Back on dry land

After a few days of avoiding contact with other ships, we landed this morning. It was a pretty out of the way place...a nice little bay off the main shipping line. He went with us as we went ashore in one of his long boats.

"Ye be soft in the head if ye be wantin' t' go t' Highport," he said.

"We'd be even softer to let Dame Gold stay a slave," I said. "We don't have much choice."

"Aye," he said. "Ye don't, do ye."

When we reached the shore and we disembarked. "If ye ever be needin' a ride...."

"You'll be the first we contact," Audry said. "Farewell Captain Wolffe."

He waved and then gave the order to the row man to return to the Ewe. We didn't have time for lengthy good byes. If someone saw his ship anchored there he could be in real trouble. Not to mention us.

I damn near kissed the ground. The good news is that I don't get seasick anymore. The bad news is I smell like fish, and so does all my gear.

He was right about his instructions. Four leagues inland and we found the main road. We kept it in sight, but we didn't come too close to it. It would take longer, but it was better than risking being seen on the road. No doubt someone wondered what happened to the Ghoul and would be looking for it (and us).

So we spent the day making our way to Highport. If Captain Wolffe is correct, we should arrive late tomorrow or sometime early the day after. So far, we haven't had any problems. We found a creek and spent time washing ourselves. Did I mention fish smell? With that and the general lack of a shower or bath for days on end, they wouldn't need scouts to find us. They could shoot us in the dark with crossbows if they wanted. The girls stayed upstream for a ways while we stayed down stream, well out of sight. At some point underwear floated by. Getting it back to the girls (never did figure out who's it was) got tricky. Our bath done, we pressed on.

The forest is so green. I really don't know trees, so I can't tell you what kind they are. They're generally pretty tall and bladed leaves, though some have the lobed leaf. A lot of them are covered with moss. The ground has plenty of shrubs, bushes, and ferns and we see the occasional field of flowers. The forest smells like flowers, a mowed long, and a compost pile all rolled into one. The forest is alive with animal noises.

"Good thing," Saul said. "That means we're probably alone."

The canopy covers everything, hiding us from view. Every now and then we see an open area. We steer clear of these areas. Yeah, there are no helicopters or planes in this world, but there are flying creatures. The armies of the evil one have been known to use them, and if the Slavelords have any connection to them they might have access to flying mounts. Even if the Slavelords are autonomous, they still might have access to such creatures.

We found a small cave in the side of a hill. After checking for animals, we set up camp within its entrance. It's high up enough that no one can see us or our campfire from the ground (eating cold food sucks). Saul managed to catch a couple of rabbits, and I managed to scrounge up a few mushrooms and some wild berries.

"What do you think we'll find in Highport," Anna asked.

"Dame Gold and the other kidnappees," Marc said. "With luck."

"Luck is not a very useful skill," Audry said. "We need a plan."

"Not much to go on," I said. "You know, something's been bothering me."

"Oh?" Saul asked.

"How'd they catch us so unaware," I said. I rubbed the scar on my wrist. I've gotten scars as a kid and they usually went away in a few years. I wondered if these would do the same. "I mean, I remember walking to my bunk, but I don't remember getting into it."

"I was awake," Audry said, "and then I remember opening my eyes and seeing myself on that slave ship."

"They may have used some sort of magic," Marc said. "I've heard stories of an alchemical gas that can render one unconscious."

"Yeah, I lost it completely," Saul said. "That was a bit unnerving."

"No kidding." Anna came out of nowhere, scaring the hells out of me. She usually checks the perimeter whenever we make camp, and then proceeds to scare me (and only me!) when she returns. This time she just showed up, but it made me jump anyway.

"I can't recall the last time I was unconscious," Anna said. "You humans do that often?"

"Every night," I said. Like I said before, elves don't really sleep. They just kind of day dream.

"Odd," Saul said. "Well, I think when this is all over we should walk home."

"Or take the bus," I said. And that led to an explanation of mass transit for the next hour or so.

Back to the sleeping gas theory, if they have something like that then they can immobilize us at will, provided we are in an enclosed area (like an inn). In short, it gets a bit tricky from this point forward.

Right. Tricky. As if escaping from manacles on a slave ship is not tricky. Or destroying the elemental temple or fighting a giant spider or....

Well, you get the idea.

Right now we need to do some recon. None of us are familiar with Highport. It's pretty far to the south, near the Pomarj. The Pomarj is really just a large collection of humanoid tribes that have agreed not to kill each other. This little confederation is about as loose as it gets, but one day they got their act together and they managed to orchestrate a little tragedy some years ago.

(Marc is a wonderful source of information about this sort of thing. He should write a book. He could call it Encyclopedia Greyhawktica. It'll be a New York Times bestseller, I'm sure of it.)

Highport used to be a major trading port for ships going in and out of the Azure sea. Then one day the humanoid tribes poured out of the mountains of the Pomarj and laid siege to the city. Five times they repelled the humanoids. On the sixth attack, the humanoids broke through the city walls. They slaughtered everyone and took anything that wasn't nailed down.

Supposedly, the humanoid generally got a burr where the hooded lantern don't shine and said "let's reopen Highport as a trading port that we control, and we'll get rich off the taxes." A bunch of humanoids didn't agree, so the general had them "removed." The rest is history.

Elredd is a town of low-lives. Highport is a town of cutthroats, brigands, pirates, you name it. All kinds of unsavory characters wander into this town. The way Marc describes it, it's like Mos Eisley without the musicians. You will not find a more wretched hive...you get the idea.

The question is, can we blend in? If we can't, we'll probably find ourselves manacled again.

Under the whip

Being a slave sucks hard. So we released ourselves under our own recognizance. That means we escaped, killed a lot of bad guys, and threw the rest in to the big blue.

So, what happened?

Well, I had just finished my last journal entry. I got up to turn in for the night, and I passed out. I woke up with a big fat knot on my head. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't move my arms or legs. For some reason, I only wore my pants and shirt, and I could touch my toes with my fingers. The reason was they had all been tied together like some kind of twisted Christmas bow.

I had been hog tied.

I looked around. In front of me I saw Saul. He looked at me with a frown on his face. "How'd they get to us without waking us?"

I tried to shrug, but my shoulders wouldn't budge.

"You're probably wondering," a voice said, "how we captured you without waking you."

"I think we're about to get our answer," I said.

I felt a sharp pain as someone's boot smashed the top of my head. My chin bounced off the deck. I felt the taste of blood in my mouth.

"You will not speak unless given permission," a different voice said. "Do you understand?"

I gave a quick nod of my head. I knew how this game was played. If I said, "yes I understand," I'd get smacked for talking without permission. It was just like high school, only everyone had swords.

"Well, if you all weren't sound sleepers it wouldn't have been so easy," the first voice said. That brought a few chuckles from people who thought it was funny as hell.

"Let me see their faces," the voice said. I heard Anna grunt next to me. I tried to turn when I felt hands on my arms and legs. They tipped me over on my side, inducing a similar grunt out of me. I heard everyone else do the same. Part of me was relieved to know that my friends were okay. Another part was angry that we got caught so easily. Looking through Mon Capitaine's notes makes everything clear now.

The first thing I saw was a brilliant, purple sail in the wind. There was only one sail. One sail doesn't get you very far. That means you need another means of transportation.

"I am Captain Girana," a man said. He was an elf with a bad haircut, something that would be funny any other time than now. Behind him was a human and all around us were four other humans. They all looked and smelled bad. I could smell their breath even down here on the deck.

"Right now, I could kill you," Captain Girana said. "It would be easy. It would be merciful. Unfortunately for you, I am not merciful. You have caused a minor inconvenience to my lords. To them you have been no more than an irritating fly."

Based on the information we had, I think we were more than that. But I wasn't about to pipe up and say that.

"But, you do not know my lords," the Captain continued. "They are cruel, oh, quite cruel. They would not swat a fly. No, they are slow and patient."

Flies. That's what we were. Flies in the ointment. A monkey in the wrench. Yippe kiyay, mother--

"They have sent you to me," he said. "Not for me to kill you, not yet. No, first you will work as my slaves, pulling the oars in my hold. Then, perhaps you will wish to die. Indeed, you might collapse from exhaustion. But, I will resurrect you. And we will begin again."

He leaned over me, looking me in the eye. I looked back, not flinching. "I wonder how long," he said, "how many times you can survive?"

The Captain held up a small flask, one we had been keeping safe for sometime. Out of everything that happened, this is what really broke my heart.

"Oh," the Captain said. "What is this? Thinking that you might complete your little mission to help dear old Dame Gold's dear old brother? Yes, she spoke of that. My masters are most interested in this potion she had devised." He gave a mock bow. "Thank you for delivering it to me."

The Captain said something to the man behind him. They dropped a bunch of things in front of us. There was something personal from each of us. Most of our gear wasn't there, probably stowed in the hold somewhere. It looked like they had a personal item from each of us. There were two necklaces, a ring, a bracelet...and my cellphone. The thing didn't have a charge on it. I kept for sentimental reasons.

"These things mean something to you, yes?" the Captain said. "You know, maybe I will be merciful today." His crew snickered. "No, seriously. I will do our guests a favor." He picked up the two necklaces. "So very pretty. So many memories." He held them up. "I look good, no?"

"Adorable, sir," the human behind him said. They all burst out laughing.

When the laughter died down, the Captain continued. "Yes, there are many memories. But this is the first day, of the rest of your life."

More laughter. Exactly what was this jerk saying that was so bloody funny?

"Best to forget the old times, eh?" With that, he whipped the necklaces into the sea.

"No," I heard Anna whisper behind me. I doubt anyone but me could have heard her.

He did the same thing with the bracelet. He tried it on, prance around a little, much to the amusement of his easily amused crew. He spun around in his strange little dance, sending the bracelet flying into the sea. He covered his mouth with his hand in mock surprise. "Oops."

Yeah, the crew thought it was funny as all nine hells.

I think the bracelet belonged to Audry. I couldn't see her face. I didn't even know she had it. One of the necklaces belonged to Anna, which meant the other belonged to Saul. That meant the ring belonged to Marc.

"Gaudy thing, isn't it?" the Captain said, holding up the ring. "I'm doing you bunch a favor with this." And he tossed it in the drink.

The last one was obviously mine.

"Gods and demons," he said. "What in the hells is this?"

He pushed the buttons, but they did nothing. There hadn't been a charge on the phone in I don't know how long. "Useless," he said. "Very well, speak up. Who is the former owner of this...thing?"

We said nothing. He turned and kicked someone. Audry grunted in pain. "Well?"

"Mine," I said.

"Tell me what this thing is," he said.

"It's a cell phone," I said. "It can call other people with cell phones across a network in many cities."

"Which cities?"

"Oh, all kinds," I said. "Denver, Colorado Springs, Longmont--that's not a big city, but I get service--uff!"

