heading inland without you lot.”

With that, he hopped off the sea wall and made his way down the rocky shore.

It didn’t take long for Jr. to wrap up her bedroll and join the others as they followed the Constable. She didn’t really care to follow such rude instructions, but hustle was hustle, she could respect that. Sure enough, as Jr. approached the sea, it proved just as foul as the day before.

“Nothing like the smell of death to get you out of bed in the morning!” Jr. said when the group reached the white sand.

“It really is quite awful in the sunlight isn’t it.” Johnathan replied through the sleeve of his maroon robe.

Indeed, the heat and rays of the morning sun had given new life to the smell coming from the marine death that drifted to the horizon. The boat was still out there, ass up as Jr. had assessed before. It wasn’t going anywhere unless there was a major storm.

“The life boat is still here!” Came Vasher’s voice from where they had covered the craft. Are we really thinking about going out in that mess? Jr. thought to herself on the way to the covered boat.

“We could try to go out in this.” Lenny said when she arrived. “Maybe then your porpoise friend can help us fish it out?”

"How do you know about her?" Vasher asked.

"Like I am not going to notice the golden glow helping us last night? The shape looked like a dolphin so I just guessed. Where'd she go anyway?"

“Oh." Vasher answered, replacing the cover on the boat. "She threw herself at the second shark after the twin was saved. She hit it so hard it used up all the power that summoned her here. She's kind of other worldly, so I can only call her down for a brief time when people might be lost to the sea. I’m not sure if she’ll come to me now... What did you say last night that you needed for the teleportation Johnathan?”

“Diamonds.” Johnathan replied, “Thought if we had the book, we could head to the mountains to look for some. I guess I just wanted to be sure we were actually stuck here.”

“We could still –“ Lenny started, but Hemswick cut her off.

“Did you see that?” He barked, drawing his sword and scanning the top of the sea wall.

“Now what did we say about asking first Hemswick!” Johnathan yelled but the Constable was already running back up the rocky expanse.

Cursing under her breath, Jr. took off after Hemswick yet again. She scrabbled over the rocky shore though her shorter legs made it impossible to catch up. Before she could crest the sea wall, she heard Hemswick cry out. Then all was quiet. Instead of continuing on alone, Jr. let the others catch up to her before she fell in with them to finish the climb.

A few yards inland stood a white robed figure. It was walking slowly towards a tight green mass from the top of which Hemswicks red face showed, though his mouth was also bound. When is that guy going to learn? Jr. mused to herself. Every time he rages off like that he ends up tied up. Silly, silly man.

Around her, Vasher leveled his spear, Lenny drew her rapier, and Johnathan dipped his hands into the pouches at his belt. Then, the robed figure turned, revealing a green wooden skeletal face that looked like it had a third eye.

“Uru!” Lenny shouted, sheathing her weapon once more.

The others recognized him as well and relaxed, a bit. While Uru had never directly harmed them, this was the man responsible for their shipwreck so far as Jr. knew. But according to Hemswick, the crew was nefarious as well. Which was worse, where Uru was taking us, or where the crew was taking us? Jr. continued to consider as the group rendezvoused around the bound Hemswick.

“I see you made it off the boat.” Vasher said to the skeletal Uru, who nodded his head in reply.

“How did you do it?!” Lenny asked.

Uru stared at her blankly.

“Oh yeah, yes or no only.” Lenny said sadly.

“Is this the place you meant to take us?” Vasher asked eventually.

A nod.

“Was it supposed to be… dead like this?” Vasher asked in response.

Uru shook his head.

Vasher then looked from person to person with a concerned expression.

“Do you know how to get us off this island?” Johnathan piped up from the back of the group.

Uru silently raised an arm and pointed to the northeast.

“You want us to follow you?” Lenny said, following his gesture to gaze at the horizon.

A nod.

Suddenly, Hemswick’s muffled yelling could be heard from his bindings. Seems he doesn’t want to follow. Jr. thought as she walked over to check on him. With closer observation, Hemswick’s bindings were identical to the vines that had been on the boat. His face was read from yelling while gagged, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.

“You ready to listen now?” Jr. asked over his muffled protests. He didn’t seem ready.

“Now this is the third time you’ve either been knocked out or bound by someone just because you caught the crazy eyes. I have to say, I don’t think people often get more than three chances in life.” Jr. continued, circling him.

When she came back to the front, he was no longer struggling but was watching her with a cold still anger.

“That’s a bit better.” Jr. said, then reached up and cut the vine over his mouth.

“That thing attacked me again!” He frothed as soon as he could speak.

Jr. looked back at Uru, which spurred Lenny to interject.

“You did run after him with a sword.” She said “Hey Uru, you promise to leave him alone if he leaves you alone?”

Uru’s expressionless wooden face looked at Lenny, and then to Hemswick. Though he had no real face any longer, his “bones” showed the body language of trepidation.

