Once that was done, the sky was now black. Teryn moved to me with his potion bottle, demanding to see my wounds. I peeled off the blousy shirt. The claw marks on my side had begun to scab over. Teryn bid me sit beside him. Porgo began hoisting the anchor, the soft clatter of the rope pulling the heavy, wooden mooring device over the front of the boat.
Teryn lit the small lantern as he settled beside me, the aroma of sand sage weak but still enjoyable as it blew past me on the breeze.
“These are deep. When we get to port, we will have a healer tend to them, but for now, this will cleanse the wound well enough.” He lifted my arm and placed it over my head. “This may sting.”
“I’m no weeping child with a skinned knee,” I replied loudly. The captain of the ship spat what was now becoming a familiar word at me as he trudged up to us under the awning. Teryn spoke to him in Sandrayan. Porgo huffed then dug into a hidden pocket among the layers of his blue skirt.
“Here.” He shoved a tin at me. Easing my arm down, I warily took the offer. “Don’t be scared, mainlander.” I made a face. “It’s a paste made from pearly barnacles. You dip your finger into it and then place a glob on your tongue. Tastes like hog piss, but do not spit it out or swallow. Let it melt slowly. It will keep you sleeping through the worst of your sea illness.”
Teryn smiled serenely as I gaped up at the tattooed man. “You had this last night?”
“Aye, but I wasn’t sure you had earned it. It costs a monthly wager. Since you did so well keeping the mahouk safe, I have concluded that you earned a fingerful or two.”
“That is most gracious of you, Captain,” Teryn said before I could spit out what I wished to say, which would not have been so kind. “Perhaps we should get underway?”
“As you wish, Mahouk.” Porgo made his way to the prow.
“I would get that on my tongue now,” Teryn said as he returned to dabbing whatever foul-smelling potion he had on my wounds. My ribs tingled from the medicine. Muttering to myself, I did as instructed. Popping off the worn metal lid, I took a sniff and gagged.
“This reeks.”
“Yes, pearly barnacles are quite foul. Hurry now.” I glanced at Porgo as his markings began to glow a soft blue. The ship was moving forward, the sails puffing out under the twin moon sisters’ light. I dipped a finger into the paste and then smeared it on my tongue. The concoction was so bitter that my eyes watered profusely. “They taste foul as well, but it will help. Do not swallow.” Teryn rubbed my back as I let the horrid paste melt and leak down my throat. “Well done. That should help. I recommend staying here in the middle of the ship with me when the motion of the ship grows stronger.”
“I have never tasted a fouler thing,” I sputtered, taking the cup of tea that Teryn passed to me to rinse the nastiness from my tongue.
“Sometimes the most bitter medicine is the one that does the most good.” He patted my back, his touch lingering on my shoulders and skimming down my spine. I let him explore as the air currents grew stronger, pushing the sails to maximum. “We will nibble on dry bread and drink tea as the stars guide us to Yaza Kee.”
“Will you tell me how it is that you can transform into more than one beast?” I asked, the stars now shining down on us as we raced out of the shallows back into the Silvura Sea, Porgo’s soft chanting melodious. “I was under the assumption that those who possess the druidic magicks could only change into one creature.”
“Ah, you speak of the wood elves and woodland druids that live in clans devoted to one specific beast.” He helped me easeinto a clean shirt, the last Sandrayan type I had brought with me. The other was bloody, slimy, and unfit for anything other than a bilge rag according to Porgo. “My people, upon leaving the mainland, expanded our magical bases and studies, so that over the centuries we could transform into various beasts. Sip more tea.”
I did as bid, watching him settle amongst the pillows. I longed to curl up beside him, tuck him into my side, and kiss all that beautiful dark skin. The boat hit a rough wave. I braced for the first round of nausea to strike. It arrived subtly. Of course, the sea illness had built up over time last night, so I would not count my chickens before they hatched, as the old elven washerwomen liked to say.
“What various forms can you shift into?” I asked after nibbling on more of the dry, bland flatbread. Teryn did not reply. I glanced from my food to the ambassador. He was sound asleep. I drank him in. The lantern glow on his smooth face danced about as the ship hit wave after wave. He was masculine beauty in its purest form. Not wishing to wake him, I stretched out beside him, watching his chest rise and fall as we sailed to the land of black sands. My thoughts touched on the kidnapped twins, my friend Tezen, and the royal family. My heart lurched as I pictured the tiny heirs frightened amid strangers in a strange land. While I should be praying for a diplomatic end to this situation, I could not help but confess that sinking my blade into the heart of Jaska Ashwish held great attraction. A traitor and a kidnapper deserved no kinder fate in my estimation. I drifted off to sleep with the image of my sword finding the heart of a betrayer of his own realm. It was a fulfilling sight, to be sure.
I CAME AWAKE TO FIRM BUT GENTLE SHAKESfrom a soft-spoken ambassador.
“Open your eyes, we’re coming into the docks of Yaza Kee,” Teryn said, gently easing my head back to a cushion as I battled through the foggy quagmire of sleep. My stomach roiled slightly as I stared up at a clean-shaven Teryn. “You will wish to see this.”
Swallowing roughly, I eased to sitting, my sight touching on the clouds streaking past as we bounced over rough swells that rocked the boat. The foulness in my gut raced up my throat. I crawled at speed to the side of the ship and emptied my stomach. Not much came up other than red tea, which burned slightly.
“Porgo, may we ease back on the speed?” Teryn called as he joined me by the railing, rubbing my back as I dry heaved a few more times.
“Mainlanders,” the sea captain growled. The ship slowed, the winds eased, and my insides eased marginally. The sun warmed my back as I knelt there prone like a landed fish. If I never stepped a foot onto another boat, I would be the happiest elf in all of Melowynn.
“There, now let’s get you upright.” Teryn helped me into a seated position. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing, as he placed a folded slice of dry cake into my hand. “Nibble onthat. Then have a sip of tea. You did much better last night with the aid of the pearly barnacle.”
“I slept through the night,” I mumbled around a bite of bread. It was light and slightly sweet, different from the other flatbread we’d been eating so far. This had the slightest tang of lemon and ginger. My eyes opened slowly to land on Teryn kneeling beside me, smiling.
“That is what the paste was meant to do.”
“What if pirates had beset us?” I asked, chewing sloppily, crumbs falling to my chest.
“Then we would have dropped your useless pale arse into the head and let the waves wash you away,” Porgo shouted over his shoulder and broke into an amused titter.
“Ignore him. He likes to tease. He truly does admire you, or he would not have gifted you the sea illness paste.”
“Hmmm.” I was torn whether to believe Teryn or not, but the paste had helped. Somewhat. One episode of vomiting was far better than several, so I said nothing in reply to the barb. Instead, I raised a hand to touch Teryn’s satiny chin. “Why did you remove your whiskers?”