He kicked me once more. "I'm curious as to whatever gave you the idea that today was a good day to act like a fool. Now, how does it work?"

"You need to charge it," I said.

"Charge it. It is magical."

"Electrical. Look, it works on my world, not on yours."

"Your world?" He and his crew laughed. "Tell me, how often do you walk the planes?"

"I don't," I said. "I just ended up here one day."

"How?"

"Wish I knew," I said. He kicked me again, hard. "Oh look, man, I don't know. I went to sleep and woke up here."

He prepared to kick me again and then stopped. "You know, I believe you human. I do. It confirms your identity, John Carter." He looked at everyone else. "That makes you Anna, and you Saul, so you must be Marc and last but not least Audry."

"Greetings," Saul said sardonically.

The Captain replied with a kick to Saul's ribs. "And to you as well. I suppose it's good we know each other. We'll be together for a long, long time."

Again, the crew laughed. I still didn't see what was so damn funny.

-------------

A day on the Ghoul is like a day on the farm--back breaking work that goes on and on and never ends. Even after you sleep you felt like you haven't gotten a nights rest at all, and you just do it all over again.

After the little display by the Captain they dragged us below decks and chained us to one of some thirty oars, almost all of which were manned by the most broken men you've ever seen in your life. They even strapped the girls (the only ones in the hold) to the oars.

At the front of the hold, up on a platform that looked to be level with the upper deck, was a big Arnold Schwarzenegger type of guy behind a kettle drum. He was the pacesetter. His job was to beat the drum at a certain pace and we had to row to that pace. Seen the movie Shogun? You get the picture.

Saul and I shared an oar. I guess if it we were in elementary school on a school bus on our way to a field trip of some kind, it'd be just plain dreamy. However, we were about to get the work out of our lives. I balked, staring at the oar and then at the guard who secured us.

"You gotta be kidding--"

I whip raked across my back. No, he wasn't kidding. I got busy rowing. And we rowed and rowed and rowed and....

And this was our life for the past few days. We'd get up at the crack of dawn while sleeping on the bench or the deck. Saul and I would trade off each night, as did Marc and Anna. Audry shared an oar with this fop who kept getting whipped because he wouldn't shut up. He kept talking on and on to Audry. The guy's lucky she's a Paladin. I might have beat him to a pulp even if it meant driving the oar myself.

About fifteen minutes after waking up, we'd start rowing. It didn't stop until evening. I'd go through these phases of thinking I was going to drop, and then I'd get my second wind and keep going. If I slowed down, I got whipped. The manacles cut into my wrists. Even after healing potions there are still some scars there (we all have them).

This old guy went up and down the deck giving us water. He was a slave too, but too old and infirm to actually row. The guards called him the waterboy, though the poor fellow hadn't been a boy in dozens of winters. There were only four guards, two fore and two aft. They mostly talked, not paying too much attention to us. We could get away with quiet conversation, but that's about it. Two overseers patrolled each bank of fifteen oars. We had to keep an eye on them. If they saw us talking, then we got the whip.

Everything stank. Urine, feces, unwashed bodies--it permeated everything. The only thing that kept from gagging was the fact I felt like I would drop from exhaustion at any second.

At dusk, they would order us to stop, at which point we'd fall over the oars breathing like air was going out of style. The waterboy would become the gruelboy as he and three others came around giving us bowls of gruel. It tasted like a warm bowl of snot, but I always wished I had more of it. Then we went to sleep.

I didn't dream at all. I'd close my eyes and then open them again. The night went by like that, and I was hitting the oars again.

The waterboy always nodded to us. "You okay lad," he would ask. I sure didn't feel okay. I felt like my arms were going to fall off and my back felt like it was on fire. But I knew the old man was just trying to be friendly.

-----------

About four days into it I started to hallucinate. For a little while, I thought we were in a Bally's Fitness Center. The monotonous drum music was some kind of African music being blared through the system. I imagined some babe in a leotard doing jumping jacks while I got busy on the rowing machine. "Okay!" she would shout. "Five thousand leg lifts! One! Two!"

"John?"

"Yeah," I said. I looked at Saul. He looked like how I felt. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Why would one do five thousand leg lifts?" he asked.

"Health Nazis," I said. "Maybe in California, I dunno."

I felt light headed. The day before two people dropped dead. I wondered how long before I would join them.

"I wonder how many hit points we have left?"

"John," Saul said. "You're scaring me."

"No, I'm good." I wished I were.

The old waterboy came around again. He smiled as he always does. I shook off the delusion of Bally's and came back into the real, painful world.

"Lad, you doing well?" he asked.

"Good work out," I said.

"If you can survive it." He gave me some water. "They keep your mage friend muzzled, I fear. His skills could be useful."

I nodded, passing the ladle to Saul. "How are the ladies?"

His face grew grim. "They might not stay on the oars for long."

"Lucky them," Saul said.

"No," the old man said. "It seems the Captain has other plans for them."

Damn. "We have to get out of here."

"Don't we all," the old man said. He took the ladle back and moved on down the line.

-------------

That night the bench felt like a pile of rocks. I was beat, but I couldn't sleep. I took a look around. The area was well lit by lamps so the guards could keep an eye on us, but it was still fairly dark. But it was the guards that peaked my interest.

They both sat on a bench against the deck. They nodded off periodically. One toward the back looked like he was completely asleep.

If we could get free, they'd be easy pickings. I looked at my shackles. Getting free was the trick.

Anna was two rows behind me, and Audry was two in front. They were both laying on their respective benches. They looked awful. Just the sight of them made me want to snap my chains in half.

Heavy boots interrupted my thoughts. They came down the stairs leading to the oar deck. I pretended to be asleep. It sounded like two men. They walked down the middle of the banks of oars. I heard the guards at either end of the boat snap to attention.

"Unchain the wenches," a low voice said. "Captain's orders."

I heard some chuckling from the guards. I opened one eye. Both Anna's and Audry's bank of oars were being unlocked and their manacles slid off. Marc looked up as they did. He got a fist in the face. He sank to the deck immediately. They pulled Anna off the bench. She didn't even try to resist.

Audry's rowing partner didn't even move. They knocked the end cap off the oar and pulled her away from the bench, her manacles still intact. She, too, didn't move.

"Captain wants some fun," a guard said.

"With both of them?" another said.

"You know how he is," the first guard said. "On the bright side, when he's done then we get our turn."

That brought all of them to giggling. I wanted to jump up and do something, but my shackles were firmly in place. I was as helpless as they were.

I looked up, not caring if the guard saw or not. Each guard carried their cargo over their shoulder. As they went by, Audry lifted her head up and looked at me. Her body was limp, but her eyes were full of life. She waved her hand at me briefly, her thumb and pinky extended in the hang loose sign I usually gave them.

"What are you looking at!"

I froze, thinking I had been caught awake. I looked toward the voice and realized that the guard was staring at someone else. His boot kicked a slave without missing a step. They both disappeared upstairs.

"Saul?" I whispered.

"I saw," he said. I figured he was awake. Elves really don't sleep like humans do. They sort of daydream.

"Think they can do anything?"

"Perhaps," Saul said. "We should be ready."

--------------

It didn't take long.

I stayed up, looking around. About an hour after the girls left I saw a shadow by the door. The two door guards had already gone back to sleep. I guess they're so used to the slaves being too tired to try anything they don't bother to keep too close of an eye on us.

The shadow slipped by them easily. I knew right away it was Anna. She moved down the rows until she reached two rows behind us. I heard the jingle of metal, so quiet I doubt the guards at the other end could have heard. She moved forward to our row.

"I'm tired of the exercise," she said. She reached for the lock and worked it open.

"Where's Audry?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking." My lock clicked open. From what I could see, I could pull the manacle chains out through a metal loop in the deck. We didn't need to pop off the end cap on the oar (which would have made a ton more noise).

"Sorry," I said. "I just--"

"She's in the Captain's quarters," Anna said. She went to work on Saul's lock. "Our friend the waterboy told us that the Captain often takes advantage of female slaves. He waits until they are too tired and then has his way with them."

"I assume he was not successful," Saul said.

"Of course not," Anna said. "That old man is useful, you know?" She clicked open the lock. "He managed to get a hold of these." She passed us two small vials. "Drink it."

We did so. I felt life rushing into me. All the weariness left me. I felt like I had been on vacation for two weeks and was ready to take on the world. Or at least ready to crack some skulls."

"Healing potions," Anna said. "Couldn't find any weapons, I'm afraid."

"That's all right," Saul said. "They have them."

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

Anna disappeared behind us. That girl could hide in a field in broad daylight. I slumped over the oars. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the two guards at the fore come forward. I couldn't see the guards behind me, but I had to assume they were coming too.

Four against two. Those were actually good odds.

"I said, what are you doing!"

I pretended to be dead tired, too tired to respond. It pissed him off, but also put him off guard.

"You lazy bas--"

I jumped up, the end of my chain in hand. I pulled it free from the ring that kept us chained to the deck and wrapped it around his neck. He tried to cry out, but I head butted him. His nose flattened against the top of my forehead. I felt some of his teeth buckle as well. He slumped to the deck like a bag of laundry.

I took a quick look around. It was the guards by the door that really concerned me. Any one of them could head topside and warn the rest of the crew. I ran straight for them.

There was a flash of light from the corner of my eye. Marc had removed his muzzle. Four balls of light slammed into one of the guards. He fell, dead from Marc's magic missiles before he hit the deck. The last one turned to run. He was quick. I didn't think I could get to him before he made it top side.

Turns out, I didn't have to.

Audry stood. In the doorway. Her clothes were torn, like all of our clothes, and she was covered in dirt. Her blue eyes sparkled. The guard stopped in front of her, startled. He started to say something but she never gave him the chance. She kicked him square between the legs. It lifted him off the ground. He let out a squeal. Yes, he squealed. Our voices really do rise in pitch.

He dropped to his knees, holding his special place in his hands. She kneed him in the face, and he went down for the count.

I turned and raced the other way. No way I was going to leave the guards to Saul. Not that he needed help, but I wanted in on the action as well.

Only now were the rest of the slaves stirring from their deep sleep. Anna was busy unlocking everyone else, and trying to get them to keep quiet.

The guards had their weapons out. They didn't even bother to call out. They probably thought we were just regular slaves. Fools.

Saul and I took care of them quickly. They had some training in the use of their weapons, but they were slow. We beat them down easily. I thought of taking their studded leather, but they smelled as bad as the rest of the slaves. I settled on their weapons. They each had a dagger and a longsword. I took a sword and handed a dagger to Audry behind me.

"I want a sword," Audry said.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Captain's quarters?" Saul asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be chained to the deck?" she said. She took the sword from me. "You keep the dagger."