“I’ll shank him if he tries anything. I already warned him about three chances.” Jr. said when she saw the hesitation. I just want to get away from this smelly beach.

That seemed to be all he needed, and Uru gestured towards the vines. They slithered away from the captain to disappear into the muddy ground. Hemswick’s body sagged from release and he started mumbling things to himself as he dusted off the knees of his trousers.

“Whats that sunshine?” Jr. shot at him as he turned to go.

“I said that I don’t trust that abomination and you lot are going to get us into worse!” He said, color returning to his face and neck.

“I don’t suppose you have anywhere else to go do you?” Vasher said from Jr.’s shoulder. He stood spear ready behind her.

“No” Hemswick shot back bitterly and spat. Then he started walking northeast, waiting on no one.

“Is he going the right way?” Lenny asked Uru with a rueful smirk.

Uru shrugged his skeletal shoulders with a click and a clack, bobbed his head from side to side as if to say “More or less”, then jogged off to get out front of the group to lead.

It wasn’t long before Jr. was bored.

The muddy ground and dead grass she had slept on last night soon stretched from horizon to horizon with no end in sight. No trees. No animals. Hardly any rocks. I think this is my new mental image for wastelands, she thought, the other ones I’ve seen are downright lush in comparison! It just went on and on. Somehow, it made the day stretch and before long, Jr. had no idea how long they had walked or how far they had gone. Eventually, Jr. noticed that Lenny had slowed her gait and was walking letting Hemswick catch up to her from the back of the group. With a shred of excitement for anything to happen, Jr. started positioning herself for prime eavesdropping.

“Hey Commissioner.” Jr. heard Lenny say.

“It’s Constable.” Came the reply. “And I don’t have any words for you.”

“Did he give you an apple too?” Jr.’s heart jumped into her throat at Lenny’s directness, but that’s part of why she admired the woman, so she just relished the intrigue.

She couldn’t turn to see Hemswick’s reaction but she could feel the pregnant pause between the two. After a moment Hemswick responded.

“Aye. Made me take a bite before he gave me my sword back. Tasted like it turned though. Why do you ask?”

Another pregnant pause. Don’t give him reason to engage again. Jr. worried, she didn’t want to have to end him for good, he was helpful when the ship was besieged, plus it had been entertaining watching him get tied up so much.

“He gave me one too. I wanted to know if yours was bad like mine. I thought it was pretty strange.” Lenny’s voice returned.

Good, Jr. thought with relief, if he knew about the seeds he’d probably fight Uru till he died anyway. Then who would find his wife and kids?

Apparently, that was all Lenny needed to know, because she was striding up to Jr. as soon as the conversation was finished.

“Why did you ask him that?” Jr. asked when she was in earshot.

“I had a feeling that was why he was so eager to catch Uru again. I don’t think he knows about the seeds, but he’s as worried as I am regardless. Now I can watch him to see what might happen to me.” Lenny replied.

Jr. nodded thoughtfully at this and walked along with Lenny till the day grew late. They passed more and more of the exact same landscape. Mud. Grass. Not much else. Only when they stopped to camp did anything change, even then it was just new skeletons. Surrounding the area where they decided to make stop, the remains of an entire heard of animals littered the ground.

Passing one, then another, Johnathan eventually said, “These all died at exactly the same time. Probably the same time as the grass. Very interesting.”

“But the fish were all freshly dead.” Lenny pointed out. “The stuff here doesn’t even smell anymore.”

“That’s is a fun point!” Johnathan replied, excited again after being dreary for the walk.

“Fun?” Jr. snarked.

“Yes!” Johnathan went on. “You see, if what I think happened here did happen, there is an enchanted ring around the island that animal life cannot pass. When fish swim pass that line, they die and build up near the shore with the currents. I bet if we could go under that water, there would be very many skeletons from the older fish built up under there.”

“Lovely.” Jr said, deadpan, and laid out her bed role.

As usual, the group that had bed supplies set them up and shared what rations they could. When all was settled, Lenny was the first to speak.

“Do you know the story of Renarin the Wise? She asked Vahser when he was done eating.”

“Oh yes, I have heard that one a few times.” Vasher replied. Something about his accent made it hard for Jr. to tell if he was being sarcastic. He was always just so nonchalant.

“Can you tell it? You are a bard right? Last night I was exhausted to help me sleep but tonight feels strange.”

“You men stranger than him?” Hemswick pointed a muddy finger at Uru.

“Yes.” Lenny replied with a flat stare. “Stranger than you too Cormorant Shit Pants.”

“His name is –“ Johnathan started, but Vasher just shook his head at the slightly daft wizard slowly to key him into the joke.

Once all was quiet again, Vasher began.

