Shards of Old

-So, how long is it gonna take?

-We should get to the other side before the next nightfall.

-Hmm.

He finished unfurling the sails and then sat at the rudder.

-You can go downstairs now, if I need you for something I will call.

Or in other words: "Stop looking at me, I don't want you to see how to operate this boat".

-Fine, fine…

I was curious about the spell on the table anyway, so I took my opportunity to check it out up close without him breathing down my neck.

The prisoner was still in the corner, he glanced at me while I entered, but soon lost interest when he realized I wasn't there for him.

The table and the gem was still glowing in the middle of the room, so now I could read some runes that made up the spell that covered the boat.

The spell consisted of two parts - two circles.

The outer one represented the invisibility spell. Well, it was not exactly true - more like an illusion - it was written in such a way that it simply created an image of what was immediately next to it, like an intelligent mirror. That was why, when something got close to it, the illusion started to distort, not knowing what image to project.

The second layer was just a simple barrier with one condition - it simply rejected all living matter that was not in its space during the time the spell was cast.

Both circles were fueled by magic from the crystal in the middle. There was no real indication for the remaining power in the crystal, and sustaining two area spells at once had to drain quite a bit. I was tempted to inspect it a bit more, but I did not want to disrupt the spell, and also I was not keen on showing that I can read this, for all that I knew the guard and innkeeper both could be oblivious to that and I would like for it to stay that way for as long as possible.

I could already see a few modifications I could add, but for now I decided to restrain myself and not dabble with the circles themselves.

I did try to read the whole spell formula and commit it to memory, it would be a nice training for me, since I couldn't rely now on anything besides my brain. It would be a lot easier if I had a pen and paper, but of course someone had to be stingy.

I looked at the prisoner angrily.

After a while I realized something.

My meditation about all this, plus the inspection of the circles took me a good chunk of time and focus, thanks to which I didn't notice before - we were not moving.

We were still in the same place. We have not moved even from the pier.

The guard was still at the rudder, but was kneeling this time and had his back turned to me. Preoccupied with something, he was muttering to himself, apparently busy.

Without a word, I came closer and looked over his shoulder, to see what the hell he has been doing all this time.

Right in front of where he was kneeling, on the floor, there was a small open hatch, the size of a hand. Every now and then he was putting his hand inside it, muttering something, freezing for a second and then repeating the process over and over again.

I took a step back, not knowing what got into him.

-Ehem - I tried getting his attention. - Are we there yet?

He stood up and turned to me, startled, slamming the hatch shut.

-What's going on?

-I… We… Ekhem - he cleared his throat and was now back to regular cold demeanor. - There is an issue.

-Well no shit! - I said, gesturing towards the forest and the pier. - Care to explain?

-We are apparently out of power.

-The hell is that supposed to mean? Also why did it take so long to notice?

No answer.

-So what now? Any backup boats or something?

-Let me think.

If you ask me, he had enough time to think this through ten times over, but I just shrugged and leaned over the side, looking at the calm sea.

-You know, I do really want to leave this place. And I can be useful. Maybe I don't have an arm, but I am not the dumbest one out there. "We are out of power"... Can't you be more specific than that? Maybe I can figure something out - I finally said, running out of patience.

-Pff, right.

-Oh come on, what do you have to lose? We are stuck together until the wind picks up, and that is unlikely, so why not tell me at least what's wrong.

He just looked at me.

-You seem so sure of yourself.

He went silent for a moment, and then finally started.

-Well we do not have any alternate ways of transport, this boat was supposed to be more than enough for any circumstance.

-Well not considering the weather in your plans seems like a pretty big oversight to me.

-This boat does not care about the winds.

Annoyed mildly, I pointed at the sail.

-Looks like it cares to me, don't you think?

Not moved by any of this, he continued.

-We need wind, that is right. But this boat is capable of generating it on demand.

-Now we are getting somewhere. And I guess, whatever this wind generator is, is now out of power.

-Not really - his voice cracked for a second. -This here - he pointed at the hatch which I saw before - is a part of a spell that would generate wind.

He opened the hatch.

-You are supposed to place a source of energy here, like a crystal.

-Don't you have one of those? There is that glowing one downstairs…

-Indeed. But we need to keep the barriers up to get through the waters anyways, so I can't use it for this.

-So we need another one? Also, then how did you get here then if that's the case? Wouldn't you need to have two? What happened to the other one?

That could be problematic. I had a few shards of the crystal from the lab, but I highly doubted that they would work, and even if they did, they were so small anyway they wouldn't last for long. That, and I did not find showing them to a random guard a good idea.

-I am getting to it. There is an alternate way to power it.

-And let me guess - I interrupted him - the alternate way is dangerous or unreliable or something like that and you don't want to use it. Right?

He looked at me, annoyed.

-No. It is not. That is how we got here.

-What is the problem then?

