"Stannir wake up... We're here..."
"Stannir you lazy shit... WAKE UP!"
He opened his eyes and looked up. He saw Drummen and Cliffhopper staring at him. "I was having a nice dream... This better be good?"
"We're here... The last of the six cities that they lost contact with." Stannir smiled, got out of his cot, grabbed Salina's hand and walked above deck looking at the city in front of them. "These cities have been easy to take... Not much trouble at all, since we already took out a lot of their forces when we defended the first one."
"Same plan as before?" He turned and looked at the priestess nodding. "Yes... Same as before. Mouse, Cliffhopper and Drummen... You know what to do." He watched as Cliffhopper turned Drummen and himself into a bird of prey and flew off into the sky. "Mouse, I'll be seeing you when you return..." Mouse nodded and jumped into the sky, before jumping again from a platform made by Harnio. "They are starting to work together... really well." He looked at Salina smiling. "You're right... They're improving every day."
"I guess I'll just be sitting here in the rigging watching out for their return?" He turned to the priestess. "Yes... All we can do is wait for their return." He leaned on the deck railing looking over the city. "This one doesn't look as damaged... Hopefully, they aren't hurt at all."
"They'll be fine lad... You and your warriors have done a great service to the free cities... What are you going to do once you've finished here?" Stannir looked at the captain frowning. "We've been given a mission so, we'll accomplish it."
"What was it exactly? I'm sure freeing the free cities were not it." He smiled at the captain. "I like you... You think ahead. Our mission was to disrupt the communication between the free cities and the people from the firelands..."
"There's never been talk between the two, above the table... Below the table with smugglers, there's a lot of talk and swapping of coin." Stannir nodded in thought. "Are you going to fight against them?" He shook his head. "We're going to go looking for something else instead... The free cities are free cities... We've got nothing against them at all." He heard the captain breath a sigh of relief.
"What are you planning to go looking for?" Stannir looked at him, "how long have you sailed these islands captain?"
"All my life... I know almost everything about anything in these islands." Stannir gripped the railing, and heard it creak slightly. "Why would the Supreme want access to these islands? Is there something hidden out here somewhere?"
He watched as the captain looked around the deck and looked back at him. He lowered his voice. "Not much around these parts, except for a legend." Stannir smiled and looked up at the priestess and Harnio. "Wait for them to come... We have a keen interest in legends, especially in these parts."
He watched as the other two arrived and looked at the captain. "The captain here was about to tell us a story of a legend in these parts... Strange the trolaiths and drones were in these affected cities only, and not all of them."
"Stannir... There's something strange that's happened in this city." He looked up as two birds of prey landed on the deck, turning back to their human forms. "What was it?" He looked around. "Where's Mouse?"
"He's still in the city looking around... It's empty of people... It's a complete ghost town." Stannir looked at the city. "Did the queen turn them all into drones?"
"That's what we guess... It looks like it has been empty for a little while... Food uneaten in taverns. Nobody... That's why Mouse is still looking around, to see if he can find anyone that was in hiding." He nodded at the brothers. "Good job... You both deserve your drink today."
"That's too late... I have already started drinking... What about you brother?"
"Hahaha... Me too... Being a soon to be father is hard work, it makes me thirsty all the time."
Stannir ignored the brothers and looked at the captain. "Looks like we can dock here safely, since no one is around."
"You heard them... Lets dock up and see if we can get some fresh supplies..."
He turned and looked at the bow head and saw Mouse standing there frowning. "Mouse what did you find?" He watched as he signed to him. He cursed. "He said, the entire population of the city is gone... It seems that they just dropped whatever they were doing and left in a hurry."
"Cliffhopper, did the place smell bad?"
"No, there was no smell at all... No death, no fighting... Its as if they never were there in the first place."
Stannir looked around. "What are some possible ideas that could of caused this?"
He stood watching, as the sailors docked the ship and readied the gangplank. "Captain... The legend you were about to tell us? Does it involve people missing like this?"
"No... Not at all. This is something completely new to me... I was just going to tell you of the pirate wall... There is a place supposed to be around here somewhere that shows the story and history of the pirates here... Also a treasure so large, that it couldn't all be carried out... The problem was that, once someone went there, they always left empty handed, because of the wall."
Stannir looked at the captain, and than at his group. "Why would they want the wall?"
"I heard about this too... My brother and I were planning to go and see it, but with my skills we were going to empty the place, but we ended up in the Capital instead."
Stannir walked down the gangplank and into the city with Salina at his side. "What do you think about this place? Why would people just leave here?" He turned to the brothers and Mouse. "Did you find any tracks outside the city?"
"No... Nothing... That's what we first thought as well to check... If they were drones, than they would of left tracks outside the gates... Nothing... Not even a scorch on a wall or anything." He nodded and looked at Salina. "I've got nothing as well... I've never seen this or even heard of this."
