Card Tales - 9. Tale 9

Required Elements cont.

5. A woof Elf fairy with psychotic tendencies that is in love with your MC
6. a tattoo that reads 'I am an idiot' in foreign calligraphy, but which the bearer of said tattoo insists means "Daenor, Lord of Death"
7. A Dwarf fighter with the MC's native language the words, 'Bear Defiler' inscribed permanently somewhere visible to passer bys.
8. sleeping in a manure heap

The water swept them under and Cardanniel held onto Dart with all his strength as he attempted to free them of the sinking ship. Here, the river was wide, swift, deep, and tasted of salt. Other people and debris swirled past them as Cardanniel fought for air, then he felt a pair of hands on him, pulling him upward, away from the sinking ship, toward the shore. He tightened his grip on Dart and let their rescuer give them aid. When he could feel the river under his feet the hands steadied him, and then they were gone. He looked around for the person and saw none. He dragged Dart from the water leaning against him to steady himself. Up and down the shoreline, other people were staggering out of the water then he staggered forward himself seeking shelter for himself and Dart. Up above them was a group of buildings; Cardanniel knew that if he could get them to the buildings everything would be just fine. He staggered forward, pulling Dart with him.

Cardanniel opened his eyes slowly to the new day. The dark maiden hovered low in the sky, kissed her lover, and then disappeared below the horizon. It was a blessed sight for Cardanniel to witness as he fully believed the hands of his goddess had saved his and Dart's life the night previous. He would thank her properly later.

"There you are!" a deep voice rumbled through the last remaining fog that was in Cardanniel's mind. "Why are laying in tha' shit?"

Cardanniel looked at the man, he was from one of the short southern mountainous tribes known for their tempers and fighting ability and bore an odd tattoo on his forehead. It read 'Bear Defiler'. Cardanniel did not want to know what the man did to achieve such a punishment. As to his question, Cardanniel sat up and realized he and Dart had actually fallen asleep in a manure heap behind what appeared to be a stable. Getting from the shore to the buildings must have taken more of his energy than he realized for him to do something so ridiculous. Cardanniel laughed.

"What's he laughin' for, Balfor?" a second man intruded on their discussion, "Them pirates finally gave up lookin' for tha rest o' us."

Cardanniel looked at him, another dwarf, and laughed even harder. He had 'I am an idiot' tattooed on his forehead.

"Go gather up the rest then Daenor, and maybe I can get his highness here a'moving like she said."

"She?" Cardanniel finally managed to squeak out.

"Yah, Priestess Allana, she said to find you and bring you. Don't like takin' no orders from no woman."

"And your friend?"

"That's Daenor. He claims to be the 'Lord of Death'. Had it tattooed on his forehead so everyone could see, too."

Cardanniel just shook his head and laughed some more which caused his head to ache something horribly. Then he turned to the slowly waking Dart and helped him gather his wits as they stood up and walked behind Belfor over to where Priestess Allana was waiting for them.

She looked at Cardanniel and Dart and nodded her approval. "Not the most practical of disguises, but effective when they hunt by scent."

Cardanniel grinned at her, "The pleasure is mine, mistress. I'm afraid we have not been properly introduced."

"Ah, that could be a problem, if I did not belong to the church, Sir. Might I suggest a bath for you and your -- ?" She looked from Cardanniel to Dart questioning their relationship.

"He is my apprentice."

"Apprentice to what craft?" She looked him up and down, "You came off that ship, and so far every prisoner in the hold was of a political nature or a religious one, except you two."

"Are you so certain?" Cardanniel asked.

"Everyone else had their magic bound if they had any and their weapons taken away. You were neither bound nor disarmed; so what are you?"

Dart looked at her and said softly, "I am a warlock; he is my mentor and protector."

She looked at Cardanniel then back at Dart, "But it was him, not you I was instructed to save."

Dart shrugged, "He would not let me die, and I would not know what to do without him. In saving him, you saved me, did you not?"

"This is very strange," she said shaking her head.

Cardanniel laughed. "Life is very strange, that is why we live it. Is it not?"

She cocked her head, "There is a strangeness about you."

He mimicked her movement, "And you ask too many questions that are none of your business. If you want answers, might I suggest you commune with the god you serve," Cardanniel began to walk toward the buildings, "now you said something of a bath?"

Daenor and Balfor laughed as Cardanniel left Priestess Alanna standing mouth agape, then hurried to catch up with Cardanniel. "I can show you were the bathhouse is, highness," Balfor said.

"I'm not a prince," Cardanniel told him bluntly, "but if you can show us the baths I would be most appreciative of it."

Daenor punched Balfor in the ribs and Balfor whacked Daenor upside the head, but the two stout men led Cardanniel and Dart between the buildings toward a stone structure which had several people milling about outside.