-If you won't stop interrupting then I might tell you.

-Okay, okay, I will shut up.

-So - he continued - as an alternate power you can use yourself. Instead of a crystal, you place your hand here - he pointed at the hatch - and it uses your own mana as energy. But the problem is, I don't know how to activate it. I never actually did it by myself - he finished, his voice cracking at the end.

-Ah.

I guess he had a guide before. It was weird that he never got curious about that and asked him, I definitely would.

-Can you really not just use the other crystal…

-No - he replied, adamant on that point for some reason.

-Can I see what is in there? - I pointed at the hatch - There has to be a magic circle in there, maybe I can figure out how this thing works…

-Pff. You are really full of yourself. But don't bother. It's all in Forgotten Script.

-Can I take a look anyway?

-Go ahead - he moved away from the hatch.

-Thanks. Do you have a torch or something? It's dark here. - I asked, while looking inside.

-Give me a second.

He pulled out a small crystal piece, like I saw lighting up the inn before, but completely dark. He shook it a bit and it instantly lit up with a dim glow.

-It's weak, but should be enough. - He said, giving me the crystal.

-Well, let's see then.

I kneeled down by the hatch with the guy observing my every move. I looked inside.

The opening was actually an access point to the layer of wood below the deck. The part I could see through was the center of a magic circle that was connected to something else, most likely another one.

Like to confirm my observation, the guard said:

-Below deck there is another layer of wood, fully covered in Forgotten Script. If you activate it, you can summon winds strong enough to sail.

That did not sound right. Why would a simple wind spell need so much writing? Either he was lying, or he was just that ignorant. Judging by his behavior and failures before, I would've guessed it was the latter.

Whichever it was, the exposed part was just gibberish to me, without the rest it would be impossible to decipher. But my attention caught something else. On the hatch itself there was also some writing, and it was not part of that circle, or any other for that matter. It was actually exactly what he was looking for - instructions.

Three spells to be exact, all short. All written in Forgotten Script, but still, mostly understandable, while a bit ambiguous.

-You know that there are notes here, right?

-Yes, I am not that stupid. In Forgotten Script, so it is useless.

-I mean, I can read those…

-OH! - he looked at me, his eyes wide open.

Again I was surprised with his lack of knowledge. Was he really that uneducated or was this common among people now? How do people write spells if they don't know this much?

-I mean that's great. Ehm. Yes.

-Don't try that hard…

-What? - he asked, confused.

-Nothing - I sighed. - There are three spells here. I assume you want the "wind" one?

-Yes.

-It's hipiso zurxa.

-That's what it was! Damn I knew I was close.

-You were close? - this time he confused me.

-I tried a few incantations before, but none of those worked. I was a few syllables off it seems.

I was left speechless. This dumb oaf randomly tried incantations on a circle size of a boat. I couldn't even imagine how many times he could've killed us all if one of those were an actual spell.

-Just… just cast the damn spell, will you? I had enough attractions for today.

And I definitely had enough of him for my whole life.

-Hipiso zurxa!

The wind around us instantly picked up and got picked up by the sail. I didn't know if that was again that dumbass' fault, but it had the strength of a small storm. The wooden mast started creaking loudly, strained in the wind.

We both almost got thrown off board when the boat instantly picked speed, leaving the bay.

-Holy shit! Calm it down, you will destroy the sail!

-No worries! It can take it! - he was now smiling, sitting confidently with one hand at the rudder and the other in the hatch. - With this speed we will get to the other side even quicker than I thought!

Indeed, the boat was pretty fast. It was pretty bizarre to see us going full sail, when the water was completely still with no wind. The spell apparently generated wind only just in our close proximity, so the only thing making waves was our boat.

-Ah whatever. I'm going below deck. It's less windy.

As soon as I got downstairs I noticed it was a lot brighter there. Though the ceiling didn't have any cracks to speak of, since it was all one big piece of wood, the wood itself was glowing in a few places. As I looked closer, it was indeed coming from the place where the guy sat, fueling the circle. I tried my hand at reading it, but it was blurry enough to be unreadable. It had to be part of the spell though, there was no mistaking it.

The prisoner was a lot less calm this time, looking from the glowing wood to me, nervously moving in his binds.

-Yeah, I know, this light is really unsettling - I said half to myself, half to him.

Without waiting for his reaction I focused my attention back at the crystal in the middle of the room. Thanks to the glow from the ceiling and the shard I had in my hand, the crystal looked even worse than before. I swear, if I was to pick it up, it would've crumbled down into dust. Wondering how this thing still works, I sat down on the other side of the cabin and tried resting for a minute. I couldn't shake off the weird itchy feeling in my arm and it started bothering me. The boat was pleasantly swaying, so I laid down on the floor, looking at the glowing ceiling, listening to the sea and creaking wood. It was weirdly mesmerizing.

