Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-Three - Looking a Gift Book in the Mouth
The morning after the wedding found everyone in a state of incredible exhaustion.
I think it was only an hour short of noon before I managed to claw my way to wakefulness, sitting up on the edge of the bed and blearily glancing around my cabin aboard the Beaver Cleaver.
It was some time later that I managed to trudge my way down to the kitchen. "Hungry," I complained as I slumped into a chair and then just stared across the room.
Calamity was at the stove, poking at something with the energy of a cat who was done playing with its prey and just wanted it to move. It looked like he was making oatmeal or something. Boiled milk and oats, with some granola for texture. Not exactly the fanciest of foods... but I really wanted it.
"You get your turn after me," Amaryllis snapped. She was in another of the dining area's chairs, wings crossed and face set in a birdy frown. Amaryllis was still in her PJs, a big fluffy shirt with little flowers embroidered at the hems and loose pants that matched.
"Shouldn't the captain get first dibs?" Calamity asked.
Amaryllis narrowed her eyes. "... No," she finally said.
I slumped a little more. "But I'm hungry?"
"Betrayal! Betrayal from my..." I yawned. "...From my own bestest friend!"
Amaryllis rolled her eyes betrayingly.
One by one, more of the crew trickled in. Awen came in, still wrapped in a big blanket and stifling a yawn, and Desiree followed after her, casually brushing one of her fox tails out. She looked the most prepared for a normal day out on the town.
"Is Caprica okay?" I asked.
Awen shrugged, then yawned again. "Maybe?"
Well, I'd go check on her then... after breakfast. Booksie's wedding had been a whole thing and now that it was over, it felt like a decade's worth of stress was lifted off my shoulders all at once. I couldn't imagine what it was like for Booksie, the star of the show.
Calamity came around with grub, which we were quick to improve by cutting up some fruit and adding a few little bits of that kind of hard chocolate that travelled well. It didn't taste great, but hunger was a good spice for just about anything.
Eventually Caprica joined us, looked just a smidge frazzled, but judging by the way she sniffed at the air, that didn't matter as much. "I can't believe I slept in so late," she complained as she sat down. "My teachers would be upset to learn that I've let my discipline slip so much."
"It's okay," I assured her. "We had a long day."
Desiree nodded along as she tugged a brush through her tail a final few times. "Indeed. One of the longest in my life. However, I have no doubt that as the stress and unpleasantness fades from our thoughts, the remaining joy will be refined into a cherished memory."
I nodded. It would! I wish they had better cameras in this world, I would have loved to see a bunch of photos, or have a few to stick to my bedroom's walls. Oh well!
Breakfast was a little less rowdy than usual, with most of us only barely having enough energy to bring spoon to mouth, but as it carried on, the energy levels increased a little.
A few friends wandered off to get dressed more appropriately, and eventually I decided to do the same, though I left my breastplate and armour behind in my room. I didn't figure I'd need it when we were otherwise safe.
I was just leaving my room when Caprica knocked at my door. "Broccoli, we have a guest."
She nodded. "My guards just let me know. They're posted by the docks."
I knew about them. With all of the worry and the recent kidnapping... well, people from the Sylphfree embassy didn't want their princess to be kidnapped, so we had a pair of sylph guards hanging out by the gangplank leading onto the Beaver.
"Anyone we know?" I asked.
She smiled. "Booksie."
"And an escort, apparently she warrants that now," Caprica said. "I don't know what she's doing out here the day after her wedding."
"Is she still waiting?"
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"She needs the captain's permission to board," Caprica said.
"Huh! But she's a friend! Of course she can get on!" I said.
Caprica shrugged. "That's the excuse I used to keep the guards off the ship, so that's the excuse they're using as well.
"Hmph!" I hmphed. Caprica just smiled though, and she followed me as I darted across the ship and up onto the main deck, then it was a hurried rush across to the side with the gangplank.
I found Booksie standing on the dockside, wearing a nice travelling set and with a thick shawl wrapped around her shoulders for warmth. She had a crocheted beanie on, one with a pair of long sleeves for her ears. The weight of the beanie dragged them down.
"Booksie!" I cheered as I rushed down to meet her.
She laughed and spread her arms wide for the inevitable hug-crash. "Hi!" she squeaked. "How are you doing?"
"I'm great!" I said. "How are you? I didn't expect to see you so soon after the wedding."
Booksie flushed, then shrugged. "Ah, well, Rhawr is still sleeping, so I thought I'd get out and get some chores done. We'll be leaving tonight, though."
"Leaving?" I asked. A pit formed in my stomach. Leaving where? For what?
She nodded. "Our honeymoon! Rhawr can be such a romantic. He said that we're going on a trip to visit my family to give them the good news personally. Ah, I expect that we might actually arrive shortly after my first letters."
"Your family? Oh! Aren't they all in... uh..." I tried to remember. Booksie had mentioned where she was from before, but it was slipping my mind now. Somewhere way out west.
"Pyrowalk," Booksie said. "Past the Ostri desert and the Silverstar Forest. It's a month-long journey to get to the outer fringes of the country, longer still to get to where my family lives."
"That's kind of a long trip," I said.
"Oh, it's a month-long trip if you're travelling normally and don't own your own ship. That would mean taking a caravan across the desert's edge, then an airship or two. There aren't too many who make the trip. The other option is a sea-going ship across the Moonstruck sea, but that's even longer. Fortunately, Rhawr and I are taking a more direct route." She grinned. "Rhawr got permission from the dragons that live around the desert and the forest to fly over their territory."
"Oh! That makes a lot of sense," I said. "Come on! There's still some breakfast leftover, if you want, and it's warmer inside!"
"I won't say no to warming my toes a little," Booksie said.
I led her up onto the main deck, then over to the poop deck where we entered the ship proper. It was noticeably warmer within, the winter chill kept at bay by the magical warming device that Awen had strung up within the ship. It fed off of ambient mana and created just a fountain of heat, enough that touching it felt kind of toasty. It was enough to drive off the chill of winter.
"Actually, one of the things I wanted to look into before I left are the things that Rainnewt left behind," Booksie said. "His 'gifts.'"
"Ah, those," I said. "I think Amaryllis placed them all in a chest and locked it up, just in case. You wanted to see the countdown clock?"
"The book, actually," Booksie said. "I happen to know a thing or two about those. Maybe I can help?"
I nodded. That was a good idea. Rainnewt had left a few strange items as a wedding gift, something that had raised quite the alarm.
We found Amaryllis, and after the usual hellos and trade of hugs she went to fetch the chest where Rainnewt's stuff had been... stuffed.
Amaryllis dropped the chest onto the dining room table, then unlatched it. "The Mages Guild and the Exploration Guild and the city all wanted to keep these things," she explained. "I had to beat my wings to keep them away."
Within was the stuff that Rainnewt had sent. The letter, addressed to me and written in English, the countdown timer, and a strange old book.
"Well well," Booksie said as she carefully took the book and lifted it up. "This is interesting. Did the people from either guild tell you anything about this?"
"No? It's not magical, just a normal book, I think."
Booksie snorted. "Normal. Put on some tea, and I'll see what I can figure out about this one."