Saul shrugged, hefting his sword. Anna continued around the banks of oars, unlocking everyone. We urged them to keep quiet. Most looked too tired to help, but maybe could serve to shock the hells out of the crew. But if they were to be any use at all, we needed the element of surprise, which we'd lose if they made too much noise.

"Think they can fight?" Saul asked me.

I shrugged. "Not really. But together we out number them. That counts for something."

When Anna freed everyone they stood next to their oars. They stared at their surroundings and at the manacles at their feet.

"I cannot believe I am free," one of them said.

"We are not free," Marc said. He stepped in front of them, speaking with his voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to carry to far. "Not yet, at any rate. We still have to deal with the Captain and crew."

"I wouldn't worry about the Captain," Audry said. "He's tied up in his quarters until further notice."

"Good," Saul said. "That leaves how many?"

"The first mate," one slave said. "Plus three officers and twenty guards, not including them." He gestured toward the four guards. Some of the slaves had gotten busy manacling them to the oars. Good thinking. "Then there are about ten other sailors."

"That's a lot," I said. "You guys up for this?"

They nodded vigorously.

"Are you sure?" Saul said. "I'll be honest with you. It's possible we will fail. It is likely at least some of us will die."

"We would die anyway strapped to these oars," another slave said. Former slave, I should say.

"Better to die on our feet," a third said.

"Better not to die at all," Anna said. That made some of the slaves chuckle. "Any ideas?"

"Yes," Audry said, eying Anna. "I have a very good idea."

-----------------

No one game down to check on us. No one. This has to be the laziest crew ever.

"No one would dare try such a thing," the old man told me, the waterboy. We managed to find him in a nearby cabin (more like a closet). "They have been at sea for over a year and nothing close to this has happened."

"Good for us," I said. "Say, what is your name anyway?"

"Godfrey," he said. "I used to live in Safeton."

"You can go back there now if you want," I said. "Hopefully, this won't take long."

The slaves, everyone of them, was ready to kill and ready to die. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that last part, just the first.

Together, we went topside. I sniffed the studded leather. Dear God, it stunk like you couldn't imagine. The fool probably had lice as well. I looked over at Saul. Both of us dressed the same. We had stripped the other two guards of their weapons, so I had a sword again. It felt heavy. I was so used to my other sword, Kantos, that I wondered if I could use this effectively.

We went up on deck, the girls in tow. Everyone on deck was fast asleep, including most of the guards. A handful of them were awake. They approached us.

"Here we go," I whispered to the girls. They both nodded.

"What is this," a guard demanded.

"The Captain's finished," I said.

"Already?" another guard asked.

"Well, he did say it had been a while," Saul said. The other guards laughed. "He said to give them to you boys."

"Don't break your toys on the first day," I said.

We pushed the girls toward them. They acted dazed and confused. The guards didn't care. They pulled them to the side and pawed at them. They didn't even notice the hoards of slaves behind us. I waited until the slaves were all on deck. They moved through the piles of sleeping sailors. The smell of dirt and grime was everywhere, but so was the smell of ale. It worked out perfectly.

I heard startled cries among the sailors. We made if further than I thought. "Now!"

At my shout, the girls pulled their daggers from beneath their shirts. They stabbed wo of the sailors who were struggling to pull their pants down (theirs, not the girls'). To die with your pants around your ankles...that's got to be embarrassing.

Saul and I joined them, cutting the remaining ones down. We grabbed their weapons and passed them back to the slaves. Then we got to work.

We out numbered them, but most of our numbers were tired. Still, the guards and sailors had a head full of ale. We fought, taking weapons from the dead and passing them to people who didn't have them. The fighting went on for some time. Marc said he didn't have many spells, but what he did have was highly effective. He cut down a number of armed guards before they could rise.

The first mate came on deck within half a minute. He took the time to put on his armor before appearing. "To arms lads, we'll--"

He stopped when he saw me. I walked toward him, cutting down two other guards who tried to stop me. "Here's the deal," I said. "You can give up, jump in the drink, or you can die."

"Or I can kill you," he said. He drew his cutlass and we fell on each other. Using this normal long sword wasn't the same as wielding Kantos, my magical long sword, but it got the job done.

The first mate wasn't bad, that's for sure. He even made a sizable gash on my upper arm. On the other side of the ship I saw Saul fighting someone who wielded javelins. Down in the mix of things, Audry carved her way through bad guys.

I nodded in satisfaction as I easily parried a thrust. We would win this.

I sliced off the first mate's hand on his second thrust. He had a nasty habit of extending his thrust too far. He cried out as blood spewed from the stump of his wrist. I spun around and tried to slice off his head. The sword wasn't as sharp as Kantos. I cut a deep gash into his head. He looked like a pez dispenser.

Satisfied, the first mate was dead, I joined the fray.

In the end, we lost twenty slaves. They fought hard, and the guards didn't have the stomach for the death that was heaped upon them. Some of them surrendered, but the slaves took no prisoners. All the crew were either killed or tossed overboard, which meant the same thing. I didn't care. They were bloody slavers after all.

A cheer went up throughout the survivors. Now we were free.

We pulled the captain to the deck. I wanted to question him. The former slaves wanted him killed.

"No," Audry said. "I have a better idea."

Boy, did she ever.

-----------

"Row you bloody dogs!" Godfrey wielded his whip quite well. The welts on our new slaves would look pretty. He smiled and gave them another set of welts.

"You're right, lass," Godfrey said. "This is a good idea."

Our little drummer boy banged away on his kettle drum. Turned out he was a slave as well. He smiled as he watched the Captain and the three survivors (the guards we didn't kill below deck) row for their life. We had the sail up full, but one sail only does so much work. Granted, four rowers on a galley designed to have sixty isn't a lot, but it sure was gratifying to watch.

"Tell them to pick it up," I said. "I feel like water skiing."

That required a bit of explanation. So much of what comes out of my mouth does.

Marc, Anna, and Audry scoured the Captain's and First Mate's quarters. Turns out they had a ton of healing potions--just enough for all the surviving former slaves. We passed them around. For many of them, it was the best day of their lives. We also found all of our gear, our gold, plus more gold.

"Pass it to the crew," Audry said. "They need it."

No one argued, not even Anna. We kept a small part for ourselves for expenses on the journey ahead, and then divided the rest among the former slaves...the crew of the Ghoul.

What we didn't find was Dame Gold's potion. We looked everywhere, but there was nothing. Dame's brother was doomed. We could do nothing.

We hoisted a new sail, one that was not purple. No point in attracting unwanted attention. One of the crew anchored himself on the side of the ship. He busied himself stripping "Ghoul" off the side of the ship. He found some paint and proceeded to put a new name on the ship. Freedom.

I felt like William Wallace. FREEEEDOMM!!

Fortunately, many of the former slaves were also former sailors, including a pilot and a navigator. The Captain also kept fairly accurate maps.

"Where to?" the navigator asked.

Good question. We wanted to go to Highport, but that's the last place we should be going in a stolen slaver ship.

"They might notice with the regular white sail," Anna said.

"But they might notice the brand new name painted on the side," Saul said. He shook his head. "We should go back to Elredd, or to Safeton."

That was a long way out of our way. We couldn't save Dame's brother, but we could save her and those captured. But I think Dame would have wanted everyone on this ship saved. We agreed. We'd head back to Elredd.

Not half a day later we encountered another ship. She headed south while we were heading north. We did our best to look inconspicuous. We gave our four rowers a break as they hauled in the oars and we waited for this other ship to pass. Only, it wasn't passing by. She was trying to come along side us.

"Can't out run her," the pilot said. "Not enough sail and not enough rowers."

"It is possible this is no slaver ship," Marc said.

"This far south?" the pilot said. "Almost no ships come to Highport."

"Ready yourselves," Saul said. "We may have a fight on our hands."

We kept up the front of being an ordinary ship. We thought of putting some people below deck to give the appearance that we did have slaves on board. But we'd only do that it looked like we were getting boarded. And from the angle of the approaching ship, that may well be the case.

I stood on the forward beam and looked at the approaching ship. She was quick, that was for sure. She approached closely, but not close enough to board us. It looked like she wanted to take a look at us. That was fine with me, if all she wanted to do was look.

The small ship came very close, close enough for me to see her name on the bow. Ewe.

I couldn't help but smile.

-----------------

The Ewe came about as we dropped our sail. She pulled along with side us with ease.

"Permission to come aboard," Captain Wolffe called.

"Permission granted," I called back. They started lowering a rowboat.

Captain Wolffe of the Ewe gave us a lift from Safeton to Elredd not too long ago. In spite of the fact he made us work the "pump" (a pile of buckets) and tried to scare us with bad weather, we actually grew to like the guy.

When he came aboard he clasped our hands vigorously. "My friends! Gods, I thought ye'd be done fer." He glanced at our wrists. Even the magic of the healing potions couldn't remove the scars from our wrists, scars we would probably bear until our dying day.

We told him our story, and he in turn told us his. He came back to port not long after he dropped us off. He heard about the incident at the Broken Rudder Inn. He heard that the Guild offered money to any ship that took us on for passage. They said they would double the amount if they would meet them out at sea. He knew the route to Highport, and he took the risk to see what happened.

"The Gods be with ye," Captain Wolffe said. "I only wish I'd found ye sooner."

"Then you would have joined us," Saul said. "No, it's better you didn't find us until now."

"Actually," Marc said, "this is rather fortuitous."

"Eh?" Captain Wolffe said. "Ye be lovin' yer big words."

I glanced at Anna. She mouthed word at me. Argh! I suppressed a smile.

"What he means, Captain," Audry said, "is that we would like to take advantage of your services once more."

-----------------------

Captain Wolffe thought we were "out of our gords." Argh. Yeah, maybe we are.

Okay, he didn't actually say "Argh," but it was implied.

"Ye just escape from the closes thing to Baator," he said, "and now ye want to go to the Abyss herself?"

"Yeah, that's about it," Anna said.

The Captain agreed, sort of. He didn't want to take us directly to Highport. He used the "wretched hive of scum and villainy" line again. I think he's a geek at heart. He made the point that a strange ship going to Highport would likely be noticed by the Slavelords. Good point. Instead, he offered an alternative.

He knew this coast "like the back of me hand." Argh. He knows this place some two days away from Highport along the coast. He'll drop us off there.

"Ye be headin' directly west fer four leagues and ye'll find the road," he said. "Follow it south and it take ye into Highport."

Argh!

"Be careful, lads and lasses," he said. "Highport is wholly owned by the Slavelords, and they not be likin' visitors."

We said good bye to the new crew of the Freedom. They thanked us for freeing them.

"We freed each other," Audry said.

They waved as we returned to the Ewe with the Captain, and then we parted ways. The Freedom sailed north to Safeton, and the Ewe sailed south to hell (or pretty close, anyway).

On board, the crew welcomed us. Every one of them remembered us and were thrilled we were okay. I had no idea how much I missed these guys.

