Isle of Wysteria: The Reluctant Queen (25 page)

“Come back here, you coward! I'll put a seed inside your head and pop you like a balloon!”

Deutzia’s branches flopped about and she began swaying from side to side.

“Oh, that perfume, it’s making me feel sick, get it away,” Deutzia complained.

“What is she saying?” Captain Evere asked as he watched Deutzia sparkle and shimmer.

“She is saying that Mina’s perfume is making her feel nauseous,” Athel relayed.

Alder gently grabbed Mina’s arm and led her back, away from Deutzia. “I apologize, but pregnant trees get really sensitive to scents.”

Mina’s eyes grew large and distant. “It’s just not fair...” Mina depreciated. “I bathe daily, people complain about the smell, I wear expensive perfume, people complain about the smell. JUST WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT ME TO DO?”

“Don’t be Mesdan,” Ryin snorted.

Deutzia shivered and gave off a sound somewhere between bending wood and a burp. From a knothole on her side, Deutzia spat out a thick blob of sap which struck Ryin right on the neck.

“Oh nasty!” Ryin spat, releasing Athel.

“Serves you right,” Athel judged, holstering her sidearm.

Ryin pawed at the sticky substance, pulling away long strands of syrupy fluid. “You are right Alder. This is very sacred, very solemn...I’m going to go burn my uniform now.”

“If I may, my Lady, this does change things,” Alder said pragmatically.

“This changes nothing,” Athel stated firmly.

“But, my Lady, Deutzia will need to be planted in Wysteria soil if she is to carry a daughter.”

“Eventually, yes,” Athel stressed. “For now, we still have to lead the attack on the Federal Reserve. They can’t do this without us. Deuts is a tough girl, she can hold out for a while, right?” Athel asked, patting Deutzia heartily on the trunk.

Deutzia belched.

Alder looked concernedly at Athel.

“Look, this quest comes from the Queen,” Athel deflected, holding up her palms. “I can’t refuse it.”

As Ryin slowly shuffled below deck, Margaret felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up from her notebook to see Pops the janitor standing next to her, holding his mop.

“You're about to crash,” Pops warned. Margaret looked up and peered through the gap in the Dreadnaught’s sails. Before them was a large pirate vessel, growing larger and larger as they approached it.

Margaret scrambled up to her podium and threw her hands to one side. The Dreadnaught was hit by a powerful crosswind that veered her away, missing the floating pirate vessel by mere feet. Angry and startled pirates yelled profanities in foreign tongues as they slipped past. A couple empty bottles of rum were thrown at them for good measure.

As they righted the ship again, they were met with an amazing sight. Hundred of pirate ships, of all shapes and sizes, were gathering together at this place.

Athel had never seen such a diverse collection of sail designs before. Proas and sunfish, catboats and gunters, sloops and cutters, yawls and ketchs, schooners and brigantines, barquentines and even a few fully-rigged warships.

While some of them had been painted in highly contrasting reds and blacks to mark themselves as pirate vessels, many were little more than sailing ships fitted with a few extra guns and sporting a black flag. Most belied a very poor state of repair and maintenance. Their crews lounged about on the yardarms and rigging, filthy and drunk. A few ships currently had open brawls occurring on their decks, their captains doing little to discourage the behavior, and sometimes even joining in. The Dreadnaught was flying amidst a swarm of ships without pattern or theme.

The exception was the Egress Guild. Their little cluster of ships were clean and well-maintained. Athel could almost smell that ‘new ship’ smell just by looking at them. Gold leafing and marble statues decorated their sides and decks. Their sails were decorated with stunning murals of setting vistas painted directly onto the canvas. Even their guns were unusually ornamental, the barrels cast in the shape of dragon heads with open maws.

“Set her down right over there,” Captain Evere ordered, pointing at a floating platform at the center of the gathering fleet. The lighthouse situated on top of the platform spun about, sending out three beams of light in all directions. When viewed head on, it flashed green twice, then red once, which Evere explained was the old Guild signal for gatherings like this.

Not that there had ever been a gathering like this before in living memory. The thirteen greatest Guilds, all together under a single banner. The tension of old rivalries and old grudges made the air positively thick with aggression.

As the Dreadnaught slowed to a halt, Alder and Mina were sent aloft to bring in the sails.