“Renarin was a prince to a royal family. In a culture that loved the spoils of war above all else. Renarin was too frail to fight. Even prone to fits that his parents worried would throw him from a horse someday and break his thin neck. So, Renarin was never able to be the prince his family needed. That role fell to his elder brother who was unparalleled in the dueling grounds. His sister, the most intelligent person in all the land, even out shown him by governing alongside her father even from a young age. Renarin was left to wander the cathedrals and meal halls of their keep learning all he could from priest and servant alike.

One day, while digging through the archives of the keep, he found the hall of artifacts. It was full of keys to fallen keeps, golden claps from books long burned, and, in a black box, was a kaleidoscope. At least, that’s what his sister called it when he showed it to her that evening over diner. Renarin had never seen anything like it before. When he looked through it, whatever it was pointed out would break apart into dazzling geometric shapes. It was especially wonderful to look at colorful things with the devise. After a few days, Renarin decided that his favorite thing to look at with the kaleidoscope were the cathedrals stain glass windows. They were already broken bits of color and shape so looking at them through the kaleidoscope seemed to deepen their own nature.

Renarin took the scope wherever he went until he was nearly bored with it. Then something happened. While looking through the kaleidoscope into the forest, he saw a fragment of red break out and dance around the reflected grid of leaves. Lowing the kaleidoscope, there was no red to be seen. Just endless green swaying in the breeze. Looking back through the scope, there was the red again, clearer. In fact, it was a fox running from something. The fractalized illusion shuddered, and the fox cried out in a silent wail. Then a spectral force lifted it and threw it out of the scope towards the keep. Then the scope returned to normal. Only refracting what Renarin saw in the woods. That night on a whim, he told his sister that a dead fox would come to the castle soon. His father returned with a fox over his shoulder that very evening.

This went on. Renarin would check every day to see if the kaleidoscope would shudder again and make its own colors. It did. It showed him things he wasn’t supposed to know. Not just from the future. It showed his brothers true mother one day watching him duel. A woman Renarin had seen cleaning his father’s clothes years ago. It showed him where dogs his their bones. And one day, it showed him how his uncle would die.

These strange insights were not missed by his family. They knew seeing the future was of the enemy. It was wrong. Frail Renarin was always prone to fits after all, maybe his brain finally got baked by the right fit. Who would question if frail Renarin fell to one of his fits for good? The family made a decision. The decision. Strangely, it was Renarin’s sister who volunteered to do the deed. So she set out to find him in the cathedral late one night.

Sure enough, there he was sitting on the dais and staring through the kaleidoscope. His sister was filled with disgust at his sacrilege in such a place. It was all she needed to make her bolder and raise her glittering rapier. Then she stopped. Before her, right where Renarin was looking, reality was broken and shifting like stained glass, as if through a kaleidoscope. In the shapes, she saw herself raising her sword, one shape brought it down, another fell to its knees and wept. A hundred more hung frozen in time in various poses. She could see it too. And she fell to her knees and wept, holding her brother till reality knit back together.”

“My mom told it better.” Lenny said when Vasher was finished.

“No one can compete with the stories of mothers.” Vasher said with a wink. Jr. shot a glance at Uru and caught him nodding knowingly at Vasher’s statement.

“Yours was great, don’t get me wrong.” Lenny said, “But mom ended it differently.”

From the corner of Jr.’s eye, she thought she saw a light in the dark. Then Lenny stood up fast.

“Do you all feel that?” she asked, whipping her auburn hair around as she scanned the surroundings.

Though Jr. felt nothing, small lights bobbed up and down over the tops of the grass in a ring around them. It made a beautiful contrast to the otherwise desiccated area.

“What do you feel?” Vasher asked Lenny.

“The same feeling we had on the boat with the blacked robed man and the sharks. Living dead I think.”

Then the lights were gone.

“That’s enough warning for me!” Hemswick growled and began circling the camp cutting grass as he went, slowly making a clearing around the rest of the party.

“Guess he’s got first watch!” Lenny proclaimed and rolled her bedroll out in front of her tent. “You get the tent tonight Johnathan. I don’t need much rest anyway.”

“That is very kind of you.” Johnathan said and made his way to the canopy without a moment’s hesitation. “But what about the presence.”

“Oh!” Lenny started. “It’s gone now. As soon as I said something, it vanished.”

“Hmmm” Johnathan and Vasher hummed in unison making an odd harmony of concern.

“Well at least it has the mad man occupied. That will help me sleep.” Johnathan concluded, and rolled over.

Jr. chuckled to herself at the exchange, happy to at least have entertaining people around. Feet hurting and clothes safely on, she gave herself to sleep.

Credits:

Matt Holden - World Builder and Head of Story, Cornelius, Johnathan, Hemswick, Crew

Gabriel Durham - Author and Historian, Vasher, dialog polisher

Sarah Durham - Ashlyn "Lenny"

Ruth Tully - Jr.

Special thanks to Brandon Sanderson for Renarin story inspiration.