I don't know how long I laid there, but it had to be a long while. I was weirdly drifting at the border of being asleep, yet painfully conscious of everything around me, including the wooden floor, which definitely was not comfortable to try and sleep on.

When I noticed that the boat started to slow down, it was, if I was to guess, the middle of the day, maybe later. The prisoner near me was loudly snoring on the other side of the room.

-I'm glad at least one person here managed to have a good sleep - I muttered to myself and went outside to check where we were.

I was greeted by the infinite ocean. Yea, that would be the best way to describe that. Nothing, not even a scrap of land in any direction. And the guard, soundly asleep at the rudder, his hand no longer in the hatch, where he was supposed to fuel the spell.

-And I said only one of us slept well. Wake up!

I got no answer.

-I said, wake up, you lazy ass! - I kicked him in the ankle.

Still no answer.

I tried shaking him. Still, he was not responding.

-Ok, what the hell is going on…

I checked his pulse. Surprisingly it was still there, but it was odd. His heart was beating about once every 10 seconds. That was definitely not normal. Also, since I was now pretty close, his breath was barely noticeable as well. I tried shaking him once again, but with no effect, I only managed to reopen his wound on the stomach and get dirty with his blood.

Then I remembered - he was supposedly fighting the innkeeper back on the island. It wasn't a big stretch to think that he could've used some poison. That would also explain why he wasn't fighting back that much, he was just waiting for the chance to slip away when the poison started working.

-Why did it have to be in the middle of the ocean though… - I groaned. - Well at least I have the culprit on hand…

Without much of a thought I grabbed the dagger from his belt, left the guard and went back downstairs.

I didn't notice before, but the glow on the ceiling disappeared. No wonder, since the guy was unconscious upstairs.

The prisoner was still snoring, lying on the floor.

-Wake up - I tapped him a few times with my foot.

As soon as he saw me leaning down with a dagger in hand, he recoiled and straightened up, his back against the wall.

-Easy. I am here to talk.

I sat in front of him.

-You fought the guy upstairs, right? It seems your efforts finally paid off. He is out coldfod now but now we have a problem. I am gonna ungag you now.

I cut the vine that was preventing him from speaking.

-What do you mean he's out cold? - he asked instantly, spitting out the remains of the vine.

-I found him unconscious just now. It seems the wound you gave him has started to work its magic.

A glint of understanding appeared on his face.

-I see, you want something in return.

I rolled my eyes.

-Listen man, do you know where the fuck are we? We are in the middle of the ocean. What I want is to get on land, preferably on the continent. Too bad I have no idea where that is.

-And you want me to help?

-Isn't that obvious? Listen, I know you are not just an innkeeper, no one would put that much effort for just some innkeeper. And after looking at your kid I also don't think you are just some slave runner. I honestly don't know what you are, but you are definitely capable. I am gonna untie you now, and you are gonna help me reach some land. Deal?

-I don't think you have another choice, do you? - he smiled slyly - I don't know how you know, but I indeed can navigate this waters pretty well.

-You don't know shit about me - I replied, but I cut his binds anyway. - Consider this a gesture of good faith.

-Right, right.

He stood up, rubbing his wrists and started stretching out.

-Congratulations on your freedom, now come on.

We both went up on the deck.

-You weren't kidding about being in the middle of the ocean - he exclaimed while looking at the horizon.

-Stop joking, start helping.

-Well, don't get me wrong, I am thankful you freed me - he said, while looking at the unconscious guard - but wouldn't you be better off alone? It's not that hard to steer a boat and you know which way the continent is supposed to be. So what gives?

I looked at him irritated

-As you are well aware, I am not from here. I only have a general direction as one and only point of reference, that was given to me by some questionable individual. True, I could've just sailed blindly and sooner or later I would've probably hit some land. But by then I would've had at least one corpse on this deck. I would like to avoid that. So stop questioning and just get to it.

That, and I also did not want to pass the occasion of getting some more info about him as well. All those stories about slavery and bounties peaked my curiosity.

-Well, whatever. But we have another problem. You have some oars or something?

-Don't worry about that. You better come here and get to navigating.

-Well, we are kind of on the right course. But how are you gonna…

-This boat got itself a magic circle with some kind of a wind spell. Just activate it and we will be on our way - I pointed at the hatch.

-Ah so that's what you need me for. You can't use it yourself - he exclaimed, laughing. - Very well. Let's go then.

I didn't answer. It was better for me to keep him oblivious.

As soon as I told him the words, he activated the circle and the wind around us picked up, just like before. But this time, they weren't that storm-like. It appeared that I was right - the guard was just absolutely awful at controlling it.

-This thing is pretty handy - he said while steering the boat. - We should be on land in a few hours.

-I heard that one already - I replied, dragging the guard down below deck. - Man, he's heavy. What the hell did you do to him?

-Nothing.

