[Mkguild] Casting Off (2/2)

[C. Matthias]

Part 2 of 2

Metamor Keep: Casting Off
by Charles Matthias

The Venture was a cargo ship and looked the part, 
wide and shallow of beam. The upper deck spanned 
the entirety of the vessel from gunwale to 
gunwale, though a good portion along either side 
was little more than open lattice above the 
benches for the rowers. Charles gazed down into 
the dimly lit oar benches and assumed two or 
three men could seat each oar, of which there 
were a good two down on each side of the vessel.

What a crew they would have if the oar ranks were 
full! The effort simply to move the boat and a 
hundred men would be no mean feat, much less the 
tonnage of trade goods. He could only marvel at 
the scope of the endeavor he had embarked upon. 
For his sake, for Jerome, Malger had shouldered 
the financial burden of supporting not only his 
family, but the pay of an entire ship and its crew for he knew not how long.

Just below the top deck was an open passageway 
from bow to stern, blanked by heavy beams and 
only broken by the spar of the mast piercing the 
deck from above. Between the beams hammocks were 
neatly strung, drawn close and empty while the 
crew was, ostensibly, spending the last of their hours in Menth.

A single broad shouldered, stooped man met them 
at the base of the gangway stair, his rheumy eyes 
sizing them up. “Ye lot our fare, aye?” He 
growled though not unpleasantly. His voice was 
rough by years at sea more than a gruff manner.

“Aye,” Malger nodded, moving to the fore. “And you are?”

“Mogaf, galley master, yer grace.” The man 
knuckled his brow and bowed, though hardly 
affecting very much change in height considering 
he was already stooped by years spent belowdecks. 
“I'll be preparin' yer meals and sundries, an' 
overseein th' care of yer animals too. Saw th' 
wolf and serpent above, Ah did, meanin' them, not 
yerselfs,” he corrected hastily with a quick 
glance at the group slowly gathering at the base of the stair.

“The dragon will see to itself, good sir.” Malger 
smiled with a slow nod in return. “And the wolf 
was once a man, like us. The Curse was not so 
kind to him as us, but he has a man's mind.” He 
paused and pursed his lips, whiskers angling 
forward before lying back and drooping. “And a 
wolf's nature, I might warn. He's still learning 
to grasp the enormity of his change.”

“Ah, aye then well, ah'll be lettin' 'im be on 
'is own, then.” Turning the man shuffled down the 
passageway toward the bow. “Cabins fer yer grace 
're up t' th' bow. Be a sight more rough when th' 
water's up, but be forward o' th' bilge s' not 
quite such a bite t' th' nose, aye? Cabins fer 
th' rest 're below. Wit no cargo t' speak of we 
put up some partitions, like, so's ye'll have 
some pervacy an' all.” Coming to a wall at the 
bow end of the passage he waved toward the lone 
door, and a gangway leading deeper into the ship 
to one side of it. “'Fraid be naught below thems 
but th' bilges an' ballast, so's nae let the little 'uns be wonderin', aye?”

“They'll be in good hands and under watchful 
eyes, master Mogaf, never you fear,” Malger assured him.

With a nod the man made his way through them back 
toward the stern. “Good, good. Galley be in th' 
stern.” He paused to glance at Malger, then 
Charles and Kimberly, taking in the children held 
among them. “Won't be a'fttin' fer yer lordly 
mouths, ah'm jes a ship's cook. But it'll keep ye 
full and healthy like. Yer grace.” With a bob of 
his head and a touch of knuckle to brow he turned 
and shambled into the dim shadows toward the stern.

“He seems put out,” Garigan opined laconically, 
earning an uneasy chuckle from the others. 
“Couldn't give a damn if we've got fur, or three 
eyes.” He shrugged and peered down the nearby 
gangway into the darkness below. “Well, I'll go see about a cabin.”

