The Home Stone

Roma awoke with the gentle rocking of the ship. She sat up and looked out of her tiny portal and saw nothing but blue water. The shoreline had disappeared and they were underway. Glancing over at the sleeping elf, she smiled. He had saved her life last night. She had wanted to get up to see who was down on the docks shooting at them, but Jarron’s strong arms kept her pinned down. She rose and walked over to the table where the washbowl was and splashed some cool water into her face, to wash away last night’s sleep. By the time she finished the elf was also awake and up. Later, the two left the cabin in search of the galley where they could get some breakfast. It was not hard to find, as they just followed the smell of cooking food. When they arrived the captain greeted them and then one of the galley people escorted them to a table. They dined on fried pork, hot bread, melting salted butter, and cheese, which they washed down with hot tea. When they had finished their meal, the captain came over and introduced himself.

“My name is John Olson and I am the captain of the Sea Breeze,” he said. “I hope you will have a safe journey. I hear we had some trouble down on the docks late last night. It seems that some ruffians tried to take on one of the city’s patrols. I have heard that the three were Valcorans. I wonder what they are doing this far west? They usually do not come here unless to trade. The two of you were on deck at that time, I understand. Did you see anything?”

Roma and the elf just looked at each other and then nodded.

“No,” she began. “We didn’t see or hear anything while we were on deck. Everything was quiet. So quiet that we soon went below and fell asleep.”

The two could see that the captain did not believe them, but was gracious enough not to pursue the matter any further. He then excused himself and left the two. They would have to watch themselves over the next two days. It could be that the Valcorans had some more warriors on board, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. So from that moment on, every woman on board became a suspect. Even those who traveled with their so called husbands or male escorts. There were some single women on board traveling to meet their husbands and one was going to get engaged to someone in Enderby.

The next two days were spent enjoying the voyage west. They followed the route south and then east as the trade winds blew. When the ship returned to Sweet Wood it would have to take a more northerly route because, when the sea was formed many millennia ago the waters flowed in a clockwise motion thus creating the winds. This made trading via the Saradan Sea easier for the different races. It also made it easier for the races of man to wage war on the dwarfs and elves. Many a great battle had been fought on the eastern shores of the inland sea. Staring out onto the smooth waters, Roma could see fishing vessels hugging the coast of the many islands that dotted the vast waters, catching and filling their holds with fish. The Sea Breeze had to stay farther out to sea as the waters where the fishermen fished were too shallow for the larger ship. She watched as they passed island after island. Some large enough to build a small village on it and others so small that a four-man tent would be too large.

Early the third and final day the weather turned. Dark clouds moved in quickly and it began to rain. Rapidly the tempest turned into a full-blown storm, forcing everyone below. There, in their cabins, Roma and Jarron spent the entire day, leaving only to eat in the small dining hall. Fearing the wind would blow them too close to the shore. The captain ordered the crew to take in the sails and drop both fore and aft anchors. Here, only a half a day’s sailing away from Water’s Edge, they would wait out the storm. The storm raged, making the ship roll from side to side, even the elf had a queasy stomach and did not come for dinner that evening.

The ship creaked and groaned as the swells forced the ship to list so bad that everyone thought it would capsize. Thunder roared and lightning danced across the sky and occasionally stuck the top of a wave close to the boat. The sailors up on deck crouched down behind and under the steep staircases to avoid being struck by the bolts as they came ever so close to the ship. At one point, the aft anchor tore loose and the ship took a huge wave sideways sending one of the sailors overboard. A futile attempt was made to rescue him, but the storm proved too violent to save the man. No one dared to put a small lifeboat into the raging sea to retrieve the sailor. One of his buddies did manage to throw a floating ring in the general direction. If he saw it, or caught it, no one knows to this date for he was never seen again, nor was the ring ever retrieved.

Down below the passengers did not fare much better. Most were in their cabins seasick. Only a few, Roma included, were able to get to the dining room and eat. The meal was a cold one as the cook did not take a chance on cooking with the ship tossing to and fro. Roma dined on cheese and cold sausage along with a couple of flagons of good ale. She stayed in the dining room until late in the afternoon when the storm finally abated. She then made her way to Jarron’s cabin to see if he needed anything.

Roma opened the cabin door and saw that he was asleep, so she returned to her cabin and waited for the ship to dock. Hours passed and finally one of the Stewarts came down the narrow passageway, announcing that everyone could disembark. She was packed and ready when the news came to leave the ship. Grabbing her backpack, she knocked on the elf’s door. She waited, but no one answered. Again, she knocked and called out his name. Still, she got no answer. She tried the door and found it stuck. The handle turned, but the door did not budge. Putting down her pack, she pushed against the door and got it to open an inch or two. Finally, she put her entire weight behind it and gave a mighty push. The door opened just enough for the girl to squeeze through. There, blocking the door lay the body of the elf. Jarron lay in a pool of blood from what looked like multiple stab wounds. His room was ransacked with the few furniture overturned and the bunk where he lay in just a few hours earlier, was all torn apart. Whoever did this caught the elf by surprise for he was an experienced fighter and one of Kirin’s best.

Closing the door behind her, Roma headed straight for the captain’s cabin. There she spoke to him and he immediately stopped anyone from leaving the ship, but it was too late. Some of the passengers had already gone ashore. Those who had departed were the four single women that Roma had met at the beginning of the voyage. Now that she thought about them, she hadn’t seen the four during the entire voyage except in the dining room and that was only on a few occasions. Thinking that they had been seasick, she did not give it much attention, until now.

