Cane watched calmly as the Veda pulled out of Loramo harbor. He gripped the wood railing of the three-masted ship as the vessel swayed under his feet.
"Blacksmiths shouldn't go to sea. It's not natural." Jonas Ironfist's deep voice spoke from behind him.
Cane smiled at the huge man. They were the same height, but Jonas was at least double his weight, and all of it was muscle. He had a full head of bright red hair and was covered in freckles. Jonas was not meant for sea or sun. Cane had spent three years apprenticing with the Journeymen. He had needed special permission from the Trades Commission to do so since Jonas was not a master craftsman.
"You better start with your hammer work right away." A considerable fist handed him a 16-pound hammer. "Fifty with each hand."
Cane grabbed the hammer with one hand. They were crossing the Rhabis sea to visit the capital. Jonas would take his Master Craftsman test there. His first action after passing would be to promote his apprentice to Journeyman. He gripped the handle with one hand and raised it shoulder height, then brought it down quickly using the muscles of his arm to stop it at his waist. "One...."
The Rhabis sea was the main battleground for the Ora and Zuni Empires. A war that had been going on for thirty years was fought mostly at sea. Small coastal cities on both sides were regularly raided, the small islands that made up the Verdan Archipelago changed hands every few months. To make matters worse, there were several groups of pirates that raided both sides. In secret they often would pose as Ora or Zuni sailors when they pillaged. Keeping the war going was great for business.
Cane slept on deck, the sounds of the ocean and gentle swaying of the ship didn't bother him. He had short black hair and was slightly above average height. Once he was promoted to Journeyman he would travel a bit, blacksmiths could always ply their trade. Cane was especially good at elemental metallurgy, adding elemental traits to weapons and armor. It was an inborn talent, since Jonas couldn't do it, Cane had learned mostly from the books he had purchased and experiments he attempted.
He used his pack as a pillow, calmly staring at the night sky. A sound off the starboard bow caught his attention, in the dim light he could see the outline of another ship, then he heard the sounds of a dozen fuses being lit.
"Pirates!" He screamed as loud as he could and dived over the rail, he had just hit the water when the explosions from broadside cannon fire tore into the Veda. The light from the blasts lit up the depths of the ocean as Cane swam underwater in long strokes. He didn't surface until he had to and then it was just enough for his mouth to be above water. Given that it was a night with a full moon, he didn't want to cast a silhouette for anyone to see.
Cane swam for ten minutes before he stopped. In the distance he could see pirates boarding the Veda, he was still close enough to hear screaming and the occasional gunshot. The blacksmith treaded water while he watched. It was more than an hour before the pirate ship moved away, by that time the Veda was already half sunk.
By the time Cane returned to the Veda, he was forced to slog through the deck that was already knee-deep in saltwater. With a minimal amount of looking, he was able to find his pack where he had been sleeping. After a bit more searching and he was able to scavenge a sword, two canteens, some boots and a piece of leather armor.
The mast was laying over the portside rail, Cane thought to find a large piece of it to cling to when he spied something better. The boarding dingy had been left upside down on the deck. A quick inspection told Cane that it was undamaged.
After freeing it from it's tie-down rope, he used one of the oars to pry it right-side up. Cane tossed his bag, all the items he collected, and both oars in the boat before shoving off. He had no idea where to go, but traveling in the opposite way of the pirate ship seemed like the best bet.
***
"Bring him onboard." Cane didn't hear the voice that decided his fate nearly two weeks later. He had been adrift since the attack, he had managed to stretch the water supply for almost ten days.
"What about his things Captain?" The voice was feminine and had a strong musical element to it.
"It's just crap, set that dinghy afloat," The first voice replied.
Someone had poured water down his throat, just enough so that it burned horribly, Cane rolled onto his side, a raspy groan escaping his raw throat. The seventeen-year-old was blistered by the exposure to the sun, his lips were rough and torn from lack of moisture. He spent nearly an hour in the darkness of the hold, before finally opening his eyes.
He was in a cage, basically, a two-meter square holding pen, the kind slavers used. He propped himself up against the bars, struggling with vertigo as he sat up. There was a bucket filled with water next to his cage, Cane grabbed the dipper that lay against it and drank slowly. They had left him water, at least they were interested in having him recover.
"You someone special boy? Why would Orion leave you water?" A low voice spoke from one side.
In the darkness, Cane could just make out her features. She was blonde, and probably had been quite beautiful at one time, before someone decided to beat her. There was nothing but despair in her eyes, an acceptance of her grim fate.
Cane ignored her and took another slow drink. After refilling the dipper he passed it through the bars to her. A torn and bloody hand that was missing most of its fingernails snatched the dipper from his hand, he heard the sound of drinking a moment later. He refilled the dipper twice more for her while he studied his surroundings.