“Secure one for me as well, lad,” Malger said, 
turning toward door before them and pushing it 
open. Despite being wood exposed to the endless 
damp of the sea the door opened smoothly with 
little more than a rasp across the jamb. 
“Charles, you and the Lady Kimberly will need 
this cabin. I daresay you'll need the space.”

“Malger?” Charles quipped in surprise. “I'm sure 
the Captain expected you to...”

“I'm sure he did.” Malger nodded as he stepped 
inside, securing the door open with a strip of 
leather bolted to the wall within. “But I need 
only enough space for myself. You've an entire family.”

Just within the entry was a short corridor with a 
door to either side, beyond which proved to be 
two smaller rooms hardly larger than closets. 
Ostensibly those were for the servants of 
whomever would be using the cabin. The end of the 
corridor opened out to a relatively large, 
considering they were at the bow of the ship, 
somewhat triangular room. At the apex of the 
triangle was a simple bedstead built to 
accommodate enough bedding to satisfy a pampered 
lord though it was still bare. A table was 
secured to the floor to the right and a bureau to 
the left complete with mirror of polished bronze.

“We'll have to see about arranging things for the 
children, but it's certainly better than a mere 
cabin in cargo.” Malger nodded approvingly as he 
looked around. There were no port holes but some 
square ports in the ceiling proved themselves to 
be covered hatch windows to the deck above. Not 
big enough for a man to use as a way in or out 
but sufficient to let in the sun and redolent salt air.

The cargo space below the main and rowing decks 
proved to be spacious. The forward portion of the 
hold had been partitioned by sturdy, though 
clearly temporary, wooden walls creating a dozen 
cabins. More than enough for the entirety of 
their retinue and more. From the middle of the 
hold rearward it was open, save for the heavy 
wooden beams and mast. Aft of the mast the 
ceiling was open and through it sunlight spilled 
into the hold, revealing a large slab of wood 
five paces to a side on which all of their cargo 
was piled. Ropes secured at each corner rose into 
the sunlight, clearly the manner by which the 
cargo had been lowered from above. The light also 
revealed ranks of boxes and barrels along either 
wall, the scent revealing they carried water, 
food, and various sundries for their journey. 
Spare ores were slotted along the top of the hold in wooden racks.

As above, hammocks were strung between the beams 
though all of them were toward the rear of the 
hold, beyond a curtain wall of canvas which 
divided the cargo hold forward and aft at the 
mast. At the moment it was drawn open to either 
side while crewmen loaded the ship. Two were 
present, young men perhaps nearing their late 
teens, rough of look and wary of countenance as 
they paused in their labors to look at the gaggle of passengers.

“No mo' cargo comin' down.” One of the young men 
offered diffidently, nodding toward the huge 
pallet and their property. “So's ye can leave the 
lot there, er to yer cabins as ye like.” As he 
spoke the sunlight abruptly waned and vanished 
with a heavy wooden boom from above. The main 
deck hatch had been closed, plunging them into 
darkness but for a single lantern swaying above 
where the two men were working. “Gots jes a mite 
t' lash in, then we'll be ashore 'til th' tide.”

They left the two men to their tasks and 
retreated past the cargo cabins, making their way 
back to the main deck. Charles squinted at the 
sun, blinding bright after even their brief time 
below. A few crew had appeared during their 
absence, men will small bags slung over their 
shoulders, crossing the deck to the mid-ship 
stair. A trio of them abruptly stopped whatever 
laughing conversation they had been engaged in 
and gaped openly when they spied the passengers clustered near the mast.

“This is going to be awkward,” Malger observed.

----------

The tide would turn in early afternoon, so the 
Keepers busied themselves moving the cargo from 
the pallet and bringing it to their cabins. 
Misanthe helped Kimberly arrange the state cabin 
so it would be comfortable. The large bed was 
more than enough space for all of the rats and as 
the children were used to sleeping huddled in a 
pile – Kimberly had seen them do this often 
enough after a morning of rough play – they laid 
the little quilts down at the footboard and the 
larger quilt at the head. Charles and Garigan 
brought the three trunks of clothes, grooming 
equipment, and all else he knew they would need 
and placed them wherever they would fit and not 
get in the way. The four children scampered about 
the room, explored under the bed and in the two 
anterooms for servants, and pestered their 
parents with questions, most of which began with “Why.”