“And look! Who is here to greet us?” Captain Evere bellowed happily.

Standing there on the platform was an ogre of a man, with muscular oversized arms and a mouthful of thick, chipped teeth. His belly was far more trim then it had been when Athel first met him.

“Hanner!” Captain Evere greeted as he hopped down onto the platform. “It’s good to see you, boy.”

“Good to see you too, Cap'n,” Hanner admitted, lifting Captain Evere aloft with a bear-hug. “I was bored outta’ my skull back on Thesda when I got your message.”

“Well, I didn’t want you to get too soft with your maternity leave and everything.”

“Whaddya’ mean?” Hanner said with a toothy grin. “As far as my superiors know, I’m still back there breastfeedin’ for the next month and a half.”

Tim fluttered down and landed on Evere’s shoulder with a squalk.

“And look, you even brought me a little snack,” Hanner grinned, licking his lips.

“Hand’s off boyo, this one ain’t for eating.”

“It’s good to see you, Hanner,” Athel greeted as she walked up. “Did you get everything set up?”

“All set up inside, and not a moment too soon,” Hanner explained, eyeballing the approaching pirate ships warily.

Hanner reached inside his vest and pulled out baby Strenner, who was all swaddled up and happily munching on the corner of a small gift box. “Strenner has been holding onto this one for you,” Hanner explained as he handed it over.

“A special order from Thesda?” Alder inquired as he climbed down with Bunni and secured the mooring lines.

“Very special, come over here,” Athel said, leading him back up towards Deutzia.

Athel opened the small box, revealing a collection of what at first looked like gemstones, but when Athel held one up to the light, they could see that they were actually made out of clay.

“What are these?” Alder asked curiously.

“Well, I knew you wouldn’t approve of me replacing your dumb doll...”

“I’m not dumb,” Bunni argued, sticking out her little pink tongue.

“...so I ordered a bunch of upgrades for her.”

“Upgrades?”

“Yep, there’s a whole catalog full of enhancements you can buy for these dolls. Some to make them smarter so you can teach them things, some to make them stronger, some that makes their hair grow like a real kid’s, some to teach them special skills like makeup application, stuff like that. I figured if Bunni could do more, she'd be more useful to you doing your chores.”

Alder placed his hand over his heart and looked up at Athel, his eyes swimming. “Thank you, my Lady, that was eminently thoughtful.”

“Sure thing,” Athel said, giving him a kiss on the lips. “But I want you to call me Athi.”

“Of course, my Lady.”

“What about me?” Deutzia gurgled miserably. “We had a deal.”

“I didn’t forget our deal, Deuts,” Athel said, pulling out a purple stone from the box. “I got this one special for you. It’s technically designed for a golem much larger than Bunni, but it should still work.”

Athel snatched Bunni off of Alder’s shoulder and turned her over in her grip.

“Hey, I don’t want to play with you! You're going to give me a boo-boo!” Bunni protested as Athel unbuttoned Bunni’s maid costume with one hand, revealing the smooth clay surface of her back. Athel pressed the gemstone onto Bunni’s back and held it there. For a moment, nothing happened save for a few struggling noises, then the gemstone soaked into the clay as if it were porous. Bunni went limp and Athel buttoned up her outfit and set her down on the deck. Reaching into her pocket, Athel took out a few seeds and laid them down before the tiny golem.

“May I ask what you are doing?” Alder inquired.

“Shhh, just watch.”

Athel stepped back and waited. After a minute, Bunni woke up, her large eyes blinking wearily as if she was a real little girl waking up from a nap. “Is it time to get up?”

“Bunni, juggle,” Athel ordered.

“Wha?” Bunni asked as she jumped to her feet and scooped up the seeds. Tossing them in the air, Bunni began expertly juggling the seeds as she danced around.

“What am I doing? Waaaa!”

“JUGGLING!” Deutzia shouted happily, clapping her branches together.

“That’s amazing Miss Bubbles,” Alder praised.

“You have no idea how much it cost to find a juggling upgrade for this thing,” Athel boasted.

“Yay, juggling,” Deutzia cheered, raising up some of her branches and waving them around happily.

“Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you as well, my Lady,” Alder shared, picking up her intricately engraved staff where it leaned against some crates and handing it to her.

