The War for Miogaror: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Huddled together, the group of pirates exchanged thoughts and argued over who should go where.
“I didn’t want to be stuck waiting about! Take me to Terra!”
“Uch, naw. I don’t wanna. Sound’s like too much hassle fer me. Can I not just search for others instead?”
“I don’t trust what the ol’ man has up his sleeve! I’m staying out o’ that city!”
“He’s the King! Not a fool!”
“Cap’n! you know I’m the best look out ‘ere!”
“And I can sneak like a mouse! I’ve stolen many a thing!”

The bickering went on like this for quite some time, longer than any would have liked, while most were arguing about which position they desired, Skylar sat quiet on a stool, thinking about hearing the Kings voice.
“Hey Skylar!” Roan jumped over, breaking his chain of thought, “D’ya think you know what position you want?”
“What? Oh. Uhm. I’m not sure. But…something strange happened when the King shook my hand. He said something to me, I heard his voice in my mind…”
“Oh…?” Roan stared, eyes wide with curiosity, “And? What did he say?”
“He pointed out my horn and said I should avoid Terra. That they aren’t fond of ‘interesting’ people like me. Pity, I was wanting to go with the large group, but I think I should trust a man with the power to talk into my mind.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Which do you wanna do?”
“Hmmm, well, I don’t want to be sitting about doin’ nothing you know? So if Terra is off the table, I’m for heading to Brezerus. Sound like a plan to you?”
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” Skylar smiled.
“I’ll see if I can rope Zayden in too. I’ll tell the Captain as well.” He darted off, and blended his way into the arguing horde.

Skylar simply stared at the bustling group of men, they reminded him of a swarm of bees all fighting for the pollen of a single flower. His mind wandered back to the King, and then to what Roan said on the Lady Arta, when the journey to Nare had just started. He remembered him saying that the people of Nare were some of the wisest in the world. Without any control, he jumped up with a jolt, and had a sudden urge to burst from the room, find the King, and shake him til every piece of information fell from his skull. As he approached the doors, Balmore's voice echoed around the room, yanking him back into reality.
“Ack! I’ve had enough o’ all this nonscene!” Balmore boomed, stomping around the room, “Parchment, someone find me a bit o’ bloody parchment!”
He prowled the room like a wolf hunting for prey, until at last he found some papers hidden in a drawer, along with a stick of charcoal. Writing quick in frustration, he made columns of all the tasks at hand and ordered each man to choose his first, and second preference.
“Hurry up now! We only have half o’ the hour left to get this properly sorted!”
One by one, the queue thinned down, the room quietened and the parchment filled with black scrawling.
“Right, now let’s ‘ave a look ‘ere…” With the final names written, the Captain snatched up the paper, and gave it a quick once over. Charcoal in hand, he took a second piece of parchment and drew out the same four columns. Muttering to himself, he scratched his beard, his brow and his head, slowly crossing names off one list and transferring them to the other.
At last, Balmore’s large hand sat the charcoal down, “I’ve finished arranging these here groups. Now I don’t want to hear yer moaning if yer no in the one you want!”
With a loud hack, he cleared his throat, “Right then! So, first, the group I want to stay ‘ere fer the lookout! Hayes, Leon ‘n’ Vexon! You lot, go stand oor there!”
“But Cap’n!” Bowen blurted out, completely disregarding the orders not to complain, “Ye know I have some o’ the best eyes in this ‘ere crew! Why did ye not pick me?”
“Hush Bowen! All this cryin’…ye sound like a wet dog left in the cold! Aye, ye have fine eyes, but the patience o’ a famished dwarf before supper!”
And just like a dog, Bowen quickly hushed up, tail between his legs.
“Anyway, yer in the next lot, Bowen! You, Lowther and Marcus! I want ye lot to prowl the innards of every tavern and inn ye know. Round up a hearty bunch o’ pirates fer the King!” Big, thick fingers indicated the group to the other side of the room to join the previous group, “Next, the Brezerus group. Skylar, Roan, Zayden and Vincent. The rest o’ ye will be coming with me to Terra. Finally, that’s that ol’ mess sorted!”

A handful of discontented grumbles floated around the room, but for the most part, the crew were happy to accept the groupings. Punctual, as royalty must be, the King arrive not a second late. His sculptured face appeared from around the door, “I trust you are all ready now?” politely he asked, with a twinge of excitement in his voice.
“Yes, yes! An’ not a moment too soon! With all the bickering and squabbling…Ye would think a pack o’ wild beasts had been released into yer halls!”
“Now wouldn’t that be a sight? The hoof marks of boars, the fur of beasts, fallen feathers of birds, all littering my hall like a rug from the wilds! Oh, what a sight that would be. Tell me now, what are your arrangements for the tasks at hand?”
Gracefully waltzing in, the King sat down at the nearest seat and listened to the arrangements made by Balmore.
“Excellent. I am pleased that you managed to get everything arranged so soon. Firstly, I believe, I shall take the group heading to Brezerus to my study and explain to them the full extent of the task. I shall return with further instructions for the rest of you upon my return. Come this way.”