So, we're back on a mission and ready to ride. Captain Wolffe and the crew of the Ewe think we're barmy (Argh), but we have little choice. We have to save those people, even if it means going into the depths of the Abyss itself.

Hopefully that wouldn't happen.

Respond immediately

This is Captain Girana again, in command of the trading vessel the Ghoul. I insist the owner of the other half of this travel log respond immediately.

By the look of it, I know it is a high ranking travel log. Non-approved members handling this log would cause its destruction, along with the copy I have in my hands. By the virtual fact this log exists I know that unauthorized individuals have not handled it. No doubt some effort has gone into retrieving this. Travel logs have a strange way of "wanting" to be found. No doubt it has been found, or will be very shortly.

All of this brings some up some puzzling questions. How this fool has managed to hold on to it for so long without being discovered is a mystery. I have been assured that the magicks used to create travel logs are highly secure and damn near impossible to break. There is a mage in the group, and it is possible that he may have broken these magics, but to what purpose? If for the purpose of communicating with someone back in Mitrik (as my sources tell me these cretins are from) why would he place so much personal information here?

He has some interesting fantasies about the two ladies he accompanied. I may have to read these entries to his companions. The more strife I can create between them then the less likely they will be to escape. By the way, these two lovelies would make an excellent addition to Suderham, or perhaps even the Vault itself.

Bah! I am rambling. For whomever has this log book, please respond. If you are not able to respond, for whatever reason, please pass the following on to Stalman Klim of the council.

We have the whelps from Mitrik, the so-called "heroes of the Hommlet." They foolishly placed there complete trust in the Captain of the ship they chartered. The sleeping gas developed by our alchemists worked brilliantly! We will continue to use this in the future.

As requested, we kept all magical items in their possession. The one known as John Carter had some unusual possessions which appeared magical but did not radiate magic. It is possible they are artifacts of some sort. John Carter claims to be from a world known as Erf (what a dreadful name). I dropped one of his items into the ocean, along with some personal items belonging to the others. I have kept everything else in the portable hole that was in their possession, along with what appears to be records of our activities. It appears their raid on the Broken Rudder Inn was quite successful. I believe that area is now compromised. I recommend eliminating anyone involved with it and moving our operations to Highport.

I have divided their gold and gems among the crew. To do otherwise was to risk mutiny.

We should arrive in Highport in one weeks time, pending the weather. For now, we will see how far we can push them. The elf already seems near the breaking point. She may be willing to...acquiesce to my needs, as well as that of the crew. It has been a long time since I have been with my own kind. The human woman is a Paladin, apparently, and a very comely one at that.

Perhaps passing her around the crew would improve morale.

To whom it may concern

I am Captain Girana of the Ghoul, a trading vessel out of Highport. It appears one of our recent acquisitions has in his position a travel log. The fool has been using it as his personal diary. No longer. He is now in our custody, along with his friends.

To whomever has the other half of this log, I must insist you reveal your current location and position within our organization. I request this information on behalf of Stalman Klim of the Inner Council.

Do not delay in my request! The Slavelords do not look kindly on those who fail to serve.

Sneaking and hiding

We waited until dark and then waited a few hours more. We decided it was best to wait until everyone was good and drunk before trying to sneak inside. Even Audry was on board for this one. Yeah, paladins don't always like to "sneak." They prefer to barge in and announce their presence in the name of insert-deity-name-and-portfolio-here. However, as much as Audry likes that, she also likes results more. Being a sneak is going to get better results this time around.

"This is kinda like stealing, you know," Anna said.

"We are doing reconnaissance," Audry said. "There's a difference."

"And these are slavers," Saul added. "I have no compunction about taking anything from them."

"And giving it to those in need, of course," Audry said.

"Uh, yeah, that's the plan," Anna said. "John, you got the hole?"

I patted my shirt pocket. We still had our portable hole we got from the Elemental Temple. It's basically a piece of black cloth (slightly dirty--don't blame me) about six feet across. You lay it flat and it opens up into what Marc calls an extra-dimensional space on the astral plane. In short, it's a 10 foot cubed room we can fill with whatever we want. Comes in very handy. We still wear pouches and sometimes packs if we want to access stuff quickly, but we keep most stuff in the hole.

We hid in an alley near what might have been an old warehouse. From there we could see the Broken Rudder Inn. Looked like the hotest spot in town to me. We could hear the noise from here. That was a good thing, as it would cover our break in.

"Anything?" Saul asked.

Marc stood there with his eyes closed. Though his eyes were closed, he could still "see" via a spell. Out there near the inn was an invisible eye that floated all around the structure. Wizard eye, I believe was the spell name.

"Yes," Marc said. "There is a basement window near the back. However I can see people on the other side."

"Anything else?" Anna asked.

"No...ah, hold on." Marc paused. I could see his eyes moving under his eyelids in the dim lamp light. "There is a window on the second floor. It is on the south side. It appears to be open slightly." He opened his eyes and looked at us. "Unfortunately, we would have to climb to reach it."

"We'll take that one," Anna said. "It's the way they will least expect."

"Let's hope so," Saul said.

I opened the portable hole in the alley and pulled out a coil of rope. I draped the coil, some thirty feet of it, over my shoulder, and then off we went. We went down the street, keeping in the shadows for the most part. Back home, we got spoiled with lit streets. Here, lamps along major streets is a luxury. Most of the side streets are dark, and I mean fricking dark. You can't see your hand in front of your face. Along with mp3s, internet, TV, and regularly available books, I miss lit streets at night.

But not this night.

We crossed the street a good block away, far enough away to avoid anyone with infravision (that would be the heat sensing sight elves use, among others). We thought of using one of those mass invisiblity spells Marc was famous for, but decided to save the magic. Rule number one of magic: never use it if conventional means will work. You might need the spell later. And at that point, the dark streets worked just fine.

We angled down another back alley. We stepped over a couple of drunks. We double checked to make sure they were in fact drunks and not hidden sentries. They didn't seem to do anything as Anna rumaged through their clothes looking for weapons, of which they had none (and they had to be pretty drunk to not stir when a beautiful girl is looking under their shirt).

"They stink, bad," Anna said, "but they're just drunken sailors."

"Too easy," Saul said. "No guards, no sentries.... Back in Greyhawk we had spies disguised as the less fortunate all over the city."

"Back in Greyhawk we knew what we were doing," Anna said.

"I doubt these Slavelords are used to dealing with anyone in these parts other than vagabonds," Audry said. "They are not prepared."

"Well, they know we're here," I said. "And they probably know who we are and that we work for Veluna, especially if they have a spy in the Safeton government. We practically announced ourselves to every official in town after the manor burned down."

"Exactly," Saul said. "That is why I'm nervous."

"They may well be prepared," Marc said, "but so are we."

I could see no one in the dark alley behind the Broken Rudder. Anna stopped us about twenty feet short of the alley.

"Guards," she said in a low voice. She didn't whisper. Whispers carry farther. "Two of them."

"What are they doing?" Audry asked.

I couldn't see her very clearly, but I could tell by her tone she was disgusted. "Relieving themselves."

"This may be our best chance," Saul said.

We followed them as closely as we could. I walked tried not to step on trash or anything that would attract attention. If I did, we would likely have to incapacitate the guards, maybe even kill them. I didn't relish the idea. They might just be working stiffs trying to earn a buck to buy their kids a rotten doll for their birthday. Or they could be rapists. No way to know, even after you kill them.

They talked to one another as we went by. We got within fifteen feet of them, but they didn't notice. They had one lamp, but they didn't try to peer out into the dark. They seemed to use it just so they could see where they took a leak. I wrinkled my nose. I could smell it from here. When they were done they went back inside.

"Not guards," Marc said. "This is unusually easy."

"You were saying," I said. We had reached the window in question. From where I stood I could see a little light streaming out of it. The window had been opened slightly. If it opened a little, it could probably open a lot. I could hear the inn's guests in the common room. They partied like it was 1999. They wouldn't hear us if we broke a window.

"Anna, if you please," Saul said.

Anna scampered up the side of the building like spider-girl. She was good, no question of it. She peered inside the window, and then pushed it open. She crawled inside.

A few minutes passed, but it seemed like hours. I hate the waiting.

"What's keeping her?" I asked.

On que, the rope lowered. She didn't drop it, as that might make too much noise. With the racket going on inside, it probably wasn't much of a problem, but better safe than sorry.

Saul went first. He crawled up almost as fast as Anna did. I went next. I hadn't done anything like this since our days of training in Verbobonc militia (the good ol' days). I scooted up the side of the wall with aid of the rope with ease. Before coming to this world, I would have been huffing and puffing halfway. Now it was like I had a rocket pack on. Audry came up after me just as easily. Marc had a little more trouble, but we managed to get him up (wizard's don't rely much on brute strength, they don't have to).

I could barely see anything. The room was on a corner of the building, with a second window facing the street. Light from a nearby street lamp allowed me to see some basic shapes. It looked like a combination office and bedroom. Anna had tied the rope to the frame of the bed. A desk faced the door, like this guy was a CEO or something. A few pictures hung on the wall, but it was too dark for me to make them out.

Anna went to the desk. "I could use a little light."

I closed the curtains to the main window, careful to make sure there was no one watching in the street. Saul did the same with the window that gave us ingress. That done, Marc pulled out one of a number of pebbles he carried with him. He kept it cupped in his hand, but I could see the streams of light coming from between his fingers. He held over the desk where Anna was kneeling, palming so the continual light spell cast upon the pebble would direct downward and not toward the windows.

Anna examined the desk. "Looks clear." She tugged at the drawers. "Locked, but not for long."

Anna went to work while Saul checked the hall. I stood next to him. "What do you see?"

"Hall's clear," he said. "There's a door across from us and another one down the hall. Then there are some stairs."

I could hear the ruckus easily. It was loud enough to cover any movement we made. "We should check it," I said. "Anna?"

"Done," she said. The girl was a miracle worker with locks.

"This door was locked," Saul said. "That means the others probably are as well. Can you handle it?"

She had already come over to the door with us. "Can I handle it? Please." She stepped out into the hall. It was lit with a single lamp that looked to be low on oil. That was good in the sense that it provided cover of darkness. It was bad in the sense that someone might develop some kind of work ethic in these parts and decide to fill that sucker before the boss notices.

Anna stepped into the hall. She moved like a cat, quick and graceful. She went the some ten feet or so down the hall quickly. Saul followed her, keeping an eye on the stairwell. If all went well, we could be out of here without anyone knowing. If we had to crack some skulls, we'd have everyone and their mother chasing us all over town.

Anna popped open the lock quickly. She left the door open and went back down the hall toward me. "I'll check this one," she said. "Maybe you better help Saul."

"If you think he needs it," I said.