Once everything was to their satisfaction, 
Charles and Garigan left the children with the 
women to help Malger. The marten had selected the 
cabin next to the ferret's own; both were big 
enough for a trunk of clothing or two, a hammock, 
and not much else. They found Malger reclining in 
the hammock, staring down at his toes in the wan 
light of the single lantern. He regarded them 
with a mercurial grin and shrugged. “It will be 
even more comfortable when we are out to sea! Has Captain Calenti arrived?”

Confused, Charles asked, “I thought you already spoke with him ere we boarded.”

“Aye, I did, but only to inform him of our 
arrival.” He twisted his body all the way around 
and landed with a muffled whump on bare paws. “Let us go topside and see.”

“And be seen.” Garigan suggested. “No sense hiding from the crew.”

Malger nodded. “Let them look. Let them gawk. Ere 
the voyage is done they will admire we Keepers!”

“Hear, hear!”

They returned to the main deck, their beast eyes 
easily navigating the shadowed hold and passages. 
All three shielded their faces when they returned 
to the full light above. A moment more and they 
could see what their ears had already told them, 
the main deck was beginning to fill with seamen 
returning from whatever haunts they'd enjoyed in 
port. A good dozen inspected the oar locks while 
another checked the rigging and cleaned up after 
the many birds who'd perched on the gunwale. 
Reclining at the prow and half sprawled across 
the leaping dolphin masthead was Lindsey, with 
Jerome sitting on his haunches and Pharcellus 
standing akimbo between them and the crew.

Charles started walking toward them and both 
ferret and marten followed a pace behind. The 
red-haired young man smiled when he saw the 
Keepers, turning his head so a gentle breeze 
ruffled his long hair. “A lovely day for casting off, is it not, your grace?”

Malger chuffed, eyeing the dragon on the masthead 
with a smirk. “It is. If the weather favors us we 
will make remarkable time. I thought you were going to fly the first few days?”

To their surprise, it was Jerome who replied. His 
voice was guttural and felt at times both a snarl 
and a whine coming from a wolf's muzzle, but they 
could still hear the man in it. “I asked to come 
aboard. Staying on the wharf felt like being left behind.”

Charles wrapped his fingers about his chewstick 
but did not lift it from his beltloop. “I'm 
sorry, Jerome. Would you care for a tour of the 
Venture? It's going to be your home for a few months as well as ours.”

Jerome backed his ears and shifted on his 
haunches; his shoulders spread outward even as 
his snout drew back into his face. The black fur 
of his back softened until it was a tattered 
Sondeckis robe. His eyes, ears, legs, and tail 
remained those of a wolf. A softness touched his 
features as he half-stood on beastly legs, 
resting a clawed hand on the gunwale. “Thank you, 
Charles. Thank you, Malger. But I think I would 
rather wait here until it is time to depart. 
After this morning hiding in the wagon, I need 
open air. I need for...” He stopped himself, a flash of pain crossing his eyes.

Charles glanced at the dragon who had spread his 
wings to soak in the noon-day sun. “Lindsey, 
Pharcellus? Would you care for a tour? I'm sure 
Malger would be pleased to show you.”

Lindsey craned his neck and blinked. “Will I fit below decks?”

Malger nodded. “Aye, as long as you do not 
stretch your wings or lash your tail. We'll give 
any crew we meet below a bit of a start, but they may as well get used to it!”

“Garigan, why don't you go with them. I'll keep Jerome company here.”