The footsteps of men echoed greatly throughout the stone halls. No one dared to speak, or even breathe to loudly, in the presence of such a high figure. Being pirates, there was a slight worry that all this was infact a devilish plan and in seconds, they would be surround by guards and locked in tiny metal cells with only rotting meat to eat. There was also the worry that if they done, or said anything that would anger or displease the King, that he would dismiss them all, and the chance of a river of riches would soon be long down stream.
Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by the hearty laughter of Barthello, and its joyous tone was enough to ease the mens hearts, “My, these halls are hauntingly quiet! Perhaps, a boar hoofs and bird feathers would not be a bad thought! The spirits of animals are wondrous, and would most certainly bring breath into these stuffy corridors!”
There was slight chatter after this, a shared discussion of all the odd and splendid creatures they had seen in their life. Mostly, the pirates could only speak tales of unusual birds and brightly scaled fish. Vincent however, told a story of a time he was certain to have seen the silhouette of a storm whale; a being of great mass that can soar with ease through the thickest, darkest clouds. Its cry rings out like thunder, and has been known to strike down many a boat when the opportunity arises.
A large oak door then loomed before them, tall and thin. The figures of birds and the shapes of feathers and great swirls were carved into his brown surface. A pair of bronze hoops hung from the doors face, both of which were soon wrapped in the Kings fingers, and with a powerful tug, the heavy doors parted.

Golden light poured out of the room and into the hall, gushing from the layer of glass that acted as a ceiling. Shelves of book lined every wall, top to bottom. They were overflowing with knowledge, and several of the tomes had slipped to the floor, which was made of a polished wood. Despite it being day, several candles were lit around the room, standing tall upon brass and copper stands. They licked the air, and gave a out a gentle glow. A large desk, that consisted of the same carving as the oak door along its sides, sat at the far end of the study. Upon its smooth surface sat many a thing; a large, well kept troll skull, coloured bottles of various sizes, a pile of parchment and of course more books. A long chair, cushioned with purple velvet, stood behind the desk, here the King sat and began shuffling though all the paper on his desk.
This process went on for some time. Books were lifted and tossed aside, and flurries of paper were swooshed off the desk and floated gently to the floor. For a moment, he sat still; the books were no longer shoved or pushed around the table, and the last of the paper was left to settle on the floor. He sat suddenly like a statue, but his mind was racing. “Where is it?” he thought to himself, racking every corner of his brain. In a corner, the pirates shuffled awkwardly amongst themselves, quite unsure of what was going on around them. Then, with several heavy thunks, the drawers of the desk were now spread out on the floor behind the desk. The Kings head bobbed up and down as he rummaged through one drawer then switch to forage through another.
“Curse this scroll! Where have you run off too? At this rate, I’ll be searching the whole continent of Ventus to find it!” He rose up, and tip toed over the papers and books now on the ground, “My what a mess I’ve made,” he muttered to himself, “I must remem-” In an instant, the King swiftly dashed from the room, his purple robe fluttering out behind him. Being unnaturally well behaved for pirates, they all remained in the study, only shuffling slightly further into the middle of the room. They exchanged looks between themselves and gazed mindlessly around the room, and through the glass ceiling above. It felt like they could see miles into the sky, as flocks of colour moved around in the clouds.
From down the corridor, returning hurried footsteps were clunking their way towards the door, getting louder and louder. Bustling quickly back into the room, the King, waving his arm frantically in the air, “It has been recovered! The accursed piece of parchment has been found!”
He sat back at his messy desk and ushered the group around him. Skylar, Roan, Vincent and Zayden quickly hunted out small stools and a chair and sat around the King.
“Now that I have found this, I can explain your task! Firstly, you must take this document, and don’t you let the slippery beast out of your sight!” He handed the scroll over the table to Skylar. A simple scroll held shut by a wax seal. “Now, as mentioned, you must travel to Brezerus, to the south-east of here. Now I’m afraid, I cannot supply you all with a small ship to make this journey, but I have arranged for a horse and cart to carry you on your trip. When you arrive at Brezerus, you must seek out a woman know as Karraj, and give her that message. She is a good ally of mine, wise and strong, with a good knowledge of the lands. She will give you further instruction.”
This was followed by further brief conversation, but it wasn’t long until the first group were ready to part for their journey. As a gift, the King gave them each a satchel of food; some smoked meats, a handful of berries and nuts, a mixture of various breads, and a skin filled with water. With many a bow and strong handshake, the group departed from the castle and returned to the main city.