II
A storm brewed in the distance as waves began to grow and crash harder into the sides of the hull. Far away skies began to darken and creep inland as the blue and white were replaced by a bleak black abyss.
Two common trading ships sailed west with the wind towards the province of Bourne in the waters surrounding the Kingdom of Aurelia. A few more days and they would port in one of the kingdom's larger eastern cities – Erwake.
Both ships were part of an envoy that was returning from Anglia, a powerful island kingdom off the coast of Aurelia. Aurelian Console Dylan Chark had been sent on the rather secretive mission to make an agreement with the Anglo, promising neutrality if war once again broke out between Anglia and Frankia, a large kingdom on the Aurelian southern border. In exchange, they would get a good amount of silver and gold, which was stored on their accompanying vessel.
Anglia had just suffered through a long and brutal war against the Frankish that emptied the resources of both sides. The Frankish were able to cross the channel that separates the kingdoms and captured many cities. Something that they had failed to do in every war between the two.
Unfortunately, the Frankish king was killed in battle, and his brother returned home in chaos. Anglia had lost a large section of the standing army, and on top of that, the war had caused a small famine through parts of the kingdom. Aurelia was really the only other country that the Anglo could trust as it used to be part of the kingdom many years ago and remained relatively loyal. Console Dylan Chark had been sent to solidify this trust and secure some funds for the Aurelian crown as well.
A centuries-long rivalry that's only hope of stopping is if both kingdoms ruin each other, Chark thought. Aurelia more than not played both sides, but always remained outwardly loyal to Anglia.
They were almost three days away from Erwake, the nearest large port city of their homeland. However, like most Aurelian coastal cities in recent times, it was very rundown and infested with criminals. Chark always thought that if he ever became king, one of the first things he would do is build the Aurelian coast.
"How's it looking out there?" he asked the helmsman. Chark didn't have too much experience on the water, but he always loved the feeling of sailing and the smell of the salt in the air as you do so.
"Well, the skies aren't looking too good, but we should be fine through this upcoming straight like we planned," the man responded in a thick accent. The console had become familiar with the Eastern dialect. Though with how diverse a region it is, saying there is only one is far from reality.
"Make it fast if you will," Chark said while chuckling to himself, knowing they had no control over the pace they took now. The console stood up, then stretched his back and shoulder muscles before leaving to go back down into the cabin.
"If there's gonna be a time to get attacked, it's gonna be now," he jested further as he got down into the cabin, "At least this is where any remaining wreckage has been found." He was referring to several incidents across the summer where Aurelian ships have been attacked and robbed by an unknown group of pirates. The perpetrators' ability to remain unknown was the big problem, other than the fact that it was happening, of course. Aurelian ships encounter pirates often, but rarely are the majority of passengers left dead or missing.
"Indeed, the few surviving accounts we have seem to have the pirates attacking strangely close to the limits of the kingdom's waters, but we will be ready," replied Alic Hanson, a Sergeant in the Ramschek militia, where they had departed from.
While Anglia lay west of Aurelia, a Frankish blockade was still partially present in the channel separating the two. As a result, Chark had to resort to hiring Suede sailors in the north to sail with. They were raiders, so the Frankish would be more than willing to let them pass. The guise had worked, but after leaving the raiders, it would be dangerous to travel overland with the reward received from Anglia. Sailing the Stormborne sea east of the kingdom was their only other option.
"It's almost impossible to attack someone in this straight with any vessel bigger than ours," Captain Dree Magor said, sitting up from his sleep. Magor was a Celtic man with a sharp, brash accent who, as Chark had learned, loves the seas almost as much as he loves ale and wine.
He continued, "With this current, any ship not sailing in line with us won't be able to control their ships very well, and they'll turn over or crash into the bank."
"It would be nice if we didn't have to slow down through this part of the route. The sooner we get to land, the better," Chark said apprehensively.
Magor agreed with the Console's sentiment, but there wasn't much they could do. The same thing that made this straight hard to attack was the same thing that forced them to tread slowly and carefully. This particular area is filled with sharp rocks and sand banks, which would help protect them from any pirates but would make for a painfully tedious passage.
"Well," he mused, "Hopefully whoever's been pirating around here isn't dumb enough to give it a go in here."
"Still, we should get ready for anything," Chark said, sitting down, "Alic, go signal the other ship to sail closer together." The ships these men were in were common trading ships often used by locals, less elegant than a royal vessel, but sailed just as well.
"So Chark," Magor began, "How is life in the capitol these days?"
"Slow as it has been the past few years. Hard to get much done when the people making decisions all want something different," he replied
"It seems like our weakness is starting to leave the capitol and spread to the ears of foreign powers," Magor said.
Seeing that Chark didn't understand, he continued, "Norvege raids are growing more frequent, there are the pirate attacks in these very waters we sit on, and I have seen more towns and cities become festered with criminals."
Magor could see now that he was being understood by the Console, who was taking his time crafting a response to the statement.
"The crown has divided up responsibilities between several respected figures, including myself," Chark answered. "However, I suppose that this strategy does have its flaws, as I mentioned previously, but much progress is being made."
"When I was a child and the King was still in his youth, I remember my uncle, who was the governor of our province, would tell me about the capitol," Magor pondered, starting to move across the floor of the cabin.
"The way he made it sound, it was as if every tall tale I had ever heard was taking place there. Knights training for war, constant meetings between the King and his advisors, and a tavern around every corner bustling with both country folk and those who lived in the castle."
Finally, Magor finished, "Now I get the impression that there is a lack of desire for success in that very same place."
Chark gave the only response he could think of, "Time can change a lot, I suppose."
A few minutes after their conversation, Magor had begun to lie down to sleep before Alic came barging back into the cabin with his spear in hand at the ready. The lookout on the other ship spotted three foreign warships sailing their way.