"Never can tell." She winked at me as the lock clicked. She took a quick look inside and then faced me. She grabbed my wrist. "Give me the hole."

"Huh?"

"The portable hole." She pointed at my pocket. "Trust me."

I handed it to her and she disappeared inside the room, shutting the door behind her. I filled Audry and Marc in on everyone's locale as they rifled through the desk. Marc gave me a quick nod in the meager light as he started to work on book shelves. "You might want this," he said. He handed me one of his continual light pebbles. I covered the pebble with my hand. It was cold to the touch.

I joined Saul down the hall. "It's me," I said as I entered. Saul was already going through some papers on top of a desk. This room was virtually identical to the other. He stuffed papers inside a sack he found nearby. The desk was locked. I thought of going to Anna and having her crack it open, but Saul shook his head. He grabbed the desk drawer and yanked hard. The wood splintered, making a loud crack followed by the sound of metal hitting the floor as the remains of the lock fell apart.

"Who needs her?" he said, smiling.

I went to the door and checked the hall. From where I was I could see part of the stairs. A shadow went by, scaring the living daylights out of me. Whoever it was, he didn't come upstairs. "At least she's quieter," I said. Saul shrugged.

At this point, it was your basic grab without the smash. The plan was to go through things but without tossing stuff around. We didn't want people knowing we were here, at least not right away. We hurried, grabbing whatever we thought might look important. At one point, Saul checked the floor. One part of the floor seemed more hollow than another. He reached down and popped open a small part of the floor. He pulled out what looked like a log book or a journal. He put the piece of floor back in its place.

We left the room just and headed back down the hall just as Anna appeared. I gestured to the door behind us. "Think you can lock that back?"

She nodded, kneeling next to the door she just exited. "As soon as I lock this one. Join you guys in a bit."

Saul went inside the room. I fished the portable hole away from Anna and passed it on to him. He opened it and dropped our findings in it. Marc and Audry did the same. I kept an eye on Anna as she finished locking that door and went down the hall.

"What has that girl done?" Audy said.

I looked inside the room. "What?"

"It seems we need to educate the girl on the purpose of information gathering," Marc said. "I doubt jewels and coins count."

"Can't hurt, though," Saul said.

"They'll help on the mission," I said. "The Slavelords will cover our expenses while we investigate them. I like the irony."

I glanced back into the hall. Anna had blown out the lamp. I could see her form coming back down the hall. "We got trouble."

"What--" I started, and then I saw. Two people came up the stairs.

"Great," I muttered as Anna squeezed into the room. She grabbed the edge of the portable hole and folded it up as she went to the window. I shut the door and locked it as quietly as I could. "Company," I said. "All hands abandon ship."

Anna was already out the window, followed by Saul. Audry gestured toward me. "Go. I'll go last."

"No, I will," Marc said. Audry started to say something. "No arguments, I have to untie the rope. Hurry!"

I heard a set of keys jingling just outside the door. We were out of time.

I scurried down the rope and Audry followed. Marc had already gone over to untie it. I hoped he could get out in time before he was caught. And without breaking something.

Audry had just reached the bottom when the rope went slack. It fell to a pile at our feet. I looked up, wondering how Marc was going to get out. I had my answer immediately.

Marc dove out the window like an Olympic diver. Panic overcame me. There was no pool down here and I didn't know if I could catch him, and if I could I didn't think that would break his fall (it probably break me). He fell about halfway, and then it happened. His momentum stopped, or seemed to. It was like a John Woo film where the action scene slows down to a crawl. Marc righted himself in mid air as he floated to the ground. It was like watching a giant...feather?

"Feather fall," I said. "Very cool."

Marc simply smiled. "Down is always easier than up."

-------------------

We gathered the rope and headed down the alley just as a light flickered in the room we just left. We didn't want to be anywhere nearby when they figured out they got robbed.

We disappeared down several alleys and made our way to the far side of town. We had thought of finding another inn, but we decided that would be pushing our luck. No doubt every innkeeper in town would report us rather than face the wrath of the Slavelords. Instead, we found an abandoned building of some sort. It looked like it might have been a warehouse. There was a large hole in the side of the building. We crept inside and scouted the area. We found no one else holing up for the night. We climbed to an upper level and set up camp. Marc cast some sort of spell that would warn us if anyone approached, and we slept until dawn.

The next morning we had a better look around. It rained all morning, and from the looks of it nearly every part of the old warehouse leaked. We managed to find a relatively dry spot where we could examine our what we found.

Audry sighed when we opened the portable hole. "Anna," she said. "That was hardly the time."

"What?" she said. "We're adventurers, right? We take gold from the bad guys and give to the needy, right?"

"Oh, so that was your intention," Marc said. "Not to buy some new clothes or new boots by chance?"

"Well, if there's any left over," Anna said. "Well, look, that's not all I found." She held up a book. "This was in a small section of wall. Somebody did their best to hide this thing."

We went through everything. Yeah, we found the mother lode all right. We spent the whole day going through it, stopping to munch on some iron rations every now and then. We wanted to actually go get real food, but we were leery of any tavern at this point. Most of what we found was incomprehensible, consisting of ledgers written in some kind of short hand. Occasionally, we found a gem or two.

"Listen to this," Marc said. "'Ms. from Bloodwort. Captain Joinville'...eh, 'riding in safe area. Voy good. Profit expected. Losses light.' I believe that would be voyage good, actually."

"These guys love their abbreviations," I said.

Marc went on. "'Woman, 40, of station and breeding, quite ransomable.' Oh dear."

"Breeding," Anna said. "Dear Gods."

"Indeed," Audry said. "However, in this case I believe they are using the term to indicate she is of nobility."

"There is more," Marc said. "'Three boys, fit to stand on block; husband and wife, trained servants, suitable for special needs.'"

"Special needs?" Saul said. "I don't want to know."

"You certainly do not," Marc said. He continued. "'Trained artisan, giving good treatment, suggest arranging patron.'"

"That would be Mitgan, I imagine," Saul said. "Any more?"

Marc nodded. "'Scholar and Alchemist, special auctions required.'"

"Hammish and Kerr," I said. "Oh man."

"Here's one," Saul said. He held up a piece of linen paper edged with some sort of red decoration. "'Ragnar of Clan Hargirt, Greetings to Your Illustrious Self.'"

"Clan?" I said.

"A dwarf, probably," Anna said.

"'Much warmed is my heart to harken to thy recent successes,'" Saul went on. "'So much do the virtues of your spirit shine, my heart yearns to call thee to my side.' Thou art the source of my courage and the headwater of my desire to pursue the course which lies ahead of us.'"

"Dwarves like to praise each other a lot," Anna said.

"Yeah, back home we called it brown nosing," I said.

Saul smiled, being the only one who understood the reference. "There's more. 'Patience is the counsel I give to thee. Our stars must be arranged before we can act. Alas, that the token I send can only dimly reflect the love that I feel.'"

"Love?" I said. "A woman, maybe?"

"Likely," Marc said. "This is all a bit flowery. It appears that this Ragnar is a dwarf, but I wonder as to the breed of the author."

"'I write to advise thee caution, my love,'" Saul continued. "'Send the aid that you must for us to succeed by the most circumspect route, for old Klim grows nervous. I must watch him carefully.' For thyself, remember the traps of the others on the Council are many and convoluted. If thou art discovered now, then thy life is lost.' She signed it. It appears to say, 'Edralve.'"

"Doesn't sound like a dwarvish name to me," Anna said. "Well, I think thou Ragnar has been discovered."

"He will be if we can get these documents back to Mitrik," Audry said.

"Why not Safeton?" I asked, and then I remembered. "The spy. I forgot. Man, the temple was easier."

"If you say so," Saul said.

"I have a journal here," Audry said. "It appears to belong to someone named 'Hazzard.'"

"Interesting name," I said. "Looks like the guy liked to write a lot."

"Look who's talking," Anna said. "What's he have to say?"

"Most of this is pretty mundane," Audry said. "I could spend days going through. He has made several references to 'our man in Safeton.'"

"That confirms the spy idea," I said.

"There's an entry here that makes mention of someone called 'the servant of the earth dragon,'" Audry said. "He works for this man. Apparently, Hazzard is spying on Ragnar."

"Does he say why?" Saul asked.

"Not that I see," Audry said, "however I am only skimming through this. There is a mention of Hazzard having sworn to his employer, or whatever, that he will not reveal their relationship from anyone associated with the Slavelords."

"Maybe they suspect something of this Ragnar," Anna said.

"All criminal organizations turn on themselves given time," Audry said.

"All?" Saul said.

Audry smiled. "Those who do not repent."

"Who's repented?" Anna said. "Oh wait. My turn." She held up a piece of parchment. "I think this is written by this Ragnar fellow to this Hazzard guy? These guys have rotten handwriting." She cleared her throat. "'Ship not stopping, continuing down coast instead. Cancel unloading plans. Let out that masters are displeased with support here and considering diverting traffic. May require friendlier attitude from the locals to keep our trade. Make them nervous.'"

"Glad to know Elredd is throwing a wrench in the works," I said.

"Wrench?" Anna asked. "Or wench? Never mind, listen. 'Highport may become port of choice.'"

"Highport," Marc said. "That is south of here."

"If they continued south with the slaves," Saul said, "then they went to Highport, right?"

"Likely so," Audry said. "So it seems we have a new destination."

"Highport it is," I said. "We going by land or by boat."

"Ship is quicker," Saul said. "We'll have to make the arrangements tomorrow."

"It shall be rather expensive if we wish to purchase the ship's silence," Marc said.

"Good thing Anna gathered all of that treasure from the inn," Audry said. "Fortuitous of you."

"Yeah," Anna said. She frowned. "Glad I thought of it."

"We must also get these papers to Mitrik," Marc said. "They can parse through this information more efficiently. For now, We have three names...Ragnar, a dwarf. Kilm, who's identity is unknown. And Edralve, a woman but of unknown race."

"That's better information than we had," Saul said. "But now we have to figure out how to get the information to Mitrik."

We wrangled with that for a little while. The problem was that we didn't know anyone in these parts we could trust. We could find a way to return the documents to Safeton, but without knowing who their spy was, it was likely the documents would be intercepted. Mitrik was too far to walk or take a ship. Our main priority was finding Dame Gold, her servants, and her guests.

"And her brother," Anna said. "Don't forget about that."

"Gods," I said. "Where the hell could he be?"

"She seemed to believe he was in Elredd," Marc said, "because that's where she believed ."

"Yeah, well this just seems like some kind of outpost," I said. "Highport seems to be where they are located. Think her brother's there?"

Marc shrugged. "There is little more here. We could wander over the entire town and never find him. And we don't have much time left."

"He was spying on some of the movers and shakers in this invasion army," I said. "I'd bet real gold that the Slavelords are in on this, or they know people who are involved."

"Then we head south," Saul said. "That or we spend our time wandering around this town."