“Oh, you finished carving it,” Athel praised, looking it over. “Oh, wow, you carved in the two winding serpents like the staff of heroes from
Tanabori
. And you carved the top like the totem owl of wisdom from
Grendelabra
, and all these waves, is this the great river from
Snakecharmers
? Oh my gosh, it is, I see the little ship sailing on it. This is so leafy. Oh, and look here...”

Pops the janitor walked by as he mopped and noticed Athel blathering on about her staff. “Is that really appropriate?” he questioned.

Alder coughed. “The magic is in the wood, not the carvings, so technically it doesn’t matter what is carved. Traditionally, staffs are etched with things that are important to the owner. Family histories, things of that nature. Lady Forsythia has...eclectic tastes, so her staff was carved to match.”

Pops shook his head and kept walking. “My fault for asking.”

“I love it, Aldi,” Athel gushed, hugging him and kissing him deeply.

“Ahhhhh,” Bunni screamed as she skipped and juggled back and forth across the deck. “I can’t stop, how do I stop?”

With the Guild leaders arriving, Hanner escorted the crew of the Dreadnaught inside where a meeting room had been hastily prepared. A large, covered table dominated a raised podium at one end.

“I’m kind of nervous,” Margaret admitted as she came in, clutching her notebook tightly. “I've never met people from so many different islands before.”

“Don’t worry, lass,” Captain Evere comforted, “The world of Aetria is a vast and magical place full of people just waiting to be offended by something.”

Margaret’s glasses slipped down to the tip of her nose. “It is?”

“Aye, so keep your mouth shut. These are violent ruthless people, if you offend them, they'll eat you alive.”

“They will?” Margaret squeaked.

“Don’t tell her that, they won’t eat her,” Mina scolded as she set up some chairs. She then paused and thought for a moment. “Well, the Ronesians might.”

The first Guild Master to arrive was Natima, of the Elictr Guild.

“May I take your coat, madam?” Alder asked, bowing formally.

Namtia was on him in a flash, clamping down on his wrists and ankles with her spider-like limbs, holding him in place. “You really think you can take me in a fight?” she hissed.

Alder’s eyes went wide but he made no sound. “No madam, I am not attempting to rob you, I meant it only as a courtesy.”

“Oh,” Namtia said, looking a little embarrassed. “Yes, you may.” Alder was released and Natima handed him her coat. Alder thanked her formally.

“You're quite calm under pressure for a little guy,” Natima praised, looking him over curiously.

“Not at all,” Alder said as he deftly hung her coat on the rack that had been prepared. “If one cannot control oneself one cannot hope to control one’s surroundings. That was one of the first lessons taught to me by my Matron.”

Namtia leaned in, fascinated. “How pleasant to meet an educated man. I don’t see many in my line of work.”

“Well, there are many different kinds of education,” Alder explained. “After all, a thousand travel books aren’t as valuable as one real trip.”

“That is true,” Namtia said, a tiny grin on her lips. “Experience brings pleasure, after all.”

Namtia scuttled away to find her seat and Alder slowly released his breath. Athel leaned up against the wall next to him, reviewing her notes.

“She was flirting with you, you know,” Athel pointed out, in amusement.

Alder looked at Athel as if he thought she was joking. “Well, if she was flirting with me then she has terrible taste.”

“Oh come on, I think you are pretty cute,” Athel said with a wink.

Alder coughed. “Please do not patronize me, I know what I look like.”

“I’m not patronizing; just think of yourself as being an acquired taste.”

“Anyway, what I meant was it is in bad taste to flirt with a married man,” Alder clarified.

“Well, she couldn’t have known. Kirdishians clip their antennae when they are married.”

Alder thought on this for a moment. “Ah, I understand. A visual indication of marital status, like the rings Mina and Evere wear on their fingers.”

“Yep, most islands have some kind of custom like that,” Athel mentioned as she flipped through her notes. “Makes it easier for them to know who is single and who is not.”

“Fascinating,” Alder mused.

Thiric, Reimay, and Urbar arrived next, and ate some of the food that Alder had laid out while they waited for the others.

Captain Evere and Mina stood alongside the covered table, generally trying not to draw any attention to themselves. Reimay, Master of the Mertrion Guild, slowly worked his way over to Mina inquisitively, his long nose twitching about.

“So, are you like a fox or something?” he asked, giving her a little sniff.