Chark dropped his hand instinctively to his sword hilt as they headed to the deck of the ship to take stock of the situation. On the deck, the trio saw that two of the enemy ships had already reached the crew onboard the other boat that was not more than twenty meters away.
"Dammit they're Hesperian ships, that's who's been attacking," Magor spat, angrily. The realization of what was really occurring shocked Chark and his companions. There was little time to react with their own craft, which was about to be boarded.
The Hesperians had been a rival of Auralia for what seemed to be eternity. Raids into Aurelian territory could be seen every twenty years or so, but they had never dared launch any sort of prolonged attack before. That is, until the past several months. Their responsibility for the attacks also explained why there were never any survivors. They had been clearing the water in order to launch a larger invasion.
Magor saw that the helmsman of the other ship had been cut down when two Hesperians boarded the vessel. The two guards were trying to fend off two more who boarded from the stern and one who came in from the portside. The lookout was strewn, dead across the deck, and another crew member had been thrown overboard. Thankfully, the lack of steering caused the ship to go out of control, helping the guards fend off for longer.
"Here they come!" yelled Alic, snapping Magor back to his situation. One of the other ships was headed their way, and three men were ready to climb aboard with Chark and Alic moving to cut them off.
Alic and Chark had to deal with three men armed with swords while two others went to deal with their own helmsman at the bow of the ship. Alic engaged two of them with his spear while Chark took on the third, clashing sword against sword.
Alic quickly dispatched one soldier with a spear through the gut, but was forced on the defensive after that. He yelled to Chark for assistance, tripping over loose sailing. Chark, however, wasn't faring much better. He'd fallen into a series of defensive parries, giving up more ground with each strike.
Seeing the ship beginning to be overrun, Magor thought of something that could turn the tide. It was equally dangerous for all those on the deck, but things had quickly turned drastic. Once he reached control of the rudder, Magor tied himself to a railing and began to keel over the ship.
Right as Alic was about to be impaled by a sword, he heard Magor's warning but could not make it out over the clanging of swords. Thankfully, it also caught the attention of the man Alic was facing off against. He must've understood what Major said because it caused him to pause. Alic was able to get a kick in with the hesitation and send the man stumbling backwards. What he didn't know was that Magor had turned the rudder against the current.
Barely, Alic realized what was about to happen and grabbed onto a piece of rope tied to the mast. At wave hit the boat, causing it to turn over, throwing everyone off their feet except for Magor and Alic. Chark, unaware of Magor's plan, was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown overboard with the others.
Magor had to put his entire body weight behind the wheel to readjust the rudder. He was narrowly able to get the rudder to right the ship. Looking across the deck, he had a moment of joy until he realized Chark had been washed away with the attackers.
Things were starting to turn around for the Aurelian aboard the other ship as well. In a few minutes, they had dispatched the attackers and taken back control of their ship. Having expected untrained and ill-prepared traders, the presence of armed resistance had caused the Hesperians to be cautious. For most of them, the sight of swords covered in their countrymen's blood was enough to retreat to the safety of their own ship. This was fortunate because while Magor had been able to right his ship with the help of another big wave, he could tell that the maneuver had caused irreparable damage, and water would begin to sink them soon.
"We have to find Chark," Alic said to Magor as he frantically ran up from the stern of the ship.
"The ship will soon barely be afloat, we can't hardly waste time searching for someone washed away into the ocean," The response fell on deaf ears as he had gone down into the cabin to collect the British agreement documents.
Magor signaled the other boat to come in closer to relay the situation they were in. When he went to assess the damage to the hull, which appeared to have hit a rock during the flipping maneuver, he realized that there was only one thing they could do: abandon the ship.
"Get ready to jump over onto the other boat," Magor told Alic as he got back up onto the deck with a leather pouch slung over his shoulder.
The other ship was being steered over to the survivors by one of the two remaining guards. The other was on the other side, pulling up on a rope connected to something in the water. As they got closer, Magor could make out the struggling figure of Chark clinging to the rope. One arm was hanging at his side, bloody and broken.
"Alright, go now to the side and get ready to jump," Magor said to Alic. The sergeant did as told, and when the two ships were close enough, Magor tossed a rope across the swaying gap. A moment later, he climbed onto the railing and jumped across, landing an awkward roll.
"It's secure. We'll have to cut the rope soon," Magor yelled. He had used a loose rod to lock the wheel to keep it sailing straight. As Alic heaved himself across the rod snapped, and the ships jolted apart, making his jump barely too short. He slammed into the railing of the second ship and dropped his spear into the water below, where he would soon join its company.
Strangely, Alic didn't fall into the deadly straight below. For a moment, he floated above the water, grasping for a handhold until he realized what had happened. He looked up and saw Magor leaning over the railing, having caught a fistful of shirt.
"I've got you," Magor said as he began to pull up.
Alic grunted as his collar tightened. Magor's free hand took hold of his armpit and finished bringing the man onboard. They were only given a second to recover before Magor had to take control of the wheel, and Alic went to Chark's side.
As the ship had flipped, he had gotten caught in some spare rope and planks. A long cut down rand down the entirety of his forearm, and at the wrist, it was badly mangled.
"I'll live to console another day, Alic, don't worry," he groaned, clearly in lots of pain. Despite his reassurance, Alic brought him down to the cabin to get a better look at the arm. Meanwhile, Magor regained control of the ship, yet he could tell it too was badly damaged. It had collided with a sandbank during the fighting and suffered damage to the hull. There was little chance that it would stay intact long enough to make it to Erwake.
"Sir, what do we do now? We're starting to take on water in the hull."
"There is only one place we can make it to. Ramschek will have to do."
The captain knew the town well. They would have to make a stop at his home.