The ferret nodded and after both he and the 
marten stepped out of the way, Lindsey uncurled 
himself from the masthead and with his older 
brother followed the two Keepers toward the 
gangway below decks. All of the crew working the 
main deck kept clear. Charles watched them for a 
few seconds before turning to his fellow 
Sondeckis. Jerome had fallen to a crouch but was 
mostly man-like. He slumped his arms and head 
over the gunwale and stared out to sea. White 
clouds drifted across the sky, flocks of birds 
enjoyed the air, fishermen plied their trade, and 
the waves gently undulated to the horizon.

Charles reclined next to him and gnawed on his 
chewstick for almost a minute. “How are you doing?”

“I wish I could lope in the woods with you and 
Garigan and take down a deer.” He sighed. “I need 
to be a wolf; I ache without it. I know it is what... he... did to me, but...”

“Do you remember when I was stone? I had needs I 
could not explain to you or anyone else back 
then. I thought in ways human tongues cannot 
express. I do not understand all you mean when 
you say you need to be a wolf, Jerome, but I 
understand the need of a nature forced upon you.”

Jerome grunted, triangular ears lifting and 
turning as the crew prepared the oars; the heavy 
spars groaned and the wood of the oarlocks 
creaked as they scraped against each other. “I 
won't run off. I want to reach Sondeshara too.”

“I never thought you might.”

They stared at the sea listening to the lap of 
waves and the noisome cries of roustabouts making 
the last preparations for the Venture. Nothing 
more could be heard, not even the bustling noise 
of the city. Charles wondered how Julian, 
Jessica, and the rest of their friends fared as 
they toured the marketplace. He gnawed his chewstick.

Rat eyes let him study Jerome as well as the sea. 
His face, other than the ears and the golden 
eyes, was the same stocky man he'd grown up with 
in Sondeshara. But where the Jerome he knew had 
been calm and reserved, almost unreadable to 
those who did not know him, this Jerome was wild 
and ever on alert. The tattered Sondeckis robe 
covered a pale muscular chest and back covered 
with long scars he'd never spoken of. The fur 
began at his lower back, a dark black glimmering 
with moonlight, thick and soft all the way down 
his misshapen legs and the heavy paws and thick 
claws digging into the deck. A long tail dangled 
between those legs, twitching back and forth with every anxious thought.

He wished he could become a wolf to join his friend in the forest.

“There will be many woods along our journey if 
you need a night to run and hunt.” Charles turned 
so he faced Jerome. “I know we cannot run with 
you, but it is something for when you need it. 
Don't give in too much. Guernef had to warn me 
many times from thinking like stone. We are 
Sondeckis. We are brothers, Jerome. I will make 
sure we reach Sondeshara together.”

“Thank you,” Jerome replied, a smile touching his 
lips. Charles set his hand on Jerome's shoulder. 
He felt the man's flesh tremble a moment and then 
all was still. Jerome took a deep breath and said again, “Thank you.”

Charles smiled and together they watched the sea.

----------

No tour of a sea vessel would ever take long – 
there was not enough space to tour – unless you 
were giving the tour to a dragon. Lindsey was a 
young dragon and small enough to fit on the 
leaping dolphin masthead, but his long 
quadrupedal body found navigating stairs and 
maneuvering through the tight corridors below 
decks a challenge. Pharcellus offered helpful 
advice to his brother every step of the way, 
while Malger and Garigan gave him as much room as they could.

“You can change into a human shape, Pharcellus,” 
Malger pointed out after Lindsey almost tore one 
of the partitions in the hold out while squeezing 
his hindquarters and tail around a narrow bend. 
“Is this not some dragon magic you can teach Lindsey?”

“I don't have enough magic yet,” Lindsey said 
while craning his neck to inspect his tail for 
scrapes or missing scales. “I am starting to feel 
normal walking on all fours; I know I'm not an 
animal but it still seems wrong.”

“It is not wrong for a dragon,” Pharcellus 
reminded him with a faint chuckle. “And you will 
grow into dragon magic soon. If I could, I would 
transform you while aboard the Venture, but I can only change myself.”