There were at least two dozen cages in the hold, most of them had single occupants. An unsteady breath drew his attention to the cage on the other side of him. He had never seen one, but the fins located where her legs should be told Cane she was one of the Merfolk. The merfolk woman watched him with eyes that glowed brightly in the dim light. Her scales were all but dried up, her naked chest rose and fell with each breathe. He handed her the dipper through the bars, but she shook her head.
"She can't drink that." The blond from the other side of him spoke. "She can only drink salt water."
"Salt water?" Never having seen or spoken with merfolk, Cane knew nothing of their behavior. "Do you have a dipper or cup?"
A pale webbed hand picked up the dented cup from one corner and handed it to him.
"I need something I can tap with, a broken nail or hinge."
"It wont matter, Neri is dying." Her voice was filled with anguish, it was obvious they were close.
Cane turned until he faced the wall, "Neri is it? A drop of your blood please." He extended the cup back through the bars. She shied away from the contact, her eyes confused.
"Are you a metallurgist boy?" The blonde was gripping the bars, even in her state she was ready to defend her friend if she could.
"A blacksmith actually, but I do know a bit of metallurgy." He kept the cup extended outward.
"It's okay Neri." The blonde's voice was oddly soothing, "I don't believe he is our enemy."
Cane used his cup to pry up a loose nail from the floorboards, by the time he had worked it loose, the mermaid had handed him back the cup. Inside was a few drops of her blood. "Perfect." Cane dipped the point of the nail in the blood and began engraving the outside of the cup. He would stop every so often to chant archaic words that sounded like gibberish to the two females watching. On occasion he would flip the nail over and tap a pattern on the cup, as he worked, the engravings on the cup began to glow. The whole process took about two hours. Cane was exhausted when he finished. He used his own dipper to drink some water before handing her the cup he'd been working on.
Neri looked at him questioningly, the cup in her hands was empty.
"Sorry, breathe into the cup." Cane grabbed his dipper and handed it through the bars to the blonde. "I'm Cane."
The blonde held the cup in her hands, watching as Neri breathed into her cup. What happened next must have shocked the mermaid, because she nearly dropped the cup. After a moment, the sound of her drinking brought a small smile to Cane's lips.
"Thank you. Thank you Cane." The blonde's face that had been so filled with anguish seemed to brighten a bit as she watched her friend quench her thirst.
"You'll have to breathe into it whenever you want it filled, it's not unlimited or anything, perhaps a barrel full." Cane took note of his possessions. He still had a shirt, boots, and pants on, but his bag was nowhere to be found.
"I'm Ria, can you do my cup too?" The blonde was handing Cane her cup again.
Cane shook his head, "oddly enough I only know the saltwater version of that rune."
A short laugh came from the her throat, "only the saltwater? Then our meeting must be destiny."
Neri nodded from the other cage while she continued to drink.
"I was traveling to the Ora Capitol when our ship was attacked by pirates," Cane started examining the cage he was being kept in. "They made a mistake in not shackling me," he muttered under his breath.
"This is a Slaver ship, you will probably be sold into slavery. The two of us already have a buyer, our enemies have conspired against us." She lowered her voice, "what are you doing?"
"Hmm? Well, I don't wish to become a slave, so of course I'm going to open this door." Cane began working the point of the nail against the top of the hinge.
"Can you pick the lock?" Ria pulled herself to her knees, even though it took a lot of effort.
"No, but I don't need to," Cane squinted as he worked in the darkness. "It's a capped hinge, so remove the cap and then push the hinge-pin out. "
The other slaves were minding their own business. Cane was shocked that they didn't seem interested in getting out of their cages. It took him 15 minutes to get out of his, then another hour to work loose the hinges on Neri and Ria's cage.
Ria looked at Cane, of the two of them, he was in better shape to carry the mermaid. "Listen, up the stairs and over the rail. Simple as that."
Cane stared at her in the darkness. "Wwon't they just shoot us? Or pick us up again?"
Ria nodded, "they would if we didn't have a mermaid with us. Once we get her into the water, we'll be in the clear."
"Okay, I should probably carry her then." Cane knew the two of them probably had been down here for some time.
Cane picked up Neri and followed Ria to the steps leading up from the hold. The railing was visible from the stairs. Ria turned toward him and nodded, then without another word she ran up the stairs.
Given the physical states of the three of them, it wasn't the greatest escape. They did however manage to make it to the rail before the alarm was given. Cane didn't give it a second thought, he leaped over the rail into the depths below.
As soon as he hit the water, the person in his arms came to life. He felt a slim hand grip his wrist as he was pulled through the water at a ridiculous rate. They surfaced after half a minute, but did not slow their pace as the mermaid pulled both him and Ria through the waves.