"If he is a lycanthrope," Audry said, "then he would not stay in town. If he is in the wilds, we may never find him." She sighed. "The task seems impossible."

"A needle in a haystack," I said. "We only have one lead--Highport. We have to check it out."

Everyone nodded. I hoped that Dame's brother would be there. It was then that it occurred to me just how impossible it would probably be to find this guy. I hated to admit it, but he was probably doomed. And we still had a mission to conduct. If we could find out more about this invading army, that took precedence over one man.

Damn, the temple of elemental evil was a heckuva lot easier.

When it got dark we planned on splitting town altogether. Based on what we found, there was no point in staying in Elredd any longer.

----------------------------

We boarded a boat a couple of days ago. We spent a portion of gold, and then promised to give them a lot more when we arrived in Highport. Hopefully, this will keep our Captain honest. I wish we could contact Captain Wolffe again. He had a quirky sense of humor, but I liked the guy. And I trusted him. I don't know about this boat. So far, the crew has avoided us.

It's late, and I can't wait until we get to Highport. I hope we can find Dame Gold in time, and I hope that by some bloody miracle we actually find her brother before the position goes bad. If I understand everything correctly, we have another couple of weeks.

I'm not holding out a lot of hope, to be honest.

Everybody paranoid about a sharp dressed sailor

Well, that could have gone better. Could have gone worse too, I suppose. All in all, it was a hell of a Freeday night (that's the Flanaess's version of Friday).

A lot happened (as usual). I want to get to the meat of it, but I guess I should start where I left off.

------------------

I suggested we drag our sailor friend down to the sewers to question him. Saul politely reminded me that Elredd has no sewer. Well, I guess Elredd is a sewer, so it makes up for it.

Marc is always thinking ahead, and he planned for this sort of thing. "Gather around," he said. We did, and Marc cast his spell. Abruptly, he disappeared. I looked around, and found Saul, Audry, and Anna were gone too. Our sailor friend was gone as well. For a split second I panicked, and then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Everyone got a hold of someone?" It was Marc's voice.

I fished my hand around until I accidentally smacked someone in the face. "Hey," Anna said. "What are you, blind?"

"Ha ha," I said. I found her shoulder and then announced I was ready. Saul said he had the sailor over his shoulder, and off we went with Marc leading the way.

Walking around invisible is not as easy as you think. It's even harder when you're trying to stay in a group with a bunch of other invisible people. If you look at your feet you'll trip (it's weird not being able to see yourself). Now add to that trying to walk through a throng of people without getting noticed...and you have to do it before the spell expires.

We waited for an opening in the throng. "Now," Marc said, and we went through the crowd. Surprisingly, we didn't knock anyone over on our four block jog back to the inn. Getting inside the inn was another matter. It was still early and not many people were in the common room (Elredd isn't known for it's morning people). I did manage to knock over a barmaid. Drinks went all over the floor.

"Excuse me," I said. The startled barmaid looked terrified. I guess I would be too if a disembodied voice knocked me over. A pair of silver coins materialized and landed next to the barmaid. "For the drinks," Saul said. We proceeded upstairs.

The spell winked out just outside our room. Everyone materialized around me instantly. Fortunately, no one was nearby to see our miraculous appearance. Audry unlocked the door quickly and we went inside, just as our guest started to awaken.

The sailor yawned and stretched. He opened his eyes and looked at us. He stood up, and that's when it hit me.

"Who was supposed to tie him up?" Anna asked.

"What's going on," the man said. "How dare you--"

"How dare you," Audry said. "You pretend to be a sailor, but look at you. Last I heard sailors didn't get paid well enough to dress as well as you."

"I saved up for it," the man said. "I can buy whatever clothes I wish."

"Those clothes cost a lot," Saul said. "They cost you your accent as well."

Good point. He hasn't said argh anything of the sort. His grasp of common was actual pretty good.

"He sounds western to me," Marc said. "Bissel, perhaps?"

"Bissel?" Anna said. "I thought refugees from occupied Bissel fled to Veluna. You're a long way from home."

"What'd they pay you pal," I said. "How much they pay you to tell them about us?"

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

That had to be a record for the shortest interrogation. "We just do," I said. "Now spill it."

That boy sung like a bird. Apparently, there is a man at the Broken Rudder Inn who will pay gold for information regarding the whereabouts of five adventurers of our description.

"So it's true," Marc said. "They know of us."

"That's why they sent the operative on the boat," Audry said.

"Hold a moment," Saul said. "That man died at sea. How could they know what we looked like."

"Man at sea?" our new friend said. "What...." The poor fool didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

"I said spill it," I said. I reached back as if to hit him. He cringed.

"No, don't hurt me, please." He straightened up when I lowered my hand. "I needed the gold."

"Needed new clothes," Anna said. "The important stuff, you know."

"How do they know what we look like," Saul said.

The man sighed, resigned to the fact he had been caught. "There is a man in Safeton who works for the Slavelords."

That figures.

"Who?" Marc asked.

"I do not know," he said. "I know he works in the government, that's all."

"What do they know about us?" I asked.

"Only that you are looking for the ones who were kidnapped in Safeton," the man said. "That rich lady, and some of her servants and guests."

"What else," Marc said. "I suggest you answer truthfully. Our friend here is a paladin." Marc gestured at Audry. "If you lie to her, she will know."

"I am not lying," he said. "I have no loyalty to the Slavelords."

"You only sell out others to them for gold," Audry said.

"I don't know you either," he said. "What do I care?"

"You care enough to walk out of here in one piece, I'll bet," Anna said. "Now talk before I make the boys rough you up. What else do they know?"

"They didn't say," the man said. "See here, I didn't ask who you were. They only told me you were adventurers and that they wanted to know when you arrived in town."

"We have to get word to someone," I said. "We have to tell someone there's a spy in Safeton."

"How?" Anna asked. "We can't trust anyone here. We don't have time to go back."

"Even if we could get a message back, all we have is his word," Audry said. "If we told Safeton they had a spy and did not provide information as to his or her identity, it would be cause havoc."

Saul nodded. "Good point. So we go to the Broken Rudder."

"They know we're in town," I said. "They're probably looking for us right now."

"So we spit before they find us," Anna said.

I stopped for a second, trying to parse what she had said. "Split. The word is split. And yeah, we should do that before they find us."

"What about him?" Anna said.

We looked at our friend. I didn't know what to do with him. He was just a poor sap who needed cash and turned in a bunch of strangers for coin. Of course, he did knowingly report us to the Slavelords. And knowing the Slavelords, he probably knows what they're capable of.

"I know," I said. I turned my back on our sailor-spy-guy. I wanted him to hear me but not see my face. "The kidnap victims are important, but the Slavelords aren't going to hurt them. Dame Gold is too valuable." I winked at them. "We have to hurry back to Safeton." I winked again. "Perhaps some magical means of transportation?"

"Yes," Marc said. "I have just the thing. It's dangerous, but then we're desperate."

"Right," Anna said. She looked at our friend. "And him?"

I turned and faced him. I tapped the hilt of my sword. "Can't have him warning anyone."

---------------------------

It was beautiful. Audry played the part well. I pretended that I wanted him dead and Audry wanted to stop me. We argued back and forth and then we all agreed to leave him tied up on the floor. We lost some rope, but it was worth it.

We left through the back way, and just in time. Some soldiers dressed in mismatched armor entered the inn. They looked like mercenaries, which meant they might be working for the Slavelords and they'd find our buddy in a few more minutes. We took off down an alley and disappeared into the crowds in the market place. We made our way to the docks once more and checked around. We found the inn before nightfall.

"Think our friend bought the story?" I asked.

"Probably," Saul said. "He didn't seem that smart."

"Agreed," Audry said. "However, we should assume they are expecting us." Audry looked at Marc. "By the way, you do know that Paladins do not automatically know when someone is lying."

"If they did," Anna said, "I would have figured it out long ago."

-----------------

We're getting ready to board the ship. Yeah, we're done here in Elredd and we're heading to Highport. I'll explain later.

Closing in, maybe

The girls and Marc came back late last night. There was a time if a friend of mine came home with two beautiful girls it was time for some high-fives. These days I just feel relief that everyone came home without getting hurt.

We decided to share a room together so we wouldn't be separated. Strange think to think, since we decided to split up after we got a room. Saul and I were about to go straight to panic mode when they finally knocked on the door. Saul checked, his sword drawn.

"Expecting someone else?" Marc said.

Saul waved them in. He checked the hall and then closed the door. "How'd it go."

"Not so well at first," Anna said, "but we had some luck just a little bit ago."

"Only cost us a half dozen drinks," Audry said. "And all we got was a name."

"A person?" I asked.

"A place," Anna said. "It's called--"

"The Broken Rudder Inn," Saul said.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Marc said. "If two different sources have the same information, there must be something legitimate about it."

"Yeah, who was your contact?" I asked.

"There was this unsavory fellow following us," Audry said. "At some point he caught up with us and claimed to be from Safeton."

"Said he saw us at the party," Anna said. "He knew we were asking questions and so he asked for our help. He said he had some information on where the slaves were taken. He had it written down on a scrap of paper, but he couldn't read it. He wanted us to read it for him. He didn't trust anyone else to."

"He claimed that everyone in town is in the pocket of these slavelords," Marc said. "That seems unlikely. More likely they simply are not bothered by slavers and they would turn over any information for the right price."

"Including the two who gave us this information," Saul said. "They probably went to the slavelords already and told them we were asking about them."

"Along with everyone else we've asked," Anna said. "Well, I guess wandering around town asking everyone what's up isn't exactly the best plan we came up with."

"Hey, how can a whole town be against us?" I said.

"Such as Nulb, for example," Audry said.

"You came in through the back door?" Saul asked.

Marc nodded. "Of course. No one saw our entrance, either from outside or within. Still, I believe we should keep watch tonight just in case."

"Probably a good idea," Saul said. "Well, looks like we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"Not to mention a busy week, a busy month...." Anna sighed. "Ah, for the good ol' days back in Greyhawk."

"Never thought I'd think of those days as safer," Saul said.

"Uh, pop quiz," I said. "If we suspect everyone of working for the slavelords, how are we going to get to this inn without anyone knowing?"

"And what shall we do when we get there?" Audry added.

All good questions.

----------------------------

"Is that him?" I asked.

After a quick breakfast we headed out. On our way to the docks, Anna spotted him. He walked with a swagger, oblivious to everything around him. He even smiled, which in this town makes you stand out like a sore thumb. He stopped at one of the many stalls along the street, looking at a selection of daggers. He tried one, pretending to wield in against an imaginary opponent, and by his stance I could tell he'd be lucky not to stab himself in the hand.

"That's him," Anna said. "Look at his clothes. He wore dirty sailors clothes today."