Lindsey clicked his tongue against his fangs and 
lifted himself onto his haunches, bringing his 
serpentine neck up to eye level. “If I get much 
bigger, I won't be able to fit below decks at 
all. How do we even live in caves?”

The red-haired man laughed and wrapped an arm 
about Lindsey's neck, cheek to dragon cheek, “You 
will see, brother! You will see. Now, is there 
anything more to see of this Venture?”

Malger shook his head. “This is pretty much 
everything. We should return to the main deck and 
see what is keeping the Captain. I thought we would have cast off by now.”

“The tide is starting to turn,” Garigan murmured. “High tide is almost over.”

“How can you tell?”

The ferret gestured at the floor of the hold. “I 
can feel it in my legs. The waves. They just... 
it feel like they are pulling away from the wharf.”

Malger narrowed his gaze at the ferret – likely 
it was some sign of his Sondeckis powers – and 
asked, “Are you sure you are not secretly a sailor?”

“I am not. I've never seen the sea before today.”

“I know lad. But I have been on the sea many 
times and I feel nothing. I only know because I 
consulted the charts!” Malger flicked his eyes to 
the two dragons and then at the deck above them. 
“Let us see the sky again. I think Lindsey needs to stretch his wings.”

“Please!”

----------

Lindsey had an easier time climbing the stairs 
back to the main deck. All of them breathed in 
relief when they felt the sun on their faces 
again. Malger noted Charles and Jerome leaned 
against the gunwale at the prow, the many sailors 
going over the rigging and the oars a third or 
fourth time, and a general air of expectancy. The 
three arctic bird brothers were perched on the 
port-side gunwale – Lubec had his wings spread to 
dry them – talking with a middle aged man in 
comfortable and colorful attire beyond the means 
of any common sailor. Malger smiled and started toward him.

“Captain Calenti!”

The dark-haired and olive-toned man turned, and 
an exuberant smile etched into his weathered 
face. “Your grace! Welcome aboard the Venture! I 
understand you have already seen to your passengers.”

“And everyone's gear. We are ready to depart at your command.”

“Excellent. Thank you for sending Lubec and 
Machias with your last message. Having birds who 
are men as companions these last few days has 
better prepared my crew and I. And now I have met 
their brother Quoddy. I see this is one of the 
dragons you spoke of. Lindsey is it?”

There were too many people standing nearby for 
Lindsey to stretch his wings, but he did stand on 
his haunches; the serpentine arch of his back 
brought him to a little more than man-height. He 
craned his neck to meet the Captain's gaze. “I 
am. You have a marvelous vessel, Captain. With 
your permission, when the night's are pleasant I may sleep by the prow.”

“At your pleasure, master Lindsey. Having a 
dragon aboard will put to flight marauders faster 
than a volley of Whalish fire!” His eyes shifted 
back to the marten. “Now, your grace, will you 
introduce the rest of your companions?”

“This is Pharcellus. He is an older dragon who 
has mastered the art of taking human shape when needed.”

“I am much too big as a dragon to sleep aboard 
your vessel, Captain Calenti, but at this size I can manage.”

“And two dragons will be even better! We are well 
met!” They shook hands and Calenti gave 
Pharcellus a manly slap on the shoulder.

“And this is Garigan, Sir Matthias's student.”

Calenti offered him a hand, even as his eyes 
narrowed. “Garigan... you are a... weasel?”

“Ferret,” he replied as he took the offered hand, 
careful of his claws. “We're related but not quite the same.”

“I shall remember. It is good to have you aboard.”

“When will we be casting off, Captain?”

Calenti looked to the sky and nodded. “My men are 
ready. If the dragons and wolf are going to fly 
alongside, they'll want to disembark now. Unless 
you mean to jump from the gunwale?”