"What do you think is going on?" Dart asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we need to wait our turn," Cardanniel replied as they joined the mixed gender group made up of several nationalities of people. However, when they joined the group, everyone stopped talking and stared at them. Cardanniel figured it was because they were covered in feces, and blushed, "Pardon us, we sort of found ourselves in a deep pile of shit last night." Several people laughed nervously and Cardanniel laughed with them.

"Are the baths in use?" Dart asked from his place at Cardanniel's side.

"Not at this time," one of the men spoke. His ink stained fingers marked him as a scribe, and Cardanniel wondered what he had done to earn a place in the cargo hold of the ship.

"Then we will make use of them," Cardanniel smiled at the group, and noticed when the scribe smiled the small muscles in his face pulled oddly and there was a slight twitch in his hands.

A good while later both young men exited the bathhouse wearing slightly damp but much cleaner clothing and feeling much more refreshed themselves. The crowd had dispersed with the exception of one rail thin youngster of which Cardanniel could honestly not determine the gender. It leaned against the bathhouse in a tunic and trousers, which were both too large, and secured about its waist with a length of what appeared to be braided grass. It was much shorter than Cardanniel and not quite as tall as Dart.

"She said for one of us to wait for you," it said softly as it stroked the petals of a flower. "I volunteered."

"It wasn't necessary," Cardanniel said.

"Yes, it was," it looked at Dart, "I had to know."

"Know what?" Dart asked.

"If you are his lover."

Cardanniel saw the look of shock on Dart's face as he was confronted with their relationship, then he heard the words that followed.

"What does it matter to you?" Dart asked the wood elf.

The smaller elf hissed and lunged taking the answer as an affirmative. Dart was not prepared for a physical attack and landed on his back in the dirt. Cardanniel was not sure if he should help his apprentice or if he should let the boy fight his own battles, but then he saw the flash of silver. Battle it might be, but it was not worth either one of them being killed over. Grabbing both of them by the back of their shirt collars, he was able to determine the elfling was a lad, and a rather pretty one at that. Both boys were breathing hard and Dart was bleeding from a quickly healing wound on his arm.

"Now, where do you belong?" Cardanniel asked the elfin boy.

"With you," he cried, "more than he does."

Cardanniel put Dart down after giving him a stern look, so he could give his attention to the elfin lad. "Now what makes you think that?"

"They say you are a prince! You are elfin. Of course you would want one of your own kind rather than someone like… him," the lad shot Dart a deadly look.

"Well, I am not a prince and while I may be elfin I choose my companions not by what they are but by who they are, and I happen to be happy with this one right now," Cardanniel informed him.

"So you will choose another when he is dead?"

Cardanniel looked at the lad. "I'll not choose you, even if he is dead."

"But," he sniffled, "I love you."

Cardanniel shook his head, "You will grow up, and learn what true love is one day. Now, why were you waiting on us again?"

"Priestess Alanna wants to see you."

"Ah, her again," Cardanniel said with a grin, "and where might we find the priestess?"

"At the temple," he sniffed again.

Cardanniel nodded and turned to Dart, "Well you heard him, the lady awaits." Then he turned and headed off toward the largest building in the group -- the temple.

On the steps of the temple, a largish crowd had gathered but had not entered the temple proper; among them were the fighter and his friend, Belfor and Daenor. Cardanniel looked them over as they parted for he and Dart to pass unmolested up the stair to the great doors, which still remained closed. Dart looked back among the people behind them then at Cardanniel. The confusion on his face was evident. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't like the feel of this," Cardanniel looked around, "we need to get back to that town and I have no idea if we need to go up river or down on this side or that," he sighed.

"What do you think of everyone on the pirate ship being political prisoners?" Dart asked.

"I think that someone wants mages, magical beings, and the like out of their territory."

"Should we do something about it?"

"Yes, leave."

"Cardanniel!" Dart exclaimed. "Why are you acting like this?"

Cardanniel turned on Dart speaking softly and rapidly for the boy's ears alone. "I report. I watch. I correct the things I can, but a thing like this is too big for one person; even two people. I'll send off my report and they will send something to deal with it."

"So what about these people?"

"What about them?"

"They seem to expect you to help them, Cardanniel," Dart said, "us to help them."

"Great, just great…" Cardanniel mumbled, "Since when did I have to be the savior of the world?" He looked back at them and sighed, feeling the uncertainty and the trust through the soul bond he and Dart shared, there were many things he could do, but did he want to do any of them so… pubically? Cardanniel pulled Dart to him and kissed him deeply for all to see, putting out of their minds why they may have been on the ship. Then he turned to the doors and took a deep breath, "Stay here, I'm going to find out what Alanna wants, keep them safe."

"I'll do my best," Dart whispered against Cardanniel's skin, and then Cardanniel was walking through the illusion and into the temple.