"Could they all of left in a vessel together, if they heard of an attack on the other cities?" He looked at the priestess in thought. "That's possible, but look at the size of this place... It would have to be a very large vessel at least, several smaller ones."
"Captain... Is there a vessel that could carry all these people away from here?"
He looked at the captain following him. "There's one, but that one is out of commission..."
"Would you be talking about the Nebi?"
"Yes lads, how do you know about that ship?"
"My brother's ex is the captain of the Nebi."
"Brother... Blast you, and your future child. Can't you keep your mouth shut."
"What do you mean brother, they already know she dumped you, even when we were given a map to go to the wall."
Stannir looked at them and cursed. "Are you telling me you have a map to that pirate wall place?"
"Yes... Cliffhopper got it from one of Nebi's crew... We have to return it to her, when we see her again."
"Why couldn't it be the Nebi that took them away?" He looked at Harnio looking around the city frowning.
"The Nebi was attacked, and serverly damaged... Its in repairs the last we saw it, and won't be ready for quite a while."
"When did you see it last?"
"Nearly a year ago?"
"Could they have fixed it in a year?" Stannir eye's lowered when he saw the brothers and the captain shake their heads. "It's still in bad shape... Out here in the islands, we don't have the best materials... We need to get them from the capital and other places... My guess is that it will be out of service for several more years."
"Harnio, Star, do either of you see anything around here?" He watched as Harnio shook his head. "No death, no nothing... He looked back at the docks and than to Star. "What about you?"
"I also don't see anything out of the ordinary... But there is something I can do to find out." Stannir looked at her. "What can you do?"
"I can dance." Stannir looked at the ground trying not to smile. "What do you mean by dance?"
"Ass... I'm a priestess after all. I know a dance, that when it rains it recreates what happens in the area... We'll know what happened here, and the mystery will be solved."
"She's right... the priestess knows dances that can do those things, but as she says she needs rain for it to work... When I was young I saw one of those dances... What it showed was amazing."
"What do you need for this to work Star?"
"I need a metallic surface to dance on, and also I need rain... Heavy rain." Stannir smiled and looked at the brothers and Harnio. "We have people who can make those things happen. "Talk with her and prepare all the things she needs. Cliffhopper give me that map... I want to look at it."
"Here it is. I've kept it safe with me since then."
Stannir grabbed the parchment, and looked at Star. "You can look at the map after you've told them what you need to be done... I'll be with the captain." He turned and gave the map to the captain. "Does this map show the wall you were talking about?" He watched as he looked at it. "Yes... That's the supposed place... It's not far from here at all... We could probably get there by dawn tomorrow, is this where you want to go now?"
"Not yet... We need to figure out what happened here first. Once we know we can move on."
"Are you sure you want to see the wall?" He looked at Salina standing by his side and nodded. "We need to see if that is what they are looking for."
"But if there's a map that leads to it, shouldn't it be easy for them to find?" Stannir nodded in thought. "Yes... That's very true." He looked at the captain. "Are there many of these maps around?"
"No... This is the first one I've seen in a very long time... Usually, when they plan to go there, people find it by accident... I'm sure that at that location, it will still need luck to find it." Stannir smiled. "We're lucky... We have someone who has lady luck on their side."
"They have the details for what I need... It won't take them long to set it up. Let me see this map." He watched as she took the map from the captain and frowned over it. "It is a map to a location, but the location isn't exact... It's more like the wall is in that area somewhere..."
Stannir smiled. "Just like the captain said... We need a little bit of lady luck."
"DRUMMEN!"
"What is it? I'm not finished yet... I'm still searching for the materials."
"Have a look at this map, and tell me what lady luck says?" Stannir stood near him as Star handed Drummen the map
"Fine... I've been enjoying the quiet for a while..." He watched as he looked at the map frowning and shaking his head. "What is it? Is lady luck talking to you?"
"Yes, she is... She's shouting at me... That's the place I need to go... I know where it is." He heard Drummen curse. "Stupid trial..."
"What do you mean Drummen? What is she saying?"
"That place is where I face my trial, and if I pass, I'm part of lady luck's family."
He looked at Drummen in confusion. "What do you mean? This would be a good thing, wouldn't it?"
"Are you kidding? I met her, and her brother... All they did was talk about their mother, and how scary she was... Apparently her mother found me, and caused lady luck to start following me around Athlos."
"Are they strong?"
"Are they strong? You got to be serious... Put it this way. Mouse looks like a baby when compared to the brother... They could wipe out all of Athlos, but noooo they don't. They call themselves the guardians of Athlos."
"The guardians of Athlos..."
Stannir looked at the captain. "Have you heard of them before?"
"Only legends... A very strong family... They were called dragons among men... They kept Athlos safe from its own destruction..."
"I want to hear this legend... It sounds very interesting." Stannir looked at Harnio as he stared at the map in Drummen's hands. He turned to Salina who shrugged her shoulders at him. "Well captain... You have an active audience... Can you tell us the legend of these dragon among men?"