“The aft looks big enough,” Pharcellus noted. 
“I'll have to learn how to at some point. But 
today at least we will disembark and fly from the 
wharves. Come Lindsey, let us fetch our friend and be off.”

As the pair headed to the prow, Malger stretched 
his back and felt a thrill of excitement build. 
“Captain, is there somewhere my companions can 
watch while you and your men work? I am sure the 
ladies and children are going to tire of the quarters below.”

“Bow and aft are big enough. Stay clear of 
amidships when we are rowing; otherwise they can 
watch from there too. Now, your grace, if you 
will excuse me, I must see to my ship. The tide 
is leaving quick and we must be on it.”

As the Captain walked away, Malger glanced at the 
gunwale. The three birds were already gone, 
having flown higher in the rigging where they 
could watch and keep out of everyone's way. He 
chuffed to himself and looked to the ferret. 
“Garigan, let Charles know I'm going to bring his 
family up to the aft to watch. And hopefully get 
their sea legs. I know you and Charles will be 
fine, but I do not know of Misanthe or his 
family. Poor Versyd would have retched just trying to board the Venture!”

“I will let him know.”

----------

Charles smiled as he took his youngest daughter 
from his wife’s arms. Little Baerle wrapped her 
arms about his neck and her legs about his 
middle, while her snout nuzzled his cheek and her 
tail thumped against his belly. “Do you like your room and bed?”

“Aye, Daddy!” Baerle squeaked as she looked 
around the boat and wharf. “Can we swimmin’?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Not right now, my 
treasure. Maybe later.” He caught Kimberly’s 
gaze; his eldest boy squirmed in her arms trying 
to climb onto her shoulders. “How long have they been asking?”

“As soon as they saw the water.” She plucked 
little Charles’s hand from her face and chided, 
“Careful! You almost poked my eye!”

The little boy ducked his snout. “Sorry, Mama. Can I be on your head?”

Misanthe had already given up trying to keep 
Erick in her arms. The boy straddled her neck 
with his legs and was holding on to her head fur, 
snout framed by black ears. Malger was having 
more luck with the older daughter Bernadette; she 
sat in his cradling arms and pointed at each of 
the bird brothers high up in the rigging and 
tried to say their names. Charles could only 
chortle as his wife surrendered, hoisting his 
namesake on her shoulders like his brother. The 
boy squeaked in delight, eyes wide and dashing from mast to sea and back again.

“Isn’t Garigan going to join us?” Malger asked. 
He jerked his snout toward the bow where the ferret reclined by himself.

Charles shook his head. “He wanted to ‘welcome 
the sea’ as he put it. I think he wanted a moment to himself.”

“None of us will have much time to ourselves for 
many months. I’m sure Calenti will let him serve 
in the crow’s nest if he asks.”

“I think Quoddy, Lubec, and Machias will be there ahead of him.”

The marten chuffed and nodded. “How is Jerome?”

“As good as can be expected,” Charles replied. 
The wolfish Sondecki was back on the wharf with 
the dragons. Pharcellus was helping the sailors 
undo the mooring lines while Lindsey stretched 
his wings. “He should stay on board with us as 
soon as he is ready. The crew will be used to us 
in a day or two. Tomorrow I will help row; 
they’ll accept us better if we sweat alongside them.”

“And if the winds are all we need?”

“I will teach my children of the sea. You know 
they’ll eventually
” Charles flicked his eyes 
toward the rigging and grunted. Malger suppressed a chuffing laugh.

Before the marten could offer more, the Captain 
began shouting orders at the men in the oar 
ranks. Wood groaned as the last of the moor lines 
were collected and the sailors heaved the massive 
spars in their locks. The paddles pressed against 
the water, and they felt the deck jerk beneath 
them. The wharves of Menth shifted and began 
sliding backward. Kimberly gasped when she 
regained her footing, staring at the city as it 
drifted away behind them with each stroke of the oarsmen.