"Now he wears brand new clothes," Audry said. "A man with a little extra money...I wonder where he got it?"

"And why?" I said. "Audry, I know you'll probably have a problem with a smash and grab, but--"

"I think I can make an exception this time," Audry said. "I find him revolting. He kept staring at my breasts."

"Can't understand why," Saul said. "Anna, if you can create a diversion please, John and I will go to work. Audry, Marc, keep an eye out."

"May I suggest that alley there," Marc said.

-------------------

"Yoo hoo!"

The smartly dressed sailor looked down the alley. Anna stood there, her shirt unbuttoned halfway as she waved. The sailor idiotically pointed at himself, the look on his face questioning Anna if indeed she was looking for him. She narrowed her eyes and stood sideways with one leg raised slightly. She smiled and gestured for him to approach. She was a pillar of beauty in an alley of pure trash.

If there's one thing Anna can do is manipulate guys. Women like that are either a blessing or dangerous, depending on whether they use their powers for good or evil. For Anna, she tended to use her powers for whatever suited her. Most normal guys can't resist her, and this guy was a world-class loser with missing teeth whose probably fell for this gag many times. He started down the alley toward Anna, ready to fall for it again.

"Now," Saul said. We moved up behind the sailor. He didn't even hear us coming. I wrapped the gag around him while Saul grabbed his arms. He struggled, but he was no match for both of us. He cried out, but the gag muffled his voice. Even so, we couldn't get him out of this alley without someone noticing. That's where Marc came in.

He mumbled the enchantment. The sailor went limp in my arms, snoring like a baby.

"Just like magic," I said.

-----------------------

Gotta run. We're hitting the Broken Rudder inn tonight.

Wretched hive

We arrived, finally. Many people would say, "better late than never," but at this point it might as well have been never. Dame Gold has been kidnapped, along with some others (we still are not sure who left the party safely and who was kidnapped), and the kidnappers are either long gone or dug in so deep we can't find them. Not to mention they probably know we are here because of the ship we came in on (assuming the strange crewman who died on the voyage was actually working for...whoever).

You know, at least when we were sacking the temple we knew who the bad guys were. The temple is here and the bad guys live there. Hommlet is here, that's where the good guys are (including us). We go from the the good place with the good people to the bad place with the bad people, fight them and break their toys, and that's how heroes are made.

Elredd is dirty with a capital D. The bay is littered with trash, debris, dead fish, you name it. On the approach, we had to fish through the water with long poles to keep the worst of the debris from damaging the ship. Even so, some garbage managed to latch itself on to the hull. Captain Wolffe said they usually end up spreading debris all over the coast. There really is no regional govenor in the area like a duke or a king (that's why they call it the Wild Coast), so each town is left to its own devices. That means no one is going to bother cleaning up the bay.

Abandoned ships remained anchored docked to piers that looked like they could fall into the drink at any minute. Some of them were taking on water, and a few had already sunk to a point that only the top of their masts were visible. In spite of having the award for the dirtiest and nastiest harbor in the Flanaess, the place was bustling with activity. Boats came and went, many of which in no better condition than the maze of boats anchored at the docks. Some had supplies on deck that threatened to spill into the bay. No one acknowledged us in anyway or gave us the slightest notice. And no ship had purple sails.

We docked at a pier that seemed relatively clear of debris and abandoned boats. The crew went right to work. They didn't look happy.

"We do not be liking this place," Captain Wolffe said. "Elredd be a bloody awful port. Ye'll not find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

I suppressed a snicker. "So why do you keep coming here?"

"They pay well," the Captain said.

"Who's they?" Anna asked.

He spat in the water. "Only they know who they are."

"You may not know who 'they' are," Audry said, "but you can make some guesses as to their intentions. They did try to sink your ship after all."

Captain Wolffe nodded grimly. We all knew that storm we encountered was probably not natural. "Aye, lass, this be true."

"I might suggest a change of venue," Marc said. "Perhaps along the Velverdyva."

"Danger be everywhere, even on the trade rivers," Captain Wolffe said, "but ye may be right." He looked at each of us. "Tis a wicked place, I tell ye. Aye, a leaking bilge o' rat-water or me Ewe's nae the swiftest o' this coast."

"Well, it appears we have little choice, Captain," Saul said. "Farewell."

"And ye," the Captain said. We all bid our farewells and headed for downtown Elredd.

I've never seen a town like this. Even Nulb wasn't this bad. Every damn building looked like it was that close to just tipping over. I thought at any moment we'd see a domino effect on the scale of several storied buildings. Hells, if I wanted to bring the whole town down, I'd just lean against a wall. Trash covered the street and was kicked aside thoughtlessly by the inhabitants as they wandered miserably through town to do whatever they needed to do.

The citizens are just as ramshackle and worthless as the buildings. They spell trouble T-R-U-B-I-L. And if you try to correct them, they'll kill you. Frankly, it's in your best interest not to talk to these people unless you're paying them money. Or if you're from the streets. That's why we let Anna and Saul do the talking.

"Look friend," Saul said. "You afraid of jink or something? I'm trying to fill your pockets, all you gotta do is share the dark of the matter."

The man glared at Saul. Saul and I stayed together while Marc, Audry, and Anna went elsewhere. We didn't want to split up, but we felt it was the best way to cover more ground.

"Look, berk," the man said. He smelled like a sailor and he looked like he was hit with every ugly stick in town. "I ain't seen no cutters come this way with who you says you's looking for."

We sat in a tavern, one of dozens in this town. I couldn't remember the name of it. The place smelled as bad as any other tavern. I was starving, but I was terrified to try any of the food or drink the water. The last thing I needed was a case of dysentery or food poisoning. Saul seemed to refrain as well.

"Bartender says you owe him money," Saul said. "Says you owe him coin and what not. He says he'll pay us to get the money out of you, or give you a reminder."

The man glanced toward the bar, though he could see nothing through the throng of people. "You turn me in, berk?"

Saul shrugged. "I'd hate to do the that, considering we can help each other."

The man showed a knife. "How about I pen ya in the dead book before ye--"

He stopped when I showed him what I had under my cloak. My sword was much bigger than his little rat-sticker. Neither Saul or I flinched. The message was clear. Spill it, now.

"Aye," the man said. He rubbed his grizzled chin. "Aye, mayhap I could help."

He looked at his empty mug, but we had already bought him two. We weren't about to buy him another. He shrugged and continued. "There be talk at the Broken Rudder."

"The what?" I asked.

"A tavern along the docks," he said. "I...work for people there when they be needin' stuff done without no one knowin'."

"A working man," Saul said. "I can appreciate that." He pulled out a bag of coin and set it on the table out of view of the surrounding people but easily within view of our new "friend."

"Aye, you know how it is," the man said, eying the bag of coins. "That be copper?"

"Silver," Saul said. "And it's yours if you rattle your jaw right."

"The Broken Rudder," the man said. "A man I work for be bragging about some rich lass he acquired. Plans on selling her to the slavelords."

"Do you know when," I said.

"Whene'er they come to port," the man said. "I know not when that be."

"Is this man keeping his slaves at the Rudder?" Saul asked.

"No, he not be so foolish," the man asked. "I know not where he keep his slaves, but here in Elredd, if ye wish to sell or buy slaves, ye be going to the Broken Rudder."

Saul shrugged and gestured to the small bag of silver on the table. The man reached for it, and when he did, Saul grabbed him firmly by the wrist. Saul has what can only be described as a GI Joe kung fu grip, and you would too if you could see the look on this scroungy man's face.

"You did not see us," Saul said. "Your windfall fell out of the sky. Understand?"

The man nodded quickly. When Saul let him go, the man nursed his wrist briefly before grabbing the silver. He did not go to the bartender to pay his tab. He simply left.

"Follow?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Saul said.

We tailed the man. He went straight to the docks area. He boarded a ship, what looked like a regular ship, and he didn't leave. The ship remained at the dock.

"Think he's telling the truth?" I asked.

Saul shrugged. "Let's wait for Marc and the girls to get back. See what they found."

We went back to our room. We rented one on the far west side of town, away from the docks. The deal was to meet back there by nightfall. The girls still have some time before they get back. Hopefully, they'll get back before too long.

More later.

Playing in the waves

We rode hard back toward Safeton. It didn't take us long to catch up with the herald.

"Milords!" he called. "And miladies! Please, I beseech you! Please hear me!"

I don't think I've every been beseeched anywhere. We stopped next to each other just outside the woods. There was nothing but grasslands and fields between here and Safeton. Behind the herald (who carried the colors of Safeton) I couldn't make out any smoke. Anna's eyes made an eagle look blind, but it also might mean the fire had died down or was put out (magic can do that quickly).

"What happened?" Audry asked.

"The manor," the herald said. "It...it is gone!"

"Lady Gold?" I asked. "The guests?"

"Some of the guests are dead, milord," the herald said. "Others are missing. Lady Gold herself is among the missing."

"We must see for ourselves," Marc said. He kicked his horse into a run. The rest of us followed.

----------------

The herald fell behind some time before, his horse nearly ready to drop. Our own horses were about driven into the ground. Thankfully, a cleric helped them. There was little else he could do at the manor.

The hulking manor used to be larger than my high school. Now it was a pile of rubble and burned timbers. Imagine an entire neighborhood having gone up in smoke and you'll have a close idea. Small fires still burned in parts of the manor. No one put them out, as there was little left to burn and they wouldn't spread. The gardens and part of the hedges that surrounded the compound had also been blackened by the enormous fire. The heat alone set off smaller fires some distance away. The end result was a wasteland that was once the most beautiful manor on the Wild Coast. The air reeked of charred wood with a hint of a sickly, sweet smell that could only have been burned flesh.

"How many bodies?" Saul asked. There was no emotion in his voice.

The cleric regarded the remains. "A few. We are using magic to identify them. It seems that most got out, but they cannot be found."

"Who survived?" I asked.

"I believe Madame Gold herself," the cleric said, "as well as some of her guests. I do not know for sure because they are not here."

"Where are they?" Audry asked. "In town?"

The cleric shook his head solemnly. "I fear they are kidnapped."

"What?" Audry said. "By whom?"

"They came by sea," the cleric said. "Two ships, a big one and a small one with purple sails. They came ashore disguised as merchants. They gave false papers to the harbor master and proceeded to the manor house." He lowered his head. "The rest of the story is self evident."

"They took the captives on the ship?" I asked.

"Safeton Marines attempted to board the ships," the Cleric said. "The ships departed before the Marines could board her. It appears they planned for this as they also had horses. They set several other fires on the way out of town. The Marines had the choice of either chasing the kidnappers or letting the town burn. They chose to save the town first. I doubt they will catch the kidnappers."

"Which way?" Saul asked.

"To the south," the cleric said.