It was already dark when the authorities were finally finished with their investigation and Roma was allowed to leave the ship. Not wanting to give up too much information as to why the two were traveling together she told them that they had met in Caldor and decided to travel together. She told the investigators that Jarron had told her that he had some business here in Water’s Edge. Roma didn’t tell a lie. The only information she did not give was that the elf had no business here other than being her bodyguard. When the questions were asked and the authority was satisfied with her answers, Roma was allowed to leave the ship. Not wanting to take chances, traveling in the dark with the warrior women somewhere out there, she decided to stay in town and leave at first light. She waited until the two horses were offloaded and then made her way to the nearest inn with a livery stable. The well-worn sign of the “Edge Water”, hung over the huge wooden doors that lead straight into the huge dining room. It was a busy night for the Sea Breeze was not the only ship to dock that very day.

Finding an empty table in the back corner, Roma sat down and waited for the serving girl to come and take her order. She dined on spiced pork, fried potatoes and some overcooked vegetables, which she washed down with a flagon of good Enderbian ale, brewed right here in the inn, where she would spend the night. After the meal, she rented a room and made her way up to the second floor where it was situated. The lock on the door was broken so Roma jammed the only chair under the handle. Feeling safe, she poured some water into the bowl resting on the rustic looking dresser and washed her face. The room was small and did not have a lot of furniture. The bed, along with a small table and chair were the only pieces that decorated the room. There were no pictures hanging on the walls or curtains covering the window. A piece of black cloth was nailed over the top of the window frame to keep the sun out. This was one of the worst places she had ever spent the night. Morning would not come soon enough. Placing a long stiletto knife under her pillow Roma lay down and fell asleep.

The next morning Roma went downstairs and ate a good breakfast. The room she had slept in last night was one of the worst she had ever seen, but the food from the kitchen could rival some of the best kitchens in Enderby. She asked the girl who served her to fill her water skin with fresh water and to wrap up some bread and cheese for her journey to Storr. She then went to retrieve the two horses from the stable. After packing one animal with supplies, Roma mounted the other and rode off to the main road that led across the Plains of Enderby. She knew that she would probably be followed or that the Valcorans would be hiding somewhere along the road to ambush her but this was her part of this world where she knew the lay of the land better than them. She had better knowledge of the forests and small trails, than the warrior women. A short ride out of the village and Roma came to a small pass that led deeper into the forest. From there, she could skirt the main road and meet up with it again when she was well onto the plains. If anyone would be following her, she could lay a trap for them and if she was not being followed, then she would leave them wondering as to what happened and return first to the village, to investigate if she was still there.

Soon after, Roma came upon the pass and turned the horses onto it. She continued to ride on for several miles before stopping to rest the animals and consume a small meal. She left the pass and hid in the deep undergrowth and tall shrubs. There she waited to see if she was being followed, but after some time no one showed and it showed her that she was quite alone. Roma mounted her horse and took the reins of the other in hand and continued towards the plains. She remembered her last deed before leaving the ship. She handed the captain a note that he was to deliver back to Sweetwood, where it would continue until it reached the hands of Kirin.

She slowed her pace so the noise of the horses would not attract attention, when the path she was following turned towards the main road. Here she dismounting and left the horses tethered to a tree and crept closer to the gravel highway. When she was about fifty feet from the road, Roma heard a soft voice speaking to someone. It was a familiar female voice; one that she recognized from the ship, but there was also a male voice talking back to the female that sounded ever so familiar. Roma strained to listen when she heard a familiar word or two. She had heard that voice before, but could not put her finger on it.

Slowly she crept back to where she had left the horses and quietly left the area. She continued for a short time, until the path lead away from the main road before mounting her horse and making her way out to the plains. It took most of the day to reach the end of the forest and with the plains in view another problem arose. Dark gray clouds hung heavily over the plains and in the distance, thunder could be heard. She did not like traveling on the plains during a thunderstorm. It was not the crack of thunder that worried her, but the lightning that preceded it. Now Roma wished that she had gone on further on the main road and taken the next side passage on the right, but that would have led her farther north and into the Crystal Mountains and Crystal Lake; the home of the Grey Dwarfs. Although they were no longer at war with anyone, they were very territorial. Dismounting she tethered the horse to a bush that also provided a patch of long grass to eat. Roma then donned her waterproof cloak and hunkered down under a large old oak tree.

The storm raged out on the plains and Roma could see the lightning strikes from her vantage point. Grateful that she had decided to stay put where she was, than being out there in that awful weather. Roma spent most of the day under the oak tree before the storm abated and headed east and out to sea. Thankfully the horses were still tethered where she had left them. Mounting her steed she grabbed the reins of the other and headed out onto the plains. Determined to make up for time lost, she rode the animals hard until it was almost too dark to see. The dark clouded sky made visibility all most impossible. If she had the eyes of an elf, Roma would have kept going, but she feared of going in circles. Tired as she was, she found a little patch in a clutch of very old Oak trees, that remained dry and settled in for the night.

The next morning, she rose and continued. Still cloudy and damp she pressed on. By noon the sun began to dry the clouds and the peeked through warming her as she rode. Roma camped again just west of the South Bay Forest in the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. Here for the first time she allowed herself to have a small cooking fire. After heating some water for a hot cup of tea Roma let the fire die down. She then rolled up in her cloak and fell asleep leaving the horses to forage for food a little ways from her camp. Morning came all too soon and Roma found herself on the road once more, heading for her hometown of Storr. It was a pleasant day with the sun shining brightly. As she began to climb up into the mountains, she turned and looked back to the way she had come. Way out on the plains, Roma thought she saw a flash. Someone was following her and the only thing she could think of was that the warrior women were on her trail. She stared for a while and then again, another flash. A piece of armor, or a bladed weapon, was the most probable cause. Roma knew that the women did not wear armor. Hoping that it was a patrol of the Enderbian forces she turned and continued, all the while thinking as to who was behind her. Roma decided that in order to get home she would have to ride on through the night. This way she would reach the village by early morning.