“Daddy, Daddy! We’re moving!” Erick squeaked as 
he bounced on Misanthe’s shoulders. The fox smiled through the discomfort.

Charles smiled and tickled his daughter’s sides. 
“No gnawing on your Daddy now.”

“Sorry!”

Four Keepers and four children watched from the 
aft as the Venture slid away from the wharf. As 
soon as they were in the clear they watched 
Pharcellus shift into a dragon. Sailors on the 
other end of the wharf bolted up the esplanade 
when the vermillion-tipped gray dragon stretched 
his wings and lashed his tail. Lindsey helped him 
secure the leather saddle and straps to carry a 
man while Jerome hid from sight beneath an awning wing.

The fleeing tide drew the Venture far from shore. 
They were joined in the water by fishing trawlers 
and flocks of birds riding the waves. Flotsam and 
seaweed marred the waves but the oarsmen plowed 
through each. The grunting of the sailors and the 
straining of the rigging filled their ears while 
the pungent tang of salt and the dwindling refuse 
of the city filled their nose.

After rowing for a few minutes, the Captain 
turned the wheel and the Venture tilted to the 
left. The sun shifted until it was ahead and on 
the right; they were now heading south. The deck 
beneath them shifted with the waves; Misanthe and 
Kimberly reached for the gunwale to steady themselves.

“Are you well?” Charles asked, taking a confident 
step toward his wife. Baerle finally seemed to 
notice the way her siblings had climbed atop the 
big people’s heads and dug her claws into the 
back of his head fur to do the same. Charles 
grimaced and helped her stand on his shoulders; 
he could feel one of her little hands digging at 
the burn scar around his right eye.

Kimberly tried to smile. “I’d forgotten how the 
sea moves. I
 I think I’ll be fine in a
 in a little while.”

Misanthe slipped beside her and patiently moved 
one of Erick’s hands off her ears. “I brought a 
few things to help if you need them, milady.”

Bernadette scrambled even higher on Malger’s 
head, trying to brace her foot with his ear as 
she pointed at a shadow in the sky. “Daddy, look atta bird!”

They all glanced upward and watched as a winged 
shadow descended from the sky. It circled around 
the Venture a few times, and once it was out of 
the sun, Charles could see the oblong shape clearly. It was not a bird.

Both he and Malger moved next to the ladies at 
the aft gunwale as the gryphon came to a landing 
on the deck between them and the Captain. Calenti 
cast a backward glance and offered the 
eagle-headed gryphon a smirk. “Did you finally wear out your wings?”

The gryphon dipped his head and folded his wings. 
“I waited until we were well away from the city. 
Why worry about me when you have dragons on this voyage too?”

Calenti laughed. “My bravery stops at telling 
gryphons what to do. But after seeing how well 
they and our passengers were received, I see no 
reason you cannot join us when we dock. Speaking 
of, let me introduce you.” The captain stepped 
around the gryphon, who turned around in place, 
golden eyes wide and intent. “Your grace, allow 
me to introduce the last member of our voyage, 
Kurgael. I hired him to help guard the ship. 
Between Kurgael and the dragons we have nothing to fear.”

“Well met, Kurgael,” Malger said, sketching a 
slight bow. “It is good to have you aboard. You 
seem comfortable around Keepers like us. Are you also from Metamor?”

“I was cursed, but I prefer to live on the cliffs 
to the south.” He lifted his beak and one wing, 
gesturing to the three birds capering high in the 
rigging. “Lubec and Machias stopped by my nest to 
tell me where they were going. It sounded like an 
adventure and so I came along.”

“I am very glad they did.”

Calenti cleared his throat and gestured at the 
marten. “Forgive me your grace, but allow me to 
introduce you. Kurgael, this is his grace, 
Archduke Malger dae ross Sutt of Sutthaivasse, 
Sir Charles Matthias of the Narrows, his wife 
Lady Kimberly and their children, and the Lady Misanthe of Metamor.”