-Riiight…

I put him down exactly where the innkeeper used to be bound, not like there was much space on the boat to begin with.

-So, which way are we heading? - I asked my companion as I emerged from below the deck.

-I am obviously getting back home. As you know I am a wanted man.

-Ahh… right. I was hoping to get somewhere else than that small island but whatever.

I sat down by the sail and looked at him.

-Also, are you wanted, really? You don't look like some criminal to me. What's your story?

-You really want to know?

-I mean, we have nothing but time now. And I want to know who am I helping to escape the law.

-The law - he spat into the ocean. - I guess I will tell you, since you helped me. His story - he pointed at the guard - is not completely wrong. The island we were on is basically black market for slaves. And since I do have some business there I guess you can say that I profit from that. And judging from this guy's appearance, someone up there doesn't like that, most likely cause taxes or some other stupid shit like that.

-Slavery. So that was true.

-Ye. Got a problem with that? - he asked, mockingly.

-A few. But that is for the people that legalized it, so I will keep that to myself.

-Hah! Good one - he laughed - Blame elves then, it's their trade.

Elves. That was a new one. This place started getting more interesting by the minute.

-If I ever meet one, I will.

-You are on the right track. I heard there is quite a bit on the continent.

-You never been there?

-Not in an elven city, no. I am busy here most of the time.

-With what? You said it yourself, the island is half dead.

He mumbled something under his nose.

-Enough about me. What are you doing here, really? Don't tell me you actually just landed here accidentally.

-Sadly that is true. And I am deeply hurt that you did not believe me the first time - I sighed, looking into the distance. - I don't really have much to say about myself. I'm just a traveler floating here and there, trying to make a coin and get to know the world a little bit in the meantime.

-Where are you from?

-From nowhere. My home got destroyed by an earthquake a while back. Including everyone I knew. Since then I've been traveling, mostly at sea, from ship to ship, sometimes as a stowaway, sometimes not. The last one dumped me on your island, assuring me that it is the continent. I hoped to get to some city for a change and earn a few coins.

I obviously made up most of that story, but it looked like he bought it without a question.

-Tough luck. I guess they just wanted to get rid of you, and what's the better way than to drop you off at the island full of slavers. Too bad they also got unlucky since they managed to drop in during the off time. You got any enemies? Probably someone just paid them more than you.

-Huh. I don't think so…

Did that hag just want to get rid of me? But that wouldn't make sense. Why would she give me money then? To lull my vigilance? That seemed far-fetched…

-But you might be onto something…

We sat in silence only disturbed by the sea for a long while.

-This is a nice boat… - he finally interrupted the silence out of the blue. - Say, how did you know the words needed to start it?

-It's written right where you have your hand.

-Ah, you can understand that…

-Yeah, I learned during my travels. It got in handy in more situations than you'd think. Some were similar to this.

-Really? You'll have to tell me some time.

-Maybe... - I wasn't in the mood to make up a story to satisfy him, so instead I asked a question that was bothering me for a while.

-But instead of this I have a question.

-Ask away.

-What are we gonna do with that guy? - I gestured towards the lower deck. - And for how long will he be like that?

-That is a good question actually - he said, frowning. - I actually don't know.

-What to do with him or for how long he's gonna be out cold?

-Both.

-That is a surprise. Didn't you kill his partner earlier? And also why do you even use something you aren't sure the effects of?

He sighed.

-That is not easy to answer. I did kill him but that was during the fight. I'm not gonna stab a defenseless person. Also, not like I did it with premeditation - he muttered under his breath.

-Good. That means I didn't make a mistake freeing you. I guess we'll have to figure it out when he awakens. Speaking of which, you really don't know how long this is gonna last?

-No.

-Any more details?

He went silent for a moment.

-It's not a problem of "how long". It's more like "what".

-Now you confused me.

-You already know I use green magic. It doesn't take much to figure out. During our fight I used wooden spike projectiles, I didn't create any poison.

-So why is he out then?

-Let me finish. Those spikes always take the properties of the wood they made off. And they are always made of the wood that is around me when I cast it. Judging by what happened, the home we fought in had to be made of some poisonous plant, or something like that.

-That is an interesting spell. But what now then? Are you gonna drag him along with you or what?

-We need to get back to that house. I'm gonna check the wood and we'll go from there.

-"We?" Since when is that a “we” thing?

-Since now I guess. You did free me, didn't stab me and told me how to operate this boat. The least thing I can do is to trust you a little bit.

He smiled.

-That and you are traveling with a wanted man, if we ever meet someone like that guy again, I don't think they'll believe your story.

-Fair. I kind of asked for it. Ah, and the last thing.

I stood up and extended my hand.

-My name is Mor.

He did not stand up, since he was basically glued to the magic circle, but he shook my hand anyway.

-And I am Jack.

-Pleasure to meet you.