"South," Saul repeated. "If we hurry--"

"Hurry?" Anna said. She patted Saul's horse. "The cleric may have healed our horses but he only kept them from dropping dead. If we chase we'll kill them for sure."

"So we should just sit here?" Saul said. "We have to do something."

"Agreed," Marc said, "but it should be something sensible. We don't even know where to go. There are dozens of roads and trails to the south. We need more information first."

"Then lets look for it," I said. I gestured toward the manor. "We can start here."

We went into the ruins of the manor. So much of it had been destroyed. Brick walls had been leveled. Siege engines could do that, but I didn't see the remains of ammunition. Likely it was destroyed by artillery spells. Fireballs work almost like a fuel-air explosion. The very air ignites, engulfing everything around it. Very little can stand up to them. It was unlikely we'd find anything, but there was little else to go on.

After about half an hour, Anna gave a shout. "Look what I found." She came out of the remains of what was once Dame's office. "That desk of hers is still there. Remember this?"

She held up the map Dame had showed us earlier. "Certainly could be useful," Audry said.

We kept looking. A map is good, but we still needed more. The smell of burning flesh is one you won't forget, and that smell was everywhere. I found a few here and there. Most were beyond recognition, but a few were recognizable. One appeared more or less intact. The body only had superficial burns. He likely died of smoke inhalation. I felt a sense of dread as I rolled the corpse over. I hoped it was no one I knew. Fortunately, I didn't know him. In fact, from the look of him, I was certain he wasn't one of the servants or a guest.

"Hey guys," I said. "Look at this."

Everyone gathered around as I dragged the body out of the fire. Soot covered him, but the corpse was otherwise intact. He wore what looked like a sailors uniform. His hair had been burned, but was left under the soot looked blond. Under one arm he held a sack. It spilled out on to the ground, revealing various pieces of jewelry and gems. He died gathering trinkets, something you can't take with you to the lower planes.

"One of the raiders, I presume," Saul said.

Audry gave a small prayer. "Greed did him in."

"Let's not be so hard on the greedy, eh?" Anna bent over, unperturbed by the corpse in front of us. She twisted is wrist around so we could see his forearm. "What is this?"

Under the soot on his forearm was a tattoo of a blue and orange fish. It looked fairly new.

"Father, have you seen anything like this?" Marc asked.

The cleric glanced at the tattoo, trying not to look at the rest of the body. "No, I am afraid not."

"Perhaps someone at the dock will know," Saul said. He bent over and opened the man's coat. "I wonder what other secrets he has to give up."

Audry watched irritably. Paladins hated disturbing a corpse. At the same time, she understood the necessity.

"Ah," Saul said. He pulled a small journal from under his coat. "It appears our friend is an aspiring author."

Saul passed it to me as he continued to go through the man's pockets. I opened it.

A lot of the entries were charred with soot, and in places the ink ran. A few were readable, though. Ten days prior to the manor fire it said, lv. pt. good wynds.

"Wynds, huh?" Anna smiled. "Guess that's why he gave up on writing and became a pirate."

"A mistake on his part," Audry said. "What else does it say?"

I continued reading. Five days ago there was an entry: water at Alrad, must stay abd.

"Alrad?" Marc said. "Elredd, perhaps? That was a town on the Madame Gold's map."

The last entry was for today: rd. tewday, cpt. say fyve day te water, fyve day tew port. Say few swords.

"What's rd?" Anna asked.

"Rained, maybe," Saul said.

The cleric shook his head. "No rain here, and none south to my knowledge. We could check with some sailors at port to be sure."

"Raid," I said. "I bet he means 'raid'."

"Probably," Saul said. "'Five days to water, five days to port. Say few swords.' Probably means there are few guards here."

"Which is true," Marc said. "It seems this poor fellow's Captain was well aware of who was here at the manor."

"I rather doubt the Captain planned this on his own," Audry said. "Whomever he works for must be in Elredd."

"So we're going to Elredd," Saul said. He looked at the Cleric. "Father, how far is Elredd from here?"

"About three hundred miles over land," he said. "Several days. It's faster by sea."

"Then we need to charter a ship," Marc said. "The game is afoot, as Sherdock would say."

"Sherlock," I said absently.

-------------------------

Saul contacted some people and we managed to charter a ship. While he was doing that, we got the third degree from the Safeton city guard. They also grilled His Excellency Derish of Safeton (much to his chagrin) and one Jack Knob, both of whom were guests. I was pleased to see they had survived. Marc managed to magically contact a mage in Mitrik so our people could tell Safeton's people that we were cool.

We also had to identify some of the bodies. There were a couple of servants I recognized. We also found Randallson the Neat among the dead, as well as Ko, the monk. He had several arrows in him. By all accounts, he continued to fight in spite of that fact. Damn. I really liked him.

Another body was that of Thaddeus, Dame's hired psychic investigator (and in this world, that's a big deal). He died from a sword wound from behind. He was assassinated, possibly before the actual attack. I found Anna outside sometime later. She wiped away her tears when she saw me. She didn't want to talk. I couldn't blame her.

I had no idea what happened to Joseph of the Light. I found myself hoping he was okay. Yeah, he was crazy hippy from the 70s, but he was from my world. I hoped he was okay. That night, I dreamed I was at a Led Zepplin concert with Joseph. He looked at me and said, "Can ya dig it?" It was a good dream.

We managed to charter a ship for the next morning, a small little tub called "the Ewe." We left at dawn. For some reason, I didn't get sick. Maybe I had too much on my mind.

On the second day, Captain Wolffe, commander of the Ewe, came down to see us. "Now look lads," he said. "I know ye signed on as passengers, but me little Ewe ain't so big as I can forget yer hands come the wind an' high water. Let me show ye the pumps, just in case I has to use ye, hmmm?"

The "pumps" was a pile of buckets. He demonstrated the technique of bailing to us as if it were some ancient lost art of the Ninja. He had us all practice and gave us pointers like he was Yoda or something. When he thought we had it down he walked away, snickering.

A storm approached, and Captain Wolffe ordered us into the storm. The waves tossed us about, sometimes swelling higher than the deck itself. The Captain shouted orders to his crew, all of whom struggled to keep the ship afloat.

"Hold fast, lads and ladies," he said. "We be lucky to survive this." He pointed at us. "Get down there! Start bailing before we sink to the bottom!"

We headed below decks and started the "pump." We bailed and bailed, and when we finally fished out all the water the ship would rock just enough to take on more water, and we'd start it all again.

An hour later it was over. My arms were ready to drop. We went above deck. The Captain and crew looked at us, and then busted it up laughing. It was a big joke. They new the storm was there and they brushed the edge of it to scare the blazes out of us. And it worked. I wanted to dump the whole lot of 'em in the drink. At that point, they broke out the real drink. Ale was passed around, and after a while I forgot what I was mad about.

The next day the Captain checked on us. "No hard feelings, lad," he said. He said he and the crew like to have there fun, but it was more than that. They do this frequently, not only to harrass the passengers but because it helps weed out who is who.

"Ye never know a good sailor until ye hit a storm," he said. I kept hoping he'd give a good "Argh!" or something, but he never did. "And we found ourselves a landlubber, we did."

"You mean besides us," Anna said.

"I do, lass," he said. "We took on a new crew member before we left. He not be knowing as much as he said he did. Scared him silly, we did." The Captain didn't seem amused. "Think we be cuttin' him loose in Elredd." He leaned closer to us. "Ye might want t' follow 'im."

Another storm hit the next day, this one out of the blue. The Captain cursed and swore, and no one on the crew was happy. We did bucket duty, but we did it for real this time. I had the dry heaves pretty hard. When the storm was done, the deck was trashed. Anything not tied down was now in the deep blue. That included three crewmen--including the new crewman. So much for a lead.

That night the Captain did a fix on the stars. "Blast ye all to the six hundred sixty-six lairs o'the Abyss!"

"Captain?" Anna asked timidly.

"We be off course," he said. "It will be a week or more before we be gettin' back t'port."

"Captain, that storm," Marc said. "Is that normal."

"Bloody hell no," the Captain said. "I ne'er seen the likes of it."

"Someone knows we are here, then," Audry said. "Someone who is trying to get rid of us."

"And assuming this new crew member was working with them," Saul said, "it's someone who cares little about their own people."

"You think they'll stop with just one storm?" Anna asked.

We all looked at each other, and at the Captain. He swore something in a dialect I did not know.

"Sorry Captain," I said. "If we had known we would have said something."

"Might even paid extra," Anna said.

The Captain gave a short laugh. "Aye, well, it not be yer fault, I suppose."

We continued on to Elredd. Fortunately, Anna was wrong. There was another storm, but it was manageable. The Captain felt it was typical given the storms in the sea and the time of year. I suspect that maybe they knew our location based on the new crew member. When he died, they might have assumed the ship drowned.

While we didn't have to worry about storms, Captain Wolffe felt it best to avoid the shore as much as possible--and to avoid any other ships. He thought we were too far south and too close to pirate territory. We went back to Elredd in a zig-zag pattern, avoiding other ships like the plague. Everything was fine up until this morning.

In the distance we saw another ship. Most ships passed us by without a thought. This one, however, changed course as soon as we were in sight. It lay near the horizon aft of us.

"Let me go look," Anna said. She climbed up to the crows nest like she had wings. She stayed there for several minutes before calling down. "Looks like she has purple sails."

"Great," I said. "How many ships have purple sails?"

"Only one I know of," Captain Wolffe said. "I not know her name, but I hear she belong to the slavelords."

Okay, that's a phrase I didn't like. I've never heard of the slavelords before, but I know what slave means and I know what lord means, so I can deduce who those crackers are like.

The Captain shouted orders to the crew. Anna stayed in the crows nest (something she had been doing lately--the vixen has sharp eyes like any good elf). Marc stayed on deck casting spells, Audry took the helm (something she learned pretty quickly), and Saul and I went below decks and started bailing water.

After a bit we were relieved by some other sailors. We went topside. Anna had come down from the crows nest. "We outran them," she said. "Fast ship."

"Aye," the Captain said. "The Ewe is quick when she needs to be. Sorcerer, what did you see?"

Marc joined us on the forecastle. "Very little, I'm afraid. The ship definitely had purple sails. It might have been the same ship."

"Any wizards?" Saul asked.

Marc shook his head. "Not that I saw, but that doesn't mean they weren't there."

"So, do we assume they know we are alive?" Audry said.

"Do they even know who we are?" Anna said.

"They might," Saul said. "Well, they definitely know this ship. If they smuggled someone into the crew then they can send word back to Elredd."

The captain swore again. "Aye, well we have cargo to unload and I have business there. I been to that infested city before. My face is known and they won't bother with me. It's you lads and ladies I worry for."

"What time do we arrive?" I asked.

"Should be there by tomorrow," Captain Wolffe said. "That only be if the weather holds. Can't control the weather, ye know."

"Someone can," Marc said.