Kurgael glanced briefly at the rest but his eyes 
stayed on the marten. “Oh? I had heard
” For a 
moment the gryphon's astonishment seemed to 
envelop every muscle in his massive body. Tension 
filled every sinew and for a blink of the eye it 
seemed he might leap as a cat toward the marten. 
But then he relaxed and a warm camaraderie 
touched his avian eyes. “I am glad to have a 
chance to be of service, your grace.” He turned 
to the rat and bobbed his head. “And to you as well, sir knight.”

He then turned to greet both ladies, but before 
he could speak, all four of the little rats 
roused themselves from marveling at the gryphon 
and squirmed free, scrambled down parents, fox, 
and marten, across the deck, and up the startled 
avian forelegs of Kurgael in an effort to reach 
the feathered nape of his neck first.

“Well, I’d say we’ve had enough introductions,” 
Malger remarked with a thinly veiled laugh. “You 
wear rat very well there, Kurgael!”

Little rat voices chorused, “Can we fly you! Can we! Can we!”

Charles wrapped his arm about his wife’s middle 
and pulled her close. Kimberly leaned her head 
against his chest as they watched their children 
play with the gryphon. He sighed and relaxed, 
letting the rocking of the waves soothe his 
anxiety. The voyage would be long and uncertain, 
but they were making it together. He kissed his 
wife between the ears, glancing at his friends 
around the boat and in the sky above him. Sondeshara could wait.

----------

Garigan leaned against the prow and stared across 
the leaping dolphin toward the horizon. He knew 
from studying the maps Kayla had given them they 
would need to sail first south, then west along 
the northern coast of Sathmore, before turning 
south again until they reached Whales. From there 
they would turn east through the coral basin gap 
between Marzac and Boreaux and then follow the 
marshy Boreaux coastline southeast. A journey of 
five months, four if the winds favored them.

And at the end of the journey was a desert and a 
city nestled deep within the desert built around 
an oasis rising up from untold depths. A thousand 
generations of Sondeckis had made this city their 
home. The very sands thrummed with the power 
imbuing him, a power until a few years ago he 
never knew had a name. He had learned much from 
Charles in the last two years and there was a 
great deal he had discerned on his own. But in 
the city awaiting them he would learn so much more.

He would learn to spin a Sondeshike.

He would learn to shatter stone with a song.

He would learn to shape metal with his fingers.

He would learn to move without sound and without muscle.

Perhaps he would even understand why he had been gifted with the Sondeck.

Garigan was grateful to Charles for all he had 
shown him already. He was grateful to Malger for 
helping them make this voyage. He knew they 
journeyed to Sondeshara to help Jerome break 
free, but he came because of the Sondeck. It needed to find its home.

Garigan dug his claws into the gunwale, savoring 
the wind in his fur, thrilling with every passing league.

----------

Cool sea air ran through his fur. He held tight 
to the leather straps framing Pharcellus’s neck 
and shoulders. Each beat of massive wings pressed 
dragon muscles into his chest; his breath fell 
into rhythm as they ascended high above Menth. 
Far below the Venture rowed away from shore into 
the sea lanes; the sails were ready to capture the winds to take them south.

A journey of many months now begun. They would 
reach the ancient city in the desert, the only 
place in all the world he might be helped. Sondeshara.

To the north, he could feel something. His heart 
ached for it. He could smell the warm earthiness 
and feel the loam beneath his paws. He knew his 
place in the world. He could see a wall with 
glowing baubles. He had brothers to run and hunt with. He had a father.

A father he disobeyed.

A father aware of him.

A father beckoning him home.

He pressed his muzzle against the dragon’s hide 
and forced his tongue to still; he would not 
speak the words tumbling from his heart. Sorrow. 
Regret. Remorse. Determination.

Forgive me, Father.

Gmork’s Prodigal dug in his claws for the long flight.

----------

May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,

Charles Matthias
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20161015/5e7b38ba/attachment-0001.html>