The tireless mermaid seemed to get stronger the longer she was in the water. He was towed through the dark waters throughout the night. By the time the time dawn was breaking, they managed to make landfall. Coughing, the two humans crawled through the surf and lay on the beach gasping for air.
By the time Cane managed to climb to his feet, Ria was already sitting up.
"They took her necklace, so she has to stay in her merform for now." Ria accepted his hand and stood up. She turned and waved at Neri, "we'll meet you in the cove."
Cane followed Ria as she walked down a worn trail, surprisingly there were a few small huts at the end of the path.
Ria opened one door and walked inside, after a moment she came out. "You can rest in here for now. Neri is a healer, so I'm going down to the cove to get fixed up." She had grabbed a bag from inside, it was stuffed full of gear.
Cane nodded and walked inside. There was a comfortable looking cot against the wall, so he made himself at home before falling into an exhausted sleep.
The door seemed to open again a few minutes later, but the setting sun told him it had been several hours.
"Neri has asked that you come to the cove also," Ria said it in a surprised tone.
Cane stood up slowly, stretching as he got to his feet. He hadn't been able to ask many questions until now. "Where is this place? Who are you guys exactly?"
Ria lead him down a different path. "I'm a Corsaire, Neri is my ship's healer and first mate."
Cane smiled pleasantly, but inside he was cursing. She's a damn pirate. Corsaires were sponsored by a country during war-time, but their actions were similar to that of pirates. It was just dressed up a bit more.
The mermaid was swimming leisurely in the cove when they approached. "Neri has taken a liking to you, usually she won't go near human males."
"Isn't it hard to be a healer of your crew then?" Cane kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his shirt.
Ria watched from behind as he waded into the water. The man was covered in lean muscle and sinew. "I have an all-female crew."
Cane stopped and looked back. All-female crews weren't common, it seems he remembered something about a female pirate. Neri's presence made him lose his train of thought. She was still in her merform, the only thing she wore was a shell necklace. "Is that the necklace you need to change forms?"
Neri nodded to him, he had thought her hair was brown or black, but in the light of the setting sun, he saw that it was dark blue. She placed her hands on his shoulders, a glowing light enveloped both of them. Strength flowed into Cane, his burns and cuts slowly healed and closed up.
After a few minutes, Cane felt better than he ever had. But, truthfully, he was finding it difficult to not look at her bare chest. She had perfect ivory skin, her aquamarine eyes glowing as she finished healing him.
Neri didn't let go when she was done, she still had both hands placed on his shoulders while she stared at him.
"She says thank you. If there is ever a chance to repay your kindness, she will do it." Ria called from the shore, the captain had been sitting on the beach watching them.
The mermaid nodded in agreement before placing a hand on either of Cane's shoulders. She bent slowly until their foreheads touched.
"What are you doing Neri?" Ria's voice interrupted them, with a reluctant sigh the mermaid pulled away and frowned at the blonde.
"Yes... I can see that." Ria shook her head slightly, treating Cane to a surprised smile. "You may have missed the significance of that, but touching foreheads is an intimate act with merfolk."
Cane didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent as he waded out of the shallows. The slight touch of their foreheads had been accompanied by something strange, a flash of memory that even now was becoming blurred.
An hour later the three of them were enjoying a meal that Neri had cooked. She was dressed in black leather pants and a white blouse. Cane would never have known she was a mermaid by looking. She appeared to be a pretty woman, who despite having a full chest was surprisingly slim. Her dark blue hair hung to her waist.
Cane finished the last of his soup, "was that sea turtle?"
Neri nodded, "did you like it?"
Cane had been surprised to learn that she could talk in human form. "It is very good, thank you."
The blonde captain had been fairly silent throughout the evening. In the light of the tiny hut, she looked like an angel. Her pale blond hair hung over one shoulder, she wore the same leather pants and white shirt that her first mate wore. Cane couldn't tell what color her eyes were in the candlelight, but without a doubt she was a stunningly beautiful woman. She had bits of red ribbon weaved into her hair, she smiled at Cane whenever she talked.
"I'm in your debt, Cane." She handed him a letter. "This is a letter to the Arch-Mage Telamon. He is an instructor at the Magi Academy in Ora. If you bring this to him, he will reward you properly."
Cane looked at the letter in his hands. "Is there a ship coming?"
Ria nodded, "yes. Two ships, actually, one for us that will be here tomorrow. You will have to wait a few days, but I've sent word that you are to be picked up."
The three of them talked well into the night. When Cane awoke a few hours after dawn, they had already left. There was a pack with supplies left on one of the empty cots. A small shell bracelet sat next to his bed, Cane smiled as he slipped it on. He glanced at the envelope sitting on the table, the Magi Academy in Ora. It was a legendary place to him. He shook his head in wonder, "it's as good a start as any."